CISF warns of security risks at airports, writes to home & aviation ministries

New Delhi: Most airports in the country are vulnerable to terror attacks, because local police who provide security on the city side of those are often underprepared to handle the threat, the Central Industrial Security Force has warned.
The paramilitary force has sent a report to the home and aviation ministries, highlighting the security risks from the city side of airports that includes the approach road and parking area. CISF guards the terminals at 59 of the country’s key airports. It also handles security of the city side in Delhi and Mumbai, but elsewhere, that responsibility is on the local police or other government forces.
Police are unable to deploy enough personnel to guard the area around airports, said the report submitted in September. CISF has offered to provide security on the city side of the remaining airports as well, but for that it will need an additional 4,000 personnel.

“The report has flagged that the city side security is not a priority of the state police and proper deployment of force is rarely done,” said a government official, who is aware of the content of the report.

The report explains that preventing an attack from the city side of an airport is challenging, as huge volume of people enter the airport area, he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The report has said that it is difficult to identify a terrorist among them and, hence, creating deterrence on the city side is extremely essential and manpower is required to be sanctioned for it.”
09/11/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Delhi airport will no longer offer special immigration facilities to premium flyers

Starting Wednesday, international flyers can expect a bit of chaos at Delhi airport. The Bureau of Immigration has done away with separate immigration counters for business and first-class passengers.

The reason? The bureau believes there is no need for a facility like this when there were long queues at the counters for those flying economy. The upside is that there will be more counters available to all passengers, hopefully making the queues shorter. The flipside is that premium class passengers will have to queue up too.
Special counters will be available only to diplomats, top officials and crew members. According to The Times Of India, this move may be extended to other airports as well.
31/10/17 Suprita Mitter/Condo Nest Taveller

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Arts College roped in for airport makeover

Lucknow: Beautiful sculptures, colourful murals and artwork highlighting the rich culture of the state will soon be seen at Chowdhary Charan Singh International airport.
Airport authorities have written to the College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow University, to send names and profiles of artists from the college for designing and installation of artwork at the airport. "The Airports Authority of India (AAI) wants to create a sense of place and belonging with the display of artwork that reflects the unique identity and culture of Lucknow and other places. A letter in this regard has been received by the college," said principal Ratan Kumar.
He said students and faculty will be jointly coming up with an artistic impression of where all installations, murals, paintings, sculptures and graphics could be put up at the airport. A team from the college will be visiting the airport to plan and design the new look. If the college gets approval from the authority, it will make sure to change the themes and art installation from time to time so as to offer something new to the passengers. Kumar said the design will be made in accordance with the direction of the airport authorities. The artwork will include paintings, murals, digital and other innovative media and would represent various art forms and culture of the entire state, he said.
He said they have welcomed the artworks from other states and countries in order to boost and promote cultural connections between different parts of the country and the world. The college will conduct research to find out more about the rich history of places in order to fit it in the artistic frames. "This move by the AAI will promote local artists, their artwork and local cultures and traditions," he said.
01/11/17 Times of India

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Delhi airport to shut one runway from November 7

New Delhi: Thousands of fliers will face inconvenience as Delhi airport operator DIAL has said one runway would be shut for three days starting from November 7 to carry out maintenance work.
"Runway 11/29 of IGI Airport of New Delhi will remain closed for maintenance for three days from 0001 hours on November 7 to 0700 hours on November 10.
"The scheduled time was chosen after a careful evaluation by Airport Operator in close consultation with Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the airlines," DIAL said in a statement.
According to the Delhi Airport International Ltd (DIAL), the two other runways -- 10/28 and 09/27 -- would accommodate the load of runway 11/29.
Airlines, including Indigo and SpiceJet, have cancelled some of their flights, with the capacity of the airport expected to be reduced by 30 per cent during the period, according to an article in India Today.
Around 300 flights will reportedly be affected by the reduced capacity. Currently, the airport handles 67 flights per hour, but between November 7 and November 10, the frequency will be restricted to 45 movements in an hour.
Last week, airline sources had said there would be curtailment of operations and many flights would have to be rescheduled on account of closure of one runway.
31/10/17 Times Now

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Jet Airways commences its third non-stop daily flight between Mumbai and London Heathrow

Mumbai:  Jet Airways - India’s premier, full-service international airline, is all set to commence its third daily non-stop service between Mumbai and London Heathrow with effect from the forthcoming weekend.

The latest frequency to London Heathrow – 9W 116, will depart on Sunday, October 29, 2017 at 0925 hrs (LT) from Mumbai with an elaborate complement of Premiere and Economy guests on board Jet Airways’ Boeing 777-300 ER - flagship of the airline’s fleet, laid out in a comfortable three-class configuration including its award-winning ‘First Class’ private suites. The flight will arrive in London at 1355 hrs local time.

On its return, flight 9W 115 will depart from London Heathrow at 1555 (LT) and arrive in Mumbai at 0620 hrs (LT), the following day, allowing guests to have a refreshing start to their day.

The addition of the third flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow complements the airline’s existing operations to the English capital from its hubs in Mumbai and Delhi, aboard its flagship B777-300 ER aircraft, that offer a comparatively superior and comfortable flying experience. In fact, Jet Airways will become the only Indian airline to operate thrice daily services between Mumbai - India’s economic capital, and London Heathrow – one of the world’s busiest and best airports.
30/10/17 Tatiana Rokou/Travel Daily News

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CM, officials get stuck in airport lift

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and 11 others, including security guards accompanying him, were stuck in a VIP lift for about 10 minutes at the Chennai airport, causing anxious moments on Sunday night.

Mr. Palaniswami had gone to the airport at 7 p.m. to proceed to Madurai by a Jet Airways flight. When he took the lift to the ground floor from the reserved lounge located on the third floor, it got stuck between the third and second floors.

The Chief Minister’s Deputy Secretary, John Louis, personal assistant Giridharan, personal security officer Krishnan, Security SP-1, Deputy Commissioner (Mount), State Protocol Officer Christuraj, Security Branch Police officer Arun and three members of the CISF Quick Response Team were with him.
30/10/17 The Hindu

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Vistara launches Delhi-Ranchi direct flight

New Delhi: Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, has launched direct flights between Delhi and Ranchi starting Sunday.

"Vistara will operate double daily direct flights between the two cities, providing a convenient same-day return option to travellers," the airline said in a statement.

"We are delighted to add Ranchi to our network and introduce the citizens of Jharkhand to a superior flying experience, as we continue to pioneer concepts and set new standards in service," Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer, Vistara said.

It "reflects our strong commitment to the market, and we're confident that many business travellers and tourists will be delighted to fly their favourite airline to and from Ranchi", he said.
30/10/17 IANS/Business Standard

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Unaware of shift, flyers reach wrong terminal

New Delhi: Unaware of GoAir shifting its operations from Terminal-1 to Terminal-2 from Sunday, many flyers ended up at the wrong terminal on Monday. They were then rushed to T2 through a bus service.
Sources said nearly 300 passengers were ferried from T1 to T2 on Sunday — the first day of GoAir departures from the terminal. On Monday, about 80 passengers were rushed to T2 by the evening. A shuttle bus service has been arranged by the airport operators that is available in every five minutes at T2. DIAL is also running a social media campaign, #T2Reopens, and the same information is being flashed on screens at the new terminal too. "Adequate signage has been placed in and around the airport and the fliers are being informed as well. The number of people turning up at the wrong terminal reduced on Monday. DIAL and GoAir officials will be available for anyone who reached T1 by mistake...and there a shuttle bus service is also available," said a source.
A senior CISF official said that many confused flyers were guided to the right terminal. "Operations are functioning smoothly. Some passengers came to T1 by mistake as they did not know about the shift. However, they were all guided to the other terminal in time," he said.
While GoAir has shifted its operations to T2 completely, both SpiceJet and IndiGo are yet to decide on the shift. DIAL had proposed both airlines to shift a part of their operations to help in expanding T1 - for which work has been stalled temporarily. T2 will continue to function as a domestic airport till T1's capacity is doubled to nearly 4 crore passengers every year by 2021, the targeted deadline.
30/10/17 Times of India

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Winter schedules to witness increase in overall traffic at Kochi airport

Kochi: The overall weekly air traffic to and from Cochin International Airport will increase from 1,314 movements in the current summer schedule to 1,422 aircraft movements in the winter schedule that commenced on Sunday.

Summer schedule 2017 had 333 international arrivals. The number has gone up to 340 with the winter schedule, says a statement from the Cochin International Airport. The number of international departures has gone up from 333 to 340. Domestic arrivals and domestic departures numbering 324 each will gone up to 371 each in the winter schedule.
In the international sector, the new airlines include Jazeera Airways, operating six flights in a week from and to Kuwait. The operations will start on November 23. Thai Lion Air will be operating a daily flight from and to Bangkok commencing November 16.

The additional flights include Air Asia Berhad operating an additional flight from and to Kuala Lumpur four times a week.

Indigo will be operating one additional daily flight in the sector Doha-Cochin-Doha commencing on December 15.
30/10/17 The Hindu

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AAI to introduce international courier service at Trivandrum airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Airport Authority of India (AAI) is all set to introduce the first international courier facility from Trivandrum International Airport next year. The international standard facility is likely to start functioning from January.
The international courier will be managed by AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd (AAICLAS), a subsidiary of AAI.
AAI will utilise a building acquired from Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd (KSIE) at Chackai side of the airport. The building was constructed by KSIE on airport land for the cargo service, which AAI bought at Rs 1.1 crore. Also, an X-ray machine bought by Trivandrum International Airport, which has been lying idle for past few weeks, will be used for the facility.
AAICLAS will outsource the courier service to an agency and manage the administration of international courier. AAI is in the process of preparing tender for the work. The airport authority expects improvement in aeronautical revenue through the courier facility.
30/10/17 Times of India

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KLM resumes Mumbai operations after 16 years

Mumbai: Dutch carrier KLM today resumed its flight services to Mumbai, 16 years after it discontinued operations out of the city.
The flight KL 877, a 294-seater Boeing 787-9 aircraft landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here at 2.15 am, Mumbai airport said in a release.
Earlier, Mumbai and Amsterdam route was served with daily services offered by Jet Airways, it said adding now along with KLM, Mumbai-Amsterdam route will be served with a total of 10 services per week.
30/10/17 PTI/Times of India

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Government to acquire 100 acres for city airport expansion

Chennai: Airports Authority of India's plans to add facilities to enhance aircraft and passenger-handling capacities of Chennai airport is on track as the state government has agreed to acquire 100 acres of land in parcels for the work. The decision was conveyed by the state government when officials of civil aviation ministry and AAI met chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Friday.
"The state government has agreed to acquire the land which will come to around 100 acres. This will include land to build a parallel taxiway. This is crucial because we need space for the taxiway and parking bays," AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said.
The authority had asked the state government to provide 200 acres when officials met the state government officials in June. "They [government] later requested us to scale down the quantity of land which we did. Now, they have accepted our demand," said Mohapatra.
AAI wanted to speed up adding facilities at Chennai airport after it became clear that the second airport would not come up at Sriperumbudur. The airport has got saturated and needed to boost its aircraft and passenger-handling capacities to meet the requirement till a second airport could be built. But it is estimated that it will take another four to five years to plan a second airport.
30/10/17 Times of India

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Greenfield airport likely in Nalanda

Patna: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday proposed to develop a greenfield airport at Rajgir in Nalanda district. A presentation in this regard was made by Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad, at a meeting between Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and chief minister Nitish Kumar here on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of Monday meeting, AAI member (planning) Sudhir Raheja said: "The greenfield airport in Nalanda is proposed over 936 acre land. The CEPT has proposed to develop it through town planning scheme (TPS). The state government appreciated the proposal and further modalities will be worked upon."
TPS is an area planning technique on the concept of land readjustment. The government need not acquire land for developing infrastructure, but the landowners themselves are made stakeholders. The new areas for growth to be opened up for development are clearly marked and divided into smaller plots, which are reorganized by making provisions for roads, water supply, sewerage and other public amenities.
The state government had written a letter to AAI chairman in February 2011, expressing willingness to provide 1200 acre land in Silao circle of Nalanda district, around 80km southeast of Patna, for a new airport. The AAI, however, rejected the plea and, instead, asked for 4800 acre land for a greenfield airport in Nalanda.
30/10/17 Times of India

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Airports to have bomb detection and disposal squads

New Delhi: Bomb detection and disposal squads will now be available at airports across India as part of efforts to strengthen security that also include upgradation of baggage screening systems to bring them on a par with global standards.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has simplified rules to make this possible, officials said.

“The new rules will ensure availability of BDDS (bomb detection and disposal squads) at all airports in India. The new baggage screening system will be in line with the best available globally,” said a senior BCAS official, who did not want to be identified.

“The new screening system will provide a view of the luggage from two sides, leaving little scope for any doubts in the minds of security personnel.”

This comes after the detection of a large number of power banks in the baggage at various airports in the country following an alert by the Intelligence Bureau that terrorists could try to trigger a blast inside an airplane in the country.
30/10/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Delhi Airport gets ready for a new terminal

Due to a surge in traffic, the Delhi Airport has decided to give Terminal 1 (T1), the hub of the low-cost carriers, a Rs 16,000-crore facelift. For this purpose, IndiGo, Spicejet and Go Air — the three airlines operating from the terminal have been asked to partially shift operations to Terminal 2 (T2). While GoAir has agreed to shift to T2, even operating its first flight on Saturday morning, IndiGo and Spicejet are yet to come on board. T2 was shut down in July 2010 when international operations were shifted to Terminal 3.
28/10/17 Business Standard

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No new slots for airlines from T1 for next 3 years: Delhi airport operator

New Delhi: Airlines will not be able to start additional flights from terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport for the next three years, the Delhi airport operator said today.
The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is locked in a face-off with SpiceJet and IndiGo, that have refused to shift a third of their flights from terminal 1 (T1) to terminal 2 (T2) to allow expansion work at the existing terminal.
The revamped T2 will open from Saturday after seven years and GoAir is the only airline that has agreed to shift its entire operations from T1.
"I am very clear I will not give any new slots for next three years for T1," DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao told reporters.
He said that even if airlines move some of their flights to the refurbished terminal, there will be no additional slots. Rao explained that the space vacated by airlines was needed to carry out expansion work at T1 and, therefore, it was not possible to accommodate new flights.
"One-third (flights) I am moving only to facilitate expansion work while we are operating (flights simultaneously)," Rao said.
T1 has a capacity to handle 20 million passengers a year, which will be increased to 40 million passengers per year, according to DIAL's master plan.
The renovated T2 can handle 12 million passengers per annum, up from its earlier capacity of 9 million. It can accommodate 2,500 passengers per hour.
28/10/17 PTI/Times Now

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IAF raises concern over illegal mining around airport

Mohali: Illegal mining on land around the airport is posing a security threat to it. The Air Force authorities have raised their concern in this regard with the local administration. The issue will also be taken up in the upcoming Civil-Military Liaison Conference in the first week of December.
A senior official of the Mohali administration said the threat to the airport area due to the presence of pits caused by illegal mining was one of the main points of the agenda in the upcoming meeting.
“A number of pits, several of which are nearly 20-foot deep, are present around the airport area. These are the result of illegal mining, which had taken place five to six years ago. These pits are certainly a threat to the airport and the Air Force authorities are also concerned that these would cause problems during the expansion of the airport in the near future,” said the official on condition of anonymity.
Mohali DC Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said the pits were the result of illegal mining. “The mining had taken place around six years ago. Currently, no mining is being done in the area,” said Sapra, adding that the issue was a cause of concern for defence personnel.
28/10/17 Akash Ghai/Tribune

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Air Arabia flight grounded after bird hit

Coimbatore: An Air Arabia flight from Sharjah with 106 passengers was grounded at the Coimbatore International Airport on Sunday after it was hit by a bird while landing.

Sources at the airport said that the bird hit occurred while the flight (G9 413) was landing here at 3.50 a.m.

A hole developed in the wing of A 320 aircraft.

The flight landed safely at the airport and a technical team of the airlines noticed the hole while inspecting the aircraft. Following the incident, the airline cancelled the return flight to Sharjah (G9 414) which was scheduled to depart at 4.30 a.m. Meanwhile, the airline made alternative arrangements for the passengers bound to Sharjah, many of them Haj pilgrims.

Officials at the airport said that Air Arabia sought the help of the technical team which rectified the hole. The flight left Coimbatore airport at 9 p.m.

Airport Director R. Mahalingam said that the bird hit occurred before the flight entered airport compound. “It must have occurred when the aircraft reached the Chinniyampalayam area. This is the first time the flight had to be grounded after a bird hit,” said Mr. Mahalingam.
29/10/17 The Hindu

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Chennai's second airport: Spot likely to be decided by December 31

The Tamil Nadu Government is studying two locations in the state to finalise a second airport for Chennai. The location is set to be decided by December 31, reports ToI.

According to reports, the plan to construct the airport at Sriperumbudur was dropped because the land acquisition costs were high. Now, a site near Madurantakam in Kancheepuram district and one near Gummidipoondi are under consideration. The government is reportedly aiming to keep displacement of people minimal and the airport not too far from the city.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami reviewed the expansion projects in the state and said that it will lead to handling of more wide-body aircrafts, as per TNIE. This would in turn ease mobility, create employment and promote business, said the CM. Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Airport Authority of India (AAI), chairman, Dr Guruprasath Mohapatra were present at the secretariat for this meeting to discuss the status of the projects.

Guruprasad Mohapatra told ToI that the state government was looking at alternative spots. “The state government did not give a concrete deadline but it's serious in finding the land. The meeting with the government was positive," he said.

Officials had earlier told the media that even if the new airport becomes operational, it is likely to have only international operations. The domestic operations may continue at the existing airport.

The demand for 1,000 acres of land for airports in the state, including for the existing airport in Chennai, was made when aviation secretary and AAI chairman. They reportedly met state chief secretary in June to sign an MoU for a regional connectivity scheme.
29/10/17 News Minute

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Day One GoAir shifting at Delhi Airport: Some flyers turn up at wrong terminal, rushed to T2

New Delhi: The first day of GoAir shifting operations from IGI Airport's terminal 1 to T2 saw a number of the budget airline flyers turning up at T1 and then they had to be rushed to the other terminal. A GoAir spokesman said: "Few passengers turned up at T1. GoAir staff along with DIAL staff were stationed at TI to help them ferry to T2."
The Delhi Airport has made arrangements of regular bus service between the terminals for passengers for use by transit flyers as well as those who turn up at the wrong terminal for their flight. "Luckily the transition happened on a Sunday and the rush was less so the incidence of GoAir flyers turning up wrongly at T1. Also traffic was relatively less being Sunday and so the travel time between T1 and T2 was reduced for passengers who had to be rushed to T2," said a source.
GoAir has 44 arrivals and as many departures — all domestic as the airline does not yet fly international — to and from Delhi's T2 daily. > The real impact will be known on Monday, the first working day after the transition. DIAL and GoAir have tried to inform passengers about the terminal shifting yet despite that some flyers — mainly those who book via agents and do not give their contact numbers — may not know about the same.
In fact, airline officials say the aviation ministry — which got shifting of on-third domestic flights of IndiGo and SpiceJet delayed from T1 to T2 to January 4 — must help find a way of avoiding partial shifting of airlines as that would cause tremendous confusion among flyers.
"DIAL's original plan drawn up way back last winter (T2 has been ready since January 2017) was to shift entire domestic operations of SpiceJet and GoAir to T2 and keep IndiGo's domestic flights entirely at T1. This plan would have minimised chances of confusion among passengers. When SpiceJet did not agree, then DIAL had to come up with one-third shifting plan for domestic flights of Indigo, SpiceJet and GoAir to T2. Being a relatively small airline, GoAir decided to shift fully," said an official.
29/10/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Pune-Chandigarh Air India flight: Unannounced change in flight timings creates confusion among regular fliers

An unannounded change in the timing of a popular Air India (AI) flight between Pune and Chandigarh (AI 813/4) has created confusion among frequent fliers between the two cities, with many believing the service has been cancelled. Many fliers took to social media asking “why the service has been discontinued”. The AI authorities have now clarified that the operation timings of the flight have been altered temporarily due to the ongoing maintenance work on a runway at Chandigarh.
AI 813/4, which started in January this year, has received a good response from fliers as shown in its booking history, officials said.
Suhas Jadhav, Station Manager of Air India, Pune, clarified that the flight has only been re-scheduled.
“Due to the ongoing runway maintenance work, the flight timings have been changed. Earlier, AI 814 used to depart from Pune at 2 pm and reach Chandigarh at 4.20 pm. Now it will depart from Pune at 12.20 pm and reach Chandigarh at 2.50 pm. The Chandigarh-Pune flight (AI 813) will depart from Chandigarh at 9.15 am and arrive at Pune at 11.40 am,” Jadhav said.
29/10/17 Indian Express

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NRI man booked for IGI trespass seeks HC relief

New Delhi: An NRI philanthropist facing charges of criminal trespass and cheating for allegedly entering a wrong airport terminal in Delhi has sought relief from the high court.
Arvinder Singh Paul was arrested and later released on bail from the IGI airport police station after CISF complained that he entered T3 on the basis of a cancelled London ticket, even though he maintained that he showed an e-ticket of a domestic airline at the gate.
Through his lawyer Sufiyan Siddiqui, Paul questioned the logic of police registering a criminal case and argued that he dropped his disabled daughter and wife headed for London on the strength of a ticket of Indigo airlines Amritsar-bound flight for the same day, without knowing that this flight was to depart from some other terminal.
Justice Pratibha Rani directed the police to fast track the investigation and file the final report within two days. She also directed the trial court to expedite hearing into the case, as Singh cited the medical condition of his daughter that requires constant care and supervision by an adult.
29/10/17 Abhinav Garg/Times of India

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Gods on the runway: This Kerala airport halts flights tp make way for temple processions

For two days in a year, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport halts its flight operations for five hours on the basis of a ‘Notice to Airmen’ (NOTAM).

Respecting a centuries old temple tradition, the airport runway makes way for a grand procession.   

Saturday is one of the two days in a year that sees members of the Travancore royal family, temple priests, police, and even elephants walk down the runway, as part of the temple procession. Hundreds of people also escorted the idols past the 3400-metre runway. 
The ‘Arat’ procession marks the conclusion of the Painkuni festival and the Alpassi festival. Painkuni and Alpassi are references to Tamil months. While Painkuni is in April, Alpassi is in October. 

Arat is the ritualistic bath procession of temple idols at Sree Padmanabha Swami temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The procession, which began at 5pm, crossed the runway at 6.30 pm.

As part of the custom, the idols along with temple elephants are taken to Shangumugam beach for the ritualistic bath. The procession sees royal family members wearing traditional attire and carrying swords. All priests along with royal family members take a dip into the sea three times. The idols are also given a ritualistic bath.

The procession returns to the temple on the same route, accompanied by people carrying traditional fire lamps.

They have to, however, ensure that they clear the runway by 8.45pm. 

“The ritual was started centuries ago when the Travancore royal family ruled here. Even after the airport was established, the procession continued to pass through the runway. When the airport was established in 1932, it was under the Royal Flying Club. Since then, the runway was open for these processions. Even after it was converted into an international airport in 1991, the practice continued as the tradition is very important to this place,” an airport official told TNM.

Since the runway is part of traditional arat procession route, the Airport Authority of India issues passes to those who participate in it. Only those who have a pass can enter the route and cross the runway to head to the beach.

“There are strict restrictions inside the airport area. CISF officials guarding the area allow only people with passes. We issue the pass only to people in the list given by temple authorities,” he added.

NOTAM is issued a week before these two dates in the year, so that all the international flights can change their schedule.
28/10/17 Haritha John/News Minute

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With an eye on Mopa, govt to start aviation courses in Pernem, Sattari ITIs

In order to help Goan youth take up jobs that would arise at the upcoming international airport at Mopa, the state government will start skill development and entrepreneurship training courses in ITIs of Pernem and Sattari.
Coming out with this information on Friday, Craftsmen Training Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the new courses which he intends to introduce in ITIs of Pernem and Sattari will be related to civil aviation, ground handling and allied sector considering employment opportunities that would arise at the new international airport at Mopa.
“I along with the officials of the department will soon meet the chairman of GMR Group, a company which is developing the greenfield airport project, and its technical team and discuss about the manpower that would be required for the airport at Mopa,” he said, adding that the courses will be introduced from next academic year.
Stating that as far as Craftsmen Training is concerned, he has realised that new approach is needed, the Minister emphasised on introducing new courses in ITIs as per the requirement of the global industry.
“We will not restrict only to old courses like electricians, plumbers, fitters, but focus on new trades which will create opportunities for Goan youth to work in Dubai and other countries on cruise ships, merchant navy ships besides export-oriented industries,” Rane said.
He also informed that he has asked the director of Craftsmen Training department to identify and prepare a list of such new courses and submit it to him in next 30 days, adding that everything in this regard will be finalised in next six
months.
28/10/17 Navhind Times

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Expedite airport land acquisition work: Edappadi K Palaniswami

Chennai: With existing airports in Chennai, Coimbatore and other cities of Tamil Nadu bursting at the seams, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday reviewed the progress of acquisition of land for expansion of the installations with officials from civil aviation ministry and Airports Authority of India. Palaniswami asked officials to ensure that the land acquisition process is completed soon and a clear roadmap for the process is laid. Officials said the additional land requirement for expansion of Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchy, Madurai and Tuticorin airports and the progress of ongoing land acquisition were reviewed.

“Hon’ble Chief Minister emphasized that once the airports are expanded, it will lead to handling of more wide body aircrafts at these airports, which will in turn lead to easier mobility for public, more employment and business promotion in these regions,” a press release from the government of Tamil Nadu said. Tamil Nadu government has been planning to expand the existing airport at Chennai after it shelved the proposed Greenfield airport near Sriperumbudur. Plans to expand the existing airport are also beset with land issues since many residents nearby the airport are unwilling to part with their land.

“Chief Minister also instructed to commence flight service operations at Salem, Hosur, Neyveli and Ramanathapuram as well as look at the possibilities of Vellore airport becoming functional, at the earliest,” the release said.Chennai Airport is being managed by the AAI and its officials were present at the meeting. Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey, AAI chairman Dr Guruprasath Mohapatra, municipal administration minister S. P. Velumani and chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan were also present at the meeting.
28/10/17 Deccan Chronicle

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Villagers say yes, Navi Mumbai airport work to resume

Navi Mumbai: After a six-hour-long meeting, the residents of 10 villages affected by the proposed Navi Mumbai Airport project on Friday gave permission to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to resume work at the site.

The Project Affected People (PAP) gave the go-ahead after reaching an agreement on 17 contentious issues with CIDCO Managing Director Bhushan Gagrani. Mr. Gangrani said that work on the project site would resume with police protection from Saturday.

One platoon of the State Reserve Police Force would provide security to the workers and anyone trying to obstruct work would have to face legal proceedings.

The meeting took place at the CIDCO office amid high security as thousands of villagers had protested and stopped work on the project site on October 20.

Mohan Ninawe, CIDCO public relations officer, said: “The work will be resumed from Saturday and 25% of the remaining development work will be completed within the next three months. We addressed all the concerns raised by the villagers.”
28/10/17 Raina Assainar/The Hindu

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Airport restaurant accused of serving outside burger

Pune: A flyer booked on a SpiceJet flight to Bengaluru on Friday afternoon was allegedly served a burger brought from outside and wrapped in a dirty newspaper in a first floor restaurant of the airport, punching a hole in claims of authorities about good quality of food at the facility.
The flyer, Ravi Chander, from Bengaluru walked into the Port Lounge Restaurant and Bar for a quick grub. But he could not have a bite when saw the burger was brought from outside, wrapped in a dirty and old newspaper. He allegedly paid Rs319 and walked out of the restaurant. Refuting the allegation, the restaurant manager, Mukesh Kumar Singh, told TOI: "How can this be possible? We are a proper restaurant with all facilities. Why should the burger be wrapped in a newspaper? Food is served to passengers on clean plates and proper care is taken about the cooking standards and hygiene."
In sharp contrast, the disgruntled flyer, Chander, told TOI over phone, "My flight was scheduled at 3:55pm. After completing all the formalities, including the security check, I walked up to the restaurant as I was hungry. But my experience was pathetic."
Chander said, "When I ordered a vegetable burger, an attendant of the restaurant bluntly told me that it would take at least half-an-hour. After around 30 minutes, I saw the burger coming wrapped in an old dirty newspaper. It was brought from somewhere outside." He claimed that the attendant then removed the newspaper and served the burger on a plate with some wafers. "It was utterly disgusting and I asked the attendant as to why the burger was brought from outside. He nonchalantly told me it was not available with them. The burger was not at all fresh. So, I didn't even try to eat it. I paid Rs319 for it and walked out," he said.
26/10/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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No special business class immigration queue at T3

New Delhi: Those flying first or business class would now need to queue up with economy passengers for immigration clearance at Delhi airport. The separate immigration counters for such passengers at the departure lounge have been shut from Wednesday . That means premium flyers would have to report early to factor in the waiting time at serpentine immigration queues.
Highly placed sources said the move came as the bureau of immigration, which comes under the home ministry, felt there was no need for such a facility when there were long queues at the counters for those flying economy class. Now, these counters would be available as common pool for all passengers. "Only diplomats, top officials and crew members will get priority immigration clearance," said a source.
Senior officials of other big Indian airports say the bureau of immigration may be in favour of doing the same at other places too. But Hyderabad airport does not have separate immigration counters for premium flyers and hopes that the same would be allowed once it expands the terminal. DIAL did not comment on the issue.
"The aviation ministry and Delhi airport management tried to reason that separate counters for premium flyers is a facility that is extended at most big airports globally . It may still take up the issue again," said a source. But for now, the decision has been taken and airlines are conveying the same to flyers.
28/10/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Metro rail opens help desks at airport arrival & station

Chennai: Chennai metro rail has set up a special help desk at the airport and at the metro station to help passengers easily shuttle between the two facilities. Air passengers heading to the metro station can also buy smart cards from the desk instead of waiting at ticket counters.
A metro rail official said they opened the desks after they received many complaints from passengers over difficulty in shuttling between the airport and the metro station. These desks are set up at the arrival area of both the domestic and international terminals, and in front of the airport metro station as well. Cmrl staff man these desks during metro train operational hours.
"Many air passengers said they didn't know how to go to the metro station. People manning the desk will help them use our buggy cars to the airport and back," the official said. "At the airport, passengers can even buy smart cards from these desks before they head to metro station."
When airport metro line was thrown open to passengers in September 2016, there was no facility to shuttle passengers between the station and the terminals. Passengers heading to airport from the metro station and back had to carry their luggage and walk all the way and there were none to guide air passengers (new to the city) to the metro station. Cmrl had said a walkalator would be set up after taking permission from the airports authority. Later, Cmrl started battery-run car services to shuttle passengers between the two facilities. Despite the new service, there were several complaints of non-availability of the buggy cars and confusion over moving from one facility to the other.
28/10/17 Times of India

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Air connectivity likely for Ramanathapuram, Vellore

Chennai: Ramanathapuram and Vellore may be covered under the next phase of the implementation of the Regional Air Connectivity Scheme, also known as Udan, in the State.

The subject figured at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday.

A total of 13 airports have been identified for the scheme. In the initial phase, promoters have been found for Neyveli, Salem and Hosur. The scheme is aimed at providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the State through revival of existing airstrips and airports. Each of the 13 airports would be provided conditional subsidy to ensure that at least 50% of seats in a flight are sold at Rs. 2,500 each. The Chief Minister laid out a clear road map for the completion of land acquisition to expand airports in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchi and Thoothukudi so that more wide-bodied aircraft could be handled. Details of each airport were reviewed and it was decided to “fast track and streamline” the process, an official said.
As for the finalisation of the site for a greenfield airport near Chennai, the official quipped that “it is where it was.” The official added that “right now, we are trying to strengthen the existing airport so that it handles 40 million passengers by 2030.”
28/10/17 T. Ramakrishnan/The Hindu

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Here is The Complete List of 10 Documents You Can Carry at Airports To Prove Your Identity

New Delhi: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)  on Friday issued a circular and listed 10 identity documents that can be used to enter airports. To avoid any controversy or argument with the security staff, passengers entering the airport premises need to produce any one of the ten identity proofs listed by the BCAS in its latest communication.

However, the order, exempts minors accompanied by his/her parent from producing an identity proof. “There shall not be any requirement of identity proof in respect of infant/minor accompanied by their parents/guardian who is a bonafide passenger having a valid identity proof,” the order states.
Here is complete list of documents issued by the aviation security agency BCAS
Passport
Voter ID
Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar
Pan Card
Driving Licence
Service Identity Card of Central/state government
Student ID
Passbook issued by a nationalised bank
Pension card
Disability photo identification
28/10/17 India.com

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Shift by January 4 or no more extra flights, DIAL tells IndiGo & SpiceJet

New Delhi: DIAL has warned that IndiGo and SpiceJet wouldn't be allowed to add any more domestic flights unless they decide on shifting from Terminal 1 to 2.
CEO I P Rao said T1 was built to handle 2 crore passengers per annum but saw 2.4 crores between April 2016 and March this year. This fiscal, the figure is expected to rise to 2.6 crores.
"DIAL spent Rs 100 crore and made T2 ready for operations in January this year. We will spend Rs 65-70 crore annually on its maintenance. From Saturday, GoAir will shift here fully. IndiGo and SpiceJet must decide fast as we need to decongest T1 and begin its expansion work," Rao said.
He said a couple of months' delay in the expansion work could be factored in without letting the same to push the completion date. But a longer delay would be a problem. IndiGo and SpiceJet have been told to shift their flights to and from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata to T2 by January 4. "We expect to have the fourth runway by 2020; complete expansion work of T1 by mid-2021; and then demolish T2 to make way for a brand new T4 by 2026," Rao said.
28/10/17 Times of India

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I-T dept to keep watch at airport

Ahmedabad: The Income Tax (I-T) department will closely monitor places like airports, railway stations, bus depots and courier companies, to curb the flow of illicit cash during the 2017 state assembly elections.
"A special team will monitory these crucial places from where money is moved during elections. The air intelligence unit will double its manpower to monitor the flow of money at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Rhe railway stations at Surat and Vadodara will also be closely monitored," officials said. Movements of courier companies, angadia units and hawala operators will also be monitored. The I-T department has made a list of high-risk districts, high-risk zones and high-risk constituencies where unaccounted money can be used to influence voters. The department has also set up a control-room number, 18002331313, on which people can give inputs about the black money used for election purposes.
28/10/17 Times of India

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Thiruvananthapuram airport land acquisition: Impact study begins

Thiruvananthapuram: The field visit and data collection for the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) to acquire 18 acres of land for the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram airport began on Thursday. A 25-member team from Loyola College of Social Sciences led by the college vice-principal Sabu P. Thomas carried out the data collection from the households and commercial establishments like shops and workshops in the area.

The general demand of the residents were reasonable compensation, airport related jobs to members of the families, rehabilitation at nearby spots for families involved in local jobs and tax exemptions for the compensations. “There was no resistance from the residents towards the SIA as the government assured that there won’t be further land acquisition beyond 18 acres. Moreover, the study team also promised to hold further discussions with us before finalising the SIA report to be submitted to the government,” said local action council leaders Saifuddin Haji and Vikraman Nair.

The SIA team collected basic details of the local residents, their financial position, assets and their preferences for compensation. The data was collected using a questionnaire.  Meanwhile, the revenue officials will soon commence survey of the land being acquired. Acqui-sition of the land was pending for several years and the state government recently assured Airports Authority of India that the land will be handed over by December. The AAI is planning to expand existing international terminal by about 55,000 square feet and develop an integrated terminal for domestic and international operations.
27/10/17 Deccan Chronicle

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Siddaramaiah govt asks Bengaluru international airport to make announcement in Kannada

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) authorities has been asked by the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) to make announcements in Kannada.

KDA president S G Siddaramaiah stated that the KIA website should also be in Kannada besides the use of English. He also reviewed the use of the language at KIA on Thursday.
27/10/17 Mirror Now

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Farmers who gave up their lands for airport to get government jobs

Kannada Development Authority chairman Prof S G Siddalingaiah urged the Kempegowda International Airport authority to allot 100 percent reservation to the Kannadiga farmers who gave up their lands for airport to be appointed as Group C and D employees, reported Kannada Prabha.
Speaking during the investigation of Kannada implementation at the Kempegowda International Airport, on Thursday, he instructed that according to Sarojini Mahishi report, all local authorities should follow the rules regarding employing locals.  The fact that the airport is named after Nadaprabhu Kempegowda represents the local culture at global level. Similarly all the travellers who arrive at the airport must get a flavour of the local culture but at Kempegowda International Airport only Hindi and English are used, he urged.
At all levels and divisions of the airport Kannada must be used to reflect the local culture and act like ambassadors.  Hence the airport authority should take enough interest to implement Kannada he said.
27/10/17 Asianet

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Telangana government to establish airport in Nizamabad district

Hyderabad: The State Government is proposing to establish an airport at Jakranpally mandal of Nizamabad district and RITES, a Central government entity, is being roped in to conduct the feasibility study.

The proposed airport will be spread over Argul, Kolipyaka, Thorlikonda, Manoharabad and Jakranpally villages. The State Government has identified 1,611 acres covering these villages. Of the 1611 acres, 809 acre is government land and the rest is patta land, said Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao during question hour in the Legislative Council here on Friday.

Replying to a question raised by TRS MLC R. Bhoopathi Reddy, the Minister said RITES will be conducting a techno and economic feasibility study. After submission of the study report, traffic demand and forecast report etc, application for site clearance from Ministry of Civil Aviation and No Objection Certificate from Ministry of Defence will be sought, he explained.

Meanwhile, Roads and Buildings Minister T. Nageswara Rao dismissed allegations that irregularities had taken place in Group II examination conducted recently by TSPSC.

In reply to a question posed by Leader of Opposition Mohd. Ali Shabbir, Rao, who answered on behalf of the Chief Minister, said the OMR answer sheet and question paper booklet contain serial numbers on them.

Due to the misconception of some invigilators that both numbers should match, they had distributed the OMR sheets again to the candidates. This resulted in some candidates making some corrections on the OMR sheet relating to hall tickets numbers, question booklet series etc. Usually, such sheets have to be invalidated but the Commission took a decision to evaluate them since it was not candidates fault, he informed.
27/10/17 Telengana Today

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Mentally-deranged youth causes flutter at airport, held

Chennai: In what could be seen as a security breach,a mentally-deranged person created ruckus at the airport here today. Airport sources said, the youngster entered through the third gate of the arrival terminal at around 0800 hrs and ran helter skelter. Passengers and employees at the airport were panic-stricken due to the sudden commotion. He also evaded the police and the CISF personnel, who tried to stop him, and started hitting the glass panels and threw things that he laid his hands on. After a brief struggle, the CISF caught him and handed over to the local police. He was found to be mentally unstable. He was sent to hospital for medical examination.
27/10/17 WebIndia123

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GMR Hyderabad Airport, Malaysia Tourism, MAHB sign pact to promote tourism

Hyderabad:  GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board have come together to promote the growth of tourism traffic.

A memorandum of agreement was inked here on Thursday to promote tourism from the catchment area of Hyderabad to Malaysia and also explore new locations for connectivity.

SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, Mohd Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director, MAHB, and Abdul Khani Daud, Deputy Director General (Promotion), MTPB signed, the agreement in the presence of Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner of Malaysia.

Over 100,000 passengers travel between Hyderabad and Malaysia every year and the traffic has grown by 28% CAGR in the last five years.

SGK Kishore said, “This is a strategic initiative, which we have taken up to enhance outbound tourism from our catchment region to key international destinations to enhance RGIA’s International connectivity and traffic growth. Through these efforts we can encourage a new segment of potential tourists from our region.”

Mohd Badlisham Ghazali said, “This three-way partnership will enhance the visibility of Malaysia’s tourism attractions in Hyderabad and surrounding areas. This will in turn boost arrivals of Indians from South-central India to Malaysia.”
26/10/17 Business Line

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No relief from IGI crowding, flight crunch this winter

New Delhi: Despite assurances from the authorities, there will be no relief from overcrowding at IGI's domestic terminal, nor will the airport's flight frequency go up this winter.
The infra crunch at India's busiest airport was supposed to have eased in the upcoming season, with its three runways handling six more flights every hour and the jam-packed Terminal 1 getting some breathing space. But neither is runway capacity increasing as promised nor are one-third flights shifting from T1 in a hurry.
The minutes of meetings prepared by Airports Authority of India on slot allocation this winter shows IGIA's runways will handle only 67 flights an hour, 62 schedule and five are VVIP, defence and charter flights. Aviation authorities had promised that IGIA's three runways will handle 73 flights an hour this winter. This was supposed to lead to six-seven more flights an hour from 6am to 11pm, meaning an increase of almost 120 flights a day -leading to more choice for flyers through increased frequencies and new destinations being connected to Delhi.
"Maximum throughout hourly capacity (saturation capacity) for mix mode operation when all three runways are available at IGIA: Global (arrival + departure) capacity is 75 movements (70 schedule + 5 non schedule).(But) Practical hourly capacity (to be considered for allocation of slots) at IGIA: Global (arrival + departure) capacity is 67 (62 schedule + 5 non-schedule)," the AAI minutes state. On its part, Delhi Inter national Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) said this winter its peak runway capacity will touch 73 aircraft movements. "This winter we will operate under a profiled schedule which includes a peak hour of 73 scheduled operations... to maximise available scheduled slots based on airline demand and the capacity of the airport.During winter 2016, the airport averaged 1,170 scheduled slots per day and averaged 1,230 scheduled during summer 2017. During the winter of 2017, the airport will average more than 1,300 scheduled slots per day ," a DIAL spokesman said.
27/10/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Now, show m-Aadhaar to enter airport

New Delhi: Mobile Aadhaar can be used as an identity proof to enter airports, while identification documents will not be required for minors accompanied by parents, according to a circular issued by aviation security agency BCAS.
Passengers entering an airport premises need to produce any one of the ten identity proofs listed by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in its latest communication, which include passport, voter ID card, Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar, PAN card and driving licence.
"In order to ensure that a bonafide passenger is travelling on a valid ticket issued in his/her name as well as to avoid any controversy/argument with the security staff, any of the following photo identity documents shall be carried in original," according to the BCAS circular issued on October 26.
27/10/17 PTI/Times of India

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TN CM reviews airport expansion with civil aviation sec, AAI chairman

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today reviewed the airport expansion projects in the state and said that once completed it will lead to handling of more wide-body aircrafts.
Palaniswami met Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Airport Authority of India (AAI), chairman, Dr Guruprasath Mohapatra at the secretariat here and discussed the status of the projects.
During the meeting, the progress of airport development, land acquisition for the expansion of Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Tuticorin airports, were reviewed, an official release said.
Palaniswami emphasised that once the airports are expanded, it will lead to handling of more wide-body aircrafts which will in turn ease mobility, create employment and promote business.
27/10/17 PTI/India.com

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Bid opening date for Jaipur airport extended

The attempts of Airport Authority of India (AAI) to give selected areas of Jaipur international airport to a strategic partner for operation and maintenance (O&M) has hit turbulence once again.

The Authority, has once again changed the date of opening of technical bid and now, the date has been fixed as November 22. The earlier date was October 20 and with this, it is the 8th time that the date has been changed.

The starting date for opening of this technical bid was March 8 this year. After that, the date has been changed eight times, including the latest date now.

Notably, the airport authority wishes to give passenger terminal, car parking, apron and associated utilities of the airport on operation and maintenance to private company in coming days.

The strategic partner will be chosen through a bidding process and once selected, AAI will enter into an O&M contract with the selected bidder.
27/10/17 DNA

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New changes at airport welcomed by airlines, hints towards single operator AAI

Airlines have responded positively to the recent non-privatisation model airport, in lieu of the changes made in the last six months to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI). However, though they are happy with a single operator — Airports Authority of India — they want assurance of a futuristic at approach, considering the pace at which traffic is increasing. The partial privatisation made both passengers and airlines hopeful; but, the bidding has been delayed for more than a year now.

To attract more prospective bidders, the national airports operator, AAI, also made some major changes to the terms and conditions for privatising and modernising SVPI. The AAI had invited a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the bidders for the operation and maintenance of select areas of the Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports, late last year. The select areas include passenger terminal building, passenger boarding bridges, and apron area among others, as per the bid document.

The proposal mentions that the O&M will remain with private players and the infrastructure will be handled by the AAI. Speaking on it, Shalin Joshipura, Chairman, Airlines Operators Committee, Ahmedabad, said, "Ahmedabad has witnessed tremendous growth and to match that, operational area growth took place, but nothing happened on the terminal front. I am equally interested in seeing how we focus on terminal development. We are seeing positive changes at the terminal under the current leadership, but we need to be more futuristic. If we get an assurance of a futuristic approach and synchronisation of infrastructure with the pace at which traffic is growing, we wil be satisfied with the AAI."
27/10/17 Tanushree Bhatia/DNA

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Infrastructure crunch to hit India's airports this winter: Report

Only Chennai, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) are capable of handling four extra flights on the runway this winter, according to an official report accessed by the Times of India.

The report was the minutes of the meeting between airlines and aviation officials to set the winter schedule for flights this year. Metro city airports will not be able to handle extra flights due to runway congestion.

According to the minutes, the authorities have approved 18,860 weekly domestic flights from 90 airports this winter. This is 9.8 percent higher than what was approved for this summer.

The increase is owing to clearances for regional flights from previously less-accessed small airports.
Airlines, however, are unable to operate on all the approved slots due to either grounding large numbers of Airbus A-320 new engine options (NEO) or due to engine troubles which have led to flight cancellations.

Airport operators warned the airlines for not making use of the slots given to them. According to the report accessed by the newsgroup, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has "proposed financial penalty for slot misuse by airlines."
26/10/17 Moneycontrol

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Limited airport apron area delays late flights

Pune: Several flyers had a tough time in the wee hours of Thursday because the airport's eight parking bays in the apron area were too few to handle the continuous flight movement.
An IndiGo flight from Jaipur could not de-board passengers for almost an hour after landing. A few other planes also had to wait for their turn to disembark passengers. Several outbound flights took off late, too.
Aadi Mahajani, a resident of Pune travelling in the IndiGO flight, expressed his anger on the social media. Addressing the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, he wrote, "Can't even maintain decking of flights! Waiting for getting decked at Pune airport for the past half-an-hour! Pathetic."
Mahajani told TOI, "The flight had landed around 12.10am or may be a bit earlier. But we were told to sit inside the flight at least till 1am. The cabin crew told us that the bays were occupied with other flights."
Another passenger, Mani Raman, said, "Several flights were delayed from the airport because of unavailability of parking space. With the delay, the passenger volume increased in the terminal and there was no place to sit or stand. My flight got delayed by an hour. This, according to me, is lack of management skills on the part of the authorities."
27/10/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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City firm may bag contract to construct cargo terminal

Surat: After the state government agreed to provide immigration staff, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to finalize the financial bid of a city-based firm for constructing modular cargo terminal at Surat airport.
Official sources said the scrutiny of tender documents is almost over and the city-based construction company is the front-runner.
At least 19 companies from other states and five from the city had participated in the bidding process. One of the city-based firms bid 31 per cent lower than the estimated construction cost worked out at Rs 8 crore.
AAI had invited proposals from engineering firms across the country for setting up of state-of-the-art cargo terminal.
In October 2016, the AAI had given administrative approval for setting up of modular cargo terminal.
AAI sources said the sanction for administrative approval and expenditure sanction (AAES) has been accorded and the tender was issued at the cost of Rs 8 crore.
27/10/17 Times of India

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Cash van driver bolts with Rs 28 lakh at Chennai airport

The driver of a van carrying cash to be filled in a public sector bank's ATM allegedly escaped with Rs 28 lakh at the airport in Chennai, police said today.

Three people, including 37-year-old driver Udaya Kumar, arrived at the airport here last night in the vehicle to fill cash in the ATM, they said.

After the two of them stepped out of the vehicle and proceeded towards the kiosk, the driver suddenly gave the slip with the box containing the cash before abandoning the vehicle at a nearby spot, the police said.

A complaint was lodged immediately with the airport police who are investigating the matter, they said.
26/10/17 PTI/Times Now

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Ahmedabad airport imports Rs 52 lakh grass mower to deal with bird strikes

With an aim to bring down bird hit incidents at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) to zero, airport officials have imported a machine, the first in India, that has high capacity grass cutting and collecting power with its adjustable height discouraging the birds on the runway.

The machine imported from Holland for Rs 52 lakh is extremely popular in the West, and known for maintaining local and international airports. It can cover 3-4 acres in an hour. The data revealed in an RTI reply by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the number of bird strikes at SVPI mentions that between January 2015 and July 2016 there have been 70 bird strikes.

Manoj Gangal, Airport Director, said, "Though we had grass cutters, the same left on the surface would again attract birds. The new machine also collects eggs of the birds. We have also taken help from Anand Agricultural University for a spray that prevents grass from growing."

Gangal said, "We want the cut grass to be used in a unique product or something else and hence have taken help from National Institute of Design (NID) as they specialise in creativity." In 2010, Ahmedabad airport ranked third in India in being prone to bird hits. To scare away birds, airport authorities have been using firecrackers, reflecting films, zone guns and laser guns. Study at regular intervals have been carried out since past few years with the recent one by Gujarat Ecological Educational and Research Foundation that had found 41 species of birds in the vicinity of airport.

Among the recommendations, one of the most important one was to focus on dealing with red wattled lapwing (Titodi) along with Kites as they remain active even at night, posing threat to aircrafts.
26/10/17 Tanushree Bhatia/DNA

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GMR Hyderabad Airport expanding, to double capacity

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd is all set to embark on a major expansion by doubling the capacity up to 25 million passengers per annum (MPPA).

“Though the work has begun in a small way, it will gather speed in January 2018 and will be completed in 24-30 months. Last year, the airport handled 16 MPPA and expected to hit 18 MPPA by end of this fiscal,” SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said.

“When the terminal was planned in 2006, it was designed to facilitate expansion and handle twice the current capacity of 12 MPPA when completed. Of the 16 MPPA handled last year, one third were international travellers,” he said.

“The Telangana government is keen on completing the second airport runway while expanding the terminal and ensure linkage of the metro rail project to the airport. In the meanwhile, we have brought about a number of changes to handle higher capacities,” Kishore said.

GMR recently raised $350 million through a bond offer to facilitate the airport expansion.

Hyderabad Airport has witnessed 15.24 MPPA in 2016-17, registering a growth of 22 per cent in overall passenger traffic and 23 per cent growth in air traffic movements over 2015-16. GMR HIAL, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board have inked an MoU to promote tourism in Malaysia and also explore new locations for connectivity.
26/10/17 Business Line

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Winter is coming: Three new flights for Pink City

Jaipur: In the next four days, flight schedule at all the airports across country would be changed. Jaipur airport administration was expecting more than a dozen flights during the winter schedule but only three new flights would begin here while one flight of Chandigarh is going to be closed. Jaipur airport authorities had claimed that 13 new flights would augur from Jaipur in the winter schedule beginning October 29. Different airlines had filed schedules for new flights but they have shelved their proposals.
Jaipur airport director Jaideep Singh Balhara had said that during winter, flights frequency would increase and new cities will be linked with air connectivity. Indigo had proposed maximum seven new flights as per its scheduled filed with the DGCA. It has not refused to launch even a single flight. Indigo is currently operating 17 flights from Jaipur.

Only Spicejet is launching three new flights while closing one. The number of flights from Jaipur would increase to 63 from the current 61. Spicejet is operating Jaipur to Jammu flight via Chandigarh, which will be closed. Thereafter, Jaipur will have no direct flight to Jammu while for Chandigarh, there will be just one flight from Jet Airways.

The reason for lack of interest by airlines to launch new flights from Jaipur is increasing number of passengers and inconvenient schedule. Most airlines want peak morning and evening hours for their flights but there are already many flights operating during those hours making it difficult to adjust new flights. Airport authority is providing either noon or late night time slots, which is financially not feasible for the airlines hence they took back their proposals.
26/10/17 Kashi Ram Chowdhary/DNA

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Hanging out on Goa airport’s runway: Dogs, birds, pythons

Panaji: The presence of stray dogs and birds around Goa's sole airport at Dabolim is worrying authorities, especially since the airfield is critical for domestic as well as military purposes. Even though animal strikes are few and far between, they certainly pose a constant threat to Goa International Airport's operations.
Monday's incident of a stray dog running across the tarmac when IndiGo flight 6E-468 was taking off, and the subsequent strike, has highlighted the danger posed to air passengers and aircraft. The dog, which managed to sneak into the apron side of the airport terminal, struck the aircraft's undercarriage, forcing the pilot to abort the take-off and return to the parking bay for inspection and replacement of a damaged rear tire.
Officials who spoke to TOI on condition of anonymity said that this was not the first instance of a dog straying onto the tarmac. Nor will Monday's incident, in which fortunately nobody was injured, be the last if authorities do not find a solution to the issue.
"Dogs have been spotted on the airfield very often and we brought it up at the last APSC (Airport Security Committee) meeting," a senior official with an airline said.
The APSC meeting is held every month with all stakeholders of Goa International Airport.
The immediate response from Airports Authority of India (AAI) was to describe the incident as a "rare and one-off case" and that adequate security systems were in place to prevent such incidents from repeating. However, an AAI official tasked with day-to-day flight operations confirmed that stray dogs "keep coming onto the apron" area of the civilian terminal.
26/10/17 Newton Sequeira/Times of India

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GVK arm gets Letter of Award for airport at Navi Mumbai

Hyderabad: he GVK group-led Mumbai International Airport (P) Ltd (MIAL) was on Wednesday handed over the Letter of Award for developing Navi Mumbai International Airport by CIDCO, the nodal agency of the Maharashtra Government for awarding the contract.

The development will enable the Hyderabad-based infrastructure company, GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd, to commence work on the ₹16,000-crore, public, private partnership mode project (PPP), which has been delayed for several years due to various issues relating to land acquisition and environmental clearance.

Earlier in February, MIAL was declared the winning bidder for the greenfield airport to be developed on 1,160 hectares in a PPP mode with CIDCO, where MIAL will hold a 74 per cent stake and the remaining 26 per cent will be with CIDCO.

GVK Reddy, Executive Chairman MIAL and founder Chairman of GVK, in a statement said, “We are excited that GVK has been awarded this project. In collaboration with CIDCO, the Maharashtra Government and the Centre, we are confident of providing yet another landmark airport for the city of Mumbai.”
25/10/17 V Rishi Kumar/Business Line

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Immigration staff okayed for int’l airport

Surat: The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) claimed on Wednesday that that police department had sanctioned 68 cops for immigration at the airport. However, the staff would be provided only once the airport is ready for international operations. In a statement, SGCCI said that the state government had sent a proposal to the Surat police for sanctioning 68 on October 6.
However, sources in the police department stated that the sanctioning of the immigration staff is the last thing. First of all, the airport has to be ready for the international operations. The infrastructure work including civil work, runway strengthening and customs notified status are still pending. Moreover, the immigration functions will be first taken over by the State Intelligence Bureau (IB) and later on handed over to the Surat police.
Talking to TOI, police commissioner Satish Sharma said, "We are ready to provide immigration staff tomorrow, provided the airport is ready for the international operations. I spoke with the airport director whether they require staff on urgent basis, when the runway and civil works are going on and the airport is still awaiting the customs notified status."
26/10/17 Times of India

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Hyderabad airport expansion work to begin in January

Hyderabad: The expansion work at the Rajiv Gandhi International airport here would start by January and it is expected to completed by the end of 2019, a top GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) executive said today.
"The expansion work will start by January. Already, the forecourt expansion works have started. May be, by end of 2019, early 2020, the new expanded terminal will be available," GHIAL CEO SGK Kishore told reporters at an event.
He said the airport is handling around 12,000 flights in a month.
"Currently, we are handling around 12,000 flights in a month... Indian civil aviation is said to be third largest market by 2025... We see a lot of potential both for domestic and international flights. We are enhancing our capacity both on the air side and terminal side," Kishore said.
Hyderabad airport has witnessed 15.24 million passengers per annum in FY2016-17, registering a growth of approximately 22 per cent in overall passenger traffic and 23 per cent growth in air traffic movements over FY2015-16, a GMR release said.
At present, 10 domestic carriers connect Hyderabad with 39 domestic destinations. The airport also connects 18 international destinations with 16 foreign and three Indian carriers.
26/10/17 PTI/Times of India

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Efforts to privatise Ahmedabad, Jaipur airports draw a blank

The Airports Authority of India's (AAI) tender to partially privatise the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports did not find any takers, reports Business Standard.

The deadline to submit bids was October 20 and has now been extended by a month. Despite the government relaxing norms for private firms to play a role in the airport business, private firms apparently do not see many opportunities in the space.

One of the guidelines proposed was of terminal management for 15 years, where the bidder will be required to pay a pre-fixed rent to AAI with the revenue they generate per passenger. The other norm was that the entire capital investment will be made by AAI.

Sources told the paper that private companies were reluctant to take part because the scope to generate revenue from only airport terminals was too low.

“Private players want to play on a large scale, and prospective bidders want to operate an entire airport. Then the prospects of profit become higher just terminal operation doesn’t provide any opportunity,” one of the prospective bidders told the paper.
26/10/17 Moneycontrol

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Indore: Hotels, multi-level parking, convention centre at airport

Indore: Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman Dr Guruprashad Mohapatra on Wednesday said that the city airport will boast of more passenger facilities, including top-of-line hotels, convention centre, multi-level parking and dedicated road to airport. He said that AAI and state agencies would prepare a comprehensive blue print of the project by November 15. All these facilities would come up on 28 acres to be provided to AAI by the district administration.
During daylong visit, Mohapatra along with AAI planning department members and airport director held a meeting with officials of district administration, IMC, IDA, Town and Country Planning. He said that availability of 28 acres has lent fresh impetus to airport expansion plan.
AAI chairman said that during a phone call, collector Nishant Warwade had agreed to offer the land but wanted a discussion on AAI planning as the district administration was keen on installing a statue of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar. Mohapatra said that said that all above-mentioned facilities were common requirement of an airport. “If we want to operate the airport 24X7 instead of existing 6am-7pm then a lot of things will be required,’ he said.
26/10/17  Manish Upadhyay/FreePressJournal

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GHIAL collaborates with MAHB, MTPB for tourism promotion

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) today joined hands for promotion of tourism from the "catchment area" of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here to Malaysia.
The efforts are aimed at enhancing the visibility of 'Destination Malaysia' in Hyderabad and the "catchment area" of RGIA' -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Odisha and Karnataka.
SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, Datuk Mohd Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director, MAHB, and Dato' Sri Abdul Khani Daud, Deputy Director General (Promotion), MITBP signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in the presence of Dato' Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner of Malaysia, at an event here.
The tri-partite MoA involves collaborative market research, strategy development, promotional campaigns and marketing efforts, according to GMR.
The trend shows that approximately 1,00,000 passengers are going to Malaysia every year through various airlines from Hyderabad and the traffic has grown by 28 per cent CAGR in the last five years, Kishore said.
There is still an untapped potential, he said.
"I think this is the first time where the government tourism board and both the airports are coming together to see how strategically we can change the entire tourism map of tourists who are going to Malaysia," Kishore said.
The promotion of tourism would help airlines operating between Hyderabad and Malaysia, he said.
26/10/17 PTI/Times of India

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Delhi airport to close one runway for three days next month

New Delhi: Airline operations from the national capital are likely to be impacted temporarily next month, with Delhi airport operator DIAL deciding to close one runway for three days starting November 7, according to sources. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), the busiest in the country, has three runways — 11/29, 10/28 and 9/27. The airport and airline sources said runway 11/29 will be shut for three days from November 7 for maintenance work.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates the aerodrome, has already communicated the decision to the airlines, which are now working on ways to minimise the inconvenience to passengers, the airline sources added.
According to them, there would be curtailment of operations and many flights would have to be rescheduled. There could also be cancellations and various options are being worked out, they added.
One of the airline sources said bigger aircraft might be pressed into service to accommodate the passengers.
Queries sent to DIAL about the proposed shutting of one runway did not elicit any response.
In 2016-17, the airport handled 57.7 million passengers and more than 8.57 lakh tonnes of cargo.
26/10/17 PTI/Indian Express

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Delhi-Lucknow flight to be GoAir’s first flight from T2

New Delhi: GoAir on Thursday said the early morning flight to Lucknow would be its first one to operate from refurbished terminal 2 of the airport in New Delhi on October 29.
The no-frills airline, which is shifting its entire operations to terminal T2 from terminal 1 (T1) from October 29, would also provide free inter-terminal transfer facility between the two terminals for three months. This would be in addition to airport operator DIAL providing shuttle buses for inter-terminal transfer. “G8 207 from New Delhi to Lucknow departing at 0525 hours will be the first GoAir flight to operate from T2 on October 29, 2017,” the airline said in a release.
GoAir is the first one to agree to shifting operations to the revamped T2 while competitors — IndiGo and SpiceJet –are yet to agree to the airport operator’s proposal for partially shifting their flights to T2. “T2 has four entry and two exit gates. To handle fast growing passenger traffic as many as 74 check-in counters have been set up at the terminal building. A total of nine X-ray machines have been installed for hassle-free security checks. Besides, for comfortable movement of flyers there are six contact stands as well as four bus gates at the terminal,” the release said.
The airline is updating its passengers through social media network, company website and intimation through e-mail, SMS and customer service helpline, the release said. “To ensure awareness amongst public transport services, the airline will be communicating the change to all local cabs and offices of all radio taxi operators,” it added.
26/10/17 PTI/Indian Express

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Eye on extra flights and finger at terminal ills

Dum Dum: Vistara, India's newest full-service airline, is looking to scale up its operations in Calcutta but sees the airport struggling to handle any further increase in domestic passenger traffic because of inefficient utilisation of infrastructure.

Sanjiv Kapoor, La Martiniere alumnus and chief strategist and commercial officer at Vistara, said the integrated terminal was "a great new facility" but needed to improve in several respects. He said there was ample scope to do so if the airport authorities were open to re-prioritising infrastructure.

Vistara intends to add three to four daily flights to Delhi in the first half of 2018. The airline, co-owned by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is also eyeing direct connections to Chennai and Bangalore.
Vistara's expansion plans are independent of the airport's course correction, but Kapoor did not hold back while telling Metro where and why things are going wrong.
The airport authorities have yet to figure out how to ensure that an adequate number of aerobridges are available for domestic operations, where passenger traffic surged almost 26 per cent in 2016-17 over the previous year. The international wing, where growth in traffic has been stunted, has aerobridges that remain unused for most of the day.

"This problem can be fixed easily. The authorities should create a glass corridor between the aerobridge gates and the security hold, where passengers wait to board flights," Kapoor said. "The corridors should have separate exit/entry points for domestic and international operations. Only the door for the relevant section would be opened to allow passengers to get in or out of a flight."
27/10/17 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph

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5-hour closure of airport for arat

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram international airport will remain closed for five hours from 4 p.m. on October 28 on account of the movement of the ‘arat’ of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple through the operational area of the airport to Shanghumughom.

All flight operations from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. had been suspended. Air India, the national carrier, has rescheduled three of its flights departing during the period on Saturday.
AI 967 flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Sharjah will depart at 10 a.m. instead of 8.35 p.m.

The AI 264 flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi will depart from here at 10 p.m. instead of 7.15 p.m.

The AI 668 flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai will depart from here at 10 p.m. instead of 8.15 p.m.
26/10/17 The Hindu

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Lax airport maintenance caused SpiceJet Q400 accident

An Indian investigation has found that Jabalpur airport failed to conduct required inspections and maintain its boundaries, allowing wildlife to stray onto the runway and collide with a landing SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 in 2015.

The aircraft, registered VT-SUC, was operating a flight from Mumbai with 49 passengers, two cabin crew and two pilots on-board on 4 December 2015 when the accident occurred around dawn.

Five or six seconds after touching down, the aircraft struck a heard of wild boars on the runway, causing the left main landing gear to collapse. That resulted in the left propeller shearing off and the nose gear collapsing, after which the aircraft exited the runway and came to rest on soft ground.

Nobody was injured in the accident, but Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the aircraft was subsequently written-off.

India’s Air Accident Investigation Board found that the accident was caused by the boars, but stated that the airport failed to maintain a number of boundary walls and the vegetation around them. This allowed the animals to make it onto the operational surface.
24/10/17 Ellis Taylor/Flight Global

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Aircraft hits dog on runway; aborts takeoff, everyone safe

Vasco: An IndiGo flight to Mumbai from Goa had to abort at take-off after the flight hit a dog on the runway at the Dabolim International Airport on Monday evening. The flight was almost full and all the passengers were reportedly safe.
According to information available, the incident occurred at about 5.23 pm when the aircraft with around 163 passengers accelerated. The pilot noticed a stray dog sitting on the middle of the runway and decided to abort takeoff as a precautionary measure.
“Noticing a stray dog on the runway the pilot applied the brakes, he however hit the dog. The pilot alerted the ground staff and flight engineers. Information of the incident was provided to the passengers and subsequently all the passengers were deplaned after the flight was brought back to airport apron. An inspection of the aircraft was conducted and during the inspection it was observed that one of the main wheels of the aircraft had stress marks due to aborted takeoff. The same was changed and the aircraft with all the passengers departed at 8.23 pm” airport sources said.
25/10/17 Herald

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Odisha government plans first UDAN take off to Jharsuguda

Bhubaneswar: As Air Odisha is all set to launch flight operation under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme from November, the State government on Tuesday asked the air operator to provide connectivity to Jharsuguda.

In the first phase, the State-based private air operator has planned to launch air service from Ahmedabad to Bhavanagar, Jamnagar, Diu and Mundra. However, it is yet to obtain the scheduled commuter operator (SCO) permit, which is still under process by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), official sources said.

The issue of providing air connectivity to unserved areas of the State under UDAN scheme was discussed at the State-level coordination and monitoring committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi here. “We are yet to get confirmation from the private operator for launching the air service Bhubaneswar to Jharsuguda. As soon as they get ready, the services will be launched,” Padhi said. The Chief Secretary asked the operator to keep aircraft ready for flight services between Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda.

Air connectivity to other unserved destinations like Rourkela, Jeypore and Utkela (Kalahandi) will take more time as the airstrips in these locations are not ready. Five airstrips of Odisha, including Biju Patanaik International Airport, were selected for UDAN scheme in Phase-I. Bhubaneswar Airport will serve as mentor airport. While Jharsuguda airport is being developed under joint aegis of Airport Authority of India (AAI) and State government, other two airstrips at Jeypore and Utkela will be developed jointly by the State Government and AAI.
25/10/17 New Indian Express

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First flight from Navi Mumbai airport likely in 2019

Mumbai: The state cabinet nod to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project has paved the way for construction of the airport to begin at the earliest. Officials said the cabinet nod was the final technical clearance required to begin work on developing infrastructure of the airport.
The much-awaited NMIA project is expected to ease the burden off the congested Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). As per the nodal agency, the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), the passenger count expected in the first year of operation is 10 million, which is estimated to increase to 25 million in 2025 and to 40 million in 2030.
The next step would be to issue a Letter of Award (LOA) of the contract to the GVK-led MIAL group that won the bid to build the airport. Both CIDCO and MIAL had bagged the financial deal on February 13.
“We only await the reception of LOA so that official work on routing financiers and other technical details could begin,” said an official from MIAL.
“We will issue the LOA to MIAL in the next one or two days. The CIDCO work will be completed by December 2018,” said Bhushan Gagrani, Managing Director, CIDCO.
“The MIAL can then begin work on financial closure, which includes finalising upon the financiers for the project,” said Mohan Ninawe, senior public relations officer, CIDCO.
25/10/17 Indian Express

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Audit of DGCA: keep your fingers crossed

No speech or article about Indian civil aviation is complete these days without the claim that “India will be the third largest civil aviation market globally in the next decade or so”. However, the claim is like the story of the brawny guy who managed to lift up a just-born elephant calf and then deluded himself into believing that if he picked up the calf every morning, he would one day be able to accomplish the feat of lifting it up a full-grown elephant through a daily marginal increase in his capability. The fallacy is self-evident, but apparently not to the Indian establishment which continues to overlook the pitfalls that confront civil aviation. Unless there is a fundamental change of approach, Indian civil aviation is set to plateau out much before it reaches the currently projected podium position.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN body keeping watch on air safety, had planned to audit Indian civil aviation in March this year, but the Direct General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) requested that the audit be deferred to November. The request is innocuous, but raises some disconcerting questions about India’s past performance in audits (and the possible outcome of this one).

India was first audited by ICAO under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USAOP) in 2006, followed by an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission, which falls short of an audit, in 2012, after which India was placed very near the foot of a list of nations audited. This was followed by a full-fledged audit in November-December 2015, which found that India performed below the global average in legislation, organisation, accident investigation and aerodromes, while faring better than the global average in licensing, operations, airworthiness and air navigation. The full details of the audit and the DGCA action taken report are not in the public domain as an RTI application was reportedly rebuffed thus, “The information is outside the purview of the RTI Act”.
25/10/17 AK Sachdev/Deccan Herald

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Air Odisha flights between Mysuru and Chennai soon

 Mysuru: Air Odisha has sought permission to launch operations from Mysuru airport from November 30, under the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme titled UDAN (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).

This was confirmed by M.N. Singh, director of Mysuru airport, who said the flight will provide connectivity to Chennai in view of the passenger traffic to that city.

According to the tentative flight schedule submitted by Air Odisha, the flight will arrive in Mysuru at 8.50 p.m. and depart to Chennai at 9.15 p.m. At present, only TruJet operates a flight from Mysuru (also connecting the city to Chennai).

Though there are expectations of a few more flights connecting Mysuru with other centres, and negotiations are under way, none of them have been finalised. Hence, Mr. Singh refused to speculate on other launches.
Once Air Odisha takes wing, it will be the first time since the inauguration of the upgraded Mysuru airport in 2010 that two flights will operate out of it regularly. In the past, Kingfisher, SpiceJet and Alliance Air operated from the airport, but at different points of time. All eventually suspended operations citing a poor load factor.
25/10/17 The Hindu

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Air traffic congestion at Bengaluru airport affects flight services in Chennai

One flight was cancelled and four arrivals from Bengaluru were delayed in Chennai due to air traffic congestion at Bengaluru airport on Wednesday.
Passengers of a Chennai -Pune IndiGo flight were stranded after the 11.40am flight was cancelled an hour before departure. The airline cited bad weather in Bengaluru as the reason. Planes are stuck in Bengaluru airport which is facing delays in flight operations.
"There was confusion after passengers received SMSes saying the flight is cancelled. Most of the people have arrived at the airport. The airline is accommodating people on Hyderabad flights and Mumbai flights," said a passenger who got accommodation in a Hyderabad flight which connects to Pune.
However, many were not happy because their trip got delayed by several hours.
Four arrivals from Bengaluru were delayed.
25/10/17 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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First unscheduled flight lands at Kishangarh airport

Delhi/Kishangarh: Finally, Kishangarh (Ajmer) has its first passenger unscheduled flight landed on Tuesday. The scheduled flights can start anytime after October 31. Ferrying five lawmakers to Ajmer, the flight took off at 10.15 am from Delhi and landed at 11 am at Kishangarh airport. The distance was covered in 45 minutes passing through barren land, water bodies, sand dunes, and hills giving a perfect aerial view of the diverse topography.
The 50-seater aircraft's maximum height, allows passengers to view the topography clearly. The height is suitable enough for you to see the movement of even two-wheelers throughout the journey. The flight path to Kishangarh is via Jaipur skies or through Jaipur airport ATC radar. It goes over the Sitapura area to Mansarovar and follows the National Highway number 8 for some minutes before it goes over a barren dry patch of Dudu.
The airport may be waiting for its passenger scheduled flight, but chartered flights have started pouring in. Soon after the passenger flight a chartered flight from Delhi ferrying a family of one Ashok Chaturvedi. The passengers came here for some hours with a sole purpose of visiting Dargah Ajmer. Jindal also expressed hope that chartered flights might be higher than the scheduled flights.
25/10/17 Shoeb Khan/Times of India

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VVIPs flaunt cavalcades, commoners struggle for cabs

Jammu: Even after inaugurating the new terminal with state-of- the-art facilities at the Jammu Airport the common passengers continue to suffer after landing. Reason; they have to drag their luggage from the exit terminal right up to exit gate of the airport, using trolleys.
Young and old, women and children and more importantly pilgrims and tourists arriving here for the first time receive shock of their lifetime when directed to step outside the airport gate to fetch a hired taxi for their next destination.
On the contrary, VVIPs and well connected people with the State police can organise smooth entry inside the airport.
The common passengers have to de-board at the entry gate and walk on foot while VVIPs and their children enjoy smooth ride inside the airport premises and also shy away from paying parking fee to the Airport Authority of India.
Since Jammu Airport is not categorised as civil airport, CISF jawans are not stationed here for the security.
It is the Jammu and Kashmir Police which is responsible for ensuring safety and security of the premises. Para-military forces are deployed to ensure periphery security of the boundary wall but the movement of passengers is channelised by the State police.
Despite numerous representations and passionate pleas by various citizens groups, political parties and others, the authorities at the helm of affairs are yet to respond to the genuine problem.
25/210/17 State Times

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MADC expects nod to Purandar within a month

Pune: Senior Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) officials sounded positive about the clearance to the Purandar airport project following a meeting with the defence ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) higher-ups in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The nod has been pending with the defence ministry for more than three months and the delay has held back steps such as compensation package for land acquisition.
"The Indian Air Force (IAF) has sought some more information from AAI about the proposed airport. AAI is expected to submit these documents to the defence ministry over the next two weeks, following which IAF will take a final call on the clearance to the project," MADC vice chairman-cum-managing director said.
"They will either call us in person or communicate to us their decision. A definite date cannot be given at this moment as today's (Tuesday) meeting was mainly technical in nature. We expect a clearance from the defence ministry within a month," he told TOI.
Another MADC official, who did not wish to be named, said, "A portion of the flight path of the proposed airport seems to intersect the safety zone of the Lohegaon air field. A solution is being worked out to deal with this."
25/10/17Joy Sengupta/ Times of India

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