More carriers on board, Bangla flights to increase from Wed

Kolkata: Flight movement between Kolkata and Bangladesh is set to increase from next week with IndiGo and Spice Jet resuming direct operations from Wednesday and Thursday as part of the air bubble agreement between the two countries. While IndiGo is set to fly to Dhaka on Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting November 4, Spice Jet will operate four weekly flights each to Dhaka and Chittagong from November 5.

Flights between Kolkata and Bangladesh had started last Wednesday with the arrival of 37 passengers from Dhaka operated by US Bangla Air. The airline resumed services with a six-days-a-week schedule. With Biman Bangladesh set to start operations with a three-days-a-week schedule on Tuesday, at least four carriers — two Bangladeshi and two Indian — will resume direct operations from next week. Regent Air, the third Bangladeshi private carrier that operated to Kolkata before the lockdown, and three other Indian airlines — Air India, Vistara and Go Air — have also said they will resume operations, but are yet to submit a schedule.

Passengers going both ways have to get Covid tests before boarding.

Before lockdown, Biman Bangladesh had twice-daily operations while US Bangla Air and Regent Air operated daily flights. Indian carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India had daily operations. The air-travel bubble is valid till January 31, 2021.

31/10/20 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Mumbai airport domestic passenger traffic triples between June-September

Mumbai: The passenger traffic at the Mumbai airport is on a steady rise. From the 2.2 lakh domestic passengers the airport handled in June, the number has gone up to 6.5 lakh domestic passengers in September. The number of domestic flights handled went up from over 2,600 to about 6,600 during these three months, according to data released by the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) on Friday.

On the international front, the passenger traffic went up from 38,000 passengers in June to 77,000 in September as the number of flights went up from 1640 in June to 1860 in September. One in every two international passenger flight that departed or arrived in Mumbai between June and September was bound for the Middle East.

While Middle Eastern flights have always been popular with Indians, what’s different here is that these flights were packed largely with passengers bound for the Middle East and not transit passengers who fly onwards to US, Europe, Africa as was the case in the pre-COVID times.

"The travel restrictions in place in the June-September quarter meant that Indian passport holders could largely do only point-to-point travel, that is, board only direct flights to their destinations. For those aching to go on international holidays then, Dubai emerged as a popular tourist destination," said an airline official, requesting anonymity.

31/10/20 Manju V/Times of India

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Mumbai airport handles over 18 lakh passengers through 24,036 flights between Jun, Sept

Mumbai: Mumbai''s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) handled over 18 lakh passengers, including international passengers under the Vande Bharat Mission and private charters, through 24,036 flights operated between June and September, the airport said on Friday.

Commercial air passenger services remained suspended between late-March and May 24. While domestic flights resumed from May 25, international operations continue to be grounded, owing to visa and travel restrictions put in place by various countries in the wake of the pandemic.

But, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under the bilateral ''air bubble'' arrangements with selected countries since July.

In the June-September period, CSMIA witnessed a total of over 7,150 international  air traffic movements (ATMs) with over 21 international airlines flying about 2,49,320 passengers to 26 destinations, the private airport operator said in a release.

During the same period, the airport registered over 16,886 ATMs in domestic operations with over 15,55,700 passengers flying to 53 destinations across the country through 10 domestic airlines, it said.

CSMIA has also observed a rising growth in both international and domestic air travel during this period, it said adding that the traffic to the Middle Eastern region accounted for 55 per cent of the total traffic.

This was closely followed by Europe, North America, Africa and Asia-Pacific with a share of 26 per cent, 11 per cent, 6 per cent, and 2 per cent, respectively.

30/10/20 PTI/Outlook

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Hyderabad Airport Leads Post-Covid-19 Revival in India, Passenger Footfall Up By Six Times Since May

Witnessing a steady increase in the number of passengers and air traffic, Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is leading the revival of the aviation sector in India post the Covid-induced lockdown.

The daily passenger footfall at RGIA has gone up by over six times and the Air traffic Movement (ATM) by over five times since the recommencement of domestic operations from May 15.

With the central and state governments relaxing the quarantine norms under Unlock 4.0 and Unlock 5.0, there has been a significant jump in the passenger footfall, sources at the airport said.

The RGIA has handled over 1.2 million domestic passengers from the day of recommencement till September 30. Over 13,500 domestic flights were handled during the same period.

Sources say the growth rate of Hyderabad Airport post recommencement has been impressive compared to other airports in the country.

Billed as the world's third fastest-growing airport in the category of 15 million passengers in the world, it is one of the busiest airports in the country and the best-connected in south and central India.

In the first few weeks post recommencement of domestic operations after a gap of two months, the daily passenger footfall was 3,000 but the same surged to over 20,000 in September.

Hyderabad Airport has also seen an uptick in the ATMs from about 40 daily ATMs in the first few weeks of the restart, to over 230 domestic flights daily.

The RGIA regained its 52 destinations out of 55 destinations before Covid, thus restoring about 95 per cent domestic connectivity till August.

The airport was handling 550 air traffic movements and about 60,000 passengers daily before the Covid-induced lockdown came into effect in March.

29/10/20 IANS/News18

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Vigilance Awareness Week begins at Dibrugarh airport

Dibrugarh: To further strengthen the commitment of all the employees and staff working at Dibrugarh airport to uphold the highest standards of personal integrity in public services, Dibrugarh airport has started observing Vigilance Awareness Week, 2020.

The inauguration was marked by an integrity pledge-taking ceremony held at 11am on October 27 in the presence of Dibrugarh SP Prateek Thube Vijay Kumar, who was the chief guest for the occasion. An organisational integrity pledge, mentioning best practices aligned with highest standard of public services to be adopted by the employees of AAI, was administered by the airport director Ramjee Awasthi to all the employees.

This was followed by a citizens’ integrity pledge administered by the superintendent of police to all the employees of AAI, CISF, airlines and other agencies present on the occasion.

30/10/20 Rajib Dutta/Times of India

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AAI revises guidelines as Bengal cases spike

Kolkata: With a sudden spurt in active Covid cases in the state, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced updated guidelines for domestic passengers travelling through Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) in Kolkata and Bagdogra airport in Siliguri which are witnessing promising passenger footfall with each passing day.

The Kolkata airport which handles a considerable number of passengers among other airports in the Eastern region, has been witnessing promising footfall since resumption of flights in endMay. The airport authorities announced that more than 31,000 passengers travelled through the airport on 28 October. A total of 13,260 passengers arrived at NSBI airport while 18,508 departed. About 126 flights departed while 127 flew in passengers.

The AAI announced at both Kolkata and Bagdogra airport , passengers shall undergo mandatory health screening at departure point and only asymptomatic passengers shall be allowed to board a flight. Same is applicable at arrival point but asymptomatic passengers shall be let go with the advice of 14 day quarantine and inform the medical officer if symptoms develop. 

30/10/20 Statesman

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Hyderabad Airport leads post-lockdown revival of aviation sector

Hyderabad : Witnessing a steady increase in the number of passengers and air traffic, Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is leading the revival of the aviation sector in India post the Covid-induced lockdown.

The daily passenger footfall at RGIA has gone up by over six times and the Air traffic Movement (ATM) by over five times since the recommencement of domestic operations from May 15.

With the central and state governments relaxing the quarantine norms under Unlock 4.0 and Unlock 5.0, there has been a significant jump in the passenger footfall, sources at the airport said.

The RGIA has handled over 1.2 million domestic passengers from the day of recommencement till September 30. Over 13,500 domestic flights were handled during the same period.

Sources say the growth rate of Hyderabad Airport post recommencement has been impressive compared to other airports in the country.

Billed as the world’s third fastest-growing airport in the category of 15 million passengers in the world, it is one of the busiest airports in the country and the best-connected in south and central India.

In the first few weeks post recommencement of domestic operations after a gap of two months, the daily passenger footfall was 3,000 but the same surged to over 20,000 in September.

29/10/20 Siasat Daily

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Commercial flights from Bareilly airport expected to start by December

New Delhi: In a press release, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday said commercial flights from Bareilly airport are expected to start by December this year. "Bareilly airport belongs to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and AAI has developed a new civil enclave with the interim terminal building of area 525 square metre along with apron for parking of one ATR-72 type of aircraft," said the AAI's press release.

The release said the AAI is also building a regular terminal building with an area of 2,520 square metre at the Bareilly airport and more than 80 per cent of its construction work has been completed.

"Bareilly will be connected to Lucknow and Delhi under the UDAN scheme of the central government.

Flights from Bareilly to Delhi or Bareilly to Lucknow are expected to start by December 2020," the press release noted.

29/10/20 India TV

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Sharjah-bound flight returns to Karipur minutes after take-off due to snag

Malappuram: A Sharjah-bound flight carrying 171 passengers returned to the Karipur airport here on Thursday soon after take off as it suffered a minor technical glitch, airport officials said. 

The Air Arabia flight to Sharjah, with 171 passengers on board, developed some pressure variationminutes after it took off at around 3.40 AM,Calicut Airport Director-in-Charge Muhammed Shahid said. 

"The flight to Sharjah developed some pressure variation soon after it took off at around 3.40 AM. The flight resumed its journey at 7.40 AM after troubleshooting. Such minor snags happen occasionally and this too was nothing of a serious nature. However, necessary inspections were done and the aircraft flew to its destination post rectification," Shahid told PTI. 

29/10/20 PTI/Outlook

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Cancellation & rescheduling of flights hassle passengers

Pune: Many flyers are hassled over alleged sudden cancellation and rescheduling of flights as well as lack of updates from airlines following the suspension of night operations at the city airport from October 26 because of the runway re-carpeting work.

Vikas Saini, set to fly to Delhi on November 6 and return on November 27, said most airlines were still taking bookings for night-time flights. “I have a GoAir flight from Delhi to Pune at 9.30pm on November 27. The customer service representative of the airline told me until Tuesday that the flight was on though the Pune-Delhi flight for November 6 had been cancelled by the airline,” Saini said.

Shalwa Milind Karwe, scheduled to fly to Nagpur on November 25 and return on November 27, said, “I had no idea about the runway restrictions till Monday. I had booked a return ticket of an IndiGo flight for November 29, which was rescheduled to 11am. The timing was not suitable to me. Hence, I cancelled the ticket and booked a GoAir flight at 8.45pm on Sunday. I wonder why the airline confirmed my booking when the restrictions are already in place. I am trying to contact the airline but haven’t been able to speak to anyone yet.”

Working professional Ajay Shandilya said, “It has become very difficult to contact the airlines even on social media. I had to fly from Pune to Delhi, and from there to Ranchi on November 15. I decided to avoid the Pune airport and booked a direct flight from Mumbai to avoid any confusions.”

29/10/20 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Residents to shift temple for airport taxi track

Surat: After years of tussle, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) finally convinced the residents of Dumas and Bhimpore villages to agree to shift a small temple of Goddess Amba to make way for the much-awaited work on a parallel taxi track in Surat airport.

With citizens relenting to shifting of the temple, AAI will construct a new temple outside the operational area of extension of the apron and construction work is likely to start soon. A tender for shifting and construction of the temple has already been issued on October 23 and AAI will invest Rs 10 lakh to construct and complete the new temple within two months.

Airport director Aman Saini said, “The shifting of the temple will pave way for the construction of a parallel taxi track.”

The apron and parallel taxi track will be 2,905 metre long and 30 metre wide at the airport. The Rs 63 crore worth work was awarded on July 31, 2019 with a target to complete on February 2, 2021.

However, work got stalled due to the people’s opposition to shifting the temple, popularly known as the Laalbai Mata temple, which has been existing there for many years now. Every year, devotees from nearby villages in Bhimpore and Dumas flock to the temple during Navratri festival to offer their prayers.

29/10/20 Times of India

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Puri promises action after passenger alleges COVID-19 protocol violation at Srinagar airport

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday promised to take immediate action after a passenger alleged violation of COVID-19 social distancing protocol at the Srinagar airport. Sanjay Raina posted three pictures on Twitter on Thursday morning showing passengers standing extremely close to each other during a security check at the airport.

Raina tagged Puri in his tweet, saying: "Shocking violation of #COVID19 protocol , sheer incompetence of authorities & security personnel at #SrinagarAirport. Horrible to say the least. Someone needs to take responsibility. Hats off to airline staff still managing."

In his response, Puri said that he had discussed the matter with Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI).

"We will check the facts & take immediate corrective action," the minister added.

29/10/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Wait, what? Parents take luggage but leave behind sleeping infant in taxi in Kolkata

This story of an infant will give you the feels of a movie. A sleeping infant was left behind in a taxi in Kolkata, however, the parents were fortunate enough to get their child back thanks to the efforts of Bidhannagar City Police.

On Tuesday evening, a person boarded a pre-paid taxi from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI) or Kolkata airport and were headed to Alambazar in North Kolkata.

The person then hurriedly got off the taxi with the belongings after which the taxi driver left the spot and drove on to pick up other passengers for the day. The driver suddenly noticed a sleeping infant on the back seat of the taxi and headed towards the NSCBI Traffic Guard Police to report the child who had been left behind. “ Then the child’s family was contacted and his father came with all relevant documents. Post identification the child was handed over to his family,” read the Facebook post by Bidhannagar City Police.

People on social media applauded the efforts of Bidhannagar City Police while slamming the parents for being irresponsible and leaving the child behind in the taxi. One comment read, “Both of them must have been busy with their mobile phones, else it cannot happen.”

Another comment read, “Luggage was on top priority than the child…Where are we going?”

28/10/20 Prema Rajaram/Free Press Journal

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Alcohol test on airport staff to ensure safety: Kerala HC

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has upheld the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order to conduct breathalyser test on the personnel engaged in aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, aerodrome operations and ground-handling services for detecting consumption of alcohol. Justice N Nagaresh observed that the DGCA issued the order with an intention to ensure public safety. 

Forcing the petitioners to undergo breathalyser tests in times of Covid-19 may affect their right to life enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution of India. However, the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is subject to restrictions in accordance with the procedure established by law. 

“We are governed by a Constitution upholding democracy. Democracy is a method of finding proximate solutions for insoluble problems. The orders issued by the DGCA effectively address the concern of the petitioners as to the apprehended violation of their right to life likely to be caused by the use of the apparatus, at the same time, ensuring public safety,” observed the court.

The court issued the order while dismissing the petition filed by Santhosh Kumar S, assistant general manager (ATM), Airports Authority of India, Trivandrum International Airport, and others against the breathalyser tests on airport staff at the Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram international airports.

27/10/20 New Indian Express

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Reducing the ROT at Bengaluru airport

In an attempt to enhance the runway utilisation and capacity at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the Airport Authority of India wants to reduce the Runway Occupancy Time (ROT).

ROT refers to the time the runway is occupied by an aircraft and in this regard, the Airport Authority of India has issued an Aeronautical Information Publication Supplement for runway capacity enhancement measures at KIA.

“Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) is one of the key determinants of the airport runway capacity and is especially critical for an airport like Kempegowda International Airport. Bengaluru which is experiencing a robust growth in air traffic in recent years. The objective of this AIP Supplement is to lay down procedures aimed at reducing the ROT and enhancing runway utilisation and capacity at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru,” states the Aeronautical Information Publication Supplement.

As per the Aeronautical Information Publication Supplement, the runway capacity enhancement measures at KIA would have to become effective from December 3 onwards.

The supplement has also laid down procedures stating that all aircraft shall make every effort to minimise the ROT and that no aircraft shall request for any direct routing. It also added that direct routing shall be issued by controller only for the purpose of conflict resolution.

Further, the departure procedure states that taxiing aircraft should maintain a speed of not less than 15 knots on the straight portion of taxiways and between 8-12 knots during turning manoeuvres during fair weather conditions.

27/10/20 Hemanth CS/Bangalore Mirror

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Hyderabad airport starts e-boarding for international passengers

New Delhi: Hyderabad has become the first Indian airport to offer e-boarding for international passengers. Passengers of IndiGo’s Hyderabad-Sharjah flight (6E 1405) on October 2, 2020, were the first to avail of this in-house developed service at Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL), which rolled out paperless boarding to domestic passengers in December 2015. Other schedule international carriers operating out of Hyderabad are integrating with the airport’s e-boarding system and will make use of the same soon.

“The service is currently available for select international flights of IndiGo. HIAL rolled out its e-boarding services for international flights after the government’s nod based on a rigorous and successful pilot… now started rolling out this indigenously developed digital solution to international flights, becoming the first airport in India to do so,” Hyderabad airport said in a statement.

GMR HIAL CEO Pradeep Panicker said: “Leveraging tech-enabled solutions to continuously elevate passenger experience is our key focus area. In Iine with this we are delighted to announce that after about five years of successfully operating e-boarding for domestic flights, we have launched e-boarding solution for international operations as well — a first for any Indian airport. In the present scenario of the pandemic, automating the passenger journey provides more pleasant airport experience.”

“After the successful pilot of the project and all regulatory approvals, we have used our internal capabilities to take up e-boarding solution for international operations. Implementation of successful E-boarding at RGIA is outcome of the collaboration with cross functional teams and all stakeholders, including our key partner IndiGo. We are confident that very soon we will get all our international carriers operating out of Hyderabad onto our e-boarding platform,” Panicker added.

Passengers are free to choose between using conventional paper boarding passes or electronic boarding passes on their mobile phones to use the system. Listing the benefits of e-boarding, HIAL statement said: “reducing queue waiting time; as an advance security solution, e-boarding removes redundancies at check points; real time data availability of all passenger check points helps airport to continuously enhance its operational efficiency and enhances overall safety and security of airport.”

27/10/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Korukonda: Vigilance Awareness Week by AAI inaugurated

Korukonda: The Vigilance Awareness Week (VAW) was inaugurated by airport director MK Nayak by lighting the lamp in the arrival lounge of airport terminal building here on Tuesday. VAW will be held up to 2nd October and this year's VAW theme is vigilant India and prosperous India. Airports Authority of India (AAI) is conducting the week in connection with the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

As part of the programme, quiz competitions will be held to airport staff, stake holders and workshop staff. Awareness campaign with educational institutions such as Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology (GIET), Delhi Public School and Niveditha Kishore Vihar will also be conducted.

27/10/20 Hans India

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Tirupati: Air passenger traffic continues to rise amid pandemic

Tirupati: The passenger footfall at Tirupati airport has been rising gradually month after month after the lifting of travel curbs on flight services. The opening of Lord Venkateswara temple allowing limited number of devotees daily for darshan also helped airlines to increase their passengers to the pilgrim city.

The airport was closed for operations in the last week of March 2020 due to which the number of passengers travelled through it has dropped from 72,875 in February 2020 to 44,575 in March. According to the Airports Authority of India traffic data, from zero passengers and zero flight movements in April due to lockdown, the numbers witnessed steady growth from May.

From 916 passengers in May, it has gone up to 6,840 in June, 11,093 in July, 18,108 in August and 22,322 in September. Accordingly, the number of flight movements increased from 18 in May to 178 in June, 248 in July, 288 in August and 350 in September. Though the growth was very substantial compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, the authorities were saying that it is a good improvement.

For instance, there was a change of -90.2 per cent in number of passengers during April to August 2020-21 compared to the same period in 2019-20. In 2019-20 the total number of passengers travelled through the airport were 3,76,550 while it has come down to 36,875 during the same months in 2020-21. Similarly, the number of aircraft movements has come down to 692 from 4,742 during the same period.

27/10/20 V Pradeep Kumar/Hans India

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Indore- Pune flight to resume from November 5

Indore: The air connectivity of the city with Pune will be reestablished from November 5 when Indigo Airlines launch their flight from the city airport.

Aryama Sanyal, Director Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, said the direct flight will be operated from Monday to Sunday, except Saturday.

Flight 6E-341 Pune-Indore will depart from Pune at 12.30 pm and arrive here at 1.45 pm. In return the flight 6E-343 Indore-Pune will depart from here at 2.15 pm and land at Pune at 3.30 pm. The operation of the flight will be continued till March 27, 2021.

27/10/20 FreePressJournal

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Vistara to begin Delhi-Dehradun operations

Vistara will commence operations on the Delhi-Dehradun route, November 9 onwards.

The Tata-SIA Airlines had announced the addition of Dehradun to its network back in February 2020. Flights were to begin on March 29, however they didn’t take off due to the Covid-19 lockdown in the country.

Passengers from Dehradun can also take connections through Delhi to other cities – including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Ranchi, Raipur and Varanasi – on Vistara’s network.

Air India is also rumoured to begin Delhi-Lucknow-Dehradun operations thrice a week.

Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, is a popular hill-station in north India. Travellers can drive to a number of other destinations such as Mussoorie and Landour from here. With leisure travel crawling back to normalcy, Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport is beginning to see a moderate amount of activity.

27/10/20 Business Traveller

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Lohegaon airport: 12-hour cap on flight operation timing comes into effect for runway re-carpeting work

Pune: The window of flight operations was reduced to 12 hours from Monday at the Lohegaon airport for the runway re-carpeting work.

The flights will now operate from 8am to 8pm. “The Indian Air Force (IAF) started the 12-hour night-time runway closure from October 26, which will go on for almost one year,” an airport official said.

The official said there would be 60 flight movements (departures and arrivals) in the weekends. It would increase to anything between 65 and 70 in weekdays.

Sources stressed that the airport could handle 48 departures and the same number of arrivals even with the limited time slot for flight operations. “There are 30 to 35 daily departures as of now and there is room for more flights that we can handle between 8am and 8pm. Altogether, around 26 flight movements (arrivals and departures), which used to happen in the evening and night time, have been shifted to the daytime slots,” another airport official said.

The winter schedule of the Directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) came into effect from October 25. “It will continue till the end of March next year. Some additional flights may be approved for the Pune airport based on airlines filing for slots,” the official said.

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has announced a new tri-weekly flight from Pune to Chennai during the winter schedule. It will take-off from Pune at 12.30pm.

27/10/20 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Chennai Airport takes steps to ensure smooth operation of flights during rainy days

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Chennai: With the northeast monsoon round the corner, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken steps to prevent the rain and strong winds from impacting flight operations at Chennai airport. Pilots have been told to be cautious while flying down to the city airport.

Learning a lesson from the 2015 flood, AAI has desilted and cleaned all the drains and stormwater drains that crisscross the 1,301acre campus that carry storm water from neighbourhoods around the airport to Adyar river that run on the western side of the airport. An official said that a series of steps had been taken and work began weeks ago.

"Low lying areas in the basic strip of runways are filled and levelled, height of grass near the runways and taxiways is reduced, light materials at the airside are being kept in intact, proper parking and locking of ground handling equipment, mooring of lighter or smaller aircraft and passenger boarding bridges are some of the measures that have been implemented."

The ground staff and airlines staff would be briefed on need to tie down ground equipment to prevent them from moving and slamming into parked aircraft.

"Strong and sudden winds are a characteristic of northeast monsoon. The airlines too will be issuing instructions to their staff and to staff of their groundhandling agencies to monitor wind speed and handle pushback vehicles, baggage trolleys and others near the planes. There will be instructions on how to park them, where to park them etc," said an official.

He also said, "The airport has also coordinated with the state government to desilt drains in the surrounding areas because they bring a lot of sediments and waste into the airport drains and clog them."

27/10/20 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Pune Airport's New Integrated Terminal Building to Be Ready by March 2022: AAI

The new integrated terminal building being constructed at Pune airport with an investment of Rs 475 crore to handle 2,300 passengers during the peak hours is expected to be completed by March 2022, AAI said on Wednesday. A multi-level car park (ground plus three storeyed +2 basement floors) is also under construction at a cost of Rs 120 crore as part of the airport revamp plan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a release.

AAI has undertaken the construction work for the new integrated terminal building at Pune Airport in order to cater to the continuous surge in passenger traffic and ease congestion at the airport. More than 40 per cent of the work is completed and the new building, which is spread in over 5 lakh sq ft area, is likely to be completed by March,2022, AAI said.

The swanky new terminal building will be able to process 2,300 passengers (1,700 domestic and 600 international) during peak hours, it said, adding that it will be equipped with five boarding bridges, 34 check-in counters and in-line baggage handling system, Besides, 32,000 sq ft space has been provisioned for food and beverages and retail outlets inside the airport, the release said. The project also includes construction of a service yard of 3,800 sq metre, a 10-lakh litre capacity underground tank, 1,130 kilo litres per day capacity sewage treatment plant, among others, it said.

26/10/20 PTI/News18.com

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Pathankot gets daily flight to Delhi

Pathankot: The Civil Aviation Ministry has extended the frequency of the Pathankot to New Delhi and return flight from earlier three days a week to daily at the insistence of Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol. The flight is operated by Alliance Airlines.

Officials said the development would help boost the sagging economy of the parliamentary constituency and also parts of neighbouring states of J&K and HP.

Hospitality honchos, too, are happy as the Punjab Infrastructural Development Board has started work on turning the twin islands of Musharba and Kalara, located in the Ranjit Sagar Dam lake, into major world-class water sports and tourist hubs.

In 2014, then Dy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had flown in hoteliers from New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune in a special flight to convince them about the area’s tourism potential. However, the project failed due to little or no connectivity of the city with other parts of the country.

“Highways have been constructed in recent years. This meant that tourists directly drove to the neighbouring states of J&K and HP without making a stop-over in the town as was the case earlier. This resulted in a massive loss of revenue for the nearly 100-odd hotels in the city,” said Anil Vasudeva, former mayor of Pathankot.

On June 23, Deol had written a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri requesting him to improve air connectivity “because he had to face flak from the business community of his constituency.”

26/10/20 Ravi Dhaliwal/Tribune

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Green warriors march in protest against tree felling for Doon airport expansion

Dehradun: People from different walks of life gathered at the Gandhi Park in Dehradun on Sunday and took out an awareness march to the mosque in Paltan Bazaar, a distance of 1.2 km, and back, to protest against the government’s decision to fell over 10,000 trees in the Shivalik Elephant Reserve in order to provide land for the expansion of the Jolly Grant airport. A street play to generate awareness on rampant tree felling and its impact was also enacted.

To recall, hundreds of activists had gathered at Thano near the airport in a similar protest last Sunday. The issue of tree felling for the airport expansion had first been highlighted by TOI in a report earlier this month.

The protesters also reacted sharply against the recent statement by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat that the protests were “a political ploy against the government” and that expansion of the airport will “only bring prosperity to the state.” “It is ironic that the government is deviating from basic science by claiming that the trees they plan to fell have less value in the ecosystem. They are planning to fell trees such as khair, sagoon, haldu, kanju, etc that have ‘broad leaves’ and are known to be good at carbon sequestration. The state government needs to create jobs, improve the education system and deal with corruption with an iron hand rather that building an international airport at the cost of our greenery and the ecosystem,” said Jagdamba Prasad Maithani of the NGO, Alaknanda Ghaati Shilpi (AAGAAS) Federation.

25/10/20 Shivani Azad/Times of India

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Pune airport to get new multi-level car parking and more impressive features

Pune: Soon, Pune airport will get a brand new terminal with multi-level car parking, boarding bridges, restaurants and other convenient features. The terminal has been scheduled to get ready by March 2022, and INR 475 crores have been allocated for its construction. Its objective is to control the existing volume of passenger traffic.

According to reports, Pune International Airport will get an integrated terminal building. As revealed by the Airports Authority of India, this new terminal will have the capacity to accommodate 2300 passengers (1700 domestic and 600 international) during peak hours.

The terminal will be energy efficient and have five boarding, 34 check-in counters, and in-line baggage handling system. In addition, it will be equipped with different eateries and cafés. A new multi-level car parking facility, having the capacity to park 1024 cars will be built for the convenience of passengers. A sky bridge will link the parking area to the departure area of the present airport building.

25/10/20 Times Travel

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Delhi airport begins COVID-19 testing for international departures

New Delhi:  International passengers taking their flights from the Delhi airport can now get themselves tested for Covid-19 right before their departure, said Genestrings Diagnostic Center which operates the testing lab at the airport, on Saturday. 

The Covid-19 testing facility, which started operating on September 12 at the Delhi airport, was available only for arrival passengers till date. “The facility has now been extended to air travellers leaving India for other countries.

Notably, international travel rules require passengers travelling from one country to another to produce Covid negative reports,” said a press release by Genestrings.  The lab uses RT-PCR tests and provides reports within 4-6 hours.

It means that travellers should arrive at airport 7-8 hours before their flight to take the test, the press release noted. “The test is available 24/7 and is priced at Rs 2.400 as mandated by the Delhi government,” the release said.     

25/05/20 New Indian Express

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Jaipur airport will operate 112 flights daily from Sunday

Jaipur: The winter schedule of the city airport kicks off from Sunday during which it will operate 56 inbound and the same number of outbound flights.

The new schedule includes six new flights, while flights to three cities will remain terminated.

As per the new schedule, flights to Indore, Pune and Hyderabad will be terminated till further orders. “Since the inception of these flights, passenger load was almost negligible which prompted operators to withdraw flights to these destinations,” said a senior officer of air traffic control on Saturday.

As a good number of tourists plan a visit to Jaisalmer during winters, three flights to Jaisalmer have been added in this schedule. “This is a good addition as several tourist plan to have visit Jaisalmer after they land in Jaipur,” said Amandeep Singh, a travel agent.

Last winter, Jaipur airport was operating nearly 65 inbound and the same number of outbound flights daily. “We have got good connectivity to the cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as more flights to these destinations have been added,” said a senior officer.

25/10/20 Times of India

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Cargo Services Start at Uttarakhand's Jollygrant Airport, Will Bolster Commercial Activities in State

Cargo services began from the Jollygrant airport in Dehradun on Wednesday, an official said. Bureau of civil aviation security had given its consent for starting cargo services from the airport recently.

Director of the airport DK Gautam, who inaugurated cargo services from the old terminal building, said it will give a boost to commercial activities in Uttarakhand and help in the transportation of local products to the market place in much less time. An Indigo airlines flight took the first cargo bookings, Gautam said.

Recently, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced that it plans to develop at least 100 airports, waterdromes and heliports by 2024 under the regional air connectivity scheme, according to an official release. The fourth anniversary of the scheme, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), was commemorated on Wednesday.

The scheme is aimed at providing affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes. "50 unserved and underserved airports (including five heliports) with 285 routes have been added under UDAN across the length and breadth of India. As the implementing agency, AAI has an ambitious plan to develop at least 100 airports/ waterdromes/ heliports by 2024 under the scheme," the release said.

During a video conference to commemorate UDAN Day on Wednesday, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said stakeholders should work towards making the scheme sustainable on its own and improve its efficiency. He also urged airlines to undertake marketing initiatives so that more people can take benefit of the scheme, as per the release.

25/10/20 PTI/News18.com

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T1 expansion delayed by a year as Covid-19 hits air traffic badly

New Delhi: With Covid severely crippling air traffic, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has slowed down the ongoing expansion work at terminal 1 (T1). The June 2022 completion date has been deferred by a year. However, other infra augmentation work, such as the fourth runway and the elevated cross taxiway, are proceeding as per schedule and will be completed by next year.

Comments from Delhi International Airport Ltd were awaited till the time of going to press.

IGIA was operating only T3 for all domestic and international flights till September-end. T2 was put into use only from October 1 for handling some domestic flights of IndiGo and GoAir.

“Given the revised traffic projections during the pandemic, the existing capacity of T1 (which is used for domestic flights only) is going to be sufficient till FY 2022-23. So the ongoing expansion work to double T1’s existing annual 2 crore passenger handling capacity to 4 crore has been slowed and now, completion is targeted for June 2023. Work on T1 has not been stopped, it has only been slowed down,” said sources.

IGIA has projected a precipitous 73% fall in traffic this financial year with an expected total (domestic plus international) passenger number of 1.8 crore — down from 6.7 crore in the April 2019-March 2020 period. DIAL now estimates post-Covid recovery in air travel only by financial year 2023-24 when it expects 7.3 crore flyers.

DIAL’s plan for T1 includes expanding the departures and arrival buildings with a new architectural facade on the city side, and the integration with the existing terminal. The terminal area will then increase to over 1.9 lakh square metres. The number of entry gates will increase from 8 to 13 and of arrival baggage carousels from 8 to 10.

25/10/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Silchar Airport Announces Winter Schedule, Opens Route With Jaipur And Bangalore

Silchar airport authorities on Sunday announced the Winter Schedule of flights to and from Silchar airport, which is likely to open up new routes.

According to the schedule, which will be effective from 25.10.2020 to 27.03.2021, Indigo airlines will introduce new flight, 6E447/449 in the Silchar Kolkata sector, which will be quad-weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) with its A320 type aircraft.

“Winter Schedule is ushering in some great news for Air passengers of Silchar with newer destinations getting connected with the airport,” an airport official said.

For the first time, Silchar airport will be getting connected to Jaipur airport, as the above mentioned Indigo Airlines flight will be starting its journey from Jaipur airport and will reach to Silchar via Kolkata.

“Flight number 6E251/614 of Indigo & SG8152/8169 of Spicejet will provide through connectivity from & to Delhi Airport via Guwahati” the official informed.

25/10/20 Barak Bulletin

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Patna airport to operate 44 flights in winter

Patna: The number of flights operating from Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport here will remain unchanged at 44 during winter

As per the winter schedule of the airport, to be effective from October 25, different airlines have tweaked the departure and arrival timings of several flights owing to poor visibility. The flight operating time has been reduced from 4am to 1am to 5am to 11.15pm.

The airport’s deputy general manager (air traffic management), Santosh Kumar, said the new schedule has been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and it would be officially released by Patna airport on Sunday. “The flight schedule will remain effective till March 27, 2021 with several changes during the winter. Some airlines have changed their morning and late evening timings,” he said, adding IndiGo will operate 17 flights, SpiceJet 14, GoAir seven and Air India and Vistara three each.

Patna airport has direct connectivity to cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Guwahati and Varanasi.

25/10/20 Faryal Rumi/Times of Indi

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World’s largest civilian transport aircraft lifts Red Deer Company to India to battle nightmare well blowout

The world’s largest Civilian transport aircraft ANTONOV (AN124) which has been commissioned for snubbing operation in Baghjan-well number 5 landed at Kolkata airport on Wednesday night from where it will make a 14- day long road journey to reach Baghjan in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

Reportedly, as both the Guwahati and Dibrugarh airport runways are not able to handle the massive Ukrainian ANTONOV (AN124) aircraft, it had to be landed in Kolkata.

As per reports, the 59,000 kgs equipment boarded the An124 heavy-lift aircraft – the world’s largest cargo carrier from Russia. The aircraft is used all over the world for its long haul cargo dropping.

According to the OIL sources, the aircraft was commissioned by Piston Well Service Inc of Canada which was hired by Alert Disaster Control, Singapore. The Alert has been commissioned by OIL for killing the Baghjan-5 well, which was burning since May 27 of this year.

According to the spokesperson of Oil India Limited (OIL) Tridiv Hazarika, the snubbing operation is expected to commence by the beginning of next week and the fire is expected to be snubbed by the first week of November ending months of misery of the people of Baghja

Earlier, the general manager of the company Ross Whelan informed the same through a facebook post saying that a crew had arrived and was ready to board a heavy-lift aircraft from Canada’s Calgary.

“Our crew has arrived, and 59,000kg of our equipment boarded the An124 heavy-lift aircraft in Calgary today,” he said.

23/10/20 Todayville

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Telangana: Customs seizes gold worth approximately Rs 71 lakhs from Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: Based on specific inputs, gold worth Rs 70,95,183 was seized at the Hyderabad airport from two international passengers.

As per the Commissioner, Customs Department, specific intelligence had been received about two international passengers concealing foreign marked gold, on flight number 6E 8462 from Dubai to Visakhapatnam, and then “the same aircraft has been under domestic run from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad”.

Upon being intercepted and during the interrogation they were found carrying four pieces of cut gold on Friday.

The gold added up to 1.386 kilogram taking its value to nearly Rs 71 lakhs in the market, as per N Sridhar, Commissioner.

The smuggled gold has been seized under provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is underway. 

24/10/20 ANI/Zee5

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IIT Roorkee wins GRIHA Trophy for design of terminal building at Bagdogra Airport

Students from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee won the GRIHA trophy at a contest organised by the GRIHA Council to promote the concept of green buildings. The trophy was presented to the winners at a virtual felicitation ceremony during the 62nd edition of National Association of Students of Architecture Convention in Bengaluru. The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee was awarded prize money of Rs 75,000 in Bengaluru.

Welcoming the audience and speakers, Mr. Sanjay Seth, CEO, GRIHA Council, said that the collaboration with National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA) for the GRIHA Trophy was essential to cultivate a sense of good passive design, understanding of local materials, integration of renewable energy and resource efficient planning among architectural students. While welcoming the dignitaries, he provided an insight into the collaborative efforts being taken with NASA to jointly promote the concept of green buildings and sustainable habitat through sensitisation of students.

Expressing his views on the role of future architects, Ar. Habeeb Khan, President, Council of Architecture said, “Architects plays a very important role in Government’s various initiatives such as Smart Cities, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, MNREGA, Housing & Sanitation for all etc. apart from meeting the growing demand of Indian construction industry and private sector.Events likethe GRIHA Trophy provides them platforms to apply technically sound concepts to their designs while being creative as well.”

The competition this year, witnessed an overwhelming response from the students with participation from 25 colleges. The entries were evaluated by an eminent panel comprising Ar. Sangeeta Mahay, General Manager, AAI, Ar. Gaurav Shorey, Founder & Managing Director, PSI & Ar. Shruti Dimri, Principal Architect, Anagram Architects.The designs were evaluated on innovation in architecture, sustainability, and innovative systems.

24/10/20 Tribune

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Have requested aviation secretary to call meeting to boost cargo ops at Amritsar airport: Puri

New Delhi: Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said he has requested Aviation Secretary P S Kharola to call a meeting on the issue of boosting cargo flight operations at the Amritsar airport.

India follows a very liberal air cargo policy, the minister said on Twitter, adding that foreign and Indian carriers can operate scheduled international cargo flights from any point in India, including Amritsar and Chandigarh.

"However, there was insufficient cargo aggregation at the Amritsar Sahib airport. I have requested the Secretary @MoCA_GoI to call a meeting on this issue & provide all necessary assistance to the state," he said.

In order to promote agricultural exports, the government launched Krishi Udan scheme in August under which landing and parking charges are waived by the AAI for each such cargo flight wherein agriculture product is more than 50 per cent of the total chargeable weight carried.

Amritsar Sahib, Adampur, Bathinda, Pathankot, Chandigarh and Ludhiana airports are included in the Krishi Udan scheme, Puri said.

Spicejet has undertaken 14 cargo flights on Delhi-Amritsar-Moscow route since April 2020, Puri said.

24/10/20 PTI/Outlook

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Foreign carriers can operate non-scheduled cargo flights from six Indian cities only: Puri

India’s decision to restrict foreign carriers’ non-scheduled cargo flights to major cities in the country was taken to provide a level playing to domestic airlines at a time when COVID-19 has significantly affected the aviation sector, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday.

Indian aviation regulator DGCA had on September 18 said that foreign carriers can operate their non-scheduled cargo flights to and from six Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — only.

Scheduled flights are those which get their schedule approved by the aviation regulator in advance for a period running into months. Non-scheduled flights are charter flights that are operated as per requirement.

Puri said on Twitter,”For providing a level playing field for Indian air cargo operators in these Covid affected times, some changes have been made in the open sky policy for cargo.”

He said non-scheduled cargo flight operations by foreign carriers to and from India are now “restricted to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad” while Indian carriers can still mount non-scheduled cargo flights from any point in the country.

Foreign carriers carry around 90 per cent of the total international cargo to and from India, Puri said on Twitter, adding that no change has been made in the “open sky policy for scheduled cargo operations of Indian or foreign carriers”.

“They (foreign carriers’ scheduled cargo flights) can still fly to/from any point in India, including those in Kerala,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan met Puri and requested him to add Kochi airport to the list of six airports permitted to handle non-scheduled cargo flights of foreign carriers.

23/10/20 PTI/Financial Express

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Proposed airport in Mandi CM’s jumla: HPCC general secretary

Mandi: Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) general secretary Ashray Sharma today said that the proposed international airport project in Mandi was a mere ‘jumla’ of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

He said, “If Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur gets an airport constructed in Mandi, I will quit politics. The promise to construct an airport in Mandi is a mere ‘jumla’ of the Chief Minister. During three years of the BJP rule in the state, it has failed miserably to ensure development in Mandi. Also, the government has failed to check the spread of Covid-19. As a result, many people died due to poor health facilities”.

Ashray defended his father Anil Sharma, BJP legislator from Mandi Sadar, whom Mandi MP Ram Swaroop had criticised two days ago. Addressing mediapersons here, he said, “Ram Swaroop Sharma has failed miserably as MP to usher in development in Mandi. He got a lead of 27,000 votes in Mandi Sadar but did nothing for the progress of the area and for the people of the region”.

“MP Ram Swaroop Sharma targeted my grandfather, former Telecom Minister Pandit Sukh Ram, and my father Anil Sharma, who is a BJP legislator, saying that the Sukh Ram family has stalled the progress of Mandi Sadar. He forgot that it was Pandit Sukh Ram who led the revolution in telecommunication in India and Himachal Pradesh when he was the Union Telecom Minister,” he added.

24/10/20 Tribune

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Phase II of aviation hub in Hisar gets green nod

Hisar: After getting an environmental clearance from the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, the state government is set to start the second phase of the ambitious aviation hub project here.

The “bhoomi poojan” of the project scheduled for October 27 will mark the first year of the BJP-JJP government in office.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said the aviation hub would be a milestone for not only the region, but also for the entire state. “The airstrip will be extended during the second phase. Besides, a taxi way, a taxi stand, parking space for planes, and terminal and air traffic control system will be constructed.”

District officials said the state government was considering developing the Hisar aviation hub into an international Aerotropolis Project and Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Local MLA Kamal Gupta has submitted a proposal in this regard to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who has discussed the proposal with senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary AK Singh.

The officials have drawn a proposal of an SEZ in Hisar as 17,300 acres is available in and adjoining areas of the town.

24/10/20 Deepender Deswal/Tribune

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Delhi Airport to Soon Start COVID-19 Testing For International Departures

New Delhi: International passengers taking their flights from the Delhi airport will soon be able to get themselves tested for COVID-19 right before their departure, Genestrings Diagnostic Center which operates the testing lab at the airport said on Saturday. 

The COVID-19 testing facility, which started operating on September 12 at the Delhi airport, is available only for international arrivals currently. 

Earlier in the day, Genestrings issued a press release saying, “The (testing) facility has now been extended to air travellers leaving India for other countries.”

However, the company later revised its press release, saying that the testing facility “will soon” be extended to air travellers departing from India.

“Notably, international travel rules require passengers travelling from one country to another to produce COVID negative reports,” it added.

The lab uses RT-PCR tests and provides reports within 4-6 hours.

“The test is available 24/7 and is priced at Rs 2,400 as mandated by the Delhi government,” the release said.

“As more people are now taking up international travel, Delhi Airport authorities felt the need to provide the testing facility to outbound passengers as well,” said Rajat Arora, Director, Genestrings Diagnostic Center.

24/10/20 PTI/India.com

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Air India M’luru, B’luru flights resume on Oct 26

Mangaluru: Air India has announced resumption of flights between Mangaluru and Bengaluru starting Monday. Flight AI 575 will depart from Bengaluru at 4pm and reach Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 5.20pm. Flight AI 576 will depart MIA at 6pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru at 7.20pm. The flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Fares start at Rs 2,342, a communique from the airline stated.

24/10/20 Times of India

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In a first for Indore, new regional airline turns the city airport as its domicile base

The Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in the city of Indore becomes the base operating centre of new regional airlines that is to kickstart services from November 15. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has provided the new venture with a clearance after inspection, and the airlines has already started to work on the set up and maintenance for the same at the airport premises. The maiden aircraft, imported from Australia, will reach Indore in a week.

For the first time, a regional airline kickstarting operations has picked Indore as its centre operating station, unlike other enterprises that prefer the metro cities of Mumbai and Delhi. The new airline has been allotted with night parking space, at the Indore Airport, which can accommodate up to 2 aircraft units. Besides this, Indigo airline aircraft also hold the night parking at the Ahilyabai Holkar Airport.

The addition of this new venture to the already existing 6 flights to and fro from Indore will assist the city in creating greater connectivity, running on expected new routes.

The Officials at the Indore Airport are also incubating the launch of direct flights to Bhopal and Jabalpur, within the state, and then to Ahmedabad as well. The final schedule regarding the same will be declared by the Airport Authorities post the clearance of required formalities and permissions.

24/10/20 Muskaan Tekwani/Knock Sense

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Have requested aviation secretary to call meeting to boost cargo ops at Amritsar airport: Puri

New Delhi: Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday said he has requested Aviation Secretary P S Kharola to call a meeting on the issue of boosting cargo flight operations at the Amritsar airport.

India follows a very liberal air cargo policy, the minister said on Twitter, adding that foreign and Indian carriers can operate scheduled international cargo flights from any point in India, including Amritsar and Chandigarh.

"However, there was insufficient cargo aggregation at the Amritsar Sahib airport. I have requested the Secretary @MoCA_GoI to call a meeting on this issue & provide all necessary assistance to the state," he said.

In order to promote agricultural exports, the government launched Krishi Udan scheme in August under which landing and parking charges are waived by the AAI for each such cargo flight wherein agriculture product is more than 50 per cent of the total chargeable weight carried.

Amritsar Sahib, Adampur, Bathinda, Pathankot, Chandigarh and Ludhiana airports are included in the Krishi Udan scheme, Puri said.

Spicejet has undertaken 14 cargo flights on Delhi-Amritsar-Moscow route since April 2020, Puri said.

India''s decision to restrict foreign carriers'' non-scheduled cargo flights to major cities in India was taken to provide a level playing to the Indian airlines at a time when COVID-19 has significantly affected the aviation sector, Puri had said on Twitter on Thursday.

24/10/20 PTI/Outlook

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Gold worth Rs 27 lakh seized from passenger at MIA

Mangaluru: Customs officials have arrested a passenger who arrived by Indian Airlines from Dubai and seized 531 grams of gold worth about Rs 27 lakh at Mangalore International Airport on Friday night.

Official sources said, on Saturday that the passenger had arrived from Dubai by Air India Express flight No IX 1384. He had smuggled gold in powder form. Gold of 24-carat purity of 531.390 grams valued at Rs 27,36,659 has been seized.

24/10/20 Ila Dhond/Goa Chronicle

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Haze on rescheduled flights continues, revised timing of some planes shocks flyers

Pune: A majority of passengers booked in night flights from October 26 onwards from the city are confused about their rescheduled departure time after the flight operations are suspended between 8pm and 8am from the Lohegaon airport from next Monday because of the runway re-carpeting work.

Travel agents have been getting several queries from passengers booked in night flights or planning to buy tickets. Some passengers claimed that their direct flights were being changed into connecting flights with long layover.

Working professional Ayush Mathur booked a direct IndiGo flight from Pune to Jaipur for November 13, scheduled to take off at 10.50am. It has been changed into a connecting flight.

“The flight will now take off from Pune at 10.10am and go to Delhi, where there is a layover for eight hours. The airline did not even bother to inform me. I shall cancel my ticket and go to Mumbai to catch a flight to Jaipur now,” he told TOI.

Giving example of a friend planning to visit Jaipur for Diwali, Mathur said, “He had booked a direct SpiceJet flight to Jaipur, scheduled at 5am. It has become an afternoon flight with a layover of three-four hours in Ahmedabad.”

There was no reply to e-mails sent to all airlines on Tuesday morning till the time of going to press. Airport director Kuldeep Singh refused to comment on the airlines’ rescheduling issue.

Travel agents fear major problems in the coming days.

“The airlines should have stopped the bookings immediately after knowing about the restrictions. Flight operations were completely shut during the lockdown period and all the necessary arrangements should have been made then. I had done a booking for a group of 60 people from Pune to Goa for January. Now, I shall have to look for other options,” said Nilesh Bhansali, the director of Travel Agents’ Association of Pune (TAAP).

Santosh Gupta, the owner of Shree Vinayak Holidays, said a lot of his international clientele would be affected. “There is no proper communication from the airlines until now. Business could get affected because of lack of clarity,” Gupta said.

23/10/20 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Indore: Daily direct flight to Delhi from Sunday, Mumbai from November 1

Indore: Additional daily direct flight to New Delhi and Mumbai have been proposed in view of the ongoing festive season. . The flight to New Delhi will begin from Monday, while the Mumbai flight will start from November 1.

GoAir is re-starting these flights which were there before the lockdown. TK Jose, Chairman of Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI) informed on Thursday that the airline has uploaded the scheduled of both flights. Accordingly, flight G8-177 Delhi-Indore will depart from Delhi at 6.00 am and land here at 7.40 am. In return flight, G8-2604 Indore-Delhi will depart from here at 8.10 am and reach New Delhi at 9.50 am. Indore-Mumbai flight G8-178 will take-off from here at 8.10 am and reach Mumbai at 9.50 am. In return, the flight G8-2603 Mumbai-Indore will depart from Mumbai at 5 pm and land here at 6.40 pm.

23/10/20 FreePressJournal

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Flights from Calcutta to Bangladesh start on October 28

ai spice indigo ai go vistara ap frgn

“An air travel bubble will be established between India and Bangladesh with effect from October 28 and will remain valid till January 31 next year or till the resumption of scheduled international flights, whichever is earlier,” the Centre has said in a letter to the directorate general of civil aviation.

“Designated carriers of both countries will be permitted to operate services between India and Bangladesh under the bubble.”

An air bubble is an arrangement between two countries to operate commercial passenger flights as regular services have been stalled because of the pandemic.

SpiceJet, IndiGo, Air India, GoAir and Vistara are the Indian carriers allowed to operate flights to Dhaka and Chittagong from Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai as part of the agreement.

They can operate up to 28 flights in a week from these cities. Biman Bangladesh, US Bangla Airlines and NovoAir are the Bangladesh carriers, which can operate a similar number of flights, according to the letter.

On Thursday, US Bangla Airlines officials told tour operators in Calcutta that they would start daily flight services between Calcutta and Dhaka soon.

Biman Bangladesh plans to start services from November 1, an official of the airline said. “We have been given the rights to operate daily flights but we’ll start with three flights a week and can add more depending on the demand.”

SpiceJet will start operating on the Calcutta-Dhaka route from the first week of November, an official of the airline said.

“Bangladesh is a very big sector for Calcutta. Medical tourism, trade, small and medium-scale hotels and restaurants heavily depend on people from Bangladesh,” Anil Punjabi, chairman, east, Travel Agents Federation of India, said.

23/10/20 Telegraph

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Airline eyes ATR flights from Bhopal to Raipur, Ahmedabad

 Bhopal: A new airline might soon fly from Raja Bhoj airport. After signing contract with Bhopal airport to open a ticket counter a team of the FlyBig airline recently visited the airport for further process.

Airport director Anil Vikram said, the team visit was a part of the process to start operations from Bhopal airport. Sources said, the cities that are likely to be connected from Bhopal by ATR 72 aircraft are Indore, Raipur and Ahmedabad.

Vikram said, “FlyBig airline is in the process of starting their operations and a team had visited Bhopal airport last month to complete mandatory inspection of aerodrome facilities prior to commencement of operations.”

Officials said that FlyBig airline officials had a meeting with other officials, including ATC in charge and finance in charge of AAI Bhopal Airport.

Vikram added, “They have opened their counter but ticket sales have not started.” He refused to divulge other information about the operations.

Sources said, the airline has shown interest in starting operations by the end of this year. “Cities, including Indore and Raipur, will be connected in the first phase. In the later stage, Ahmedabad will be also connected,” said a senior official of the airport.

Sources added that the airline will be launched formally in the near future as few formalities are to be done.

The airline’s website stated that in conjunction with the UDAN initiative, FlyBig, India’s newest friendly regional aeroplane, provides connectivity to destinations that were hitherto not accessible by air.

Flyers said that it is good to see that new airlines are showing interest. “Good to hear that a new airline wants to start operations from Bhopal airport. We are in need of increasing the air connectivity with the Bhopal airport.

23/10/20 Times of India

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Passengers’ number at airport dropped four times during pandemic

Ludhiana: The Covid-19 pandemic has badly affected the Sahnewal Airport. An internal document of Airport Authority of India (AAI) suggests that aircraft movement has decreased by around three times and passenger footfall by around four times. The situation is likely to improve only after the pandemic.

As per the document on Covid-19 impact, in April there was a 100% drop in aircraft movement as compared with the same month last year when 506 aircrafts’ traffic was observed. Similarly, passenger footfall also saw a fall of 100% in the month as compared with last April when it was 58,866.

In May, there was some improvement as 34 aircrafts flew, while in the month last year the number was 712, suggesting a drop of 95.22%. And the passenger footfall dropped by 97.89% as in May 2019 it was 89,287 as compared with 1,878 in the month this year.

The document said aircraft movement percentage drop remained at 82.22% and 74.70% in June and July this year, respectively, as compared with the corresponding period last year. The passenger footfall decreased by 88.13% and 78.85% in June and July, respectively.

Aircraft movement percentage dropped to 77.40% and 63.31% and passenger footfall to 78.17% and 74.96% in August and September this year, respectively, as compared with the same months last year.

23/10/20 Shariq Majeed/Times of India

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MPDA files plea in SC over bldgs near airport

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Panaji: Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the order passed in February by the high court of Bombay at Goa directing action against unauthorised buildings around the Goa international airport.

The appeal, which is listed for October 28, is likely to be heard by Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde, Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian. MPDA appeal was accepted on October 10.

The authority has sought interim relief from the high court judgement which ordered the Indian Navy and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to initiate action against unauthorized constructions around the airport within nine months.

“MPDA is complying with the Colour-Coded Zoning Map (CCZM), but we are asking for relief for approvals granted before the CCZM was implemented,” said an MPDA official.

MPDA chairman Clafasio Dias confirmed that the planning body has challenged the HC’s order. “The hearing will most likely to be held on October 28,” said Dias.

The Goa government, Airport Authority of India – Goa director, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Naval Area, Chicalim village panchayat and Venture Building Dreams have been named as respondents in the case.

23/10/20 Times of India

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Cochin International Airport Limited announces winter schedule with more domestic flights

Kochi: With the Central government’s endorsement given to airlines and airport operators to operate 60 percent domestic services becoming effective, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) announced the Winter Schedule which will start on 25 October. As per the schedule, which will be effective till 27 March 2021, CIAL is gearing up to facilitate 460 weekly domestic operations, 230 each arrivals and departures.

There is a decrease of 282 flights in the domestic sector compared to the Winter schedule in 2019. There were 742 domestic operations in 2019 compared to 460 this year. Airlines have started booking for the new flights through respective websites and ticketing portals.

While there will be more domestic flights compared to the last few months due to the relaxation in pandemic restrictions, the international sector will continue operations based on the International Air Bubble agreement between India and respective countries by adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines of both countries. Air Bubble agreements are temporary arrangements between two countries aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the domestic sector, cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Mysore, and Kolkata will be served with direct flights to and from Kochi. There will be stopover operations from Jaipur and Guwahati to and from Kochi. Indigo operates maximum number of flights in the domestic sector with 114 departures followed by Spicejet (39) and Air Asia (32)

As per the new schedule, there will be nine flights to Delhi and five flights to Mumbai daily. To Bangalore and Chennai, there will be eight and four services respectively every day. Indigo will operate a Kochi-Kannur flight at 6.25pm on all Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

23/10/20 Anantha Narayanan K/Times of India

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Now, TruJet reduces flight operations

Salem: TruJet has decided to operate flights between Salem and Chennai only for five days instead of seven.

“Flight service will be stopped on Tuesday and Wednesday from October 25,” station manager K Prasanna Kumar said. “We took the decision due to administrative reasons,” he said.

“We have changed the flight timings also. The flight will depart from the Chennai airport at 7.15am and will reach the Salem airport at 8.15am. It will take off for Chennai at 8.35am and land there at 9.35am.

“We will give connections to Kadapa, Vijayawada, Mysuru and Belgaum cities from Chennai,” Kumar added.

23/10/20 Times of India

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FlyBig likely to start ops from Raja Bhoj by year-end

Bhopal: A new airline might soon fly from Raja Bhoj airport. After signing contract with Bhopal airport to open a ticket country, a team of the FlyBig airline recently visited the airport for further process.

Airport director Anil Vikram said, the team visit was a part of the process to start operations from Bhopal airport. Sources said, the cities that are likely to be connected from Bhopal by ATR 72 aircraft are Indore, Raipur and Ahmedabad.

Vikram said, “FlyBig airline is in the process of starting their operations and a team had visited Bhopal airport last month to complete mandatory inspection of aerodrome facilities prior to commencement of operations.”

Officials said that FlyBig airline officials had a meeting with other officials, including ATC in charge and finance in charge of AAI Bhopal Airport.

Vikram added, “They have opened their counter but ticket sales have not started.” He refused to divulge other information about the operations.

Sources said, the airline has shown interest in starting operations by the end of this year. “Cities, including Indore and Raipur, will be connected in the first phase. In the later stage, Ahmedabad will be also connected,” said a senior official of the airport.

23/10/20 Times of India

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Part of the debris of Air India Express flight removed from accident site

Malappuram: India Express plane that crashed at nearby Karipur airport on August 7, killing 21 people, was on Friday shifted from the accident site for facilitating a thorough probe, airport authorities said.

The airline's officials from Mumbai supervised the shifting of the cockpit portion of the aircraft to a nearby area, using a crane, they said.

Twenty one people, including the pilot and co-pilot, were killed when the AIE flight from Dubai with 190 people on board overshot the tabletop runway, fell into a 35-feet valley and broke into two portions.

"The rest of the debris will also be removed from the accident site to a nearby location and preserved there for further investigations," authorities said.

The five-member panel appointed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board is yet to file its report on the circumstances that led to the crash.

Meanwhile, the airline recently distributed interim compensation to passengers of the flight.

The next of kin of those killed and aged above 15 were given Rs 10 lakh and Rs five lakh for those below the age of 15.

The seriously injured were given an interim compensation of Rs two lakh, while those with minor injuries got Rs 50,000 each.

23/10/20 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Surtis can now fly to Belagavi, Kishangarh from Nov 10

Surat: Now Surtis can fly to Belagavi or Belgaum in Karnataka and Kishangarh in Rajasthan as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved the two routes from Surat airport for winter scheduled under the UDAN-3 scheme.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) authorities have stated that the Surat-Belagavi-Kishangarh flight services will start from November 10. The aircraft will have the capacity to carry 50 passengers.

Star Air, a regional commuter airline, will provide the flight services. The flight will be operated for four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).

The flight from Belagavi will depart at 12 pm to reach Surat at 1.20 pm. The same flight will depart from Surat at 1.50 pm to reach Kishangarh at 3.10 pm. From Kishangarh, the flight will depart at 3.40 pm to reach Surat at 5 pm. From Surat the flight will depart at 5.30 pm to reach Belagavi at 6.50.

At present, the Surat airport caters to 20 departures and arrivals to various destinations including Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa and Kolkata.

Star Air is based at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, Karnataka. It started operations in January 2019, offering flights within Karnataka state as well as to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat as part of the Central Government’s UDAN scheme.

23/10/20 Times of India

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First anniv gift of BJP-JJP Govt : Hisar airport

Chandigarh: In a major gift to the people of Haryana on the first anniversary of BJP-JJP coalition government, the state government is set to start the construction work of Hisar Airport formally in the week and would hold Bhoomi-Poojan of Hisar Airport on October 27. 

 All the formalities have been completed and have even received green signal from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has played a key role in realising the dream of Airport and held series of meetings with Ministry of Civil Aviation and airways companies in the lockdown. 

Chautala further fixed the duties of the officials for speedy clearance of the project from environment department. It was hard work of the Deputy CM that it got NOC from environment department and helped the state government to start its work on October 27 . 

 Deputy CM said it was expansion work of Airport and increased the length of Airstrip. He said a new Airstrip measuring 3000 meter would also be constructed. He said apart from this, Taxi-way, taxi stand, parking space of airplane, terminal and Air Traffic Control System would also be built besides boundary wall and proper fencing would be ensured.

 Chautala told that Hisar Airport would be built at the modern lines and there would be facility of night landing of flights there. The proper mechanism would be made available for the easy landing of flights during low visibility.

23/10/20 UNI

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Bhubaneswar-Chennai GoAir Direct Flight Services To Resume From Nov 17

Bhubaneswar: Following unlock 5, leading domestic carrier GoAir is all set to resume its direct flight services between Bhubaneswar and Chennai from November 17.

The booking for the flights has begun from yesterday.

As per information, the GoAir flight G8-921 will take off at 11.05 am from Chennai and will reach Bhubaneswar airport at 12.50 pm. The departure timing of GoAir return flight G8-922 from Bhubaneswar will be 1.20 pm and will land at 3.05 pm at Chennai.

The GoAir decided to resume domestic flight services between two cities in view of increasing number of air passengers following COVID-19 unlocks.

23/10/20 Sambad

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Kochi airport to operate 460 services per week

Kochi: With the Union government permitting Indian airlines to increase the number of domestic passenger flights to 60 per cent of their pre-Covid services, the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has decided to operate 460 services per week from Sunday. As per the winter schedule announced by the Kochi airport on Friday, there will be 230 arrivals and 230 departures per week from October 25, and the schedule will be in effect until March 27, 2021. As many as 742 services were operated from the airport during the corresponding season in 2019.  

Under the new schedule, direct flights will be operated to cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Mysuru, and Kolkata, in addition to stopovers at Jaipur and Guwahati. The airport will ensure state-of-the-art touchless identity verification, check-in, sanitisation, and security check facilities to instill confidence among the passengers, said an official.

As per the schedule, 114 services will be operated per week by IndiGo, 14 by Vistara, seven by Alliance Air, 29 by Air Asia, 32 by Air India, 10 by GoAir, and 39 by SpiceJet. There will be 60 services to Delhi, 53 to Bengaluru, 38 to Mumbai, 28 to Chennai, 23 to Hyderabad, 11 to Kolkata, seven each to Mysuru and Ahmedabad, and three to Kannur. 

23/10/20 New Indian Express

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IndiGo celebrating Durga Puja at six airports

New Delhi: IndiGo on Thursday said it is celebrating Durga Puja through Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at six airports from October 21 to 27. These six stations are Kolkata, Silchar, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Agartala and Jorhat, IndiGo said in a press release.

"In addition, special Bengali food menu has been introduced as part of 6E tiffin, which will be available exclusively on flights from Kolkata for travel dates between on October 21 to 27 October," the airline said.

The carrier said this celebration is part of its "India by IndiGo" campaign that promotes diverse Indian culture.

"The (Oct 21-Oct 27) festivities will include Dhunuchi dance, Alpona design and Sindoor Khela at the airport, while the staff will be dressed in traditional Puja clothes and boarding gate and inflight announcements will be made in Bengali," the airline said.

22/10/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Planning to Fly to the Northeast? Here’s all That you Need to Know

A new set of guidelines has been issued for air travel to Northeast India. 

A list of travel measures like quick antigen tests, quarantine measures as well as self monitoring guidelines were posted on the official Twitter handle of the Airports Authority of India on October 19. Passengers who wish to visit the Northeast for a duration of less than 72 hours will not be affected by this update. 

However, those landing for a long term stay, i.e. more than 72 hours, will have to mandatorily observe a quarantine minimum of 10 days. The Northeastern state governments have also issued a separate set of guidelines for travel specific to their respective state.

 COVID tests have been mandated for domestic as well as international tourists by Assam. A provision of a free test which would be sponsored by the government has been provided. 

The result for this test could take about five days and the tourist will have to remain in isolation till a result is obtained. 

 A faster option is to pay a sum of Rs 2,200 to conduct a test through an agency which will provide the result within 24 hours. Those found to be COVID-positive will be moved to a medical facility for further treatment. 

 22/10/20 Outlook

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New airline to start ops from Indore next month

Indore: Devi Ahilyabai Holkar airport is all set to become the base of operations of a new regional airline next month. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given clearance to the airline for its maintenance set-up.

Airport officials said that the airline was in process to set up its maintenance facility at Indore and a team from DGCA recently conducted an inspection.

“The airline has got clearance from DGCA for its maintenance set up in Indore. The airline’s first aircraft has already been imported from Australia, and is expected to arrive Indore next week,” airport director Aryama Sanyal told TOI.

Sanyal further claimed that this is for the first time when a regional airline is going to make Indore its base of operations, instead of going for metros like Delhi or Mumbai. “The airline will start its operations from Nov 15,” she said, adding that the airline has also been allotted night parking space in Indore to accommodate for two aircrafts.

22/10/20 Times of India

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Metro line connecting Jewar and Delhi airports to finish by 2024

Noida: Once the Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar district is ready, it will be directly connected to the Delhi Airport via Metro, said officials of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).

Passengers can expect to travel from one airport to the other in two-and-a-half hours whereas those travelling from South Delhi to Jewar can expect to cover the distance in one-and-a-half hours once the link is ready.

RITES Limited, a Government of India enterprise, had submitted three different proposals to link the upcoming Jewar Airport with the Indira Gandhi International Airport last year.

The plan selected by YEIDA involves three stages: Constructing a 20-km line between Aerocity and Tughlakabad, which is already being undertaken by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC); a 15-km proposed extension from Tughlakabad to Noida Sector 142 on the Aqua line; and finally, a 35.6-km line between Knowledge Park and Jewar Airport. Passengers will have to change twice on this 82-km journey, at Noida Sector 142 and Knowledge Park II.

The line from Aerocity to Tughlakabad is a part of DMRC’s Phase IV while construction of the other two corridors, currently handled by YEIDA, is estimated at Rs 8,248 crore.

The last and longest leg of the journey that starts at Knowledge Park II and ends in Jewar Airport is expected to cost Rs 5,708 crore and will have 25 stops.

“The proposed Metro will run from Aerocity, pass Tughlakabad, Noida and Greater Noida, and then head to Jewar. Hence, travelling from one airport to the other will be significantly easier,” said Arunvir Singh, CEO, YEIDA. The airport and the Metro link are expected to be ready by 2024.

22/10/20 Ashna Butani/Indian Express

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Kempegowda International Airport resumes 88% of its pre-Covid routes

Kempegowda International Airport has achieved 88% of its pre-Covid domestic connectivity as well as 53% of its air traffic movements (arrivals and departures). The airport operator of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), released an official statement on Wednesday, saying, “Bengaluru has reconnected 51 domestic destinations, achieving 88% connectivity of the pre-Covid-19 routes.

The Government of India’s Vande Bharat Mission and Air Bubble programmes have enabled Bengaluru airport to connect with 22 international destinations. With the gradual easing of restrictions, air traffic movements have witnessed an encouraging trend, recovering 53% of the previous year’s flight movements, following successive measures to unlock India’s economy.” Bengaluru airport has become the first metro city airport to record positive growth in cargo volumes in September 2020, compared to last year, it added.

“In the first two quarters of this financial year, airport cargo terminals processed 131,603 metric tonnes (MT) freight. The cargo processed in September was 32,449 MT, a growth 0.3%, against same period last year.” The month also witnessed 4.5% growth in international cargo, of which export cargo grew by 7.6%. Meanwhile, domestic cargo is showing a slower recovery and is 5.2% lower than the same period in the previous year, it said.

Perishable cargo has seen a major growth with the airport processing 17,212 MT during this period. Pomegranates, ready-made garments, engineering goods, pharma and medical supplies are among the exported items.

22/10/20 New Indian Express

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Pleas on nixing breathalyzer tests for airport staff junked

Kochi: The Kerala high court has dismissed petitions challenging the DGCA directive to conduct alcohol breathalyzer tests for its staff at airports. The petitioners had contended that the tests would result in further spreading Covid-19.

Justice N Nagaresh considered three petitions challenging the order of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for conducting breathalyzer tests for personnel engaged in aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, aerodrome operations, and ground handling services while reporting for duty. The procedures laid down by DGCA are sufficient to prevent the spread of infection, the court said.

The petitioners alleged that airports are focal points of Covid-19 containment strategies and breathalyzer tests conducted by the same medical staff and using the same devices increase the chance of coronavirus infection. Though such tests were suspended for 15 days, in view of the pandemic, they were resumed soon. Breathalyzers are not even sanitized or sterilized after each use, the petitioners contended, which is akin to violating a person’s right to life.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) submitted that aviation personnel are required to submit an undertaking, while reporting for duty, that they are not under the influence of alcohol and have not consumed alcohol or psycho-active substances in the last 12 hours. Taking into account the possible spread of Covid-19 through breathalyzers, an order was issued on September 7 prescribing precautions for averting any likelihood of spreading the virus, the court was told.

22/10/20 Mahir Haneef/Times of India

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Vistara to operate more flights from Delhi, Mumbai to Goa to cater to rising demand

Candolim: Vistara will operate more flights to Goa from Delhi and Mumbai from Sunday as there has been a "positive response and demand" on these sectors, said a senior airline official on Wednesday.

The airline plans to operate two more weekly flights on the Delhi-Goa route and one more weekly flight on the Mumbai-Goa route, the official said.

Goa sees a huge influx of tourists every winter.

"Vistara is currently operating 9x weekly flights between Delhi and Goa, and 10x weekly flights between Mumbai and Goa," Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer of Vistara, told PTI.

"Considering the encouraging response on these sectors, we plan to increase it to 11x weekly flights between Delhi/Mumbai and Goa in the winter schedule starting 25 October 2020," he added.

The coastal state sees a high number of foreign tourists, including a sizable number from Russia and Britain, during the winter season.

From August 28 onwards, Vistara started operating special flights on Delhi-London route using its newly-inducted Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

"The (Delhi-London) flights have also been re-timed, effective October 25, to enable convenient connections to and from several cities across India, including Goa," Kannan said.

The airline would operate five flights a week on the Delhi-London route from November 21, instead of four a week being operated currently, and a daily service from December 1.

The increase in frequency to and from Goa as well as on the Delhi-London sector are resultants of the positive response and demand on these routes, Kannan noted.

22/10/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Adani Group to take over operations at Mangaluru International Airport on Oct 31

Mangaluru: The Adani Group is all set to take over operation and management of Mangaluru International Airport on October 31, as per the announcement by Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday. Following the pandemic, taking over the airport was delayed by the Adani Group.

The aviation ministry signed MoU with Adani Mangaluru International Airport Ltd on Thursday for provision of services like Customs, immigration, plant and animal quarantine, health and security (collectively called reserved services). AAI also signed three separate communications, navigation and surveillance systems for air traffic management with these concessionaires for services at the airport.

About 25 high-level officials of Adani Group studied the airport issues since the last couple of months. For a few months, the post of airport director is said to be in force after which the executive officer of Adani Group is expected to take over the affairs.

Further, on Thursday the AAI also announced that the Group will take over the Lucknow airport on November 2 and the Ahmedabad airport on November 7. Meanwhile, MoUs for respective airports were signed - Adani Ahmedabad International Airport Ltd and Adani Lucknow International Airport Ltd.

The concession agreements for operations, management and development of Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru Airports through PPP mode were signed on February 14.

22/10/20 Daijiworld

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Airport biometrics and digital identity deployments expand in US, India

Passengers flying American Airlines from Washington or Dallas will soon be able to use digital IDs stored on their mobile devices to reduce contact with airport staff during baggage check processes, Simple Flying reports.

The service has gone live at Dallas Fort Worth Airport, where passengers can check their bags without presenting any physical identity credential.

The trial involves passengers downloading a third-party app, which will display the information the individual must show to an agent. Bag tags can be printed from airport machines using the American Airlines app. iPhones running updated software can also scan a QR code to print the tags without downloading the airline’s app.

The same service is expected to launch at Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) on October 27, and the airline is reported to be working with the TSA on a possible broader implementation.

SITA has developed a new version of its Automated Border Control (ABS) Kiosks to accommodate new devices for biometrics capturing and other future upgrades or requirements related to the implementation of the new European Union Schengen Zone border controls planned for 2022.

The new TS6 kiosk provides biometric data with SITA’s next-generation solution to expedite processing, reduce congestion and improve passenger glow while providing governments and border agencies with high-quality data, according to the announcement. Travellers arriving at the Schengen Zone can confirm their registration in the Central EES system from the kiosk, update their travel record and confirm their biometric data.

The biometric data then enables a seamless passage through the ABC gate with facial recognition.

“The introduction of EES will bring significant benefits but also presents operational challenges for EU member states to achieve smooth and effective border processes,” says SITA Vice-President Border Management Jeremy Springall. “Maximizing the value delivered by the introduction of EES requires an approach that goes beyond the initial acquisition of gates, kiosks, and biometric devices. Member states now have a unique opportunity to positively transform their border operations through the intelligent integration of new and existing border management systems.”

The solution saves roughly five seconds from the process for each traveller, and SITA suggests it can help to combat the spread of COVID-19 and increase traveller confidence.

22/10/20 Chris Burt/Biometric Update.com

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Covid test for nine flyers from UK at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Nine passengers, who took a 10-hour flight covering 8,000km between London and Kolkata, had to make a 2.5-km detour via VIP Road to travel from the international terminal to the old domestic one barely 300m away in a bus for their Covid test. They are the first lot of international fliers whose swab samples will be collected at the airport in the early hours of Thursday and sent to private labs for testing. They can proceed home only after a negative result arrives seven to eight hours later.

The nine passengers were among the 77 flyers, who reached Kolkata on Air India’s London-Kolkata flight in the early hours of Thursday without a Covid negative report. The collection was conducted at a facility inaugurated by the airport authorities on Thursday at the old domestic terminal that had been lying unused and was converted into a quarantine centre for international flyers.

The facility was created after the state issued a revised SOP for passengers arriving from London, allowing passengers from London without Covid negative report to come to the city but leave the airport only after a test was conducted.

“The facility is being managed by the state government. Once the passengers come out of the airport after immigration and baggage collection, state transport department personnel are putting them on an air-conditioned bus and it will travel via VIP Road and the airport Road to reach the old domestic terminal,” said airport director Kaushik Bhattacharjee.

22/10/20 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Shift airport site from Balh: Locals to govt

Mandi: Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has urged the state government to shift proposed airport site from Balh valley to Jahu in Mandi as in that case less people would be displaced for the project.

Joginder Walia, samiti’s spokesperson, said for the construction of the airport in Balh valley, around 2,000 families in the area would be displaced.

“A large tract of agricultural land will be covered for this project in Balh valley, which is known as mini Punjab because the land of this area is quite fertile. The state government is not ready to give adequate compensation to farmers losing their agriculture land for the project,” he said.

Walia said during winter season, the proposed site area experiences dense fog, which will pose a challenge for safe landing for aircraft.

“We have sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Sakaghat MLA Inder Singh over this issue and urged him to direct the state government to shift the proposed site of the airport else,” he said.

The Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti is assisted by the Himachal Travel Agents Association, Manali, which is in favour of shifting the airport site from Balh to Jahu in Mandi. The reason being cited is that the airstrip at Balh valley would be only 2,150 meter long as per the latest survey by the AAI, while for the landing of big aircraft it requires a 3,150 meter long airstrip.

20/10/20 Tribune

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Delhi airport emerges second safest globally on Covid-related safety: DIAL

New Delhi: Delhi airport operator DIAL on Wednesday said it has been certified as the second safest aerodrome globally for effective implementation of coronavirus-related health and safety protocols.

The safe travel score is an initiative by Safe Travel Barometer, which assessed more than 200 airports on their implementation of health and safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safe Travel Barometer is among the world's largest and most comprehensive tools to monitor traveller health and safety protocols, a release issued by DIAL said.

"Close on the heels of Singapore Changi Airport, which scored 4.7 out of 5, Delhi's IGI Airport has bagged the second position in the Safe Travel Barometer's list by scoring 4.6.

"Besides, Frankfurt Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport have also secured the second position, each tied at 4.6 out of 5," the release said.

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in the national capital is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR.

According to the release, Delhi airport has also become the country's safest airport for various safety measures taken to help control the spread of coronavirus.

"These include the launch of RT-PCR testing laboratory, implementation of touchless initiatives to enhance the passenger experience, UV-based disinfection process, and development of AIR SUVIDHA portal for easy and hassle-free arrival process of India-bound international passengers," it added.

21/10/20 PTI/Business Standard

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AAI launched the first Anti Viral Vehicle Coating station in Goa

Goa: Airport Authority of India (AAI Goa Airport) has launched Goa's 1st Anti-Viral Vehicle Coating Station. This free service for Goa Miles cabs was inaugurated by Shri. Mauvin Godinho, Transport Minister of Goa, in the presence of the Airport Director. 

The station uses nano-technology coating for interiors of the cabs that protect against germs, bacteria, and viruses. The coating lasts for a month and comes with a certification. This unique service by AAI service will surely enhance passengers' confidence while visiting Goa.

On the other hand, under its CSR initiative, AAI's Tirupati Airport constructed a bicycle shed in a village nearby. The shed was inaugurated by Sh. R. Madhavan, Regional Executive Director of the Southern Region in the presence of the Airport Director, officials of the airport, and Headmaster of Govt. School, Papanaidupet. 

The shed is expected to provide school-going children the facility of parking their bicycles in intense heat without having to worry about their safety and security. AAI hopes this facility should help increase the school attendance rate in the future. 

21/10/20 PSU Connect

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New integrated terminal building at Pune airport to be ready by March 2022: AAI

Mumbai: The new integrated terminal building being constructed at Pune airport with an investment of Rs 475 crore to handle 2,300 passengers during the peak hours is expected to be completed by March 2022, AAI said on Wednesday.

A multi-level car park (ground plus three storeyed +2 basement floors) is also under construction at a cost of Rs 120 crore as part of the airport revamp plan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a release.

AAI has undertaken the construction work for the new integrated terminal building at Pune Airport in order to cater to the continuous surge in passenger traffic and ease congestion at the airport.

More than 40 per cent of the work is completed and the new building, which is spread in over 5 lakh sq ft area, is likely to be completed by March,2022, AAI said.

The swanky new terminal building will be able to process 2,300 passengers (1,700 domestic and 600 international) during peak hours, it said, adding that it will be equipped with five boarding bridges, 34 check-in counters and in-line baggage handling system,

Besides, 32,000 sq ft space has been provisioned for food and beverages and retail outlets inside the airport, the release said.

21/10/20 PTI/Outlook

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Noida International Airport Aimed to Bring Much-Needed Aviation Infra to NCR Region

Once operational in 2024, Noida International Airport (NIA) will bring the much-needed aviation infrastructure in the National Capital Region (NCR), contended the builder of the upcoming facility.

Touted to be Asia's largest airport once all phases are completed, the NIA will be designed and operated by Switzerland-based Zurich International Airport Limited AG (ZAIA) under a 40-year concession.

The first phase of the mammoth project is expected to be completed by 2024 with a capacity for 12 million passengers per year.

In a conversation with IANS, Daniel Bircher, CEO, Zurich Airport International (Asia), said: "We're bringing much-needed aviation infrastructure to one of the world's largest metropolitan areas - a region with a very strong economic and industrial growth outlook."

"This is also crucial for the airlines that need space for strategic growth. Overall, we believe India is a strong market and the domestic demand will fuel the economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic," Bircher added.

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh state government signed the concession agreement with the company to commence the development of the airport at Jewar.

Bircher elaborated that airport construction will create several thousand additional jobs in the next few years.

"The project will fuel employment generation in the state of Uttar Pradesh. We expect the airport ecosystem will create about 3,000 to 4,000 direct jobs once operational," Bircher said.

On the likely traffic trends, he predicted that initially the airport will cater to the domestic demand.

"Once the airport is operational, 90 per cent of the initial traffic will be domestic. We will look at collaborating with foreign airlines to enhance international connectivity as well," Bircher said.

"We will make sure to support them with cost-effective processes, low-turnaround costs and seamless transfer facilities," he added.

Furthermore, the upcoming airport aims to offer competitive, cost-efficient processes for all airlines, he said.

21/10/20 IANS/News18

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