Rumours of a ‘ghost’ take off at BIAL

Bangalore: Rumours have been doing the rounds for the past week that Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) staff have been seeing ghosts on the runway. The description of the ghost has been varied: its gender, attire and features all change, depending on who sees it. A few claim that the ghost is a woman in a white saree, while others say the mysterious creature is headless.
A Kingfisher employee who works at the Cargo section told to this website's newspaper that the ghost, a woman in a white saree with her hair flying loose, has been wandering on the runway. He said this saree-clad ghost had disrupted flight movements. “A pilot of an international carrier had to abort landing after spotting a ‘woman’ with outstretched hands in the middle of the runway. Finally, after two failed attempts, when the ‘woman’ did not move from the runway, the pilot could only land in his third attempt,” he said.
Several employees say another ghost, a headless creature, was spotted near the escalators in the terminal area and in the parking bays. A photograph of the ghost is also said to have been captured on an infra-red camera by an employee.
“All that was visible on the photograph was a skeletal figure of the ‘woman’. This was later passed on via bluetooth to mobile phones and posted on YouTube,” he said. On checking, however, one only got images of ghosts wandering about airports in Thailand and Malaysia; there was nothing on our own native ghost! BIA officials flatly deny these rumours: there was no ghost buster team deployed at the airport.
29/09/08 Hemanth C S/Express Buzz

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Delhi airport shuts brand new runway

Four days after it was opened, the third runway at the Delhi airport was closed today after some crucial equipment stopped functioning. Operations had already got restricted to daytime after the runway lights failed over the weekend, rendering it unusable at night.
According to Air Traffic Controller sources at the Delhi airport, the decision to close the runway was taken after the instrument landing system (ILS), which guides aircraft to land when visibility is poor, stopped functioning in the morning.
As a result, the runway could not be used before 10:30 am and had to be shut down after 1:00 pm. (The ILS was not required during the period in-between.) That left it with a little more than a couple of non-peak hours to operate and it hardly saw any landing.
Several pilots told Business Standard that this could become a serious problem in the winter, which will descend on Delhi in a couple of months.
The new runway was built to make its airport handle up to 60 flights in an hour, up from 35-40. This would reduce air congestion and help carriers save expensive jet fuel.
Consumers too would have to wait less for flights. However, the current problems could ground such projections. A DIAL executive confirmed that the runway was practically closed today and only the primary and the secondary runways were used for flight operations.
However, a DIAL spokesperson defended the decision to close the runway: "As a part of the phased opening of the third runway, DIAL, the Air Traffic Controller and the Director General of Civil Aviation have agreed to ensure that any observation from users can be dealt with for further improvement and any minor work can be carried out as a new runway is also subject to daily inspections and maintenance."
30/09/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Tendering on for Navi Mumbai airport

The much awaited Navi Mumbai airport is on track and the tendering process being carried out by various governmental Maharashtra state bodies and other stakeholders will be over by March 2009, minister of civil aviation, Praful Patel said on Monday. Construction of the airport should start immediately thereafter.
The state-owned City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) which is the prevailing authority behind the ambitious Greenfield airport project started the process of inviting bids sometime in early 2008.
Cidco has appointed a US-based firm as consultant to draw up the global bid document and a detailed project report. The capacity of the existing airport at Santa Cruz will be saturated in 4-5 years and it has no scope for expansion. Passenger traffic is growing at an average 25% annually and more than 37 million passengers are projected to use the current airport by 2010.
The Santa Cruz airport cannot afford a parallel runway either because of space constraints. All these factors make the development of the Navi Mumbai airport critical.
The Navi Mumbai Airport is necessary if Mumbai wants to keep pace with growth in aviation traffic. It is expected to absorb around 10 million passengers in its first operational year which is expected to be 2012. This is then expected to double to 20 million by 2020 and 40 million by 2030.
30/09/08 Shauvik Ghosh/Financial Express

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Mumbai airport still country's busiest

Mumbai: Just when one thought that the Delhi airport had flown ahead of Mumbai to snatch the numero uno position as the busiest airport in India,
comes the clincher. The tell-all statistics on air traffic, passenger traffic and cargo handling collected over the last five months clearly show that the commercial capital still enjoys the top slot among country’s airports.
While the rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices did have an adverse impact on the city airport’s domestic traffic, it was the increasing international flights which saved it from being relegated to the number two position. "Mumbai is definitely more prominent than Delhi as an international destination,’’ says a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd spokesperson.
Last month, media reports had indicated that flight cuts to Mumbai airport had placed Delhi ahead of it when it came to air and passenger traffic. It said in the period between April to July 2008, Mumbai recorded an average of 650 flight movements a day, while Delhi had 680. It was a mighty fall for Mumbai airport, as in the same period last year, it had handled 720 flight movements per day.
So when did the city airport actually recover? "In fact, Mumbai had not really lost its position to Delhi in the real sense. The figures on flight movements quoted in reports was just the daily average. The real picture came in the final calculations,’’ the official said.
30/09/08 Manju V/Times of India

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Army bails out Birsa Munda Airport

Ranchi: The army has stepped in to ensure the much-awaited expansion plans of the capital’s airport aren’t grounded because of scarcity of land.
At a recent high-level meeting with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and state government officials, the army said its land on the eastern side of the Birsa Munda Airport — now being used by its helicopters to land and take-off — could be used to extend the airport.
“The helicopter bay of the army would be relocated and the land would be used for the expansion of the airport,” said a delighted Birsa Munda Airport director A.V. Krishna.
The AAI, he said, would soon begin work on the new airport, which would include a portion of the present airport area in addition to the army land.
“We want to make the new airport operational by 2010,” he added.
The army chopper bay dates back to World War II and will now have to be relocated to make way for the Ranchi airport.
“As land availability for the airport’s expansion is still an issue, we have decided to use the available land with the army,” said Krishna who attended the high-level meeting where the decision was taken.
30/09/08 Santosh K. Kiro/The Telegraph

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Extended runway commissioned at Madurai airport

Madurai: With the commissioning of the extended portion of runway and installation of instrumental landing system (ILS) last week, the Madurai airport is inching closer to becoming an international terminal.
With the 7,500-feet runway, the airport was ready to handle A320 aircraft, airport sources said. “Earlier, with 5,990 feet of runway, only smaller aircraft and modified A320 aircraft could be handled. There was restriction on the aircraft load even for the modified A320 because of the limited length of runway.”
The runway was extended by 1,500 feet on its western side and the extended portion was commissioned on September 24. Indian (Airlines) that had a fleet of modified A320 aircraft would be a major beneficiary.
After two days of calibration work, the ILS at the airport was ready for commissioning. A flight inspection unit conducted test sorties on Friday and Saturday. The ILS would help “all-weather and all-time” landing of flights on the eastern side of the runway.
30/09/08 S. Sundar/The Hindu

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Passenger traffic growth rate dips at Pune

Pune: The recent runway repair works carried out at the Lohegaon airport has had a negative impact on the growth of passengers in 2007-2008.
Statistics released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Pune, showed that 15.73 lakh passengers used the Pune airport in 2007-08, as against 15.68 lakh the preceding year (a negligible 0.30 per cent growth).
The statistic also holds significance since passenger growth during 2005-06 was a whopping 57.38 per cent.
Pune airport director G. Chandramouli justifies, "The growth potential for air traffic from the city remains upbeat.
What led to a fall this year was the nine-month restricted civilian flights schedule, between September 15, 2007 and May 15, 2008, to facilitate runway resurfacing and repair works." The airport was, in fact, shut down for a fortnight i.e. February 12 to 26 to enable repairs of a critical patch. Notably, the civil enclave is a part of the IAF fighter base at Lohegaon.
As a result, AAI, Pune's annual revenue too has remained static at Rs 30 crore. The AAI's prime source of earning is from non-traffic services like passenger facilitation, car park, entry tickets, stalls, restaurants and shops at the main terminal building and advertising boards. The annual air cargo movement too has remained unchanged at 13,000 metric ton (MT) for 2007-08. This was same as registered in 2006-07 whereas in 2005-06 the airport had handled 8,000 MT of cargo movement.
29/09/08 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Janitor rewarded for returning Rs 2.5 lakh

Kolkata: Ms Ranibala Das, who is a sweeper at NSC Bose Airport, found Rs 2.5 lakh in the airport last night, returned it and was rewarded with a sum of Rs 100. A representative of a Buddhist pilgrims’ society from Myanmar had dropped the money by mistake. When she got the money back, she rewarded Ms Das with Rs 100.
Ms S Deshraj had gone to the airport to arrange for an onward tour for the Buddhist pilgrims. She was carrying Rs 2.5 lakh in a plastic bag which she carelessly dropped somewhere in the lounge.
Meanwhile, Ms Das found the packet lying underneath a chair in the lounge. She picked it up and deposited it with the airport manager. Later, Ms Deshraj contacted the airport manager who made announcements to find the owner of the packet.
28/09/08 The Statesman

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Rajiv Gandhi Airport bagged Concrete Day Awards of AP

Hyderabad: To mark the outstanding engineering contributions in the State, the Indian Concrete Institute(ICI)- A.P Hyderabad Centre in association with UltraTech Cement Limited celebrated Concrete Day-2008 Saturday night(late night function), wherein two prestigious ICI, A.P Hyd centre - UltraTech Endowments Awards viz; Outstanding Concrete Technologist of A.P 2008 and Outstanding Concrete Structure of A.P 2008 were given away. Passenger Terminal Buidling of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport bagged Outstanding Concrete Structure of A.P 2008.
Outstanding Concrete Structure of A.P 2008 category, 15 nominations were received. Out of these fifteen nomination, Passenger Terminal Buidling of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport emerged as Outstanding Concrete Structure of A.P 2008. Dr. Raman Rao, Principal of JNTU announced the winner. Mr. Kamesh Rao, Vice President of GMR Airport Development & Engineering received the award.
The other 15 nominations received include: Greenland Flyover, Service Hanger at Bharat Electronics, Panjagutta Flyover, Technology Development Centre-Osmania University; DLF Cyber City, Structural Landscape at GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Hundai Motors Budiling at Madhapur, Bhoomanandji Aashram at Cuddapah, Indus International School, Ashoka Metroploitan Mall, Sirla Heights, Hyderabad; Bharat Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad; Fortune Towers, Hyderabad; And JNTU Library Budilding, Anantapur.
These awards are being given every year for the past ten years. And these are given across India by its 25 centres.
28/09/08 IndiaPRwire.com

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Customer satisfaction: Pune airport scores 81 pc

Pune: First the good news. The customer satisfaction index (CSI) for the city's Lohegaon airport has been put at 81 per cent by a New Delhi-based independent consulting agency, Spectrum Planning (India).
Pune airport director G. Chandramouli told TOI that the survey was carried out in April and its outcome is 13 per cent more than the CSI that was assessed a year ago.
Spectrum Planning has been engaged by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to carry out periodical CSI surveys at airports across the country.
The focus remains on parameters ranging from cleanliness, facilitation and sinages to the quality of audio announcements, security, on-time operations of aircraft and handling of passengers, among other things.
Performance of operational facilities like x-ray machines, lighting level and security gadgets, leading to minimal irritation to passengers, are other aspects. The bad news is that, despite expansion of the existing main terminal building and creation of new facilities, the airport continues to grapple with the problem of a severe space crunch.
This problem often gets reflected in the commotion at the passenger hall and traffic congestion and chaos in front of the terminal building during peak-time operations, ie afternoon and evening. Admitted Chandramouli.
28/09/08 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Oman Air celebrates seventh anniversary of Cochin operations

24 IATA agents participated in the competition and the First prize was won by M/s. Akbar Travels of India with M/s. Creative Tours & Travels bagging the runner up prize.
Mr. Manoj, a renowned Malayalam & Tamil film art director who was the judge for the competition along with Mr. Sunil V A - District Sales Manger - COK and Mr. Ashok Kumar, Sales Manager (GSA), visited all the agents to weigh up the flower carpets. Prizes for the winners will be distributed during an upcoming 'Agents Award' function to be held in Cochin.
Mohamed Bin Salim Al Bulushi, Country Manager India, stated that India is the second largest travel market in Asia after China, and is one of the fastest growing throughout the world. The Indian tourism market size was valued at $4878m in 2007.
He affirmed India being an important destination for Oman Air and one of its most profitable sectors. He also highlighted that Oman Air was the first foreign airline to commence operations to two Indian destinations namely Cochin and Jaipur, adding that Oman Air is delighted with the growth it had achieved in India.
Al Bulushi stressed that the carrier enjoys good load factors on all its routes to the India. We are looking currently at other new destinations within India such as Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Pune, and Amritsar as high-density tier-two cities to meet the demand for direct service to Oman and other Gulf countries. India has the potential to emerge as a hub for international airlines like ours to ferry passengers bound towards either direction.
28/09/08 AME Info, United Arab Emirates

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Domestic air traffic to and from Ahmedabad nosedives

Ahmedabad: Termination of flights by low-cost airlines due to soaring aviation turbine fuel price has led to slump in domestic air traffic to and from the city in May and June.
According to statistics released by Airports Authority of India, Ahmedabad saw a rise of about 8 per cent in April 2008 compared to April 2007. But, this figure fell to 0.4 per cent in May. Worse still, June 2008 saw a drop in traffic of 6 six per cent compared to June 2007.
Officials said 2,07,038 domestic passengers flew in and out of Ahmedabad in June 2007. This figure declined to 1,94,921 in 2008, a fall of 12,117.
This was despite the fact that domestic aircraft movement to and from the city rose nearly 12 per cent with 256 more flights touching Ahmedabad compared to June 2007.
Senior AAI officials said share of low-cost airlines had always remained over 50 per cent. In April and May, number of people from the city taking leisure trips was on the rise because of affordable prices. Though flights withdrawn by low-cost airlines were replaced by regular flights, people found prices hard on their pockets. Now, they prefer rail travel for leisure trips.
Low-cost airlines were catering to all classes. Their schedules were even tailored to attract business class passengers flying for meetings, said an official of one of these airlines.
28/09/08 Himanshu Kaushik/Times of India

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Soon, Mumbai airport will turn into a foodie's paradise

Mumbai: The aroma of food will soon be wafting in the air at Mumbai airport's arrival area, with food courts being set up outside the domestic terminals in a month. And, around the same time, a six-cuisine dining area will be set up at the international airport.
Bang in the middle of the Diwali holiday travel season, the Mumbai airport will embark on a gastronomic adventure that could reduce-with a delicious twist-the boredom of waiting for a flight. "A 160-seat food court with eight kiosks will be constructed outside Terminal 1B; the smaller area outside terminal 1A will have a 60-seat food court with five kiosks,'' said Siddharth Sahgal, general manager (retail), Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL). Both the food courts will have multi-cuisines on offer with the regular hog of Indian, Chinese and coffee joints.
However, Mumbai's attempt to enter the league of those airports where food is more than sandwiches, pastries and the like will be successful when the dining space at the international airport starts operating in October. The food will be from around the world but no gourmet fare as of now.
28/09/08 Manju V/Times of India

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Plane aborts takeoff to take in minister

Kolkata/Ranchi: Union minister for food processing Subodh Kant Sahay allegedly forced an airline to reopen the aircraft door after reporting late for the Kolkata-Ranchi flight on Friday morning. The flight took off 20 minutes behind schedule, thanks to the ruckus.
Sahay and his aide reached the airport barely five minutes before the scheduled departure of the Kingfisher Airlines flight and demanded to be let on board. By then, the CJR aircraft was ready to taxi with 10 passengers seated and its door secured for the flight.
Sahay allegedly told Kingfisher staff that the return flight would be grounded in Ranchi if he was not allowed to board. “We tried to explain how difficult it is to reopen the door and fit the ladder. But after his threat, we didn’t have any option but to comply as he holds tremendous clout there,” an aircraft staff said. Sahay is an MP from Ranchi.
When TOI contacted Sahay in Ranchi, he brushed the allegations aside, saying it was a minor matter. “I had checked in over the internet, had the boarding pass and reached the airport 13 minutes prior to departure. The airline staff should not have had any problem,” he said.
Eyewitnesses, however, said the minister barged into the security check area, pushed aside passengers in the queue and then demanded to be allowed to board. Although CISF jawans frisked him, he did not wait for the hand baggage to clear the X-ray machine and boarded the coach before the security gate.
27/09/08 Arpit Basu & Sonali Das/Times of India

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Hyderabad airport plans to trade in carbon credits

Mumbai: The GMR group-run Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, Hyderabad, is planning to trade in carbon credits, its senior official said.
Thiru Waran, assistant vice-president, GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), said the airport has to register with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, for carbon credit trading. “The registration could happen early to middle of next year and it could take another six months for the approval to come through,” he said.
Carbon credits are generated by organisations by shifting to cleaner technologies to reduce their energy consumption and, thereby, their carbon emissions. They can trade th carbon credits for monetary returns. But to do that they have to fulfill certain criteria and be approved by UNFCCC. Carbon credits are traded under the term CER, or certified emission reduction.
For instance, for an airport to trade in carbon credits, one of the requisites is to have a bicycle parking space, said Kamesh Rao, vice president, airport development & engineering, GHIAL.
“We are registering all the buildings at the airport under the clean development mechanism,” said Thiru Waran.
The airport recently received the leadership in energy and environmental design new construction (LEED NC) silver rating award by the US Green Building Council.
27/09/08 G Seetharaman/Daily News & Analysis

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Pay for that puff at airport

Ranchi: Call it strict order, stricter implementation. Within three weeks of the state ordering a blanket ban on smoking in public places, 25 people were caught in the act and instantly fined at the Birsa Munda Airport (BMA).
Though the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Regulation, 2003, prohibits smoking on airport premises, the ban had never been implemented seriously so far. However, after the government issued a notification banning smoking at public places on September 5, the airport authorities decided to deploy a monitor in the form of an authorised personnel to book smokers.
BMA director A.V. Krishna said the idea worked. “Notice boards prohibiting smoking were put up everywhere. We said people caught in the act would be fined Rs 100. Those who thought we weren’t serious ended up paying the fine. Three were caught today, taking the total number of violators to 25,” he said.
A government official said the Union government was planning to implement the ban from October 2, but the state had decided to take on smokers a month ahead. Earlier this month, the health department issued directives to various government establishments to ensure that those violating the ban are penalised.
“We have notified everyone in charge. The establishments concerned have to ensure that the ban is implemented in the right spirit,” said health secretary Pradeep Kumar.
26/09/08 The Telegraph

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Fake Passport - Two Arrested at Bajpe Airport

Mangalore: A man and woman, who were trying to go abroad using fake passports, were arrested by the police from the international airport here on Thursday September 25.
The arrested have been identified as Mohit Bhai Patel (27), son of Babu Bhai Patel from Ahmedabad and Meena (34), wife of Narendra Bhai Patel from Meshna taluk, Gujarat. Both were trying to fly to Canada via Doha-Bahrain by Air India Express flight, by replacing the photographs affixed on the passports issued to Shali Srikant Nago and Shali Neelima Srikant from Vishnunagar, Dombivili, Mumbai.
During interrogation, they informed that a person named Ketan defrauded them by making them believe, that they would not face any problem, if they used these fake passports for the travel.
Ketan from Mumbai had visited the garment shop owned by Mohit three months ago, on the pretext of buying clothes. While talking to Mohit, he enticed him by offering to arrange for going abroad, if he was prepared to pay Rs 20 lac for the favour. Mohit paid the money. After a few days, Ketan invited Mohit to come to Royal hotel in Mumbai. Mohit found that a lady named Meena was with Ketan. All the three arrived in Mangalore by a King Fisher flight on Wednesday September 24.
26/09/08 Daijiworld.com

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Airport store boost to exports

A cold storage facility for perishable cargo was inaugurated at Calcutta airport on Friday.
The Centre for Perishable Cargo will be able to handle 12,000 tonnes of goods annually, 10 times the amount exported through Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
The Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority spent Rs 6.75 crore to develop the centre for the Airports Authority of India. The facility was on a trial run since June.
“The centre will boost export through Calcutta airport. The eastern and northeastern parts of the country will be benefited,” said Jairam Ramesh, the Union minister of state for commerce and power, while inaugurating the centre.
Fish, prawn, vegetables, tea and flower are exported to Europe, Southeast Asia, West Asia and the US through Calcutta.
27/09/08 The Telegraph

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Concession pact for non-metro airports soon

Bangalore: The Airports Authority of India is waiting for the concession agreement for the development of Udaipur and Amritsar airports to be finalised.
Once finalised, this agreement will be a model for developing four other non-metro airports in Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Bhubaneswar, the requests for proposals (RFPs) for which are expected to be issued soon, sources in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.
Sources further added that the Planning Commission had three rounds of discussions with various stakeholders, including the builders and financial institutions, to finalise the agreement.
Following this, the suggestions given by the parties involved, including the AAI, were incorporated in the draft agreement for the development of airports under the public-private partnership model.
“Now we have the draft concession agreement with us which is now being vetted legally. Once the government clears the agreement, this would become the document through which we can finish the tenders,” said AAI executive director V K Kalra.
Earlier, following the RFPs by the government for the Amritsar and Udaipur brownfield airport projects, many companies had bid for the tenders. Of them, five companies each have been short-listed for the two projects. The winner will be finalised once the concession document is ready. The agreement will clearly outline the scope of the works, for both the developer as well as the government, and how the entire airport operations will be monitored. In the second phase, the government is planning to issue RFPs for the four other non-metro brownfield projects, which are expected in the next 3-4 months. This will be followed by expansion of the airports in Trichy and Visakhapatnam.
26/09/08 Bibhu Ranjan Mishra & Praveen Bose/Business Standard

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Heroin worth Rs. 14 cr. seized; Vietnamese national arrested

Bangalore: Officials of the Preventive Unit of the Department of Customs (Central) arrested a Vietnamese national at the Bengaluru International Airport in the early hours of Thursday and seized heroin worth Rs. 14.28 crore from her.
Nguyen Thi Trang (24) claimed to be a student. She was arrested while boarding a Hanoi-bound flight around 12.30 a.m. “The accused had concealed 4.28 kg of heroin in specially made cavities in her sandals and the false bottom of a suitcase”, A.K. Koushal, Commissioner of Customs, told The Hindu.
“The accused flew from New Delhi to Bangalore by a Jetlite flight on Wednesday night. We had information on her. She was taken into custody as she was getting ready to take the connecting flight to Hanoi,” said Bijoy Kumar Khar, Additional Commissioner of Customs.
The Customs officials said that the examination of her baggage and two pairs of sandals had led to the seizure of a huge quantity of heroin.
26/09/08 The Hindu

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Over 50% of AAI's revenue to come from non-aeronautical activities

Mumbai: The trend is already visible at the newly built Bangalore International Airport, where more than 40,000 sq ft of retail space is planned in the first phase
Growing air travel in India will drive airport retailing so much that by 2015 over 50% of revenues of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is expected to come from non-aeronautical activities, says a joint study of ASSOCHAM and KPMG. Of this, airport retail would comprise 27% of the total revenues.
The non-aeronautical activities in airport retailing would grow to an extent that other revenue sources for AAI would come from hospitality (1%), office (17%), trading concessions (9%), public admission fees (1%) and miscellaneous (45%), adds the study called "Airport Retailing: Need for Innovative Business Model".
Releasing the study, ASSOCHAM President, Sajjan Jindal says that air travelers no longer perceive airports to be waiting lounges. Today, this perception has given way to one in which the travelers expects much more out of an airport in terms of facilities offered, quality of service and support infrastructure.
According to the study, the trend is already visible with the coming up of Bangalore International Airport, where more than 40,000 sq ft of retail space is planned in the first phase with complete focus on real estate development, including five star hotel (Trident Hilton), office space, business center & technology park. The Bangalore airport has set a benchmark for real estate development in airports.
25/09/08 India Infoline.com

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Le Meridien relaunches lounge at Chennai airport

Chennai: Le Royal Meridien has relaunched its state-of-the-art airport lounge,The Royal Lounge, at Chennai's Anna International Airport at an investment of over Rs 40 lakh. The facility, covering an area of 117 sq km, has been renovated and equipped to suit first class/business class passengers requirements. The 72 person lounge has a bar and will offer refreshments.
“An inevitable flight delay increases the passengers’ problems and they need a cozy place to relax and refresh themselves; this lounge is the perfect place for business travellers. We wanted the lounge to have a fresher, trendy look,” said Suresh Badlaney, General Manager, Le Meridien – Chennai. The company has tied up with various international airlines; for example, Emirates, SriLankan Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Thai Airlines, Air Mauritius, Gulf Air, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines. They will invite their first class and business class passengers to use the airport lounge. The group has further signed a five-year agreement with Anna International Airport for this lounge. It has won the bid for the second time in a row.
26/09/08 Lakshmi Vishwanath/TravelBizMonitor

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New runway at IGI becomes commercially operational

New Delhi: A month after its inauguration, the newly constructed third runway of the Indira Gandhi International Airport here became commercially operational today with the landing of a British Airways plane early this morning.
"The third runway, all of 4,430 metres long, became operational with the landing of a British Airways plane from Heathrow at 6.20 am," a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) spokesperson said.
The Civil Aviation Ministry yesterday, in a meeting chaired by Joint Secretary K N Srivastava, had decided to make the new runway (29-11) commercially operational from 6 am this morning.
The runway, 4,430-metres long and 75-metres wide, can handle wide-bodied aircraft like Airbus 380 or Antonov 226 and will also ensure that there is less air congestion.
The ministry had decided that the new runway would become operational with the landing of an Air India plane but it landed third as it was given clearance from the Air Traffic Control based on the actual position in the sky.
25/09/08 Press Trust of India

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'Greenfield airport model for self-sustenance may not work'

Chennai/ Bangalore: The greenfield airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad are aiming to use the model of the SEZ-aerotropolis, which is a popular model to generate non-aeronautical revenues. But this can’t work without proper connectivity to city centre.
The Indian government too has invoked the model of SEZ-aerotropolis and has provided the greenfield airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad with large parcels of land for real estate development.
Says a Ernst & Young report ‘The Tough Will Get Going: New Paradigms For success in Indian Aviation’: “Besides non-aeronautical revenues, AAI and other Indian airport operators also need to improve airport connectivity, as it is central to the development of an airport as a destination.”
Both private airports, which have come up in Hyderabad and Bangalore, have been built about 40 km from the city centres, with limited and constrained connectivity and have neither any existing intermodal connectivity nor do they have any plans to achieve it in the future, laments the report. Such short-sightedness on the part of airport developers will hamper the growth and development of airports as potential shopping destinations and recreation centres, added the report.
Such supplementary incomes provide the airport operator with a cushion to offset costs and funds for future growth and modernisation and in due course make it self-sustaining.
25/09/08 Business Standard

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New airport terminal to be loaded with facilities

New Delhi: Come 2010 and what we know as the airport today will be a completely changed area. The integrated 4.4 million sq ft terminal 3, that is coming up next to the present international terminal, should be ready by March 31, 2010, after which all international and domestic full-fare carriers will shift there. The domestic terminal will be used exclusively for low-cost carriers, cargo and maybe general aviation.
Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) officials say that T3 itself will have a capacity of 37 million passengers per annum (mppa) and the IGI airport will have a combined capacity of 60 mppa. While several new roads and a dedicated Metro link will service the new terminal, the present domestic terminals will be put to various uses. Terminal 1B may be used for general aviation though there is no concrete plan for it in place yet.
The new terminal 1B, that is still not ready, will be used for low-cost carriers and will have the distinction of being the first dedicated low-cost terminal in the country. Terminal 1A will also be part of this. The domestic arrival will accordingly be used as arrival for the low-cost carriers and general aviation. The international terminal will also continue to remain in use, though its purpose has not been decided yet.
25/09/08 Economic Times

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Dropped flights may hurt airport expansion and modernization

Mumbai /New delhi: The developers of the new airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad have been caught on the back foot with domestic carriers cancelling more than 1,300 flights a week due to high fuel costs, less than six months after these facilities opened for business.
Such cancellations, which account for some 15% of the traffic handled by the country’s top six airports, are expected to lower revenues and hinder their ability to raise money for modernization and expansion.
The new airports are designed to handle an anticipated rise in the number of flights and passengers that the old facilities weren’t geared for.
Four of these airports—in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad—are at various stages of modernization and capacity expansion to handle a combined 100 million passengers a year by 2010, up from about 50 million passengers at present.
For instance, the new Bangalore airport, built by a consortium led by Siemens AG, needs money to construct a second runway while the Mumbai airport is upgrading its terminal facilities to handle 16 million additional passengers by 2010.
“The reduced number of commercial flights has posed a threat to the viability of these new airport projects,” said a senior executive with a leading private bank, asking not to be named because the bank could be a potential lender for some of these projects.
“Since 45% of the airports’ total revenues are aeronautical charges and 50% of that comprise landing and parking charges, there could be an impact of 4-5% on total revenues,” said an aviation analyst with a Chennai-based brokerage.
25/09/08 P.R. Sanjai and Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Pilots protest driver ‘slur’

Pilots protest driver ‘slur’Bus drivers may feel good to see the word “pilot” on their cabin door but Air India pilots refused to fly on Tuesday after one of them was called a “driver” by security personnel at Calcutta airport.
M.K. Singh, who was to pilot Air India’s Calcutta-Bagdogra flight at 1.15pm, triggered turbulence on the ground by alleging that Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel manning the baggage counter used the D-word and then assaulted him during the security check.
The altercation was over the dimensions of 43-year-old Singh’s cabin bag, which the CISF men thought was larger than stipulated.
Grounded by the “driver dispute”, the Bagdogra flight took off with 104 passengers only at 3.30pm, more than two hours behind schedule, with another pilot in charge. Singh’s colleagues at Air India then went into a huddle and decided not to operate any other flight.
Senior officials of the Airports Authority of India, the CISF and Air India met in the evening and averted the strike. The hardest hit, of course, were the passengers. The Calcutta-Delhi Air India flight scheduled to take off at 5.30pm was combined with the Delhi-Calcutta-Delhi flight at 8pm. The Calcutta-Chennai flight at 6.30pm was combined with a Bangalore-bound flight at 7.55pm.
Singh, a former regional secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), said he was waiting for security clearance around 12.45pm when a CISF officer told him that the size of his bag exceeded the permissible dimensions.
“As I was speaking to the official, a few other CISF men surrounded me at the security check counter. One of them was particularly rude and called me a driver. They also assaulted me,” Singh told Metro.
Singh said he had been carrying that bag and others of similar size for the past 15 years of his career as a pilot and had never been questioned. According to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, any baggage is permissible as long as it fits the X-ray machine.
24/09/08 The Telegraph

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Indian airspace management headed for sea change

New Delhi: Indian airspace management would undergo a sea change in the next few years with the implementation of a slew of measures, like a satellite-based air navigation system, for seamless and cost-effective use of the skies by civilian and military aircraft.
As part of the steps being taken by various agencies, the Indian Air Force is already in the process of reviewing the 'Restricted' and 'Dangerous' air zones in a bid to expand areas for civilian air traffic, official sources said here.
"We are moving ahead step by step. One after the other recommendations of a high-level technical committee are being taken up for implementation," the sources said.
When contacted, Director General of Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain said "as far as we are concerned, we have implemented the flexi-use of airspace. Now, the next steps in this direction are being taken by the military authorities."
Two weeks ago, the Union Cabinet had approved the implementation of GPS-aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system at an estimated cost of Rs 774 crore to enable satellite coverage of the entire Indian sky, including the oceanic airspace around it.
23/09/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Indian passenger traffic through Abu Dhabi airport grows

Dubai: India and the Philippines were significant contributors to Abu Dhabi International Airport's 22.9 per cent year-on-year growth in passenger traffic in the month of August.
The Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) announced that a total of 869,868 passengers used the airport during August this year, compared to 707,671 last year, with the year-to-date figures crossing 5.9 mn - up 34.3 per cent against last year's 4.4 mn over the same period.
The number of passengers travelling from or to India passing through the airport jumped by 31.3 per cent during the period while Filipino passenger traffic grew 74.1 per cent.
India's national carrier Air India, budget carrier Air India Express and leading private airline Jet Airways fly to the Abu Dhabi International Airport, which is also the hub of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Etihad Airways.
Of the 1.5 mn expatriate Indians in the UAE, around 300,000 are in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Among the major destinations in India flights from Abu Dhabi connect to are Delhi, Mumbai, Calicut, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore.
The number of passengers to and from other Gulf States also rose particularly strongly, with Bahrain traffic up 44.4 per cent, Oman up 33.1 per cent, Qatar up 35.2 per cent and Saudi Arabia - the largest Gulf market for the airport - up 18.3 per cent.
Passenger traffic from Britain grew by 30.5 percent. The airport's top five destinations during the month were Doha, London, Cairo, Bahrain and Bangkok.
24/09/08 IANS/Economic Times

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Security scare as flier gets off flight

Mumbai: A passenger who deplaned at the last moment from a Lucknow-Mumbai flight created a security scare on Monday evening as a rumour that he had got off furtively leaving behind his bag got going in the media.
The incident brought back memories of the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing as it came at a time when terror emails and phone calls have been keeping the country on its toes. At around 9.15 pm, a rumour went around that a passenger on board Jetlite’s Lucknow-Mumbai flight S2-0668 had deplaned without anyone’s knowledge leaving behind his luggage in the belly hold of the aircraft.
The passenger, identified as Harsh Kamdar, had indeed deplaned minutes before take-off. But he had not done it surreptitiously. “He got an SMS from his wife saying that she had been admitted to a hospital for delivery and so he informed the cabin crew that he did not wish to travel,’’ said the spokesperson. However, deplaning was not that easy. “He had no hand baggage, but he had checked in a bag, which was identified and removed. Then as he had boarded the aircraft before changing his plans, the hand baggages of all the other passengers inside the aircraft were checked,’’ she added.
While the flight left for Mumbai, Kamdar had to stay put at the Lucknow airport with the security officials till such time as the flight landed safely in Mumbai.
23/09/08 Times of India

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Don’t exchange money at the airport

One US dollar is now worth around Rs 46, almost Rs 4 more than where it was just 50 days ago. So, if you are travelling abroad and want to purchase say $500, you could end up paying Rs 2,000 more.
However, the rate at which you get a dollar would also depend on who you purchase it from. Moneychangers, banks, travel agents, hotels or the airport kiosks all offer foreign currencies at different rates.
The rates offered at most airports and hotels are high. When the market rate for dollar was Rs 45.77, a bank was selling the dollar for Rs 46.6, the airport moneychanger was selling it at Rs 48.90 and the hotel exchanged it for Rs 48.97.
Why does a moneychanger whose branch in the city offers a lower rate ask for a higher one at the airport? Moneychangers say there is a higher cost involved in selling and buying at the airport.
An official at a moneychanger said, over and above the tax, they need to pay the airport authorities Rs 2.50 for every dollar sold. Also, the rent for a kiosk at the airport works out to Rs 3-4 lakh, so they are forced to charge a higher margin to cover that cost.
Moneychangers also exploit the fact that people would be willing to pay a stiffer charge for major foreign currencies, such as the dollar and the euro, at the airport since that is the last resort and no one will exchange Indian rupees once in a foreign land, the official conceded. Clearly, then, the airport is not the best place to buy foreign currency and an exchange is based done with banks and travel agents.
23/09/08 Khyati Dharamsi/DNA MONEY/Sify

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Construction of airport at Mohali to begin next month

Chandigarh: The construction of the International Airport at Mohali will begin next month with the Airport Authority of India spending Rs 550 crore on the project. A joint venture company would be formed for the project between the AAI and Punjab and Haryana governments.
PricewaterhouseCoopers would be the consultants for the project. The work will start with the construction of a boundary wall and levelling of the 306-acre land. These decisions were taken in a meeting on Sunday and the Haryana Government was asked to pay Rs 230 crore as its share in the project.
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) would pay this amount to the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).
23/09/08 Harpreet Bajwa/Indian Express

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Coming soon: Terminal for pvt plane owners

Mumbai: Corporate czars will soon have a smoother journey from Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport to their destinations.
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) is constructing a terminal for private aircraft owners. Currently, private aircraft operators do not have any terminal or waiting room, inconveniencing the passengers.
Most passengers of private aircraft get off their cars near Gate no 8 near Kalina Army camp and get into another car (having valid airport pass) to enter the tarmac where their aircraft are parked.
Sources said chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his deputy R R Patil are allowed to take their official vehicles inside the airport premises.
A MIAL spokesperson said, "We will construct a waiting lounge, business centre, conference room and cafetaria. The terminal will be ready by October and be functional by November end.''
Many industrialists use the office of Airworks, an aircraft maintenance centre, as a waiting room. There have been times when even the CM had to wait till his aircraft was cleared for flying.
MIAL officials said the new terminal will also have customs and immigration facilites to enable private aircraft owners to fly directly from the terminal.
23/09/08 Yogesh Naik/Times of India

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NRG wants 2 international airports in state

New Jersey: NRG Manhar Patel has started an online drive to get two additional international airports in Gujarat. Patel, based in New Jersey, has petitioned Chief Minister Narendra Modi and minister of civil aviation Praful Patel requesting them for two more airports to facilitate overall development of the state.
The petition - which is put up online - is being forwarded by Gujaratis all over the world via email.
The petition says that coordinated infrastructure development should take place for equitable development of the state. It says there is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport the northern part of the state in Ahmedabad. However, the southern and western parts of the state lack connectivity of an international airport.
This, the petitioner says, can be achieved by at least two international Greenfield airports somewhere near Surat and Rajkot. These airports will provide the stimulus for dramatic development of surrounding regions, thereby helping Gujarat move forward.
Patel is currently the president of Anand Mitra Mandal and former president of Sardar Patel University alumni association and Federations of Indian Associations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
23/09/08 Hiral Dholakia-Dave/Times of India

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Delhi to get India's first heliport

Delhi: With the 2010 Commonwealth Games fast approaching, hectic activities are on to construct India’s first fully-automated heliport in West Delhi and a temporary ‘environment-friendly’ facility near Yamuna bed.
The national capital is also likely to have one helipad in each of its nine districts, with the city government allocating Rs 1 crore for the purpose.
“The Delhi government has already allocated Rs 1 crore for one helipad in every district and many state governments are also earmarking funds for creation of helipads,” state-run Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) Chairman R K Tyagi said in an interview here.
To meet the demands of the Commonwealth Games, a fully-automated heliport would be constructed in the Rohini area of West Delhi, which would act as a hub for chopper operations during the mega event, he said.
Another transit facility would come up near the DND Flyover near the river Yamuna. It would be a removable steel and glass structure keeping in mind the environmental concerns, Tyagi said, adding the structures were capable of being dismantled if the need was felt after the Games.
22/09/08 Press Trust Of India/Business Standard

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Caught at airport: NRI ferrying 100 kg of drugs to Mexico

Mumbai: Officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested a Canada-based non-resident Indian and a clearing agent from Mumbai early Sunday morning for allegedly trying to send 100 kg of contraband Ephedrine tablets to Mexico. NCB sleuths said the contraband is worth over Rs 1.5 crore in the international market.
According to the officials, they received a tip-off acting on which a team of NCB sleuths raided the cargo of a Mexico-bound flight at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and seized the contraband.

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Mexico seizes ton of pseudoephedrine at airport
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“Ephedrine is used to make Ecstasy pills. Ephedrine is a major component in preparing banned drugs like Ecstasy and Ice that are consumed in parties worldwide. These drugs are banned not only in the US and Canada but also in India,” said an official of the NCB.
Manprit Bal, the NRI based in Canada, was arrested around 4 am on Sunday along with his alleged accomplice, an Indian clearing and forwarding agent identified only as Ajay S. “We had information that a huge quantity of Ephedrine is being sent in a consignment to Mexico. Accordingly we scanned the cargo and seized the contraband. We arrested Bal from a hotel in Mumbai. He had come down to India to arrange to send the consignment,” the official added.
According to the officer, there is an international mafia that smuggles Ephedrine to Mexico. There are several other Canadians on the NCB radar who are presently on the run, the official said.
22/09/08 Indian Express

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Concern over Ireland airports treatment of tourists

Tourism officials expressed concern to the Department of Arts and Tourism earlier this year about the behaviour of immigration officers at ports of entry after an Indian man who won a trip to Ireland in a State-sponsored competition reported suffering harassment and racial discrimination at Dublin airport.
He won the trip at an event organised by Tourism Ireland in Mumbai to promote Ireland as an attractive holiday destination.
Newly released documents show the prizewinner wrote to Tourism Ireland on March 2nd to complain of his treatment at Dublin airport. He outlined how, despite his having the required tourist visa and carrying a letter from Tourism Ireland, immigration officers insisted they did not believe the letter was authentic.
"[An officer] then asked us who had booked our hotel. We told him it was done by Thomas Cook in Bombay. He said that can't be possible as why would Ireland Tourism [sic] book through Thomas Cook as they were a British company. We didn't know what to say."
He alleged many other Indian passengers were treated unfairly. "It was only the Indians who were being photographed at the immigration counter. It was clear-cut racial discrimination. Whole thing was very embarrassing."
According to correspondence released to The Irish Times under Freedom of Information rules, Tourism Ireland responded to convey its "deep regret" to the prizewinner over his experience. "We are all very upset and embarrassed about the incident and will be taking it up at the highest levels with the Government department concerned . . ." the agency said.
The following day, an official from Tourism Ireland sent an e-mail to a counterpart in the Department of Arts and Tourism. "Another shock story about immigration," he wrote. "We really need to do something about it. The friendliest destination in the world???"
This was followed by a letter from Tourism Ireland chief executive Paul O'Toole to secretary general of the department Con Haugh. He pointed out that, in line with Government policy, the organisation was seeking to develop new markets in the Asia-Pacific region and warned of the need to be competitive.
"A number of our partners and contacts have reported unfortunate instances when they or their clients have sought entry to Ireland, notwithstanding their belief that they had secured the necessary documentation," he wrote.
Tourism Ireland regards India as one of the most promising developing markets and opened an office in Mumbai three years ago.
22/09/08 Ruadhan Mac Cormaic/Irish Times, Ireland

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AAI to invest Rs 100 crore for futuristic development of Calicut Airport

Calicut: With an aim to expand its airport infrastructure, Calicut International Airport (CIA) is in the process of acquiring land for futuristic development. About 137 acres of land has currently been identified for the same. It will be acquired by the Kerala state government and delivered to CIA for development. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is planning to invest about Rs 100 crore and is targeting to finish the land acquisition process by December this year. Speaking with TravelBiz Monitor on the same, Deepak Shastri, Airport Director, Calicut International Airport stated, “We aim to strengthen the runway, develop more aircraft parking space, cargo terminals and other city side amenities as part of the new infrastructure. However, the master plan is yet to be finalised.” AAI is currently pursuing the idea and working on the modalities with the state government and the local government bodies for peaceful transfer of the land from the locals. It is also working out the compensation process for the same.
Post the land acquisition process, CIA will conduct land survey to determine the master plan depending on the quantum of land acquired. Plans are in the pipeline to develop infrastructure to accommodate about six more aircraft parking bays in the new development. Shastri also informed that the city side development will include hotel projects to cater to the accommodation requirements of travellers.
22/09/08 Dheera Majumder/TravelBizMonitor

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VRS may be offered to 5,000 employees at Delhi, Mumbai airports

New Delhi/Mumbai: The GMR and GVK groups, which are modernising the airports at Delhi and Mumbai respectively, may have to pay for those employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI) who decide not to take up employment being offered by the new private sector consortium running the airports.
Currently, only about 8 per cent of the total AAI workforce in Delhi and about 6 per cent of the workforce in Mumbai has taken up the employment offers made by the private sector companies running the airports.
This is below the 60 per cent workforce absorption that the private sector companies were to complete within three years of taking over the airports, said an official source.
However, a spokesperson of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) told Business Line that under the OMDA (operation, management and development agreement), the private companies were just supposed to make a job offer to 60 per cent of the AAI workforce.
He added that around 100 more people could join MIAL between now and May 2009, not as part of the job offer but on individual basis. MIAL is a joint venture between the GVK-SA consortium and AAI.
The GMR group had agreed to take all AAI employees working at Delhi airport, although only 8 per cent of the workforce accepted.
21/09/08 Business Line

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Planning to buy a jet? First, think about its parking space

New Delhi: Even as aviation experts await the arrival of more high performance jets, turbo props, VLJs and helicopters to add to the 250 jets in the Indian skies, there may be a few difficulties at ground zero.
With the number of private jets predicted to be doubled by 2018, this is a serious question regarding where exactly these jets will be parked or housed.
This may be a major deterrent for potential jet buyers, whose plans to purchase jets may not be approved, if they cannot prove that there will be enough space to park their winged beauties.
According to Kanu Gohain director general of civil aviation: “The Civil Aviation ministry uses parking space for aircrafts as a central criteria to evaluate an individuals’ proposal to purchase a jet.”
But with the space crunch in metros, getting that vital space is a task to reckon with. “It will definitely be a challenge to find a slot in Delhi and Mumbai,” says Gohain.
Sources at Delhi International Airport (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), under whose purview are the facilities for parking of jets in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, confirm this shortage.
Of the 30 slots that are available for parking private jets in Delhi, almost all of them are currently being used. The case is similar in Mumbai where there are already about 40-42 jets in their hangars.
21/09/08 Lisa Mary Thomson/Economic Times

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Meet moots better amenities at airport

Patna: A meeting of the Airport Advisory Committee was held in the office of directorate, Airports Authority of India, at the Patna airport under the chairmanship of committee’s chairman Ramkripal Yadav, MP.
The committee members offered suggestions for bettering amenities at the airport. AAI officials apprised the members of the efforts being made to beautify the entry and exit gates of the airport.
Yadav urged the Patna Municipal Corporation to make lighting arrangements on the main road leading to the airport. Member Akil Haider sought more chairs for relatives of passengers outside the terminal building. The AAI officials sought police help to keep a vigil on the taxis ferrying passengers, who deplane here, to their destinations.
21/09/08 Times of India

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Mumbai Airport still at birth-pang stage: Yechury

Mumbai: Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) Politburo Member Sitaram Yechury, who is the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture, said today that “though things look chaotic at Mumbai Airport at the moment, the future looks pretty good on paper”. In the country’s commercial capital along with 13 other members of the 35-strong committee to assess the airport’s ongoing privatisation process, he said, “The airport is going through a phase of birth pangs.”
The privatisation process is facing several controversies, from opposition by the Airport Authority of India Employees’ Union (AAEU) to questions on rehabilitation.
Apart from these issues, the House panel also discussed with employees’ representatives the merger of Air India and Indian into National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL). Representations were made to Yechury by AAEU and NACIL’s union under the umbrella Joint Action Committee (JAC). “There are some decisions that have been taken in the past, which cannot be reversed,” Yechury pointed out, referring to the privatisation of the Mumbai and Delhi airports on the basis of the operations, management, development agreement (OMDA), which is yet to be recognised by the 15,000-strong AAI union. “However, there is still scope for development of facilities while working within the constraints... on that we have made suggestions to the government,” he added. He said that while Mumbai Airport has been privatised, there is no question of privatising Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations as that would involve security issues.
20/09/08 Shashank Shekhar/Expressindia.com

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MIDC nominated for Sindhudurg airport

Project Monitor reported that Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation has been nominated as the entity for selecting private developers for a Greenfield airport in Sindhudurg district. The civil aviation ministry recently gave it’s in principle approval to the project.
The INR 492 crore projects will come up on 270 hectares of land that is already in state government possession. The airport would be located at Chipi Parule in Vengurla taluka in the southern part of Sindhudurg district.
Airports Authority of India has established the technical feasibility of the airport that will serve only domestic passengers. The Sindhudurg project aims to decongest the existing Dabolim airport in Goa. The picturesque coastal Sindhudurg district is at the southern end of Maharashtra, bordering Goa and partly Karnataka.
20/09/08 SteelGuru

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Bird hits plane; passengers safe

Bhopal: An aeroplane of Jet Airways which goes to New Delhi from Indore via Bhopal had a narrow escape on Friday after it was hit by a bird. Plane (9W731) was hit by a bird while it was moving on runway at Rajabhoj Airport. Consequently the front portion of the plane was badly damaged. To avert any mishap pilot slowed down the plane and stopped it on one end of runway. There were 80 passengers in the plane.
The plane had taken off from Indore at 9.30 am and reached Bhopal around 10.30 am.
Front portion of the plane was damaged so badly that engineers of the airport did not allow to take off the plane. All the passengers of the plane were evacuated. Airport management got the plane repaired by experts from Mumbai by evening.
In the areas adjacent to Rajabhoj Airport meat is sold illegally. Meat sellers are doing their business openly without permission. They throw left over meat in the open areas. To feed on this birds keep on hovering in this area. Prior to this incident many birds have hit the planes but airport management has not taken any step in this direction. Municipal Corporation administration has also not taken any action against these illegal meat shops.
20/09/08 Central Chronicle

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Mumbai Airport still at birth-pang stage: Yechury

Mumbai: Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) Politburo Member Sitaram Yechury, who is the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture, said today that “though things look chaotic at Mumbai Airport at the moment, the future looks pretty good on paper”. In the country’s commercial capital along with 13 other members of the 35-strong committee to assess the airport’s ongoing privatisation process, he said, “The airport is going through a phase of birth pangs.”
The privatisation process is facing several controversies, from opposition by the Airport Authority of India Employees’ Union (AAEU) to questions on rehabilitation.
Apart from these issues, the House panel also discussed with employees’ representatives the merger of Air India and Indian into National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL). Representations were made to Yechury by AAEU and NACIL’s union under the umbrella Joint Action Committee (JAC). “There are some decisions that have been taken in the past, which cannot be reversed,” Yechury pointed out, referring to the privatisation of the Mumbai and Delhi airports on the basis of the operations, management, development agreement (OMDA), which is yet to be recognised by the 15,000-strong AAI union. “However, there is still scope for development of facilities while working within the constraints... on that we have made suggestions to the government,” he added. He said that while Mumbai Airport has been privatised, there is no question of privatising Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations as that would involve security issues.
20/09/08 Shashank Shekhar/Expressindia.com

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Bial’s second runway proposal irks IAF

New Delhi: Bangalore’s new airport, already buffeted by a court case and controversy over closure of the city-side airport it replaced, has hit another roadblock ahead of a much-needed expansion.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has objected to the location of a proposed second runway saying it may be too close to its airbase nearby affecting operations.
A civil aviation ministry official termed IAF’s objections “unacceptable” and said it would be asked to re-examine its decision.
Among India’s top five airports by traffic, the new Bengaluru International Airport is facing public interest litigation in the Karnataka high court over alleged congestion during peak hours. The litigants, including a local citizens’ group in Bangalore, argue that a capital-intensive asset such as the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)-run old airport, which has been closed for commercial traffic since late May, shouldn’t be allowed to close, especially given the long commute time to the new airport.
The new airport, run by Bangalore International Airport Ltd, or Bial, is some 30km north-east of Bangalore, and was predicated on the old airport not competing with it. Over the past few months, under growing criticism, the civil aviation ministry had asked Bial to speed up the process of second phase of expansion and match the overcapacity gaps it found in a study of the new airport.
18/09/08 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Get set for more delays at IGI

New Delhi: After experiencing several delays, the new runway at Delhi's IGI airport is now likely to be opened on September 25. However, this is only going to lead to another long series of delays, this time affecting the reduction in the distance maintained between two aircraft which has become necessary for effective handling of congestion over Delhi.
According to sources, officials would require about a month's time to assess the working of the new runway and see how much time an aircraft would take to vacate the airstrip before the new separation minima can be implemented. However, with winter round the corner, it will not be possible to implement the new procedures during the fog period.
At present, the separation minima is about 5 nautical miles which is set to be reduced to about 3 nautical miles. This will go a long way in reducing congestion by allowing more landings per hour. Delhi handles around 35-40 flight movements every hour which comes to around 680 per day. With the new runway in use and the reduced distance between aircraft, flight movements could go up to even 70 per hour. Mumbai, on the other hand, handles about 720 flights per day.
19/09/08 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Mexico seizes ton of pseudoephedrine at airport

Mexico City: Authorities say they have seized more than a ton of pseudoephedrine at Mexico City's airport.
Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient used to make methamphetamine. Mexico has banned all imports of pseudoephedrine in an effort to thwart methamphetamine production.
The Public Safety Department said in a statement Thursday that the drugs arrived Wednesday on a flight from London. The shipment originated in Calcutta, India.
It said airport police last week seized two separate shipments of pseudoephedrine totaling some 1.4 tons that also originated in Calcutta.
19/09/08 AP/PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria

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Auto business revs up air cargo movement

International cargo movement to and from Calcutta airport has increased by around 25 per cent in the past year, prompting foreign airlines to add more freighters on certain routes.
“There has been a 25 per cent growth in international cargo movement to and from Calcutta airport and a 15 per cent increase in outward transit. Automobile parts accounted for the bulk of the growth in the movement of cargo from the city to other countries,” a senior official of the Airports Authority of India said.
Singapore Airlines has already added another freighter to the Calcutta-Amsterdam route and a weekly cargo service to Brussels was inaugurated this week.
“Movement of auto parts from the factories in Jamshedpur to Japan and Korea has driven our growth,” said Amin Khan, the manager of Singapore Airlines’ cargo division in eastern India.
An official of TKM, the logistics handling unit of Tata factories, said more than 100 tonnes of raw materials, mainly steel sheets, had been sent to Japan and Korea by air and ship in the past three months . “These raw materials are moulded at the factories there and the finished products are sent back.”
18/09/08 The Telegraph

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International airport in Visakhapatnam soon

Visakhapatnam: The international airport here, work on which is progressing at a brisk pace, will be inaugurated in three to four months, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel has said.
Mr. Patel was here to participate in the ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhaavana Sammelan,’ organised on the occasion of MP T. Subbarami Reddy’s birthday, on Wednesday.
He said that round-the-clock operations at the airport would begin after the new terminal buildings were inaugurated.
Direct flights, the Minister added, would be introduced to Singapore and other destinations.
He described the airport developments as Mr. Reddy’s birthday gift to the people of Visakhapatnam.
18/09/08 The Hindu

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Cargo carriers likely to continue ground handling

New Delhi: The government will likely allow cargo carriers to continue handling their own cargo at airports following a representation from them last week, according to a senior official.”Cargo carriers will be allowed to do their own ground handling and airport developers won’t be involved,” the official with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said on conditions of anonymity.
The move comes after cargo carriers told government last week that it would become difficult and uneconomical for them if the ground handling of cargo is delegated to airport developers as planned under a new ground handling policy scheduled to come into effect Jan 1.
Airport developers have been approached by both foreign and domestic ground handling companies for sub-contracts.
Like the cargo carriers, airlines too insist on handling their own cargo. The representation from cargo carriers including Blue Dart have criticised the proposed policy, saying it ignored the concerns of the air cargo industry.
It said cargo handling is a specialised operation, and handing it over to airport developers would increase their overheads and decrease operational efficiency.
“Air cargo is a specialised form of cargo, which requires timely deliveries and guarantee on consignment, besides creating a customer friendly network,” said a Blue Dart official.
16/09/08 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Bird grounds Air India Express at Bajpe Airport

Mangalore: A bird hit a Kuwait-Mangalore flight belonging to Air India Express while moving on the taxi way after landing on Monday.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Airport Director M R Vasudeva said "the aircraft is grounded after a peacock hit the engine of the aircraft. The aircraft has been cancelled for four days."
He said: "We inspect the runway when the aircraft lands and takes off. The airport has a bird chasing system. Inspite of this, some incidents take place," he added.
17/09/08 DHNS/Mangalorean.com

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Airport skyline now under watch

Ranchi: To ensure the much-awaited expansion of the capital’s airport isn’t held up any longer, a high-powered team has been formed to keep a hawk’s eye on obstacles within a 20km radius of the Birsa Munda Airport.
The team, comprising senior officials of the Survey of India, Airports Authority of India (AAI); Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) and the district administration has been entrusted to conduct “continuous surveillance” of the area to ensure that no objectionable structures or tree plantations come up in the vicinity.
The formation of the team is the logical culmination of a recent directive of the Union civil aviation ministry whereby the Airports Authority of India has been vested with the powers to ensure that the approach to the airport, especially from the tarmac within a 20km radius is kept free of obstacles.
The state government, the aviation ministry circular stated, would henceforth be responsible for taking action against those constructing apartment blocks, towers or installations such as chimneys, around the airport in violation of the provisions of the Aircraft Act, 1934. A meeting to finalise the committee was held on Monday under the chairmanship of the secretary, urban development department, Shailesh Kumar Singh. Senior officials of the Airports Authority of India, Ranchi — including airport director A.V. Krishna — Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), RRDA, and the district administration were also present.
Initially the team would conduct a survey within a 2km radius of the airport which was the most critical area on aircraft flying path. This was scheduled to be completed within 15 days.
16/09/08 Aneeta Sharma/The Telegraph

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Airlines stall Calcutta runway project

Airlines have objected to Calcutta airport’s main runway being closed for 18 days to replace the old Instrumental Landing System (ILS).
The airport authorities had planned to replace the ILS equipment this month by keeping the runway closed during the day. Flights were to take off from and land on the secondary runway during this period.
But airline representatives who met officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the airport on Tuesday objected to the proposal. “The secondary runway cannot be used if visibility drops. Flights will have to be diverted in such a situation,” said an official of the Airlines Operators’ Committee.
Air India’s Haj flights, which will ferry 535 passengers daily from October to January, may be affected by the postponement.
The airlines have requested the authorities to install the ILS on the secondary runway and then close the main one.
However, the ILS should be installed on the secondary runway only after its extension, which could take more than a year.
“Installation of the ILS on the secondary runway will take six to eight months. So we are planning to install the ILS on the primary runway in around a week, instead of 18 days,” said P.K. Singhal, the regional executive director of AAI (eastern region).
17/09/08 The Telegraph

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Deportation of expats arriving on forged papers hits airlines

Riyadh: Foreign workers who were repatriated from the Kingdom’s prisons earlier are being sent home by return flights on arrival in the Kingdom with forged documents.
An immigration official at the Jeddah airport, who didn’t want to be named, said those workers who are sent to prisons and detention camps are fingerprinted when they arrive at the airport for deportation.
“Now, even if they come with different passports, their real identities are revealed after fingerprinting and iris scan at the airport and such passengers are sent back.”
A SriLankan airlines official, who also asked not to be named, said the airline carries at least one such Sri Lankan passenger daily. “The airline is losing a lot of money because it has to bear the travel expenses of workers who are deported from the airport on arrival with forged documents,” he said, adding all airlines are bearing the travel expenses of such passengers.
He said the influx of such passengers are more in Jeddah since a large number of deportees to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are repatriated from the Jeddah detention camp.
17/09/08 Mohammed Rasooldeen/Arab News, Saudi Arabia

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Bajpe Aiport Awaits Railway Connectivity

Mangalore: A railway line connecting south and north of the west coast passes through Maravoor, which is at a two-km distance from the site where the new terminal building of the Mangalore airport is being built. However, there is no railway station.
A senior official at the airport suggests that if the Railways built a station at Maravoor, or nearby Thokur, people could reach the airport by train. The station, if built, is expected to help movement of people to and from Majeshwar and Kasaragod in the south and Udupi and Bhatkal in the north. In addition, when the airport begins handling cargo, it will help bulk movement of goods.
Constructing a station at Thokur would link the airport with railway network, the official said and added that the State Government could take the initiative in this regard.
16/09/08 The Hindu/Daijiworld.com

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Motorola wins Indian airport IP network deal

Motorola has won a five-year contract expected to be worth between $20m and $30m from three international airports in India to provide terrestrial trunked radio, Tetra, communication networks including base stations, MSO switches, and mobile, portable, and fixed radios.
The company will supply scalable Dimetra IP-based networks to new airports in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and replace the existing analog radio network in Delhi's domestic and international airports.
The Dimetra IP system supports voice, messaging, and mobile applications, including remote access to data and data transmission over a single network.
The company has also recently provided Tetra networks for leading airports around the world including Spain's Barcelona and Zaragoza airports, Germany's Cologne Bonn, Munich, and Leipzig/Halle airports, China's Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong airports, and Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airport.
15/09/08 Trading Markets (press release), USA

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Expansion of runways at small airports delayed

New Delhi: State governments are not providing additional land to airports for expanding runways, a move which is delaying the expansion plan of several small airports in the country, a senior official said.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), there are 17 airports across the country that have short runways - less than 7,000 feet - which make landing and take-off of big aircraft like Boeing and Airbus risky.
These include airports at Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Jaipur, Udaipur (Rajasthan), Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Bhopal, Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Cooch Behar (West Bengal) and Pondicherry.
"The work on these projects was scheduled to start from April this year but the lackadaisical approach of the state governments was delaying the work," an AAI official said on condition of anonymity. However, runway expansion works at Madurai and Trichy airports in Tamil Nadu, and Guwahati and Silchar airports in Assam have begun.
There are few other Indian Air Force airports also, where runway expansion was planned but did not take off. "We are yet to get a formal clearance and additional land from the defence ministry," the official added. These include airports at Dibrugarh (Assam) and Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir.
14/09/08 IANS/Economic Times

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Security up at Delhi airport after blasts, flights delayed

The Indira Gandhi International Airport here was put on a high alert and added security was delaying flights after six blasts shook the national capital Saturday evening, officials said.
"We are doing a thorough check on passengers. This is taking time and so flights are getting delayed," said an airport official.
Many areas in and around the airport have been cordoned off.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for the security of the airport, deployed additional personnel at sensitive points including the departure terminal, parking lots and the air side area.
A senior CISF official told IANS that the security measures were precautionary in nature and they had no intelligence inputs on the possibility of a terror strike at the airport.
15/09/08 IANS/Fresh News

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DIAL invites EoIs for food outlets at its upcoming terminal

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Ltd, the consortium mandated to modernise the national capital's airport, is believed to have invited expression of interests for running food and beverage outlets at its upcoming domestic departure Terminal-1D.
"The applicants must be reputed brand owners or franchisees having multiple F&B concepts. They must have at least five years of continuous experience in setting up, operating and maintaining outlets in India or abroad," an industry player said.
At present, Delhi airport houses more than 40 food and beverage outlets, operated by major fast food players and hospitality chains, including Welcomgroup and Ashoka Hotels.
14/09/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Air traffic to be out of AAI hands

New Delhi: Indian air navigation services, the lifeline of an airport, could soon be hived off from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). In a move that would bring India in line with much of the world, these services could be free to upgrade, evolve and create another successful world-class corporation like the ONGC. Government plans are understood to be well on their way towards slimming AAI's responsibilities.
Airport operators in most other countries don't manage air traffic, explains a former civil aviation secretary, because they are generally private parties unlike India's state-controlled AAI. A sensitive service such as navigation is generally not left in private hands, he says, adding the focus is skewed here.
It is thought there is a conflict of interest between private airport operators in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore and the government-owned AAI. Air Navigation Services (ANS) include communication, navigation, surveillance (CNS) and ATC. Civil aviation ministry sources admitted that "private operators felt AAI had undue advantage over them in levying various navigation charges."
Separating air navigation from overall airport management would not come a day too soon. This was recommended by the Naresh Chandra panel. Three years ago, the Roy Paul Committee too had recommended it.
The ministry asked consultancy firm KPMG to suggest the way forward. It recommended: Taking air navigation away from AAI.
Hive off ATC: Create a separate ATC company that works for AAI on a contract basis. This would allow it to work for any air navigation company in the world. But this isn't feasible as this service is vital for the security of the country.
Hive off ANS: Turn it into a government-owned corporation with AAI holding a stake and representation from the aviation sector. "It'll give them responsibility and credit for good performance and help them focus on their core function," say experts. This is the most likely scenario. KPMG refused to comment.
14/09/08 Shobha John/Times of India

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HC refuses to stay AAI's recruitment drive

New Delhi: The Airport Authority of India can continue its drive for recruitment of manager-level officers as the Delhi High Court has rejected a plea by its officer's association to stay the process alleged to be in violation of the legal procedures.
A bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar in it's interim order turned down the plea of Officer's Association of AAI but made it clear that all recruitments would be subject to the final outcome of the petition pending in court.
The association contended that the Authority without the prior approval of the Central Government is conducting recruitment and implementing promotional policies which is against the law.
"Promotional policies are not being governed by any regulation in a highly discriminatory manner and it needs to be stopped," advocate Arvind Sharma, appearing for the Association contended.
The Bench, however was not satisfied with his contention and observed that any interim stay on the recruitment of employee would affect working of the organisation. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by the association challenging a single bench order which had refused to stay the recruitment proceeding.
It found no fault in the order passed by the single judge and refused to interfere in it.
14/09/08 Press Trust of India

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Cargo carriers may get ground handling freedom

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry might look at allowing cargo carriers like Blue Dart and UPS to do their own ground handling at airports. This is a result of a recent representation by Blue Dart, the country’s largest operating cargo carrier, against the new ground handling policy which will come into effect in airports from January 1, 2009.
The representation criticised the proposed policy, saying it ignores the needs of express cargo services which require special handling and would only be increasing their costs and decrease efficiency of the operations.
The representation also said that express cargo carriers like Blue Dart should be allowed to do their own handling at the airports rather than being forced to outsource to others as per the policy. Cargo carriers in the US and Europe are allowed to do their own ground handling.
Express cargo is a specialised form of cargo which entails time-bound deliveries and a money back guarantee. It also involves a system through which the customer can track the whereabouts of his consignment.The ground handling policy says that the same set of agents would handle passenger baggage, cargo that is carried in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft and express cargo. Ground handling agents like Menzies Bobba and Air India-Sats already do the ground handling at Hyderabad and Bangalore airports.
14/09/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Bangalore in need of second airport

Over a 100 days after Bangalore's new international airport became functional, the cry for a second airport refuses to die down. This time, the Karnataka government too feels that the city needs a second airport.
It may look bigger and better but for Bangalore residents the swanky new International Airport in Devanahalli just isn’t enough. Three months after its grand opening, the state government too feels the same way. And says it will look at reviving the old HAL airport.
BS Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister, Karnataka, said, “Our legislators, industrialists, and experts want one more airport. We are in touch with the Centre. We want to retain Hindustan Airport."
The Airports Authority of India's report on the Bengaluru International Airport, or BIAL, says the new airport falls short of capacity. That's one reason the state government wanted to use the old airport for this year's Haj pilgrimage, where more than 5,000 passengers will be traveling next month. In fact, HAL authorities had agreed to it, but the officials of BIAL struck it down.
The campaign to keep HAL airport has been on for more than six months now. With some of the city's top names involved, petitioners had approached the court. As a legal battle wages on in the Karnataka High Court, the government is now trying a parallel path.
13/09/08 Deepa Balakrishnan/CNBC-TV18

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Evening flights plan fails to take off at Tiruchi

Tiruchi: The posting of additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) men at Tiruchi Airport does not appear to have helped start evening air services to Chennai and other destinations as expected.
Evening service to Chennai, Bangalore and other cities from Tiruchi has been a major demand from the industry and the travel trade here for long. Absence of evening flights is said to be causing a delay in starting the proposed IT Park here.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) had previously cited the CISF manpower constraint as the impediment. Even a month after additional CISF men were posted, the much talked about evening services have not materialised.
Some private airlines, which were earlier planning evening services, are yet to firm up their plans. Cost-cutting measures in the wake of increase in aviation turbine fuel price is one of the reasons. But some others want the airport officials to allow operations without any restrictions.
The airport authorities seem to be reluctant to allow evening operations, especially between 6 and 9 p.m., because of limited manpower at the Air Traffic Control.
14/09/08 The Hindu

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Indian faces death penalty in Malaysia for drug smuggling

Kuala Lumpur: A 21-year-old Indian national is facing a death sentence here for carrying drugs in the false bottom of his aluminium suitcase.
Alarm bells went off for customs officers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang after they emptied the bag and found a false bottom in which five kg of ketamine powder worth RM175,000 were hidden.
The New Strait Times said that Customs deputy director-general Mardina Alwi and her officers stopped the man after they noted that the suitcase he was carrying seemed heavy and that he was having difficulty managing it.
Mardina said that the suspect had arrived on an Air India flight from Mumbai at 10.15 p.m. and had waited for Customs officers to change shift at 11 p.m. before trying to walk through the check point on Wednesday.
"We believe members of the syndicate involved would have advised the suspect to wait for the officers to change shift and use this opportunity to escape attention. However, the plan backfired and he could now be facing the death sentence," Alwi was quoted, as saying. She said there was a possibility that the man may not have even known what he was carrying as it was common for drug mules to be ignorant of what they had been paid to bring across.
13/09/08 ANI/Malaysia Sun, Malaysia

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Air travel turn faster as new systems take wings

With the Airports Authority of India (AAI) installed systems like Standard Instrument Departure (SID) and Star Terminal Arrival Routes (STAR) for the first time in India from August 28 at the Mumbai airport, air travel within the country is likely to become faster. The systems having introduced, pilots will be able to take shorter routes for departure and arrival in case there is congestion in the designated route. The new installation will help airlines save on fuel, say analysts.
MG Jhunghare, head of air traffic control (western region) told FE,”All international airports have already installed the SID and STAR system, however, it is being introduced for the first time in India.” The AAI has asked for a feedback from the airline operators within a month, he added.
JS Dhillon, vice-president (operations) SpiceJet said, “A two-hour journey between two metro cities can stretch indefinitely as the aircraft awaits ATC clearance for landing. With SITA and SID installation at the Mumbai airport, the pilot need not detour and can raise speed limits up to 10,000 feet to enable planes to reach their fuel-efficient cruising altitude sooner.”
12/09/08 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild has doubts on new navigation system

Mumbai: With the Performance Based Navigation System (PBNS) having failed to ease out air traffic congestion at the Mumbai airport after its implementation and owing to severe infrastructure problems, it now appears that the Air Traffic Controller’s Guild, in a feedback on the introduction of the new system at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) had already expressed their discontent to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
In a letter to the Chairman, AAI, K. Ramalingam (dated 7 th August 2008) — exactly three weeks prior to its implementation — the ATC Guild had outlined at least 14 drawbacks against the new system ranging from flaws in the training method given to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) to insufficient number of available controllers to meet the number of sectors that had been proposed in the procedures.
“There were some issues raised about the quality of training that was being given to the controllers following which an agreement was reached that if ATCOs were uncomfortable with the new system, they can revert back to the old system until they become comfortable with the new procedures,” said D.K Behera, General Secretary, Air Traffic Controller’s Guild.
In its letter, the guild had pointed out issues such as non-availability of Arrival Manager (AMAN) software for traffic flow management. This would, in turn, mean that the sequence of arrival would have to be decided manually increasing holding time for arriving aircraft. In addition to this, according to an airport official who requested anonymity, Arrival Managers, a new post that has been created to cater to the new system, are also in short supply as they need to be radar certified and it’s a well known fact that ATC is short-staffed when it comes to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs).
13/09/08 Shashank Shekhar/Expressindia.com

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‘Vibrating’ bag scares airport staff

Mumbai: ‘Is it a bomb? Is it a snake?’ wondered scared loaders when a checked-in suitcase started vibrating in the baggage make-up room at Sahar terminal 2C of Mumbai airport on Thursday evening. It turned out to be a vacuum cleaner!
Around 9.30 pm on Thursday, M Ruhani, who was travelling by Air Arabia’s G9 402 Mumbai-Sharjah flight, had checked in his suitcase in which a vacuum cleaner was packed in. Ruhani apparently had not removed the battery from the vacuum cleaner and the machine got switched on when a loader dropped it.
The suitcase immediately got into “vibration” mode and the panic-stricken loaders rushed out of the room, and informed security officials. The loaders’ first thought was that it was an explosive.
Soon, Air India security officials, who do ground-handling for Air Arabia, arrived. “They traced the baggage owner from the suitcase tag and called him to open the bag.
When he opened it we were surprised to see a vacuum cleaner vibrating,” said the source. The entire drama lasted 30 to 40 minutes. “Normally, passengers carry electronic goods but remove the batteries inside. In this case, the passenger probably forgot to do so,” he said.
13/09/08 Navita Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Government approves ‘Gagan’ Project for Seamless Navigation over Indian Airspace

The Government today has approved the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO’s proposal for the implementation of the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) project for seamless navigation over Indian airspace at an estimated cost of Rs.774 crores. Ex-post facto approval has also been given to the amount of Rs.148 crores already spent in the first phase of the project. With this, India will be the fourth country in the world to have a satellite based navigation system.
The management of airspace is a sovereign function which has been assigned to the AAI. The AAI presently uses ground based terrestrial navigation system for providing safe navigation over the Indian airspace. This system however, has site limitations and range problems.
To overcome the limitations of ground based navigation systems, the ICAO in 1993, endorsed a Global Satellite Navigation System as a future Air Navigation System for Aviation. Following this, the AAI and ISRO entered into an MoU in 2001 for the implementation of the GAGAN project for seamless navigation over Indian airspace.
The uncertainties in the position accuracies available through the core GPS are due to the Ionospheric delays, satellite ephemeris and clock errors. In order to provide enhanced accuracies with integrity, reliability and continuity, it is essential to have an augmentation system capable of collecting data in two frequencies over the service area, separate these errors at the master control center and communicate and correct message to the aviation user in the frequency as that of the core GPS. To achieve this, an SBAS consisting of a geo-stationary space segment for the core constellation, a ground segment consisting of reference stations, the master control center and an uplink earth station are required. The reference stations collect dual frequency data, which is communicated to the master control center. At the master control center, the errors are separated and the corrected navigation message is sent to the navigation transponder on board the geo stationary satellite, which translates it to the user GPS civil frequency. The GAGAN system proposes to augment the GPS data with the help of a geo stationary satellite to be launched by ISRO and the ground based infrastructure of reference stations, uplink earth stations and master control center created by the AAI.
The implementation of the GAGAN programme is being realized in two phases.
The project cost is approximately Rs.774 crores of which Rs.148 crores was spent in the TDS phase and Rs.626 crores is to be spent in the FOP phase. Of this, the AAI contribution is expected to Rs.596 crores (from internal resources), and ISRO’s contribution will be Rs.178 crores (from ISRO Budget). The AAI has already spent Rs.100 crores and ISRO Rs.48 crores in the TDS phase, and are expected to spend Rs.496 crores and Rs.130 crores respectively in the FOP phase. The TDS phase was taken up on experimental basis and it is only upon the successful completion of this phase that the entire project is being taken up. The expenditure of Rs.148 crores in the TDS phase was within the delegated powers of AAI.
The project GAGAN, which involves development of indigenous technology in frontier areas, is expected to yield the following benefits:
• Enable aircraft to navigate on a straight path/route instead of navigating in a zig-zag path over land based stations.
• Provide coverage of oceanic areas which is not possible by terrestrial systems.
• Improve efficiency and flexibility by increasing use of operator-preferred trajectories at all altitudes.
• Increase safety by using three dimensional (3D) approach operations- enabling multiple approach capability.
• Improve airport and airspace access in all weather conditions.
• Enhance reliability and reduces delays.
• Reduce workload and improves productivity of air traffic controllers.
• Provide uniform and accurate levels of navigation performance over the entire airspace.
• • Achieve greater runway capability.
• Provide fuel-efficient air corridors.
• Help in gradual phasing out of terrestrial navigation aids.
• Assist in Upper Air-space management.
• Provide CAT-I approaches without ground element support.
11/09/08 Press Information Bureau

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