Chennai deserves better airport: Aviation minister

Chennai: The city deserves a better airport and the ministry of civil aviation is planning to work out a strategy to improve its terminals and other facilities, minister of civil aviation Ashok Gajapati Raju said here on Monday. However, the ministry is yet to take a decision on privatisation of the airport.

"We will work out a strategy to improve the airport. The main concern is hygiene. Hygiene levels have improved but we cannot let them slide," said the minister. "The government is not enamoured with privatisation. But we are not against it completely. We have to work out some strategy," he said when asked if the ministry is planning to investigate the shortfalls in the construction of the facility. He also said the government is aware that a few airports that have been privatised are doing well.

"Chennai is a prime city and it has not got what it deserves as an airport. I can understand that problems like incomplete engineering work and design issues cannot be changed overnight but there is no excuse not to maintain elementary hygiene," he said on the sidelines of a function that he attended in the city on Monday.
30/09/14 Times of India

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Fly AI, but at your own risk!

Pune: Taking an Air India flight out of Pune? Watch it. A technical glitch or a tyre burst could put you behind by 10- 15 hours. This is what the national carrier has been reduced to by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) with its refusal to restore the airline's store for its spares at the airport, forcing it to procure its requirement from other airports whenever emergencies arise. The past few years have seen about 50 correspondences from the airline, trying to wrest a storage space after AAI took over its existing facility in 2008, during renovation of the Lohegaon airport — a project that got done the next year.

On June 15, this year, 157 passengers flying in from Delhi had a narrow escape when a rear tyre burst just as the flight was landing at 9.30 pm. On the return journey, the flight's departure was scheduled at 10.30 pm. But it could not take off that night. Passengers were accommodated in hotels and the flight finally took off the next morning at 7.30 am. It was a nine hour delay but passengers on that flight at least got to their destination. However, passengers booked on flight IC849 to Delhi at 8.30 pm on December 27, 2013, were not so lucky.
30/-09/14 Sukirt Gumaste/Pune Mirror 

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Limp doesn’t make you disabled, IGI security staff tell para-athlete

New Delhi: Langdakar chalne se koi handicap nahi ho jata, doosri line me ja (Walking with a limp does not make you a handicapped person. Move to the general queue)." "Where did you get the medical certificate from and how much did you paid for it?"

These are some of the alleged remarks faced by Pradeep Raj, an international athlete with disability, at the immigration counter of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Raj, who has got a national youth award from the President and is general secretary of the Association for Disabled People, was travelling to South Korea for an international meet when security personnel at immigration counter no 41 (reserved for the disabled) allegedly misbehaved with him on September 22.

"At the immigration section, there is a provision of a separate line for disabled people. I was in that line. But I was shocked at the meaningless questions the Delhi Police staff deployed at counter no.41 asked me," said the para-Olympic table tennis player.
Not satisfied with his medical certificate, the official wanted to know what his specific disability was. "He humiliated me saying, 'Langdakar chalne se koi handicap nahi ho jata, dusri line me ja.' The only disability they seem to understand is a wheelchair-bound person. It was a violation of my right to be treated with respect, equality and dignity," said Raj.
30/09/14 Manash Pratim Gohain/Times of India

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Surat airport to be modernized

Surat: Surat airport is set to be modernized, thanks to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for selecting the diamond city's airport among other 28 metro and non-metro airports for modernization.

Official sources said that the AAI authorities attended the World Route Development Forum conference in Chicago last week and held discussions with global airline and airport representatives informing about the potential at the 29 metro and non-metro airports in India and the plan that is underway to modernize them to enhance air connectivity.

These airports are at Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Leh, Srinagar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Gaya, Kolkata, Port Blair, Ranchi, Raipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Indore, Goa, Pune, Surat, Chennai, Coimbatore, Calicut, Madurai, Mangalore, Trivandrum, Trichy and Visakhapatnam.
30/09/14 Melvyn Thomas/Times of India

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Integrated fuel facility at Mumbai airport gets CCI nod

New Delhi: Fair trade watchdog CCI has approved setting up of an integrated aviation fuel facility in Mumbai by a joint venture of three state-owned oil firms and Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd after they agreed to put in place measures to prevent anti-competitive practices.

Indian Oil Corp Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd would form an equal joint venture.

Post execution of shareholding pact between them, each would have 25 per cent stake in Mumbai Aviation Fuel Farm Facility Ltd, which is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mumbai International Airport.

The green signal has come after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) sought clarifications on many occasions from the concerned parties since the watchdog had earlier formed a prima facie opinion that the deal would be anti-competitive.
30/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Airport employees hold demo

New Delhi: A large number of airport employees today staged demonstration here to protest the "anti-worker attitude" of the management of the ground handling services at the IGI Airport here.

The ground handling services, which include loading and unloading of baggage, are done by the private joint venture company, AISATS Airport Services.

The protests came against the backdrop of AISATS terminating the services of around 200 workers, the the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said in a release.

The employees, belonging to various organisations like AISATS, Jet Airways, Cambatta and Thai Airways, staged protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding among other things, wage hike, ending the system of fixed term appointment, stopping sexual harassment at workplace and reinstating the sacked workers and union leaders, the release said.
30/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Plans to modernise Chennai, Kolkata airports stayed

New Delhi: The modernisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports will be delayed as the two airports no longer figure on the Government’s list of airports to be modernised through the public-private partnership route. At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sometime back, it was decided that the airports in Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Guwahati will be upgraded through the PPP route during 2014-15. This is a deviation from the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government’s decision to modernise six airports: Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Guwahati through the PPP route.

The UPA Government, which started the modernisation process in September 2013, hoped to award the contracts before the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls kicked in. But the process was stalled due to differences between the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the model concession agreement for taking forward the projects.

Senior government officials, however, caution that one shouldn’t read too much into the present PM’s decision. Officials indicated that a supplementary list with more airports could be firmed up, although, no time line has been fixed yet for this list.
29/09/14 Business Line

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Passengers leave behind stuff worth Rs 10 crore at airports every year

New Delhi: Every year, Rs 10 crore worth of laptops, mobile phones and handbags among other items have to be auctioned by various airports as passengers who have left them behind do not come to claim them. To tide over the problem, CISF has now begun uploading details of all lost items at airports on its website on a daily basis.

Through a "lost and found" icon one can look at all the belongings which have been found left behind at a particular airport on a certain day. The webpage not only lists items but also puts up their description. A perusal of the list of items shows that people mostly leave behind mobile phones and laptops.

"With an integrated security system in place at most airports, we are now able to quickly find lost items and even trace stolen ones. Unfortunately, only half of these items are restored to passengers as most do not come back to claim lost belongings.
29/09/14 Times of India

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Navelim locals object Mopa airport

Margao: Members of the Navelim civic and consumer forum (NCCF) met Navelim MLA and minister for fisheries Avertano Furtado on Sunday and presented him a memorandum urging him to convey their objections against the proposed Mopa airport to chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

"We are surprised that the government of Goa is going ahead with the RFQ (request for quotations) for the proposed airport without the mandatory environment assessment. Even the land was acquired without the EIA. We kindly request you to inquire as to why is there a rush of going ahead with the process and bypassing the necessary procedures required, which are detrimental in the long run," reads the memorandum.
28/09/14 Times of India

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Minister asks Chennai airport to ease congestion at domestic terminal

New Delhi: Chennai airport will reposition some of the food and beverages stalls to provide more space in the security hold area in the domestic terminal, the Airport Director, HS Suresh said on Sunday.
Speaking to Business Line, Suresh said that about four to five food kiosks which were getting into the security hold area in the domestic terminal will be repositioned to provide more space to passengers.
“We should be able to do this in about a month,” he added.
The decision to reposition the kiosks follows the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, asking Airports Authority of India to take immediately action to ease the congestion in the security hold area of the domestic airport in Chennai.
The Minister also suggested improvements in the passenger sitting areas so that the passenger flow area in the passages can be wider.
28/09/14 Business Line

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AirAsia announces resumption of flight services to Hyderabad from Kuala Lumpur

Mumbai: No-frills carrier AirAsia today announced resumption of its flight services to Hyderabad from Kuala Lumpur and also offered a promotional all-inclusive fare of Rs 2,099 for a one-way journey.

The airline had discontinued the route in 2011. "The recommencement of Hyderabad-Kuala Lumpur route will enable many guests to experience our 'fly-thru' service through Kuala Lumpur. The resumed service will also connect to other exciting domestic destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and many more," AirAsia head of commercial Spencer Lee said in a release.

"The latest flight service which is set to stimulate and encourage more travel and enhance the international market from our Kuala Lumpur hub will strengthen AirAsia position in India", he said.
29/09/14 PTI/Economic Times

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Soon, heavy aircraft at Dharasu strip

Dehradun: In a bid to facilitate the movement of heavy aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), power cables close to the airstrip in Dharasu village of Tehri district are being removed. On completion of the process, the air strip can be used for both landing and taking-off of IAF aircrafts like AN 32 and C 130.

The airstrip, which is over 4000 feet long, is quite old. It was not used by fixed-wing aircrafts due to the power wires in the area. Once the air strip gets operational, then fixed-wing aircrafts from Delhi can reach Tehri in just 45 minutes. Taking lessons from last year's tragedy, the state government had decided to remove the cables. IAF sources said once the air strip can be used for landing or taking-off heavy aircrafts, executing any big air rescue operation in the state would not be a problem.

Demanding anonymity, a senior IAF officer said, "The runway gives sufficient wing span of 20 meter on each side, so the huge fixed-wing aircrafts will have no problems in landing or taking-off. After the removal of cables, the runway should be restructured, so that it can be used in all seasons."
28/09/14 Yogesh Kumar/Times of India

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Tiruchi airport witness to frequent arrival of bodies

Tiruchi: Embalmed in a wooden coffin, a body of a migrant labourer arrived at the international airport here a couple of days ago. Hailing from Darapuram in Tirupur district, the labourer in his mid-thirties worked in Saudi Arabia where he was alleged to have committed suicide.

The body was handed over to the receiver after thoroughly verifying documents to ascertain the genuineness and sent by an ambulance to the native place of the deceased.

Days earlier, bodies two other labourers arrived at the airport - this time too from Saudi Arabia. One of them was a 27-year-old migrant worker from Sivaganga district who went to the Arab state for job.

The three are the latest in the long list of similar phenomenon at the international airport here which has been witness to frequent arrivals of bodies of migrant workers who had gone in search of greener pastures in various overseas destinations.

On an average, 20 to 30 bodies arrive at the Tiruchi airport every month with most of them coming from the oil-rich Gulf countries, say airport sources. There have been cases of bodies of migrant labourers having arrived from South East Asian countries.
29/09/14 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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632 gm Gold Buttons seized at Airport

Tiruchy: The sleuths of Airr Intelligent Unit (AIU) confiscated 632 grams of gold buttons worth `17 lakh from an air passenger at the Tiruchy international airport here on Saturday.

According to customs officials, while they were engaging in routine checking, they grew suspicious on two passengers who arrived from Singapore by Air Indian Express flight.

The officials scanned the passengers baggage and found they had stitched 24 gold buttons each with two jean pants replacing the original ones and painted the buttons.
29/09/14 New Indian Express

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Govt having relook at UPA's airport privatisation plan

New Delhi: With airlines complaining of high airport charges in the country, the government is having a relook at the process of privatisation of six major airports started by the previous UPA dispensation.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has suggested fresh broad-based consultations between the Centre and states and with airport developers, airlines, passenger associations and travel operators before finalising the model concession agreement for construction and operation of airports through public-private partnership (PPP).

The UPA-II government had early last year launched the PPP process for modernising six airports at Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

But the process could not be concluded due to reported difference of opinion between the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Planning Commission on the model concession agreement and issues like revenue sharing and the period of lease. The process was finally stalled after the general elections were announced.
28/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Federal Bank extends Rs.500-crore loan to CIAL

Kochi: The Federal Bank has sanctioned a term loan of Rs. 500 crore to the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) for the construction of its new international terminal.

The agreement for the loan facility was signed by V.J. Kurian, managing director of CIAL, and Shyam Srinivasan, managing director and chief executive of Federal Bank, in the presence of senior executives of CIAL and Federal Bank at a ceremony held at the airport here on Friday.

The loan assistance, with a floating interest rate, will be for a term of 16 years with a moratorium of three years.

The airport company has also commenced works on the terminal building, which will be established at a cost of Rs.977 crore.
28/09/14 The Hindu

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Civil Aviation Minister Walks the Inspection Talk at Airport

Chennai: Even after the Chief Minister had flown out to Bangalore on Saturday morning, officers at the airport were fretting and anxious. For, at 9.30 pm, an Air India flight from Delhi bearing the Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju, arrived at Chennai - and their much-awaited acid-test of an inspection officially began.

To the surprise of most of them, unlike previous inspections, this one was extensive. “The minister was prepared to walk to each and every corner of the terminals and even pointed at areas and asked to see them impromptu,” admitted an official with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Such was his intent to walk that the 63-year-old MoCA came wearing walking shoes in preparation. This inspection was on the cards ever since the minister’s secretary did an incognito visit and took several damaging pictures of the poor state of Chennai airport. AAI was given a month to spruce things up before this inspection.
28/09/14 New Indian Express

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GMR proposes world class Hyderabad airport city

Hyderabad: The GMR group which constructed the international airport at Shamshabad here and currently operating it proposed to build a world class Hyderabad airport city at a cost of Rs. 750 crore which would create 15,000 to 20,000 jobs and sought the support of Telangana government on this count.

Making a presentation to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at the Secretariat on Friday, the group chairman G.M. Rao and other officials said it was also proposed to build a high class exhibition-cum-convention centre spread over 50 acres with a plinth areas of one lakh sq mts as part of the proposed airport city near Shamshabad airport. The exhibition and convention industry was a complex amalgamation of varied economic activity across sectors.

A release later said the Chief Minister assured to study the proposal before coming to a conclusion. He suggested to the group to give a thought to develop one more airport towards the north of Hyderabad, a hospital near Shamshabad airport, a world class theme park and a nature cure centre.
26/09/14 The Hindu

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Technical snag delays flight's departure

Kochi: Air Arabia's Sharjah-Kochi-Sharjah (rpt) Sharjah-Kochi-Sharjah flight developed a technical snag following which its onward journey was delayed tonight.

The flight was scheduled to take off from Kochi at 7.30pm. Airport officials said the snag has been rectified and the flight will take off later tonight.
27/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Durga Puja tourists welcomed at Kolkata airport with 'Respect Women' messages

Kolkata: In a bid to make women travellers feel at ease, tourists landing at the Kolkata airport during the Durga Puja festival are being welcomed with the message of 'Respect Women'. Airline officials, hotels and others in the tourism industry have started distributing thousands of badges bearing the message on the occasion of World Tourism Day, beginning today. "We feel that this is a good message to send out on World Tourism Day, to show our commitment to respect women. We are distributing these badges at the airport to the passengers arriving in Kolkata," Anil Punjabi, chairman (east) of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), said.

They have requested airline officials at the airport to wear and distribute these badges till the end of Durga Puja festival which culminates with Dusshera.
27/09/14 Daily News & Analysis

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‘Poor repair led to runway crack’

Kozhikode: If the Rs.40-crore project for runway renovation was executed on time, the recent chaos in the Calicut international Airport, following a crack on the runway, could have been avoided, the Calicut International Airport Development Society (CIADS) has said.

The authorities opted for an easy way, just filling the potholes in the runway at a cost of Rs.10 lakh, instead of taking up proper repairs, it said. As a result, more cracks developed on the runway, forcing the closure of the airport for two hours. Flights had to be diverted to Bangalore. Many flights, including Haj services, were delayed, the society office-bearers said in a press release.

Cracks were seen on the runway on May 19, July 6, and July 14, last year. The recent crack, on September 24, appeared on the same spot. An expert inquiry on July 16, 2013, had recommended immediate re-carpeting or concreting. On April 6, 2014, a calibration was held at the airport on the crack.
27/09/14 The Hindu

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Cops haul up trolley touts at Mumbai airport

Barely a week after mid-day reported how touts at the domestic airport were fleecing customers by making them pay nearly Rs 500 for a ‘drop’ from their car to the departure gate, the police have intervened and asked the group to cease their activities. Officials said members of the group will be fined Rs 5,000 if they are found working at the airport. On September 21, a day after the mid-day report was published, the DCP of Zone VIII had called the leaders of the Vande Mataram Kaamgaar Sena, which had been telling the passengers that it was mandatory to use their services, and asked them for an explanation. The group, which claimed to possess documents issued by the Airport Authority Of India (AAI), was asked to produce them and to back up their claim that they have been operating at the airport for 35 years. Since the group did not have all the documents with them that day, they were given five days to get them. Another meeting was conducted on Thursday, which saw representation from the group and police and GVK officials. Dinesh Wadia, leader of the Kaamgaar Sena, said, “The official told us about the situation and said they needed to make a decision soon.”
27/09/14 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Dasara dolls on display at Bangalore airport

Bangalore: To soak in the spirit of Dasara festivities, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) employees have installed heritage Dasara gombe (dolls) at the Terminal Kerbside.

The employees took it upon themselves to celebrate the centuries old tradition of display of gombe during the Dasara season.

Travellers can view the dolls displayed on a stepped platform with nine tiers, signifying the duration of the festival.
27/09/14 Business Line

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Biju Patnaik International Airport celebrated World Tourism Day

Airports Authority of India, Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar celebrated “World Tourism Day” in association with India Tourism and Odisha State Tourism Department. The theme for 2014 was “Tourism and Community Development: focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities”.

The celebrations began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Sh. Ashok Chandra Panda, Tourism Minister, Govt. of Odisha; Sh. Sharad Kumar, Airport Director; Sh. B.B. Mukherjee, Asst. Director, India Tourism; along with other dignitaries. Balloons were released by the dignitaries present and soon after the Signature Campaign started.
27/09/14 Odisha Diary

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450 gm gold found in plane

Bangalore: Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) have recovered 450 gm of gold from an Emirates flight from Dubai on Thursday morning. Sources said an unidentified passenger had concealed four gold biscuits, 10 tolas each, under the seat.

The flight landed at KIA at 9 am. An airline crew spotted the gold after all the passengers alighted. An alert was sent to the Customs officials. A senior official said investigation was still on to track down the passenger carrying the gold.
26/09/14 Deccan Herald

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Flyer leaves bag at IGI, Air India told to pay Rs 1 lakh

New Delhi: A consumer forum in the city has asked Air India to pay an NRI flyer a compensation of Rs 1 lakh in a lost baggage case.

The amount will be divided equally between the consumer welfare fund and the complainant for extreme mental agony, humiliation, inconveniences, loss of baggage due to negligence, physical discomfort and litigation expenses.

On December 30, 2010 the complainant had landed at the IGI airport and forgot one of his bags there. He went back to IGI the same day and approached the inquiry desk of Air India. CCTV footage showed that the bag was picked up by a loader working with Neha Aviation, a private agency under contract with the airline for loading and unloading services.

A police complaint was lodged the following day. Despite several rounds of correspondence and filing of RTIs, the bag could not be found and Air India tried to blame DIAL that looks after general security and management of the airport.

Air India had claimed that it was unable to carry out any probe as the loss was reported very late. Although the footage revealed that the staff kept the hand baggage in the baggage reclaim hall at IGI, Air India refused to accept the responsibility of the bag being left unattended at the terminal. It alleged that the theft involved three-four people.
26/09/14 Times of India

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Chouhan for cargo terminals at airports, better air connectivity

Bhopal: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked Union minister for aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati for exclusive cargo terminals in Indore and Bhopal airports to make faster transportation of perishable products possible from the state. The Union minister was here on a one-day visit with a delegation of top executives from Air India and other private aviation companies including Jet Airways, Indigo and Spice Jet.

The Union minister praised chief minister Chouhan for his insight into capturing what could a very profitable venture both for airlines companies and for the entrepreneurs from the state. "This is for the first time that the aviation ministry has received an invitation from a state government to visit and resolve the problems of civil aviation," Ashok Gajapati Raju said.
"The chief minister has asked for cargo terminals, a concept that when introduced can be a highly profitable venture. The state wants cold storage facilities in airports to facilitate business activities," he added.
26/09/14 Times of India

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HC order propels Cidco to take off on airport project-hit package

Navi Mumbai: The Bombay high court's order on Wednesday, setting October 6 as deadline for villagers to avail of the relief scheme, has come as a major boost to the international airport project in the city.

The order also gave a breather to the implementing body, City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), that has been facing agitations by project affected persons ( PAPs) over land acquisition.

The Metro One centre in Panvel witnessed long queues for submission of consent letters. Cidco MD Sanjay Bhatia has decided to expedite the process after a discussion with Raigad collector.
The court order will also provide an impetus to the global tender floated for request for qualification (RFQ) to select a strategic partner for the around Rs 15,000-crore airport.
26/09/14 Sanjay Banerjee/Times of India

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Cleartrip Books Seats at Hyderabad Airport

Cleartrip, an online travel portal, has launched an OOH campaign at Hyderabad Airport where it has branded seat backs at different area such as the departure tract and in the waiting halls of security hold areas (SHA) of both domestic and international terminals.
The campaign used as many as 1,200 seatbacks to create a brand presence that the passengers cannot miss. The objective was to promote Cleartrip Mobile, which has, in recent times, become its most successful revenue driver, contributing over 40 per cent traffic and 25-30 per cent transactions. In three months, Cleartrip's new campaign is expected to create a greater brand recall among business and leisure travellers in the Hyderabad Airport.
The idea was that people spend a considerable amount of time sitting in the SHA waiting for their flights to be announced. During this time, mobile phones are big involvement for them. With the added advantage of free Wi-Fi at the airport, Laqshya Media has created a highly potent solution to accomplish Cleartrip's campaign objective.
26/09/14 afaqs

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Mopa will come up even if some don’t support it: CM

Panaji: The state government will go ahead with the Mopa airport project even if some people don't support it, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday announcing that the request for qualification (RFQ) would be issued by October 3, followed by request for proposal (RFP) in January.

"The government will issue RFQ on Mopa airport by October 3," Parrikar said on the sidelines of a function held in the city on Thursday. "The decision has been taken. Even if some people do not support it, we will go forward with the decision," Parrikar said.

Sources said that RFQ documents were ready in early 2013, but, since then the government had gone slow on the issue.

Parrikar said that the decision has been taken keeping in mind that Goa needs another airport. He also said that on Tuesday, the cabinet will discuss and take a decision on RFQ. "We should be positive about this and I am hoping for the cooperation from various organizations," Parrikar added.
26/09/14 Times of India

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Pune, Nagpur airports now equipped with Ebola screening facilities

Recently, former journalist and activist Ketan Tirodkar filed a PIL with an allegation that India is not yet fully ready to prevent Ebola spread, as several people coming back from Ebola hit countries are arriving at airports in Pune and Nagpur where Ebola screening facilities are not available. Following that, the Bombay High Court passed an order, directing the Maharashtra Government to arrange proper screening facilities in Pune and Nagpur, similar to those existing at Mumbai and Delhi airport.

The Union Government informed the Bombay High Court September 25 that thermal image scanners have been arranged at Nagpur and Pune airports to facilitate screening of passengers coming from West African countries to detect possible Ebola suspects.

Rui Rodrigues, counsel for the Central Government, informed Bombay High Court bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka that the scanners have been shifted from Hyderabad and Goa airports to Nagpur and Pune airports. The government confirmed that these thermal scanners would be functional within a week, after which the Court wants the Centre to file a compliance report on October 1, 2014.
26/09/14 Shraddha Rupavate/The Health Site

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Overdressed Flyer Caught Smuggling 4.2 kg Gold Bars

Chennai:  Wearing too many layers of clothes can invite suspicion, especially if contraband is concealed underneath. A 21-year-old from Royapettah attempted to do just that and was nabbed by customs sleuths at the city airport on Wednesday.

According to sources, customs and immigration had allowed the accused, Prabhakar, to pass through, after his arrival from Singapore on a Tiger Airways flight. However, the fact that he was wearing at least four layers of clothing, two t-shirts, a shirt, a jacket and innerwear, raised suspicion among the Air Intelligence Unit.

The sleuths were quick enough to bring him for checking and he reluctantly subjected to a body search. “He had 42 gold bars, each weighing 100 grams. These were pasted on his body with an adhesive around his waist and torso. To avoid detection, he had worn a lot of extra clothes,” said an official.
26/09/14 New Indian Express

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Immigration staff held for smuggling gold at Chennai airport

Chennai: Two employees of the immigration department, a staffer from a ground handling agency, and two passengers — from Singapore and Bahrain respectively — were detained by directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) officials at Chennai airport, for their involvement in gold smuggling.

The authorities seized gold biscuits weighing 8.6 kg and detained the five for interrogation. The seized gold was valued at Rs. 2.5 crore.

A passenger from Singapore landed at the airport around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, carrying with him 4 kg of gold biscuits.
26/09/14 The Hindu

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Successful installation of E1 Multiplexers at Delhi and Mumbai Airports

Valiant Communications Ltd has informed BSE that Valiant’s E1 Multiplexers have been successfully installed at New Delhi and Mumbai International Airports for critical communications links between L-Band Radar Tower and the Air Traffic Control Centre.

Valiant’s communication equipment have also been installed at other international airports including at Ankara (Turkey), Dubai International Airport, Frankfurt (Germany), Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi (Vietnam), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and are working satisfactorily.
25/09/14 Business Line

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Hong Kong’s Plaza Premium to invest Rs 110 cr in India, open academy

Bangalore: Plaza Premium Lounge Management Ltd, a global provider of premium airport services, intends to invest ?110 crore in India to set up lounges and transit day hotels in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports as well as a training academy in Delhi.

The Hong Kong-based company, which has 110 lounges in 29 international airports around the world, has already invested ?185 crore in building lounges and transit hotels across the international airports of Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore over the last seven years.

“In 2014-15, we are planning to open 50 lounges across the world of which 25 will be complete by December 31. In India, we are in active talks with the Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airport authorities and will invest a minimum of ?30 crore in each of the airports,” Song Hoi See, founder and CEO of Plaza Premium, told Business Line.

The company opened its first branded transit hotel in Bangalore on Thursday – the Day Hotel by Plaza Premium Lounge in the domestic departures area at Kempegowda International Airport.
25/09/14 Sangeetha Chengappa/Business Line

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Goa to float tender for second airport Oct 3

Panaji: The Goa government will float a Request for Qualification (RFQ) tender Oct 3 giving details of its second airport, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Thursday.

Parrikar said the state needed another airport in addition to the existing Dabolim international airport which operates out of an Indian Navy base in Dabolim, located 30 kms south of Panaji.

"On Oct 3, the RFQ tender will be uploaded. On Tuesday, the cabinet will take the decision," Parrikar told a function in Panaji.

Land acquisition process for Goa's second, it's first greenfield airport, at the Mopa plateau located 50 kms north of Panaji has been completed, clearing ground for other modalities required for setting of the airport.
25/09/14 IANS/Business Standard

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Delhi airport extends support to Kashmir flood victims

New Delhi: In its ongoing efforts to provide assistance to the flood hit victims of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here has dispatched the first lot of six high power, sophisticated de-watering pumps to the state.

According to the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the company which manages IGIA, the 100 HP diesel de-watering pump equipment has the capacity to drain up to seven lakh litres of water per hour.

The company has also dispatched a team of six trained operators to handle the machines which were air lifted by the Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft.

Apart for the equipment aid, DIAL has also extended support to passengers from the flood hit state by providing food, taxi fare, railway tickets and survival money to the victims.
25/09/14 IANS/daijiworld.com

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Kriti Kharbanda Harassed At Airport

Actress Kriti Kharabanda got a taste of rude behavior of the airport officials recently. The actress was traveling to Hyderabad from Bangalore. While checking in at the Kempegowda International Airport, the actress was asked to pay for her luggage. When the actress asked the reason for the extra charge, the man at the check-in counter replied in a very rude and dismissive manner. The actress said that she never had to pay for luggage before, when she used to take domestic flight. What really irked Kriti, was the fact that the official behaved the same way even in front of the duty manager.
The actress is now considering to file an official complaint against the person. The actress feels that other passengers should not face such problems from airport officials. The actress has written an open letter on her Facebook page and asked Air India to take cognizance of the incident and take action against the rude official.
25/09/14 Bharath Bhat/Filmi Beat

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CIAL-SATS tie-up raises eyebrows

Thiruvananthapuram: A move by Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) to enter into a tie-up with Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) for ground handling services at the Nedumbassery international airport has raised many eyebrows. SATS already has a joint venture tie-up with Air India for AI-SATS which is carrying out ground handling at five Indian airports, including Thiruvananthapuram. In case SATS strikes a fresh deal with CIAL,  it  will have to take on Air India’s terminal services wing which is a ground handling agent at Nedumbassery airport at present.

A section of Air India employees has  pointed out this paradox to the higher-ups, including the civil aviation ministry, even as the talks between CIAL and SATS are progressing. While sources in the aviation sector said that SATS and CIAL had  already signed a memorandum of understanding in this regard, CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian said that talks were only progressing and that a final decision was yet to be taken.
26/09/14 Arjun Raghunath/Deccan Chronicle

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MP CM asks for cold storage facility at airport to boost agriculture

Bhopal:  Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked Union minister for aviation Ashok Gajapathy Raju Pusapati for exclusive cargo terminals in Indore and Bhopal airports to make faster transportation of perishable products from the state.

The Union minister was here on a one-day visit with a delegation of top executives from Air India and other private aviation companies including Jet Airways, Indigo and Spice Jet.

The Union minister for Aviation praised chief minister Chouhan for his insight into capturing what could a very profitable venture both for airlines companies and for the entrepreneurs from the state. "This is for the first time that the aviation ministry has received an invitation from a state government to visit and resolve the problems of civil aviation," Ashok Gajapati Raju said.

"The chief minister has asked for cargo terminals, a concept that when introduced can be a highly profitable venture. The state wants cold storage facilities in airports to facilitate business activities," he added.
25/09/14 Suchandana Gupta/Times of India

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Private airports operators too oppose regional connectivity policy

Mumbai: Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO) has opposed the civil aviation ministry's draft regional connectivity policy arguing that destinations included in the proposal lack traffic potential and incentives offered to airlines to launch services are not enough to cover their cost.

The ministry has invited views from industry stake holders on a proposed policy to boost regional connectivity. However both airlines and private airports are opposed to the current proposal. APAO includes GVK and GMR group run airports (Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad) and Kochi.

In its letter to the ministry APAO has said only ten of the 87 destinations listed in the proposal have a traffic of 70 or more passengers each day to/from Delhi while the rest "do not have the ability to support or augment scheduled carriers existing air service network."
23/09/14 Business Standard

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ATC integration to make flights cheaper, faster

Kolkata: A year from now, airlines will be able to save nearly Rs 90,000 per flight on the Kolkata-Jaipur sector. That may not only result in lower fares, but it will also mean a shorter flight time with pilots hoping to shave off around 20 minutes.

Sooner still, flight duration to southern cities like Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore will also reduce by 15-20 minutes for around two months a year, leading to similar savings.

"Integration of radars across India will allow air traffic controllers to provide flights with direct routes between cities and desired flight levels, twin factors that are crucial to the aircraft's fuel consumption and can lead to substantial savings," AAI executive director (air traffic management) Ram Lal told TOI on Monday.

Radars are used by controllers to track flights and guide them to prevent collision.
Radars in Kolkata air traffic control (ATC) will integrate with Chennai ATC by November-December 2014, ushering in complete and seamless coverage between south and east India and enabling controllers to pack more aircraft into the airspace. That will mean straighter flight paths.
23/09/14 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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'Realtors to gain from greenfield airport proposal'

Visakhapatnam: The Air Travellers Association (India) has alleged that the government is encouraging realtors to buy land and jack up prices by mooting a plan to develop the new airport 70 to 80 km away from Visakhapatnam in spite of developing the existing one.

In the wake of the proposal to develop a new greenfield international airport by the state, ATA (I) members met ENC chief vice admiral Satish Soni to enquire about the future of Vizag Airport and were categorically told that the Indian Navy and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would coexist, with the Indian Navy already allowing round the clock operations for civilian flights with effect from January.

ATA(I) president D Varada Reddy alleged that this clearly exposed the hollow claims of state political leaders, especially ministers. "The state government's obvious intention is to benefit realtors. A new airport was constructed at Hyderabad when its population reached 70 lakh whereas Visakhapatnam's population is just 20 lakh," he said in press release.
23/09/14 Times of India

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Airlines resist pressure to fly to small-town India

New Delhi: Varanasi’s flying public, hoping to catch a direct Jet Airways flight to Mumbai, perhaps via a code-share with Invision Air, or Freedom Airways, will have to wait just that much longer.
While the aviation ministry had come up with a proposal last month to mandate a sharp hike in the proportion of capacity mandatorily available in small towns — the policy was to be implemented using small air taxi operators like Invision Air (see graphic) — the scheduled operators like Jet, SpiceJet and the yet-to-start Vistara have said they find the proposal onerous. The airlines are to meet aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on this on Tuesday.
The carriers have pointed out that the proposed rules, which mandate that airlines fly as much on regional and remote routes as they do on the 30 trunk routes by end-2016, will result in a significant increase in costs while not throwing up adequate revenues.
23/09/14 Financial Express

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AAI Markets Indian Airports at World Route Forum

Airports Authority of India (AAI) participated in the 20th World Route Development Forum held at Chicago from 20th to 23rd September this year. AAI has identified 29 airports for marketing amongst the airlines present at the Forum. The airports identified were Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Leh, Srinagar, Varanasi (Banaras), Bhubaneswar, Gaya, Kolkata, Port Blair, Ranchi, Raipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Indore, Goa, Pune, Surat, Chennai, Coimbatore, Calicut, Madurai, Mangalore, Trivandrum, Trichy and Visakhapatnam. AAI also conducted one-to-one meetings with the participating airlines and had a dedicated exhibition stand also. The airport-specific brochures brought out by AAI on the occasion included salient features of the airports, catchment areas they belong to, aerodrome reference code, tourist attractions and aviation and tourism potential.

AAI has been participating in the various World Route events for the last six years. It maintains 125 airports comprising of 21 international airports (3 civil enclaves and 3 joint venture), 78 domestic airports, 7 customs airports (4 civil enclaves) and 19 other civil enclaves. In addition, AAI also provides Air Navigation Services (ANS) at all civil airports in the country. Currently, Indian airports are handling about 122 million domestic and 47 million international passengers and are poised to handle 217 million domestic and 76 million international passengers by 2020.
23/09/14 Business Standard

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Dubai gears up for hosting the Airport Show 2015

Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, said: “The aviation industry is getting bigger due to massive investments in airports expansion and new developments that are needed to accommodate the growth in air traffic in the region. Dubai leads the region in terms of airport investments which plays a strategic role in our agenda for the aviation industry expansion.  Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central (DWC) project is being carried out in two phases with the first stage costing up to AED120 billion and it will be the biggest airport in the world when completed with a capacity to handle 200 million passengers with 400 aircraft parking. The benefits of this huge and consistent investment would have a positive impact not just on Dubai but also on the UAE, the Gulf region and the world.”  He added:  “Airport Show, being hosted by Dubai, has become an ideal B2B platform for the industry decision-makers to explore an impressive portfolio of latest technology and innovation under one roof. The industry’s growth will be reflected in the Airport Show 2015 with more exhibitors, hosted buyers and exhibition space.”
23/09/14 Arabian Aerospace

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Centre's No to FlyDubai from BPIA

Bhubaneswar: The proposal to permit international operations by FlyDubai on Bhubaneswar-Dubai route has been turned down by the Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday.

The decision was taken as bilateral air traffic rights between India and UAE could not materialise, sources said. The State Government has been pushing for the commencement of international operations on this route with the Centre since long.

On September 17, Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati had submitted an application to Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, V Somasundaran, and requested for provisional permission to FlyDubai to start international flight operations from Bhubaneswar.  Among the international operators, which had approached the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) authorities to operate through Bhubaneswar, only FlyDubai had announced its schedule for Odisha.
23/09/14 New Indian Express

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Airport Operations Control Centre at Tiruchi airport soon

Tiruchi: An automated Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) will soon be put in place at the Tiruchi international airport by bringing together important stakeholders for advanced planning and optimum utilisation of available resources to benefit travellers.

Airlines, ground handlers, Customs, Immigration and security agencies would be brought under a common platform under the AOCC which aims at providing hassle free service to passengers arriving at Tiruchi from various overseas and domestic destinations.

Equipment required for the AOCC has been acquired and training is currently underway for a team of Tiruchi airport staff prior to commissioning the centre.

Tiruchi is one among the 10 airports in the country where the AOCC is to be set up by the Airports Authority of India.

The centre would be connected to the Air Traffic Services automation system at the airport from where it would collect real time data of flights and their estimated time of arrival at the Tiruchi airport and update them in the FIDS (Flight Information Display System).
23/09/14 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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Plan for direct road between airport and Delhi’s heart

New Delhi: The Delhi government is mulling a proposal to provide a direct link between Lutyens Delhi  and the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). This proposal is being considered keeping in mind the increasing traffic volume on the route over the years.
“A lot of traffic from the VIP area moves towards the airport and vice-versa, leading to nasty traffic snarls on several occasions. There is a need to provide a direct connectivity from Lutyens Delhi to the airport. Since this area comes under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Council, their consent will have to be sought before we go ahead with the proposal. An in-principle approval will be sought from all agencies before pursuing it further,” a source said.
According to officials, VIPs travelling to the airport from Lutyens Delhi usually take the already congested Rao Tula Ram Marg or pass through Dhaula Kuan, leading to traffic jams in Delhi.
23/09/14 Ruhi Bhasin/Indian Express

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Customs' new wing cracks down on gold-smuggling flyers

Ahmedabad:  Smuggling of gold has increased four-fold, especially at city airport after June 2013 when the central government imposed restrictions on gold imports. Over 50 people, including women, were detained by the customs department at the airport for smuggling of the precious metal this year alone.

To stop gold smuggling, the customs have constituted for the airport an internal security unit called the 'Air Intelligence Unit' (AIU). This is the first time such a unit has been set at the city airport.

AIU has a deputy commissioner, a superintendent and two inspectors and other officials. They keep watch on suspects right from the time they enter the airport and also in toilets where many passengers go after alighting from long-distance flights. The intelligence team has detected several cases of smuggling in the last few weeks.
22/09/14 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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MoU signed between AAI - US agency

New Delhi: For the development of the aviation security equipment testing and evaluation programme, an agreement has been signed today between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

This will enable AAI and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to create clear standards, specifications and testing procedures specific to India's own standards of aviation security.

These procedures will be also in alignment with international practices for three types of aviation security equipment.

These three equipments are designed to scan carry-on luggage, checked baggage and passengers.
23/09/14 ANI/Business Standard

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GVK to sell stake in airport biz; eyes $400 mn

Mumbai airport operator  GVK is in talks with various private equity (PE) players to sell its stake in its airport business. The company is in talks with PE players like KKR, Blackstone, GA, etc to divest its stake in an move to monetize its assets. The company is looking to raise USD 400 million through this stake sale. Furthermore, the company is looking to list its airport business and is in talks with merchant bankers for the same. However, the listing is unlikely to take place before mid- FY15.
23/09/14 moneycontrol.com

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Robotic security unveiled in Cochin international airport

Kochi: The Cochin international airport on Monday installed a high-end robotic security system with Canadian-built robotic equipment procured by spending Rs 12 crore.

CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian inaugurated the system and bomb detection and disposal squad at a function held on the CIAL MRO hangar premises.

Mr Kurian said that the robotic safety system was part of CIAL’s commitment to  passenger safety.

The family of safety robots developed by Pedsco (Canada) Ltd and the threat containment vessel and sophisticated luggage containment vehicle (both developed by Nabco, USA) were handed over to CISF personnel manning airport security.
23/09/14 Deccan Chronicle

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Shooters stranded at Incheon Airport

Six Indian shooters were stranded at the Incheon Airport for over 12 hours after the Korean custom department declined to clear their weapons.
Omkar Singh, Mansher Singh, Shweta Chawdhary, Malaika Goel, Om Prakash and Kynan Chenai were to board the early morning Thai Airways flight but just when they were about to board the flight they were stopped. India's Chefde-Mission Adille Sumariwala confirmed that there was a problem but said it was resolved and the shooters were on their way to India.
23/09/14  Abhijeet Kulkarni/Mumbai Mirror 

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Domestic cargo handling to be privatised in Mangalore

Mangalore: Cargo handling at Mangalore International Airport will be partly privatised before Mach next and goods will be handled at a building close to the terminal building at Kenjar.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has planned to privatise the entire cargo handling at the airport in due course of time.

It is to attract more cargo by exempting the private agency from paying royalty to the AAI for two years.

Director of the airport J.T. Radhakrishna told The Hindu that the AAI has now permitted the airport to allow a private agency to handle domestic cargo but not international ones.

Now, domestic cargo is being handled at the new terminal building at Kenjar and the international cargo at the old terminal building at Bajpe by the government.

Bids would be invited shortly to select the private agency, and it has been planned to start domestic cargo operations through the agency before March 2015, he said.
22/09/14 Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu

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‘Visa on arrival at Dabolim not for another 6 months’

Panaji: The visa on arrival (VoA) facility at Dabolim airport is unlikely to begin in the next six months.
Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju conveyed this to deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza and Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Francisco de Braganca in New Delhi recently.
Just two weeks ago, Goa tourism department had claimed that the VoA facility will be implemented at Dabolim airport next month.
Braganca told TOI that during a meeting with Rijiju and ministry of home affairs (MHA) officials they were told that MHA is not yet ready to start VoA facility at Dabolim airport as a lot of spade work needs to be done. It came to light that MHA does not want to hurry with the VoA facility as it involves national security.
22/09/14 Times of India

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CIAL accelerates pace of development at Nedumbassery

Kochi: Nedumbassery: Fifteen-years-ago, Nedumbassery panchayat was a place where lush green paddy fields swayed to the rhythmic flow of the soft breeze. Enter Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), and out goes the smooth and undisturbed momentum of life of this agrarian village.

Now CIAL and allied projects have become the major revenue contributor for the development of the panchayat. Nedumbassery panchayat has been benefiting in a big way by the Corporate Social Responsibility projects of CIAL. The real estate price in and around CIAL was `2,000 per cent when the airport project began. Now, it has gone up to `20 lakh/cent in areas adjacent to the Airport and `10 lakh/cent at other areas.

The latest addition to the CSR activities of CIAL is an integrated drinking water project which will benefit Nedumbassery, Kanjoor and Sreemoolanagaram panchayats. The project will be implemented in association with Jalanidhi by the end of this financial year. At present CIAL gives around `70 lakh to Nedumbassery panchayat as tax and the amount is likely to become `1 crore next year.
22/09/14 New Indian Express

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139 passengers stranded after bird hits aircraft

Trichy: At least 139 passengers were stranded at the Trichy Airport after a Sri Lankan Airlines aircraft from Colombo was allegedly hit by a bird while landing in the city on Sunday.

The Airbus A320 flight with 80 passengers from Colombo was hit by a bird while landing at the Trichy Airport at 2pm on Sunday. The flight was scheduled to leave with 139 passengers at 3.30pm but was grounded following the bird-hit.

The flaps located above the propellers of the aircraft are believed to have been damaged by bird-hit.

An airline official said: "All the passengers have been offered accommodation in a nearby hotel and flight maintenance is underway."
22/09/14 Times of India

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Andar ki baat for smugglers at Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad: From hiding gold bars in their private parts to concealing them as powder in the wires of suitcase handles, smugglers have been devising increasingly cunning ways to bring gold into the country. In one case, an old woman in a wheelchair had hidden gold bars in her under-garments but was caught. In another case, the smuggler had wrapped the gold packet under the luggage trolley.

Since January this year, the customs department alone has seized 47.97 kg gold worth Rs 13.83 crore and detained 57 smugglers at the city's airport. "Most of those detained were coming from Dubai, Sharjah, Doha or Singapore," said a customs official. As many as six cases of passengers on domestic flight being detained for smuggling gold have been reported.

On Saturday, three men were held with over 1 kg gold hidden as bars in their rectum. They were coming from Sharjah and were detained by customs.
22/09/14 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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Hajj flights from Srinagar resume

Srinagar: Hajj flights from flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir resumed on Saturday as 550 pilgrims from the state left for Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.
"Hajj flights from Srinagar to Saudi Arabia have been resumed from today and two flights took off from the Srinagar International Airport, each carrying 275 pilgrims," Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.
Wishing successful Hajj to the pilgrims, he said flood and torrential rains affected the normal flight schedule, but it is heartening that the process has been resumed.
21/09/14 IBN Live

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Screening system at Pune airport foolproof, claim officials

Pune: While the Bombay High Court has directed the Central government to “immediately” install thermal scanners to detect Ebola virus at Pune Airport, the airport authorities said the existing screening system at the airport is “foolproof” and that each passenger deboarding an international flight is scanned thoroughly.
A high court bench had on Friday directed the Centre to install thermal scanners at Pune and Nagpur airports. The bench of Justice A S Oka and Justice G S Kulkarni had expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s response that the Airport Authority of India had a shortage of thermal scanners.
Officials at the Lohegaon Airport said that as per the earlier directives issued by the high court, the state government was asked to provide medical screening facilities at Pune on the lines of Mumbai and Delhi.
21/09/14 Indian Express

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Won't expand civil flight operations at Lohegaon, says AFS chief

Pune: The Air Force Station (AFS), Lohegaon here has ruled out the possibility of any further expansion of civil flight operation from the defence air base.

"The civil flight operation is adequate as of now. The area available to them (civil enclave) is sufficient and since civil flight operation is to move out near Chakan, a further expansion may not really hold good in the long term," Air Commodore Surat Singh, Air Officer Commanding of the AFS Lohegaon, said on Saturday.

The city's existing airport is a joint user facility. The air traffic control and runway are owned by AFS, Lohegaon and the civil enclave is managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The airport handles 124 civil and 100 military aircraft movement daily.
21/09/14 Times of India

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Mamnoor airport to function only after 2030

Warangal: The Mamnoor airport, which is the largest pre-Inde-pendence era airport, built by the Nizams at Warangal in 1930, lies in a state of neglect. Initially, the airport was spread in 1,875 acres with a 6.6-km runway, a pilot and staff quarters, a pilot training centre and more than one terminal.

However, the government had taken back 1,100 acres of the airport for other activities. The airport was built to benefit the paper industry at Sirpur Kagaznagar, Azam Zahi mills and it remained in service till 1981.

At present, the airport is being used as NCC Training Centre by No. 4 (A) air squadron for gliding sorties, skeet shooting and aero-modelling since. No commercial services are being run. During former CM late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s rule, the AAI had agreed to develop the airports at Mamnoor and Kadapa simultaneously and even signed an MoU with the government.

However, the authority has thus far concentrated only on Kadapa airport. When contacted, Warangal (East) TRS MLA Konda Surekha said she does not have kno-wledge about the airport.
21/09/14 Deccan Chronicle

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Airport likely at Sindri factory site

Sindri: After much hue and cry over the need for air service in the coal capital of the country, the Jharkhand government seems to be zeroing in on an air strip at the now closed Sindri fertilizer factory for developing it into a full-fledged airport.

Additional chief secretary and in-charge of the civil aviation department of the state, Sajal Chakraborty was here on Saturday to work out the possibilities of an airport for Dhanbad on Sindri-Baliapur road. As it was raining heavily, he did not come out of the helicopter and talked to officials of the Dhanbad district administration from within the chopper. The administration was asked to prepare a detailed report on availability of land and other facilities.

Interestingly, after Rajiv Gandhi, who landed at this airstrip way back in 1985, this was the first time when a helicopter landed here.
21/09/14 Anil Ashutosh/Times of India

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New scanner to cut queues at airport

Chennai: assenger handling at Chennai airport is expected to become more efficient with Airports Authority of India planning to install another inline baggage scanning system at the international terminal.

The system, to be brought from Calicut airport, is expected to be ready in a month. There are three inline baggage scanners at the new international terminal, eliminating the need for passengers to scan their check-in baggage before boarding.

In the inline system, bags dropped into a conveyor at the check-in counters, are scanned using a high-slice X-ray as they move towards the basement. The conveyor can handle 1,200 bags in an hour. The machine segregates bags with suspicious content automatically. The bags pass through four levels of detection and the screener can see five images of the same bag from different angles. The bags are monitored from six workstations, while a supervisor looks after the entire operations.
21/09/14 Times of India

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Mumbai-bound flight cancelled; passengers create ruckus at Indore airport

Bhopal/Indore:  Mumbai-bound passengers of Air India (AI) flight AI636 created ruckus at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport Indore on Friday evening after a technical snag left them stranded for over three hours before cancellation of the flight.

Passengers had altercation with the crew and the CISF personnel at the airport in commercial hub of Madhya Pradesh.

The flight, that was supposed to take off at 8.05 pm, had around 100 passengers with connecting flights to Bangkok and Goa on Saturday morning.
The technical team, which was schedule-checking, detected the snag in the front wheel. First an announcement was made that the flight will take off 20-minutes late than its scheduled departure.
20/09/14 P Naveen/Times of India

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New way of smuggling gold busted at MIA

Mangalore: The customs department at Mangalore International Airport (MIA) on Saturday busted a unique modus operandi of smugglers and seized gold weighing 878 gm valued at over Rs 23 lakh in two separate cases.

This time it was gold concealed in watch straps, toy cars, pen refills and other items. In the first case, the department seized gold in the form of wire rods, beads, pieces in assorted sizes and shapes weighing 436 gm valued at Rs11.66 lakh concealed in watch straps, toy cars, pen refills, electric plugs, keychain, magnetic wristband, fancy chain/bracelet, alarm clock, zip holder of bag pack and so on kept and brought in checked-in baggage of Mohammed Ashraf Parakatta, a resident of Kudlu post in Kasargod district.

In a similar case, officers seized gold in the form of wire rods, beads, pieces in assorted sizes and shapes, weighing 442 gm and valued at Rs 11.82 lakh which were kept in the checked-in baggage of Suhaib Thalangara Mohamood, resident of Kadavath, Kasargod district, Kerala.
21/09/14 Times of India

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Co-passengers, not airport staff, flicking flyers’ stuff

New Delhi: Lost belongings at airports are increasingly being stolen by co-passengers rather than the usual suspects—loaders and airport staff. An integrated security system put in place at airports across the country to verify unclaimed objects (that could be bombs) has thrown up unexpected results. It has not only helped restore lost belongings to rightful owners, but shown that a large number of phones, laptops and bags are stolen by well-to-do co-passengers.
It has also shown that passengers are not aware that their lost belongings can be found easily. Every year over Rs 20 crore worth of unclaimed or stolen items are found at airports. Of these, items worth Rs 5 crore are restored to passengers there and then while the rest are deposited with the airport operator. However, of these, passengers return to claim only Rs 5 crore worth of items leaving behind belongings worth Rs 10 crore at various airports every year.
21/09/14 Deeptiman Tiwary/Times of India

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Surge in gold smuggling prior to Diwali

Thiruvananthapuram: In the past 48 hours, Customs enforcers seized more than 2 kg of contraband gold from suspected couriers who landed at the international airport here.

Investigators said the unusually high number of seizures this month indicated a steep increase in gold smuggling prior to the Diwali and Christmas-New Year shopping season. The domestic demand for gold ornaments traditionally peaked during the season.

The resurgence in gold smuggling has been matched by a corresponding decline in legal gold imports. In Thiruvananthapuram airport alone, gold imports have dipped from 100 kg to mere 17 kg in the past one year. The trend was the same in Nedumbassery and Kozhikode.
21/09/14 G Anand/The Hindu

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Three held at airport with gold worth Rs 26 lakh

Ahmedabad: The customs department on Saturday held three men for smuggling gold worth Rs 26 lakh at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Delhi-based Junaid, Asim and Mohsin were caught with 1,043 gram of gold bars concealed in their rectums.

According to officials, all three are first-time carriers and chose to enter through Ahmedabad in a bid to escape the customs. This is the fifth such incident in this month and 43rd incident of gold smuggling since January 2014, since when the customs department has seized 47.97 kg of gold worth Rs 13.83 crore and detained 57 smugglers at the city airport.

The three men had come in Air Arabia flight G9-483 from Sharjah. Intelligence unit officials found their movement suspicious and detained them for checking. "The gold pieces weighing 262 gram, 391 gram and 390 gram were wrapped with black tape and hidden in the rectums by Junaid, Asim and Mohsin," said a customs official.
21/09/14 Times of India

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Bellary Airport: Survey of Land Begins

Survey of 700 acres of land near Chaganur and Siriwar villages in the taluk for constructing a new airport has begun.
The joint survey was launched by the revenue officials and representatives of MARG Limited, a private infrastructure development firm.
 Mining baron Janardhan Reddy, who is in jail on illegal mining charges, had floated the idea of constructing an airport in Bellary.
Criticism from all quarters and quashing of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board’s (KIADB) notification of around 200 acres, besides his arrest, had put this public-private partnership airport project on hold since 2012.
The topographic survey is expected to be completed by Monday. Once the boundary has been marked, construction of a compound wall will commence, said a surveyor.
Around 900 acres of fertile land was acquired for the project in two villages. Land owners of around 700 acres have already received compensation ranging between `12 lakh and `16 lakh.
20/09/14 Bhukker Madhu Kumar/New Indian Express

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Mumbai ATC handles a record 51 flights an hour

Mumbai: In a first, Mumbai air traffic controllers (ATC) achieved the Herculean task of handling 51 aircraft in an hour at the congested city international airport earlier this week.

This is the highest record ever for the airport which has two cross runways, as a result of which, only one runway can be used at a time.

The declared capacity of the main runway (27) is 38, while the average number of aircraft handled is 40-42, which happens only when all taxiways are available and the weather and visibility are good.

"About three days ago, we were amazed that we handled 51 aircraft an hour. The busiest single runway airport is London Gatwick that handles 100 planes an hour," said a source. While a new record may have been created, Mumbai ATC is working in a "pressure cooker" situation. "Mumbai has 250 air traffic controllers while the city needs at least 200 more. In the last three years the number of ATCs has dropped from 275 to 250 as no one wants to come here," said a source.
20/09/14 Times of India

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Trolley touts outside airport make passengers see red

Mumbai: It seems various groups of people are bent on making your flying experience in and out of Mumbai a nightmare just so that they can make a quick buck. First, there were the touts at T2, who were making passengers shell out $20 (nearly Rs 1,300) for using a trolley and then there were the auto drivers who were charging Rs 50-Rs 100 extra as an ‘entry fee’ for the international terminal.
Now, it has emerged that the trolley tout mafia has been operational at the domestic airport as well, albeit in a different avatar. Instead of hiding trolleys, as the touts at T2 did, their counterparts at the domestic airport’s departure section target unsuspecting passengers who get off from cars and tell them that it is mandatory to use their services to get a trolley and a drop from them to the departure gate barely a minute away.
20/09/14 Neha Tripathi/Mid Day

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Jet wheel gets stuck in runway crater at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Two incidents in a span of 30 minutes affected operations of three flights at Kolkata airport on Friday morning.

In the first incident, a GoAir flight bound for Bagdogra was taxiing for takeoff around 11.15 am when it got stranded after one of its rear wheels got stuck in a crater. Sources said patch repairs that had earlier been carried out on the taxi track had given way, leaving a crater that caught the GoAir plane.
After the flight captain contacted the ATC, the controller alerted the airline which then sent a pushback tractor to tow the aircraft back to the parking bay. After the plane was retrieved, engineers inspected the aircraft before certifying it fit to fly. Following the DGCA nod, the flight took off for Bagdogra an hour later.
According to airport officials, a GoAir flight from Nagpur that was preparing to land was put on hold and asked to hover over Kolkata till the birds were cleared. Similarly, a Jet Airways flight to Guwahati that was taxiing for takeoff was asked to wait. When the unwanted winged guests were finally shooed off, the Jet Airways flight took off and the GoAir plane landed soon after.
20/09/14 Times of India

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Automatic weather observation system at airport soon

Tiruchi: An automatic weather observation system is proposed to be established at the Tiruchi international airport to provide continuous and accurate information on weather conditions.

The India Meteorological Department would set up the meteorological park which would provide a gamut of information, including temperature, wind direction and speed, and runway visibility range.

The park would contain wind direction and speed measuring sensors, visibility sensors and ceilometer to measure the wind speed and direction at different heights.

Information from the meteorological park would be extremely useful for the airport authorities, especially during monsoon, when the visibility is poor. The data would also be useful in enhancing the efficiency of the airline operators, Airport Director B.C.H.Negi told reporters here on Friday.
20/09/14 The Hindu

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Abandoned Bag at Airport Creates Flutter

Coimbatore: An abandoned bag at the parking lot at the airport in Coimbatore created a flutter for some time today.
   
Acting on a tip off from a person that a bag was lying in the parking lot and might contain explosives, a police team along with bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot.

However a check revealed that the bag was empty.
20/09/14 PTI/NDTV

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Weather alert system for Kannur airport

Thiruvananthapuram: he Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) will install Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) in the upcoming Kannur international airport to ensure the safety and efficiency of aircraft operations.

The AWOS will be installed, as per the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), at the cost of Rs.3 crore in the fourth international airport of the State. The facilities will be set up in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower.

The services to be provided by the IMD through the AWOS include weather observation, weather forecast, aerodrome warning and climatology. The IMD will install, and maintain, the latest machines.

The KIAL and the IMD signed a Memorandum of Understanding for AWOS in Delhi on Wednesday. The MoU was signed between the KIAL Managing Director G. Chandramouli and Deputy Director General, IMD, M.K. Bhatnagar. Director General, IMD, Lakshman Singh Rathore and Additional Project Engineer, KIAL, K.S. Shibukumar were present.
20/09/14 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Gold seized at Mangalore airport

Mangalore: The officers of Customs at Mangalore International Airport seized gold, totally weighing 878 gms valued at ?23.48 lakh, in two separate cases on Saturday.

A press release by the Customs Department said here that in both the cases the officers seized gold in the form of wire rods, beads, pieces in assorted sizes and shapes.

These items were concealed in watch straps, toy cars, pen refills, electric plugs, key chain, magnetic wrist band, fancy chain and bracelet, alarm clock, and zip holder of bag pack.

In the first case, 436 gms of gold items valued at ?11.66 lakh were seized from the possession of a passenger, Mohammed Ashraf Parakatta of Kasaragod district in Kerala. He arrived at Mangalore International Airport from Dubai at 4.45 am on Saturday, it said.
20/09/14 AJ Vinayak/Business Line

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7 women held at airport in one day for smuggling gold

Chennai: Customs officials on Thursday arrested seven women at the city airport for smuggling 3.3kg of gold worth close to 90 lakh into the country.

Officials said they first nabbed Rani, who lives in Ashok Nagar in the city, after she arrived on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kaula Lumpur. Woman officials who checked her after found 14 gold biscuits concealed in her garments.

During checks of passengers who arrived on a flight from Singapore, officials caught Vadivalagzhi, 48, Pingara, 40, Mariammal, 50, and Zeenat, 38, all of whom were carrying undeclared gold. A customs official said a gang had recruited the four women and paid them to transport the gold to the country.
20/09/14 Daniel George/Times of India

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Developer may oppose rehabilitation of slum-dwellers on Mumbai airport land

Mumbai: The on-site rehabilitation of slum-dwellers on airport land is likely to face opposition from developer HDIL.

The developer had been assigned construction of 27,000 tenements for slum-dwellers in 2009. But Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which operates the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport and was entrusted resettlement and rehabilitation of the slum-dwellers, terminated its agreement with HDIL in 2013.

HDIL and MIAL are locked in arbitration proceedings over the terminated agreement. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the special planning authority for the airport, had complained about the 'inferior' quality of tenements constructed at the Premier Automobile Ltd land in Kurla and refused to take possession.
19/09/14 Clara Lewis/Times of India

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Air Seychelles to operate direct flights to Mumbai

Mumbai: Air Seychelles, in which gulf carrier Etihad holds 40 per cent stake, announced here today that it will launch direct flight services to Mumbai from December, making its foray into the Indian aviation space.

The Seychelles national carrier will operate three flights a week on the Seychelles-Mumbai route from December 2, subject to regulatory clearances, the airline said in a release.

“We are thrilled to launch flights to Mumbai. As one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most exciting travel markets in the world, India represents a considerable opportunity for Air Seychelles,” Air Seychelles chief executive Manoj Papa said in the release.
19/09/14 The Hindu

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More international, domestic flights to fly from Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Come winter and Amdavadis can fly to newer destinations directly from the city. A string of airlines have rolled out their plans to begin operations on new international and national routes. Airlines including Air India, Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture airline — Vistara, AirAsia and Jet Airways will be introducing direct flights on routes such as London, Abu Dhabi and some tier II cities in India.

Ahmedabad will soon have direct air connectivity with London as Air India is in process of assessing the logistics for the same. This followed discussions between Gujarat civil aviation minister Saurabh Patel and Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman S Raheja in Gandhinagar earlier this month.
19/09/14 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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UCO Bank weighing options to send notice to Kingfisher Airlines

Kolkata:  State-owned UCO Bank today said that it was mulling options of sending wilful defaulter notice to debt-ridden Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines, which is now grounded.

"We are weighing the possibility of sending wilful defaulter notice to Kingfisher Airlines. The bank's exposure to the company is Rs 400 crore," CMD of UCO Bank Arun Kaul told reporters on the sidelines of CII Banking Colloquium here.
19/09/14 PTI/Economic Times

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Birds cause delay in take-off, landing of flights

Kolkata: A flock of birds perched on the runway of the NSCB Airport here delayed take off and landing of flights by 30 minutes this morning.

Airport sources said the air traffic control officials noticed the presence of birds on the runway at around 11.50 am when a Kolkata-Guwahati Jet Airways plane was preparing for a take-off.

At the same time a Nagpur-Kolkata GoAir flight was ready for landing.
19/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Bihar CM proposes airstrip near Nalanda University

Rajgir: CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, while addressing the formal inaugural ceremony of the revived Nalanda University (NU) proposed to build an airstrip near the varsity at Rajgir or Nalanda so that foreign students, faculty members and dignitaries could reach the university, which is situated about 100km from Patna, easily.

The CM sought the Union government's help in setting up the aerodrome. "I am sure the Narendra Modi-led government and the civil aviation ministry will help in Bihar's development," Manjhi said, adding "The state government has already identified about 1,500 acres of land near Rajgir for the airstrip and needs the go- ahead from the Centre."

"Rajgir is the second most popular place for Buddhist pilgrims to Bihar after Bodh Gaya. It attracts lakhs of domestic and foreign visitors every year. The airstrip will also help in promoting tourism in the state," Manjhi said. He also sought the Centre's help in improving the technical know-how of the youngsters in the state. Reiterating former President A P J Abdul Kalam's words, Manjhi said, "India can't progress without Bihar's development. I sincerely hope the Centre and state government will work in tandem for the same."
19/05/14 Vithika SalomiTimes of India

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Gold Worth Rs. 2.4 cr Seized at Chennai airport

Chennai: Gold worth about Rs. 2.4 crore was seized in two separate incidents at the airport here, officials said today.

Air Intelligence Unit of Customs seized seven kg gold, worth Rs. two crore, from one Manmeet Singh Bhardwaj who arrived from Hong Kong last night.

The gold was recovered from his check-in baggage, officials said.
19/09/14 PTI/NDTV

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Jet Airways Launches Fifth Daily Service Between Dubai And Mumbai

Indian carrier Jet Airways has announced the launch of its fifth new daily service between Dubai and Mumbai.

Jet, in which Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways recently bought a 24 per cent stake, said that it plans to commence operations on the new service from October 14, 2014.

The airline will deploy its next – generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route, offering twin class configuration of premiere and economy class, it said in a statement.

From October 14- 25, flight 9W 580 will depart Mumbai at 0200hrs (local time) and arrive Dubai at 0340 hrs. On the return leg, 9W 579 will depart Dubai at 0455 hrs and arrive in Mumbai at 0930 hrs.

However, from October 26 onwards, the Mumbai departure time will move to 0140 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0335 hrs. On the return leg, 9W 579 will depart Dubai at 0500 hrs and arrive in Mumbai at 0930 hrs.
18/09/14 Aarti Nagraj/Gulf Business

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With GMR out, Chinese firm bags Male airport deal

Beijing: A Chinese firm has bagged a deal for upgrading the international airport in Male, the capital of Maldives, after President Xi Jinping visited the island nation on Monday. The Maldives government had earlier given the $511 million contract to an Indian company, GMR Infrastructure, and cancelled it two years ago over user charges. The deal has now gone to Beijing Urban Construction Group Company Ltd.

The move has strategic significance in the Indian Ocean area, particularly in light of Chinese contractors building sea ports in Sri Lanka. Significantly, the Maldives also accepted President Xi's request to join the Chinese Maritime Silk Road programme, aimed at linking China to Europe through the seas of South Asia. Sri Lanka and Singapore have earlier expressed their desire to join the programme, which will connect China with the Indian Ocean.

President Xi, it is learnt, is expected to request Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his green signal for India's participation in the plan to transform the Indian Ocean zone into the regional shipping and aviation hub.
18/09/14 Saibal Dasgupta/Times of India

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British Airways gives massive discount on Mumbai-London ticket

New Delhi: British Airways announced a flash one-day sale today, offering massive discount of up to 90 per cent on return tickets between Mumbai and London to commemorate nine decades of its India operations.

Under the offer, the lowest-priced Mumbai-London return ticket would start at Rs 40,252 for economy travel from October 1-31, this year, the airline said in a statement.

"We, at British Airways, are pleased to introduce this once-in-a-lifetime offer for our customers from Mumbai as part of our 90 years' anniversary celebration in the market," Christopher Fordyce, BA's Regional Commercial Manager (South Asia), told PTI from Mumbai.

To questions, he said this one-day offer was not "just another flash sale" but meant only to commemorate the 90th anniversary.
Asked whether several foreign airlines like Lifthansa, Qatar Airways and Emirates were offering to attract Indian customers due to excess capacity, Fordyce said such offers were a regular feature in the aviation market and not generally driven by excess capacity.
18/09/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Karasur-Sederapet SEZ Land May be Developed as Airport

Puducherry: The Puducherry government is planning to shift the airport at Lawspet to a rural area of Karasur-Sederapet by utilizing the land acquired for Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

While speaking in the budget discussion in the Assembly on Wednesday, PML Kalyanasundaram (AINRC) made this reference based on a reply provided by the government to his question raised during question hour in the Assembly.

It may be recalled that over 750 acres of land had been acquired from farmers for establishing a SEZ at Karasur-Sederapet in 2006-2007. The government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private party (SPML) for developing the area and handed over the land for the purpose. However the SEZ project went into cold storage following objections raised by the Union Home Ministry, citing lack of contiguity.

In the written reply to the MLA, the government stated that it was waiting for handing over of the SEZ area by the private party, since the matter was pending in court.  Once the land is handed over to the Tourism Department, action would be taken to develop an airport and allied tourism activities, the government stated in its reply.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been informed in this regard for getting site  clearance and they would be visiting the site for review, sources said.
18/09/14 New Indian Express

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Air traffic management an 'urgent issue' in metros, says Maharashtra Governor

Mumbai: Air traffic management is an "urgent issue" in the metros due to economic growth and the challenge is to be efficient while ensuring safety, Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao said today.

"The challenge is to cope with increasing traffic, increasing connectivity and the need to attain higher level of efficiency along with enhanced safety," said Rao, who was sworn in as the Governor of the state last month.
"Air traffic management has become an urgent issue to be addressed at the metro airports," he said.

Rao was addressing a seminar to kick-off the 50 years celebration of ATC Guild of India here.

There are 2,345 air traffic controllers manning the domestic skies at present, the Guild said.
18/09/14 PTI/Economic Times

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AAI to make modifications at Gannavaram airport

Vijayawada: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is contemplating to make temporary modifications at the Gannavaram airport shortly to meet the requirements of increasing passengers from Vijayawada and its surroundings areas.
Anticipating a flurry of activity in the wake of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement in the State Assembly that the new Capital would be developed around the city, the AAI has chalked out plans to make modifications to the existing terminal building to cater to the needs of passengers as also airline companies that are planning to began operations from Gannavaram airport.
“We have sent the proposals along with estimates to the headquarters in New Delhi in this regard. We are waiting for the response. Once we get the permission, we will complete the work in a year,” a senior airport official said. The official explained that additional check-in counters and space for backend operations for new airline companies, spacious lounge for passengers and expansion of VIPs lounge would be taken up as part of the modification works.
“We have to take up works without disturbing the ongoing operations. We are only waiting for the clearance from higher-ups,” he said. Plans to make temporary changes to the terminal building were afoot as the previous proposals to develop a swanky arrival and departure terminal to meet the needs of passengers coming from foreign countries could take some more time.
18/09/14 M. Srinivas/The Hindu

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Vadodara MP demands restarting of Air India flights to Delhi, Mumbai

Vadodara: Newly elected BJP MP from Vadodara Ranjanben Bhatt has sought the Centre's help to restart Air India's flight from here to Delhi and Mumbai.
"I have made this demand in a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju," Bhatt said.
Air India has suspended its daily morning flight on Delhi-Vadodara route since last week.
Demanding resumption of the flight to Delhi as soon as possible, Bhatt also sought restarting of AI's flight on Mumbai-Vadodara route which was suspended over five years back since the advent of private players.
"If the private airline companies could continue to operate on Vadodara-Delhi and Vadodara-Mumbai routes, then what prevents the Air India from operating on these routes?" the MP asked.
Several industry representatives here have also supported Bhatt's demand for resumption of flights on these two commercially profitable routes.
18/09/14 PTI/Financial Express

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How airport crooks take off with your stuff

Everyone knows how busy airports are, but it's this chaos that thieves take full advantage of. Here are the six areas in an airport you are likeliest to lose your luggage, going by what the cops tell us

When most people think of safety at the air port, they are so caught up in the ideas of plane hijackings that they forget the luggage that's right beside them. And that's what makes the situation ideal for airport thieves to strike. A recent report states that in the last few years, there has been a sharp rise in cases of baggage theft at IGI Airport. MI Haider, deputy commissioner of police, IGI Airport, says, "From January to August, we have reported 40 cases of baggage theft. These thefts have mostly happened at the screening area, conveyor belts and after you have checked-in your baggage (the baggage management area)." The CISF , which is responsible for security at the airport, pointed out other places where cases of thefts happen regularly . DT breaks down the areas during the check-in procedure where your luggage is the most vulnerable, and when you need to keep a sharper eye on it.
Upon reaching the airport, you're busy clinging on to the memories of the city you're leaving, but it's best to cling on to your luggage as well, because it's while you're saying goodbye to your loved ones or paying the taxi that thefts can occur. In one of the incidents reported, a girl filched a small handbag kept at the top of a trolley, while a family was busy with their lastminute goodbyes. She was, however, caught with the help of CCTV cameras, and later, it was found that she was part of a five-member, bagsnatching gang of girls, who'd stolen from the airport on several occasions.
18/09/14 Nitisha Kashyap/Times of India

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Kenyan woman detained at airport in TN

Chennai: A 26-year-old Kenyan woman was detained by immigration authorities here after it was found that she allegedly had a fake visa and overstayed in India, airport authorities said.

The woman, Jacinta Mueni, arrived here from Hyderabad to board an early morning flight to Doha.

During checks, it was found that she had a fake visa besides had overstayed in India.

She was detained and being questioned by the authorities, they said.
18/09/14 PTI/ZeeNews

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GMR surprised with decision to give airport development to Chinese firm

Indian infrastructure company GMR has told media of its surprise that the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) has been given to a Chinese firm.

“Sources in the GMR expressed surprise at the move by the Maldives government as it has entered in a new contract for construction work at airport without paying damages as suggested by the tribunal,” wrote the Economic Times today.

The preliminary contract agreement for the development of the airport was one of eight MoUs signed between the Chinese and Maldivian governments during the recent presidential visit by the Chinese President Xi Jinpeng.

The terms of the agreements have not yet been released to the media, though it was revealed that the new contract to develop the airport was given to Beijing Urban Construction Company Limited.

President Xi’s visit to the Maldives – part of his South Asia – tour was reported to have added to Indian concerns regarding Chinese ambitions in the region.
17/09/14 Ismail Humaam Hamid/Minivan News

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Malfunctioning AC delays AI flight, leaves Mumbai-bound passengers traumatised

Passengers of an Air India flight to Mumbai had a traumatic experience on Wednesday after the plane was stuck on New Delhi tarmac for over 1 hour with no air conditioner aboard the plane. Fliers on AI Flight 315, an Osaka-Mumbai flight via Hong Kong and Delhi, were in for a shock after the plane remained stranded at Delhi airport for 90 minutes. The passengers on the Delhi-Mumbai route of the flight alleged that they were stuck on board with non-functional air conditioners. The aircraft that was to take off at 11pm from Delhi to Mumbai could take off only at 12.30 am after 1.5 hours of delay.
The passengers were all the more furious when a female passenger’s health deteriorated due to lack of oxygen inside the aircraft. When the passengers sought medical help, they claim that they were told that there wasn’t even a medical kit in the aircraft.
17/09/14 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Odisha seeks permission from Center for to allow Fly Dubai to start operations from Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has once again urged the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to accord permission to ‘Fly Dubai’ to start operations from from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. Odisha chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati, in a letter to secretary of Union Ministry of Civil Aviation V Somasundaran, said “Fly Dubai has submitted an application for permission to operate international flights from Bhubaneswar. I would appreciate if provisional permission to Fly Dubai to start international flight operation can be granted, pending finalisation of bilateral air services agreement,”.
17/09/14 Odishadiary.tv

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MIA must explain battery scare, says minister

Mangalore: Minister for health and family welfare, U T Khader, on Monday demanded an explanation from authorities concerned for the trials and tribulations that Abdul Khader, 29, a resident of Uppala, went through at Mangalore International Airport (MIA) on Saturday. A faulty tab battery that exposed the circuitry forced the airport security to detain Khader.

He was scheduled to take the Dubai flight and join work there on Sunday.

In a statement released here, the minister said a memorandum will be sent to the Union ministry for civil aviation, demanding a thorough probe into the chain of events that led to an impression that Abdul Khader was carrying explosives.

The minister said that people have a right to know where the lapse occurred, leading to the incident being blown out of proportion.

Khader was supposed to take the Jet Airways 9W352 flight at 11.15pm on Saturday to Dubai when security personnel detained him at MIA after they found 'exposed' circuitry inside his bag. Incoherent answers by Khader, who believed that the parcel in question were books given to him by his neighbour to be handed over to her brother in Sharjah, only confounded matters. Meanwhile, Khader, was also not aware of the exact contents of the parcel handed to him.

Further, a bottle, which personnel from the bomb detection and disposal squad from Bangalore later confirmed was hydrogen peroxide, added to their anxiety.

According to the minister, the security personnel could have handled the situation tactfully. Khader finally left for Dubai, 24-hours later on Sunday by a Jet Airways flight after the local law enforcement agencies cleared him.
17/09/14 SahilONline

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Review of 150km radius limit for second airport

New Delhi: The restriction on having a second airport within 150km radius of an existing one may soon go, paving the way for Indian cities to have multiple airports in the future. The aviation ministry is examining if the barred distance can be reduced to 100km, if not lower.

However, whether this proposed change benefits metros with PPP airports like Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore remains to be seen. The concession agreements with private developers are tilted in their favour and not the flying public. "In these metros, the private developer has to be on board for having another airport in the vicinity," said a senior ministry official.

In fact to avoid such lop-sided PPP agreements in the future, aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has issued instructions to have a public-private model in place which concerns of all stakeholders are taken into consideration. The order issued by Raju's office for says: "Consultation should be help prior to entering into PPP agreements and views of stakeholders (government agencies; airport operators; airlines; passenger associations and travel operators) should be given due consideration before finalizing these agreements."
16/09/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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