No-frills airports need limited private participation

Even as the government has promised to improve ease of doing business, it has decided to limit the role of private investors in developing airports infrastructure in India. The NDA government has decided to take forward the previous regime’s proposal to develop no-frills airports by creating assets utilising its own resources. As far as brownfield airports are concerned, the government has opted to award operations and maintenance contracts to private sector entities, starting with two airports in Jaipur and Ahmedabad. The proposal to develop, operate and maintain airports in Kolkata and Chennai on public-private partnership (PPP) basis was shelved recently. Even as industry experts have raised concerns over capital inflow in the sector, given the latest spate of decisions, senior officials in the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed that considering the modernisation programme for 35 key airports across the country have already been concluded, the focus would now be to improve efficacy of operations by awarding management contracts to private players.
20/09/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express

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Abandoned plane gets a new resting place

Nagpur: An abandoned aircraft posing threat to planes landing at Nagpur airport since last 22 years was finally removed on Tuesday. The private jet — a Boeing 720 — was left at the airport in 1991 and was lying there since. The plane belongs to Continental Aviation Private Limited (CAPL), run by former NRI Sam Verma, now based in Betul which is over 100km away from Nagpur. The company has now ceased operations.

The operator's licence of Mihan India Limited (MIL), was at stake had it not removed the plane to a safer distance. After repeated directions since 2009, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), issued an ultimatum to MIL in July, giving it two months' time. Non-removal of the aircraft would have been treated as non-compliance of safety norms, leading to cancellation of licence.

In 1993, the plane was shifted outside the apron and placed just 90 metres away from the runway. Norms call for keeping any object at least 150 meters away from the runway's sides. There chances that at times, an aircraft may deviate during landing. If there is any object on the sides, it poses a grave threat. Therefore, every time a plane landed at Nagpur, the Boeing 720 was standing within the risk zone. Even though the plane was 90 meters away, there was no strict monitoring till 2007, when DGCA introduced the system of periodical renewal of operators' licences. The licence has to be renewed after an inspection in every two years, said a source.
30/09/15 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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It took just 30 minutes to shift 24-year long grounded aeroplane

Nagpur: While all failed to shift the aeroplane, long-parked for 24 years in the vicinity of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur, the new Airport Director Roshan Kamble, who recently took over the charge of his office, succeeded in shifting the aeroplane to the location of Nagpur Flying Club on Tuesday, Sep 29. The Airport authority personnel took a sigh of relief over this, for it was said be causing threat to the traffic on the runway.

Talking to media personnel present over there, Kamble said, “It took just half-an-hour to move the plane. Though its wheels were not in working order, so we replaced them with wheels of Boeing and the plane was pulled and shifted to the location of Nagpur Flying Club. I did it on priority as this work had been pending over a long period of time and was causing concern to all.”

Present at the time of shifting the plane were Senior Airport Director of MIHAN Avadhesh Prasad, Roshan Kamble, Suraj Shinde, Abid Ruhi and Dy Commandant CISF Gurjeet Singh among others.

It may be mentioned that the plane of Continental Aviation Private Limited belonged to US-based NRI Sam Verma who never bothered to take away the plane nor did he pay the parking charges. However, MIHAN took care of renewal of its licence by the Director General of Civil Aviation, and the plane remained lying near the runway, posing a threat to other aeroplanes while taking off or landing on the runway.
30/09/15 Nagpur Today

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International carriers may fly into Kannur

The Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) has commenced talks with various international airlines to rope them in to operate services to the airport.

The KIAL authorities have already begun correspondence with nine international airlines, including the national carrier Air India, as the Kannur airport is set to commence commercial flight operations by mid-2016.

Official sources said the initiative was based on the talks KIAL managing director G. Chandramouli and others had with various airlines officials at the World Routes 2015 forum in Durban. The platform was used to showcase the airport and the opportunities that would be part of commencing air connectivity to north Kerala.

Besides Air India, KIAL has approached Emirates, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Air Arabia, FlyDubai, Ethihad, Kuwait Airways, Vistara and Maldivian Airlines.
30/09/15 The Hindu

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Lackadaisical authorities continue to keep Mumbai airport in danger zone

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) was put under on high alert on Monday following a call received at the airport's control room, claiming that the airport terminals and Taj hotel would be attacked.
Earlier this month, two Vasai residents had entered the high-security Terminal 2 of CSIA using fake Vistara flight tickets. They were caught by security officials while exiting the departure gate without catching a plane. Even as the incident had sent security agencies into a tizzy, owing to the seriousness of the breach, further investigations had revealed that duo had done so in order to see off a relative.
Experts say the two could have been prevented from entering the terminal with a bit of more human interaction by security officials posted inside and outside the airport.
Dozens of major and minor instances of security breaches have been reported across airports in India. Minister of civil aviation (state) Mahesh Sharma had last month accepted that such instances happen, while saying "only" 15 cases of security breach have been reported since 2012 by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the aviation safety regulator.
Sharma had said that of the total lapses, 10 were reported in 2012 itself from various domestic airports, with the most — five — from CSIA. The other airports that had reported such cases were Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Amritsar and Hyderabad.
30/09/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Dabolim runway closure to severely affect charter flights

Vasco: The Navy’s notice to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and aircraft operators regarding closure of the runway at Dabolim airport for six hours for a period of 69 days has upset the AAI authorities as the chartered flights will be severely affected.
According to sources in the civil aviation industry, the Indian Navy has issued a notice to the AAI and the aircraft operators for taking up the repair works of the shoulders of the recently re-carpeted and resurfaced runway of the Dabolim airport. In view of the work to be taken up, the runway will be closed for flying operations from 10 pm to 4 am for 69 days from October 1 to November 29.
The AAI authorities and aircraft operators are disturbed as the charter season is about to start. Airport director K Srinivasa Rao said that the restriction on flying operations would affect the entire charter season, which will start from October 4.
30/09/15 Navhind Times

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Guwahati airport gets Rs 1,200-cr revamp, to become a heli hub

New Delhi: In a major boost to the tourism sector in Northeast region, Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr Mahesh Sharma on Wednesday said that the Guwahati airport is being revamped at an investment of Rs 1,200 crore to improve connectivity in the region.

Planning to make Guwahati a hub to provide better connectivity in Northeast, the minister said that a helicopter hub in association with Pawan Hans services is being created in the capital city.
Signalling government's stand on tourism promotion in Northeast region, he said that connectivity in northeast remains a high priority for the centre in order to promote tourism in this part of the country.
30/09/15 Economic Times

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At Dubai airport, India is the top destination

New Delhi: India is now the top destination country for the world's busiest airport, Dubai, with Mumbai being the busiest destination in the country for flyers to and from the Emirate. This August Dubai saw its highest every monthly traffic of 72.8 lakh international flyers, of which the 8.5 lakh to and from India were the single largest chunk.

"India remained the top destination country (855,550 passengers), followed by the UK (543,213 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (480,051 passengers),"a statement by Dubai Airports said. "The Indian subcontinent topped the list of regions with highest growth in passenger numbers (+143,970 passengers) followed by Western Europe (+129,950) and the GCC (+111,637)," it added.
30/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Air Vistra flight starts from Bhubaneswar airport on Oct 1

Bhubaneswar: Nearly a year after GoAir started operations here at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) with four flights for Delhi and Kolkata, Domestic carrier Air Vistara would start its operations from the airport on October 1.

With Air Vistara starting operations, the city airport will have four airlines running daily flights. A month ago, Air Vistara began online booking of seats and the response has been good, sources said.

Airport sources said that after Vistara starts operations, there will be eight daily flights to the national capital.
29/09/15 Prameya News7

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Tariff issue creates uncertainty over Delhi Airport’s cash flows: S&P

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) will maintain its competitive position but uncertainty continues to surround its cash flows on account of pending tariff decision, S&P said today.
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services also said that DIAL, which operates the Delhi airport, is expected to maintain its good operating efficiency.
The agency affirmed its ‘BB’ long-term corporate credit rating on DIAL with a stable outlook. The ‘BB’ long-term issue rating on the company’s senior secured notes was retained.
“The affirmation reflects our view that DIAL will maintain its competitive position, and will generate strong cash flows, given the high tariffs,” S&P’s credit analyst Mehul Sukkawala said in a statement.
However, uncertainty continues to surround the extent to which the company’s cash flows could fall based on the pending tariff decision for the second regulatory period, he added.
“We expect DIAL to remain the largest airport in India by passenger and cargo volumes. The growth in passenger traffic in fiscal 2015 (year ended March 31) was higher than we had expected.
29/09/15 PTI/Financial Express

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Security stepped up at airports, Taj hotel after call warns of terror attack

Mumbai: Security at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Sahar, Andheri (East), the domestic airport at Santacruz (East) and at Colaba’s Taj Mahal Palace was beefed up late Monday night after an unknown caller warned of a terror attack. Police said a manager at CSIA received the call around 11.30 pm Monday on a landline. The caller claimed to have heard five persons near the Andheri railway station planning to attack the airports and the hotel with explosives-laden vehicles.
While police are not taking any chances, they suspect the call, made through an Internet-calling facility in Uttar Pradesh, could be a hoax. “We have registered an FIR at the Sahar police station. A probe is on. At this stage, we cannot comment on anything,” said Mumbai Police spokesperson Mohan Dahikar. “The caller said the attackers were planning to target the airports and the hotel with 16 explosives-laden vehicles. The call was declared ‘specific’ by the security committee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of security at the Mumbai airport. Security was stepped up and the police too were roped in,” said an airport official, requesting anonymity. A police officer said while security had been stepped up, they suspect it to be a hoax call.
30/09/15 Indian Express

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Indira Gandhi International Airport shop gives liquor lovers a high

Be it a Dalmore Single Malt whisky worth more than Rs 20 lakh a bottle, or any other high-end brand, liquor lovers are going bonkers at the Delhi Duty Free Services (DDFS) counter at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to avail an easy purchase of their favourite labels at equated monthly installments.

The facility has drastically shot up the sales of the high-end products at the Delhi airport making it a front-runner option for the brand lovers. According to the duty- free services officials, their sales have gone up by 30 to 35 per cent with the EMI option gaining popularity.

Sources said in the first half of the year, the duty-free sales at the Delhi airport have netted over Rs 450 crore, which is about 20 to 25 per cent more than the last year's profit.
30/09/15 Anvit Srivastava/Economic Times 

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Sword of eviction hangs on 20 villages

Jaipur: The sword of eviction hangs on 20 villages near Shivdaspura area after the state government directed the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) to prepare a proposal to acquire land for constructing greenfield airport.

For the project, the JDA has to acquire 2,100.80-hectare land in 20 villages, and it has already received in-principle approval from the state government. An official said, "Recently, the JDA had sought permission for acquiring 4,651-bigha land in eight villages. After that, a joint inspection was carried out by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and JDA officials."

The official further said the AAI has requested the state government to provide land for constructing 2.5 km X 6 km runway which will run from east to west. Seeing the requirement, the JDA has prepared a khasra plan. "The state government has given in-principle approval to the proposal sent on May 19. Also, the JDA has been asked to submit a proposal for land acquisition," said the official.

It has also been learnt that the JDA has already prepared a proposal for acquiring land and it will be soon sent to the state government for final nod.
30/09/15 Times of India

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Flight to Abu Dhabi improves aircraft movement at Lohegaon

Pune:  The movement of international aircraft at the Lohegaon airport has almost doubled over the past eight months.

The biggest change was observed in August when the number of flights increased from 98 in the month last year to 184 in August 2015, registering over 80% growth. The Pune airport, for the period April to August 2015, registered over 90% increase in international aircraft movement over the same period last year, which is among the highest growth registered across airports in the country. The aircraft movement refers to an aircraft's take-off or landing at an airport.

In January this year, the international aircraft movement at the airport had decreased from 126 in January last year to 92. In February 2015 too, the number decreased from those recorded in the same period in 2014 by over 6%. Thereafter, the segment has picked up considerably.
30/09/15 Times of India

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Flight to Abu Dhabi improves aircraft movement at Lohegaon

Pune: The movement of international aircraft at the Lohegaon airport has almost doubled over the past eight months.

The biggest change was observed in August when the number of flights increased from 98 in the month last year to 184 in August 2015, registering over 80% growth. The Pune airport, for the period April to August 2015, registered over 90% increase in international aircraft movement over the same period last year, which is among the highest growth registered across airports in the country. The aircraft movement refers to an aircraft's take-off or landing at an airport.

In January this year, the international aircraft movement at the airport had decreased from 126 in January last year to 92. In February 2015 too, the number decreased from those recorded in the same period in 2014 by over 6%. Thereafter, the segment has picked up considerably.

International aircraft movement at the Pune airport has been increasing consistently since March this year, states the data provided by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
30/09/15 Times of India

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Air Asia flight suffers bird hit, lands safely

Vasco: An Air Asia flight with over 168 passengers on board suffered a bird hit while heading to Bangalore on Wednesday.
The aircraft returned safely to Dabolim airport under emergency conditions. The airline authorities cancelled the flight (I5-1321), leaving passengers stranded at the airport for over two hours.
This is second bird hit incident at Dabolim airport in three days. On Sunday, a Goa-Mumbai Air India flight had to be cancelled after suffering a bird hit.
According to information, the flight departed at 5 am. Thirty minutes later, the pilot noticed a technical snag and decided to return to Dabolim airport. After the plane landed safely, airline officials found that a bird had hit and damaged an engine blade.
30/09/15 Herald

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CIAL hands over Rs 20.72 cr dividend to govt

Thiruvananthapuram: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which manages the first PPP model airport in the country at Nedumbassery in Kochi, today handed over Rs 20.72 crore dividend to the state government.

CIAL Managing Director V J Kurian handed over the cheque for the amount to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at a function at the CM's conference hall at the secretariat here.

"It is a proud moment for the state',the CM told reporters

The state government had invested in CIAL is Rs 98.60 crore and so far CIAL had given Rs 133 crore as dividend. CIAL declared 21 per cent dividend for the year 2014-15.
Chandy said government was also committed to go ahead with the low budget airline service 'Air Kerala', a request for which was pending with the Centre.
30/09/15 Business Standard

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Chess wizard motivates CISF officers at airport

Chennai:  Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand had three valuable tips for the CISF officers when he gave them a motivational speech at the airport here as part of their training programme: practice well, don't be one-dimensional and don't rest on your laurels.

Addressing the CISF officers on Tuesday, Anand said, "My journey with the game started when I was six years old. I lost the first three games. I played for my club and the first point I gained was through a 'bye' in the fourth match. Practising is the only way in which you can improve in anything you do. Learning something through books has some valuable information, but applying it practically has more benefits."

"When I tried to become a grandmaster in the late '80s, I would miss it barely by some points. It started to frustrate me, I took a three-month gap from the game for my Plus-Two exams. That break really helped me to recover my hunger for the game. Being one-dimensional is like hitting a wall  after which one cannot progress," Anand added.
30/09/15 News Today

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NDRF conducts mock drill at LGBI Airport

Guwahati: The first battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) today organised a mock drill at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.
SK Sastri, Commandant, 1st Bn NDRF, who is looking after the entire north-eastern region for disaster response, said that NDRF, fire brigade and airport personnel displayed amazing skills during emergency exercise. They rescued and evacuated the victims placed under various simulated scenarios.

The equipment and manpower used in the exercise played a crucial role in the rescue operation. The exercise showed the preparedness of the staff and officers concerned , especially during accidents and calamities. Such types of exercise would definitely help both the LGBI Airport staff and NDRF teams to boost their self-confidence during rescue and relief operations, he said.
29/09/15 Assam Tribune

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Draft Civil Aviation Policy may bring back life to India's ghost airports

New Delhi: India's ghost airports may soon get a new lease of life. The country has about 400 airports/airstrips but only close to 100 are being used for commercial purposes as of now. This is set to change, as the Draft Civil Aviation Policy will propose a raft of incentives for airlines to mount flights to remote and regional areas of the country so that the ghost airports can be revived.
Civil aviation secretary RN Choubey told CNBC-TV18 that the Centre, state governments and airport operators will all pitch in with aid to incentivise airlines to fly to smaller and remote airports.
"Airport operators, Central and state governments will all take some hit. And if cost of flying to these remote locations still remains high, we will look at further subsidy. I cannot discuss at this stage how this subsidy will be given but airlines cannot sustain cost of flying from these areas unless some subsidy is given," Choubey said.
29/09/15 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Singapore-bound Air India plane lands on one engine

New Delhi: An Air India Dreamliner flying from Chennai to Singapore on Monday suffered an engine shutdown just as was approaching to land. The twin-engine plane landed safely on one engine and is now grounded in Singapore.

"The pilot got an indication of low oil pressure in one of the aircraft's engines. To avoid damaging the engine by running it dry which could lead to seizure, the pilot switched it off and landed in Singapore on one engine," said a source.

AI is now probing whether the Boeing 787's engine actually suffered an oil leak or it was a false alarm. If the scare was real, then General Electric (GE) will send a replacement engine for the aircraft in Singapore.

An AI spokesman said: "AI 346 Chennai-Singapore had a precautionary landing at Singapore airport due to oil pressure drop and the flight is grounded for engineering check. Passengers are taken care of and are adjusted to other flights."
29/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Mumbai airport on high alert after bomb threat

Mumbai: The Mumbai airport received a threat call on Monday night following which security was stepped up.

"Around 11.30 pm, a unknown person called a landline number of the airport and spoke to an airport staffer. He said he was near Andheri railway station when he heard five people talking about attack at Mumbai airport and hotel Taj with explosive laden 16 hired vehicles," said a CISF official. The call was declared as "specific" in nature and security outside airport terminals has been beefed up by the police and the CISF.

Earlier in the day, airport sources said that the caller had in fact identified himself as Vishesh Kumar and had specified the time of the attack.
29/09/15 Manju V/Times of India

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Trial flying from Kannur Int'l airport by December 31

Thiruvananthapuram: The flight trial at the new international airport at Kannur in north Kerala, that is nearing completion, is expected to be carried out by December 31, State Minister in-charge of Airports K Babu said here today.

Talking to reporters after the General body meeting of Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL), Babu said even as some working days were lost due to various reasons like rain, the authorities are hopeful of carrying out the trial flying from the greenfield airport by December 31 by working over time.

Babu said some foreign airlines has shown interest to operate from the new airport."In order to compensate for the days lost, work is now progressing in three shifts so as to meet the December 31 deadline', he added.
29/09/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Bird-hit grounds Mumbai-bound AI flight at Dabolim

Vasco: An Air India (AI) flight, carrying 120 passengers to Mumbai, was delayed on Sunday after a bird-hit its engine when it took off from the Dabolim airport runway. Sources said that at around 7.15am on Sunday, AI flight number 886 had taken off from the Dabolim runway. The pilot immediately sensed some problem and asked for permission to land. The passengers were brought out and a technical team of engineers checked the flight. They realized that there was a bird hit in the engine. The plane was towed away and parked for repair.
28/09/15 Nyooz

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AI plane grounded at Kangra after flat tyre

Dharmashala:  Air India flight connecting Delhi and Dharamshala was grounded after its rear tyre deflated at the Kangra airport some time after landing. Passengers were about to board the airplane but authorities decided to ground the airplane and diverted the passengers to other linking airports Amritsar and Chandigarh.
29/09/15 Times of India

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Air Vistara to start ops at Bhubaneswar airport from Oct 1

Bhubaneswar: Brand new domestic carrier Air Vistara will conduct a trial run on Tuesday from here to Delhi. The airline will start operations from the city on October 1.

Nearly a year after GoAir started operations here with four flights for Delhi and Kolkata, Air Vistara will add to the city aviation potential of Biju Patnaik International Airport.

"This is yet another boost for domestic operations. With Air Vistara starting operations, the city airport will have four airlines running daily flights. A month ago, Air Vistara began online booking of seats and the response has been good," said airport director Sharad Kumar.

Airport sources said that after Vistara starts operations, there will be eight daily flights to the national capital.

Vistara's aircraft has 138 seats - 16 for business class, 36 for premium economy and 96 for economy. Like GoAir, Vistara is also offering considerably cheap air fares to passengers.
29/09/15 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Survey for runway extension begins

Mattannur: Ports Minister K. Babu has said that hurdles to the plan for acquiring additional land for extending the length of the runway of the Kannur International Airport coming up here from the 3050 metres to 3400 metres have been cleared as action committee of local residents protesting against the extension has agreed to resume stalled survey works.

Visiting the airport project site here on Monday to review the progress of the works, Mr. Babu said that the survey resumed after the action committee consented to allow the survey that could identity the extent of land to be taken over.

Barring the incessant rains in the project site that could slow down the ongoing works, the progress of the works was satisfactory, he said adding that as per the existing plan, the trial landing would be held by December 31, 2015.
29/09/15 The Hindu

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Army agrees to vacate some land near Jammu airport

Srinagar: Army Tuesday agreed to vacate some land near the airport and the University in Jammu while several joint committees have been formed to address other issues regarding transfer of land held by Army to the civil administration at various places in the state.
The Army was also requested to secure areas having landmines, in particular those which are adjacent to the farm or fields of the local inhabitants, along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region, an official spokesman.
The decisions were taken at a Civil-Military Liaison (CML) meet chaired by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and attended by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, top Army commanders, Chief Secretary B R Sharma, Director General of Police K Rajendra and senior civil officers.
The CML met after nearly two years as its last meeting took place in November 2013.
28/09/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Flights to Patna, Madurai dearer?

New Delhi: The country's largest airport operator Airports Authority of India (AAI) has sought increase in landing and parking fees for airlines at its nearly 80 non-major airports, a move set to make flying expensive on regional routes.

The state-run AAI is likely to categorise the non-major airports into four categories based on annual passenger traffic handled by them and propose differentiated tariff for each class of airports.

Airport sector regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) defines major airports as those having annual passenger throughput in excess of 1.5 million and determines tariff there.

Other airports are non-major airports and their tariff is determined by aviation ministry.
28/09/15 Nirbhay Kumar/mydigitalfc.com

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AAI plans to recruit 400 air traffic controllers soon

New Delhi: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, the busiest in the country, will soon get respite from the perennial shortage of air traffic controllers.

In one of its major hiring drives in a long time, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to recruit more than 400 air traffic control officers (ATCOs), who are expected to be deployed at airports around the country in the next six months. Sources in the AAI said a large number of ATCOs from the new lot will be deployed at the Delhi and Mumbai airports.

On an average, the Delhi airport handles 1,000 flights a day, which includes both scheduled flights and general aviation that includes chartered flights and helicopters. However, the number of ATCOs handling this traffic is around 350, who work in shifts. The problem is particularly acute during peak morning and evening hours due to bunching of flights. With the number of flights increasing each day, the present manpower will fall short.
29/09/15 Sidhartha Roy/The Hindu

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Ahmedabad airport to get its own police force

On an average, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport sees traffic of more than 52 lakh passengers each year, both national and international, along with VVIPs. Larger space and increasing traffic require police supervision but unfortunately, with the Sardarnagar police caught up in routine matters and monitoring VVIP movement, cops are overworked. To make up for this, the home department has approved a new police station for the airport area. The new police force will likely be operational after Diwali.

"The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport falls under jurisdiction of the Sardarnagar police station. However, officials at the police station are overworked as they are handling routine matters and monitoring law and order along with traffic movement when VVIPs are around. Keeping this in mind, the department has given approval for a police station dedicated to the airport which will have jurisdiction on the area inside the airport premises and the route to the airport, from the airport circle," a source from the home department explained.
29/09/15 Ahmedabad Mirror

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Mamata Banerjee's departure to Delhi gets delayed as snag hits flight

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's departure to New Delhi today got delayed by an hour after the Air India flight which was supposed to fly her to the national capital failed to arrive at the airport here by its scheduled time.

After the dreamliner flight did not arrive at the N S C B International airport by 4 PM, its scheduled time, the chief minister booked a ticket in a private airline to leave for Delhi where she is to attend a meeting on Federalism, sources said.
28/09/15 Economic Times

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BPIA awaits nod for solar project

Bhubaneswar: A 5 MW solar power project planned by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), which could fulfil the entire energy requirements of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), is waiting for approval from the state cabinet.
The project requires at least 25 acres of land, but sources said land is yet to be identified. Officials said the project will get approval from the state government after land is identified for it.
Considering the huge energy requirements at the airports, the central and the state governments are now encouraging greener initiatives like solar power projects.
“Every year we require 3 MW of electricity. We get 2 MW from the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) and we purchase the rest. Once the solar power plant is completed, we would be energy sufficient,” said BPIA director Sharad Kumar.
28/09/15 Jose K Joseph/OrissaPost

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Ist special flight carrying haj pilgrims from J&K to land in Srinagar tomorrow

First special flight carrying Haj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir will arrive at Srinagar International Airport from Saudi Arabia tomorrow for which all arrangements are in place. As many as 6642 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir performed the Haj-2015 pilgrimage, where hundreds of pilgrims from different countries lost their lives in crane collapse and stampede.

An official spokesman said with the first batch of pilgrims scheduled to return from Saudi Arabia tomorrow after performing the Hajj, the Minister for Hajj and Auqaf Abdul Rehman Veeri has directed officials for ensuring adequate arrangements to facilitate their hassle free arrival and subsequent smooth journey to their respective destinations.
29/09/15 Web India123

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19-year-old Afghani drug mule arrested in Delhi

New Delhi: A 19-year-old Afghani, who told his mother that he is going to Hindustan to see the jungles, has been arrested for carrying 38 heroin capsules inside his stomach. Majid Malekzada in his broken Hindi says that he needed money for the treatment of his brother, who is paralyzed, and therefore, he agreed to swallow these capsules to traffick it to Delhi.

Majid, who is from Kabul, said that he started working as a cleaning staff in a restaurant after passing XIIth. "A friend told me that I will get money if I carry these capsules to India. I was told the trick also. I got $400 for carrying these capsules," said Majid in his broken Hindi.

He said that it took him an hour to swallow all the 38 capsules. He had taken it a few hours ago before leaving for India.
According to him, when he came out of the airport on September 18 he complained of severe stomachache after which he became unconscious.
He said that his brother had come to receive him. All he remembers is that he was in a taxi and then after two days found himself in the hospital.
28/09/15 Nitisha Kashyap/Times of India

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Wildlife smugglers eye emerging airports

Madurai: On Sunday evening, officials at the Madurai International Airport seized a rather unusual consignment - that of 247 star tortoises, and arrested one person for attempting to smuggle them out of the country. Usually, the seizures at this airport are in the form of either drugs or gold, but this is the first time that tortoises were seized. The seizure of live tortoises has indicated that wildlife smugglers are looking at emerging airports where international routes are coming up.

The accused Abdul Alim, 60 from Ilayankudi in Ramanathapuram district was remanded in judicial custody till October 12. Forest officials estimated that the worth of the seized consignment could be worth Rs 70 to 80 lakh since each star tortoise is priced between US $300 and 500. They are favourite pets in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Alim, a conduit confessed that he secured them from some people in Chennai and was taking them to Kuala Lumpur through Colombo.
29/09/15 Times of India

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Gokul case: Cops to recover idol

Bengaluru: Gokul Macheri, 33, whose arrest for making a hoax bomb call to Kempegowda International Airport earlier this month ended up revealing that he had bludgeoned his wife to death, reportedly disposed of the idol used to commit the crime.

Gokul allegedly hit his inebriated wife Anuradha on her head with a Ganesha idol on July 28 and later sold the idol to an acquaintance, according to HSR Layout police investigating the murder.
29/09/15 Times of India

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Land turbulence hits airport plan

Siliguri: The state government has told the Airports Authority of India that it could provide around 30 acres, not 118 acres as demanded by the AAI, for the expansion of Bagdogra airport, forcing the central agency to scale down the project, sources have said.

According to the revised project, the new terminal will handle less number of passengers compared to the one proposed in the original plan.

The proposals for parking space for 500 vehicles, cargo complex and an integrated complex to house different offices have also been dropped.
Sources in the AAI said the state government had rejected the plea for the 118 acres at a meeting between chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Union civil aviation minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju in Calcutta on September 24. The meeting was attended by officials of state government and the AAI also.
27/09/15 Avijit Sinha/Telegraph

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DRDO system can help check entry of stray animals on runways

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has offered a solution to the perennial problem of animals treading on airport runways in India. Its suggestion came after pigs were spotted on the runway of Nagpur airport after President Pranab Mukherjee's aircraft landed there on September 15.

Aday after the incident, DRDO wrote to the civil aviation ministry saying that installation of a battlefield surveillance radar — a shortrange portable surveillance equipment designed by DRDO and produced by Bharat Electronics LtdBSE 0.94 % — can help check intrusion of stray animals into airports.

"This is the first time they have written to us proposing such a solution," said a civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be named. "We need to examine the proposal first before taking a call."
28/09/15 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Tigerair announces 50% discount on airfare

Chennai: Singapore-based budget carrier Tigerair has announced 50% discount on its fares for travellers from Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli and Lucknow for travel between November 1 and March 23.

Bookings should be done on its website -- www.tigerair.com -- between September 28 and October 8.

Tigerair currently operates 41 weekly flights to Singapore from five Indian destinations. The airline also connects to Bali, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Perth, Taipei via Singapore. It also connects to Sydney, Gold Coast and 11 more destinations.
28/09/15 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Bhagat Singh kin want airport named after him

Chandigarh, punjab:  A close relative of the legendary freedom fighter, Bhagat Singh, today urged the National Democratic Alliance led government to name the new civil air terminal at the Chandigarh airport after martyr without any further delay.

Earlier on September 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new building, which will handle both domestic as well as international flights.

"But when it was inaugurated, the Shaheed's name was ignored. This is an insult to the martyrs. When (Punjab) Government itself had proposed to name the airport after the martyr, then it should have been done... where does the problem lie?" said Abhay Singh Sandhu, nephew of Bhagat Singh.

The 57-year-old Sandhu, who is the son of Bhagat Singh's younger brother Sardar Kulbir Singh, demanded that the Centre should issue a notification and name the airport after Bhagat Singh without further delay. Different organisations connected with the martyr across the country are planning to hold a demonstration in Chandigarh on October 11 to protest against the insult heaped on the freedom fighter.
28/09/15 Hans India

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Ukraine flight to kick-start Goa’s tourist season

Panjim: Amidst speculations of steep drop in Russian arrivals in the ensuing tourist season, the first charter flight from Ukraine will land at Dabolim airport on October 4, marking the beginning of the season.
Speaking to a section of reporters on the sidelines of the opening of e-registration facilitation centre, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said the charter will carry 265 passengers to Goa that will be followed by charters coming from Germany, Europe and other nations.
The tourism department has set a target of 1,200 charter flights from various destinations, which if it achieves will break the record of 2013-14 tourist season when around 1,128 charters arrived in the State. The State, that suffered poor tourist season last year owing to various reasons including devaluing of the Russian rouble, saw a marginal dip in the number of charters flying to Goa.
28/09/15 Herald

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AAI issues duty free RFP for 14 Indian airports

Following the collapse of a large number of tenders at 12 airports launched in May earlier this year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has now launched a new ‘tentative’ tender for 14 of its airports.

On 24 September, AAI launched a global RFP for the development and operation of duty free outlets at 14 airports in India for a period of seven years starting with Chennai, Lucknow, Goa, Trivandrum and Madurai Airports.

A ‘pre-bid meeting’ is due to take place on the 9 October for the aforementioned airports and the last date for bidders to submit their proposal is 12 October. AAI says it aims to respond to bidders’ ‘queries’ by 16 October.
28/09/15 Charlotte Turner/TRBusiness

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Kempegowda International Airport gives passengers a taste of art

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at Bengaluru has added a new element. There are now art installations in the airport which will give passengers a peek into the life, culture and history of India.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, the exhibit titled ‘I am India’ has various installations. The installations include those on cricket, literature, Indian spices and even about the invention of zero.

Some of the popular ones at the airport are “Chaturanga” and “Moksha Patam”. Chaturanga is the game we know as chess today, which originated from Easter India in 280-550 BC.
28/09/15 Daily News & Analysis

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Ramadoss wants Trichy airport renamed

Trichy:  Even as speculation has been going around that the Trichy International Airport may be renamed after the late former President A P J Abdul Kalam, PMK founder S Ramadoss on Sunday asked the state government to name it after Perumpidugu Mutharaiyar, a king who ruled parts of South India with Thanjavur as its capital.

Contending that it has been a long-pending demand from the people in the region, Ramadoss said it was unfortunate that the chief minister J Jayalalithaa had deliberately ignored the demands. Speaking to the media at the airport, he urged the state government to pass a resolution in the assembly and to pressurise the Union government to rename Trichy airport after Perumpidugu Mutharaiyar.

Some see the PMK leader's demands as politically motivated, as Mutharaiyar or Muthuraja is a prominent Backward Caste in the delta region and the party has been trying hard to gain their support. It is noteworthy that members of the community have been given party positions in the delta region.
28/09/15 Times of India

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Sportstars to give etiquette lessons to rude airport staff

New Delhi: Those of you who ever wished that somebody could tame rude security staff at airports, it is time to heave a sigh of relief.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which mans airports across the country, is planning to rope in sports icons like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Viswanathan Anand and Dhanraj Pillay to give airport officials and security personnel tips on proper behaviour and etiquette.
Famous personalities from other walks of life will also be engaged to ensure good behaviour by CISF men and women posted at airports, including the one in Delhi. The move comes after in-house training failed.
According to a senior CISF official, the decision was taken when junior staff members were seen showing less interest in training sessions conducted by CISF officials. It was also observed that some senior officers were unable to convince their subordinates. "Some even questioned the behaviour of their seniors with passengers," said an official. The CISF top brass to break the monotony.
"Dhoni, Anand, Pillay and Kiran More have been asked to conduct training sessions and motivational programmes for CISF staff posted at airports. These sessions will break the monotony in the force as junior staff members were not showing any interest in sessions conducted by senior officials," a senior official of CISF told Mail Today.
28/09/15 India Today

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Passenger in possession of 20 bullets taken into custody

Kochi: Police took a passenger bound for Hong Kong via Kuala Lumpur into custody with 20 bullets in his baggage at the Nedumbassery international airport in the early hours of Monday.

According to police the passenger, identified as Salim (52), a native of Pazhyangadi in Kannur, and said to be employed in Hong Kong, was taken into custody as he had with him 20 bullets (.32 mm) concealed in his baggage. This came to light during screening at the airport.
28/09/15 Kaumudi Global

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Pistol seized from ex-DMK MP SR Jeyadurai at Chennai airport

A pistol with eight bullets was on Monday seized from a former DMK MP at the airport here before his departure to Madurai by a private airlines flight.

During the screening of hand baggage of SR Jeyadurai, the former Lok Sabha member from Tuticorin, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel found a pistol with eight bullets, airport officials said.
As the authorities stuck to their position that weapons cannot be allowed, the former MP handed them over to his family representative following which he was cleared to board another flight that would leave later.
28/09/15 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Madurai airport officials seize star tortoises

Madurai: Customs officials seized 247 live star tortoises from a man at the Madurai Airport on Sunday evening. He was identified as Abdul Haleem, 60, from Ilayankudi in Ramanathapuram district. He was transporting the tortoises to Kuala Lumpur and has allegedly been acting as transporter (kuruvi) for someone in Chennai.
The tortoises were packed in a hand luggage and all of them were alive. Customs officials handed the tortoises and the smuggler to the forest department for further investigation.
28/09/15 Times of India

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EC for Mopa airport: Goa to reply to ministry on Monday

Panaji: Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar said the state government will reply on Monday to all 13 queries raised by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change on the Greenfield airport at Mopa.

He told STOI that he had a meeting with civil aviation director Suresh Shanbhogue who has assured him that the directorate has already answered the queries and will submit the same to the ministry on Monday.

The ministry's expert appraisal committee recently deferred granting an EC to the project following a representation by an NGO.

Calling the queries "minor", Parsekar lauded the ministry for doing a good job in asking the state government to react to the queries. "The EC has not been rejected, it has only been deferred by another 45 days," he said.
27/09/15 Times of India

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Malindo Air launches Tiruchi-Penang flight

Tiruchi: Malindo Air, Malaysia’s hybrid airline, launched a twice-a-week service on the Penang-Tiruchi-Penang sector on Saturday.

The flights would be operated on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The airline would operate a Boeing 737-900 ER aircraft with 180 seats on the sector. The flight would depart from Penang at 8.30 p.m. and arrive here at 9.40 p.m. The return flight will depart from Tiruchi at 10.30 p.m. and reach Penang at 4.45 a.m. (all times local) the next day. The airline connects Tiruchi with Kuala Lumpur.
27/09/15 The Hindu

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Upgradation of Agartala airport may start in Feb next-Minister

Agartala: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to start the work for upgradation of the Agartala airport to international standards in February next.

"The union minister assured me to start the upgradation works before the next February and Rs 438 crore was sanctioned by the AAI to undertake the work. Papers have been sent to Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for clearance," State Transport Minister Manik Dey told reporters here today.

The state minister also appealed for air connectivity to Dhaka and Chittagong of neighbouring Bangladesh during his meeting with the Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju on September 21 in Delhi.

"If our airport is modernized, air traffic from different parts of Bangladesh would increase because Bangladeshi goods have a good market in the state and their businessmen are frequently visiting the state," De said.
27/09/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Fun facts before catching a flight at the airport

Bengaluru: A series of attractive installations that will give passengers a sneak peek into the lesser known facts about the life, culture and history of India, have been set up at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

The ‘I am India’ exhibits will showcase installations on Indian spices, literature, cricket and even one on the invention of zero. A plethora of India’s facets, which form an incredible kaleidoscope that is not only awe-inspiring but also compelling to passengers are on display, according to KIA’s official statement to Deccan Herald.

An installation tracing the origin and inspiration behind modern day board games has been set up. Amongst the most popular are “Chaturanga” and “Moksha Patam”. Now known simply as chess, Chaturanga’s origin dates back to 280-550 BC in Eastern India.

Whats more, there is also an installation exclusively on Karnataka, highlighting a number of its landmarks such as the statue of Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola, the mausoleum of Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura, Jog Falls and the city of Hampi. Another installation inspired by the some of the most influential Indian philosophers, literary figures and religious works, provides fun facts about the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas.
27/09/15 Ramzauva Chhakchhuak/Deccan Herald

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Glass Door Brakes at Chennai Airport; Non Injured

Chennai:  A glass door shattered at the arrival area of the Domestic airport in Chennai today, officials said.

The glass door on the first floor of Domestic arrival gave away and broke, airport officials said.

However, none was injured in the incident and officials had launched an inquiry into the matter, they said.
27/09/15 NDTV

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70 protestors detained near Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport

Bengaluru: Over 70 Karnataka Rakshana Vedike members were detained by the Bangalore city police when they tried to enter the Kempegowda International Airport, forcefully.

Protestors were trying to enter the airport to make their presence felt there. The airport police detained them and have sent them to CAR North for the rest of the day.
26/09/15 Merlin Francis/Times of India

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Rise in gold smuggling at IGI Airport; about 100 arrested

Cases of gold smuggling have shot up at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, with customs officials seizing yellow metal worth over Rs76 crore and arresting about 100 people so far this fiscal.

Smugglers have been found following different modus operandi including use of newly wed couples and airport staff as carriers to avoid suspicion while smuggling gold, customs officials said.

During 2014-15, a total of 230 people were arrested by customs officials in 388 cases of gold smuggling. About 596 kgs of gold worth Rs155 crore was seized in these cases, they said.

Whereas, in 2013-14, about 363 cases were registered in which 353 kgs gold worth Rs 92 crore was seized. A total of 123 people were arrested for smuggling, the officials said.

During April and August this year, the customs officials have arrested 100 people and registered 169 cases. As much as 293 kgs of gold valuing Rs76 crore was seized in these cases.
27/09/15 PTI/Khaleej Times

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After Bird Strike, Python Scare Bites Bhubaneswar Airport

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport, struggling to contain bird-hit menace, has found yet another problem on its hands. This time, slithery reptiles.

On Friday, a nine feet long python appeared at the apron area of the airport scaring the airport staff. The reptile, sighted from near the 7th bay of the airport, was immediately bundled into a bag by fire fighters whose unit is located nearby. The Snake Helpline was informed and the python was taken outside the airport area.

This is not the first time that snakes have appeared from the operational areas of the airport which has been a haven for jackals, foxes, jungle cats and hyenas. In the past, Cobra and Russell Vipers too were sighted and captured but python is a first. The fire fighters said the reptile was apparently trailing its prey- a bird.
26/09/15 New Indian Express

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Unknown to authorities, bats nest inside Odisha airport premises!

Bhubaneswar: Tired of the bird menace in and around the airport, authorities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Odisha’s capital city have procured costly gizmos and spend lakhs to drive them out. But curiously, they are not even aware of the birds that nest inside the campus itself!
There are quite a few trees around the old airport road that have nests of various small birds, including bat nests.

Airport authorities readily admitted that they had no knowledge about the existence of birds inside its premises. When it was pointed out, BPIA Director Sharad Kumar commented, “The area is inside our campus, but outside the operational zone.”

With growing incidents of bird hits at the airport, the Civil Aviation Ministry has already issued a warning to BPIA authorities asking them to get it under control or risk cancellation of permission to operate flights from the airport.
25/09/15 Odisha Sun Times

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EC for airport at Mopa on hold

Panaji: The ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has deferred its decision on granting environment clearance to the 3,000-crore greenfield international airport project at Mopa following a representation by an NGO from Margao, seeking directions to the state government to conduct a proper and factual study as it alleged that the recently conducted environment impact assessment (EIA) process was full of 'flaws'.

The NGO, Federation of Rainbow Warriors, Margao, brought to the notice of the ministry's expert appraisal committee (EAC) that the recently conducted EIA process was vague on factors such as terms of reference and baseline data, hydrogeology details, impact on local communities, flora and fauna, absence of data regarding parts of Maharashtra within the study area, and failure to assess the negative impact on the Western Ghats and state economy.
26/09/15 Times of India

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20 International Airlines keen to start operations from Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As many as 20 international airlines have expressed their interest to start operations from Odisha’s Biju Patnaik International Airport here. According to sources, 20 major international carriers including Mega Maldives Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Kenya Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, and Fly Emirates are willing to add Bhubaneswar in their list of destinations.

Currently, Indian Airlines is the lone carrier that has been providing connectivity to international destinations from Biju Patnaik International Airport here.
26/09/15 Odisha News Insight

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Advanced radar installed at Coimbatore airport

Coimbatore: A new radar, known as the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), has been installed at the Coimbatore International Airport (CIA).

This is a surveillance technology which allows an aircraft to determine its position through satellite navigation and periodically broadcast it. This allows the air traffic control ground stations to receive this information and coordinate flight landings.

This information can also be received by other aircraft in the same air space.

Coimbatore is only one of the 21 airports in the country to get this ADS-B surveillance tool.

"This radar was put in place after we got a clearance to install it from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," said a senior airport official.
25/09/15 Pratiksha Ramkumar/Times of India

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Tuki asks Centre to fast track airport

New Delhi: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has urged the Centre to fast-track the process of setting up a greenfield airport near Itanagar to facilitate direct flights to the rest of the country.
Tuki had a detailed meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju here on Tuesday and requested him to do the needful for getting clearance for the Rs 650 crore project to construct the greenfield airport at Hollongi, near Itanagar.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has already assured Arunachal Pradesh that the Centre will provide all possible support to the State for fast-tracking the process to set up the greenfield airport.
25/09/15 Assam Tribune

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AAI grants Rs.438 crore for Agartala airport upgrade

Agartala: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has approved a Rs.438 crore project to upgrade the Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities, union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said.

The project is expected to boost the north-east region’s connectivity with Southeast Asia, especially with Bangladesh.

Raju, accompanied by senior officials held a meeting with the Tripura Transport and Power Minister Manik Dey in Wednesday in New Delhi and discussed various aviation projects in the northeastern region.

Returning here, Dey told reporters on Saturday: “The civil aviation minister informed that the AAI board, in its meeting on September 11, has approved a Rs.438 crore to modernise the Agartala airport with international standards by providing world-class facilities.”

“Flights between (Bangladesh capital) Dhaka – as well as important cities like Chittagong and Sylhet – and Agartala could then be operated,” the Tripura minister added.
26/09/15 CanIndiaNews

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HC lets carriers manage ground ops at new terminal

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday quashed Airport Authority of India's (AAI) decision to hand over the ground operations of the new terminal at Chandigarh international airport to a subsidiary company of Air India.

With this decision, private airlines will continue to handle the ground operations at the terminal, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 11. Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) had, through a communicated dated June 4, awarded the contract for handling the ground operations of the terminal to Air India Air Transport Services Limited (AIATSL), the Air India subsidiary.

Justice R K Jain passed these orders while allowing a petition filed by Federation of Indian Airlines, a society comprising major air operators of India. "The contract alleged to have been given by the AAI to AIATSL for entire ground handling services at the new terminal of the Chandigarh International Airport, ousting the petitioner-airlines to self-handle their ground handling services, is held to be illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable, unconstitutional and hence, hereby set aside," observed Justice Jain.
25/09/15 Times of India

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Land acquired for airport expansion

Rajahmundry: The government has acquired 857.09 acres for the expansion of the Madhurapudi airport here. Of the total land acquired, 797.38 acres of belonged to private persons, while the remaining 59.71 acres are owned by the government. Sub-Collector V. Vijaya Rama Raju said ex gratia would be paid to evacuees from October 1.
26/09/15 The Hindu

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Rajinikanth shoots for Kabali at Chennai airport

The craze and fan frenzy surrounding a Rajinikanth film cannot be matched by no other. But off late, the Tamil superstar has tasted failures at box office.

Taking a cue from his mistakes, Rajini is back with an experimental role in Pa Ranjith’s Kabali. Playing an ageing gangster, Rajinikanth will be paired opposite Bollywood actress Radhika Apte. The buzz around the film is slowly building up and has reached its peak when Thalaivar’s first look from Kabali was officially unveiled on 16th of September. Sporting a salt and pepper look, Rajini showed his style and might as the gangster Kabali.

The Kabali team is shooting the first schedule in Chennai. Rajinikanth was recently spotted at Chennai Airport , shooting for Kabali. looking every bit dashing as the ageing gansgter.
25/09/15 Subramanian Harikumar/Bollywoodlife.com

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CM wants Andal airport at par with Jammu

Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded that Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport at Andal near Durgapur be clubbed with airports in the North-East, Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir and Lakshdweep where it is mandatory for Indian carriers to operate flights. The civil aviation minister has promised to evaluate the proposal favourably.

At the meeting between Mamata and civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju on Thursday, the CM pressed for Category II status for the airport as per the route dispersal guidelines issued by the civil aviation ministry in 1994. The norm requires scheduled operators like IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India, Spice Jet and Go Air to mandatorily assign 10% of capacity on trunk routes to these airports in 'backward' regions. That means, if an airline operates 10 flights between metro cities, it has to fly one aircraft to a Category II airport.

According to government sources, Mamata had first lobbied for this during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi earlier this year. Thursday's meeting with the civil aviation minister was the perfect opportunity to reiterate the demand and she went the whole hog, pointing out that the backward districts of Bengal like Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum were in the airport's catchment area. It is also a gateway to Jangalmahal, a region that was troubled by Maoists and requires development booster shots.
26/09/15 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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The Hispanic trail into the USA via Delhi airport

New Delhi: More than 100 passengers from Punjab have flown from Delhi to the US' doorstep, San Salvador, via Havana in last two months and many of them have not returned to India on scheduled dates.
The mystery does not end there. From San Salvador, these passengers - mostly from Chandigarh and Jalandhar - were suspected to have been transported to Mexico by sea, aviation sources told Mail Today, adding that a Punjab agent made arrangements for their travel.
Hinting at possible human trafficking and illegal immigration to the US, foreign affairs experts said it was time a probe was ordered into this. Illegal immigrants are the subject of fierce debate in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential elections, with Republican candidates like Donald Trump even proposing a wall along the Mexican border.

Foreign affairs expert Sushant Sareen told Mail Today that Mexico border has been used for trafficking people to the US for years. "India is already facing the allegation that a large number of its citizens illegally enter the US.This case needs to be investigated thoroughly by an appropriate agency," he said.
The San Salvador-Havana-Mexico route, according to Sareen, is circuitous. He said the route taken by these passengers is a dangerous one as a number of people are robbed of money and killed while trying to enter Mexico. "Not only Indians, but also those from other Asian countries have been killed for money several times. This route may be a new choice as relations between Cuba and the US have improved. Traffickers are cashing in on it," he said.
26/09/15 Ankur Sharma/India Today

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Rectum concealment seems a preferred mode for gold smugglers

Tiruchi: Concealment of gold in the rectum had been reported at frequent intervals at the Tiruchi airport from where overseas flights are operated to Colombo, Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai every day by different foreign carriers.

Customs officials say they had detected 51 such cases from January till now wherein the modus operandi of the gold smugglers was to smuggle the yellow metal in the rectum.

A majority of those caught at Tiruchi airport with gold concealed in the rectum were men who travelled as international passengers in different overseas airlines. A majority of them were Indian nationals.

Officials say the quantum of gold in various forms concealed in the rectum ranged from 50 grams to 1kg. Rectum concealment continues to be a preferred tactic by smugglers in a bid to hoodwink enforcement authorities in addition to other ingenious ways if the cases detected is any indication.

Out of the over 200 gold seizure cases reported at Tiruchi airport till now this year, nearly one-fourth of them were through the rectum concealment mode, say officials. In most instances, carriers caught adopting this modus operandi arrived from Colombo and Singapore.
26/09/15 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

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Smuggler gulps heroin capsules, hospitalised

New Delhi: An Afghan was admitted to a hospital in south Delhi after he swallowed capsules of heroin. Doctors found 34 capsules wrapped in a polythene. Police have so far recovered 240 grams of heroin worth Rs 35 lakh in the international market.

Abdul Majid Malekzada from Kabul is undergoing treatment and will be arrested on charges of drug trafficking.

It is suspected that Abdul swallowed the capsules to smuggle heroin from Kabul to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

According to police, Abdul was admitted in an unconscious state to Institute of Brain and Spine in Lajpat Nagar.

People with Abdul told the hospital authorities that he had complained of stomach pain.
“The X-ray and CT scan of his abdomen, however, revealed the presence of large number of oval shaped pellets in his gut,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Mandeep Singh Randhawa.
26/09/15 Deccan Herald

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Finnair passenger left injured on Helsinki tarmac

New Delhi: An Indian passenger of Finnair AY832 from London to the airline's hub Helsinki was left bleeding on the tarmac of the airport for 29 minutes, with a jaw bone fracture, a deep gash and four teeth broken when she slipped and fell down while de-boarding on Sep 15, her family says.
Finnair did not respond to questions sent by IANS on the incident.
"Believe it or not! No ambulance came to the site for 29 long minutes. When it did, it took a little while for them to put her on a stretcher and examine her in the ambulance," said Vidya Narayan Swamy, the daughter of the passenger Ranjini Narayan Swamy, narrating the incident to IANS.
"The airline's apathy -- or call it a sheer lack of basic courtesies and responsibility towards their own passenger -- did not end here. When the ambulance did arrive, no one from Finnair even bothered to accompany the badly-hurt passenger to the hospital," the daughter said.
They were left to fend for themselves. The husband of the injured passenger is an employee of IANS.
When contacted, Finnair officials did not respond to the questionnaire sent on Monday. However, the India office of the Finnish company did acknowledge receipt of the email.
Under the comparable civil aviation guidelines in India, an ambulance has to reach an injured person on the tarmac or apron area within 7-10 minutes. Sometimes, it may also call for a partial shutdown of nearby operations, officials at the international airport here explained.
The rules under the Indian "Civil Aviation Requirements" (CAR) are more stringent. Under the Indian CAR, a paramedic or emergency relief team should reach an injured person within 7-10 minutes on the tarmac or 2-5 minutes inside the terminal.
25/09/15 IANS/Statesman

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Finnair says sorry for delay in aid to bleeding Indian passenger

New Delhi: An Indian passenger of Finnair AY832 from London to the airline`s hub Helsinki was left bleeding on the tarmac of the airport for 29 minutes, with a jaw bone fracture, a deep gash and four teeth broken when she slipped and fell down while de-boarding on September 15, her family says.
In response, Finnair said in an e-mail that it confirms a passenger was injured as she tripped on the stairs while deboarding her flight at Helsinki airport. "We`re extremely sorry about the accident and wish the passenger in question a speedy recovery," the airline added.

Vidya Narayan Swamy, the daughter of the passenger Ranjini Narayan Swamy, narrated the incident to IANS. "Believe it or not! No ambulance came to the site for 29 long minutes. When it did, it took a little while for them to put her on a stretcher and examine her in the ambulance," she said.
"The airline`s apathy -- or call it a sheer lack of basic courtesies and responsibility towards their own passenger -- did not end here. When the ambulance did arrive, no one from Finnair even bothered to accompany the badly hurt passenger to the hospital," the daughter said.
25/09/15 IANS/Zee News

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Ground-handling at Chandigarh Airport: High Court holds contract given by AAI to AIATSL ‘unreasonable’

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday held that the contract given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to Air India Air Transport Services Ltd (AIATSL) for entire ground-handling services at the new terminal of the Chandigarh International Airport, ousting private airlines to self-handle their services, as “patently illegal and unreasonable”.
Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain made it clear that 13 aircraft operators’ aviation security functions specified by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security would be performed by the bonafide whole-time employees of the private airlines. And the other ground-handling services could be outsourced by private airlines.
The directions came while allowing the petition filed by the Federation of Indian Airlines and some other airlines including Indigo.
The court observed, “It is also not denied by the respondents that the practice of self-handling of the ground-handling services by the airlines has been continuing even at the metropolitan airports, maybe because of the order of the Supreme Court.”
25/09/15 Indian Express

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Hubballi bound aircraft makes emergency landing at KIA

Bengaluru: An Air Pegasus aircraft bound for Hubballi made an emergency landing, due to technical issues, on Thursday evening. According to officials at Kempegowda International Airport, flight OP 111 R took off 3.50pm from Bengaluru but returned within 20-25 minutes of the takeoff, citing technical snags.

One of the passengers told the Times of India on the condition of anonymity that the captain announced about the emergency landing citing technical issues. "We were flying around 10,000 feet when the announcement came," he said.

He said it was a scary experience as all the passengers panicked till they got out safely.

"The aircraft landed safely after few wobbles but in the end the authorities and airlines managed the situation well. We could see the preparations for emergency landing and the aircraft was escorted through the tarmac by fire tenders with rescue vehicles ready by the side." the passenger said.
24/09/15 Arun Dev & Biju Babu Cyriac/Times of India

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CM wants London flight back on radar

Kolkata:  Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju to facilitate direct connectivity between Kolkata and Europe. At present, passengers from Kolkata have to fly to Europe either via Delhi or Mumbai, or via the Gulf cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Impressing upon Raju the need to ask national carrier Air India to operate a flight between Kolkata and London or any other European city, Mamata pointed out that the airline had withdrawn services some years ago despite good traffic.

Following lack of response from major European carriers like British Airways (BA) and Lufthansa, whom Kolkata airport director A K Sharma had contacted last month, Mamata said the national carrier was the only hope till bilateral issues were resolved to facilitate the entry of Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines is keen on a flight between Kolkata and Istanbul, but is unable to operate it as it does not have permission from Indian authorities.
25/09/15 Times of India

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Uber drivers' protest fizzled out, airport drop incentive hiked

Bengaluru:  Not even half a day, the Uber drivers' protest fizzled out completely. On the contrary, the company resolved the complaints of drivers and also hiked the incentive for airport drops from Rs 200 to Rs500.

On Thursday, about 500 drivers driving for Uber had protested at their HSR Layout office of the San Francisco based taxi hailing app company in Bengaluru. And drivers had stopped plying for about four hours but when the issues were mutually resolved, the drivers went back to take bookings.
24/09/15 Aparajita Ray/Times of India

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No pick-up point for app-based cabs at airport

Chennai: Air travellers who want to hire an app-based taxi to the city are in a fix as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to formulate a policy to manage these cab operators. Many passengers prefer these cabs to the highly-priced prepaid ones, but authorities are yet to allot a parking space or pick-up points.
Passengers often struggle to locate the cabs that wait outside the airport on GST Road and drive in soon after a booking is made. With no space allocated for these cabs, the drivers look for their customers as they drive in. If the drivers are not able to locate them, they have to leave the premises immediately to avoid paying the parking fee for overstaying beyond the stipulated 10 min utes. And passengers have to walk with the luggage to track the cab and board them.
25/09/15 Times of India

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3D map of Odisha unveiled for tourists at city airport

Bhubaneswar: The 3D map has mention of different tourist spots across the districts in the state. The map will make it easier for tourists to obtain information on different tourist destinations in the state.

“The 3D map will surely turn out to be an attraction for air travelers/tourists arriving here. They can have a synoptic view of Odisha’s flora fauna, its tourism products and places of sightseeing.  This will serve as an eye opener. This 3D map will certainly be counted as another tourism product of ours,” said Panda after unveiling the map.
25/09/15 Odisha Sun Times

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Jet Airways crew member held with 11 kg gold worth Rs 27 lakh

Mumbai: A Jet Airways crew member was held by Customs early Thursday morning for attempting to smuggle 11 kg gold worth Rs 27 lakh. This is the second time, this year, that a crew member of the airline has been apprehended for smuggling gold. According to Mumbai Customs, the crew member, aged 24, was one of the two flight attendants onboard Jet Airways flight 9W-543 that arrived in Mumbai from Dubai, to be questioned. “Through profiling on-board the aircraft and after it landed, we became suspicious of the two male flight attendants. After the flight landed, we took them aside for a search,” said an official from the Customs’ Air Intelligence Unit. The crew member was asked to wait in a corridor and his colleague was searched inside by Customs. “He was seated on a sofa and hid the gold in a corner of the sofa. He had only a few seconds to do it before being called inside,” said the Customs officer. The duo were allowed to leave after no gold was found on their person or in their luggage and would have got away, the officer said, but a Customs sepoy noticed a package on the sofa after left by the crew member.
25/09/15 Indian Express

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Flask used to smuggle Rs 1.35 cr worth gold

Chennai :  About four-and-a-half kg of gold, worth Rs 1.35 crore, was seized by Customs officials from a passenger this morning at the Chennai airport.

During routine check carried out by the Customs, Ibrahim Sheik (35), a Kadapa-bound passenger who arrived from Bahrain at 7.30 am, was found in possession of the gold biscuits.

Sources said, 'Due to the suspicious behaviour of the passenger, the officers conducted a detailed personal search, during which they recovered gold bars weighing four-and-a-half kg concealed in the flask which the passenger was carrying.'
25/09/15 News Today

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Unused Airports Across India to be Operationalised: Civil Aviation Minister

Kolkata: The government wants to develop strategies to operationalise unused airports in the country, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju has said.

"There are around 31-32 airports in India which are not active today. There is one in Coochbehar (in West Bengal) as well. We want to develop strategies to operationalise them," Mr Raju said after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He said the problem in some such airports is that the length of runways do not permit jets and this is where smaller aircrafts need to come into play.

The Chief minister said the state has been assured by the civil aviation minister that the maintenance work of new terminal of Kolkata airport will be completed within a period of 220 days.

There has been complaints of water leakage from the airport, she said adding that the Centre has been requested to complete the work related to Coochbehar airport faster.
24/09/15 PTI/NDTV

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Airports Authority of India mulls to invest Rs 1,400 crore on Chennai Airport expansion

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has drawn up plans to invest Rs 1,400 crore for further expansion of Chennai Airport and setting up an modern air traffic control (ATC) tower at Kolkata Airport as the state-run operator swings back into action with the government having dropped its airport privatisation plans .
A senior AAI official confirmed that as part of the second phase of the expansion plans, the domestic and international terminals at Chennai airport are being integrated for facilitating passengers. AAI has initiated the process of appointing a project management consultant for this purpose. The entire (integration) work is expected to involve an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore.

AAI has also drawn up a plan to set up a new ATC Tower at Kolkata airport by investing Rs 300-Rs 400 crore, the official said.
Besides, AAI has appointed engineering consultancy firm RITES as project management consultant for the city side development of Lucknow, Raipur and Tirupati airports as it would help these airports earn additional revenue and minimise their operational losses.
24/09/15 Mail Today

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AAI goes for expansion

New Delhi: Government-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) will invest around Rs 1,400 crore in expansion of Chennai airport and in setting up an air traffic control (ATC) tower at Kolkata.

AAI will take up the second phase of the Chennai airport development, earlier planned to be given to a private entity, in a public-private partnership (PPP) deal. It will develop one of the tallest ATC towers (83 metres from ground level) at the Kolkata airport, spending Rs 300-400 crore. Expansion of the other infrastructure might not be taken up for now, sources said.

At Chennai, it plans to integrate the domestic and international terminals. The estimate is at least Rs 1,000 crore for developing the airport, sources said.

Recently, the Union government had scrapped the move to develop four airports at Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad through PPP. The government said AAI had already invested a huge sum at these airports. It has out in Rs 4,500 crore in modernising the airports at Chennai and Kolkata.
24/09/15 Sumesh Jha/Buisness Standard

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Is Chennai airport safe for passengers?

Chennai: Security lapses at the international terminal of the city airport have become a major concern in recent times, with the latest incident of two passengers travelling on each other’s tickets.

According to airport sources, Abdul Hamid Uvais (46), who was to travel from Chennai to Colombo, and Kajendran (37), another passenger bound for Paris, had exchanged their boarding passes after the security checks and had travelled in the other’s ticket.

It was only when the Paris-bound flight transited at Delhi that the immigration officials at the airport found that Abdul Hamid was travelling without a valid ticket. He was immediately detained in Delhi and sent back to Chennai the next day.

It is still not clear as to why the passes were exchanged and what the duo was up to. But the fact remains that if it was not for the checking at Delhi airport, the two would have gotten away easily. This exposes Chennai airport’s security measures.

Mohan, a former employee of an airlines, said, “Usually, only the boarding pass is checked at the gate to make sure that the right passenger is boarding the right aircraft. In a short span of time, the employee has to check the boarding passes of all the passengers. When I heard of this incident, the 1984 Madras bomb blast and the Emperor Kanishka tragedy came back to me. These two incidents happened due to similar lapses.”
23/09/15 M Balasubramani/News Today

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Small towns have more flights than Diamond City

Surat: When it comes to air connectivity, the Diamond City could well be defeated by even small towns in Maharashtra, namely Nanded and Latur.

Both these towns have population of less than 4 lakh, still they have three daily flights each to various destinations. However, despite being the fourth fastest growing city of the world and eighth largest city in the country and having population of 44.62 lakh, Surat is left to fend with a lone flight between Surat and Delhi.

The We Want Working Group at Surat (WWWAS) and the Surat Airport Action Committee (SAAC) have come out with comparative figures of population and the number of operational flights from important destinations across the country.

SAAC members opined that majority of the domestic travelers prefer to board flight from Vadodara as there are no options in the city. The travel agents are asking the passengers to book their flights from Vadodara as the private airlines are offering them good discounts.
23/09/15 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

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Nashik’s non-inclusion on AIP map delays air service at Ozar

Nashik: It's been almost two months since the state government handed over the Ozar airport terminal to the Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to promote air service and tourism in Nashik, but the service is yet to take off. Reason — Nashik has not yet been included on the enroute map of the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A month ago, the Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (NIMA) had urged the DGCA to include the city on its AIP map, but in vain. The industry body has therefore sent fresh reminders to union minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju and executive director of DGCA A K Dutta to hurry up the process.

Sources from HAL said, "We have already submitted the proposal to the DGCA for including Nashik on the enroute map of AIP of the DGCA. We are pursuing the issue with the office of the DGCA for the purpose. We will be visiting Delhi to meet the DGCA officials for the purpose in the next three-four days."
24/09/15 Tushar Pawar/Times of India

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India Has a New Eco Friendly Airport Terminal

Spread over 53,000 sq. m, the brand new terminal at the Chandigarh airport has been designed around the green building concept, right from the start. The terminal will handle both domestic as well as international flights.
Airports all across the world cannot dazzle and amaze travelers without their huge displays of artificial lights — which add on to their maintenance and running costs, not to speak of environmental degradation. But this Chandigarh airport terminal is different. No artificial lights would be required to illuminate it during the daytime.
The rooftop of the terminal has a 200KW solar plant which is enough to meet the major power needs of the building. Forty percent of the airport is illuminated with LEDs and the air-conditioning is fired by chiller efficient machines. There is also a lawn which has been laid out right inside the terminal.
24/09/15 Nalin Rai/Better India

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Raipur termed best non-metro airport

New Delhi: Raipur's Swami Vivekananda Airport Raipur has won the National Tourism Award for being the best airport in rest of India (non-metros).

The airports were adjudged on seven parameters— tourist-friendly infrastructure; maintenance and upkeep; adaptation of eco-friendly practices; availability of transport facility from the airport to the nearest city center; display of proper signage at important locations; facilities for the disabled and other relevant features.
24/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Karipur airport: Govt to give fair compensation for land

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government today decided to give "fair and just compensation" to those whose lands were being acquired for the development of the Kozhikode international airport runway.

The decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting, Information and Culture Affairs Minister K C Joseph told reporters here.

He said government had decided to give "fair and just compensation" to those whose lands will be acquired for further development of the runway of the airport.
23/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Garbage mounds draw birds, pose threat to aircraft

Bengaluru:  The garbage menace hasn't spared even the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Yelahanka. Heaps of waste at Mavallipura, a landfill in disuse, and Razakpalya around the station are drawing birds in droves and causing threat to aircraft, officials said.

"We ensure the station and areas in the periphery are clean but garbage accumulating in Mavallipura and Razakpalya, which also has catfish farms, is a matter of concern. We urge Bengalureans to handle their garbage well," Group Captain Amit Pushkar, the station's chief operating officer (in-charge of flying), said on Wednesday.
24/09/15 Times of India

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Real estate boom threat for Air Force Station Yelahanka

Bengaluru: Mushrooming growth of real estate in Bengaluru is the newest problem posing a threat to flying operations of Air Force Station (AFS), Yelahanka, said Group Captain Amit Pushkar, COO, AFS Yelahanka, here on Wednesday.

He said though every new construction in the vicinity of AFS has “to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and multiple permissions from various agencies like the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and others, we are detecting violations”.

During a presentation, Pushkar highlighted 50-metre-high cranes at construction sites near AFC Yelahanka.

Every construction within a radius of 20 km from the Air Force station has to obtain an NOC, added Wing Commander J.P. Sebharwal.
23/09/15 CanIndiaNews

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Chennai airport’s new app is so outdated, it’s embarrassing

Chennai Airport’s new app, like any application created for a major airport in the country has so much potential to be great, but unfortunately, fails to impress.
You’d think the primary function of the app would be to keep you up-to-date with the latest flight information. For this, you are redirected to an external website, defeating the very purpose of an app. The most publicised highlight of the app however is the ‘My Place’ feature that pin-points a user’s location via GPS in relation to the facilities within the airport. This is one of the few features that works natively, but is far from user-friendly. The best way to navigate through the airport is to follow the signs, or just ask. The app also provides contact details of the nearest police station, as well as those of prominent airport officials. The rest of the app is just a collection of links to largely useless information: About AAI, Tourism, Rules and Regulations, Tenders and Events (which opens to an unimpressive gallery of airport photos).
23/09/15 Smitha Menon/Conde Nast Traveller

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Govt to revive plans for low-cost airports

New Delhi: The Union civil aviation ministry is set to revive plans to develop low-cost airports in non-metro cities. Sources said the government might do away with the requirement of maintaining a minimum rate of return for developing regional airports. This will be part of a draft civil aviation policy being formulated by the aviation ministry, to be released for public comment soon.

Currently, the finance ministry’s public investment board appraises projects with an internal rate of return of at least 12 per cent. Earlier this year, the Union government had scrapped a proposal to build 50 low-cost airports, as most were found unviable. The plan was originally mooted by the United Progress Alliance government.

It is planned these no-frills airports will have basic infrastructure and minimum manpower, to help reduce costs and, consequently, airfares. No-frills airports will also help enhance connectivity in regional and remote areas, primarily Tier-II and -III cities. Currently, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages 125 airports across the country. Of these, 95 are operational. Airport charges account for about 10 per cent of airfares.
23/09/15 Somesh Jha/Business Standard

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Build airport on our tombs: villagers

Vizianagaram: “Build the airport on our tombs,” reads a banner tied at Gudepuvalasa in Bhogapuram mandal, bringing to the fore the villagers’ stiff opposition to the international airport planned in an extent of 5,311 acres.

Of the total extent of land, 4,478.77acres will be acquired in three gram panchayats (Gudepuvalasa 1,604.55 acres, Kavulavada - 1,567.82 acres and Kancheru - 1,306.40 acres).The remaining 832.23 acres will be acquired from farmers of six other panchayats - Ravada, Munjeru, Kongavanipalem, Kancherupalem, A. Ravivalasa and Savaravilli panchayats. The notification was published on September 1.

Fearing that Gudepuvalasa, Kavulavada and Kancheru will be wiped out, the villagers, particularly women, are leading the agitation under the aegis of Airport Vythirekha Porata Sangham and have been observing relay fasts in groups. They said they would fight till their last breath to save their land.

A housewife, Pandrapu Lakshmi Narayanamma, who owns half-an-acre and an unfinished house at Gudepuvalasa, said: “We have lost our peace of mind since the notification was published. We voted for the TDP and never anticipated any additional favour from it. I appeal to the Chief Minister not to trouble us.”
23/09/15 The Hindu

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Air India's Boeing 787 makes emergency landing in Kolkata

Mumbai: An Air India Boeing 787 plane on the Delhi-Hong Kong route made an emergency landing in Kolkata in early hours of Tuesday after passengers complained of smoke inside the aircraft cabin.

The Boeing 787 is the latest aircraft in Air India’s fleet but in recent weeks its serviceability has been impacted due to snags.

The Boeing 787 (AI 314) departed Delhi at 11.30 pm on Monday and was diverted to Kolkata following complaints of smoke. The aircraft took off to Hong Kong and onward to Osaka on Tuesday evening.

A defect in cabin air compressor’s inlet and duct might have led to the smoke, sources said. There was no fire inside the aircraft.
23/09/15 Business Standard

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Plane scary: Air India has a bad Dream(Liner) in HK

Mumbai: Despite claims by Boeing that Air India's problems with the Dreamliner aircraft were history, an Air India flight from Delhi to Hong Kong had to make an emergency landing in Kolkata late Monday night, after passengers complained of smoke in the cabin.

Officials of the flight safety wing of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) who examined flight AI-314 told Mirror, "Prima facie it appears that there was a failure with the aircraft compression unit. The inlet and duct was found to be damaged."

During a recent visit to Mumbai, Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president (sales), Asia Pacific & India of Boeing, had told this correspondent that Boeing and Air India had resolved issues that the national carrier was facing with the Dreamliners. So far Air India has received 21 of the 27 aircraft it has ordered, and operates them mainly on Europe, East Asia, Australia and Russia, besides a few domestic routes such as Delhi-Kolkata.
23/09/15  Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror 

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Arunachal CM asks Centre to fast track greenfield airport

New Delhi: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has urged the Centre to fast-track the process of setting up a greenfield airport near Itanagar to facilitate direct flights to the rest of the country.
Tuki had a detailed meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju here yesterday and requested him to do the needful for getting all clearance for the Rs 650 crore project to construct the greenfield airport at Hollongi, near capital Itanagar.
"I had a meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister and discussed the issue of greenfield airport at Hollongi," he said.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has already assured Arunachal Pradesh that the Centre will provide all possible support to the state for fast tracking the process to set up the greenfield airport.
23/09/15 PTI/Statesman

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Airlines plan international flights from new airport around Xmas

Chandigarh: After the inauguration of the new civil air terminal in Mohali by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many airlines are planning to start international flights near Christmas.
As the terminal was inaugurated without holding trials for flight operations, the authorities had decided to start flights on October 19. However, despite many hiccups, airlines are planning to start international flights near Christmas. Moreover, the international airport will soon be equipped with the instrument landing system (CAT-III ILS) for smooth functioning in dense fog.
22/09/15 Tribune India

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GoAir to change departure terminal at CSIA from Friday

Mumbai: Private carrier GoAir is all set to shift its departure operations to terminal IB from terminal IA of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) here from Friday.

GoAir would relocate terminal for its departing flights to IB from September 25 while the arrivals will continue to operate from terminal 1A of the domestic airport till further notice from the airport operator, a spokesperson said.

"Apart from intimating our passengers of relocation of the departing flights we have also, in an industry first initiative, informed all the 15 taxi unions, auto-rickshaw operators' associations and radio taxi operators in the city about this change," the airline said.
22/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Mock plane crash exercise

Madurai: The state of preparedness of various departments of Madurai Airport and that of various other related agencies was tested at a full-scale mock accident and rescue exercise carried out by the Airport Fire Service here on Tuesday.

As per the drill, an aircraft of ABC Airlines crashed while landing and went up in flames. Within a few minutes, the fire tenders of Airport Fire Service rushed to the spot and put out the ‘flames.’ The firemen immediately started the rescue operation even as the airport officials brought in ambulances and medical teams from Government Rajaji Hospital and nearby private hospitals. The ‘injured’ were moved to a collection point where in they were tagged with their identity. The firemen also used electric cutters to rescue the victims who got ‘trapped’ in the mangled remains of the aircraft.
23/09/15 The Hindu

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Cargo clearance hit; Int'l airlines flock domestic ones

Mumbai: Twenty major international airlines flying from Mumbai found themselves in a spot of bother with 1,200 tons of export cargo remaining un-cleared at the airport since Sunday. Global Aviation Services, a regulated cargo agent employed by the likes of Emirates, Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian and Gulf had to suspend services as its security clearances were withdrawn.
"The company has been handling security job functions at the Mumbai airport for the past eight years. They had deployed certified X-ray operators for screening, but were lacking in issues pertaining to the overall security requirements," a Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) official said, adding that they had sent out several reminders to Global Aviation Services before taking the step.
Airport officials felt that the company appeared to have taken security for granted.
23/09/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Plans in place to clear export cargo pile-up

Mumbai: Contingency plans have been put in place to clear the export cargo consignments that have been piling up at the Mumbai airport in the last 48 hours.

The export crisis began on Sunday evening after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked the licence it had granted to a private company to carry out the security screening of cargo consignments that are exported abroad on board passenger flights operated by foreign carriers.

Global Airport and Ground Services Ltd, the said company whose licence was revoked has moved the Bombay high court challenging the BCAS decision.
22/09/15 Manju V/Times of India

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