Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates Kolhapur-Mumbai direct flight services

As part of the government's regional connectivity initiative, Kolhapur in Maharashtra now has a direct flight connection to Mumbai, which was inaugurated by Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday. This trip is part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN, which aims to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities to the air and make air travel more affordable for everyone. The flight will run on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays between Kolhapur and Mumbai. 

Scindia said that the UDAN scheme is realising the Prime Minister`s vision of making air travel affordable for the common citizen of the country. So far, 433 new routes have been launched, and more than one crore of passengers have benefited under this scheme.

The Minister also assured that the expansion of the apron of the Kolhapur airport will be commissioned in November, and the domestic terminal building will be inaugurated in March 2023. MoS V.K. Singh congratulated the people of Kolhapur and Mumbai and expressed hope that this flight will not only create ease of travel but also significantly boost the trade and commerce activities in the region.

04/10/22 ZeeNews

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Vistara inaugurates Mumbai-Jaipur flight services; to be operated twice a day

Full-service carrier Vistara on Friday announced that it will inaugurate its flight services from Jaipur from Mumbai. The flight will be operated twice a day.

Airbus A320 Neo planes will be deployed with a three-class configuration--business, premium economy, and economy--to service the new routine, as per the airline.

"Jaipur has not only played a significant role in putting Indian tourism on the global map, but it is also a major hub for trade, requiring greater connectivity to metro cities. We have added the city to our growing network, with connectivity to and from Mumbai, and convenient international connections beyond Mumbai," Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer at Vistara was quoted telling news agency PTI.

Vistara airline is currently operating 250 daily flights across 31 domestic and 10 international destinations with a total number of 53 aircraft, comprising 41 Airbus A320, five Airbus A321neo, five Boeing 737-800NG and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner planes.

30/09/22 Economic Times

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Vietjet opens direct routes from Hanoi/HCM City to Ahmedabad

Ho Chi Minh City: For the first time, people and tourists will have opportunities to fly directly from Vietnam to Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state in western India, by two routes of Vietjet from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with four return flights per route on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

With just more than four hours directly flying per leg, Vietjet brings people and tourists from Ahmedabad to ancient Hanoi, the peaceful capital of Vietnam, which is beautiful and hospitable with unique cultural features or a modern Ho Chi Minh City, an economic icon with a vibrant pace of life, offers various entertainment experiences. In addition, Ahmedabad, a city recognised as a world heritage by UNESCO owns the interference between a modern science-technology city and a cradle of cultures with many unique architectures such as Bhadra Fort, Swaminarayan Temple, Hathee Singh Jain, captivate millions of tourists around the world.

With one way ticket priced just from 668,000 VND, excluding taxes and fees, and an attractive 0 VND, excluding taxes and fees, ticket promotions on every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, people and tourists can easily buy tickets to fly directly from Ahmedabad to the two largest cities in Vietnam on Vietjet’s official channels at website www.vietjetair.com, Vietjet Air mobile app or its official worldwide ticket offices and agents.

Let’s fly with Vietjet now to experience the journeys with the modern and new fleet, dedicated and professional cabin crews, soft leather seats, fresh and hot meals from characteristics of global culinary culture, convenient products and services bring passengers good journeys, meeting all passenger’s demands, etc. Especially, passengers can enjoy free payment fees or can apply the “Fly now - Pay later” program within only 3 minutes only registration to experience the top services and products of Vietjet.

It’s more easier for Vietnamese tourists to discover India with convenient and fast e-visa policy without COVID-19 test, or for the international tourists to visit and stay in Vietnam, especially “Pearl Island” Phu Quoc with visa exemption policy for 30 days.

30/09/22 Vitenam Plus

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GMR Airports raises Rs 1,110 cr from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley

GMR Airports has raised Rs 1,110 crore from JPMorgan Securities and Morgan Stanley India Primary Dealer to make timely payments on bonds due on September 24. GMR Airports had an Rs 1,330-crore payment due on September 24 to DB International, Standard Chartered Bank and Aditya Birla Special Situation Fund. It raised two-year bonds at 12.13% through private placement of bonds on September 22 to repay the trio.

GMR Airports, which operates Delhi and Hyderabad airports, paid entire dues to DB International and Aditya Birla Capital, but part payment was made to Standard Chartered Bank. On September 22, it raised Rs 795 crore from JP Morgan Securities and Rs 315 crore from Morgan Stanley India Primary Dealer through private placement of bonds, the people said.

Financial covenants of the bond documents stipulate that the indebtedness of Delhi International Airport (DIAL) cannot exceed $1.94 billion and that of GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) cannot exceed $1.75 billion until the new bonds are redeemed. It also stated that any new financial indebtedness should be aimed only for capital expenditure of DIAL and GHIAL.

30/09/22 ContructionWorld

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Malaysia-bound flight delayed as man shouts ‘bomb’ during fight with co-passenger inside plane

A brawl between two passengers over keeping their luggage in the overhead cabin delayed a Malaysia-bound plane by more than two hours as one of them shouted “bomb” during the fight, setting off a thorough security check, officials said on Friday.

Enforcement agencies were alerted about the “bomb” threat from the Malaysia Airlines’s MH173 around 1 pm after which the Central Industrial Security Force inspected the flight, the officials said.

The aircraft finally departed for Kuala Lumpur after a delay of two hours and 40 minutes and four passengers allegedly involved in the incident were handed over to the local police, they said.

“A fight broke out between two passengers over keeping their bags in the overhead cabin of the aircraft. When one passenger asked the other what was in his bag, the other replied ‘bomb’. The flight was then grounded as the pilot was informed about it and the pilot intimated the ATC (air traffic controller),” an official source told PTI.

“A bomb threat assessment committee immediately probed the matter and the flight was put through checks after which the bomb call was declared a hoax,” the source said.

A total of four passengers — all Indians — were handed over to the police, they added.

The passenger who made the bomb claim wad identified as Varindar Sidhu, according to sources.

30/09/22 PTI/Indian Express

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Bengaluru airport T2 launch soon; capacity boost, aesthetics enthuse flyers

 The busiest airport in South India, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, is preparing for a significant capacity increase with the launch of Terminal-2 in a few weeks. This project will also expedite flight turnaround time, add a third entrance to the airport, and reduce aviation fuel usage.

Before the COVID pandemic, the airport’s passenger capacity had surpassed 35 million per year, making it the third busiest in the country. The first phase of T2, scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year, will increase yearly passenger traffic by 25 million.

The pandemic did delay the terminal’s launch by close to two years. Preferring anonymity, a civil aviation expert revealed that even now, only half of the new terminal will be complete. “In two to three years, KIA will overtake Mumbai as India’s second busiest airport. The new terminal will then be under-capacity. So, they will need to expedite the launch of both phases, much ahead of the planned two years. Only then will they get a bit ahead of the demand curve,” he said.

He estimated that by 2033-35, the Bengaluru airport’s upgraded capacity will be saturated. “You can push it up to 90 mppa (million passengers per annum), not more. Delhi airport has three runways, with a capacity exceeding 100 mppa. Now, they are planning a fourth runway. KIA has no space left even for a third terminal,” the expert pointed out.

Built around a “garden” theme, the new ₹13,000-crore T2 will have a total built-up area of 2.54 lakh sqm in the first phase and 4.41 lakh sqm in the second phase. It was initially scheduled for a March 2021 launch. But the deadline was extended by a year and, later, to June before settling for a 2022 final-quarter opening.

The commissioning of a new runway with Category-III Instrument Landing System (ILS) complements the gains from T2. It would mean a quantum leap in the number of flights and Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), even during low visibility periods.

“T2 will open in a big way for the airlines, which can now operate more flights. Moreover, since restrictions of terminal capacity have been removed, it will offer a lot of flexibility,” said airport mobility analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar.

29/09/22 Rasheed Kappan/Federal

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Delhi’s IGI Airport becomes India’s first ‘5G-ready’ airport

New Delhi: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has launched its 5G infrastructure which can be used by the passengers once the telecom service providers roll out the technology.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) officials said that IGI Airport is the first and only airport in the country that is “5G-ready”. The services can be used at domestic departures, international arrivals, multi-level car parking spaces and other areas at the airport, they said.

Not only passengers but people visiting GMR Aerocity can also experience the 5G network at GMR Square, said DIAL

“Passengers will be able to enjoy a 20 times faster data speed on a 5G network as compared with the available Wi-Fi system. This would allow quicker downloads, zero buffering during streaming, seamless execution of resource-intensive applications like 3D gaming, better virtual reality experience, extremely high-density connectivity and intense coverage in all areas,” said DIAL.

The 5G network has been set up with the in-building solutions (IBS) technique in collaboration with telecom service providers. Trials have been completed and 5G infrastructure has been put up at the MLCP entrance, inside the terminal and at Aerocity.

Officials said the rise in passenger footfall has led to an increase in the demand for better bandwidth and speed internet. The 5G technology will not only help passengers but also DIAL and other airport authorities.

29/09/22 Indian Express

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Passenger falls unconscious after cardiac arrest; CISF soldier performs CPR

When someone suffers from cardiac arrest, doctors say cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) invariably helps in saving their life. And a CISF soldier did just that for a passenger who suffered cardiac arrest at the Chennai airport.

The clip shared by the Central Industrial Security Force on Twitter shows the soldier giving chest compressions to the passenger. The man is seen lying on a stretcher as others assist the CISF soldier.

The CISF’s tweet read, “Service to Humanity-Beyond the mandate #CISF personnel saved the life of a pax who fell unconscious due to cardiac arrest @ Chennai Airport. He was administered CPR which improved his pulse rate & was shifted to hospital.#PROTECTIONandSECURITY @HMOIndia @MoCA_GoI @AAI_Official.”

Since being shared on Sunday, the clip has garnered more than 15,000 views on Twitter. The CISF soldier has earned praises online for saving the life of the passenger. A user commented, “Men in uniform will always serve the country and it’s people,irrespective of their place of work.” Another user wrote, “True Hero going beyond duties Thank You.”

29/09/22 Indian Express

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Chandigarh Airport officially named as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport

Chandigarh airport is now officially Shaheed Bhagat Singh International airport, as a tribute to freedom fighter on his 115th birthday today. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with governors of Punjab and Haryana besides Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann officially renamed the airport on September 28. Ministry of Civil Aviation took to twitter to officially share the news. "To give a perfect tribute to one of the greatest freedom fighters of India, #ShaheedBhagatSingh on his 115th birth anniversary, Chandigarh International airport has been named as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh," read the tweet of Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman in a speech stated how "Today, I feel very humbled & honoured to be here on this day when we are renaming Chandigarh Airport as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport Our generation has the opportunity to remember sacrifice made by #ShaheedBhagatSingh in freedom struggle."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday announced that Chandigarh airport will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. This announcement came ahead of the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on September 28.

In his radio address, PM Modi said, "My dear countrymen, three days later, that is, on the 28th of September, is a special day of Amrit Mahotsav. On this day we will celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh ji, the brave son of Mother India."

29/09/12 ZeeNews

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Manipur-Arunachal direct flight takes off

Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on Monday got connected by a direct flight under the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN.

Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh flagged off regional airline Flybig’s Imphal to Tezu flight at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, crediting the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme for connecting Manipur with Arunachal Pradesh.

“The flight will directly fly to Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh and then to Guwahati. The UDAN scheme has come as a boon for Manipur. Our Manipur is now getting connected by air with the rest of the nation, and with Flybig, Imphal will get connected to other northeastern states,” Singh said.

Singh said such an initiative would not only boost people-to-people ties but also lead to growth of businesses and the tourism sector, adding that the Imphal-to-Bangkok flight via Guwahati would start operating soon.

Earlier, commuters used to travel to Guwahati and then to destinations in Arunachal Pradesh.

In over five years, the UDAN scheme has increased regional air-connectivity with operational airports going up from 74 in 2014 to over 141 now.

An official of the regional airline Flybig said they now had presence in four northeastern states — Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

“We will soon operate flights from Hollongi airport (near Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh) and Aizawl in Mizoram. We are now operating

24 flights in the region and will in due course also cover Meghalaya and Nagaland,” he said.    

Flybig will operate Guwahati–Tezu–Imphal–Tezu–Guwahati flight on all days (except Mondays) on its ATR aircraft. Flying from Imphal to Tezu will take 40 minutes and from there to Guwahati another 40 minutes to an hour.

Flybig CMD Sanjay Mandavia said: “Today we are honoured and blessed to start our operations in Imphal, the cultural capital of Manipur... In the coming days, we will plan to directly connect Imphal to Silchar and Calcutta.”

Flybig started its operations in May 2021 and is the only airline in India having Guwahati as its main hub.

28/09/22 Telegraph

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Manipur: CM Biren inaugurates Flybig flight from Imphal to Tezu

Imphal: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Monday inaugurated the Flybig Flight from Imphal to Tezu at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Biren Singh maintained that under UDAN Scheme, the state will be connected to Arunachal Pradesh by the Flybig flight. The flight will directly fly to Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh and then to Guwahati. With such an initiative, connections among peoples of different North East states will become closer, the CM added. 

He continued that this would not only increase people-to-people connections but also bring growth in businesses and in the tourism sector.

Regarding the Imphal to Bangkok Flight service, the chief minister informed that Imphal to Bangkok via Guwahati will start its operation soon. However, the direct flight from Imphal to Bangkok is still under consideration.

The inaugural programme was also attended by works minister Govindas Konthoujam and transport minister Khashim Vashum.

Earlier, the chief minister also inaugurated Hotel Imolesh located at Old Lambulane Road in Imphal West in presence of works minister Govindas Konthoujam and former minister Okram Henry Singh.

Addressing the gathering, CM Biren Singh said a politician should always work tirelessly to provide people with a quality life, safeguarding human rights and making arrangements for their people to be self-sustaining in their occupation.

“Continuing that under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the state government has been putting all efforts to bring a change in the state, the chief minister mentioned that an Institute of Hotel Management had been opened recently. The government had also provided IT training to around 2,000 youths, out of which around 1,000 youths had got jobs in the sector,” the CM said.

26/09/22 Vangamla Salle K S/EastMojo

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DGCA to issue fresh guidelines on safety standards at unlicensed aerodromes and temporary airfields

Chandigarh: Over a decade after they were last issued, the minimum safety requirements for temporary airfields and unlicensed aerodromes are being revised by the Directorate General of Civil aviation (DGCA).

Several new clauses and additional technical specifications are being incorporated in the fresh guidelines, expected to be finalised shortly after feedback from the stakeholders. These rules were last issued in March 2012.

There are number of air strips in India having limited facilities which are not being used on a regular basis for aircraft operations and hence cannot be equated with regular airports. Since regulatory oversight at such sites is difficult, it is imperative to ensure minimum facilities required for safe aircraft operations are available at such airstrips, according to the civil regulator.

The DGCA has now specified that the runway length should be adequate to meet the operational requirements of the operating aeroplane and will be not less than the length determined by applying the corrections for local conditions to the operations and performance characteristics of the operating aeroplane.

Specifications listing the dimensions of the runway required in relation to the width of the aircraft’s main gear have been drawn up by the DGCA. In addition, taxiways at such airstrips would also be required to have markings as specified in aviation rules.

A clause on runway strip and obstacles has been added in the new rules which states that a runway strip of suitable dimension be available to provide safeguard and minimize damage in case of runway excursion by an aircraft beyond the runway limits. It should be properly levelled, free from vegetation and be flush with the surface of the runway, shoulder or stopway.

Further, no fixed object, other than visual aids required for air navigation or those required for aircraft safety purposes and which must be sited on the runway strip shall be permitted on any part of on the strip. Nor will any mobile object be permitted on this part during landing or take-off.

26/09/22 Vijay Mohan/Tribune

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Kochi airport’s business jet terminal to be operational soon

Kochi: The business jet terminal of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which is nearing completion, will be operational this year itself, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He was speaking at the 28th annual general meeting (AGM) of CIAL, held in Kochi on Monday. The CM joined the meeting online from Idukki.

Shareholders who met at the AGM also approved the board of directors’ recommendation to increase the authorised share capital of CIAL from `400 crore to `500 crore. “Aviation is one of the most affected industries after the outbreak of Covid. However, CIAL is among the few airports to earn a profit in the financial year (FY) 2021-22. The company earned a total revenue of `418.69 crore. Its operational profit was `217.34 crore, and the company secured a net profit of `26.13 crore after deducting depreciation and taxes,” said a CIAL release.  Post-Covid, CIAL secured 80% of its traffic, which it used to witness during pre-Covid times. A growth of 92.66% in passenger footfall and 60.06% in air services were noted in the 2021-22 financial year.

27/09/22 New Indian Express

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BLR Airport ranks first for perishable cargo handling; Doha emerges as top destination

Kempegowda International Airport (BLR Airport) in Bengaluru continues the No. 1 airport in India for handling perishable cargo. In FY 2021-22, BLR Airport handled 52,366 Metric Tonnes (MT) of perishable cargo, up from 48,130 MT the previous year. BLR Airport now handles 41% of South India's air-cargo perishable tonnage, making it India's top airport for perishables. Fruits and vegetables, as well as poultry and flower exports, have been important drivers of this rise. In FY'22, BLR Airport exported 36,493 MT of chicken and 1,952 MT of flowers. Doha was the most popular destination, followed by Singapore, London, and Male. In fiscal year 22 (FY22), 33 cargo freighter planes delivered perishable supplies from BLR Airport to 85 overseas destinations.

"BLR Airport has the advantage of dedicated cold zones enabling processing of perishable goods for export, which is the highest in India. The infrastructure that we provide ensures cold-chain integrity and seamless movement of perishables, without any change in the optimum storage temperature. Our recent partnerships with multiple cargo partners for infrastructure and technology will only make the Airport's cargo capacity stronger and even better", stated Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).

Various statutory bodies from both the Government of India (GoI) and the Government of Karnataka (GoK), including Indian Customs, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Plant Quarantine Office Bangalore, and the Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Limited (KAPPEC), have assisted BLR Airport in maintaining quality standards across operations at its cargo facility.

APEDA has been crucial in assisting Karnataka's perishable exporters and understanding their needs in order to increase exports.

27/09/22 ITLN

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Enhanced flight connectivity to Jharsuguda airport sought for Hockey WC

Bhubaneswar: In view of the upcoming FIH Hockey Men's World Cup-2023, the Odisha government has requested the Centre for enhancing flight connectivity to Vir Surendra Sai (VSS) airport at Jharsuguda.

Odisha chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra has written a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal on this issue on Monday.

The World Cup is scheduled to be held in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar from January 13 to 29.

Thanking Bansal for the steps being taken to make the Rourkela airport functional at the earliest, he demanded more flight services to the Jharsuguda airport, which is located near Rourkela.

As an alternative to Rourkela airport, the VSS airport is the nearest domestic airport having connectivity with cities such as Kolkata, Raipur Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, he said.

Further, the Jharsuguda city is well connected with Rourkela through the road as well as railway.

Thus, the access to Rourkela city will be made easier if the air connectivity to Jharsuguda is enhanced, Mahapatra said in his letter.

He pointed out that SpiceJet is cancelling scheduled flights from different metro cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata, which badly affects the connectivity to the state and to the utmost dissatisfaction of the general public at large.

26/09/22 IANS/Dajiworld

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Hanimaadhoo Airport development agreement signed with India's JMC

JMC Projects Limited of India has signed an agreement with the Maldives government to develop Hanimaadhoo International Airport.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Maldives government by Managing Director of Regional Airports, Mohammed Rizvi, at a ceremony held Sunday night. JMC's Vice President, KS Reddy, signed the agreement on behalf of the company.

The agreement signing ceremony was attended by Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail, Planning Minister Mohamed Aslam, Regional Airports officials, the Indian Ambassador to the Maldives, MPs representing Boduthiladhunmathi constituencies, and some members of the HDh. Atoll Council and Hanimaadhoo Council.

The Hanimaadhoo International Airport project is one of the largest investments in the history of the country in an area outside the capital. The Maldives government first announced the decision to award the development of Hanimaadhoo International Airport to JMC on August 10. JMC is already involved in several flat construction and water and sewerage projects in the Maldives. JMC was awarded the contract for $136.6 million -- MVR 2.1 billion.

The Hanimaadhoo International Airport is being redeveloped under an $800 million line of credit scheme provided by Exim Bank of India. Including JMC, four companies had submitted bids for the project when the deadline expired in March this year. Only companies shortlisted by the Exim Bank could bid for the project.

The Hanimaadhoo airport development project will include a 2.46 km runway and a brand new terminal with the capacity to cater to 1.3 million passengers per annum. Other facilities needed to expand international flight services will also be established under the project. The project is scheduled to kick off later this year and will be completed in 2024.

26/09/22 Avas

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Lower airfare to Bengaluru drives flyers to Kochi

Kochi: Aneesh S, a Thiruvananthapuram native working in Bengaluru, has stopped taking flights from his hometown. Instead, the techie travels all the way to Kochi by train and boards a flight to Bengaluru from here.

Reason: This costs him at least Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 less. “There is a huge difference in airfare to Bengaluru from the two airports. The trip from Kochi costs Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000, while from Thiruvananthapuram, it costs between Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000,” said Aneesh, 27.

“For my last few trips, I have been going to Kochi, which is just four to five hours by train, and then flying to Bengaluru from there,” he said. Aviation experts attribute this difference in fare and the lower rates purely to competition between airlines.

“Right now, it’s just business tactics by the airlines. IndiGo, which operates more flights than others, holds 60% of the market share and Air India is competing with it,” said Biji Eappen, national president of IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) and chief coordinator of Air Passenger Rights Forum. 

“Smaller airlines are adopting Captain Gopinath’s model (Air Deccan) to survive by offering lower fares. There is a similar price drop on the Kochi- Chennai route as well,” Eappen said. Demand-based pricing is the most conventional pricing strategy in the airline industry. Airlines work out a pricing model on how much the customer and market will bear.

Often, airlines categorise passengers into two segments: leisure or business. Disparity and inconsistency in pricing are other factors that affect travellers. Flights rates are often at their peak in times of high demand, like during school vacations or festive seasons.

“However, the Indian pricing strategy is solely based on a new, calibrated dynamic system, a non-regulatory pricing policy that is beyond the purview of the regulatory authorities and the Competition Commission of India. The removal of an upper and lower cap on flight rates by the aviation ministry will give airlines more leverage to increase or decrease the fare at their whim,” said Eappen.

26/09/22 Aishwarya Prabhakaran/New Indian Express

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Chandigarh airport to be named after Bhagat Singh, says PM Modi; end of seven-year tussle between Punjab, Haryana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday during his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme that the Chandigarh international airport would be named after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The announcement came three days before the martyr’s birth anniversary Wednesday, September 28, ending a seven-year standoff between the Punjab and Haryana governments over the naming of the airport.

Earlier, Haryana had objected that the airport should be named after Chandigarh only as it is the joint capital of both states. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had agreed with Punjab to name the airport after Bhagat Singh but after the BJP, led by Manohar Lal Khattar, took over the reins in Haryana, in 2015, he put forth his view that it should be named after an RSS ideologue Mangel Sen.

The Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 2017 passed a resolution that the airport should be named after Bhagat Singh and this led to a debate.

Haryana also agreed later but it wanted that the airport should not be called Mohali airport even though it is located in the city. For setting up the airport, Punjab had given land in Mohali.

The face-off between both governments, however, ended last month when Haryana Deputy Chief minister Dushyant Chautala stated that the airport would now be named after Bhagat Singh.

In a statement issued, Chautala had said: “Chandigarh airport shall now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Punjab and Haryana governments have agreed on this name. The new name was finalised after a meeting with Punjab’s chief minister. Shaheed Bhagat Singh is an idol for the youth. We have also made a recommendation of including Panchkula with the airport’s new name.” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also posted a tweet later about the name change.

25/09/22 Kanchan Vasdev/Indian Express

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Spicejet makes changes in flight schedule between Belagavi-New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai

Spicejet airlines has made some changes in the timings of its flights Between New Delhi-Belagavi-New Delhi, Hyderabad-Belagavi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Belagavi-Hyderabad with effective from September 25.

Change in Flight Schedule between New Delhi and Belagavi:

Sunday (Sep.25) onwards the Spicejet flight from New Delhi to Belagavi will depart at 10:15 am and arrive at 12.25 pm. Earlier this flight was operated at 6:10 am in the early morning.

Same flight from Belagavi to New Delhi will depart at 1:10 pm and reaches at 3:30 pm.

Flight Schedule between Belagavi and Hyderabad:

Hyderabad to Belagavi will depart at 9:45 am and arrive at Belagavi by 11:00 am.

Belagavi to Hyderabad will depart at 5:50 pm and arrive at Hyderabad by 7:15 pm.

25/09/22 Belagavi Infra

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Andhra Pradesh: Vijayawada-Sharjah flight service from October 31

Air India's wholly owned subsidiary and low-cost arm, Air India Express, is set to operate flights on the Sharjah-Vijayawada-Sharjah route twice a week from October 31.

The airline has also made tickets available for booking on its website for the four-hour journey between Sharjah-Vijayawada and Vijayawada-Sharjah every Monday and Saturday.

As per the tentative schedule, the aircraft will leave Sharjah International Airport at 11 a.m. and reach Vijayawada by 4.25 p.m. In the return direction, it will leave for Sharjah at 6.35 p.m. The price starts from ₹12,000.

Vijayawada International Airport Director M. Lakshmikanth Reddy said that Air India Express was already operating one service per week to Muscat of Oman. Two more services to Sharjah would be added soon.

He said the airport would be handling a total of three international services per week. Direct flights between Muscat and Vijayawada were being operated every Tuesday.

Having direct flight to the two destinations will help many from Prakasam, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Krishna, NTR, Eluru, West Godavari, Kakinada, East Godavari and Konaseema districts who work in the Gulf countries.

Several direct flights were operated between the city and other destinations in Gulf countries during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Vande Bharat Mission.

Earlier, Indigo had operated direct flights to Singapore from Vijayawada in collaboration with the State government for more than six months. It was the first international service from the city airport that was accorded international status in August 2017.

25/09/22 Tharun Boda/The Hindu

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Cochin International Airport awarded for ensuring seamless traffic post COVID-19

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has won the Airport Service Quality award-2022 instituted by Airport Council International (ACI) for ensuring seamless traffic in the aftermath of the pandemic. CIAL on Friday said the award was given for its meticulous implementation of a programme christened 'Mission Safeguarding' implemented in 2021-22 which ensured seamless traffic and reinforced passenger satisfaction in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The Airport Authority has won recognition in the 5-15 million passenger category of airports operating in the Asia-Pacific region. The ACI award is recognised as the highest honour in the global aviation sector owing to its extensive survey methodology practices.

CIAL Managing Director, S Suhas, has received the award from ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira at a function held at Krakow in Poland organized in connection with the ACI Customer Experience Global Summit 2022.

The ASQ global airport survey, through which the awardees are selected, usually showcases the world's best airports as voiced by the travellers. This time, in addition to the existing benchmarks, new parameters pertaining to hygiene practices were added, CIAL said in a release.

Suhas said that CIAL values this award as a recognition for the innovative systems it introduced after the pandemic years. "With the guidelines formulated by the chairman and the board of directors, the airport implemented 'Mission Safeguarding' during the time of the pandemic which ensured smooth traffic management that is safe, secure and passenger-friendly," Suhas said.

24/09/22 PTI/ZeeNews

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AAI to deploy private security personnel at 60 airports for non-core duties

CISF personnel performing non-core duties at 60 airports in the country will be replaced by private security personnel, an official release said on Friday. The move will reduce the security expenditure, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, and added that "these CISF personnel can be deployed at other airports which will further strengthen the security set-up."

"In line with the decision of the central government, a total of 1,924 private security agency personnel will be deployed at 60 airports in place of CISF personnel, posted at non-core duty posts," AAI said in the release.

AAI also said it has appointed 581 security personnel from Directorate General Resettlement (DGR)-sponsored security agencies for non-core posts at 45 airports.

"These security personnel will be deployed after completion of the aviation security (AVSEC) training programme at selected airports," it said.

It also said that as many as 161 DGR personnel for 16 airports are attending AVSEC training programmes and they will be deployed after completion of training from Saturday.

24/09/22 PTI/Economic Times

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Poor visibility foils flight landing trial at Ziro airport

Itanagar: A commercial Dornier aircraft reportedly failed to conduct a landing trial at the Ziro airport in Lower Subansiri district on Thursday due to poor visibility and bad weather.

The trial landing had to be cancelled after the air traffic control informed about the weather condition in Ziro.

Sources in Ziro informed that the aircraft will attempt a trial landing on Friday, “depending on weather clearance.”

After Tezu, Pasighat and Itanagar (Hollongi), Ziro is all set to put itself on Indian’s civil aviation map.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu had on Thursday informed that the Ziro airport “is all set for test flight with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security giving its clearance.”

“Ziro airport is all set for test flight with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) giving its clearance. Hope to have regular flights soon from Ziro, one of our oldest towns, blessed with lush green forests, rivulets and elevated patches,” Khandu had tweeted.

The advanced landing ground (ALG) in Ziro is one of the oldest ALGs in Arunachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Secretary Swapnil M Naik informed that “one building of Indian Air Force within the ALG complex has been converted to civil terminal building (CTB),” and that “the civil aviation has modified the building and refurbished it as per the Director General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) requirements.”

“We have also provided separate entry, security equipment, etc, and plan to operate Dornier flights from Ziro to Hollongi and other places. CTBs are being constructed at Mechukha, Tuting, Walong ALGs, etc, along with new buildings for heliports in Naharlagun, Vijaynagar, Yingkiong,” Naik said.

He informed that the DGCA and the BCAS have “already done inspection on security design vetting of CTB at ALG Ziro and manpower survey for civil aircraft operation on 20 April and 5 August, 2022.”

He further informed that the BCAS DG convened a videoconference to review “the manpower survey of Ziro on 9 September and later approved security manpower vetting and ex-post facto approval for design vetting to PTB on Tuesday.”

“The DGCA has approved the plan of the CTB, and final inspection will be done along with trial landing,” he added.

23/09/22 Amar Sangno/Arunachal Times

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Adani-operated Mumbai Airport runway to remain closed on October 18

Mumbai International Airport has announced two of its runways will remain closed on Tuesday, 18th October 2022. The closure of the runway has been announced for post-monsoon maintenance work. This maintenance work is carried out on a regular basis to ensure smooth flight operations from the airport. It is to be noted that Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is one of the busiest airports in the world and hence requires regular maintenance to keep the operations running smoothly.

Based on the announcement by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, the maintenance work will be carried out between 1100 hrs and 1700 hrs. Hence, flight operations during this time will remain suspended. To be specific, the runways - RWY 14/32 & 09/27 will undergo the work.

Major work such as runway edge lights for runway 14/32, upgradation of AGL (Aeronautical ground lights), and other major tasks will be undertaken as part of its post-monsoon preventive maintenance of runway intersection. With over 800 flights landing and taking off each day, this yearly practice of runway maintenance following the monsoons is part of a series of activities carried out with precision and meticulous efforts to ensure operational continuity and passenger safety.

In the announcement, Mumbai International Airport said, "CSMIA, in cooperation with airline customers and other key stakeholders, have effectively rescheduled flights to ensure smooth completion of the maintenance. CSMIA looks forward to the cooperation & support by passengers."

23/09/22 ZeeNews

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Starting Monday, diversions in place at Delhi airport Terminal 1D

With expansion work underway at Delhi airport’s Terminal 1, vehicles coming to T1 Departures will have to make a U-turn at the end of the forecourt ramp and exit through the newly widened up-ramp to take Mehram Nagar Road from Monday, airport officials said.

An advisory issued by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said the present exit of the departure ramp would give way for the construction of Integrated Terminal 1. The advisory said the width of the departure ramp in front of Terminal 1 had been increased.

In August, DIAL announced that all private and commercial vehicles could drive through the new multi-level car parking area to pick up passengers. Officials then said cars would be parked at the new parking area to enhance and maintain the parking space. At present, people use Lane 3 of the Terminal 3 forecourt to pick up arrivals.

“Delhi airport is continuously working to provide a convenient and safe airport environment for arriving passengers. All arrival pick-up vehicles for passengers will need to go to the multi-level car parking at Terminal 3. Multi-level car parking provides a clean and systematic arrangement along with multiple passenger facilities and amenities for pick-up and parking,” DIAL chief executive Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said at the time.

22/09/22 Indian Express

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Nagaland govt awaits Centre nod, sanction of fund for airport in Kohima

Kohima: Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation & Railways, P Paiwang Konyak, on Thursday, informed that work for the proposed Greenfield airport at Kohima would start after getting approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. 

Responding to a starred question raised by MLA Yitachu on the status of the Kohima airport, Konyak said that only after the approval, sanctioning of the requisite fund for the project would be made by the Union Cabinet. 

During the last day of the 12th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), Konyak recalled how the Greenfield airport at Ciethu, about 34 km from Kohima, was proposed in 2003 per the National Policy of an Airport in all state capitals.

In line with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) policy of “Purchase and Transfer”, Konyak said that the State government purchased suitable land for the proposed airport in 2006 and 2007, measuring an area of 1013.72 acres. 

A study was then carried out in 2008, and the first DPR was prepared in 2010 but became obsolete. Since the government has no consultancy, he said that when it opened an advertisement for a tender seeking for preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR), no one turned up. 

Therefore, the Airports Authority was requested to prepare a DPR and accordingly, two DPRs were prepared. One was for a runway length of 2,200 metres at 1,434 Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL) which can fly ATR 72 with load restriction and A-320 Airbus with load restriction, estimated at Rs 5,695 crore. 

The other DPR was for a runway length of 2,750 metres at 1,412 AMS which can fly ATR 72 without load restriction and A-320 Airbus without load restriction, estimated at Rs 8,890 crore.

22/09/22 Medolenuo Ambrocia/EastMojo

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Navi Mumbai International Airport to become operational by July 2024, says Devendra Fadnavis

The Navi Mumbai International Airport in Mumbai will become operational by July 2024, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, according to a Zee Business channel report on Thursday.

Navi Mumbai International Airport will be the second international airport in Mumbai once it becomes operational. The government has said that it is making all arrangements to ensure that the facility starts functioning at the earliest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the project at Navi Mumbai in February 2018.

22/09/22 ZeeBiz

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Alliance Air to recommence Delhi-Shimla-Delhi flights from Sept 26

To enhance the connectivity in north India, Alliance Air is all set to recommence its maiden Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) route Delhi-Shimla-Delhi from Monday.

With this recommencement, the airline will expand its network in Himachal Pradesh so that commuters can fly to Delhi-Shimla-Delhi daily, Alliance Air said in a statement.

"With the vision of connecting New India, it is our endeavour to offer better air connectivity between Tier-2 / Tier-3 towns to their closest city hubs. Keeping with this endeavour, Alliance Air expands connectivity in North India by recommencing its maiden RCS route Delhi-Shimla-Delhi, which will operate daily effective September 26, 2022," said Yash Vardhan Singh, Deputy Engineer, Alliance Air.

It further revealed that the flight shall operate with ATR42-600 aircraft. Earlier the recommencement of this flight was scheduled on September 6, 2022 but due to bad weather conditions the flight could not commence operations, it said.

The airline further informed that the fare of the flight tickets is Rs 2,141 and said that the Delhi to Shimla flight will run at 7.10 am while the flight from Shimla to Delhi will run at 8.50am daily.

"The flight 9I 821 will depart from Delhi at 0710 hrs and arrive in Shimla at 0820 hrs. Flight 9I 822 will depart from Shimla at 0850 hrs and arrive in Delhi at 1000 hrs. The introductory all-inclusive Fares for Delhi-Shimla and Shimla-Delhi will be INR 2141," it said.

21/09/22 ANI/Economic Times

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FlyBig airline to connect Manipur with Assam, starts flight services between Imphal-Guwahati

To provide economic and tourism boost to Northeastern states of India, Flybig airline announces to start flight operations between Imphal and Guwahati via Arunachal Pradesh’s Tezu town. The flight operations are scheduled to start next week. Boosting regional connectivity in the northeastern states, Flybig airlines will operate this newly-introduced flight on all days of the week except Monday. Regional airlines’ CMD Sanjay Mandavia stated that they further plan to connect Imphal with major cities in eastern India. FlyBig took to Twitter to share the news. "Connecting you to the wonder of Northeast - Imphal! Flybig with an inaugural fare of Rs. 799/- only! Hurry up and Book Now," read the tweet.

Flybig airlines’ CMD Sanjay Mandavia said: "We are supporting the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision to give a major economic boost to this region of the country." "In the next few days, we have a plan to connect Imphal to major cities in eastern India." Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN, Flybig flights will operate on the Imphal-Tezu-Guwahati route at an affordable price, an airport authority official said.

Flybig airlines operate 18 daily flights having Guwahati as its main hub. It is connecting Guwahati to seven destinations which include Tezu, Pasighat, Rupsi, Agartala, Dibrugarh, Kolkata, and Patna. Now, Imphal will be added to this list next week.

21/09/22 ZeeNews

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Over 90 airports in India to be carbon-neutral by 2024: Aviation Minister Scindia

New Delhi: Over 90 airports in the country will be carbon-neutral by 2024, while the number of airports will rise to 220 in the next five years, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on September 20.

Currently, the country has 141 airports, of which Kochi and Delhi airports are carbon-neutral, the minister said.

"One of the first things that I did when I took over as the aviation minister was to put a carbon mapping profile of our airports. Two of our airports, Delhi and Kochi, are already carbon-neutral and India will have 92-93 carbon-neutral airports by 2024," Mr. Scindia said at the All India Management Association national convention.

"Civil aviation is a highly visible sector, it's a very high-profile sector which attracts a lot of attention, but if you look at its contribution to green house gases and carbon emissions...its very small... 2% of carbon emissions of the world," he said.

The ministry aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2030.

"Indian airports will not just achieve the net zero target by 2030, but will likely have over 400 million passengers by then. At present, we have over 200 million domestic and international passengers. But to handle the increase in passengers, the infrastructure on ground has to be improved and increased.

"In the last eight years, the number of airports in the country has increased from 74 to 141 and this will grow up to 220 in the next five years," he said.

"The one thing that is scarce for every human being is time. No longer do we have the luxury of travelling for nine-10 hours, spending two days on a a vacation and travelling the same number of hours back," Mr. Scindia added.

The minister also stressed on the need to set up an ecosystem in aviation sector.

20/09/22 PTI/The Hindu

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Single-day record of 1.3 lakh passengers at Mumbai airport since Covid-19 pandemic

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) – one of the world’s busiest single-runway airports – handled a record passenger movement of 1,30,374 on September 17, its highest since the pandemic, a statement from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said. The growth in traffic is a result of newer destinations being added, rising flight movements and an increase in airline capacity at the international airport.

On September 17, close to 95,080 passengers travelled through Terminal 2 (T2) and 35,294 via Terminal 1 (T1) of the airport with a total of 839 flight movements on the day, MIAL said. IndiGo, Vistara and Go First catered to the highest passenger traffic on domestic routes. As for international routes, IndiGo, Air India and Emirates led the list.

Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai were the top three domestic destinations, while Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore remained the top three international destinations with the maximum air traffic, it added.

Adding to the weekend rush, on September 18 (Sunday), CSMIA witnessed over 1.3 lakh passengers again, of which approximately over 98,000 travelled domestically while around 32,000 journeyed on international routes.

20/09/22 Yogesh Naik/Indian Express

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Mangaluru gets early morning flight to Bengaluru in winter schedule

The much-sought morning flight from Mangaluru to Bengaluru is set to materialise with airlines announcing their winter schedule starting October 30, wherein an Indigo flight (6E256) departs Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 6.40 am to Bengaluru.

A decision by IndiGo to station flight 6E678, which will arrive from Bengaluru in the evening, at MIA overnight will facilitate the operation of flight 6E256, which will depart for Bengaluru the next day at 6.40 am.

The 6.40 am flight is against the 11 am flight that features in the current summer schedule.

The first flight from Bengaluru will land in MIA at 8.10 am and leave for Mumbai at 8.45 am.

Under the new schedule, the first flight from Mangaluru will leave MIA for Pune at 3.20 am.

In international operations, the first flight (Indigo) is scheduled to depart MIA for Dubai at 8.25 am. IndiGo will extend the periodicity of its flight to Dubai – now operating on alternate days – to a daily flight.

20/09/22 The Hindu

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Direct Flights From Jaipur To Abu Dhabi Frequently Cancelled Due To Low Passenger Load

Beginning on May 5, 2022, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will offer a new route to Jaipur, the state of Rajasthan’s capital. However, the budget airline in the UAE seems to cancel these flights quite often in recent times. The low passenger load is the cause of this. It appears that there is a crisis on different foreign flights leaving from Jaipur.

The airline declared that it would run affordable, twice-weekly nonstop flights to Jaipur International Airport on Mondays and Thursdays. Every Monday and Thursday at 12:05 a.m., flight 3L 175 left Abu Dhabi and arrived in Jaipur at 4:55 a.m.

But following the low traffic rate on these flights, Air Arabia airlines has to forcibly stall the flights on these routes. They totally shut down their operations on this route on September 8th 2022.

20/09/22 Deeplata Garde/Curly Tales

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Boost agri export from airport: Traders

Amritsar: With agriculture experts and the government laying stress on switching from the conventional paddy and wheat cyclical circle to other crops, the export of fresh agriculture produce from the perishable cargo centre at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport needs to be given a boost.

Taking advantage of Air India’s thrice-a-week direct Amritsar-London flight, some exporters from Punjab and Haryana are exporting fresh farm produce like baby corn, mango and other seasonal fruit and vegetables to Europe.

Azad Singh, in-charge of the centre at the airport, said the centre exported 400 tonnes of fresh farm cargo during the fiscal 2021-2022. “There is a great potential for agricultural and non-vegetarian items. Apart from fresh farm produce, the centre exports chess, pharma products, readymade garments, shawls, sports goods, engineering goods, etc,” he said.

The journey of perishable cargo has never been smooth. Initially, Jet Airways had been handling the export of fresh vegetables to London since July 2006. Subprime mortgage crisis-induced recession had forced the private airline to withdraw the flight. Later Air India filled the breach for some time as it eventually withdrew its Amritsar-London-Toronto flight on October 30, 2010. The export of fresh cargo had resumed only after the introduction of thrice-a-week to and fro direct service by BMI on the London-Almaty-Amritsar section from October 14, 2011. Subsequently, it was also withdrawn.

Now, Air India’s thrice-a-week flight to London offers about 12-tonne capacity of cargo in each plane. The staff at the center fresh farm produce state that a flight on an average carries three tonnes of cargo.

20/09/22 Neeraj Bagga/Tribune

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7 flights were hovering over the city, waiting for permission to land

Heavy air  traffic at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Sunday morning, seven flights that were scheduled to land were unable to do so.

As a result, they had to hover above the airport for some time before landing.Airline sources said the ongoing construction of the taxiway on the runway was also affecting airline operations. 

Sources said the aircraft traffic is heavy at the airport on weekends with a flight being cleared for take-off or landing every 10 to 15 minutes.

On Sunday morning, between 7.30 and 8.30 a.m., Air Traffic Control (ATC) cleared an aircraft for takeoff every 10 minutes. Because the runway was congested with takeoff flights, those wishing to land were unable to obtain clearance.

This resulted in seven flights of airlines like Indigo, Vistara and Emeritus having to hover over the airport during different periods.

Apart from this, sources said, the ongoing construction work of the taxiway on the runway also results in repeated flight delays.

A source said that when a flight has to hover above the airport waiting to get permission to land it results in wastage of air turbine fuel which adds to the overall expense of an airline.

19/09/22 The Live Ahmedabad

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India starts process to offload two Air India subsidiaries

The Government of India has begun the sale process of two Air India (AI) subsidiaries, AI Airport Services Limited (AIASL) and AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), reported Press Trust Of India (PTI ) via Business Standard.

Last year in October, the Indian government sold the country’s debt-laden national carrier Air India to Tata Sons , a holding company of the Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Group for a consideration of Rs180bn.

AI was handed over to the buyer on 27 January 2022.

However, the government at that time decided to retain AI’s four subsidiaries namely AIASL, AIESL, Alliance Air Aviation Limited (AAAL), and Hotel Corporation of India Limited (HCI ) as well as other non-core assets.

These subsidiaries and non-core assets were transferred to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called Air India Assets Holding Limited (AIAHL).

An official was quoted by the news agency as saying that the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has started investor meetings as well as roadshows to assess interest in AIASL and AIESL.

Plans are on to invite EoIs from interested parties, the official further noted.

At the time of the deal, the Indian government said that it would later offload these subsidiaries and non-core assets.

In line with the government’s decision, DIPAM has now started the disposal process of AIASL and AIESL.

19/09/22 Airport Technology

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AAI’s ambitious projects to boost travel and tourism in India

New Delhi: In pursuit of its goal to cater to the growing demand of air travel among the domestic and international passengers, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), has geared up with development, remodeling and capacity expansion projects at airports across the country. The projects, once complete, will boost both tourism and industrial activities across the nation.

Vivek Anand Chourey, Executive Director (Operations) at AAI, presented the plans in a zoom meeting on Saturday explaining how the authority is working in accordance with the Government of India’s vision to support both tourism and industry.

The past couple of years have been challenging for the aviation sector due to the covid-19 restrictions and the stakeholders of the sector seek immediate revival of activities. To support the activities of both the tourism and industrial sectors, AAI is carrying out development and expansion activities at various airports, in full swing.

Chourey said AAI is carrying out expansion of capacity project at the Srinagar airport which is categorised as a civil enclave and the project would be completed by 2025. The Leh airport serves both the defense and the tourists and there is a lot of demand for more flights at the airport, however, there are geographical and weather related challenges in place. Overcoming them, AAI is expanding the annual passenger capacity at Leh to 1.6 million per year and the airport would be ready with upgrades by 2023.

Development of a new civil enclave at Jammu will be completed by 2024, while Adampur, near Jalandhar will get a 5000 sq. meter new domestic terminal by 2022. He also said that a 40000 sq. meter new terminal is being developed in Udaipur which would be ready by 2024 and a 20000 sq. meter new terminal would be ready to serve Jodhpur by 2023.

Sharing details about the expansion work at the Dehradun terminal, Chourey said about 14000 sq. meter area is being added to the existing terminal that would take the total area to 42775 sq. meter and an annual capacity to handle 3.65 million passengers by December 2022.

Similarly, the industrial hub of Punjab, Ludhiana is set to have a new civil enclave airport at Halwara with a 19000 sq. meter terminal and new car park and car lay-by areas. The new airport would serve 0.02 million passengers every year and will be able to support the types of A-321 aircrafts. When the Halwara airport becomes operational by 2025, the existing airport near Sahnewal would cease to operate.

AAI is also working to increase the capacity of various airports at Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Kushinagar, Prayagraj, Tezu, Holong (Greenfield Airport), Imphal, Port Blair and Bagdogra, the completion of these projects is estimated at various points in the next couple of years. While, one of the most ambitious projects is being executed at Kolkata, which would be completed by March 2026 and would increase the total capacity of the airport to 60 million annual passengers.

19/09/22 Statesman

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Akasa Air adds Delhi as its sixth destination; flights to start from October 7

India's newest airline Akasa Air today announced Delhi as the sixth destination on its network, adding to its existing network of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai and Mumbai. The newly commenced flights on the Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes will start on October 7, 2022. The airline has also announced additional daily flights on the Ahmedabad-Bengaluru route also commencing from October 07, 2022. Akasa Air is expected to have crossed 250 flights per week by October 10, 2022, along a total of nine routes.

The airline said that one new aircraft is added every 15 days, and very soon the fifth aircraft will be put into operation. "Akasa Air’s fleet size will be 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023 and over the next four years, the airline will add 54 additional aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72 aircraft," the airline added.

Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder, and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, "Elated to have added our national capital, New Delhi, to our fast-growing network. With our fifth aircraft coming into operations shortly, we will achieve the milestone of 250 flights per week soon. Apart from flights between Delhi and Bengaluru, we further augment our network between Bengaluru and Ahmedabad by adding the 2nd frequency between this route. In addition, we also announce another new route, Delhi - Ahmedabad - Delhi with very convenient timings, all effective 7th October.”

16/09/22 Business Today

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Akasa Air adds Delhi as its 6th destination, aims to operate over 250 flights per week

New Delhi: Newly-launched carrier Akasa Air is aiming for over 250 flights per week operating over nine domestic routes by the second week of October. The airline said that it is adding Delhi as its sixth destination starting October 7, with the induction of a fifth aircraft into the fleet.

Akasa Air, founded by late stock market investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala along with aviation industry veteran Vinay Dube, launched its operations on August 7 with a flight to Ahmedabad from Mumbai. Since then, it has expanded the route network to Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru.

16/09/22 Poulomi Saha/India Today

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Udaan Scheme: Jamshedpur to soon be re-connected by air

Jamshedpur: The steel city of Jamshedpur is all set to have an air connectivity under Union government's Udaan scheme soon, a senior official of East Singhbhum district on Friday said. Air services between Jamshedpur-Kolkata and Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar are likely to be launched from October 30 with a nine-seater aircraft from Sonari Aerodrome, said Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Nandkishore Lal.

The Deputy Development Commissioner, Saurabh Sinha and Lal along with aerodrome officials, fire department officials, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee representative and Traffic DySP Kamal Kishore held a meeting over the issue and discussed security and fire safety arrangements. "We have trained 49 security personnel to be deputed at the aerodrome and 12 of them have already providing their services," the officer added.

Earlier airlines including MDLR, Vayudoot and Deccan Airways had launched flights to nearby cities such as Kolkata and Ranchi from Sonari aerodrome, with small aircraft, but had ultimately stopped services.

16/09/22 PTI/Economic Times

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Parandur airport: Panneerselvam urges Tamil Nadu government to obtain villagers’ consent

AIADMK’s former coordinator O. Panneerselvam, on Thursday demanded that the execution of the project of building an airport at Parandur, Kancheepuram district, be done with the consent of people who would be affected by it.

“Else, the project can be shifted to an alternative site,” Mr. Panneerselvam said in a statement. 

In the event of the State government ignoring the stand of farmers and villagers, his party would launch a stir against the project, the former Chief Minister added. He also criticised the government for the manner in which a public hearing was conducted with regard to the project.

15/09/22 The Hindu

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Top AAI officials to review progress of work on new terminal at Chennai airport

A high-level team will inspect the Chennai airport ahead of the inauguration of some important passenger amenities, including a part of the new integrated terminal building and the multilevel car parking.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Sanjeev Kumar and a team of officials from New Delhi will hold a high-level meeting here on Thursday and Friday.

According to officials of AAI, the inspection of the airside facilities, new integrated terminal building and the multilevel car parking will take place on Thursday and the meeting is scheduled for Friday.

“There is a lot of interest in Chennai airport and the need to improve it. The inspection is crucial now as the multilevel car parking will be inaugurated by this month-end and the new integrated building by December. The team of officials will see how the work is progressing and how the terminal is shaping up and the facilities coming up in the building,” an official said.

Sources said ways to reduce congestion at the airport and the need to increase the runway capacity for more aircraft movement were likely to be the focus of the discussions.

Expectations are high among passengers about the new integrated terminal, which is under construction as part of the Phase II modernisation project taken up at a cost of nearly ₹2,500 crore.

15/08/22 The Hindu

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Qantas Starts Sydney-Bengaluru Flights With The Airbus A330

Qantas has inaugurated its long-awaited nonstop service from Sydney to the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. It took off on September 14th and is en route to India as this article is written. Driven by good passenger numbers, its new IndiGo codeshare, and fast-growing India-Australia traffic, Bengaluru joins Delhi in seeing Qantas metal.

At 10:11 on September 14th, Qantas flight QF67 departed Sydney bound for Bengaluru. With a distance of 5,810 miles (9,350km), the first flight is expected to be around 11h 30m, according to Flightradar24.

The A330-200 is scheduled to operate all flights, with the honor of the inaugural going to 11.8-year-old VH-EBP. Delivered in December 2010, it has 251 seats: 27 fully flat beds in business and 224 in economy seats.

Qantas will serve Bengaluru year-round on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. In the current week, the route's schedule is as follows, with all times local:

Sydney to Bengaluru: QF67, 09:30-16:55 (block time of 11h 55m)

Bengaluru to Sydney: QF68, 18:35-10:20+1 (11h 15m)

14/09/22 James Pearson/Simple Flying

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Ahmedabad SVPI airport likely to get third terminal as passenger footfall grows

Ahmedabad: To accommodate the growing number of travellers, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad is set to construct a third terminal. Domestic travellers will be served by the facility, according to individuals familiar with the project.

To boost passenger amenities and shorten turnaround times for transiting passengers, the municipal airport is already undertaking refurbishment and expansion.

"Two years later, a new terminal is required to meet the increased passenger footfall. To provide better connectivity and smooth transition, a new terminal for domestic passengers is a natural extension to the current renovation and expansion plans," said sources to TOI.

When the Airports Authority of India (AAI) managed the airport, a new terminal was already planned, and 2019–20 saw a peak of 1.1 crore passengers. The expansion plan, however, was never implemented.

Around 27.37 lakh passengers travelled through the city airport in the four months of FY 2022–23, from April to July. According to this, the anticipated passenger volume at the SVPI airport may be around 82 lakh.

The domestic and international terminals are currently expanding their floor space.

"The floor space is being expanded to accommodate more passengers and boarding gates are being added to ease passenger movement at the domestic terminal. This will help in handling more flights at a time," a source said.

14/09/22 TimesNow

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Goa Airport to have international charter flights from THESE destinations,

Goa Airport has received a request for slots for the arrival of international charter flights from eight destinations, including Russia, which will be approved by the end of September. Multiple international is seeking approval from the airport, including Kuala Lumpur, Tel Aviv, Gatwick, Bahrain, Russia, Almaty, Manchester, and Muscat. Speaking to IANS, Goa Airport Director S.V.T. Dhanamjaya Rao said that eight countries had requested slots. "Some of them have been granted approval, while some are in process," he said. "They are giving proposals. Things are in process. Certain things are approved, certain things are in process," Rao said.

"Some are approved, those coming now are being entertained, and our officials are approving. All the things will be finalised by September because it (arrival) starts only in the month of October," Rao said.

Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte had recently said that the coastal state`s tourism is predominantly dependent on the United Kingdom and Russia, and some parts of Europe. "Government is taking all steps to get a good footfall with good spending," he had said.

Khaunte had said that in 2019, about 71,27,000 were domestic tourists who arrived in Goa, while 9,31,000 were foreign tourists. But this number dropped in 2020 and 2021 as the Covid pandemic struck the coastal state. "The number came down to mere 3 lakh domestic tourists and 32,000 foreign tourists," Khaunte had said.

14/09/22 ZeeNews

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Thiruvananthapuram airport expansion likely to take off soon after 3-year wait

After a three-year wait, the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram international airport is becoming a reality. Acquisition of additional 34 acres of land is now under the consideration of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the government, sources said, is likely to take a decision on it soon.

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) had submitted the proposal to the state transport department two months ago. It was handed over later to the revenue department for land acquisition proceedings. Of the 34 acres, 18 need to be acquired at Vayyamoola for terminal expansion and 16 near Brahmos Aerospace to expand runway in order to accommodate larger and more number of flights.

“We’ve begun the preliminary work. We’re waiting for the government’s nod to go ahead,” said an official.The airport’s expansion has been put on hold for several years due to opposition from the residents of Vayyamoola.

Though the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had decided to acquire 18 acres in 2014, residents led by the Vallakadavu-Vayyamoola joint action council raised protest saying it would affect their livelihood. After three years of uncertainty, the district collector held a public meeting in October 2017 in which the residents agreed to conduct a social impact assessment in the area to identify the affected people.

As per the study, the project will displace 105 families and need to acquire land accordingly. However, the residents of Vayyamoola were offered Rs 3 lakh each to build house.Deputy Collector (land acquisition) Jacob Sanjay John said acquisition had come to a standstill three years ago as the fund from the AAI stopped due to the privatisation of the airport.

14/08/22 Krishnachand K/New Indian Express

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Jewar Airport begins to spread wings: Work force, machines increased; Yogi takes stock

The first stage of construction of Noida International Airport at Jewar is expected to be completed by January 2024, Dr Arun Vir Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Noida International Airport Ltd, said Tuesday. To meet the target, the workforce is being increased from 700 at present to 4,000, and machinery from 39 at present to 400 this month.

“UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the airport site Sunday and took stock of the current status of construction in stage 1. For stage 1, around 1,334 hectares of land was fully acquired in 2020. The terminal building and one of the runways has been constructed. As of now, construction of boundary wall is complete at 93%. Construction of the ATC building is ongoing as well as the second runway, which will be ready by 2023. The runway is 4-km-long and is being constructed from both sides,” Singh said.

Residents of six villages including Ranhera, Rohi, Nangla Shareefkha, Nangla Cheetar were shifted to and provided land in Jewar Bangar township with around 3,025 plots, he added. “The process of acquisition of 1,365 hectares in stage 2 has started. This includes construction of one runway, an aviation hub and an MRO facility. As per provisions under the land acquisition act, consent of 70% of affected families is required for land acquired for private-public projects,” he said.

The construction plan for the airport is laid out in two stages, wherein the first stage has four phases. In the first phase, the Noida International Airport will have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually with one runway and 25 aircraft stands. In the second, third and fourth phases, passenger capacity is expected to stand at 30 million, 50 million and 70 million respectively. “Project cost for phase 1 stands at Rs 4,599 crore, whereas for the entire stage 1, it is around Rs 30,000 crore,” he added.

According to Singh, certain key steps have been taken keeping protection of trees, indigenous birds and animals in mind. “Environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for Noida International Airport was received by March 9, 2020. The forest department granted (permission for) felling 11,460 trees. As on date, 5,620 (trees) have been cut in areas delegated to terminal zone, runway boundary and runway zone. As of August 2022, we have planted around 1,14,560 trees in 56 hectares, which is 10% more than the trees that were felled. Further, 93 plants have been transplanted towards the boundary wall area. Around 14 ponds comprising a total area of 3 hectares were found in the 1,364-hectare land acquired in stage 1. In their place, we have constructed a pond comprising a total area of 6.8 hectares… in Jewar.”

14/08/22 Malavika Prasad/Indian Express

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Airlines oppose fee hike by Mangaluru Airport

Airlines have opposed Adani-owned Mangaluru airport’s proposal to increase user fees, saying that it would impact their recovery from the damage caused by the pandemic.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which includes IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go First, suggested that instead the airport increase its revenue from non-aeronautical sources and cross-subsidise passenger fee, and landing and parking charges for airlines. According to the tariff model, 30% of non-aero revenue is used to cross-subsidise and lower the charges on passengers and airlines.

Tariff regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) also asked the airport operator to take efforts to substantially increase the non-aero revenue, which includes income from sources like duty-free shops, restaurants, lounges and car parking.

The Mangaluru airport has sought an immediate increase of 49-74% increase in passenger, landing and parking fees for the next five-year period, in order to fund development activities. It has also requested permission to levy the user fee on both arriving and departing passengers — it is usually not levied on arriving passengers.

An Adani spokesperson didn’t comment on the issue.

A person aware of the development said Mangaluru had limited scope for increasing non-aero revenue and currently the airport developer was concentrating more on improving infrastructure and safety conditions at the airport. Adani Airports Holdings took over operations of the airport in Karnataka in November 2020.

The airport in its projection to the tariff regulating authority said that its non-aeronautical charges for the period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026 would be Rs 40.34 crore.

14/09/22 Arindam Majumder/Economic Times

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Hyderabad Airport to be revamped by 2023

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Airport which is one of the busiest airports in the country is getting revamped to cater to an increasing number of passengers at the airport.

Currently, the airport is capable to cater 21 million passengers per annum. It is expected that after the completion of the revamping process, the airport will be capable of handling 34 million people per annum and more domestic and international flights will take off from Shamsabad.

After the revamp, the airport will have 149 check-in counters, 26 security screening machines with ATRS, and 44 immigration counters.

The cost involved in revamping the airport is reported to be more than 6000 crores.

Hyderabad International Airport had the highest international passenger recovery, during 2021-22 compared to other metro airports in India.

During April 2021-March 2022, Hyderabad Airport’s recovery in the domestic segment was at par with Delhi International Airport.

13/08/22 Sameer Khan/Siasat Daily

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Mangaluru International airport simplifies process to claim lost items

There are times when air passengers tend to lose their valuables due to the hustle-bustle at the airport. Getting them back is a task as there is a long process that passengers have to undertake. Hence, to make it easy for passengers, Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has simplified procedures to claim lost items from passengers on the airport premises. The Mangaluru airport officials have streamlined procedures to get back lost items. Each month, an average of 150 items of all shapes and sizes are found in MIA terminals. The lost-and-found unit at the airport plays a vital role in ensuring that the passengers get back the items they inadvertently leave behind.

A robust mechanism manned by the terminal manager's office has been set up to bring back the smiles on the faces of passengers who leave behind their items, a release from the airport said here on Tuesday (September 13). All such items found are deposited with the terminal manager and an entry is made in the register. The most common items retrieved and handed in are Aadhaar, voter identity, debit, credit, and PAN cards.

These are often left behind in the trays at either the domestic or international security hold area while depositing items for the pre-flight security screening process. Passengers come either in person or collect the items left behind through their duly authorised representatives. The respective stakeholders including the airport security group of CISF, housekeeping, and maintenance staff hands them over to the terminal manager for safekeeping.

13/09/22 Zee News

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Lucknow airport converts into silent airport

Lucknow: The Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) in Lucknow has slipped into a silent mode from Wednesday.

The silent airport is an initiative to ensure that passengers can enjoy a relaxed journey experience while they utilise their wait time in their favourite activities, without disturbance.

A spokesperson for the airport said, “Silence in the airport means more time for passengers to read a book, talk to their travel partner, listen to their favourite playlist, or work as per their need. With this initiative, the CCSIA will join the league of airports like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru.”

He said that “However, the airport will ensure that no vital information for passengers is missed. So CCSIA will display flight information for passenger convenience at all the 81 Flight information display screens across Terminal-1 and Terminal-2. The screens are placed at strategic locations - outside terminals, in checkin halls, security hold areas and arrival halls of the airport.”

Only announcements relating to change in boarding gates as well as passenger baggage in Level-4 of Inline Baggage Screening System will be made.

Emergency and security-related announcements will continue on the public announcement systems as per requirement, in addition to the mandatory Covid-19 protocol announcements.

07/09/22 IANS/ET Infra.com

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First test flight lands at Mopa international airport

Panjim: The first trial flight landed at the under construction Mopa international airport on Monday afternoon.

The Indigo Airlines aircraft which came from Mumbai, onboard Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials, landed at the international airport new runway. 

GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Limited (GAL) successfully completed Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedure for both approaches - 10 & 28 - of the newly built Runway at the upcoming new Mopa international airport, the GMR stated in a press release.

An Airbus 320 aircraft from IndiGo Airlines equipped with RNP equipment tested and validated RNP for its accuracy and flyability.

Speaking on the occasion, GGIAL chief executive officer R V Sheshan said, “Today, we have successfully completed the Required Navigation Performance Procedure at the upcoming new Goa international airport. RNP approach ensures integrity and accuracy and helps an aircraft to follow specific paths using board equipment. This procedure not only offers safety benefits by means of its precision and accuracy, but it also enhances operational efficiency by minimising multiple step-downs, and inaccurate circling approaches etc.”

He further said “As an airport operator, GGIAL is working to make New Goa International Airport, the airport of choice for airlines, passengers and all stakeholders, by unlocking the true potential of Goa.”

The new Mopa greenfield airport is likely to be ready for full-fledged operation by October.

06/09/22 Herald

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AAI mulls campaign in Chennai against waste dumping as bird hits on rise

Chennai: With the increasing incidence of bird hits on aircraft that take off from Chennai international airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning an extensive campaign against dumping of waste in open places as this attracts birds.

AAI officials told IANS that open waste dumping, keeping open boxes to collect garbage, and dumping of poultry waste are the main reasons for birds flocking in large numbers near the airport, resulting in hits with aircraft.

An AAI source told IANS that the campaign against waste dumping will be conducted in FM radio programmes, with a bid to promote disposal of waste in a responsible manner.

The airport has the equipment to scare the birds away but according to airport officials, the birds get accustomed to it and it does not evoke fear in them any longer. The airport is also planning to procure water cannons in large numbers as a measure to scare away the birds.

A recent meeting between the AAI officials and the passenger advisory committee has discussed better coordination between the Greater Chennai Corporation and the AAI for better waste management. According to AAI officials, the lasting solution is the removal of things that attract birds, and an end to open waste dumping is important.

06/09/22 New Indian Express

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'Modi govt playing with security of airports': Congress slams Centre's decision to abolish 3000 CISF posts

New Delhi: A day after the Centre abolished more than 3,000 CISF posts at airports, Congress on Monday attacked the Narendra Modi-led government saying it is "playing with" the security of Indian airports.

As per a government notification, the vacant posts will be taken over by private security personnel who will render non-sensitive duties with the help of smart technology tools for surveillance and protection.

Hitting out at the Centre, Congress tweeted, "The Modi government has abolished more than 3,000 CISF posts, playing with the security at the airports. It has been decided to deploy private security guards in their place."

"Actions in the name of cutting down on security expenses cannot be tolerated," the party tweeted in Hindi.

It should be noted that the blueprint prepared by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the aviation security regulator, abolishes a total of 3,049 CISF aviation security posts to be replaced by 1,924 private security personnel and a parallel introduction of smart surveillance technology like CCTV cameras and baggage scanners.

The private security personnel are being deployed at airports like in Delhi, Mumbai and others for non-sensitive duties like queue management, security assistance to airlines staff and passengers, and manning of certain entry and exit points within the terminal area, a second officer said.

The CISF will continue to render its core task of checking passenger credentials at entry, frisking of passengers, anti-sabotage drills, secondary ladder point checks and providing an over all counter-terrorist cover to the airports on the city and air side, he said.

05/09/22 Times Now

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UK-based Hans Airways all set to connect Amritsar & Birmingham

Amritsar: UK-based Hans Airways is all set to connect Amritsar and Birmingham, which will be a bonanza for Punjabi diaspora living in England.

There is currently a huge demand on this route as Air India is operating only one weekly flight and the diaspora faces inconvenience of flying back to London from Punjab.

Sources in the aviation sector said the airlines wished to connect the Punjabi diaspora with India, Europe and North America. It would be providing the agriculturists of Punjab an opportunity to directly export farm fresh vegetables and other commodities to Birmingham and other cities across the UK.

They stated that the Airways is now in the last phase of completing all obligations in obtaining its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from CAA and will be ready to commence scheduled operations within upcoming weeks.

A joint delegation of the Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) and FlyAmritsar Initiative (FAI) comprising AVM patron Manmohan Singh Brar, Yogesh Kamra, convener (India), FAI, and Ravreet Singh, member, FAI, recently met Satnam Singh Saini and Amit Dhiman, chief executive officer and general manager for India of the British start-up airline.

05/09/22 Tribune

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Guwahati resumes international flight; Druk Air starts operating flights for Singapore, Bhutan

As international travel picks up and demands for flights see an upward tick, Guwahati’s Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) resumed services on foreign routes from Saturday. International flights were suspended due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first flight that took off from the airport was a Druk Air plane that left for Singapore at 9.10 am. The airport authority officials said that the same airline will also operate a flight from the city to Bhutan on Sundays.

After around four and half hours in the air, the flight that left Guwahati at 9.10 AM (IST) landed at Singapore’s Changi airport at 16:10 Singapore local time. The service resumed on September 3, and it will operate once a week. The outbound flights depart on Saturday and returning ones on Sundays.

The return flight leaves Singapore on Sundays at 12:30 PM (IST) and reaches Guwahati International airport at 14:30 (IST). It will then leave for Paro Airport at 15:20 and land at 16:30. The airport in Paro, approves only a few pilots to make a landing. Bhutan’s national airline Druk Air is the only international carrier that operates flights to Guwahati.

With the opening of DrukAir services, Bhutan has started allowing international tourists to travel to the country. Druk Air has started its operations and will provide convenient travel options for passengers from northeast India to Bhutan and Singapore. Druk Air also offers flights to Delhi with Airbus A319.

05/09/22 Financial Express

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