Airlines suspend Sri Lanka flights after rebel air strike

Colombo: Emirates Airlines and Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific on Sunday suspended flights to Sri Lanka following a rebel air strike around the troubled island's capital.
Emirates operated scheduled flights from Dubai to the Maldives, Singapore and Indonesia through the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
However, the airline plans to operate a relief flight for any stranded passengers.
Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific suspended flights to Sri Lanka's international airport indefinitely, it said in a statement Sunday.
Planes manned by Tamil Tiger rebels struck fuel depots around Sri Lanka's capital early Sunday, briefly plunging Colombo into darkness. Security forces lit up the night sky with anti-aircraft fire.
The island's only international airport, located near the capital, diverted flights after rebel aircraft were spotted in its air space.
Flights were disrupted by air defence systems, officials said, adding that one Indian jet was turned back and several departing flights were delayed. It is the second time in recent weeks that Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to Sri Lanka.
29/04/07 AFP/Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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GDS players to woo low-cost carriers

New Delhi: If you happen to book a ticket on a low-cost carrier (LCC) via a travel agent, it is likely that you may not get the best deal. This is thanks to LCCs lack of investment in appropriate software that can tell in real time the booking status across the country. Something that the full service carriers have. And the LCCs don’t invest in it as this could jack up ticket price by $1 to $5 — small change, but enough to drive away some cost conscious flyers.
However, things are set to change as Global Distribution System (GDS) — the computer-based reservation system — players have geared up to woo LCCs. To begin with, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will be soon launching its GDS aimed at LCCs.
For travel agents, the system will be free. The organisation plans to bring the cost down by cutting overheads such as incentives to travel agents. GDS players, such as Amadeus and Abacus, which have Indian full-service carriers as their clients are now trying to develop a model for LCCs. Amadeus is developing a software called iposs, which will converge the content for full-service and low-cost carriers.
Globally, Amadeus has LCCs such as Air Asia, Malaysia, and Jetstar Asia, Singapore, as its clients Analysts believe that the next one year will witness at least few, if not all, LCCs getting onto the GDS platform as it caters to small and big travel agents (online as well as offline).
30/04/07 Vishakha Talreja/Economic Times

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Lockheed Martin offers to showcase latest navigation system

New Delhi: With Indian airspace getting crowded due to the boom in aviation sector, Lockheed Martin -- the US maker of the famous F-16 fighter jets -- has offered to operate its latest navigation system in Mumbai on experimental basis to showcase its technological prowess in the country.
"We are offering an adaptation of Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) system for implementation in Mumbai in the next six months," Judy Marks, President of Lockheed Martin's Transportation and Security Solution Division, told PTI in an interview here.
The satellite-based ATOP became operational only in March at Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center in Alaska. It provides safe separation of aircraft in oceans and other areas that are outside radar coverage or radio communication.
The system also detects conflicts between aircraft, provides satellite data link communication and information to air traffic controllers (ATCs), providing them the flexibility to provide direct fuel-efficient air tracks over long oceanic routes as well as large land mass.
29/04/07 PTI/The Hindu

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AAI ties up with US body to ease congestion

New Delhi: In a bid to ease massive air traffic congestion at Delhi and Mumbai, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has tied up with US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop satellite-based navigation system for managing the ever-growing traffic in these places.
The new system, which will be implemented in a year, is expected to lead to significant increase in capacity — and if all goes as planned, even lower flying time to these cities.
"Currently, planes are directed by ground-based navigational aids. So they go from one tower to other and after reaching the next tower, they are told the route they have to take. This leads to a rather circuitous path. On the other hand, Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation will lead to the path being defined on take off itself and that would lead to a slight reduction in flying time," said an official.
AAI chairman K Ramalingam's decision to have satellite-based navigation with FAA's help comes close on the heels of an Indo-US Aviation Partnership Summit that ended here this week. 29/04/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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50% of Jet business will be from global ops

Bangalore: It’s not just the look, but even the business of full service carrier Jet Airways is getting a global hue. The Naresh Goyal-promoted airline, which is already earning over 25% of its revenues from overseas operations, is planning to take it up to 50% in double-quick time.
“In the next two years, half of our total revenues will be generated from international flights,” says Jet Airways CEO Wolfgang Prock-Shauer. The airline’s overseas plans are driven by the phenomenal success of some of its international routes, which have turned profitable in less than two years. Relatively better load factors and realisations in the overseas market are also pushing Jet’s global ambitions.
The airline has already cornered 25-30% market share on its India-London flights (which it began operating in mid-2005) and is giving tough competition to traditional players like Air India and British Airways, Prock-Shauer said.
29/04/07 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

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Government was warned of Air India bombing

The inquiry looking into the 1985 Air India bombing will be told Monday that government agencies were warned a number of times an airline attack was imminent, the CBC has learned.
The official line has been that the government knew of no such information, a key issue for the victims' families. Many of them testified last fall that Canadian law enforcement agencies had to know much more than they've let on, the CBC's Terry Milewski reported Sunday.
For 22 years, the official storyline has been that the system did not fail because there were no specific warnings. But the inquiry — resuming Monday after lengthy wrangling over official secrecy — is about to hear of a months-long series of specific warnings about a coming attack on Air India.
The warnings came from police informers, the Indian government and Air India itself, which told the RCMP three weeks before the bombing that Sikh extremists in Canada were planning to put bombs on Air India flights, Milewski reported.
On Monday, the inquiry will hear that the RCMP failed to give details of the Indian intelligence to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and that the airline itself failed to check bags against passengers, allowing an unaccompanied bag on to the plane, Milewski reported.
Furthermore, several police informers inside the Sikh extremist movement also reported the bomb plot. Paul Besso told CBC News he was spying on Sikh drug dealers when he heard about the plot.
CSIS also followed the plot leader, Talwinder Singh Parmar, to a test bombing on Vancouver Island, just three days after the tip from Air India about the bombs.
Vancouver police also monitored a meeting of Sikh militants, where one can be heard complaining that: "No ambassadors have been killed! What are you doing? Nothing!"
"You will see! Something will be done in two weeks," another person replied.
30/04/07 CBC News/CBC.ca, Canada

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No glorification of Sikh militants: Canada

Toronto: Taking serious note of a recent Sikh parade in which a militant was glorified, Canada has said that it would not allow such unlawful activities that hurt friendly relations with India.
"Canada obviously does not tolerate any kind of glorification of violence, or of terrorism or banned terrorist organisations," a spokesman of the federal government said.
"There may have been evidence of those things at a (recent) Sikh parade event at Surrey and we've taken note of them. Federal government is monitoring the issue."
Surrey City Mayor has warned that the city administration would not allow unlawful activities of Sikh militants that hurt relations between India and Canada.
The city administration has been directed to conduct thorough review of the public events before granting permission to them, Dianne Watts said.
29/04/07 Zee News

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Indian caught with guns, ammo at Ninoy Aquino Airport

Police arrested a 38-year-old Indian national at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Sunday morning after he was found to be carrying guns in his luggage.
Raj Singh, who was supposed to board a 7 a.m. flight to Singapore and then proceed to India, was collared at the initial security check section of Terminal 1. His suitcase yielded two .38 caliber revolvers with six live bullets and two empty shells.
Chief Inspector Jonathan Galang, 1st Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) Terminal 1 Station head, said the guns were discovered and were immediately seized.
"He was arrested and identified through his travel documents," he told The STAR in an interview, noting that Singh is now detained at the PNP-ASG detention cell.
Singh, who gave a Mabini Extension, Cabanatuan City as his Philippine address and Punjab, VPO Madhek, Republic of India as his home country residence, will face at least two criminal charges before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.
In a report to Morada, 1st PCAS chief Senior Superintendent Efren Labiang said Singh tried to hide his guns by wrapping them in a black garbage bag.
The revolvers, a Smith and Wesson and one with a defaced serial number, were also wrapped in carbon paper in an apparent effort to avoid detection.
30/04/07 Michael Punongbayan/The Philippine Star/ABS CBN News, Philippines

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Snag forces plane to return to Delhi

New Delhi: A Toronto-bound Air India flight AI-187 returned to Delhi on Saturday after it developed a technical snag.
According to a senior Air India official, the pilot noticed a technical snag while touching down at Amritsar airport and decided to return to Delhi.
The aircraft had left Mumbai for Toronto in the morning. All passengers were disembarked at Amritsar and the aircraft returned to Delhi where it made an emergency landing at 4-30 p.m.
The official said that some spare-parts were being flown in from Mumbai to repair the aircraft. He said adequate arrangements had been made for the passengers stranded at Amritsar.
29/04/07 The Hindu

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At airport Minister fights for VVIP status

New Delhi: Officials of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had to face the rage of a Union minister last week when he was told to follow procedures as a regular passenger and undergo immigration and security checks.
The CISF Director General, R K Das, has written to the Cabinet Secretariat, Home Ministry and Civil Aviation Ministry detailing the sequence of events and asking the authorities to “suitably inform” the Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma that he does not fall in any of the categories accorded ceremonial facilities and exemption from pre-embarkation checks.
Sharma was to take the Air-India flight to London on the night of April 20. The MEA, which handles protocol at IGIA’s ceremonial lounge, arranged for Sharma’s access even though he is not officially entitled to use this facility.
The problem started when the CISF personnel posted there insisted that he undergo pre-embarkation—immigration and security—checks just like any other passenger and reach the boarding gate through the normal channel.
Sharma is said to have insisted on using the special passage meant for VVIPs on the list of 23 persons/categories exempt from such checks. Frustrated by repeated denials, the DG’s letter states, the Minister “flew into a rage” and spoke to the CISF Director General over the phone well past midnight.
The CISF letter claims that the door leading to the boarding area from the ceremonial lounge was opened for Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was returning from Cyprus, and, at that moment, Sharma also walked through the gate “without pre-embarkation security check”.
29/04/07 Pranab Dhal Samanta/Indian Express

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A380 inaugural flight to touch Delhi on May 6

Airbus and Kingfisher Airlines have announced that the A 380, world’s biggest aircraft would arrive in Delhi on May 6, in the run up to Kingfisher’s second anniversary celebrations. HT first reported about it on Thursday.
Airbus is bringing A 380 to India to demonstrate its full compatibility with major airports and its many qualities that would attract passengers towards it.
After being demonstrated in Delhi for two days, the aircraft will proceed to Mumbai on May 9 where it will join the anniversary celebrations of the Vijay Mallya controlled airline. It is scheduled to fly back to its base in Toulouse, France on May 10.
Airport officials said that the A 380 is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 4 pm and get parked at very close to the Kingfisher anniversary celebrations venue at the Air India hanger near the 2C international terminal. This is the same venue from where Mallya launched the airline two years ago amidst much fanfare.
A 380’s airport compatibility tests in India will be done in cooperation with the Airport Authority of India, Delhi and Mumbai airports and Kingfisher Airlines.
27/04/07 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

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A rather murky business

New Delhi: The recent arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Babubhai Katara for his alleged involvement in a human trafficking racket has exposed the deep nexus between traffickers and politicians. Already six persons have been arrested and four Members of Parliament are under the police scanner. It is common knowledge that human trafficking is an age-old practice. Poor people from developing countries migrate to developed countries in search of a better life.
On several occasions the police have found that human trafficking rackets are run in connivance with airlines, passport office staffers and even their own men. In a case reported about two years ago, the Indira Gandhi International Airport police discovered that an assistant sub-inspector with the Special Branch had helped in arranging about 100 passports under different names on a particular East Delhi address. The passports were allegedly issued in the names of Afghan nationals who later fled the country. In another case, the police found that a passport official had arranged over a dozen passports issued on a particular name.
28/04/07 The Hindu

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Air attack scare: Sri Lanka diverts flights to India

Colombo: Sri Lankan troops fired anti-aircraft weapons, evacuated passengers and briefly shut the international airport here yesterday night fearing a Tamil Tiger air raid, officials said.
Airport officials said they were asked to shut down the runway and all incoming flights were diverted to neighbouring India following reports rebel attack planes were approaching.
Two Sri Lankan Airlines flights were re-directed to Chennai in southern India, officials said. The airline said there would be delays following the scare.
A military helicopter gunship sent to check the reports was forced to make a crash landing due to a technical problem, but the pilots managed to bail out, official sources said.
Air force spokesman Ajantha Silva said the air defence system had been activated after unidentified aircraft were spotted north of the airport.
27/04/07 AFP/Peninsula On-line, Qatar

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Dnata in race for Indian airports bid

Dubai: Dnata will submit proposals for strategic partnership with the Airports Authority of India to offer ground handling solutions for India's airports as the government is looking at privatising its airports, a top Emirates official said.
The deadline for submission is April 30, 2007.
"We are going to submit proposals to Indian authorities for ground handling projects in four days as the April 30 deadline is very close," Gary Chapman, President of Group Services and Dnata, told Gulf News.
Dnata, the ground handling, ticketing and reservation arm of Emirates Group, has, ground handling operations in nine international airports including Dubai, Singapore Changi, Guangzhou, Iran, Karachi among others.
Dnata, which has a strong airport ground handling operations as well ticketing and reservation business, recorded a solid performance with revenue growth of 16.5 per cent to Dh2.1 billion ($565 million) compared with Dh1.8 billion ($485 million). Dnata's profits of Dh360 million ($98 million) represent an increase of 11 per cent compared to last year’s Dh324 million ($88 million).
26/04/07 Saifur Rahman/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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London Mayor brands airport staff 'racist'

Ken Livingstone has launched a scathing attack on immigration staff at Heathrow Airport after accusing them of treating foreign travellers in a racist manner. The Mayor of London branded the treatment of travellers from China and India a disgrace. Union leaders said his comments were completely unacceptable and would be greeted with alarm by workers.
Mr Livingstone was addressing an economic conference discussing the need to embrace new business from abroad.
Mr Livingstone said: "Whenever I'm in India or China meeting business people or diplomats, again and again their complaint is that they have big business people coming through the airport being treated as though they are going to sneak off and do a bit of cockle picking or something."
He added: "We should stop treating them as though they're potentially all illegal immigrants."
Immigration staff at Heathrow work for the Home Office and the union that represents them says the mayor's comments will be viewed poorly by its members.
26/04/07 BBC News, UK

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Mishandling of human remains

Mumbai: In a case of mishandling of human remains, two India bound flights of Emirates (Airline) on Thursday morning brought bodies of two dead persons from Dubai, interchanging their destination of arrival. One of the bodies of an infant Dainel Raj (8 months) was to be transported to Thiruvananthapuram by flight no EK 522 and the other of Mani Vannan Alagarswami (32) was to arrive in Chennai by flight no EK 542, both from Dubai.
While Alagarswami’s body was coming unaccompanied, the family of the infant was in the flight. They were shocked when they learnt that their child’s the body had been sent to Chennai in another flight. “The child’s father Mohan Raj Kumar was traumatised. How can this happen?,” said a relative over phone.
Due to some confusion in Dubai, the bodies were loaded in two different aircraft but for the wrong destinations. When the airline officials realised their mistake, the bodies were flown back to Dubai in the return flights and once again brought back to India, this time for correct destinations. The body of child flown on flight EK 520 arrived in Thiruvananthapuram at 8.40 pm. Alagarswami’s body bound for Chennai was flown back by an Indian (Airlines) flight no IC 906 that arrived at 7 pm.
27/04/07 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

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Trafficking: Airlines asked for travel information about MPs

New Delhi: The Delhi Police Thursday sent notices to five airlines including three international airlines to disclose travel information about the MPs allegedly involved in an international human trafficking racket, a senior official said.
Notices were sent to Indian Airlines, Air India, Austrian Airlines, British Airways and Northwest Airlines asking them to provide all information pertaining to five parliamentarians' domestic and international journeys during the past few years.
Information was sought on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs from Uttar Pradesh - Mohammed Tahir Khan (Sultanpur), Mitrasen Yadav (Faizabad) and Ashok Rawat (Misrikh) - and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Ramswaroop Koli (Bayana, Rajasthan) and Babubhai Katara (Dahod, Gujarat).
Sunder Lal Yadav, a travel agent arrested Saturday with Rajendra Kumar Gampa and their female accomplice Kiran Dhar, alleged in a city court that Khan and Koli were the central figures in a racket involving smuggling people abroad on diplomatic passports of MPs' family members or forged documents.
26/04/07 Indo-Asian News Service/Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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Smuggling sentence too lenient, critics say

A man who smuggled a nine-year-old boy from India into Canada was fined just $5,000 - a sentence upheld on appeal this month but one critics say sets an excessively lenient precedent.
Shamsh Dhalla, 51, landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Nov. 24, 2004, with a young boy in tow. He counselled the boy to provide a false name and to show a fake passport to customs officers, though Mr. Dhalla later claimed he was tricked into smuggling the child into Canada.
Suspicious customs officials uncovered the ruse, and Mr. Dhalla was later charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with an offence known as counselling misrepresentation. The boy, whose real parents have not been located, became a ward of the Children's Aid Society, and he went on to make a refugee claim as an "abandoned child."
The case provides insight into the myriad and daring schemes that smugglers in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia devise to help people, minors included, enter Canada illegally.
26/04/07 Marina Jimenez/Globe and Mail, Canada

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Hero Pilot Complains Of Hotel Ghosts

Pilots for Indian Airline claim that something has been going bump in the night at Sharjah’s Holiday Inn.
And the frightened men, including celebrated pilot Captain Devi Sharan have written to the hotel to complain about the hauntings. XPRESS sent its ghostbusting team to look around the hotel and try and capture a rare sighting on camera.
We didn’t spot anything but the five star hotel has spooked pilots and caused a stir in the media. Sharan has written a letter of complaint to the hotel claiming hauntings as well as poor food and service.
“The pilot felt a presence in his room, a kind of apparition,” an IA official who is privy to the contents of the letter told XPRESS on conditions of anonymity.
Sources close to the Indian Airlines investigation said there is a dispute over whether the pilot’s claim has substance or whether he may have hallucinated the incident.
Devi Sharan also hit the headlines when he captained the infamous flight IC 814 which was hijacked from Nepal and diverted to Afghanistan in 1999. He was awarded the prestigious Safe Skies award for his courage throughout the incident.
26/04/07 Mazhar Farooqui/XPRESS, United Arab Emirates

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Non-stop US flights: AI to buy planes

New Delhi: The Maharaja is not satisfied with the 68 new generation aircraft it had ordered earlier. Air India's top officials have begun deliberations to see how many more Boeing 777-200 long range (LR) aircraft it would need for direct Indo-US services. This stems from two reaons — the airline now anticipates higher passenger traffic and wants to connect more US cities like Washington and Houston to India.
"From June we will launch non stop India-US flights on the Boeing 777-200 long range (LR) while the three other carriers who offer this service are using extended range versions," AI CMD V Thulasidas said.
AI's earlier plans were to begin daily services on these routes — New York from Delhi and Mumbai; Mumbai-Chicago and to San Francisco from a Metro. Each direct flight requires two aircraft and the airline has ordered eight Boeing 777 LR versions.
26/04/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Man pulls passenger jet with ears

Manjit Singh, 57, from Highfields, pulled the aircraft 12 ft (3.4m) along the apron at East Midlands Airport, at Castle Donington in Leicestershire.
He said he will now send off video footage of the record attempt to be verified by officials at the Guinness World Book of Records.
The Jetstream passenger plane weighed approximately 7.4 tonnes (7,500 kg).
Manjit already holds 30 world records, which include pulling a double decker bus with his hair and lifting 85 kg with his ears.
Speaking after the record attempt, he said: "I don't feel too bad, I have a little bit of pain around the ears but I'm ok.
The attempt raised money for his charity Manjit Fitness, which aims to get children living in his native Mahilpur, India involved in sport.
25/04/07 BBC News, UK

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A380 to fly to India next month

Mumbai: The Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft will arrive in Indian skies next month on a promotional flight for Kingfisher Airlines, the carrier said on Thursday.
The A380, plagued by delays, is scheduled to visit Mumbai and New Delhi from May 7 to May 10 for Kingfisher's second anniversary celebrations, according to a statement.
Kingfisher, owned by India's UB Group which controls the top brewer and spirits maker, has placed a firm order for five A380 aircraft and has an option for five more.
India's main airports are bursting at the seams with newly-launched airlines and a sharp surge in passenger and freight traffic in a booming economy, but a spokesman for the Mumbai airport said the financial hub could handle the aircraft.
"The airport is perfectly capable of handling the A380 now," said a spokesman for Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd.
26/04/07 Reuters/NDTV.com

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Intl airlines dodge Indian airports on high user charges

Mumbai: Airport user charges, including landing, parking, terminal navigation and passenger service fee, at Indian airports are nearly 25% higher than similar charges in other international airports, resulting in international airlines dodging Mumbai, Delhi and other metros as stopover points for long haul flights.
For instance, Singapore Airlines has a long haul flight from Singapore to the US sector and has a stopover in China, since the airport fee at Beijing International airport or Pudong airport in Shanghai amounts to not more than 90 yuan ($111).
And if it were to consider Mumbai airport for a stopover, the airline would have to pay 'terminal navigational landing charges' of Rs 989 ($23) for 10,000 kg and Rs 5,951 ($143) for 10,000 kg and above.
Landing charges for over 50,000 kg would be Rs 12,400 ($298) + Rs 376 ($9) per every excess 1,000 kg, apart from a service fee of Rs 200 per passenger. These charges are subject to a service tax of 12%. Charges at Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore, all managed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) at present, are on the higher side.
Similar is the case with British Airways. It has long haul flights of over 21 hours from London to Sydney with Changi airport in Singapore as a stopover.
26/04/07 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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'Melbourne now only a direct flight away!'

With the number of Indian visitors going to Victoria on the rise, the Australian state decided to set up an office in Mumbai to promote Victoria. More than 53,500 Indian visitors went to Australia in 2006, of which, 32% visited the Victoria region. Seeing the great market potential, Victoria’s tourism minister Tim Holding spoke about why the Indian market is important for Victoria.
India, with its one billion residents, particularly the large middle class, is an increasingly important visitor market for Victoria. India is the second largest travel market in Asia after China and one of the region’s fastest growing markets. Holiday is the main purpose of visit for Indians, followed by visiting friends and relatives, business and MICE (meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and employment and education.
Melbourne stands to attract more visitors, business and trade when Indian Airlines begins flights in January 2008. Melbourne will be the airline’s sole Australian destination.
Indian Airlines will deliver services between New Delhi and Melbourne with connections via Singapore to four other major cities in India — Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. The year-on-year growth rate of passengers between Melbourne and India is 29% and Indian Airlines will significantly add to that capacity.
26/04/07 Economic Times

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US regulators looking into Jet Airways plans to begin flights

New Delhi: Jet Airways, the country's top private carrier, could start its much-awaited US operations from August as the process of getting clearances from American authorities is moving on track.
"Their applications are just being wrapped up. They have given us most of the details. They are planning to launch their flights this summer," Marion C Blakey, administrator of Us Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), said here.
Jet Airways plans to launch its Mumbai-Newark flight from August 5 this year.
She said any airline operating to and from the US would require approvals from economic and operating authorities, besides clearances on procedures and routes.
"Most of the details have been given by them," Blakey, who is here to attend India-US aviation partnership summit, said.
Asked about liquor baron Vijay Mallya's plans to launch an airline in the US to operate flights to India, she said American authorities had not received any such application.
25/04/07 Zee News

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Air NZ backs away from outsourcing plans

Air New Zealand has again backed away from outsourcing plans, telling finance workers their jobs won't be moved to India or Fiji.
Air New Zealand had previously announced about 70 finance workers would face the chop, expecting to save about $NZ2 million ($A1.8 million) by sending the jobs overseas.
The company originally hoped to move the jobs to Fiji but after the military coup in the country chose India as an alternative.
"We have now formed a view that India would not meet our requirements, so the outsourcing proposal has been withdrawn and this was communicated to staff earlier this week," a statement from the airline said.
The backdown comes after the airline earlier this month announced it would not go ahead with plans to outsource the jobs of about 1,700 check-in staff and loading staff to save up to $NZ20 million ($A17.9 million).
That move was abandoned after a deal with unions allowed them to save costs by changing work conditions.
26/04/07 Ninemsn, Australia

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Jet Airways to take on BA and Virgin for London to India routes

London: Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are set to face increased competition on lucrative routes to Delhi and Mumbai from the privately-owned Indian carrier, Jet Airways, according to a report in the Independent.
The report said Jet Airways, which is owned by Indian billionaire Naresh Goyal, has announced a 1.9 bln stg expansion of the carrier in a move that will put the airline head to head with the two UK carriers on services from London Heathrow.
The investment includes an order for 30 new long-haul jets from Airbus and Boeing to upgrade Jet's service, according to the report.
Last year about 1.5 mln passengers flew between London and India. Jet Airways began services in May 2005 and now operates 29 direct flights a week to Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar and Ahmedabad.
Jet is due to take delivery of 20 Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft over the next two years to expand its current long-haul fleet.
26/04/07 Thomson Financial/ABCmoney.co.uk, UK

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Airline offers travellers private cabin to India - for less than a BA first class seat

London: Jet Airways passengers prepared to pay out just over £4,000 for a trip to Delhi will get to relax in their own 26 sq foot private room, separated from the rest of the cabin with colonial-style sliding doors.
And at £1200 cheaper than a first class ticket with British Airways.The exclusive mini-suites boast a wall-mounted 23 inch flat TV screen with more than 200 hours of the latest movies as well as a seat that converts into a seven foot bed - the world's longest.
Each passenger even has his or her personal hanging wardrobe as well as office facilities for working. Meals are served on hand-painted Bernardaud porcelain dinnerware with Dom Perignon and Krug among the champagnes on offer.
Each of Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will have eight of the luxury suites and the first flight takes off from Heathrow on May 5.
The cabins were unveiled as the airline announced a £1.8billion investment and expansion plan plan including the purchase of 30 new long-haul aircraft.
26/04/07 This is London, UK

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Lufthansa asked to pay compensation

Ludhiana: Ludhiana Consumer Courts Redressal Forum has directed German Lufthansa’s Airlines and Bird Travels in Jalandhar to pay Rs 45,000 to compensate the complainant, Rajesh Dutt, on account of deficiency in services.
Rajesh Dutt, resident of South Model Gram, stated to have purchased five tickets for Delhi-Frankfurt-New York-Frankfurt-Delhi starting their journey on December 24, 2003 of German Lufthansa Airlines through their local agent, Saggarsons Travel Agents.
As per the scheduled flight of December 24, 2003 with stop at Frankfurt on return, the complainant left from Ludhiana on December 24, 2003. However, agent of Bird Travels informed Rajesh that Lufthansa flight for Frankfurt was being delayed to December 25, 2003, due to heavy fog and mist.
On the contrary when he approached the airlines counter at New Delhi Airport he was informed that flight in question had already left as per schedule.
Furthermore, the very next day, person in-charge at Lufthansa counter, after checking all facts, gave print out of reservation for January 15, 2004 on paying additional charges of Rs 15,000 as date change penalty.
25/04/07 Ludhiana Newsline

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Punjab travel agents raided, MPs avoid Delhi Police

New Delhi/Jalandhar: Police probing the global human trafficking racket involving Indian MPs Tuesday raided homes and offices of travel agents in Punjab as four other MPs linked to the saga failed to turn up for questioning at the Delhi Police headquarters.
The latest developments that followed the dramatic arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Babubhai Katara came even as authorities in Dubai deported 36 men from Punjab and Haryana for traveling on fake documents.
Delhi Police arrested Harbhajan Singh, a travel agent from Maqsoodan area of Jalandhar, and recovered 34 passports from him besides fake visas of some countries, letterheads of central government ministries and also fake stamps.
The police, who were following the leads provided by aides of the arrested MP, seized computers, scanners and other equipment used to prepare fake visas and other travel documents.
With Katara, who has been suspended by the BJP from its parliamentary wing, in police custody, Delhi Police's Crime Branch asked four other MPs -- Mohammed Tahir Khan, Ashok Rawat and Mitra Sen Yadav (all BSP) and BJP's Ram Swarup Koli - to appear before them. All four failed to show up for questioning.
Replying to the police notice, Khan and Rawat said they were presently engaged in campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and could join the probe only after May 8 when the month-long balloting ends.
24/04/07 IANS/Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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US, UK, Canada embassies contacted in human trafficking probe

New Delhi: Delhi Police Tuesday contacted the embassies of the US and Canada as well as the British high commission here to find out details on those who have travelled abroad through the international human trafficking racket allegedly involving several MPs.
'We have contacted the embassies and high commissions of these countries through the ministry of external affairs to extend the probe further,' Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
'Efforts are on to ascertain the identities of the persons who travelled to foreign countries through this racket,' he added.
The racket came to light Wednesday when police arrested Babubhai Katara, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Gujarat, when he was trying to smuggle out a woman and a teenager boy to Toronto.
Police suspected that apart from Katara, the four MPs named by his associates who were arrested Saturday, could also have taken many people abroad by using the diplomatic passport issued to them.
24/04/07 IANS/India eNews.com

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Abacus sees Surge in Electronic Ticketing Levels

Abacus today reported that in March 2007, its level of airline bookings issued as electronic tickets had passed the 60% mark for the first time and more than 81% of all Abacus tickets are now ET-ready.
The 61.4% adoption for electronic ticketing (ET), during March 2007, was approaching double the 35.5% level of electronic ticketing recorded in the same month last year, said Abacus International President and CEO, Mr Don Birch.
“The surge in electronic ticketing is a positive indication towards the achievement of IATA’s goal of 100% electronic ticketing by the end of 2007. The market is showing that it can adopt this cost-saving initiative at an accelerating rate and it will need to continue doing so to hit IATA’s target,” Mr. Birch said.
Regional markets such as India, South Korea (106%) year-on-year growth in March 2007, The Philippines (80%) and Thailand (93%) have demonstrated the highest levels of e-ticketing penetration, reflecting growth figures, while India recorded a notable 5,624% more e-tickets processed by Abacus in March 2007, than the corresponding month a year earlier.
25/04/07 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand

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Arora becomes first Indian to win Curry Club award

Satish Arora, director (Food Production) at Taj Sats - a joint venture of Taj group of hotels and Singapore Airlines - has been awarded the first international lifetime achievement award by Curry Club of UK, London. He becomes the first Indian to win this award.
The lifetime achievement award category was introduced last year. Arora won the award based on his contribution to the Indian hospitality industry, his involvement in the success of many restaurants of the Taj group and developing upgraded menus for airline catering. The award ceremony was held at Park Lane Hilton Hotel London. The Curry Club was founded in 1983 by Pat Chapman who also originated Good Curry Guide in 1984. Good Curry Guide is only Indian Restaurant Guide in UK. Accepting the award, Arora said, "I tried my level best to standardise the Indian food at Taj, which is the need of the hour. But there is still a lot to be done on this front as every chef is trying to do things the way they want which is not done in continental cuisines."
25/04/07 MS Ram/Express Hotelier

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FDI norms may be relaxed in civil aviation, air safety deal with US likely

New Delhi: The government is planning to relax the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for the civil aviation sector. There are indications that it may enhance the 49 per cent FDI limit in areas such sea-planes, helicopter services and non-scheduled operations.
Besides, the government is also examining a bilateral-aviation safety agreement with the United States. India and the US,
which have an open skies agreement, also initialled a memorandum of understanding to establish the US-India Aviation Cooperation Programme (ACP) for providing unified communication between the governments and private sector entities. The programme would focus on supporting activities relating to air traffic, air space management, expanding airport facilities, installing airport security and monitoring systems and enforcing airworthiness certification and regulatory systems.
The “open skies” agreement with the US had paved the way for a reduction in fares and increased flights between the countries.
23/04/07 Gaurav Choudhury/Hindustan Times

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India-US Aviation Partnership Summit takes-off

New Delhi: A three-day India-US Aviation Partnership Summit was inaugurated by the Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel, here today. Also present at the inauguration were the Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Ms. Marion Blakey, the Secretary, Civil Aviation, Shri Ashok Chawla and the Deputy Director of the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Ms. Leocadia Zak. The objective of the Summit is to encourage high level discussions between the US and the Indian Aviation Sectors regarding Industry growth challenges. It is expected to help in building long term strategy and commercial relationship between the two countries to address important issues like air traffic management, air-space utilization and commercial collaborations in new airborne systems. The Summit is designed to promote trade, shared technical managerial and strategic planning approaches to adept integrated automatic air traffic control and management systems focusing on safety, capacity, efficiency and security for future air transport systems.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also initialed at the inaugural of the Summit today. It was signed by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri R.K. Singh and Deputy Director, USTDA, Ms. Leocadia Zak on behalf of the Indian and US Governments respectively.
23/04/07 Press Information Bureau (press release)

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Foreign equity cap for helicopter operations to be raised

New Delhi: The government is set to increase the upper limit of foreign equity in helicopter operations and seaplanes to boost the growth of the sector, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Monday.
Patel told participants at the inaugural session of a three-day US-India Aviation Partnership Summit that the government was keen on more private participation in the development of infrastructure in the civil aviation sector.
'We need public-private partnership for airport development. We want others to join. We have allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the area of greenfield airports,' he said.
23/04/07 India PRwire (Press Release)

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Norms for overseas flights may be reviewed

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today hinted that his ministry might review the existing policy of allowing domestic scheduled airlines to fly international routes only after they have flown for five years within the country.
"Govt policies are not frozen. they can be reviewed," said Patel, when asked whether the five-year restriction is being reduced.
Patel, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Indo-US Aviation Summit 2007 in New Delhi, also said that there have been proposals to increase the FDI limit in the aviation sector, from the existing 49 per cent, especially in areas like non-scheduled operations, helicopters and sea planes.
Patel said, "India has a total of about 300 aircraft now and the number of air travellers comes to about 0.8 per cent of the population. By the time even 10 per cent of the population begins to fly, we will need about 5,000 aircraft."
24/04/07 Business Standard

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Fly Asian may fly to Indian cities too

Kuala Lumpur: Airbus won a 15-plane order worth as much as $2.63 billion from a Malaysian long-haul budget carrier and may supply the airline with more aircraft, airline officials said Monday.
Fly Asian Xpress, a rural Malaysian carrier, will need 25 planes within five years and may pick the same model, said Tony Fernandes, who owns 10 percent of Fly Asian. Fly Asian ordered 10 A330-300s and took options for another five, he said.
The A330 will be flying for a "long, long time," Fernandes, who is also chief executive officer of the low-cost carrier AirAsia, said Monday. "We're sticking with it."
Fly Asian, established last year to fly rural air services in Malaysia, won government approval in January to begin international services and flights were initially scheduled to start in July.
The airline may fly to as many as five cities with its leased aircraft, Fernandes said, declining to be specific. The destinations are likely to include China, India, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Japan, he said.
23/04/07 Angus Whitley and Soraya Permatasari /Bloomberg News/International Herald Tribune, France

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Barbados welcomes Air India

It is the dawn of a new era.
That's how officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) described the arrival of Air India, which touched down for the first time in Barbados yesterday morning. Approximately 400 passengers, who travelled a total of 8 937 miles on the direct flight in time for the remaining Cricket World Cup matches, were greeted at the Grantley Adams International Airport by the sweet sounds of steel pan. The visitors wer e also given gift bags with souvenirs on arrival.
BTA President Stuart Layne, while welcoming high-ranking officials, the crew and tour operators at a brief welcoming reception, said that this inaugural flight is "just the beginning" of greater things to come. Layne revealed that within the next month, it is anticipated that an agreement between leading travel agency, Kuoni Travel (India), and the BTA will be signed to ensure that more visitors from India will be coming to Barbados' shores in the very near future. "In 2008, we will have hundreds of Indians, based on an agreement with Kuoni [Travel], coming from India to Barbados. That will again happen in 2009. The idea being that around 2011, we will be in the thousands."
At present, the United Kingdom comprises a pproximately 40 per cent of Barbados' tourist market, 24 per cent from the United States, 9 per cent from Canada and 19 per cent from the Caribbean.
24/04/07 Janelle Husbands/Barbados Advocate, Barbados

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NAL to organize Micro Air Vehicles demo For US

Aviation news journal 'Flight Global' reports that India's National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) is going to organize demonstrations for Micro Air Vehicles in an Uban Environment in March 2008.
Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) are a new breed of remotely controlled aircraft (UAV) that are significantly smaller than similar craft obtainable with the current state of the art. The target dimension for MAVs today is approximately six inches (15 centimeters) and development of insect-size aircraft is reportedly expected in the near future. Potential military use is one of the driving factors.
Proposed demonstrators would be test flown at a six-day event planned for March 2008. The goal is to identify technology shortfalls that must be overcome to achieve these capabilities, as well as commercial off-the-shelf components that are applicable to urban-environment MAVs.
Three types of MAVs are under investigation. Airplane-like fixed wing model, bird- or insect- like ornithopter (flapping wing) model, and helicopter-like rotating wing model.
23/04/07 India Defence

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Jazeera Airways launches Kochi-Dubai flight

Kochi: Jazeera Airways, the Middle East's first private airline, Monday officially launched its non-stop flights between Kochi and Dubai. The airlines would operate its flights between the two cities thrice a week.
Though Jazeera has been operating flights from Kochi to Dubai from March 25, the official launch took place Monday.
Jazeera Airways, which began flights from Kuwait to Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi last year, operates 13 flights a week to these cities.
Marwan Boodai, chairman and CEO of Jazeera Airways, said the company's increasing investment in India is a result of their commitment to connecting the Gulf to India and to bringing more traffic into tourism hub Kochi.
24/04/07 IANS/Mangalorean.com

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On radar, fly daily to Dubai

Encouraged by the passenger response, Emirates (airline) has proposed to fly daily between Calcutta and Dubai. The airline, which launched its Calcutta-Dubai operations a year ago, now operates six flights a week between the two cities.
“We have sent the proposal for daily flights to the civil aviation ministry and the authorities of Calcutta airport,” Geetika Seth, sales manager (India-east), Emirates, said on Monday.
The airline is operating with “75 per cent passenger load” from Calcutta. “For most passengers, Dubai is the stopover in their journey to destinations like Cairo, Johannesburg and Istanbul. The travellers belong to both leisure and business segments,” said Seth.
On the occasion of the first anniversary of its service from Calcutta, the airline has announced a special offer for Dubai-bound passengers. Till May 31, a return flight to Dubai, a three-night stay in a hotel and other facilities will cost Rs 33,500 (including taxes).
24/04/07 The Telegraph

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Temple defends celebration of Parmar

The president of a Surrey Sikh temple says he has no regrets about having photographs of alleged terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar and other Canadians who died in India on floats in a parade attended by several politicians earlier this month.
As controversy continues to swirl around the Vaisakhi parade, Sudager Singh Sandhu, president of the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, spoke out yesterday for the first time about the involvement of several prominent politicians in the parade that appeared to support a terrorist leader and a banned terrorist organization.
Mr. Sandhu, 44, said he unequivocally condemns those involved the Air-India bombing disaster in 1985 that killed 331 people, mostly Canadians. He said he does not support an armed struggle for Khalistan or those who advocate violence.
However, he is not convinced that Mr. Parmar was the mastermind behind the bombings.
24/04/07 Robert Matas/Globe and Mail, Canada

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Indians deported from Dubai

New Delhi: Thirty-six Indians were deported from Dubai on Monday night after they were caught traveling with fake visas.
While incidents like this are not unusual, it is the first time that so many fake visas were found on one flight.
The Indians were from Chandigarh and Haryana and were all booked by the same travel agent in Chandigarh.
But India's national carrier Indian is contesting the fact that the visas were fake.
They claim that the 36 Indians had valid tourist visas and return tickets, and they also had the necessary clearance from the Protectorate of Emigration.
24/04/07 NDTV.com

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Two new officials for Indian airline

Manama: India's national carrier, Indian, is gearing up to meet the summer demand by appointing an airline veteran to head its airport operations in Bahrain.
P T Govindan Kutty, who has taken over as airport manager, joined Indian Airlines in 1978 at Bangalore and worked there until 1987. He was then posted to Calicut Airport from the day Indian Airlines launched operations from the Kerala city.
Mr Kutty has served in various positions including airport manager, and reservation and sales manager, until 2005.
He also served at Cochin station as sales manager prior to joining Bahrain.
Country manager for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Niranjan Kumar said the airline had appointed another experienced person to head its Bahrain airport operations because of the heavy summer demand.
24/04/07 Soman Baby/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

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SAS Cargo signs contract with Kale Consultants to implement CSP-AMBER

Kale Consultants Ltd has announced that SAS Cargo, Scandinavia's largest cargo carrier, and the Company on April 20, 2007 have announced the signing of a contract to implement Kale's CSP-AMBER cargo revenue accounting solution. The solution will be hosted by the Company from Mumbai in India.
Peter O'Sullivan, Head of Cargo & Logistics Practice at the Company said, "I am delighted that SAS Cargo has chosen the CSP-AMBER revenue accounting solution. I believe the award of this contract is as much about the strength and flexibility of the software as it is of Kale's domain knowledge and expertise in the revenue accounting arena. SAS Cargo wanted, a supplier that understood its business, and could provide a solution that would exactly match its requirements. That is what we will deliver. I look forward to our on-going relationship with SAS Cargo, and I feel confident that we will exceed SAS Cargo's high expectations."
CSP-AMBER is a complete new generation cargo revenue accounting solution.
24/04/07 Equity Bulls

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USIBC Aviation Delegation Seeks Business in India

New Delhi: Today, the U.S.-India Business Council ( USIBC ) launched its first-ever Executive Aviation Mission to India to participate in the US-India Aviation Partnership Summit between April 23rd and April 25th. The delegation is led by Scott Bayman, President and CEO of General Electric India, and comprised of senior leaders from America?s leading aerospace, transportation, and logistics companies.
The Executive Delegation will meet with senior leaders from India's Ministry of Civil Aviation and industry leaders to discuss areas of collaboration in India's booming aviation industry.
The US-India Aviation Partnership Summit offers an excellent platform for American aerospace companies to build alliances, find partners, and share cutting-edge technology with India. USIBC Chairman's Circle Members Federal Express, General Electric, Goodrich, Northrop Grumman, United Technologies Corporation/Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Honeywell, and Continental are represented by senior executives on the mission, and will speak throughout the duration of the conference
USIBC's first civil aviation mission to India comes on the heels of unprecedented boom in India's aviation, logistics, and transportation sectors. Led by USIBC, the American business community continues to serve as the leading advocate for a stronger commercial relations with India.
23/04/07 Media Newswire (press release), US

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Report votes 2006 as safest year in flying

Mumbai: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its annual safety report, released last week, shows that the past year was the safest year in aviation. IATA is an international representative body of airline operators with about 260 members representing 94 percent of international scheduled air traffic.
For the Indian fliers, this good news comes at the heels of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO)interim report which suggests that the “Indian skies are amongst the safest in the world”. In another safety audit carried out by ICAO, India scored 98.3 - the highest for any 155 member countries.
For an industry that has been witnessing passenger traffic growth of about 6.8 per cent per year worldwide, the report is an important indicator, which asserts that flying is a safe mode of transportation.
According to the IATA report, the industry hull-loss (it refers to incidences where damage to the plane must be written off, or in which the plane is totally destroyed) in 2006 was 0.65 accidents per million flights for western-built jets or one accident for every 1.5 million flights.
22/04/07 Manisha Singhal/Daily News & Analysis

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SriLankan Airlines Enhances in Flight Comforts for Passengers

Dubai: SriLankan Airlines is providing more enhancements for the benefit of passengers, ranging from expanded menus to toys for children and more entertainment options.
Among the changes are completely revamped menus on all South Indian sectors. Even spicy pickles and traditional Indian ‘after-mints’ of sweet cumin seeds have been provided. Passengers to Trichy and Trivandrum will find the cold snacks have been replaced with hot items. Ice cream, another favourite in India, is now served on Subcontinent flights and will shortly be introduced on Middle Eastern and European sectors.
Four types of giveaway packs for children are now carried on board, with different packs for 8-12 years, 5-8 years, 2-5 years, and even a baby pack for infants. All of the packs include toys, activity books, and a SriLankan Airlines branded backpack.
Business Class passengers on flights to any destination can now savour a range of additional items such as cold canapés, hot savouries and crudités (vegetable dips), as well as the usual savouries with the bar service. Complimentary toilet kits provided for overnight passengers in Business Class now include a range of brand name items.
22/04/07 Newswire Today (press release), UK

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Jet Airways to get Brussels hub for Europe, US flights

Brussels: Jet Airways of India is to launch a European hub at Brussels airport for flights into and out of Europe, the company said in a statement.
The new arrangement has been facilitated through a new code-sharing agreement between the Mumbai-registered company and Belgium's Brussels Airlines.
The code-sharing deal will be signed by Jet Airways president Naresh Goyal and Brussels Airline chief Philippe Vander Putten in the Belgian capital on May 2 at a ceremony to be attended by By Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
The formal announcement of the hubbing arrangement will be made at the same time.
The moves will allow Jet Airways to spread its wings across Europe, where currently it only flies to London's Heathrow, and also into the United States and Canada.
21/04/07 Zee News

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Ryan eyes $100m Air Deccan stake

Ryanair founder Tony Ryan's investment vehicle Irelandia is thought to be looking at buying a 26 per cent stake in India's largest low-cost carrier, Air Deccan, for around $100m.
It is understood that the Ryan family's Irelandia, and Texas Pacific Group have both conducted due diligence over the last month.
However, local private equity player Reliance Anil Ambani Group already holds a 5 per cent stake in Air Deccan and it is said to have submitted a serious bid already. Indian investment bank Edelweiss Capital is handling the sale of the minority stake for the airline.
Ryan's Irelandia already owns a 16 per cent stake in fast growing Singapore airline Tiger Airways, which recently announced that it would set up another carrier in Australia. The Ryan family has also ploughed large sums into setting up a low-cost Mexican airline Viva Aerobus, which commenced services recently.
22/04/07 Nick Webb/Unison.ie, Ireland

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Rare WWI-Era DeHavilland DH9 Bomber Restored

Discovered rotting in the palace of the Maharajah of Bikaner's elephant stable in India,a rare DeHavilland DH9 has been restored by Guy Black and now sits in all its former glory at London's Imperial War Museum.
The biplane is the only one in Britain and one of the six in the world, a museum official said.
According to Black, an airplane restorer, "It was a phenomenal find, like discovering gold."
The improbable discovery was made by a British backpacker, who photographed a cannibalized DH9 in a new museum at the palace of Bikaner in Rajasthan 12 years ago, according to Zee News.
On his return to Britain, the photographer circulated his photograph, and Black, who runs Aero Vintage, a specialist restoration company, heard about it.
Three years later he visited the palace, and on making inquiries about the 1918 aircraft, the first British bomber to house bombs in its fuselage, he was told that it did not exist.
Further inquiries led him to the palace's former elephant stables, where, among piles of elephant saddles, was the airframe of the engineless DH9. Along one wall, Black also discovered six DH9 wings and several tailfins.
According to reports by Daily India, the DH9s had been given by Britain to a royal family in India's Rajasthan state in the early 1920s to help establish an air force under the post-war Imperial Gift Scheme.
Black bought two of the rotting hulks, restored one of them, reported the paper, and sold it to the Imperial War Museum for about two million US dollars. The restored plane was unveiled at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, yesterday.
22/04/07 Aero-News Network, US

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AI flight suffers snag again

New Delhi: At least 154 passengers scheduled to leave for Dubai at 1645 hours Saturday in an Air India (AI) flight were taken to hotels here after the Boeing-757 flight developed engine problem.
According to the airlines authorities, only six passengers were shifted to an Indian Airlines flight to Dubai after engineers failed to rectify the technical problem in engine number two.
"The rest 154 passengers were taken to nearby hotels," said Venkat, an AI spokesman.
"They have been given refreshment and dinner at our cost too," he added.
"The flight was moving towards the runway when our pilot spotted the technical problem. After which the flight returned to its bay at 5.30 and engineers were rushed to work. However, we could not achieve any positive result till 2200 hours.
"We are planning to send a flight from Mumbai to Delhi soon," the spokesman told IANS from Mumbai over telephone.
However, he said that they had taken the flight on lease from Euro Atlanta, and would take up the case with it soon.
This is the third problem that the AI had faced within a span of 12 days. On April 9, two of its flights made emergency landing in Delhi due to technical snags.
22/04/07 IANS/Mangalorean.com

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Barbados - Mumbai Flight cancelled

Major disappointment for all those who were looking to take advantage of the 796 dollar special to Mumbai.
The flight has been cancelled.
A press release this evening from the Barbados Tourism Authority says the flight will be unable to accommodate passengers on its return leg to Mumbai because of the unavailability of a crew.
It says the decision to cancel the return flight was made by Air India because it was unable to provide the standard of service expected on the 20-hour flight.
People who have paid for their flight will be refunded.
21/04/07 Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, Barbados

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Singapore Airlines offers special fares

Hyderabad: Singapore Airlines on Thursday announced special fares ex-Hyderabad to five destinations Down Under, in Australia. Return tickets on economy class now come for Rs. 26,500 and Rs. 27,000.
Airline's General Manager - India, Foo Chai Woo said the `Amazing Australian Deals' scheme covered Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. It was available for sale between April 19 and May 4 and valid for outbound travel up to June 15, 2007, he said, adding that it entailed a discount of up to 16 per cent on current return economy fares for a minimum of two people travelling together.
He said the offer included a free stopover at Singapore both while flying in and out of any of the destinations cited. Further, he said the airlines had taken major e-ticketing initiatives and Internet check-in facility that customers could avail and check-in from the comfort of their homes.
21/04/07 The Hindu

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Kingfisher's airbus damaged in Gamco fire

At least three Airbus aircraft were suffered damage in yesterday’s fire at Middle East overhaul firm Gulf Air Maintenance (Gamco), which started in an Airbus A300 said to belong to Qatar Airways.
Emerging details indicate that the effects of the fire at Gamco’s Abu Dhabi facility were more severe than initially indicated, with jets belonging to Kingfisher Airlines and Air Mauritius confirmed as being affected.
Air Mauritius had an Airbus A319 parked next to the A300. The airline has identified the twin-jet as a four-year old example, owned by the carrier, equipped with CFM International CFM56 engines.
“According to initial information the tail of the aircraft collapsed and parts fell on our aircraft,” says an Air Mauritius spokesman.
India’s Kingfisher Airlines says that it had an Airbus A320 in the same hangar awaiting a C1-check and installation of in-flight entertainment systems.
A spokesman for the carrier says that the International Aero Engines V2500-powered twin-jet, which is owned by lessor AerCap and is less than two years old, escaped with “little damage” although it was subjected to “falling debris”.
Qatar Airways has not confirmed that it is the operator of the A300 at the heart of the investigation, although there are increasing indications that the jet in question is an A300-600R and that the jet has sustained serious damage.
20/04/07 David Kaminski-Morrow/Flight International

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US - India Aviation Partnership Summit next week

To promote greater cooperation between the U.S. and Indian aviation sectors, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Transportation Security Administration, American Association of Airport Executives (AA), International Association of Airport Executives (IA) and the MITRE Corporation will sponsor a high-level U.S.-India Aviation Partnership Summit. The event will take place at New Delhi, India, April 23-25, 2007.
The objective of the summit is to generate discussions between the U.S. and Indian aviation sector regarding industry growth opportunities and challenges. Moreover, the summit will help build the long-term strategic and commercial relationship between U.S. and Indian aviation sectors in addressing, among other issues, air traffic management, airspace utilization and U.S.-India commercial collaboration in new airborne systems.
20/04/07 Indlaw.com

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AirAsia to launch low-cost Europe-Asia carrier

London: Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia, the leading Asian low cost airline, is planning return fares for routes between Europe and Malaysia in the range of £130 to £170, when he launches the world's first low cost long-haul scheduled carrier since Freddie Laker's ill-fated Skytrain in the late 1970s.
The pioneering venture, which will be followed closely by the global network carriers fearful of the threat such start-ups could pose to their traditional businesses, was aiming to be 50 to 60 per cent below the lowest fares offered by other airlines, Mr Fernandes said in an interview with the FT.
The airline, which will be based in the Malaysian capital, would develop a network of medium and long-haul routes to China, India, the Middle East, Australia, Japan, Korea and Europe including London Stansted, Europe's biggest centre for low cost operations.
The duration of flights would be in the range of four to 12 hours with an average of around 7 hours. "Medium-haul in Asia is the sweet spot," said Mr Fernandes. The launch route is expected to be to Australia with Europe to follow within six months.
20/04/07 Kevin Done/Euro2day, Greece

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Malaysian Airlines in talks with Indian carriers for code-share agreements

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Airlines (MAs) has said it is holding talks with several Indian airlines, including Jet Airways, for code-share arrangements, media reports said.
Having code share accords in India and China would complete the hub and spoke model that the MAs had embarked on as part of its business turnaround plan, MAs Managing Director Idris Jala was quoted as saying by a Malaysian business daily.
The Malaysian national carrier is reportedly in talks with jet airways among other carriers for code share.
21/04/07 Zee News

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ITDC, Aldeasa form joint venture

New Delhi: State-owned India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is forging a 50:50 joint venture with Spanish company Aldeasa for setting up a duty-free retail chain at airports in India and overseas. The move follows similar tie-ups by Pantaloon Retail and Shoppers.
The proposed joint venture will be initially capitalised with Rs 31.5 crore. The proposal has been submitted to the Union Cabinet and the Foreign Investment Promotion Board for approval. "We expect the approvals to be given shortly. We will then move full steam ahead on the project," ITDC officials said.
Official sources said the proposed ITDC-Aldeasa JV will bid for duty-free retail opportunities in India select business opportunities outside India especially in the Saarc region and countries where there is a large Indian presence, besides souvenir shops at Indian heritage sites and museums.
21/04/07 Nayantara Rai & Siddharth Zarabi/Business Standard

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JAL adds flights on lucrative routes in bid to regain altitude

Toronto: After two turbulent years that dragged its results down, Japan Airlines is trying to regain its position through a revamp of its international flights. For the cargo division, the major changes will kick in during the second half of the year, when new freighters join the fleet.
For this spring, JAL has overhauled its international passenger network, cutting back on unprofitable routes and boosting flights on more lucrative sectors, such as Tokyo-New York, which goes up from 10 to 13 weekly flights. The airline has also stepped up frequency to France, China, India, Russia and Vietnam.
At the same time, JAL has scrapped its Zurich flight and cut back on the frequency to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The Kansai-Brisbane-Sydney flight has also been cancelled.
Management expects the restructuring will help boost profits by some US$60 million. The airline needs to improve its bottom line, after the financial year that ended in March 2006 produced a loss of over $398 million, caused by high fuel costs and some safety mishaps that prompted passengers to switch to rival carriers.
21/04/07 Ian Putzger/Cargonews Asia, Hong Kong

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Kingfisher, Abu Dhabi firm in talks for MRO centre

New Delhi: Domestic carrier Kingfisher Airlines is holding talks with a Abu Dhabi-based engineering firm to start a private maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in the country.
"We are discussing with an Abu Dhabi based firm to establish an MRO in the country," Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya said here on Friday.
Both sides, he said, had agreed to set up this facility, but the venue, costs and other issues were yet to be finalised.
Mallya, who has been trying to start overseas operations but is unable to do so in view of government rules, said his airline would shortly apply for starting an airline in the US to enable it to operate flights into India.
He said an application was being "compiled by our attorneys and it will be submitted (to the American authorities) in the next six to eight weeks".
21/04/07 PTI/Mangalorean.com

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Chief of US aviation agency visits India and Dubai

Washington: The head of the Federal Aviation Administration left Friday for India, where she will sign an aviation cooperation agreement next week.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said the agreement she expects to sign Monday in India is only the second such pact the United States has. The other is with China.
``This will be very much a two-way street,'' she said. Blakey predicted India would benefit from expert US advice on aviation regulation and facilities, and the United States would learn from India's rapid installation of new technology like satellite-based aircraft monitoring.
After three days in India, she will travel Dubai for talks with its aviation officials and air carriers.
She told reporters in a teleconference Friday it was important for the FAA to make such contacts to ensure smooth interaction with two rapidly growing aviation markets.
21/04/07 Economic Times

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Genesis Lease announces purchase/leaseback of aircraft with Air Deccan

Limerick-based Genesis Lease Limited, which had an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in December 2006, announced today that it has signed definitive agreements with Deccan Aviation Limited of Bangalore, India for the purchase and leaseback under long term contracts of two new Airbus A320-200 series aircraft.
The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Air Deccan at Airbus' manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France in July and September of 2007.
Commenting on the transaction, Genesis Lease Limited Chief Commercial Officer, Cian Dooley, said, "We are delighted to announce the addition of these high quality aircraft to the Genesis Lease portfolio and to welcome one of India's leading airlines, Air Deccan, as a new customer on the basis of a purchase and 12-year lease back transaction on mutually attractive economic terms."
20/04/07 FinFacts Ireland, Ireland

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BJP MP had smuggled people abroad earlier: police

Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Babubhai Katara, who was arrested a day earlier at the airport when trying to smuggle out a woman and a teenager to Canada, had successfully smuggled people out of the country on two earlier occasions, the police revealed Thursday.
'Our initial investigations indicate that Katara had used a similar modus operandi to smuggle some people to London and the US in the last two years. We are trying to ascertain the financial transactions involved in these cases,' said Neeraj Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Crime). 'On all these visits, Katara travelled on a tourist visa. We are trying to find out how long these visits lasted and the persons who accompanied him.'

_____________________________
More MPs in human trafficking scam?
In more murky developments in the Gujarat
BJP MP Babubhai Katara case, sources in the
Delhi Police have said that the Regional
Passport Office has warned of other MPs
involved in human trafficking. Regional
Passport Office has warned the Lok Sabha
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee about MPs
misusing their wives’ diplomatic passports.
Sources say police suspect other MPs of being
involved in a possible human trafficking racket.
19/04/07 Times Now.tv
_____________________________

Also being investigated is the role of immigration officials and if there was any collusion to facilitate Katara's foreign jaunts, he said.
Thakur also pointed out that two travel agencies based in Punjab and Gujarat were under the scanner and police teams had fanned out to nab the agents who had meticulously planned the travel arrangements. A police team has also been sent to Hyderabad to probe possible links of the human trafficking racket.
19/04/07 India eNews.com

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AI, Boeing plan to make city simulator training hub

Mumbai: The developers of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), could hold the keys to turning Mumbai into a flight simulator training centre.
Flag carrier Air India recently sent a proposal to MIAL requesting permission to construct a new building that would house the training centre. "We are keen on setting up the new facility at the Air India complex in the old airport (Santacruz) and therefore need MIAL's clearance, since all construction clearance on airport land needs to be given by them," said an Air India official.
"Initial estimates suggest we would require in excess of 2,000 sq ft and the building would be configured in a ground-plus-two structure, since there is a height restriction around the airport", the official added.
The plan is to ultimately station six simulators here. While three models have been idenified - once each for the Boeing 737-800, 777 and 787 - the rest will be decided on later, depending on demand projections.
The training centre would be a joint venture (JV) between Air India and Alteon - a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company.
19/04/07 Lekha Agarwal/Express TravelWorld

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Tories regret participation in parade honouring alleged terrorist

The federal Conservatives have expressed their regret for participating in a Sikh parade that celebrated an Indo-Canadian viewed by many in Canada as a terrorist and murderer.
But other political parties continue to remain silent on their participation in the event they say was a celebration of Sikh culture.
The parade April 7 in Surrey, B.C., has enraged the Indian government and Air India families because organizers included Talwinder Parmar in their display of Sikh martyrs and saints.
Parmar, who was killed 15 years ago by the Indian police, led the 1985 Air India bomb plot which killed 331 civilians, mostly Canadians.
Conservative, Liberal and NDP members of Parliament, as well as B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, attended the event. A week after the parade, federal NDP Leader Jack Layton visited the temple that organized it.
19/04/07 CBC.ca, Canada

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Visa-on-arrival at Malaysia not issued to south Indian visitors to curb overstaying

Chennai: Malaysia’s decision to withdraw the visa-on-arrival to travellers from southern India was mainly to stop them from overstaying in the country, Chennai-based Malaysian Consul-General Rosli Ismail said.
Rosli said the Malaysian government took the decision after the authorities discovered that a large number of visitors had abused the visa-on-arrival issued at the KL International Airport (KLIA).
“We have been issuing visa-on-arrival since last September but stopped in December (the same year) after we discovered that many are abusing this facility. Mostly they are job-seekers entering Malaysia,” he told Bernama here.
However, he said, Malaysia might review the decision as it was affecting other genuine travellers from southern India, largely businessmen and holiday-makers who travel frequently to Malaysia.
“The visa-on-arrival is good for businessmen and travellers who don’t have time to come to our office to apply for visa and there are a lot of direct flights from Chennai to Malaysia.
“We hope there will be some changes soon," he said, adding that Chennai had become a busy gateway, both for Malaysian and Indian businessmen and travelers, in recent years.
19/04/07 P. Vijian, BERNAMA/nst online

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Taiwan, India to promote cooperation in the field aviation

New Delhi: Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding with India Wednesday on cooperation in the fields of science and technology, sources at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), the TECC in India said.
The two parties agreed in the accord to promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of nanotechnology, semiconductors, aviation and space, satellite development, biotechnology and agriculture, according to the sources.
The new ties will also facilitate other forms of collaboration between the two sides, such as programs to encourage commercialization of research and development, sustainable development and innovation.
According to the memorandum, the NSC and India's Cabinet-level Department of Science and Technology will establish a joint committee for work including scientific talent exchanges and the promotion of joint technological development projects.
19/04/07 China Post, Taiwan

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Plane from India suffers tyre burst at Chiang Mai airport

Chiang Mai : Chiang Mai International Airport was closed for four hours yesterday after a minor accident in which a Hong Kong-bound airplane's tyre burst on take-off. There were no injuries in the accident which happened about 1pm.
The right tyre of a Cessna 525 Citation two-seat private aircraft, operated by US-based John Mills Aviation Service Co, burst. The plane was piloted by its owner, John Mills, and his co-pilot.
The blow-out caused the pilot to briefly lose control and the plane then blocked the runway.
The charter aircraft had flown from Kolkata in India and had made a stop-over in Chiang Mai to refuel. Its final destination was Hong Kong.
Officials from Wing 41 airbase in Chiang Mai and Thai Airways technicians managed to move the aircraft from the runway at 3pm. The airport was temporarily closed to allow this.
Airport director Wing Commander Suthara Huangsuwan said up to 11 flights were delayed for around four hours before the airport resumed operations at 4.30pm.
19/04/07 Cheewin Sattha & Subin Khuenkaew/Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Tiger Airways hopes to make progress in India

Singapore: Low cost carrier Tiger Airways is all set to spread its wings beyond Singapore.
Its new Australian base is expected to be up and running by the last quarter of this year.
In addition, the Singapore-based airline also has plans for another Asian base by the end of next year.
It almost doubled in size last year, selling 1.5 million seats, and revealed aggressive expansion plans for the new financial year.
As soon as it gets its Air Operators Certificate, Tiger will go all out to develop its Australian domestic market and base this year.
But Asia will still remain very much in Tiger's radar, with plans for another base, which the airline has yet to disclose, except for a time frame.
Mr Davis added, "Beyond that, perhaps one additional base in Asia over the next 12-18 months."
Besides developing the domestic Australian aviation market, it also hopes to finally break into the elusive Malaysian market this year - and to make progress in India.
Although its plans for a Big Bang entry into the Indian market to places like Goa by early this year have been held back as they have yet to receive the green light from Indian authorities, it hopes to be back on track soon.
Tiger has rights for five Indian cities and Colombo.
18/04/07 Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia, Singapore

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Ascendas joints hands with MADC

Singapore: Business space developer Ascendas is growing its presence in India.
It has announced plans for two new major business parks in the state of Maharashtra.
Ascendas said it expected to invest some S$570 million to develop the parks in phases over the next five to seven years.
The two parks are expected to create a total of 7 million square feet of top-end IT space when completed.
Both projects are joint ventures with government agencies in Maharashtra.
The project in Pune is a joint venture with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.
The second tie-up in Nagpur is with the Maharashtra Airport Development Company.
18/04/07 Loh Kim Chin/Channel News Asia

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BJP may expel Katara from parliamentary party soon

Hoping to cut its losses, an embarrassed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to move early to expel its Gujarat MP Babubhai Katara from the parliamentary party.
A day after the MP from Dahod was arrested for trying to smuggle a woman and her son on his wife and son's passports to Toronto, party leaders admitted on Thursday that the episode could be damaging to the party that has always tried to take the high moral ground.
The Katara episode is a jolt to the BJP, more so as it has taken place amid the ongoing elections in Uttar Pradesh.
According to airport sources, Katara and Paramjit were just "a chance catch". A woman, Simran, had misplaced her passport and officials began investigating. When questioned, Paramjit blurted out her own name instead of saying Shardaben.
19/04/07 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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India protests alleged terrorist portrayed as a martyr in Sikh parade

Vancouver: The government of India is launching a diplomatic protest over a parade in Surrey this month that included a float with alleged terrorist leader Talwinder Singh Parmar portrayed as a Sikh martyr.
"We are very much concerned that this happened," Zile Singh, India's deputy consul-general, said yesterday in an interview. Diplomats from the High Commission Office in Ottawa intend to raise the matter with Canadian officials, he said.
"This is not acceptable to us. We intend to convey that it is not acceptable, so the [Canadian] government understands," Mr. Singh said. "This should not happen again."
Mr. Parmar, a militant Khalistani advocate, has been identified in a B.C. court case as the mastermind behind a mid-air bomb explosion aboard an Air-India flight in 1985, en route from Canada to London, England. Born in Punjab and later made a Canadian citizen, he was killed by police in India in 1992. There were 329 people killed in the Air-India bombing, which remains one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in aviation history.
Mr. Singh said the portrayal of Mr. Parmar as a martyr was "very objectionable." Indian officials were also concerned that some people involved in the parade showed their support for groups considered terrorist organizations and banned in Canada, the International Sikh Youth Federation and Babbar Khalsa.
The Sikh community in Greater Vancouver, which is splintered into factions, holds two competing parades to mark the Punjabi new year and the beginning of the harvest in Punjab. Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar of Surrey held its annual Vaisakhi parade on April 7. The Vaisakhi Parade organized by Vancouver's Khalsa Diwan Society was held on Sunday.
The parade in Surrey attracted thousands of people including prominent B.C. and federal politicians. News reports say the parade had a float that included Mr. Parmar among the portraits of Sikh martyrs and some organizers wore work jackets with the word "Khalistan," the name proposed for an independent state for the Sikhs carved out of India.
18/04/07 Robert Matas/Globe and Mail, Canada

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AI case: Verbal war in Canadian Parliament

Toronto: A war of words is going on between the police and an opposition leader over a recent vote in Canadian Parliament against parts of an anti-terror act that may have an impact over investigations into the 1985 Air India bombing that killed more than 300 people.
Recent vote against parts of the Anti-Terrorism Act has had no impact on the continuing Air India investigations, according to Liberal leader Stephane Dion, but police claimed otherwise.
After the Liberals joined the NDP and Bloc Quebecois in forcing the expiry last month of provisions of the act dealing with investigative hearings and preventive arrests, the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in British Columbia told the case had suffered "a serious and damaging blow".
Under the hearings provision, brought in by the previous Liberal government and upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada as constitutional, police had the power to call people believed to have information about an act of terrorism to answer questions before a judge.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass said police had been preparing for more than two years to use one of the defeated provisions, investigative hearings, to advance the criminal case.
"While I do not dispute that the vote on this critical issue involved perhaps valid considerations beyond the Air India investigation, without doubt, it represents a serious and damaging blow to the interests of the families in this case," Bass said.
18/04/07 PTI/Times of India

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Jet, Kingfisher brace for dogfight in the US

Mumbai: Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, the two rival private airlines, are bracing up to compete in the US skies. While Jet Airways is in talks with Boeing to advance aircraft deliveries to start the US service, Kingfisher Airlines, which is awaiting approvals to fly abroad, has already started a branding exercise for its US foray.
Aviation industry experts said the lucrative US route is growing at 10 per cent. Over 1.5 million passengers travel on the India-US route mainly visiting friends and relatives and students. Though there is a marginal decline in passengers owing to reverse drain of professionals to India, US is still an attractive market for airlines.
Jet Airways Executive Vice -President (marketing & sales) Anita Goyal said the airline is looking to start services to New York via Brussels by July. has already started branding exercises along with measures to secure right to fly abroad. An airline should complete five years of operation to get a licence to fly abroad.
While its application to start US services is pending, the airline is ready with an alternate plan to start services from the US to India, using its US subsidiary, Kingfisher International.
18/04/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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Hearing of Kandhar Hijacking Case resumes

The anti-hijacking court of special designated judge Inderjit Singh Walia has started the hearing of arguments on the events in the hijacking case of the Indian Airline plane IC-814 to Kandhar in Afghanistan.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel narrated the events of the hijacking of the Indian Airlines air bus IC-814 on December 24, 1999. The flight from New Delhi to Kathmandu was hijacked and taken to Kandhar after a brief halt at the Raja Sansi airport at Amritsar.
The arguments remained incomplete and will resume tomorrow.
17/04/07 UNI/Indlaw.com

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Aeroflot to start flights to Calcutta, Bangalore, Amritsar & Ahmedabad

New Delhi: Russian airline Aeroflot plans to start flights to Calcutta, Bangalore, Amritsar and Ahmedabad.
The company, which has flights to Delhi and Mumbai from Moscow, wants to wing its way to other Indian cities as well. It also wants to increase the number of weekly flights to the two gateway airports if the Indian government permits. It plans to increase its flights to Delhi to 12 a week from seven and those to Mumbai to seven a week from four.
Igor V. Iveliev, general manager of Aeroflot, said the company was interested in Calcutta because of its immense growth potential and the traffic in the eastern market.
With 70 per cent of its seats filled up on an average day, Aeroflot feels it could turn India into one of its ‘milk cow’ routes. Iveliev said the company would like to increase the total number of flights from India to 30 after expanding its operations.
Sources said Aeroflot was weighing the option of operating flights between Amritsar and Moscow to cater to the rising demand of people from Punjab travelling to Europe, Canada and the US. Aeroflot also plans to expand its fleet and improve its services.
17/04/07 Kakoly Chatterjee/The Telegraph

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Lawyer reprimanded in Kanishka case

Toronto: A prominent lawyer who appeared for an accused in the Air India bombing case has been reprimanded and fined USD 20,000 after being found guilty of professional misconduct by the British Columbia Law Society.
David Martin was found guilty for submitting fraudulent bills while he was representing Inderjit Singh Reyat by the Law Society while setting aside its earlier order of a six-month suspension on Martin's review plea.
The Law society benchers ruled that suspending Martin was too harsh given that he was unaware the bills were false when he sent them in and intervened on learning of the problem.
A year ago, another law society panel handed down a suspension, a reprimand and a bill for USD 35,000 to Martin, who got into trouble after he hired two of Reyat's adult children to work on the publicly funded defence team, the Vancouver Sun reported. Didar and Prit Reyat then submitted inflated bills on which Martin signed off before sending them on for payment.
The Reyat children, who were doing clerical work, later left the defence team. While finding Martin guilty of gross neglect, the earlier panel accepted that Martin was unaware "that the Reyat children's accounts were not 'valid and proper' prior to submitting them."
17/04/07 Times of India

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Jet Airways to start Toronto-New Delhi flight in August

Jet Airways would introduce new flights between Toronto and New Delhi in August this year.
The airline would operate five flights per week between Toronto and New Delhi via Brussels or New York in late August and extend it to dailies later this year, Jet spokesman B Chandrasekhar said on Tuesday.
Chandrasekhar said Jet Airways would be operating a brand new Airbus 330 aircraft on this route, with two classes of service. Business class will have 30 flat bed seats and economy class will have an approximate 190 seats.
A GTAA delegation has gone to India to finalise the modalities. It would also discuss related issues with senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry in New Delhi.
The Canada-India Open Skies agreement would allow 35 flights a week, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) spokesman Atul Abuja said and added that it would continue to work actively with the aviation sector in Canada and India to help leverage the capacity of the agreement to facilitate increased trade links between the two countries.
18/04/07 Bal Krishna/PTI/Hinduatan Times

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Jet releases more details of International expansion plans.

As part of the comprehensive expansion plans that include launching new seats, new in-flight service, new staff uniforms and a new corporate identity, Chairman, Naresh Goyal confirmed that deliveries for the first of the 20 wide body aircraft will commence this month end. The ten Boeing B777-300ER and ten Airbus A330-200 aircraft order is valued at USD 2.1 billion.
More than two years in the making, Jet Airways have considered every detail in the development of their new fleet of wide body aircraft. Starting with the state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-200, Jet Airways has redesigned everything from the ground up, not happy to accept industry norms.
In addition, Jet Airways holds options for further additional aircraft of each type and have recently signed to purchase ten Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft with deliveries commencing in 2011. The B787 order is valued at USD1.6 Billion. In all Jet Airways will invest USD3.7 billion in new aircraft pursuing an aggressive growth strategy.
The new Jet Airways Boeing B777's will be configured in three classes, eight First Class, thirty Premi?re and two hundred and seventy four Economy seats and will initially operate on the Mumbai-London route. This will be the first time Jet Airways has offered a First Class service and an entirely new First Class suite has been created onboard.
As further deliveries of these B777 aircraft are made, Jet Airways will launch daily services to New York via Brussels. It is planned that these services will commence in early August. Daily Services to San Francisco via Shanghai are also planned with the B777 fleet in winter 2007.
16/04/07 Equity Bulls

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