Air India Express joins fare war, offers Rs. 99 tickets

New Delhi: The fare war in the domestic skies intensified with the public sector Air India Express, offering travellers an attractive fare of Rs. 99 per sector, excluding taxes and levies, on 84 domestic sectors on its network.
Air India Express, the low cost arm of Air India in the international sector, over the past three years has been making efforts to expand its wings in the domestic market as well.
The carrier said that the Rs. 99 fare tickets can be booked on-line through its website and through appointed travel agents. Some of the domestic sectors on offer by Air India Express are: Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai-Mumbai, Mumbai-Kozhikode-Mumbai, Mumbai-Kolkata-Mumbai, Kozhikode-Kochi-Kozhikode, Thiruvananthpuram-Kozhikode, Mumbai-Kochi-Mumbai, Kochi-Mangalore-Kochi, Delhi-Lucknow-Delhi and Chennai-Trichy-Chennai.
30/04/08 The Hindu

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Boeing to deliver more wide-body jets to India next year

New Delhi: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Tuesday said the company will deliver more wide-bodied 777 aircraft to India in 2009 than in the current year, besides the 787 Dreamliner.
The company was to deliver nine such airplanes in the current calendar year, of which it has already supplied two.
"There will be more wide-bodied aircraft deliveries in India next year than this year. The deliver of 787 Dreamliner would also start by next year," Boeing Senior VP-Sales Dinesh A Keskar told reporters here on the sidelines of a seminar on airports.
However, he declined to give the timeline for the delivery of 787 Dreamliner scheduled for next year.
The delivery of seven 777 aircraft, scheduled for the remainder of the current year, would be taken primarily by Jet Airways and Air India.
Boeing would also deliver 12 aircrafts of the 737 series in the current year, apart from the five it has already sent.
29/04/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Air Arabia sees demand soar between India and Sharjah

Mumbai: Air Arabia, India’s first foreign low-cost carrier (LCC) and the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa announced today that its passenger average load factor - passengers carried as a proportion of available seats – for the first quarter of 2008 stood at 94% across its destinations network in India.
The airline served 246,296 passengers on the Sharjah – India routes for the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 43% per cent compared to 172,246 passengers during the same period in 2007.
Air Arabia, who currently provides direct services to Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Thiruvanathapuram, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Delhi represents the highest network on any Middle East airline to serve India and connects over 39 destinations internationally.
29/04/08 IndiaPRwire.com

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Essar among potential bidders for Czech airline and Prague airport

Prague: Czech airline CSA and the Prague airport Letiste Praha could both be sold to one investor, said daily E15, citing deputy finance minister Ivan Fuska.
The privatisation of both companies could take place simultaneously, Fuska added, suggesting a more flexible approach to the sales process on the part of the government, after earlier press reports which said the airport would be privatised first.
Czech private equity group Penta Investments as well as Indian industrial conglomerate Essar, in a joint venture with Germany's Hochtief, are among potential bidders in both companies, the daily said.
France's Air France, Russia's Aeroflot, Czech Penta and U.S. investment group Odien Group are reportedly interested in the airline, while Essar, India's GMR Group as well as Changi Airport were named among bidders for the airport, the daily said.
28/04/08 Thomson Financial/Forbes, USA

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Lufthansa seeks government approval to fly in super jumbos

New Delhi: Europe’s largest airline by passengers, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, wants to be the first carrier to fly the “super jumbo” A380 to India in summer 2010 and has asked the civil aviation ministry to permit it to fly the double-decker aircraft to Indian cities.
If the ministry approves, the German carrier will likely beat peers Emirates Airline and Indian firm Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to deploy the world's biggest commercial passenger jet in Indian skies.
The Airbus SAS-made A380 began commercial operations when Singapore Airlines Ltd used it late last year to fly from the island nation to Sydney. Airlines across the world plan to replace their old aircraft with the A380 on high-traffic global routes to address problems of limited airport slots and restricted bilateral agreements between countries.
Lufthansa counts Indian cities among the first of its choices for the A380 routes. “We have shortlisted Delhi and Mumbai,” said Werner Heesen, director of South Asia for Lufthansa, referring to the more than a dozen global routes that the airline is looking to deploy the 15 A380s it is acquiring. “It will be Delhi, then Mumbai,” he said.
29/04/08 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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AIE to launch new flights to Kuwait, Dubai

Kolkata: Air-India Express (AIE), the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL), proposes to expand its services by introducing new international flights.
The new flights would be introduced next year to Kuwait from Kerala, Mangalore and Ahmedabad and to Dubai from Goa, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
Flights by the low cost airline would also be launched to Dhaka from Kolkata. It also proposes to have a fleet of 25 aircraft by 2009-end, according to Air-India source here.
Air-India Express (AIE), the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL), proposes to expand its services by introducing new international flights.
The new flights would be introduced next year to Kuwait from Kerala, Mangalore and Ahmedabad and to Dubai from Goa, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
Flights by the low cost airline would also be launched to Dhaka from Kolkata. It also proposes to have a fleet of 25 aircraft by 2009-end, according to Air-India source here.
29/04/08 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Air India Express ferries 1.8 mn passengers in FY08

Mumbai: Air India Express (AIE), the low-cost arm of national air-carrier Air India, on Monday said it carried 1.8 million passengers in the last financial year.
While AIE carried five lakh passengers during 2005-06, the year it started operations, it carried 1.8 million passengers in the fiscal ended March 31, 2008, a company release said here today.
AIE currently operates 153 flights a week between 13 Indian cities and 12 international destinations across the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
In addition, the airline also has plans to launch flights to Kuwait from Kerala, Mangalore and Ahmedabad. It also plans to connect Dubai from Goa, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
An AIE flight between Kolkata and Dhaka is also on the cards, the release said. The airline has a fleet of 18 aircraft and plans to add another seven by 2009.
28/04/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Air India Express makes rapid strides in three years since inception

Air-India Express, the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Aviation Company of India Ltd., (NACIL), has made progress in terms of fleet and network expansion, number of passengers carried, since its inception three years ago on April 29, 2005.
Commencing operations with three leased aircraft, Air India Express (AIE) today has a fleet of 18 B737-800 aircraft – the most technologically advanced single-aisle jet aircraft. By the end of 2009, AIE proposes to have a fleet of 25 aircraft.
While AIE had carried 0.5 million passengers in its inaugural year, 1.8 million passengers travelled on AIE flights in the fiscal ending March 2008. AIE today operates 153 weekly flights between 13 Indian cities viz Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Trichy, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Delhi and Amritsar and 12 International stations viz Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Al Ain, Salalah, Bahrain, Doha, Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok on the network.
28/04/08 Peanuts! Low Cost Airline News, Australia

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Indian mission denies reports on passports

Dubai: The Indian mission in the UAE has categorically denied an Indian newspaper report (published yesterday) suggesting that nearly 500 blank passports had gone missing from the Indian Consulate in Dubai six months ago.
According to the report, some of these missing passports had allegedly ended up in the hands of the relatives of one of India's most wanted fugitives.
Talmiz Ahmed, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, told Khaleej Times that the report was completely baseless. He said not a single passport had gone missing from the Indian consulate in Dubai. “I categorically deny any such incident to have occurred. The report is completely baseless," said Ahmed. A report published in India's The Telegraph newspaper yesterday claimed that nearly 500 passports were found missing from the Indian Consulate in Dubai around six months ago but the matter has been swept under the carpet as it threatens to open a can of worms involving senior officials.
29/04/08 Riyasbabu/Khaleej Times

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Passport acrobatics

New Delhi: The Telegraph expose on the missing passports from the Indian consulate in Dubai has foreign ministry officials looking for cover and excuses. In the process of “denying” the report, they tied themselves up in knots.
While the Indian ambassador to the UAE, Talmiz Ahmad, and the Dubai consul-general, Venu Rajamony, denied information on the missing passports yesterday, the latter today admitted that “five bags containing 500 passports were missing in March 2007 during transit from the ministry of external affairs to Dubai”.
Rajamony issued a statement in Dubai today, saying an inquiry was under way in Delhi. Ministry officials in Delhi refused to make any statement or comment on the status of the inquiry.
Sources in the ministry, however, confirmed that 500 passports had gone missing. Top intelligence officials also confirmed that some RAW officials and Dubai consul officials were believed to have been involved in the pilferage.
Rajamony did not appear sure where the passports went missing. At one point in the statement, he said they were found missing from Delhi airport.
29/04/08 Bhavana Vij-Aurora/The Telegraph

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Haj: Govt’s decision on airline final, says AI

Faizabad: Reacting to the Uttar Pradesh Haj Committee’s decision to hire the services of Saudi Airlines instead of Air India for the Haj pilgrims of the state, Air India Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava said: “It is the sole discretion of the Government of India to decide as to from which city which airlines will operate, Air India or Saudi Airlines.”
As reported in The Indian Express on Monday, the Haj Committee of Uttar Pradesh has decided to use the services of Saudi Airlines to send Haj pilgrims to Jeddah, following complaints of poor service and curt behaviour by staff of Air India.
Regarding complaints of pilgrims not being allowed permissible baggage, Bhargava said, “Last year some Haj pilgrims from Lucknow had almost 200 kilogram of excess baggage with them on the return flight. They wanted it to be transported free of cost. On not being allowed to do so by the Air India officials, they prevented other Hajis from boarding, but later they had apologised in writing,” Bhargava said.
29/04/08 Lucknow Newsline

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No care for injured prof at IGI

New Delhi: The trauma for Berlin-based Sunil Sengupta, a 79-year-old Indian professor, began on April 19 when he arrived in Delhi from Kolkata on an Indian Airlines flight around 11pm. As he was getting down from the airline bus at the arrival terminal, he tripped and fell.
The airline staff arranged for a wheel chair and took him to the medical centre at the airport. "The doctor there checked me and gave me a referral slip for a city hospital, saying I required urgent treatment. He did not say I had suffered a fracture," he said.
By then, it was nearly 2am. "The airline officials who had accompanied me to the unit said it wasn't possible to take me to a hospital then and offered to escort me to a friend's house. When I refused, they said I could be taken to a hospital if I paid Rs 1,000. Since I had only Rs 500 in cash, they said I could spend the night at the shuttle lounge in terminal IA," he said.
Sengupta lay at the lounge till a worker arrived in the morning and helped him recharge his mobile phone. Only then could he contact his friends who took him to a hospital.
29/04/08 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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NCP leader alleges harassment Air India staff

Mumbai: A state NCP functionary who, along with his family members, went to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage on Monday alleged he was harassed by Jeddah airport officials as also by immigration and Air India staff in Mumbai for non-possession of certain documents.
"I was tortured by officials at Jeddah on landing there on April 20. They did not even have the courtsey to offer us water. We were told that our visa did not have a particular stamp as a result of which we were not allowed entry into Saudi Arabia," Munaf Hakim, General Secretary of state NCP, said.
"We were brought back by an Air India flight the next day and upon arrival, we were subjected to mental torture by immigration and Air India staff who treated us as if we were criminals," Hakim told reporters here on Monday.
Hakim said the woman officer on duty did not allow his family members to visit toilet. "We were treated as if we had committed a serious offence and as if we had been arrested," he said.
Actually, it was the fault of the Saudi Arabia counsulate at Mumbai that the visa was not stamped properly but we bore the brunt, Hakim said.
28/04/08 PTI/Economic Times

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JetPrivilege wins top honours with seven awards at Freddie Awards 2007

Jet Airways, Jet Privilege won these highly coveted awards for Program of the Year, Best Customer Service, Best Elite Level, Best Affinity Credit Card, Best Bonus, Best Website and Best Award. Jet Airway’s JetPrivilege received the second position in the categories of Best Member Communications and Best Award Redemption.
Commenting on the honour, Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, said, “On the occasion of our resounding victory at the Freddie Awards 2007, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to providing our JetPrivilege members the best in comfort, benefits and privileges, in keeping with their expectations from India’s largest and best loyalty program, be it in the Indian or International skies.”
On winning the Freddie Awards, Mr. Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said ‘It is the constant feedback, support and encouragement we receive from our JetPrivilege members that drives us to excel, constantly innovate and offer the best of services. Thank you for making us a winner’
With this, Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege is now a Freddie award winner four times in a row; and winner of ‘Program of the Year’ for the second consecutive year. Jet Airways JetPrivilege is also the only frequent flyer programme from India to win the maximum number of awards from Japan, Asia, Pacific and Australia region.
JetPrivilege scored 8.91 on a scale of 1 to 10, and 25.7% of the popular votes, followed by its nearest competitor getting just 2.95% of the popular votes in the Program of the Year category.
The Freddie Awards recognize the world's most outstanding frequent flyer programmes, and are considered to be the 'Oscars' of frequent flyer programmes across the world. Each year, the Freddie Awards provides frequent travelers a chance to voice their opinions about their favorite frequent travel programs.
28/04/08 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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Air India cancels flight to Kathmandu and London

Kolkata: Air India tonight cancelled its flight to Kathmandu following delay in take off from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here and night restriction in Nepal, airport sources said.
Air India has also cancelled its flight from Kolkata to London tomorrow because of technical reasons, they said.
An airline source said the flight to Kathmandu will go tomorrow.
Airports sources said earlier the same aircraft had developed snags in tyres before carrying passengers from Agartala to Kolkata.
When the plane was waiting at Agartala airport before taking off, one of the plane's tyres was leaking out air.
The tyre was repaired but the process took a lot of time and the plane reached Kolkata late in the afternoon, resulting in delay and its journey to Kathmandu been postponed for the day.
29/04/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Air India documentary airs on CBC

A new documentary examining the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 will air commercial-free this summer on CBC.
The bombing killed 329 people, including 29 from Mississauga.
Filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson released his documentary, Air India 182, earlier this month at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. It will be telecast on CBC Television on June 22 at 8 p.m.
The film is a first-person account of the Air India conspiracy and is based on court documents, de-classified Canadian Security Intelligence Service reports and wiretaps. It also includes emotional interviews with victims' families and high-ranking CSIS officials.
While the film revolves around the events of June 22, 1985, it also includes re-creations and other interviews to explain the political situation in Vancouver's Sikh community at the time.
Air India Flight 182 from Montreal to London exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 240 kilometres off the coast of Ireland. Retired Justice John Major, who oversaw the public inquest into the bombing, described it as "mass murder" and the "most insidious episode of cowardice and inhumanity" in Canadian history.
28/04/08 Chris Clay/Mississauga, Canada

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Easier overseas flying norms for airlines

New Delhi: Domestic start-up airlines may not have to wait for completion of five years of operations before flying abroad.
The civil aviation ministry is planning to approach the group of ministers (GoM) with a fresh proposal — to fix a date like January 1, 2010, to allow these airlines to fly abroad, without any requirement of any mandatory number of years in operation.
GoM examining the issue has so far not responded positively to aviation ministry’s earlier proposal for a case to case approval for airlines to fly overseas. "There is a general impression that this change was being pursued mainly for the benefit of about three-year-old Kingfisher which has now got the eligibility to fly abroad from August after tie-up with Deccan that completes five years in August. Once that happened, we stopped pursuing this cause. This impression needs to be corrected as the ministry is genuinely in favour of relaxed rules for all airlines to go abroad," said highly-placed sources.
28/04/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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UP to shun Air India for Haj, embrace Saudi Airlines

Faizabad: The govt carrier will lose Rs 50 crore every year if Haj panel sticks to its decision
The Haj Committee of Uttar Pradesh has decided to change its loyalties from Air India to Saudi Airlines for sending pilgrims to Jeddah, allegedly due to the step-motherly treatment meted out to the Hajis. With nearly 30,000 pilgrims undertaking Haj pilgrimage every year from the state, the decision is likely to cause a revenue loss of around Rs 50 crore to Air India.
"We have decided not to take the services of Air India for our Haj pilgrims," said Mohammad Jawed Khan, deputy secretary of the UP Haj Committee. In a letter to the Central Haj Committee and the Government of India, the government has made it clear that "due to misbehaviour and misconduct of the Air India staff with Haj pilgrims, the services of Air India will not be availed at any cost", Jawed Khan told The Indian Express.
Haj Committee secretary Laeeq Ahmad said: "The Air India staff always give step-motherly treatment to Haj pilgrims, though we pay a huge amount to it, that too six months in advance."
Laeeq added: "They always use their small and condemned aircraft for the pilgrims. Last year, several pilgrims had lodged complaints regarding the crew members' misconduct."
28/04/08 Arshad Afzal Khan/Expressindia.com

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Malaysian authorities prevent Hindraf bailer from flying to India

Kuala Lumpur: K.P. Samy, of Indian origin, who posted bail for the 64 Hindraf supporters charged with causing mischief and participating in an illegal assembly, was yesterday prevented at the KL International Airport from traveling to India.
I was with 60 people traveling to Chennai, and was singled out during the group check-in by an immigration officer, the staronline.com quoted Samy as saying.
He said that when he queried why he was not allowed to travel, the officers told him to go to the Immigration Department headquarters in Putrajaya to find out the reason. Finally, one of them told me that it was an instruction from the police, said Samy.
He added he could not understand why he was blocked from leaving the country as he had no pending police case or insolvency issues.
My taxes are also up to date and I have never been a guarantor for anyone. So, why are they stopping me from leaving the country? asked Samy.
28/04/08 ANI/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Beijing, Paris, Milan on Jet radar

Mumbai: Jet Airways is all set to spread its wings to Beijing, Milan and Paris within a year. The airline currently flies to London ? it is the market leader on this route with a robust share of 33 per cent ? and Brussels, which is also its second hub after Mumbai.
Speaking to Business Standard, Jet Airways' Chairman Naresh Goyal also outlined his plans for two of Air India's key markets ? the Gulf and the US.
"We are looking to fly to Dubai in June. As per the bilateral discussions held last week, the number of seats allotted to Indian carriers have been hiked to 54,000 a week from 31,000 a week. We have asked for a total of 15,000 seats a week to be allotted to Jet Airways and JetLite."
Jet will be operating flights to Dubai from New Delhi and Mumbai. Taking on Air India's other strategic market, Goyal also announced the date for the launch of the airline's Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight.
"We are targeting a launch date of June 14 to fly into Shanghai. We have the necessary go-aheads from both the governments. All we are awaiting is the slots to be cleared," said Goyal.
27/04/08 Geetanjali Shukla/Business Standard

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AI plane makes emergency landing

Kozhikode: An Air India Express plane bound for Abu Dhabi made an emergency landing shortly after take off from the Karipur International Airport here on Saturday night, when fumes were detected in the cockpit, airport sources said.
The aircraft, with 160 passengers on board, was brought down safely having made all preparations on the ground to meet any emergency at 10.40 pm, the sources said.
The airline arranged another aircraft for the passengers to resume the journey within an hour, the sources said.
27/04/08 PTI/MSN India

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Five-hour delay for passengers after flight suffers tyre burst

Tiruchirapalli: Passengers waiting to board an Air India Express flight on the Dubai-Tiruchirapalli-Chennai Singapore sector on Friday night suffered a five hour delay in their onward journey following a tyre burst in the aircraft, airport sources said
The flight, which landed at 2330 hours here on Friday night, was scheduled to leave at 0030 hours on Saturday morning. The puncture was noticed while the aircraft was in the parking bay.
Eightysix of the 126 passengers waiting to board the flight left for Singapore at 0430 hours in another aircraft, which flew in from Chennai, they said.
The Air India flight was towed to the hangar here later, they said.
26/04/08 Chennai Online

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British Airways to commence operations from Hyderabad Airport

Hyderabad: British Airways will commence its operations from the GMR Hyderabad International Airport on October 28, 2008 with five flights a week. The flights will operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The BA 276 flight will depart from Hyderabad at 07:15 and arrive at London Heathrow at 13:00. The BA 277 will depart London Heathrow at 13:30 and arrive at Hyderabad the following morning at 04:25. The Boeing 777 aircraft with an overall seating capacity of 270 will offer economy cabin, ‘World Traveller;’ premier economy cabin, ‘World Traveller Plus’ and business class cabin, ‘Club World’.
The new route will compliment the five routes that British Airways already services in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. With the addition of Hyderabad, British Airways will now fly from six Indian cities to London.
26/04/08 TravelBizMonitor

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NRIs urge Riyadh-Mangalore direct flight

Riyadh: NRIs hailing from coastal Karnataka and northern Kerala have been constantly making relentless efforts to have direct airline connectivity between Mangalore and Saudi Arabia. As part of their continuous efforts in this direction, Jam?iyyatul Falah Riyadh Unit recently submitted a memorandum to External Affair Minister Shri. Pranab Mukarjee during his visit to Riyadh and urged for his assistance to start direct flight from Riyadh to Mangalore.
In the memorandum the unit members have explained the inconveniences caused to thousands of NRIs from Coastal Karnataka and Northern Kerala living in Saudi as they have to fly to Mangalore via Mumbai airport and other points in India. "The introduction of direct flight from Riyadh to Mangalore will help these people in saving time, money and reduce the stress" they said in the memorandum.
Jam'iyyatul Falah had also started a signature campaign and the copy of around 1000 signatures collected so far was submitted to the minister along with the memorandum.
26/04/08 Iftikhar Ahmed/Mangalorean.com

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Emirates Airline to hard-sell Malabar

Thiruvananthapuram: Dubai-based Emirates Airline is spreading wings to Kerala's northern city of Kozhikode, after Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, hard-selling spicy, silky Malabar.
The Kozhikode schedules will start on July 1. Emirates is organizing a road show in Kozhikode tomorrow, focusing its destinations, different products and tourist packages. Kozhikode is seen by the airline as among the most important in the Indian sector.
"The Malabar region holds out a huge potential and we had come here after the two other airports because we got the clearance in that order. We see ourselves as being accepted wholeheartedly by the passengers from and to Malabar, and add to it would be the region as a booming tourism destination," sad Orhan Abbas, vice-president India and Nepal, Emirates.
With an estimated 2 million Keralites working in the gulf region, the airline has lined up major plans for Kozhikode, after having been successfully begun operations from Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
25/04/08 John Mary/The Peninsula, Qatar

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Jet Airways ties up with Univ. of Illinois for safety culture survey

Mumbai: Jet Airways has tied up with Institute of Aviation, University of Illinois, Urbama Champaign to conduct a safety culture survey. The survey to be conducted will be on a web-based application whereby employees of Jet Airways can fill in the answers and send it to the University. Also, a paper format of the survey will be available for employees. It will be an anonymous survey conducted within the airline. “We want to know how safety is perceived and whether the tools/medium available with the employees are sufficient enough to maintain safety standards. We are the first airline to do so and the objective is to focus our attention towards maintaining safety standards. With the survey, Jet Airways will also be able to address issues where it needs improvement and also work towards a positive working culture,” says Captain Hassan, Vice President (Operations, safety and quality), Jet Airways.
Currently, Jet Airways and University of Illinois are formulating the different aspects of the survey. The survey will start this month and is expected to be completed by October.
25/04/08 Krupa Vora/TravelBizMonitor

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Sri Lankan Airlines Indian flights grounded as pilots go sick

Sri Lankan Airlines has canceled several flights to the Indian subcontinent as more than a dozen pilots reported sick, officials said.
Sri Lankan airline spokespersons were not available for comment, but the airline had individually informed passengers of flights that had been canceled.
The affected destinations are said to include Chennai, Cochin and Bangalore.
A pilots' union official said efforts were being made to bring operations back to normal as soon as possible.
"There was no industrial action as such, but when some pilots report sick operations are disrupted because we are short staffed," a senior union official told LBO.
The union had put forward proposals to the government which they were expecting the government to resolve.
SriLankan Airlines was managed by Emirates up to March 2008, when the Dubai-based airline which owns 43 percent of the Sri Lankan carrier terminated deal after relations with the government soured.
25/04/08 Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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Changi Airports may pick up stake in Kolkata-based firm

Kolkata: The investment arm of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore—Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd (CAI) —may take a minority equity interest in Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), a Kolkata-based company looking to build new airports integrated with industrial parks and townships.
CAI might acquire about 18% in BAPL for $26 million, or a tad more than Rs100crore, valuing the firm at almost Rs500 crore, according to an investment banker familiar with the Indian firm’s plans. The deal with CAI should be closed in 15-20 days, he said on condition of anonymity.
When contacted, BAPL chairman Arvind Pande said: “Discussions (with CAI) are at an advanced stage and things are looking positive.”
He, however, refused to quantify the shares that BAPL was looking to sell to CAI, or the price. “Our promoters have put in Rs50 crore up till now. If we do sell shares to Changi, we’ll sell at a premium,” said Pande, who was formerly a secretary with India’s civil aviation ministry.
Ahfisah Rahman, the spokesperson for CAI, also refused to provide information on the plan. “CAI is always exploring appropriate investment opportunities and can share such information only after they crystallize. CAI’s current engagement (with BAPL) is limited to technical consultancy services and training for the proposed ­Durgapur airport (in West ­Bengal),” he said.
24/04/08 Rajdeep Datta Ray/Livemint

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India, UAE agree to increase air services

New Delhi: India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have revised their air services agreement that would allow both countries to fly more aircraft. The agreement would also allow UAE to operate flight services to Calicut, Kerala, an official statement said here Thursday.
According to the new agreement, signed here Wednesday evening by the aviation officials from the two countries, up to 54,200 passengers could travel in each direction a week. This is an addition of 23,000 passengers per week, the civil aviation ministry said.
The UAE has agreed to clear the formalities of its air services agreement with India soon. It has also urged India to allow the UAE to fly to six more destinations in India - Amritsar, Mangalore, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Goa.
The designated airlines flying on India-Dubai routes would be allowed to have seats up to 39,200 per week in each direction.
24/04/08 India PRwire

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Snag affects airport operations

Nagpur: Over 160 Sharjah-bound passengers of Air Arabia and over 60 Doha-bound passengers of Qatar Airways had a harrowing experience reportedly due to major power failure at Dr Ambedkar International Airport Terminal building on Thursday morning.
Sources said that the air-conditioning system and baggage checking X-ray machines at the international departure lounge developed some problem at 1.30 am.
Qatar Airways official Danial John said, "We start check-in for Doha flight at 1.30 am, three hours before the departure at 4.40 am. Due to some technical problem in the X-ray machines we had to shift the check-in procedure to arrival lounge. However all the 60 passengers did not face any difficulty."
Air India, area manager, IJK Dhas said, "We shifted the process from departure lounge to arrival lounge due to a technical snag in X-ray machine at departure lounge."
25/04/08 Times of India

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S.F.-India flight's debut hits snag

Jet Airways, India's largest domestic airline, has postponed its launch of daily service from San Francisco International Airport to India due to regulatory issues.
The airline now aims to begin service to Mumbai, India, by way of Shanghai on June 14, airline officials said. The service was originally scheduled to start May 5.
"We need to get some clearance with the Chinese," said Zainul Aljunied, vice president of the Americas for Jet Airways.
With the launch, Jet Airways will become the first Indian airline to fly from San Francisco to Mumbai, India's business center.
The airline expects to attract business travelers in the growing trade between the two countries in the high-tech, biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. Demand for leisure travel from the Bay Area's large Indian community is also expected to be robust.
he one-way introductory fare hasn't been set yet, but will be around $700-$750 to Mumbai, and $550-$600 to Shanghai, Aljunied said.
Jet Airways' competition will include United Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, which also fly to India from SFO.
24/04/08 Tim Simers/Bay Area News Group/San Jose Mercury News, USA

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Berlin Airshow may boost India’s clout

New Delhi: In a move that proves the growing clout of the country’s defence market worldwide, India has been invited as a partner nation at the ILA Berlin Airshow 2008 scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany, from May 27 to June 1. This will be the first ever participation by India at any airshow in the world. Leading the Indian delegation, defence minister AK Antony will be leaving for Germany late next month.
During the week-long visit, accompanied by a high-level delegation including defence secretary (production) Pradeep Kumar and 30 other senior officials and Indian Air Force (IAF) officers, the defence minister will hold a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart Dr Franz Josef Jung.
The minister will also inaugurate the show and for the first time have press conference there.
According to the show organisers, “India will be the partner country at the ILA-Berlin 2008 and has announced a strong presence at the show. Around 25 Companies including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and organisations such as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and India’s aerospace association SIATI, will be presenting their displays at the major European exhibition for the first time.”
24/04/08 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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Jet Airways launches daily direct flight to Abu Dhabi from Delhi and Mumbai

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, today launched its daily direct flights to Abu Dhabi from Mumbai and Delhi, effective April 23, 2008. The introduction of this new destination marks Jet Airways’ first foray into the United Arab Emirates, expanding the airline’s Gulf route network to five destinations.
Jet Airways’ flight 9W 582 (Delhi-Abu Dhabi) will depart Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2100 hrs and arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2335 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 581 (Abu Dhabi-Delhi) will depart Abu Dhabi International Airport at 0025 hrs and arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi at 0520 hrs.
Jet Airways’ flight 9W 584 (Mumbai-Abu Dhabi) will depart Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 2135 hrs and will arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2325 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 583 (Abu Dhabi-Mumbai) will depart Abu Dhabi International Airport at 0015 hrs and arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai at 0450 hrs.
For the convenience of Jet Airways passengers connecting to Dubai and vice versa, the airline will offer a seamless transfer through scheduled bus services effective April 24, 2008. Jet Airways bus service 9W 7485, Abu Dhabi to Dubai will depart Abu Dhabi Airport at 0115 hrs and arrive Dubai at 0245 hrs., while Bus service 9W 7486 will depart Dubai at 2000 hrs and arrive Abu Dhabi Airport at 2200 hrs to connect to flights from Abu Dhabi to Delhi and Mumbai. (*The above sectors can be sold ONLY in conjunction with Mumbai – Abu Dhabi- Mumbai and Delhi – Abu Dhabi - Delhi segments. Passengers availing of this service must be ticketed on Jet Airways travel document).
Jet Airways will introduce its world-class service on the Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft with Premiere and Economy class configuration, offering the highest quality of comfort, courtesy, reliability and standards of in-flight as well as ground operations, for which it has been highly acclaimed.
Announcing the launch of these new flights, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, said, “The launch of Jet Airways’ operations to Abu Dhabi is an important boost to the airline’s growing route network in West Asia. Trading links between India and the United Arab Emirates having existed since long and the relationship between the two countries has been traditionally close and friendly- resting on firm foundations of political, economic and cultural links. It is our belief that Jet Airways, with the excellence of its dual-class service offering and competitive fares, is optimally positioned to cater to both passenger segments on this route.”
24/04/08 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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Qatar Airways announces Indian Expansion

Toronto: Qatar Airways today announced plans to operate scheduled flights to the southwest Indian coastal city of Kozhikode – the airline’s third gateway in the state of Kerala – beginning June 15.
Formerly known as Calicut, the city is Kerala’s third largest with a population of almost 500,000 people and is home to serene beaches, historic sites, lush green scenery and world-renowned Ayurvedic health treatments – a haven for holidaymakers seeking adventure and relaxation.
Qatar Airways will operate daily non-stop services between Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, and Kozhikode using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline already serves Cochin and Trivandrum in Kerala and a further six cities across India.
With a current capacity of 51 flights a week spread across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Trivandrum, Nagpur and Hyderabad, Qatar Airways operates an extensive network of services throughout the country. The addition of Kozhikode, its ninth destination in India, takes the airline’s frequency into the country up to 58 flights a week.
24/04/08 TravelVideo.tv

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AI announces 'one price' India fare

New York: Air India is offering a special Economy Class "One Price India" fare of $599 round trip from New York's JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport to Mumbai, Delhi, as well as over 40 other cities in India served by the carrier.
The fare, good for travel until May 15, applies to any of Air India's direct and non-stop flights from JFK to India departing Sunday through Thursday, and returning Monday through Friday. A weekend surcharge of $25 each way applies to flights on Friday and Saturday to India, and Saturday and Sunday from India.
The minimum stay is the first Sunday after departure, and the maximum stay is four months.Fare Conditions: A Press release issued by the Airlines says, "Travel must be on Air India operated flights from New York City to India; flights within India must be on Air India or Indian Airlines designated flights. Tickets are non-refundable."
All flights must be confirmed prior to issuance of tickets, according to the Press release.Departure taxes, airport security and other fees, and fuel surcharges (ranging from approximately $371 to $471), are not included. Seats are limited at these special fares and may not be available on all flights.
22/04/08 IndiaPost.com, USA

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Gulf Air to fly to Hyderabad from July 1

Dubai: Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air is going to launch daily non-stop flights between Bahrain and Hyderabad in India from July 1.
"India is one of the key countries that we are looking at to expand and grow as part of our strategy to be the airline of choice," Gulf Air chief executive Bjorn Naf said in a statement.
"Being the first regional carrier to operate flight to India, our infrastructure in the country is well-established and our preparations are well under way to commence our Hyderabad operations."
The capital of Andhra Pradesh will become the eighth Indian destination the airline will fly to.
The Hyderabad operation will increase the airline's flight frequencies to India to 68 per week.
The airline will use Airbus A320-200 aircraft on the new route.
23/04/08 IANS/Daily News & Analysis

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Etihad appoints new senior positions in Asia

Etihad Airways has appointed two new regional general managers (RGMs) to help lead the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s growing presence in the Asia Pacific region.
Cramer Ball, the airline’s current country manager for Australia, will become RGM Asia Pacific South and Australasia whilst Joost den Hartog, Etihad’s current country manager for Pakistan and acting country manager for China, will become RGM Indian Subcontinent, Central and North Asia.
The two new positions will report directly to Adrian Parkes, Etihad Airways’ vice president sales. They will start their new positions from 1 June and both will be based in Bangkok.
Ball will cover a region that includes Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Den Hartog will be responsible for a region including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Nepal and Kazakhstan.
Adrian Parkes, Etihad Airways’ vice president sales, said: “The airline is also boosting its flying programme to India with the addition of four new destinations - Chennai (Madras), Jaipur, Kolkata (Calcutta) and Kozhikode (Calicut) - following successful bi-lateral talks earlier this year between the governments of the UAE and India.”
23/04/08 Business Intelligence Middle East, United Arab Emirates

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Aircraft, pilots now come cheap

New Delhi: The recent bankruptcy of four global airlines in the US and Hong Kong has turned out to be a bonanza for Indian private carriers looking for aircraft at low prices and experienced pilots. Read On >>

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Jet Airways starts daily flights on the Mumbai-Muscat sector

Muscat: Jet Airways has introduced one more destination, its third, on the India-Oman sector with the launch of services from Mumbai to Muscat on Monday. Trivandrum will follow suit shortly, top officials of the airline said here, also adding that the low cost JetLite would begin flying to Muscat and other Gulf cities within a few months.
The daily Mumbai-Muscat flight, 9W 540, departs Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 10.30pm, arriving at the Muscat International Airport at midnight. On the return leg, flight 9W 539 will take off from Muscat at 1am and land at Mumbai at 5.05am. The services are operated by Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft with business (24 seats) and economy (120) class configuration.
The airline has announced off-peak season economy class prices of RO40 one way and RO80 return on the new route, excluding taxes of RO22 and RO41.200, respectively. The peak season (May 21 to June 15) fares will be RO50 and RO90 plus taxes.
23/04/08 Ravindra Nath /Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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RAK Airways to begin India services today

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of Kerala government trimming its VAT rate on ATF (aviation turbine fuel), UAE-based RAK Airways has picked Kerala as its first destination to India. The carrier has announced the launch of its service to India from Ras Al Khaimah through the destination Kozhikode (in Kerala) from April 23.
The launching ceremony was held at Ras Al Khaimah in the presence of Sheikh Omar Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman, RAK Airways Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Chairman and Dr Khater Massaad, managing director, RAK Airways, a release, here, has said. RAK Airways is the fourth air carrier in UAE, RAK Airways offers non-stop flights from Ras Al Khaimah to Dhaka, Colombo, Chittagong and now to Kozhikode, K Ravidran, CEO, RAK Airways, said, here. The carrier uses Boeing 757 aircraft, with a passenger capacity of 194, of which 174 in Economy and 20 in business class. From Ras Al Khaimah, Economy class passengers can carry 40 kg checked baggage while premium class passengers are offered 50 kg. Additionally, they have the normal hand baggage allowance.
RAk'S India service departs Ras Al Khaimah at 0340 hours and arrives Kozhikode at 0900 hours.The return flight departs Kozhikode at 1000 hours and arrives at Ras Al Khaimah at 1230 hours.
23/04/08 Financial Express

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AI official files libel case against UK paper

A senior Air India executive has sued a British eveninger here for its report claiming the Indian official had sexually harassed a female colleague and was a “serial sex pest”.
In a libel case filed in the High Court here, Captain Ashvini Kumar Sharma said the “grossly defamatory and fundamentally false” front-page article in the Evening Standard, headlined ‘Sex shame of Airline Chief’ “damaged both my reputation and health”.
Sharma’s lawyer Ian Winter informed the Court that the August 2006 article led to his client being shunned in Britain, which he had wanted to make his home with his wife and two grown-up children.
A jury heard the article, which appeared shortly before the end of Sharma’s four-year tenure as Air India’s Regional Director for the UK and Europe.
Police told Sharma that a female ground services employee had made a complaint against him but an investigation saw no charges brought, Winter told the court.
22/04/08 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Mechtronix announces partnership agreement with India's HBE Aviosec

Montreal: Mechtronix Systems Inc., the fastest growing and third leading provider of flight training equipment in the world, today announced that it had signed an agreement to work with HBE Aviosec PVT Ltd to better develop and service the rapidly expanding Indian market.
The partnership represents a significant investment of resources by the companies to establish a core staff in the region to support the sales of Mechtronix' flight simulation technology. HBE Aviosec's industry expertise and strong local ties to the Indian aviation community will also be leveraged heavily to help Mechtronix to better market a wide range of flight simulation technology ranging from Cessna's to A320s and 737s in the region.
HBE Aviosec Pvt. Ltd. is a group company of M/s HBE Group who are pioneers in the field of Avionics having successfully completed system integration, installation and commissioning of various projects in Aviation, Broadcast and Security in association with its globally reputed partners.
Headquartered in the Montreal aviation hub, Mechtronix Systems Inc. (MSI) is the fastest growing and a leading provider of flight training equipment in the world.
22/04/08 Canada NewsWire, Canada

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Jet taps fast-rising Thai-India demand

Jet Airways is moving to tap booming Indo-Thai air traffic by launching its third link between the two countries early next month.
Daily service will begin on May 7 between Bangkok and Mumbai, its home base, using a Boeing 738-800 jetliner that can carry up to 144 passengers.
The launch will give Jet a total of 21 weekly flights including those on its Bangkok-Delhi and Bangkok-Calcutta routes.
The number of air travellers between Thailand and India soared to 1.47 million last year from only 325,374 in the previous year, according to Gerry Oh, Jet Airways' regional vice-president for Southeast Asia.
Travel is surging in line with impressive growth in two-way commercial activity including tourism, buoyed by India's rising economic power.
Mr Oh, a Singaporean who previously worked for Singapore Airlines, said Jet aimed to record annual double-digit growth on the India-Thailand sector and was prepared to compete with eight other airlines serving the two countries including Thai Airways International, Cathay Pacific, Air India and Indian.
Jet has been pleased with the performance of its first two routes, which have achieved a cabin factor of around 80% since services began in January last year.
22/04/08 Boonsong Kositchotethana/Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Mira Nair naking film on aviation pioneer's life

India-born but internationally acclaimed director Mira Nair is making a film titled ‘Amelia’ on the life of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.
And to play the title role Nair has roped in two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.
Swank will play the role of the brave Amelia Earhart who set many aviation records in the first half of the 20th century – like flying solo and non-stop across the Atlantic. Amelia died at the age of 40 in her attempt to fly around the world.
However, the film will not just focus on Amelia’s aviation adventures but will mostly center on her rocky marriage with publisher husband George Putnam.
Richard Gere has been signed to play the role.
Actress Virginia Madsen has been added to the cast to play Putnam’s first wife, Dorothy.
The movie has been penned by veteran Hollywood screenwriter Ron Bass. The film goes on the floors this month. It will be shot in Canada and South Africa.
22/04/08 Apunkachoice.com

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Pvt airlines may get nod for Dubai route this week

The lucrative Dubai route could be opened for Jet Airways, its subsidiary JetLite and Air Deccan by the end of the week.
Official sources told Business Line that the request of these airlines to fly to Dubai will be taken up at the air services talks between the Government’s of Dubai and India scheduled to be held here later this week. At the moment, Air India is the only carrier which is allowed to fly to Dubai from India.
While Jet Airways has sought permission to operate 56 weekly services including a daily service from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai by July this year, it has also sought permission to increase the frequency of the Mumbai flight to a double daily service from October next year. It also plans to start a daily flight from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Bangalore from October next year.
The low cost airline, Air Deccan, which plans to operate 70 weekly flights to Dubai has sought permission to launch a twice-a-day flight from Mumbai from summer this year. In addition, the airline plans to operate a daily service from Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi.
21/04/08 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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BAA in a possible split

A recent report from the Competition Commission, could lead to a multibillion pound split of airports operator BAA.
Ferrovial, the Spanish consortium, bought BAA for £10.3bn in 2006.
Potential buyers from India, the Middle East and also Temasek, the Singapore government's investment vehicle, have already been in discussion about the possible sale.
BAA, owner of Britain's seven biggest airports, has been accused of having a monopoly, especially in the London area.
The commission is expected to support an Office of Fair Trading recommendation for a full investigation, the findings of which will be published in August.
It is believed that Ferrovial should sell Gatwick and possibly Stansted. There have also been suggestions that Glasgow and Edinburgh airports could be part of a larger BAA sell-off.
21/04/08 Business Sale Report, UK

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NTOS woos Kingfisher to set up hub in Madrid with incentives

Mumbai: As Kingfisher is all set to commence its international operations by August this year, the airline is keenly mulling over the idea of setting up a hub in Europe. The airline is contemplating to have an exclusive hub at the Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain. However, plans are under development. As per reports, the National Tourist Office of Spain (NTOS) approached the UB Group-promoted Kingfisher Airlines, recently to offer the latter with incentive packages to set-up their hub at Madrid in Spain.
According to the information available with TravelBiz Monitor, NTOS has offered to reduce the airport charges by 65 per cent, 45 per cent and 30 per cent for the first, second and third year, respectively, of their operations. Apart from that, it also has offered the airline with 30 per cent of parking allotment at the Madrid Barajas International Airport – rated as Europe’s third busiest airport. “These offers will be applicable only if we schedule to fly thrice a week between Indian cities and Madrid,” informed Hitesh Patel, Executive Vice-President, Kingfisher Airlines. He further pointing out that there are ‘no direct’ flights between India and Spain despite several air services bilateral agreements being signed between the two countries in November 2006.
21/04/08 Mayuresh Pawar/TravelBizMonitor

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'India needs better standards in flight training

As group president he doesn't get much time to fly aeroplanes. But flying still remains his first love, and it was to ensure that more Indian pilots get world-class training that he was recently in the capital. Read On >>

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CTC Aviation looks at Indian carriers for placements

New Delhi: With the Indian aviation booming and the need for pilots felt not only in the country but the world over, New Zealand-based aviation training academy, Crew Training Centre (CTC) is surveying the option of partnering with Indian carriers for cadet placements. Read On >>

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India’s Vectra Aviation in trouble in Nepal

Kathmandu: Private Indian aviation company Vectra Aviation is in trouble in Nepal, with the foreign ministry likely to ask Indian authorities to take action against the company for violating the civil aviation act. Vectra is the sole marketing agency in India for Eurocopter and poised to provide dedicated on-shore chartered helicopter service through its separate division Heliair. It landed in trouble in Nepal last week after one of its choppers came to Kathmandu without seeking the permission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan).
The three-member Indian crew headed by Captain V.N. Sharma had taken off from New Delhi Thursday and headed for Nepal via Lucknow and Simra on the Indo-Nepal border.
On its arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, Caan authorities confiscated the chopper and the crew were detained for questioning.
Caan officials said they had not been able to provide any satisfactory answer why they entered Nepal’s air space.
After the investigation, the foreign ministry of Nepal would convey its findings and recommendations to the Indian external affairs ministry.
21/04/08 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Nod for Penang-Chennai route

The governments of India and Malaysia have agreed to allow direct flights between Penang and Chennai.
Malaysian Namban quoted Indian High Commissioner Ashok P. Kanta as saying that Malaysian airline companies should make use of this opportunity.
He said the introduction of direct flights would help increase the number of tourists between both countries and improve bilateral relations.
Speaking to members of the Penang Indian Chamber of Commerce, Ashok said Penang businessmen should also make use of the investment opportunities that were available in the trade, education, telecommunications and health sectors in India.
Ashok also said that Malaysian Indians should take the opportunity to apply for the Indian government’s financial aid that is given to students who are pursuing their professional studies.
He said that so far 30 students had submitted their applications.
21/04/08 Malaysia Star, Malaysia

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Jet Airways begins Doha-Kochi service

Doha: India-based private airline Jet Airways has begun daily direct flights from Doha to Kochi in Kerala.
The inaugural flight from Doha (9W555) took off at 2.15am on Saturday. Earlier, a fully booked flight 9W556 arrived from Kochi at 00.45 hours.
Jet Airways general manager (Qatar) K Prasad and airport manager Vijay Bhushan received the passengers and crew and escorted them to the terminal.
The first flight from Doha had about 70 passengers on board.
With the introduction of the latest service, Jet Airways now has daily flights to three Indian destinations i.e. Mumbai, Kozhikode and Kochi.
The airline currently operates a fleet of 81 aircraft.
Besides Qatar Airways, Jet Airways is the only airline which operates daily direct flights between Doha and Kochi.
16/04/08 Gulf Times, Qatar

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Jazeera Airways offers all flights to Kuwait and Dubai for free

For the first time in Middle East Aviation history, Jazeera Airways is offering all flights from Bahrain to Kuwait and from Bahrain to Dubai for free until May 31.
Jazeera Airways operates double daily non-stop flights from Bahrain to Kuwait and Bahrain to Dubai.
The airline also offers great connections and very low fares from Bahrain to Alexandria, Amman, Assiut, Beirut, Istanbul, Damascus, Delhi, Luxor, Mashhad, Mumbai. Connections are served via Jazeera Airways hubs in Dubai and Kuwait.
his offer expires on May 31, is available on most flights with two days advance booking, taxes and charges apply. This offer applies to bookings made in Bahrain only.
20/04/08 Al-Bawaba, Jordan

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Airline near miss reports 'baseless'

Gulf Air yesterday dismissed as untrue claims that one of its aircraft barely avoided a mid-air crash with an Air India plane over Kerala.
According to the New Indian Express, a Bahrain-bound Gulf Air flight and a Kozhikode-bound Air India flight missed a mid-air collision by just 10 seconds last week.
However, Gulf Air corporate communications acting head Adnan Malek described the report as baseless and said there were no flight records to substantiate the incident.
"Our flight records are up to date and there is no record of any such incident having taken place or any information that can substantiate this incident," he told the GDN.
Air India manager for Bahrain and Jordan D Debesh said he wasn't aware of such an incident either.
"I have no idea of this incident and no information about it," said the official.
"This happened in Indian airspace and we have no information, it is not under my jurisdiction."
Mr Debesh said Air India staff in India would not comment to the Press and referred them to India's Air Traffic Control for more information.
However, Indian Air Traffic Control officials were unavailable for comment yesterday.
20/04/08 Rebecca Torr/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

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Four global players submit tenders for 26 airports

New Delhi: The aviation sector is set to witness a new influx of foreign players, at least at the ground level.
According to sources in the civil aviation ministry, four international ground handlers, Menzies, Swissport, SATS and Dnata, have submitted tenders for handling ground work at the 26 non-metro airports in the country.
Currently, the government, as part of its privatisation programme, is in the process of modernising over 40 airports in the country.
“These airports will be developed besides the six metro airports. At these airports, the interested companies will have to work in conjunction with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) either through a subsidiary or by forming a joint venture,” the official said.
As per the existing ground handling policy, which becomes effective from January 2009 only three agencies will be allowed take up ground handling services. “The modalities of how the arrangement will work are yet to be sorted out. But it’s clear that companies will have to work with AAI,” the official told SundayET.
20/04/08 Raja Awasthi & Dheeraj Tiwar/Economic Times

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Jet Airways shelves expasion plans due to US recession

India's largest and first private carrier to fly to the U.S, Jet Airways, sees passenger travel slowing down due to recession fears there.
The land of opportunities seems to have disappointed Naresh Goyal the Chairman of Jet Airways. Jet Airways flies to three destinations In North America. JFK, Newark in New York, Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada and Jet plans to fly to San Francisco, USA.
But with North America making up for 29 percent of its international passenger base, it wants to wait and watch before expanding any further.
Jet claims that, its low operating costs vis-à-vis American carriers, leaves it in a better position to counter the slowdown in passenger travel in America. It also claims, this rough pocket won't delay its flight to break even in the next 18 months.
19/04/08 Kenan Machado and Pooja Meswani/CNBC-TV18/Moneycontrol.com

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Bahrain Air set to start India flights

Manama: Bahrain Air will begin operating flights to India next month, it was announced yesterday.Kerala's commercial capital Kochi will be the airline's first destination and more will follow, said managing director Ibrahim Al Hamer.
"We shall start operations to Kochi on May 26 with three flights a week, which will become a daily service from October this year," he told the GDN.
"We are looking forward to the support of the 280,000-strong Indian community, which is the single largest expatriate group in Bahrain."
Bahrain Air's first flight for the Bahrain-Kochi service starts on Monday, May 26 at 10.40am and arrives at Kochi International Airport at 5.30pm, local time on the same day.
The other two flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays, departing Bahrain at 7pm and arriving in Kochi at 2.30am on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
20/04/08 Soman BabyGulf Daily News, Bahrain

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Flying schools taking off into Lanka's restricted skies

Despite flight restrictions due to security concerns, flying schools are suddenly taking off the ground in Sri Lanka. At the moment two companies are operating flying training schools in the island and over the last year, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it got three more applications. Read On >>

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Jet commences Kochi-Doha direct daily flight

Jet Airways, commenced its daily direct flights from Kochi to Doha, effective April 18, 2008.
Jet Airways is already operating daily direct flights on the Kochi-Kuwait-Kochi and Kochi-Bahrain-Kochi sectors. With the induction of Kochi-Doha-Kochi flights, this will be the third destination linking Kochi to the Gulf.
Jet Airways will introduce its world-class service on the Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft with Premiere and Economy class configuration, offering the highest quality of comfort, courtesy, reliability and standards of in-flight as well as ground operations, for which it has been highly acclaimed.
Jet Airways’ flight 9W 556 (Kochi-Doha) will depart Kochi International Airport at 2200 hrs, and arrive Doha International Airport at 0020 hrs. On the return leg, Jet Airways’ flight 9W 555 (Doha-Kochi) will depart Doha International Airport at 0150 hrs and arrive Kochi International Airport at 0850 hrs.
These flights will complement the airline’s present daily services from Kozhikode and Mumbai to Doha. Jet Airways launched its operations to the Gulf in January 2008 and currently flies to four destinations in the region- Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat and Doha.
On commencement of these new flights, Jet Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, said, “The India-Gulf sector has traditionally witnessed large volumes of traffic for business, employment and visiting family and friends. Due to the encouraging passenger demand on these sectors, the airline has decided to connect Kochi-Doha with daily direct flights.”
Jet Airways will also mark its first foray into the United Arab Emirates with daily, direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Abu Dhabi on January 23, 2008, expanding its network of destinations in the Gulf Region to five.
18/04/08 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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More overseas flights make airfares tumble

Mumbai: If you are planning a holiday this summer to the US, Australia, Germany or Hong Kong, international carriers will make sure you do it without burning a hole in your pocket.
Ticket prices do fall 10-15 per cent every summer. But, this year, the fares have fallen 30-60 per cent. Some airlines have decided to top these rock bottom fares with freebies like free hotel accommodation.
You have the capacity build- up on key international routes to thank for it. While the rest of the world seems headed for a slowdown, Indians continue to travel abroad in ever-increasing numbers. There is a mad scramble amongst airlines including homegrown carriers Air India and Jet Airways to get a slice of this traffic.
19/04/08 Manisha Singhal/Business Standard

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ATCs in a blame game over air miss

Kochi: About 300 passengers on board two aircraft escaped by the skin of their teeth last week when a Bahrain-bound Gulf Air flight and a Kozhikode-bound Air India flight missed a sure mid-air collision by just 10 seconds over the Kozhikode skies.
And as it turns out the investigating agencies are yet to pinpoint those responsible for it even a week after the incident, with the air traffic control towers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Mangalore indulging in a full-fledged blame game. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in the Indian skies that there is even an attempt to brush the incident aside saying “it actually happened over no-man’s land”.
Top sources told this website's newspaper that the Gulf Air flight took off from Cochin International Airport and flew left over Kozhikode to enter the M300 route to the Gulf sector. It was climbing to its cruising altitude and was at 15,700 feet when the Air India flight was descending on the M300 from 16,000 feet to landing altitude. “There was hardly 400 feet between the two aircraft. Considering their speeds it wouldn’t have taken more than five to 10 seconds for them to fly into each other,” top aviation sources told this website's newspaper.
18/04/08 Manoj K Das/Newindpress

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AAI seeks foreign investment in airport development

New Delhi: Airport Authority of India on Friday invited investments from Arab countries in the areas of construction, maintenance and consultancy services.
"There are business opportunities in the field of manufacturing, consultancy and training. We plan to develop 35 non-metro airports by March 2010," said ED-Planning of AAI Mr R C Chitkara at India-Arab Investment Projects Conclave.
He said manufacturers of aircraft equipment as well as consultancy services are needed to prepare detailed project report for the proposed greenfield airports. Besides, opportunities also lie in ground handling, MRO facilities, aircraft maintenance and security equipments, he said, adding that capacity needs to be built in the next two years at the Delhi and Mumbai airports.
About 14 countries participating in the conclave include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon, Libya and Qatar.
The authority also plans to expand the existing capacity and upgrade the airports besides, introducing modern technology at the airports.
18/04/08 PTI/Business Line

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Jet Airways plans operations to Shanghai by 1st week of June

New Delhi: After getting the permit from China, Jet Airways plans to launch its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Fransisco services from first week of June.
"We received the permit on Thursday. We plan to start our services to Shanghai and San Fransisco from the first week of June," an official of the premier private carrier said.
Jet Airways was also carrying out talks with several Chinese carriers for partnerships to provide connectivity in the region, on the lines of the one it has with Brussels Airlines for onward journey to other European cities, he said.
The airline would start its operations with daily flights, the official said, adding that certain formalities were yet to be completed.
18/04/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Bullet beau says sorry

The boyfriend of an American woman arrested in north Bengal for carrying bullets in her baggage has offered his “deepest apology to the people of India” and owned up to the clip of ammunition.
The expression of regret came a few hours after a Siliguri court extended the judicial custody of Heather Bond and her mother Monica by 14 days, dashing the Californians’ hopes for bail.
Heather’s boyfriend, Sean McGaughey, told The Telegraph over the phone from Santa Barbara this evening: “I want you to send out my deepest apology to the people of India and particularly those in the region of Siliguri about this incident.”
Sean, who works as an air-conditioner installer, added: “The clip in Heather’s bag was mine and I have an exact duplicate (of the clip) at home. I should have taken out the clip from her bag as soon as we returned from our last trip.”
Earlier in the day, the additional chief judicial magistrate of Siliguri had rejected the bail plea of the Bonds.
So far, all agencies in the US have confirmed that Monica and Heather do not have a criminal record.
18/04/08 The Telegraph

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Flier tests positive for TB

San Francisco: A passenger on an American Airlines flight from India who sat near a woman with drug-resistant tuberculosis has tested positive for TB, federal health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uncovered the second case after tracking down and testing more than two dozen passengers who sat near the woman on the December flight from New Delhi to Chicago.
But CDC officials cautioned Thursday that because the other passenger had lived in a country where TB is common, they could not determine how the infection was contracted.
"It's not really surprising to see people on a plane from a country with high TB prevalence testing positive for TB," said Shelly Diaz, a spokeswoman for the agency.
The 30-year-old woman diagnosed with the full-blown version of the disease late last year arrived in Chicago on Dec. 13 and then traveled on to San Francisco International Airport. Health officials said the woman learned in India that she was sick with TB but still boarded the international flight.
About a week after the flight landed, the woman showed up at the Stanford Hospital emergency room with a fever and chest pain and coughing up blood.
17/04/08 Marcus Wohlsen/The Associated Press/Daily Breeze, USA

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Jet Airways partners global hotel alliance

Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege, India’s largest frequent flyer programme, has entered into a global hotel partnership with Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, effective April 15, 2008.
The Global Hotel Alliance encompasses 163 upscale and luxury hotels with over 52,000 rooms in 126 cities and across 42 different countries.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways, said, “Jet Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, is in a rapid international expansion mode. As the airline progressively adds newer destinations around the globe to its network, Jet Airways felt the need for an established hotel partner with a large international presence and high quality standards for its JetPrivilege members. This partnership with the Global Hotel Alliance is a step in that direction”.
“Global Hotel Alliance is thrilled to be a partner in the JetPrivilege programme”, says Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance. “Jet Airways operates the largest frequent flyer programme in India, an important market for our Member Brands around the world, and home market of our member Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts. We look forward to taking care of their members in our hotels.”
With this partnership, Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege members can earn 500 JPMiles per eligible stay and additional benefits such as early check in/late check-out and upgrade to next room category for JetPrivilege Platinum members across all participating Global Hotel Alliance hotels mentioned below:
Hotels and Resorts, Dusit International, Kempinski Hotels, The Landis Hotels & Resorts, Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, Marco Polo Hotels, Omni Hotels, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts.
In addition, Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts will continue to extend the special privileges enjoyed by members at their hotels which include complimentary use of the health club, no double occupancy charges, upgrade to best room within the room category booked and a guaranteed late check-out.
For more information on this partnership, JetPrivilege members can log onto www. jetairways.com.
18/04/08 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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Aviation majors plan supply units in India

New Delhi: Leading aviation companies like Boeing subsidiary Aviall, Lufthansa Technik, Singapore-based ST-Aerospace, France-based ATR, and KLM are planning to set up supply centres for aircraft components in the country.
At present, carriers like Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher, SpiceJet, Go Air and IndiGo have to either import spare parts in bulk and stock them or get into lease agreements with various manufacturers.
Depending on the fleet size and its age, airlines buy 30-50 per cent of the components that they need, and take the rest on lease. Expenditure on spares and components is a considerable part of engineering and maintenance, which account for over 9-10 per cent of the total operating expense of an airline.
For instance, Air India, which has a large and ageing fleet, has to provide $35 million-$40 million for spare parts during any time of the year. This figure is close to $4 million for newer carriers like SpiceJet and Kingfisher.
18/04/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Jet gets nod to fly to China

New Delhi: On a day when the Beijing Olympic torch relay passed off peacefully without any attempted disruptions like those witnessed in London or Paris, China gave Jet Airways the much-awaited operating permit to fly to Shanghai and beyond, to San Francisco.
This perhaps makes India the only foreign country to have rights for taking passengers from China and fly them to a third country, said aviation ministry sources.
Jet got the operating permit on Thursday which gives them the fifth freedom rights to fly the Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight. India and China have agreement for operating 49 flights weekly on each side but the delay in Jet's case happened as it wanted to fly not just to China but also take traffic from there to US," said a senior official.
But the long wait for this permission has meant that the new flight is likely to begin only by mid-June.
18/04/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Mexico, India sign energy, aviation accords

Mexico City: Mexico and India signed two cooperation accords Thursday on renewable energy and air transport.
Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil began a four-day official visit to Mexico Thursday.
During a ceremony at the Los Pinos presidential palace in Mexico City, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, "India holds an important place in Mexico's strategy for the Asia Pacific region."
The renewable energy accord sets the basis for sustainable cooperation, while the other accord establishes a juridical framework for air services and will help increase bilateral investment and tourism.
According to statistics issued by the Indian-Mexican Business Chamber, bilateral trade in 2006 totaled some 1.6 billion U.S. dollars.
17/04/08 Xinhua, China

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Indian troops save lives after Congo plane crash

New Delhi: Indian Army troops on a United Nations peacekeeping mission pitched in to rescue passengers of a crashed passenger aircraft in Congo.
“Timely rescue operation by our men saved many lives after the Heba Wora airways aircraft crashed at the Goma airport in the North Kivu province,” army officials said here.
According to initial reports, the aircraft carrying 80 passengers and six crew members failed to take off and skidded along the ground towards civilian houses at the end of the runway. After halting on a road in a heavily congested market, the aircraft burst into flames and the fire spread to nearby houses and shops.
The Indian soldiers rushed to the spot. But for their joining the relief work, many more civilian lives would have been lost, said the army officials.
18/04/08 The Hindu

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Indian origin researchers software helps beef up airport security

Washington: Computer scientists at University of Southern California, including an Indian origin researcher, have written software that may help improve vigilance against terrorist attacks.
The software called ARMOR, already being used to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles, has been developed as part of a DHS-sponsored research project.
Praveen Paruchuri tested the software along with Professor Milind Tambe, who is associated with the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), a DHS Center of Excellence based at USC.
The researchers say that the software records the locations of routine, random vehicle checkpoints and canine searches at the airport, and thereby helps pinpoint any security breaches or suspicious activity.
The software, thus, provides the police with a model of where to go, and when.
It makes random decisions on the basis of calculated probabilities of a terrorist attack at those locations. The software uses mathematical algorithms for making such calculations.
17/04/08 ANI/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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5 quarantined for spending night in Nairobi

Mumbai: Five Indian nationals were quarantined on their arrival at Mumbai airport on Tuesday. The reason: coming in from Nairobi, which has been declared a yellow fever zone by World Health Organisation (WHO), they were not carrying yellow fever vaccination certificates.
Arvind Kumar Hirani, 21, Halai Devsi, 40, Pratap Singh, 32, Sutar Manji, 30 and Varshani Jagdish Mawji, 22, flew in from Seychelles via Nairobi by a Kenyan Airlines flight on April 13. A delay en route, had led to them spending a night in a Nairobi hotel.
“We needed to be vaccinated for yellow fever as we spent a night in Nairobi. This situation wouldn’t have come up, had our flight from Seychelles not been delayed by
two hours,” said Arvind Hirani. “We missed the day’s only flight from Nairobi to Mumbai, and had to wait overnight for the next one. We were provided hotel accommodation, but no one told us about the need to get vaccinated. We learnt about it from the immigration officials in Mumbai.”
17/04/08 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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RAK Airways to launch service from Kerala

Kozhikode: RAK Airways, the national airline of the Ras al-Khaimah, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will launch its service from Kozhikode International Airport in Kerala from April 23. Kozhikode will be the first point of service of RAK Airways from India. “RAK Airways will be the first foreign airline company to operate daily service from Kozhikode,” P.V. Valsaraj, the country manager for the airline, told a press conference here Thursday.
Valsaraj said the airline is starting its India operation from Kozhikode as northern Kerala has the largest number of people travelling to the UAE. The airline will also consider launching operations from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, he added.
The RAK Airways flights from Ras al-Khaimah will reach Kozhikode at 9 a.m. (India time) and will return to the emirate at 10 a.m. (India time).
The airline will provide free bus transport facility for passengers arriving at Ras al-Khaimah to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Fujairah and Umm al-Quwain.
17/04/08 Thaindian.com, Thailand

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20kg ketamine seized from two Indians at KLIA

Shah Alam: Two Indian nationals were arrested on their arrival at the KL International Airport in separate incidents and 20kg of ketamine worth about RM280,000 were seized from them.
On Sunday, narcotics officers noticed a man who had arrived from Mumbai at 7.45am behaving suspiciously after collecting his luggage.
State Narcotics Department chief Asst Comm Nordin Kadir said his officers stopped the 34-year-old businessman, and after a thorough check, found the drug in 10 packs of flour and six boxes of food that he brought in.
Police also seized 2,200 rupees from him.
The other suspect, a 27-year-old businessman, was arrested on April 7 at 8.10am after ketamine, packed in food containers and plastic bags, was found in his luggage. He had flown in from Mumbai, too.
“We believe the two suspects are linked to a foreign drug syndicate and were supposed to hand over the drugs to local contacts,” ACP Nordin told a press conference here yesterday.
18/04/08 Malaysia Star, Malaysia

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Jet Airways appoint Duncan gambril as General Manager for UK and Ireland

Jet Airways has appointed appointment Duncan Gambrill general manager for UK and Ireland. He will be based at the Airline’s corporate office in London.
Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 81 aircraft, which includes 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 8 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 54 classic and next generation Boeing 737-400/700/800/900 aircraft and 9 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft. With an average fleet age of 4.20 years, the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleet in the world. Jet Airways operates over 380 flights daily.
17/04/08 Compare-Airport-Parking, UK

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A wrenching re-creation

Toronto: Air India 182 is one of the marquee entries at the Hot Docs film festival, yet it's a movie so gripping and suspenseful in its retelling of a large-scale tragedy that it frequently seems like a tautly written drama instead of grim reality.
The film, from Toronto-based Sturla Gunnarsson, delves into the events leading up to the deadliest airborne terrorist attack until 9/11, and the biggest mass murder in Canadian history -- the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland that left 329 people dead, many of them children.
The film -- which premieres today at the festival -- intersperses newsreel footage and inconspicuous re- enactments of the men who plotted the bombing with searing segments involving the victims' relatives, sitting against a snow-white backdrop as they recount the last time they saw their family members alive.
These were stories the Icelandic-born Gunnarsson, raised in B.C., had wanted to tell for more than two decades after witnessing Sikh fundamentalists in Vancouver urging vengeance against India because of the government's oppression of Sikhs.
Gunnarsson had to wait patiently to make the film, however, since so much was unknown and unreported as the case against the bombers slowly worked its way through the court system over 20 years. Just one man of several charged was convicted -- Interjit Singh Reyat, who has spent almost 20 years in prison on manslaughter charges.
"(Finally) I could carve out a clear narrative and at the same time restore to the victims some sense of identity, because over the years they became kind of dehumanized, they were just this mass of faceless victims,'' Gunnarsson said.
17/04/08 Lee-Anne Goodman/The Canadian Press/Waterloo Record, Canada

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Sunnyvale woman with TB may have infected airplane passenger

The Sunnyvale woman who flew to the United States in December after contracting a dangerous case of drug-resistant tuberculosis may have infected another passenger on the flight from India, federal officials said Wednesday, underscoring the slim but real threat of contracting the potentially deadly disease on an airplane.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the information after an aggressive effort to contact and test 44 passengers from 16 states who sat near the woman on the flight. Although she had been diagnosed in India, she did not disclose that she had the disease until she went to the emergency room at Stanford Hospital upon her return to the Bay Area.

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In the News: The flight of the Sunnyvale woman
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"It's impossible to definitively link the positive test to the airline exposure at this point," said Shelly Diaz, a CDC spokeswoman, noting that the other passenger could have contracted the disease in India as the Sunnyvale woman did. But "it is a possibility" the disease was spread on American Airlines Flight 293 on Dec. 13, a 16-hour Boeing 777 trip from New Delhi to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The threat of TB transmission on a commercial flight became a high-profile public issue last year, when Andrew Speaker, an Atlanta lawyer, flew to Paris with drug-resistant TB, potentially infecting others on two trans-Atlantic flights. CDC's follow-up investigation has found that Speaker infected no one else in his travels.
Like Speaker, the 30-year-old
Sunnyvale woman suffers from a strain of disease that is resistant to both primary TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampin, making her case much more medically serious and expensive to treat. But the Sunnyvale woman may have been even more contagious during her flight than Speaker was, said the local public health officer in charge of investigating her case.
16/04/08 Mike Swift/San Jose Mercury News, USA

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Eva Cheng to meet Indian aviation chief

Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng left Hong Kong today for a two-day visit to Delhi during which she will meet Indian Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel to discuss the development of Hong Kong-India air services.
Last December saw a major breakthrough with substantial liberalisation of bilateral aviation arrangements which allow the frequency of air services between the two places to more than double.
Cathay Pacific has enhanced its services to Delhi and Mumbai and will launch a new service to Chennai in June. Jet Airways of India has joined the market this month to provide Mumbai-Hong Kong services. Other Hong Kong and India airlines also plan to enhance services between the two places.
During her stay in Delhi, Ms Cheng and Indian government officials will officiate at an event marking Cathay Pacific Airways' new Hong Kong-India flight plans.
16/04/08 News.gov.hk

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Cathay Pacific to add 11 flights to India

Hong Kong's biggest carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Wednesday it plans to add 11 flights to Hong Kong -India route, increasing the number of flights to 35 to cater to increasing air volume between the two places.
The airline will launch four flights each week to Chennai starting from Jun. 3. Meanwhile, flights to Bangalore will kick off by its subsidiary Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd from May. 24. Cathay's weekly flights to New Delhi will be boosted to 14, coupled with 10 flights for Bombay after the campaign.
Indian market is of great potential as casual travel between the two regions are increasing rapidly, said Tom Wright, GM of the airline's Indian unit.
17/04/08 China Knowledge Online, Singapore

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Barreto can’t fly to Brazil for now

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has stayed the order passed by the Barasat sessions court to release the passport of Brazilian footballer Jose Barreto.
Barreto, who plays for Mohun Bagan, was arrested on March 20 by the Customs authorities at the NSC Bose International Airport for violating certain provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Customs had recovered foreign exchange worth Rs 8 lakh from his possession while he was about to fly to Brazil. He was released on bail the same day by the sessions court, with some riders.
On April 7, the Barasat sessions court directed the Customs authorities to either hand over the passport to Barreto or place it before the court on April 17.
Advocate Biswa Ranjan Ghoshal, counsel for Customs, moved the plea that the passport of Barreto could not be handed over as the investigation was on. He should not be allowed to leave India as the Customs authorities would be helpless if he did not return from Brazil, the counsel said.
16/04/08 Kolkata Newsline

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Documentary 'Air India 182' delves into 1985 bombing that killed 329 people

Toronto: "Air India 182" is one of the marquee entries at the Hot Docs film festival, yet it's a movie so gripping and suspenseful in its retelling of a large-scale tragedy that it frequently seems like a tautly written drama instead of grim reality.
The film, from Toronto-based Sturla Gunnarsson, delves into the events leading up to the deadliest airborne terrorist attack until 9-11, and the biggest mass murder in Canadian history - the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland that left 329 people dead, many of them children.
The film - which premieres Thursday at the festival - intersperses newsreel footage and inconspicuous re-enactments of the men who plotted the bombing with searing segments involving the victims' relatives, sitting against a snow-white backdrop as they recount the last time they saw their family members alive.
A tearful daughter recalls how she decided against travelling as a teenager with her mother to spend the summer in India that day in June 1985.
A grief-stricken father remembers how he reluctantly let his children travel overseas by themselves for the first time.
A weeping mother tells how she was only able to find the remains of one of her young sons in Ireland, causing her to hope against hope that somehow her other boy had managed to survive the bombing and would eventually show up back in Canada.
16/04/08 The Canadian Press, Toronto

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Tatas in JV talks with jet-maker Embraer

Rio De Janerio: Indian conglomerate Tata does not seem satisfied after making history by taking over Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus and Britain’s premium auto brands Jaguar and Land Rover. It is now considering a partnership with Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer.
Sources here said that talks were on with Embraer for starting a joint venture for production of aircraft. The world’s third-largest plane manufacturer is unable to cope with orders it is getting from various countries and private players.
Tata had offered to set up a joint venture with the aircraft giant, the only firm that makes 120-seater commercial jets.
Talks are at an early stage but Tata, with its expertise in various fields, is being considered a serious contender for the JV, sources said.
16/04/08 Press Trust Of India/Business Standard

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Delta-Northwest merger: India services likely to be rescheduled

Although the exact results of the Delta-Northwest merger on flights to various parts of the world is yet to be worked out, airline sources said operations of the airlines to India could see a change. Both Delta and Northwest have flights to India.
Delta has a daily, non-stop flight on the Mumbai-New York route. Northwest, on the other hand, operates to the US with a stopover in Amsterdam. In a complex arrangement, Northwest operates its flights in a code-share with Dutch carrier KLM, which was taken over by Air France. Daily flights to Mumbai are operated by Northwest and those to Delhi are operated by KLM.
The marketing of flights on both routes is done by KLM. All three airlines are part of a global airline grouping called SkyTeam. In a press release on Tuesday, both the airlines said the new entity will be called Delta.
Aviation industry experts estimate significant changes in the shape of Skyteam after the merger comes through. The Atlanta-based Delta has in recent years trimmed operations in India. It laid off about 150 employees, mostly ground staff and flight attendants, two years ago offering them a golden handshake.
16/04/08 Economic Times

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Nearly 1000 foreign pilots work with Indian airlines

New Delhi: Faced with an acute shortage of trained pilots, various airlines have engaged nearly 1,000 foreign pilots, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Read On >>

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Plane makes emergency landing, Indian student escape

Okeechobee: A pilot and her passenger were forced to make an emergency landing on a road this afternoon after their single-engine plane lost power at 2,000 feet in the air. Read On >>

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Cartridges in baggage: US nationals detained

Bagdogra: The police in Siliguri have detained two women US nationals at the Bagdogra Airport following the recovery of 11cartridges and a magazine from their registered baggage this morning.
The mother daughter duo, identified as Mrs Monica Bond (57) and Miss Heather Bond (37), are residents of California in the USA and were scheduled to take a Deccan flight to Delhi from the Bagdogra airport at 11:45 in the morning.
According to Mr Rahul Srivastava, SP Darjeeling, the Deccan ground staff at the Bagdogra airport detected the 9 mm bullets and the magazine during an automatic scanning of a registered baggage belonging to the US nationals and alerted the police. No weapon however, was found in their possession, the SP said.
The duo was brought to the Bagdogra police investigation centre and an interrogation was initiated.
“The daughter, Miss Heather Bond claimed that the bullets and the magazine belonged to her fiancé and that she carried them with her by mistake. We are trying to verify the facts through the US deputy high commission in Kolkata and other sources as well,” SP Darjeeling said.
14/04/08 The Statesman

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Air India`s low-cost West Asia plan nosedives

National carrier Air India's strategy to cut full-service flights and replace them with low-cost services by Air India Express on its West Asian routes has backfired.
The passenger load factor (PLF) of the flag carrier’s low-cost subsidiary for West Asia has fallen a steep 11 percentage points over the last six months as a result of competition from new low-cost entrants and fare wars by incumbents.
According to Ministry of Civil Aviation’s annual report Air India (AI) has cut the number of weekly flights to Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat 27 per cent from 85 last summer to 62 in the winter schedule. Weekly flights to Dubai, one of AI’s hottest routes, were nearly halved from 36 to 19 during the year.
On the other hand, Air India Express increased its weekly flights to West Asia 42 per cent from 75 to 107 in the same time frame. But the PLF has dropped from 76 to 65 per cent, according to an executive from National Aviation Company of India Ltd (the company that controls state-owned Air India and Indian Airlines). The PLF on the Dubai-India route fell from 83 to 78 per cent in the same period. The average PLF on the West Asian route across carriers is over 80 per cent.
14/04/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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