Antony admits foul play

A week after the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter scam blew up in the Government’s face, Defence Minister AK Antony admitted here on Tuesday that there was foul play in the Rs3,600 crore deal despite all precautions. He also ruled out his resignation in the wake of the scam and subsequent furore, and said he was prepared to explain everything in Parliament.
“I am sad and upset. Something happened somewhere,” he said, adding, “We have followed all the procedures. In spite of taking all precautions, including by the Ministry, IAF, SPG. One thing is clear that something happened somewhere.”
Antony refuted reports about his resignation and said “I will do my duty. I am now getting ready for the Parliament Session. We will explain everything in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Our hands are very clean. Now we are preparing to face Parliament.”
20/02/13 Daily Pioneer

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SpiceJet to seek shareholders’ nod on warrants issue

New Delhi: The Delhi-based low cost airline SpiceJet will seek shareholders’ nod next month for the financing arrangement recently concluded with investors such as W.L. Ross to infuse more funds into the company. The company has convened an extraordinary general meeting on September 12 for the purpose.
The overall financing arrangement included resetting the terms of the $80-million foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) issued in 2005 in the wake of change in ownership of these bonds. Besides resetting the conversion price, the nature of the investment instrument is also proposed to be changed from a secured one to an unsecured one, thereby allowing for the release of entire cash collateral in favour of the company.
The financing arrangement also involved issue of 1,53,60,715 warrants to two Mauritius based Goldman Sachs affiliates – GS Investment Partners (Mauritius) I Limited and/or GS Investment Partners Mauritius II Limited – on a preferential basis.
The warrants would give the entities an option to be allotted an equivalent number of equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each at Rs 39.45 per equity share (including a premium of Rs 29.45 per equity share) any time before 18 months from the date of issue of warrants. If the option to convert is exercised, SpiceJet could in aggregate get up to Rs 60.59 crore from these Mauritius-based entities.
31/08/08 K.R.Srivats/Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Bahrain Air in search of Indian talent

Bahrain Air is now looking for A 320/A 319 Captains, A 320/A 319 Co-pilots, Flight Attendants (Females only), Flight Dispatchers, Assistant Legal Advisor & Web Designer. Read On >>

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Airline reroutes flights

Doha: The Indian Airlines flight IC997/998 operating from Doha to Kochi via Kozhikode in the Southern Indian state of Kerala has changed its routing due to the run way repairing works in the Kozhikode airport.
Beginning tomorrow, the flight will operate from Doha directly to Kochi and then to Kozhikode arriving at Kozhikode airport at 9.30 am local time.
According to Indian Airlines sources in Doha, about 60 to 70 per cent of the passengers in this daily flight are bound for Kozhikode and they would be affected by a delay of more than one-hour in the arrival time.
The change in the routing will be effective until October 25. The run away works at the Kozhikode air port are being carried out from 11 am until 5pm thus forcing the airline to change the routing, Indian Airlines Qatar Manager S K Sharma said in a release yesterday.
"As the flight will be operating directly to Kochi from Doha and then to Kozhikode, arrival timings at Kochi will now be 0815am and at Kozhikode at 0930 am," said Sharma.
The daily flight will now operate Kozhikode/Kochi-Doha/Bahrain and back as per the following schedule.
IC997 CCJ/COK 1330/1400 IC997 COK/DOH 1445/1645 IC997 DOH/BAH 1740/1825 IC998 BAH/DOH 0005/0050 IC998 DOH/COK 0140/0815 IC998 COK/CCJ 0900/0930 (all local timings).
31/08/08 Peninsula On-line, Qatar

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Dead student pilot’s parents blame Melbourne club

Bangalore: Three days after 24-year-old Bangalore-based trainee pilot Akash Anantha died in a mid-air crash in Melbourne, Australia, his parents blamed the Royal Victoria Aero Club for the accident. Read On >>

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Airline refuses lifetime free travel for newborn

Cathay Pacific says it would not be giving a lifetime of free air travel to a baby who was born on one of its flights this week.
The baby boy entered the world six weeks early while his mother was onboard a flight between Hong Kong and the southern Australian city of Adelaide.
The plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Darwin.
There has been speculation since the birth that it is protocol for the baby to be given free air travel with the company.
But David Bell from Cathay Pacific says it is an old-wives tale.
"Origination goes back many years in the early days of flying when I think there were a couple of American airlines that did in fact give kids that were born on their flights free life passes but nowadays unfortunately it's totally impractical with just the high volume of travel and the availability of seats."
29/08/08 Radio Australia, Australia

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At IGI, flyer guzzles honey to defuse explosive charges

New Delhi: The security officials at the IGI Airport found themselves in a rather sticky situation on Sunday morning. They detained a passenger for carrying what they initially claimed were explosives, but which eventually turned out to be honey.
According to sources, Chuk Lay Hoon, a Singapore national, was travelling on Air India flight AI 480 from Delhi to Singapore. His bag had reached the third level of the in-line baggage check system when the screener of the Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) presumably identified explosives in the bag. He alerted the CISF immediately who came and inspected the bag with an explosive-trace-detector machine. This machine identified the suspicious object in the bag as 70% explosive.
The passenger was immediately summoned to identify the bag and display its contents. "The man was called down and he was initially quite surprised. When he was told the officials suspected him of carrying explosives, he burst out laughing and opened his bag to reveal three bottles of honey. To reassure the officials that he wasn't lying, he drank about 10% from one bottle and also offered it to the officials..." said sources. Thoroughly confused after this, the security officials refused to let Hoon carry the honey along which apparently enraged him.
Officials pointed out that the inline system, while extremely sophisticated and in use across the world, required a highly trained staff to manage it. DIAL has outsourced the task to a private company.
29/08/08 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Sikh Woman Pilot Named 1st Officer for American Eagle

After 28-year-old Sikh American Arpinder Kaur of San Antonio, Texas, was hired in March as first officer by American Eagle, a regional airline and a unit of American Airlines Corp., she showed up for training wearing her turban, which, she told the airline, was worn as a tenet of her religion.
The airline asked her to fill out an “Accommodation Form” for approved headwear. The airline gave the OK and several months later Kaur was in the cockpit co-piloting a commercial flight for a major U.S. carrier.
The San Antonio-based Sikh Research Institute said Kaur, as far as can be determined, is the “first turbaned Sikh pilot to fly for a commercial airline in the United States.”
She told India-West that, while the wearing of turbans by Sikh women is a practice “lost in the past,” Kaur believes that because Sikhism says men and women are equal, she is practicing her faith when she wears the head garment.
Kaur now flies Embraer Jets for American Eagle out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Her routes range from Toronto and Montreal, Canada, to Mexican destinations.
She said there were two reasons she went through the trouble of the accommodation process. First was her “love of flying.” Second was “to set a precedent for the community so they know you can be in your Sikh appearance and do anything out there — so that my younger brothers and sisters will pursue their passions while practicing their Sikh faith.”
Kaur told India-West that she “gets stares” when she boards the plane and passengers realize she may be the one flying it, “but I get stares anyway. People have been really nice about it.”
Kaur added that she is “very impressed” by American Airlines’ willingness to accommodate her religious beliefs.
29/08/08 Richard Springer/San Leandro India West, USA

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Reconsider suspension of Air India flights: Korea to govt

New Delhi: The Korean travel trade industry has requested the Indian government to ask the national carrier, Air India, to reconsider its decision to suspend flights to Incheon from October.
In an appeal to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Korean travel trade firms said the decision had come at a time when the number of visas being issued to Indians had risen by 64 per cent in the past three years to over 71,000 per year.
This was expected to increase to more than 80,000 this year, the 'India Tour', which represents Korean travel agents, said, adding that AI's decision "to discontinue flight operations from October 1" had come as a "big shock to all the Korean travel trade."
Air India has decided to pull out of several destinations as a part of its cost cutting measure.
When contacted, officials in the national carrier confirmed that a decision had been taken to suspend operations on certain non-profitable sectors like Los Angeles, Seoul and Dar Es Salaam.
28/08/08 Zee News

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Avalon Tech's new facility coming up in MEPZ

Chennai: Avalon Technologies, part of the Sienna Group, an electronic manufacturing services company, is expanding into a new facility at the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) at an investment of Rs 50 crore.
The proposed facility would double the company's production capacity to 350,000 CPH (components per hour) and would generate jobs for 1,000 people in Chennai, a company release said.
Avalon is also starting operations for the Indian market with the incorporation of its new company called Avalon Technologies & Services (P) Ltd. The 50,000 sft facility is located in the Sidco industrial estate here.
"The new facility is being set up to cater to the needs of the increasing demand for hi-tech manufacturing requirements primarily in the area of aerospace and aviation" said Kunhamed Bicha, CEO of Sienna Corporation.
29/08/08 Business Standard

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Sri Lanka aviation expert slams govt international airport plan

Sri Lanka risks losing a race with south Indian airports to become an aviation hub in south Asia owing to misguided plans by politicians to build a second international airport, an aviation expert has warned. Its sole international airport at Katunayake, north of Colombo, remains too short and narrow for modern long-haul commercial jets, said Dayanthe Athulathmudali, Director, Dubai World Central, a Dubai government enterprise building a big new airport at Jebalali.
The situation is so bad that cargo from the national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines, has to be unloaded and loaded onto to competitors' aircraft as the runway is too short to support its biggest aircraft at full load, he noted.
Instead of building a second international airport in the south, which could end up a 'white elephant' as international airlines have not asked for it, the best solution is to have the political will to acquire land near the existing airport for another runway.
"I have a request to all of you!" Athulathmudali, a former director at Sri Lanka Airports and Aviation Services, which operates the island's airports, told a seminar on transport infrastructure organised by the Chamber of Construction Industry.
"Contact your favourite politician and convince him that Sri Lanka’s priority should be to become the South Asian `Hub’."
29/08/08 Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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Another flight to Dhaka

Calcutta: Calcutta will get one more flight to Dhaka, to take off on September 24.
United Airways of Bangladesh will operate the flight, becoming the fifth airline to enter the route. Around five flights now operate on the route.
Calcutta will be the “first international destination” for the airline which launched its domestic operations in Bangladesh 14 months ago. “The second international destination will be Kathmandu,” said Jilanee F.R. Chowdhury, the director (sales and marketing) of United Airways.
The Bangladesh government allowed the airline to start international flights eight months after it launched domestic operations. “The government has eased the regulations for starting international operations. There are 14 criteria which an airline should fulfil to operate international flights,” said Chowdhury. In India, an airline has to be in domestic operations for at least five years before it is granted international flying rights.
United Airways will operate a daily flight between the two cities. “We hope to get the permission to operate a second daily flight on the route soon,” Chowdhury added.
29/08/08 The Telegraph

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Jet global expansion put on hold from November

Mumbai: India’s largest private airline by passengers flown, Jet Airways (India) Ltd, has decided to stop global expansion for a year starting November, ahead of the global launch of rival Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and in the background of record jet fuel prices.
“We have been expanding rapidly in the last 18 months. Now, we will be focusing on how our international and domestic flights feed each other,” said Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer of Jet Airways, without elaborating on exactly how the airline plans to go about this.
Jet launched its overseas flights in 2004 and has since aggressively expanded its global operations. It now flies to 20 overseas destinations in the US, West Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Malaysia. State-run National Aviation Co. of India Ltd (Nacil), which runs Air India, flies to at least 35 foreign locations.
Jet’s decision comes in the wake of efforts by Indian airlines to cut costs to remain profitable after passenger traffic on domestic routes fell and jet fuel prices in the country rose 60% in the past year. Since June, these airlines have scrapped almost 15% domestic flights.
On international routes, Jet, run by billionaire non-resident Indian Naresh Goyal faces fresh competition. Kingfisher Airlines , promoted by billionaire Vijay Mallya, starts its international operations in September with a Bangalore-London flight. The airline will also start non-stop flights to 13 other foreign destinations, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan and the US.
28/08/08 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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British Airways may cut number of India-bound flights

Mumbai: British Airways (BA), UK’s largest international airline, is reviewing some of its routes and flight frequencies to India, it is learnt. Routes having lesser loads may be trimmed. India is the second-largest market in terms of volume for British Airways, after the US. BA covers metros such as Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.
BA’s commercial development and deputy commercial manager (South Asia) Sriram Narayan told ET: “We constantly review different cost-cutting measures, including frequencies and routes rationalisation. We take appropriate measures on loss-making routes.” BA operates 43 flights a week from Heathrow to five cities in India.
BA has two direct flights connecting both Mumbai and New Delhi, while maintaining three and five flights to Kolkata and Chennai in a given week. It has a daily flight to Bangalore. From December 6, British Airways will introduce five direct flights a week from Hyderabad to Heathrow.
The airline is banking on fuel-efficient planes to reduce expenses and has ordered two Boeing 777-300ER jetliners.
28/08/08 Mithun Roy/Economic Times

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BA takes on rivals with new flights

Mumbai: British Airways (BA), Europe’s third largest carrier, has finally decided to take on rival Indian and international carriers, which have been eating into its market share in the India-Europe sector.
The London-based airline is starting a new route to Hyderabad from December with five weekly flights to London, a few months after Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher launches its flights to London on September 3. BA, which counts India as its second-biggest market after the US in terms of volumes, says India is a key market for growth. The carrier may also deploy some of its new aircraft on Indian routes as well as enhanced product lines, such as Club World, as and when they are inducted.
“India is an important market to be in right now as its customer base is growing. We are listening to what the Indian customer wants from us and will try and offer the same,” said Amanda Amos, area commercial manager, south Asia, British Airways.
British Airways has been a late mover in the Indian market whereas international carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, German carrier Lufthansa and Dubai-based carrier Emirates, have all ramped up their Indian operations in the last couple of years by increasing frequencies and adding routes.
British Airways, inclusive of Hyderabad, will now have 48 flights per week from India as compared with Emirates' 135 flights and Singapore Airlines' 58.
28/08/08 Business Standard

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Baby boy born mid-flight above NT

A couple became parents high above Australia today when an Adelaide woman gave birth on a flight from India.
Parmajit Kaur, 29, was returning home after visiting family in India when she went into labour on the Cathay Pacific flight early today.
It was about 5.30am (CST), on the final leg of her trip from Hong Kong, that Ms Kaur gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Ms Kaur, who was 34 weeks pregnant, is understood to have gone to the toilet after pain in her stomach.
The plane then made an unscheduled stop at Darwin and mum and bub were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), where they have spent the day resting. "The baby is healthy, he is breathing on his own. Mum is jetlagged but stable," said a spokeswoman for RDH.
Ms Kaur's husband, Jagdar Jagdar, said he had spoken to his wife.
"I was wishing to see my wife at the time but all that happened, you know, very well," he said on ABC radio.
Mr Jagdar said he was happy and relieved that his family was doing well, although he was anxious to get to Darwin to meet the new addition.
An Adelaide doctor who, along with three other medical practitioners, helped deliver the baby, said it was a smooth, "fun" birth.
"I got the operative end, one got the comforting end, the 'breathe, breathe, breathe' end, and the other got the looking-after-the-baby end," Happy Valley GP Judith Hamel said on the ABC.
"She was fortunate enough to have doctors on board the flight," said a spokeswoman for Darwin Airport.
The RDH spokeswoman said that although the baby was six weeks early he weighed 2.7kg and was breathing unaided in the hospital's special care nursery.
Despite an unusual entrance into the world, the baby will have Indian nationality.
27/08/08 Tara Ravens/The Australian

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BJP demands clarification on 'anonymous investment'

New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday demanded the government to clarify its permission for an "anonymous investment" of Rs 1,200 crore in airport modernisation.
"The union government should clarify an anonymous investment of Rs 1,200 crore in airport modernisation and infrastructure by a company called AGAM SPV SIX Ltd based in Cayman island in the Caribbean islands group," party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here today.
"It is interesting to know that Cayman island is a country with a population of 50,000 and has around 80,000 companies registered there. This island country is infamous for money laundering, drugs and terror funds.
"It seems the authorities in India have turned a blind-eye to these facts while giving permission for investment in a crucial sector like aviation", Javadekar said.
27/08/08 PTI/The Hindu

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TCS wins five-year BPO contract from Singapore Airlines Cargo

Singapore Airlines Cargo has chosen Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to service its cargo revenue accounting back office processes.
This multi million dollar contract will be effective for five years.
SIA Cargo has had a relationship with TCS since 2004 when TCS was entrusted with the Airline's core critical back office revenue accounting processes. In the new agreement, taking into consideration TCS' existing capabilities in Business Outsourcing Processes with the travel and transport industry and the company's extensive experience in Cargo Revenue Accounting, Singapore Airlines Cargo decided to outsource additional Cargo Revenue Accounting processes.
27/08/08 Consultant News, UK

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Indian detained at San Antonio airport still In Federal custody

A man detained at the San Antonio International Airport Tuesday remains in federal custody.
The man, who officials say is from India, was stopped for going through security with several suspicious electronic devices.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the 36-year-old man is still in federal custody, and his immigration status is in question.
Airport officials became suspicious when the man tried going through an security checkpoint with an MP3 player, wrapped in tape and batteries, and connected with wires to another electronic device. Officials said they also checked his flight itinerary and found he'd booked 3 one-way flights.
27/08/08 WOAI, Texas, USA

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Call-sign hitch may delay Kingfisher's global dream

New Delhi: Yet another hitch is cropping up in the way of Kingfisher’s international dreams. While UB Group chief Vijay Mallya wants to fly on the global routes using Kingfisher’s call sign, civil aviation ministry officials feel that international operations of the airline can use only the Air Deccan call sign.
Mr Mallya took over Air Deccan last year and the low-cost carrier is being merged with Kingfisher. While Deccan is completing five years of service in the domestic market making it eligible to fly overseas, Kingfisher does not fulfil the eligibility criteria now.
“We had allowed Kingfisher to operate two call signs in the domestic market, anticipating that the two would merge immediately and have a common ticketing and marketing platform. But we can’t allow them to fly international on Kingfisher’s call sign as the operating permit is in the name of Deccan Aviation,” a ministry official said. He, however, said that the ministry had no objection in Deccan flying on international routes under the Kingfisher brand.
UB Group recently sought government permission to operate two brands and hence two call signs given by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA).
27/08/08 Nirbhay Kumar & Chanchal Pal Chauhan/Economic Times

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Hero Motors plans 2-seater planes with German firm

New Delhi: Pawan Munjal-run Hero Motors Ltd plans to tie up with a German firm to manufacture two-seater sports planes at a special economic zone, or SEZ, it wants to set up in Madhya Pradesh, a senior company official said on Tuesday
The joint venture will mark the expansion of Hero Group, India’s biggest maker of motorcycles, into aerospace- and defence-related manufacturing. Hero Aviation Pvt. Ltd, a unit of Hero Motors, will be the partner in the alliance.
Hero Motors general manager for projects Ashish Gaur said the 300-acre SEZ the group wants to build at an undisclosed site in Madhya Pradesh will also allow international defence companies to set up shop in the country and take advantage of tax breaks.
The deal with the German company is being readied and is likely to be signed by the end of next month, said Gaur, who didn’t identify the potential partner.
An analyst said issues related to flight safety and air space will need to be addressed before regulatory approvals are given for small, light aircraft that can land even on small air strips.
“If they can pull it off, it will be a start of a new era for India’s individual aircraft ownership aspirations,” said Mark Martin, analyst at consultancy KPMG’s India offices.
The price of such an aircraft could start from Rs10 lakh to Rs16 lakh if it is manufactured in India or built in the country under licence from an overseas company, Martin said.
27/08/08 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Pilot student from India dies on first solo flight

Melbourne: A trainee pilot on his first solo flight died when his plane clipped another aircraft and crashed, barely missing several homes and a school in Melbourne today. Read On >>

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Jet plans 2nd hub in Europe

New Delhi: Jet Airways may have curtailed its domestic footprint, but the Naresh Goyal-owned carrier has started scouting for a second hub in Europe after Brussels.
This hub would be in a central European country like Switzerland, Italy or Germany and is likely to be activated in 2009-10 when Jet is scheduled to launch the next phase of its international operations by adding new destinations and also increasing frequencies to existing ones in the Gulf.
"This year we'll be getting two more A-330s that will be used to launch flights to Saudi Arabia. We'll also link Bangalore to Brussels and beyond by October-end. The planes that join us from 2009 will be used for the next round of growth that will require a second hub in central Europe. In this phase, we'll look at more flights to Asean, China, North America, Europe and also add Africa to our network by flying to South Africa," Jet Airways chief executive Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said here while launching the Delhi-Dubai flight.
The airline plans to strengthen the existing Brussels hub by linking it to more Indian cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad as also to newer ones in North America like Los Angles, Chicago and Vancouver.
25/08/08 Times of India

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Talks of zero-regulation international aviation in air

New Delhi: In a move that could set the ball rolling for further opening up of the aviation sector, civil aviation authorities from across the globe are meeting in Istanbul in October to discuss the modalities of a zero regulatory regime. Some of the key areas to be discussed during this ‘freedom summit’ are liberalising the norms for foreign direct investment (FDI), simplifying cross-border consolidation in the sector and doing away with bilateral aviation service agreements.
The meeting to be held under the banner of International Air transportation Association (IATA) is expected to stress on free market access for airlines and simpler rules for change on ownership.
“The idea has been put forward by the global industry body. They have talked of complete freedom from regulations and restrictions for airlines. But it has to be seen as to how the stakeholders react to it. In the past, some airlines asked for relaxing the rules and guidelines, some particularly bigger airlines want them to stay,” an official in the ministry of civil aviation said.
The trade body argues as there are no restrictions in other sectors such as telecom and automobiles enabling them access to global capital, airlines should also be given similar treatment. This would, they claim, eliminate the crisis being faced by the carriers across the world due to high fuel prices. Most countries, including the US, have restrictions on foreign ownership of airline. In India, foreign investment in airlines is permitted up to 49%, but foreign airlines are forbidden.
25/08/08 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Jet Airways named Best Regional Airline

Seven international airlines represented in Australia by World Aviation Systems have scooped 12 titles in the prestigious 2008 Skytrax World Airline Awards, including four “Best Airline”, two “Best Regional Airline” and four “Best Cabin Staff” titles in their respective regions.
South America’s LAN Airlines won a total of three titles, Austrian Airlines, Continental Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui each won two, while India’s Jet Airways, China’s Hainan Airlines and US carrier Alaska Airlines each won single titles.
Air Tahiti Nui was awarded “Best Airline – Pacific Region” and “Best Cabin Staff – Pacific”; Austrian Airlines won “Best Business Class Onboard Catering” and “Best Cabin Staff – Europe”; Jet Airways was named “Best Regional Airline India/Central Asia”; and Hainan Airlines was named “Best Airline – China”.
In the United States, Continental Airlines won the major accolades of “Best Airline – North America” and “Best Cabin Staff North America”, while Alaska Airlines was named “Best Regional Airline – North America.”
LAN Airlines was named “Best Airline – South America”, “Best Cabin Staff South America” and “Best Regional Airline – South America”.
25/08/08 e-Travel Blackboard, Australia

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Airport drama manager flies home

A manager who had to be admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital following a mental breakdown at Bahrain International Airport almost two weeks ago, flew home last night.
The Indian man began showing signs of recovery last week and flew home at 10.30pm after doctors confirmed that he was cured and fit to travel.
He was on transit from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to Bangalore, India, on August 13 when he started acting strangely, according to sources.
The 24-year-old had worked as a manager for a recruitment agency in Ras Tanura, near Dammam, for more than a year.
He reportedly started showing worrying signs of depression after he was blamed for an accident involving a company car and was asked to pay BD5,700 compensation.
He wouldn't speak to the official at the immigration counter, give his name or other details or budge from the queue, the GDN had reported.
The man was admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital, Salmaniya, on August 15, after continued refusal to board other flights, even after appeals by social workers and his sponsor, who came to Bahrain to resolve the matter.
25/08/08 Begena P Pradeep/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

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Design Solution eyeing Delhi, Mumbai airports

Los Angeles: When airport retail started to take off a few years ago, brands viewed the stores as a way to snatch a few extra bucks from travelers with time to kill.
Now, though, it’s a soaring business.
Airport retail generated $34 billion in sales in 2007, up from $29 billion in 2006. Luxury goods accounted for 35.5 percent of those sales, a 16.6 percent increase over 2006, according to research service Generation Databank. That’s why Bally, Prada, Ferragamo and Chloé, among others, are all going along for the ride.
For many brands, India is at the top of the wish list, partly because its elite consumers are used to shopping in airports. “India’s own domestic middle class has been growing at a phenomenal rate, but the quality and amount of retail downtown never caught up,” said Robbie Gill, an architect and a director of The Design Solution, a London firm that plans and designs airport retail. “Indians had to travel to buy it.”
So now the market is coming to India. Gill’s firm is preparing retail plans for three new terminals in the Delhi and Mumbai airports, one opening in December and the others in 2010. “There will be a large luxury component,” he said.
A change in airport ownership is also boosting commerce in India, Gill said. “Private entities bought both airports, so the whole face of Indian airport travel will be transformed.” But he doesn’t want to transform it into a luxury paradise. “We’ll have a design area dedicated to craft, with Indian retailers. It will be different from what you see in the rest of the world. You’ll see the richness of a culture through its retailers,” he explained. “[The luxury concentration] is not a problem for sales, but it might be in the future because if you replicate the same names worldwide, there’s no sense of difference.
25/08/08 Anne-Marie Otey/Footwear News, NY

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Kingfisher stretches its wings

Kingfisher Airlines, the carrier founded three years ago by Vijay Mallya, one of the most prominent and colourful Indian tycoons, is taking the group from the domestic Indian market on to international routes for the first time next month.
The airline is part of the UB Group, one of the world's biggest drinks groups, which is controlled by Mr Mallya.
It is aiming to break into the exclusive ranks of the world's premium airlines, with the ambition of taking market share from the large number of international carriers including Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and British Airways, which dominate international traffic to and from India.
The two Indian carriers Air India and Jet Airways currently have barely 25 per cent of the long-haul market to and from the country.
Mr Mallya said that Kingfisher had signed an agreement with Air France Industries, the engineering division of Air France-KLM for the maintenance and technical support of its entire widebody fleet as part of a wide-ranging deal with the leading European carrier.
Kingfisher has also agreed to use Air France-KLM ground handling services for its operation at London's Heathrow Terminal 4 and has negotiated a three-year lease to use one pair of Air France-KLM take-off and landing slots at Heathrow.
The other slot pair in the congested London market has come from the Heathrow slot co-ordinator.
25/08/08 Kevin Done/Financial Times

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Singapore Airlines to promote 'Incredible India'

New Delhi: After Bollywood star Aamir Khan, it is the turn of Singapore Airlines to promote the 'Incredible India' campaign to woo tourists to the country.
In collaboration with the Indian Tourism Ministry, the airline would soon start showing the 'Incredible India' promotional clip on its flights to India, Leena Nandan, joint secretary in the ministry, said.
"Singapore Airlines will show clippings of the campaign showing the various destinations India has to offer. This in-flight campaign will help us in attracting tourists from all sectors," Nandan said.
She said the airline would also bring tour operators and travel writers to India.
"The airline will offer special packages to these people to promote tourism. We are partnering with them and will organise their travel within India. We want to promote all destinations as each destination has its own USP," she added.
This initiative, official sources said, was taken at the behest of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The sources said the Ministry was planning similar promotional campaigns with other international airlines as well.
24/08/08 IANS/Sify

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Indian aboard crashed Spanair flight?

It seems one of the 153 passengers of the Spanair flight JK5022 that crashed on August 20 at Madrid airport killing 154 people was an Indian.
The passenger list of the MD-82 flight published at the airlines website has a name 'Bacho/Mukeshmani'.
Bacho should be the surname and Mukeshmani, the first name.
Though Bacho sounds little like an Indian name, Mukeshmani or Mukesh Mani of course is the name of a South Indian.
A telephone enquiry with the Spanair PR people made by this website yielded no positive result, with they either could not find out or were reluctant to reveal the nationalities of the passengers.
24/08/08

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Jet flies to 14 new overseas destinations in Aug

New Delhi: Taking giant strides in its global expansion plans, Jet Airways has added 14 international flights since the beginning of this month taking the total number of foreign destinations it currently serves to 20. "Since August five, we have added 14 international routes. We have 20 wide-body aircraft in our fleet now and will add another two soon. With this, we will further expand our network and add more flights," Jet CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told reporters after launching the daily Delhi-Dubai service at the IGI Airport here.
On the domestic side, he said there was a "conscious decision" to stabilise the network, unlike plans on the global market. He said Jet Airways currently enjoyed almost 50 per cent of the domestic market share, which it wanted to consolidate.
The airline today launched direct services from Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai, making it the sixth destination in the Gulf region after Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Kuwait, Bahrain and Doha.
Regarding its fleet acquisition plans, the Jet CEO said of the ten wide-bodied Airbus A 330-200s ordered initially, eight have been delivered. Two more would be delivered in September and October.
He said the deliveries of other types of aircraft would continue till 2013.
23/08/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Airport eye catches bribe duo

Calcutta: An Air India employee and a worker of the Airports Authority of India were caught on camera allegedly taking a bribe from a Myanmarese passenger at Calcutta airport this morning.
The commercial helper of Air India and the trolley puller employed on contract by the airport authority had taken Rs 1,300 from M. Kudu for “helping” him get his excess luggage cleared, a Central Industrial Security Force officer said.
Air India does the ground handling for Thai Airways here. Kudu was told at the check-in counter that he had around 10kg excess luggage. At this juncture, the duo approached him.
“They helped the passenger get clearance for his excess luggage and got the boarding pass for him, but after that they demanded Rs 1,300,” a CISF officer said. “The passenger refused to pay so much and an altercation followed,” a CISF official said.
Kudu relented and paid Rs 1,300, but by then Thai Airways had sniffed something amiss. When Kudu realised that the duo had taken a bribe from him, he said he would lodge a complaint with the airport authorities.
“During interrogation, we told them the closed-circuit television images had shown them taking the money from Kudu so they gave in and returned the cash in the presence of the our personnel and the Thai Airways officials,” a senior CISF officer said.
The duo were handed over to the police, who released them later. “Since the money was not in their possession, a bribery case was not started. Also, the passenger wrote in his complaint that he had paid the money but had also got it back,” said a police officer.
23/08/08 The Telegraph

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False bribery charge against airport officials

Kolkata: A frequent flier from Myanmar brought false charges of bribery against two contractual staff at the city's airport early on Saturday. Police said the passenger, a businessman from the country, levelled false accusations against them to avoid paying Rs 1,300 for excess hand baggage.
M Kudus, who was booked on Saturday morning's Thai Airways flight, reached the checkin counter as scheduled and declared that he was carrying additional baggage, for which the airline charged him Rs 1,700 and handed him a receipt.
He proceeded for the security check, where he was stopped by the staff as they suspected his hand baggage exceeded the stipulated limit of 8 kgs. He was sent back to the check-in counter.
There, he claimed that he had already paid Rs 1,300 - the amount payable against the excess weight of a flier's cabin luggage - to the two employees.
When the airline staff denied the allegations, Kudus complained against the duo to the Central Industrial Security Force officers (CISF), who took Kudus and the two staff to the police.
Police interrogation revealed that Kudus was a regular flier and was well aware of the rules. "It's unlikely that a regular flier will be asked to bribe the staff to clear his baggage," an officer said.
On being cornered, Kudus admitted his 'mistake' and excused himself calling the entire episode a mere "communication gap" .
Finally, he was able to catch the flight after paying for the excess cabin luggage. He, however, paid around Rs 400 to the two staff as bakhsish, he said.
24/08/08 Arpit Basu/Times of India

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Jet Airways commences daily Dubai flights from Mumbai & Delhi

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, today commenced its daily direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Dubai, with a full complement of passengers.
With the launch of these flights, Dubai becomes the 20th international destination on Jet Airways’ rapidly expanding international route map.
Dubai will be the sixth destination in the airline’s Gulf network and the second in the UAE. Jet Airways’ Dubai flights will complement the airline’s daily services to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat and Doha from various gateway points in India.
Jet Airway’s flight 9W 544 (Mumbai – Dubai) will depart Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1840 hrs and will arrive at Dubai International Airport at 2015 hrs. The return flight 9W 543 (Dubai – Mumbai) will depart Dubai International Airport at 2145 hrs and will arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai at 0215 hrs.
Jet Airways flight’ 9W 548 (New Delhi – Dubai) will depart Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1930 hrs and will arrive at Dubai International Airport at 2125 hrs. The return flight, 9W 547 (Dubai – New Delhi) will depart Dubai International Airport at 2255 hrs and will arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 0335 hrs.
Jet Airways will deploy its dual-class, state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft on these routes, featuring its acclaimed herringbone-configured Première, and its spacious new Economy class thus offering its passengers unmatched international experience in Premiere and Economy Class.
Première passengers will enjoy the comforts of Jet Airways’ unique herringbone seat configuration, which makes every seat an aisle seat. Besides converting to 180 degree flat beds with lumbar support and massage systems, Première seats also offer the busy business traveller oversized tables, laptop power, telephony, SMS, Email and live text news.
Economy passengers will enjoy seats more spacious than the norm and ergonomically designed to reduce stress and strain for perhaps the most comfortable ride in its class.
Commenting on the launch of these new flights to Dubai, Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways said, “Jet Airways is delighted to fly to Dubai starting with a full complement of passengers on its maiden flight. Dubai is one of the most exciting cities in the world, which has traditionally been a very popular business, employment and leisure destination, and demand for a premium service on the competitive India-Dubai sector remains high.
With a large number of Indians living and working in the Gulf, flights to these sectors consistently register high load factors. Passengers on the India-Gulf route will now experience Jet Airways’ world-class service on the Airbus 330-200 aircraft, offering the highest quality of comfort, courtesy, reliability and standards of in-flight as well as ground operations”
To commemorate its maiden foray into Dubai, the airline has introduced special return and one-way Economy class fares INR 11,495 and INR 8,000 respectively, and return Première fares of INR 24,940 on all its services to Dubai (excluding applicable taxes and surcharges).
Jet Airways’ JetEscapes has also introduced exciting new holiday packages to Dubai from various gateway points in India at unbeatable prices.
Jet Airways’ Jet Privilege members will be entitled to a host of inaugural offers, including the chance to earn Double JPMiles in Economy and Première, a 25% discount on Jet award tickets as well as special offers from leading hotels and car rental companies in Dubai and India.
For further information, passengers may log onto jetairways.com or call our toll-free numbers 39893333/ 1800 225522.
23/08/08 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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Bid for more direct flights between SA and India

Indian diplomats in South Africa are trying to persuade airlines from the subcontinent to operate direct flights between the countries.
This comes in the wake of a growing number of South Africans requesting visas to travel to India.
India’s Durban consul-general, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said the potential to increase tourism to India was “limitless”.
“This is constrained by airline capacity, and right now it’s only SAA flying directly to India. We would like Indian airlines to fly here, and we would like to address that issue as soon as possible,” he said.
Vikas Swarup, India’s deputy high commissioner to South Africa, said they had been trying to persuade both Air India and Jet Airways to fly to South Africa.
He said achieving greater connectivity between India, Brazil and South Africa — who are part of a trilateral agreement — would be possible only if more airlines started operating between the countries.
24/08/08 Taschica Pillay/The Times, South Africa

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AHA looks to expand internationally

New Delhi: AHA Air Hostess Academy (AHA) plans to spread its operations on a national and international level. The academy, which trains professionals for the travel and hospitality industries, is considering the UAE, UK, and Australia to open its international centres. Read On >>

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With airline industry battling losses, it’s not the right time to lower fares: Jet

Mumbai/New Delhi: Domestic air travel could become more expensive despite a fall in the global prices of crude. On Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways, Mr Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, said that with the airline industry reporting huge losses, it might not be the correct time to lower fares just yet.
“The industry will have to see how oil is priced in rupee terms and also look closely at the effect of Indian currency vis-À-vis other international currencies. Generally, I can say that there is discrepancy in the price that oil companies ask for and what they should be asking.
“Therefore, the room to manoeuvre as regards pricing of air tickets is limited. If there is a marginal decrease of say up to 5 per cent in prices of aviation turbine fuel, the industry is unlikely to be able to pass this on to the customer. An increase in fares is possible if fuel does not come down significantly,” Mr Prock-Shauer told newspersons at a function to launch daily flights between Delhi and Dubai.
In Mumbai, the Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Sudheer Raghavan, said that Jet Airways will raise fares wherever there are very high load factors and where fares were not as high.
Speaking on the airline international expansion plans, the CEO said that Jet Airways plans to launch a daily flight between Thiruvananthapuram and Muscat shortly, apart from starting a daily flight between Bangalore and Brussels.
23/08/08 Business Line

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Indian airline Kingfisher seeks UK-based marketer

Kingfisher, the privately-owned Indian airline, is seeking a UK-based marketer as it prepares to launch its international routes.
The UK marketer will work with the airline's senior marketer in Mumbai, Vikram Malhotra, who previously worked for FCB.
The airline has already appointed JWT to handle its £10m advertising business ahead of the launch.
The company has been granted approval by the Indian Government, but is still awaiting regulatory approval in this country for the Bangalore to Heathrow service. It hopes to begin services in September.
Once approval has been granted, the airline is expected to roll out a marketing campaign in the UK and other markets.
The Bangalore-based carrier has obtained two slots at Heathrow and is believed to be in negotiations to take over a second pair of slots from Dutch carrier KLM (MW June 23). It also hopes to begin flights to San Franciscoand a number of Asian destinations.
The airline was given the all-clear to begin international flights by the Indian authorities on Tuesday after traffic rights were granted to Deccan Aviation.
21/08/08 Marketing Week, UK

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ATF in India costlier than in Singapore, Hong Kong

New Delhi: Airlines in India pay the most for fuel when compared with other Asia Pacific hubs like Singapore, Hong Kong and Colombo, mainly on account of higher tax rates.
Aviation Turbine Fuel or jet fuel in Delhi, the city that houses the nation's second busiest airport, costs USD 1,291 per kilolitre while the same in Singapore is sold at USD 1,067 per kl. It costs USD 1,100 per kl in Hong Kong and USD 1,113 in Colombo.
For airlines, refueling cost in Delhi is 21.73 per cent higher than that in Singapore, according to a report by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Similarly, airlines in India pay 14.82 per cent and 13.87 per cent more than what those in Colombo and Hong Kong pay respectively.
Over the past four months, cost of jet fuel in Delhi has risen from USD 1,023 per kl in April to USD 1,291 per kl in August, a trend that was also followed in other regional aviation hubs.
21/08/08 Press Trust of India

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AirAsia X plans to fly to North India

Petaling Jaya: In an environment where airlines are seen struggling to keep profits afloat by cutting routes, homegrown long-haul low-cost carrier AirAsia X is doing the reverse.
Having announced its latest route to Melbourne, it is now working on plans to fly to South Korea, Japan and north India.Chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani said as soon as the company got more new planes, it would expand its routes to these countries. AirAsia X is planning to obtain two new planes this year and three more next year. It currently has one plane.
Azran said the company’s strategy was “to get size and sales” and grow from there.
OSK Research Sdn Bhd associate director Chris Eng said it was “good” the carrier was flying to Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport rather than the earlier-preferred Avalon airport which was further.
On customer response, Eng said it depended on the fuel surcharge.
The carrier announced Wednesday that it would add Melbourne to its current routes of Perth, Gold Coast and Hangzhou.
22/08/08 Yvonne Tan/Malaysia Star, Malaysia

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Jet Airways reaps profit on West Asian routes

Mumbai: Despite the downturn in global aviation, Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the country’s largest private airline by passengers, has started earning profits within a short period on some of its flights to West Asia.
High ticket prices and 60% seat occupancy, especially in the business class, has helped the airline post profits on its daily flights from various Indian cities to Muscat and Abu Dhabi, said a person familiar with the company’s operations on this route.
Jet Airways started flying to Muscat in January and to Abu Dhabi in April, after the civil aviation ministry threw open the route to Indian carriers other than state-run National Aviation Co. of India, or Nacil, that runs Air India, at the start of this year.
Traditionally, short international flights, such as to West Asia or Singapore, take at least 12 months to generate profits while long flights to the UK or the US take about 18 months.
Jet Airways, which started international operations in 2004, also flies to Kuwait, Bahrain and Doha in West Asia, and plans to start daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Dubai from 23 August. On these other existing routes, Jet Airways claims market leadership and that it attracts maximum local traffic.
Its rival Nacil, along with its low-fare carrier Air India Express, earns 25% of its total international revenue from West Asian operations on 30% seat occupancy, according to a senior company executive, who declined being named.
21/08/08 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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Mallya's foreign cabin crew will be on board

New Delhi: The foreign cabin crew hired by Kingfisher for its international operations was being trained on ground, as the airline was not allowed to deploy expat air hostesses on domestic flights, even for the training purpose. These foreign cabin crew members will be able to start flying for duty, when the airline begins its international operations on September 3.
Interestingly, this problem arose as Kingfisher had some months back sought permission to deploy foreign cabin crew on domestic flights, to be trained for the international flights. When approached, government agencies had to refuse permission as there's no rule for this. Other carriers who were allowed to fly abroad earlier are learnt to have trained their foreign cabin crew first on their domestic flights as they did not seek prior permission to do so.
Kingfisher estimates that it will require about 1,600 cabin crew members for its international flights, of which 200 would be expats, said sources. "We are going to retain our policy of all female cabin crew on international flights also," said a senior airline official. Kingfisher has got the mandatory security clearance for the foreign cabin crew, most of whom are from places like southeast Asia, breakaway Soviet republic and Gulf. Those hires are a mix of freshers and experienced air hostesses.
Only Indian carriers that fly abroad - Jet and Air India so far - are allowed to hire foreign cabin crew members.
21/08/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Malaysia Airlines plans maintenance hub in India

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines said Wednesday it has teamed up with the operator of India's Hyderabad airport to set up an aircraft maintenance hub to capitalize on India's fast-growing aviation market.
It is the airline's first such overseas venture and part of its efforts to boost income as it reels from high jet fuel cost.
Under the pact with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd., the Malaysian flag carrier said a maintenance, repair and overhaul center would be established to service narrow and wide-bodied aircraft at the new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
There are currently some 300 aircraft in operation in India, with more than 200 new planes expected to take to the sky in the next two years and up to 2,000 new planes over the next decade, the airline said in a statement.
Currently, most of the aircraft are sent to Malaysia and other maintenance centers overseas for heavy maintenance, it said.
The airline will provide technical and management expertise in the joint venture with GMR Hyderabad, he said.
20/08/08 The Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, France

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Charters up, but will they all land?

Panaji: Around 827 charters have booked landing slots at Dabolim airport for the coming tourist season, but rooms to accommodate as many passengers have not been booked.
While the figure of 827 flights beats last season's number of 758 charters, the tourism industry is being cautious and says this is a projected figure that need not necessarily translate into landings.
Subhash Phegade of Aircon Aviation Services and station manager of Monarch Airlines said that the bookings were tentative. "They have asked for slots. However, bookings this year are not even 50% of last year's. An airline could book four landing slots per week. If there is a fall in bookings, they transfer the passengers and cancel slots."
Tourism players say bookings for landing slots are done in bulk prior to the season. "September is the time to make payments. That's when we will see the real figures. Right now it's time to submit applications," said Ralph de Sousa, president Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.
This was echoed by Alu Gomes Pereira, COO, Thomas Cook Charters and TCI-Thomas Cook Charters.
21/08/08 Andrew Pereira/Times of India

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Jet-Kingfisher rivalry goes to foreign skies

New Delhi: The Kingfisher-Jet Airways rivalry in domestic skies is now going to overseas. As Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher-Deccan combine is setting up its international operation base in Bangalore and Mumbai, Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet has also announced that it will "soon" launch flights from Bangalore to three North American cities of New York, New Jersey and Toronto via its European hub Brussels.
While Kingfisher is launching its daily flights from Bangalore to London on September 3, it will also connect US cities like New York and San Francisco and other western destinations. Jet is now going to target this market by offering direct flights to Brussels and not first making the passengers from Bangalore flying to Mumbai for taking a flight to Belgium and beyond.
"Currently we have flights from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai to Brussels and those planes go beyond to US and Canada. We were planning to link Bangalore and Ahmedabad to Brussels and now the Bangalore link will happen first for obvious reasons," said a senior Jet official. Initially, Kingfisher plans to have most of its international flights from India out of Bangalore and Mumbai. Delhi will be used for low-cost flights to nearby places like Karachi, Kathmandu and Dubai.
21/08/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Three foreigners with fake documents arrested in Bangalore airport

Bangalore: Three foreigners were arrested at the Bengaluru International airport while they were trying to board a flight to Paris with fake documents today August 20, 2008. The arrested are one from Uzbekistan and other two from Afghanistan.
According to the sources in immigration, the trio including one Uzbek woman bound for Paris by Air France flight No 191, were questioned by immigration official D N Sidde Gowda on suspicion. Upon further investigation and verifications of their papers like passports and visa, it was found that they were fake.
All of them had visas issued in Latvia and they had given false names. After intense questioning, they revealed their correct identity. Feruza Salieva(33), a belly dancer by profession, belonged to Uzbekistan. Matiullah(20) and Fakim(21) belonged to Afghanistan.
After obtaining boarding pass at the Air France counter they were waiting for immigration clearance when they were caught.
The arrested were handed over to Bengaluru International Airport Police Station.
21/08/08 Mangalorean.com

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India Will Allow Deccan to Offer Flights to London

New Delhi: Deccan Aviation Ltd., which operates Deccan, India's biggest low-fare airline by market share, received permission to start overseas flights, the civil-aviation ministry said.
"Traffic rights of seven services per week have been granted between Bangalore and London [Heathrow] utilizing an Airbus A-330 aircraft," the ministry said.
However, a final nod has to come from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation the ministry said. Industry executives said this is just a formality.
Currently, only state-run Air India, the country's flag carrier, and full-service airline Jet Airways (India) Ltd., fly overseas.
Deccan is nearly 50% owned by UB Group unit United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd., which is in the final stages of merging its full-service carrier Kingfisher Airlines with Deccan Aviation.
The UB Group plans to rename Deccan Aviation as Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. as part of the merger process -- which is likely to be completed in a few weeks, UB Group Chief Financial Officer Ravi Nedungadi said Tuesday.
Deccan will be allowed to use either or both brands -- Deccan or Kingfisher Airlines -- for its overseas flights, a civil-aviation ministry official who didn't wish to be named and Mr. Nedungadi said.
20/08/08 Nitin Luthra/Wall Street Journal

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Kingfisher-Deccan gets govt approval to fly abroad

New Delhi: UB Group chief Vijay Mallya's long cherished ambition of his airline flying abroad is going to get fulfilled in a fortnight. The aviation ministry has allowed Deccan Aviation, in which Mallya has a substantial stake and on whose licence Kingfisher will fly abroad, to operate seven flights a week between Bangalore and London (Heathrow).
While they can do so anytime after August 26 when Deccan completes five years of operation and becomes eligible to fly overseas, Mallya is learnt to be looking at a September 3 launch. The ministry has told 13 countries that Deccan will also be an Indian designated international carrier so that the airline can begin making preparations to fly there like getting airport slots and terminal space and arranging booking offices there.
The countries informed were — USA, UK, Singapore, UAE, Thailand, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Pakistan.
Mallya is likely to launch flights to all these places only from winter (November) and could go in for a soft launch on September 3.
Kingfisher's international flights, as the Bangalore-London model suggests, have an economy and Kingfisher First classes, with the latter essentially being high end business class at business class fares. The First section will have a stand up bar and there'll be a chef on board. Only British Airways has a nonstop Bangalore-London flight. According to airline websites, Kingfisher one way economy tickets costs about Rs 21,000 while BA is over Rs 25,000.
20/08/08 Times of India

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Finnair to reschedule India flights from winter

New Delhi: Nordic carrier Finnair has decided to reschedule its operations to India from this winter to offer better connectivity and convenient flight timings to at least 12 destinations in Europe, a senior airline official has said.
“From this winter, that is from October-end, passengers travelling from Delhi to Helsinki and at least 12 other destinations in Europe will get the advantage of morning flights,” said Kari Stolbow, Finnair's director for Indian subcontinent.
“Similarly our flights out of Mumbai have also been pushed forward slightly to give the passengers a similar advantage,” Stolbow, who took charge of Finnair operations in the Indian subcontinent last week, told media.
Some of the destinations that will have much better connectivity following the winter rescheduling include Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan and Munich. “We will also continue to be the fastest to ferry passengers to as many as 16 out of 38 destinations in Europe. What we will be unable to serve, as we have been doing now, is the Mumbai-New York sector, because of the rescheduling.”
Finnair's flights will now depart New Delhi at 11.30 am and reach Helsinki at 3 pm, while the flights out of Mumbai will leave at 9.15 am and reach Helsinki at 2.05 pm. On return, the flights leave the Finnish capital at 8 pm and reach New Delhi at 6 am, while the flights to Mumbai leave Helsinki at 5.25 pm and reach Mumbai at 4.30 in the morning.
19/08/08 IANS/Economic Times

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Etihad Airways, Kerala tourism to develop tour packages

Kozhikode: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which started its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Kozhikode Aug 2, said it is holding talks with Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) to develop tour packages.”Our tourism division, Etihad Holidays, is working out the tour packages with KTDC,” said Neeraja Bhatia, the airways country manager (India and Sri Lanka) while addressing a press conference here Tuesday. Kozhikode is Etihad’s third destination in Kerala.
“We have started our services to three destinations in Kerala in the last 14 months. This shows the importance we attach to this region,” she said.
Neeraja said her company is happy with its service to Kozhikode. “The flights are operating with a load factor of 80-90 percent,” she said.
Kerala tourism director M. Sivasankar said that the services by the airways to the three airports would help the development of tourism in the state, especially in the northern region, known as Malabar.
19/08/08 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Singapore Airlines bullish on Indian market

New Delhi: Bullish on the Indian market, Singapore Airlines will implement its expansion plans in India despite record-high jet fuel prices forcing several carriers to suspend their operations.
Singapore Airlines General Manager in India C W Foo said India was one of the top five markets across the world for the carrier and it would not allow short term fluctuations to affect its long term strategies in India. He said the airline, one of the world's biggest by market share, wants to further increase its operation as there were opportunities still to be tapped in the country.
"For India, our strategy is to increasing frequency of flights on various routes to offer good choice to passengers and a good spread," he told PTI.
Foo said the carrier was looking at increasing its frequencies from Bangalore, New Delhi and Chennai as these routes have dense traffic.
The airline, known for its "Singapore Girl" flight attendants, will operate double dailies from New Delhi to Singapore, up from the current nine flights to 14 a week from September 1.
20/08/08 Press Trust Of India/Business Standard

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Passenger information: global carriers miss second deadline

New Delhi: International airlines flying into India have missed another deadline to put in place a system to provide information on inbound passengers to aviation and security officials.
No international carrier had complied with the order to implement the so-called advanced passenger information system, or Apis, by 1 August to screen inbound passengers that Indian officials say is a critical security requirement. The first deadline had expired on 1 July.
To conform with the order, airlines need to hire a company locally to set up computer hardware and software systems at six international airports in the country: New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. International airlines that Mint spoke to, said they were still preparing to implement the system.
“The main reason (for the delay) is engaging the service provider who can give the information in the format provided by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the time it will take for the service provider to put in place the hardware systems,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.
Another meeting between international airlines and officials of the home and civil aviation ministries will likely deal with the issue, said this official, who did not wish to be identified. No date for the meeting has been set.
18/08/08 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Flemingo begins new Calicut International Airport duty free concession

Flemingo Duty Free Shop has accelerated its expansion in India with the opening of two new stores at Calicut International Airport. And later this month it will follow up with the opening of Arrivals and Departures stores at Mangalore International Airport.
Flemingo CEO R Krithivasan told The Moodie Report: “We opened up our Calicut stores on the 28th of July; the Mangalore store will be opened before the end of this month.”
At Calicut International (pictured), Flemingo was awarded the retail concessions for all categories of duty free items at the Main International Terminal building. The Arrivals store is 138.5sq m and the Departures outlet is 47.5sq m.
At Mangalore International Airport Flemingo will operate a 10.20sq m Arrivals store and a 8sq m Departures store.
18/08/08 Martin Moodie/MoodieReport, UK

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Cabin Crew Direct ties up with Kuoni India

New Delhi: Global aviation training and recruitment major Cabin Crew Direct is planning to set up seven cabin crew training and recruitment centres in the country. Read On >>

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Foreign airlines for a local bailout?

New Delhi: Desperate times call for desperate measures. With the aviation industry in the grip of a severe recession, the ministry of civil aviation is leaving no stone unturned to bring domestic carriers back from the brink.
So, along with myriad suggestions on reducing tax burden on aviation turbine fuel and a whole range of other aviation activities, the ministry has quietly mooted a proposal seeking foreign airlines’ investment in Indian carriers.
It has also suggested that the present foreign direct investment (FDI) limit of 49% be relaxed.
Sources said these two suggestions have been made keeping in mind the very low capital base of almost all domestic carriers and the urgent need to improve their financial situation.
Pointing out that even for Nacil, the capital base is a mere Rs 150 crore, a source said, “The issue is not about increasing FDI but allowing foreign airlines to come and invest in Indian carriers so that the latter get access to funds.”
Present norms allow only 49% FDI and that too by non-air transport companies. Foreign airlines are barred from investing in any form in Indian carriers.
18/08/08 Sindhu Bhattacharya/DNA MONEY/Sify

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Jet to sign code-sharing agreement with Emirates

Dubai: India's Jet Airways, which is starting flights from Dubai to New Delhi and Mumbai this month, said it will have a code-sharing agreement with Emirates as the two carriers seek to benefit from the growing traffic on the UAE-India sector.
The arrangement is expected to become effective from October, Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal told reporters in Dubai on Sunday.
He said both airlines are well-positioned to benefit from the alliance, which will cover joint selling of seats and their loyalty programmes.
"We have held discussions with Emirates for code-sharing. We have the largest network in India and Emirates has the best network out of Dubai," Goyal said at a press conference held to announce his company's daily services from the Gulf region's commercial and tourism hub from August 23.
Goyal said the new routes will do well because of the huge expatriate population in the UAE. Jet will use a two-class Airbus 330-200 aircraft on the routes.
The company had planned to start a Dubai service in 2005 but could not get permission from the Indian government. However, liberalisation of the aviation sector has helped it to expand overseas.
17/08/08 Shakir Husain/Gulfnews, UAE

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Air India to fly daily to Sharjah via Tiruchirappalli

Tiruchirappalli: Air India will operate daily flights on Chennai to Sharjah route via Tiruchirappalli from Aug 21, an official statement said here today.
On March 30, this year, the airline had stated direct flights on the Chennai-Tiruchirappalli-Thiruvananthapuram- Sharjah route.
However, the return flights were skipping Tiruchirappalli thrice a week owing to shortage of manpower in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the airport here, Air India Marketing Manager, here, T H Radhakrishnan said in a press release here today.
Since the strength of CISF unit had been augmented recently, the airline now has daily flights to Tiruchirappalli, the release said.
17/08/08 Press Trust Of India/Business Standard

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Outbound travel costlier but biz is brisk

Kolkata/Mumbai: The Indian traveller headed overseas is seemingly little deterred by the rising cost of travel owing to the depreciating rupee.
There has been a 15-20 per cent price increase in outbound travel packages, Mr Madhavan Menon, Managing Director of Thomas Cook India, told Business Line. But for the frequent outbound traveller this price increase is “minor”, say travel industry experts. The currency fluctuation has had a selective effect on customers, said Mr Subhash Motwani, director of Mumbai-based travel agency Compact Travels: “The increase in package prices has not impacted the outbound travel to dollar-dominated countries such as the US, places in the Far East and Egypt, as the variation (rupee against dollar) has only been of about Rs 4-5. However, travel to euro-dominated countries has seen a marginal impact of 10 per cent as the appreciation of that currency against the rupee has been much more.”
Another reason is that international airlines have not hiked fares, creating the perception that overseas travel is still within reach. “While airfares in the domestic market went up as ATF prices rose, international airlines did not hike fares,” said Mr Motwani.
16/08/08 Shobha Kannan/Shubhra Tandon/Business Line

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Kingfisher plans to launch its first intl flight on Sept 3

Mumbai: Vijay Mallya-spearheaded Kingfisher Airlines, plans to launch its first international flight on September 3 with a direct Bangalore-London flight. "The countdown has begun. We are all set to fly to London from Bangalore on September 3," a Kingfisher Airlines official said.
The airline has already secured permission to fly to 13 overseas destinations. A senior DGCA official confirmed the granting of permission to the airline to conduct overseas operations. Kingfisher now plans to launch flights to the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Hong Kong.
"We are fully geared up for our London flight scheduled for September 3," the Kingfisher official said, adding schedules for the other destinations are presently being fine-tuned. Kingfisher plans to deploy an Airbus 330-200 on the Bangalore-London sector.
17/08/08 PTI/Economic Times

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AI curtails freebies as cost-cutting regime comes into effect

Mumbai: Air India staff will hereafter not be allowed go on foreign tours unless it is "absolutely essential" and that too only with the permission of its Chairman and Managing Director.
"Foreign tours should be undertaken only for absolutely essential purposes. All foreign tours henceforth should be scrutinised at the functional director level and recommended to the Chairman only in respect of critical cases," an Air India circular signed by its Chairman and Managing Director, Raghu Menon, said. With its losses mounting to Rs 2,100-crore and with air turbine fuel prices on the rise, the national air-carrier has been forced to resort to cost-cutting measures to boost its sagging bottomline.
Air India is expected to implement a rigorous cost-cutting regime based on the recommendations of its Finance Department which was presented before its Board a couple of months ago.
The circular said that foreign travel should be restricted to the bare minimum number of persons who are operationally required to travel and that "accomodation at overseas stations should as far as possible be at crew hotels where facility of lower room-charges is available." Airline staff has also been instructed to travel only by economy class which offer lower fares.
17/08/08 PTI/Economic Times

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Manager 'broke down at airport'

An Indian manager, who had a mental breakdown at Bahrain International Airport and started acting like a child, has been admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital, sources told the GDN yesterday.
He was on transit from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to Bangalore, India, on Wednesday at the official alerted the authorities concerned. around 11pm when he started acting strangely, they said.
"He wouldn't speak to the official at the immigration counter. He wouldn't give his name or other details or budge from the queue," said the sources.
"Realising something was wrong, the official alerted the authorities concerned.
"However, he refused to climb the escalator to board the flight and he started making weird gestures like a child such as sucking his thumb.
"The flight had to leave without him and he was kept in custody by airport authorities."
The 24-year-old had worked as a manager for a manpower supply company in Ras Tanura, near Dammam, for more than a year.
Sources claimed that his sponsor had cancelled his visa and he was being sent back home without his contract being renewed.
"He was reportedly depressed because he was blamed for an accident involving a company car and was threatened to pay BD5,700 compensation," said the sources.
17/08/08 Begena P Pradeep/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

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Passenger found dead on Chennai-bound flight

Chennai: A 27-year-old wheelchair-bound passenger travelling here from Kuala Lumpur on a Malaysian Airlines flight on Saturday evening was found dead nearly 30 minutes after take-off, an official said.
"The passenger, Naina Mohamed Sathiq Ali, asked for water and visited the toilet soon after take-off from Kuala Lumpur. He returned and suddenly slumped on his seat," said an airline source.
"An doctor aboard the aircraft pronounced him dead," he added.
On the aircraft's landing here, the body has been taken for an autopsy, the source said.
Police officials here, however, ruled out any foul play. "The passenger seems to have died of natural causes according to reports available to us," said V Varadharaju, Superintendent of Police in-charge of law and order at the Anna International air terminal.
16/08/08 IANS/Sfy

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Fake notes worth Rs7.5mn seized at Kozhikode airport

Kozhikode: Fake currency notes with a nominal value of Rs7.5mn were seized from a passenger at the Kozhikode International Airport yesterday.
Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Mohamed Ansad, 24, who arrived on an RAK Airways flight from the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates with the fake notes.
Three men waiting at the airport to receive Ansad, a native of Thrissur, were also held. The notes of Rs1,000 and Rs500 denominations were concealed in Ansad’s bag.
In May this year, the DRI seized fake Indian rupee notes worth Rs2mn allegedly printed in Pakistan at the Kochi international airport in central Kerala. A passenger who arrived from Dubai was arrested as he handing over the bundles to two men. These suspects are believed to be linked to international gangs.
DRI officials say the printing technology and the paper used in the racket were so perfect that only experts could detect them and it was difficult to assess its level of penetration in the state.
Officials suspect that the fake currency may have found its way in large volumes into the real estate sector as well as into the hands of fundamentalist organisations.
17/08/08 Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times, Qatar

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Man almost dies smuggling 1.3 million patacas worth of heroin

A man who fell into coma on the flight from Malaysia to Macau this week was found to have 1,300 grams of heroin inside his body.
According to Judiciary Police spokesman Choi Iat Peng yesterday, the 26-year-old Tanzanian man surnamed Mamdadi flew from Bombay, India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the day before flying to Macau on Tuesday. However the man fell into coma on the plane to the SAR and thus was sent to the intensive care unit at the Conde de São Januário Hospital after the plane landed at the Macau International Airport.
A x-ray examination showed that there were "large amounts" of packed drugs inside his digestive system, and thus the police's narcotics division was contacted for investigation, Mr Choi said.
As the suspect remained in coma at the time, the hopsital had to conduct a surgery in order to remove the drugs from his body.
Mr Choi said it was suspected that the drugs leaked from the packages which caused the 26-year-old to loose his consciousness.
A total of 87 packs of heroin weighing 1,300 grams were collected, the spokesman said, adding the estimated value was about 1.3 million patacas.
16/08/08 Natalie Leung/Macau Daily Times, Macau

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Steep hike in airfares to Gulf destinations

Trivandrum: Airfares from the three airports in Kerala to various Gulf destinations will go up for one month from Saturday. Most of the airlines have hiked their fares following heavy pressure on seats due to reopening of schools in the Gulf and the Onam festival in the state.
The fares have gone up by 100 to 200 per cent in most sectors, according to the revised fares made available on the reservation system of the airlines. Among the Gulf countries, seats to the United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, have become dearer.
Dubai is the most sought after destination from all the three airports of the state. The minimum fare from Trivandrum to Dubai has been hiked from Rs,9,500 to over Rs13,000 by most airlines. However, seats in this category have already been booked.
A passenger who wants to travel to Dubai for the next one month will have to pay higher fare, which is between Rs22, 000 to Rs25, 000 in most airlines.
The revised fares will be applicable till September 15, when the peak period pressure will ease. The peak season pressure is despite substantial increase in flights from all the three airports in the state.
Passengers from Calicut expected a drop in the fares after the airport was thrown open to foreign airlines from early this year. However, the launch of service by more than half a dozen foreign airlines has had no effect on peak season fares.
16/08/08 T.K. Devasia/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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'Pilot fatigue a major issue the world over'

Mumbai: Pilot fatigue has been the talking point in countries such as the US, Australia and UK for a while. In 1997, it became a major issue when 223 people died after the fatigued pilots of Korean Air flight 801 crashed a Boeing 747-300 into Nimitz Hill, just 5 km from the Guam airport.
Air safety expert M Ranganathan said, "Killers in Aviation, a complete study by world aviation experts on the fatigue factor involved in the Korean air crash, shows how critical decisions on pilot rest rules can be. Following that, countries all over the world started reducing duty hours and increasing rest periods".
Ranganathan pointed out that Australia, which had the best safety record, had carried out an extensive study on pilot fatigue. The 2007 CAR (new pilot rest rules) issued by India's DGCA was based on those findings.
The issue of cockpit crew fatigue got a hearing in India only when the DGCA (in May this year) decided to revert back to the rest rules framed in 1992 by putting a scientifically-backed set of rest rules in abeyance (CAR 2007).
"The reason? "Airlines had to recruit 35% more pilots, which meant added expenses," said a senior commander.
Defending their decision-against the petition filed by the Joint Action Committee of Airline Pilots demanding the implementation of the 2007 CAR-the DGCA said airlines could not afford the additional expenses.
The DGCA also pointed out that no carrier would want its planes to crash and so would not demand something that compromised safety.
"It is as good as saying that the earlier air accidents took place as the airlines concerned wanted their aircraft to crash," said a senior commander, adding that carriers across the world opposed rules that entailed additional expenses. It was the job of the aviation regulatory authority to see that profits did not get priority over safety.
"India has the DGCA, but it does not have a body like the NTSB. There is no board to rap the DGCA or ask it to take decisions in the interest of air safety," he added.
16/08/08 Manju V/Times of India

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Latest Heathrow computer fault disrupts thousands

A failure in the computer network at Heathrow airport's terminal 3 yesterday disrupted flights for thousands of passengers.
Two flights were cancelled, dozens of others were delayed, and thousands of bags were not loaded on to planes after the glitch hit the terminal, which mainly serves long-haul flights.
Around 3,000 passengers flew from the terminal unaware that their bags were not on their flight. The airport was today trying to reunite those passengers with their luggage.The two cancelled flights were operated by Jet Airways, the Indian airline, and Thai Airways.
A Heathrow airport source said: "There are two networks at terminal 3, one a legacy network the other a shiny new one.
"We think that a device was plugged into both networks and started to get some feedback and conflict with both of them. We have identified three potential devices, electrical components such as a switch."
The glitch brought down both networks at the terminal yesterday afternoon, covering flight information screens, security cameras and check-in systems.
15/08/08 Mark Watts/ComputerWeekly.com, UK

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Virgin Atlantic fails to hand over check-in bags to flyers

Mumbai: As British actor Jade Goody — known more as Shilpa Shetty's tormentor — and most other passengers got off from the Virgin Atlantic Flight 350 in Mumbai, they were carrying only their handbags. Their check-in bags were not handed over to them by the airlines.
What made the situation outside the customs counter even worse was that no airlines officials were around to help the passengers fill the baggage-claim forms. To top it all, when the assistance did arrive, the airlines ran short of forms, leaving the commuters angry and dismayed.
"There was nobody to assist us," said Rupen Patel, a passenger. "Those who were supposed to go to Pune from Mumbai, were left in a lurch. We were told that there was some problem with the conveyor belt and that our bags would arrive in a couple of days," he added. "Jade Goody got her first taste of India just as she arrived here," said a senior member of the film industry when told about the actress losing her baggage.
16/08/08 Times of India

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Mallya plans internet, mobile service on board

New Delhi: UB Group chief Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines wants to be the country’s first airline to allow use of mobile services on board. The airline has sought permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for offering inflight mobile services. Current DGCA rules do not permit use of mobile phones once the aircraft gets ready for take-off.
“We have made provisions in the new aircraft for all high-tech features. To provide mobile services, we have changed the configuration of the aircraft to allow use of cellphones in such a way that they do not interfere with navigation controls. Each mobile emits 100 watts of power, but the new technology incorporated in the aircraft will allow them to emit only 1 watt, which will allow all kind of seamless operations in the aircraft,” a Kingfisher Airline executive said.
The provision to use mobile phone on board is likely to be introduced in Kingfisher’s Bangalore-London flight planned for September 3. The airline also plans to offer internet connectivity on this flight.
Dr Mallya’s plans for Kingfisher’s international operations include an array of luxurious offerings for high-end customers. These include flat-bed massage seats, stand-up bars, and availability of chefs for serving gourmet meals.
16/08/08 Chanchal Pal Chauhan & Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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US defence major eye's navigation system for AAI,ISRO

New Delhi: A US defence major Raytheon would make a bid for a satellite-based navigation system for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Raytheon along with its Indian partners would bid for the system with its Geosynchronous Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN) project, company's vice president for Airspace Management and Homeland Security Andy Zogg said in a statement.
Raytheon will lead the team to deliver the GAGAN solution to AAI and ISRO.
GAGAN is expected to provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation across south and east Asia, which will provide India with the most accurate, flexible and efficient air navigation system deployed.
"We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with ISRO and AAI during this critical phase of GAGAN," Zogg said, promising that the company was committed to a thorough transfer of knowledge of GAGAN to further enhance India's leadership position in air navigation.
Indian partners in the GAGAN project would be Accord Software and Systems from Bangalore for Global Positioning System (GPS)-based user-receiver prototype development optimised for equatorial region, and Elcome Technologies from Gurgaon for logistical and on-site support, he said.
16/08/08 PTI/Deccan Herald

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Officer 'asleep'; airport ordeal for elderly NRI

Kolkata: A 65-year-old ill Singapore national of Indian origin was forced to spend Wednesday night at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport without food or water as immigration officials dared not 'disturb' their boss between 10 pm and 7 am for permission to issue a temporary permit, that would allow her to remain in the country till Friday.
Tired after her ordeal, Sona Vora collapsed and fell down a flight of stairs on Thursday morning, injuring herself seriously in the neck and thigh.
Sona married Beckbagan-resident Abbas Vora. She retained her Singapore passport but was granted an Indian resident permit after her marriage.
The permit expired earlier this year. When Sona applied for a fresh one that would serve her purpose till 2010, she was told to get her passport renewed from Singapore. The officer also issued her a temporary permit that would last till she returned from Singapore with a fresh passport. Sona returned to Kolkata at 5 pm. She was carrying the fresh passport but had left the old one - with the temporary permit inside - behind in Singapore. She was, however, carrying documents to establish that she had applied for a fresh permanent resident permit.
15/08/08 Arpit Basu/Times of India

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Denied entry to city, woman collapses at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: A 65-year-old woman, who was detained at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport for travelling without a valid visa, collapsed on Thursday.
Sona Vora had landed at the NSCBI Airport from Singapore by an Air India flight on Wednesday. Immigration officials detained her as she had a residential permit in India for 10 years but was travelling without a valid visa. She could not even produce a return ticket, therefore, was refused entry into India.
Abbas Bhai D Vora, her husband, is a resident of Kolkata and had come to receive her at the airport. After much convincing, the officials finally issued her a Temporary Landing Permit on Thursday.
Customs officials, however, did not allow her to leave the international terminus with her luggage as she had a refused entry stamp on her visa.
When immigration officials led her out through the apron gate, CISF personnel, too, did not allow her to leave with her luggage as the airport is on red alert and they were not informed about her case.
After around 40 minutes of harassment and trudging between gates, she fainted at the apron gate and was to be sent for a medical check-up.
14/08/08 Kolkata Newsline

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Kamal-Mohanlal in Kandahar

No one will be able to forget the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999. Now, the gruesome incident which claimed the life of one newly married young man is being made into a film.
On Christmas eve in 1999, IC-814 bound to Delhi from Kathmandu carrying 189 passengers and flight crew, was hijacked by five armed terrorists. It later touched down in Western India, Pakistan, and United Arab Emirates before landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Except for one young man who was killed by the militants, all the others were rescued when the Indian Government agreed to yield to their demands of freeing three dreaded terrorists held captive in India. Erstwhile Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh went personally to Kandahar to hand over these prisoners to the hijackers and returned with the hostages. The hijackers were assured safe passage and since all this took place in Afghanistan which was then dominated by Taliban, who aided the hijack drama, nothing much could be done.
Now, Army Major-turned-director Ravi, who made films based on war like Aran (Tamil), Kargil (Malayalam), Mission 90 days (Malayalam) and Keerthichakra (Malayalam), has decided to make a film titled Kandahar based on this incident, which will feature Kamal Haasan and Mohanlal as commandos. Mr. Ravi says that this was decided when Kamal Haasan did an introductory voice-over in Aran starring Jiiva (aka Jeeva) and Mohanlal.
14/08/08 Prasanna Singh/Galatta.com

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Fares plunge on India sector

Doha: Airfares to the subcontinent, traditionally one of the most expensive destinations, have dropped to unprecedented levels following a free for all among airlines.
Prices started sliding covertly after the peak season ended in late July but the sudden plunge began this month and has resulted in an open price war in the last few days.
The crash is so severe on certain routes that fares are less than 150% from the tariff of this time last year and 500% down from the peak fares of five years ago, industry sources told Gulf Times.
The current fare to Kochi in Kerala, for instance, is just QR880 for a round trip as against QR2,340 this time last year, travel agents said.
The main difference now, according to Naushad M E, travel manager of Regency Travel and Tours, was that the fares were not only low but they were also available in the system.
Huge drops were also available to most other destinations in India like Mumbai, Kozhikode, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The stiffer competition among airlines to sectors like Cochin had meant that the fare to that destination was now lower than to Mumbai, Naushad said.
For instance, the current Mumbai fares were QR990 for a return trip and QR700 for a single journey – QR110 more than the Cochin fares for the round trip. This was happening for the first time in the history of civil aviation.
In the past, even when Mumbai fares dropped, Kerala tariff held up because of the huge demand for seats from the huge Kerala population in Qatar and other Gulf countries.
Even more ironical is the fact that currently it is more expensive to fly to Dubai than to go to Mumbai. A seven-day weekend fare to Dubai, Naushad said, was QR1,220, including taxes. Service fee is extra.
According to industry sources, all airlines traditionally used the Gulf-Indian sector to make up for the losses they incurred in other sectors.
This eventually led to airlines scrambling for traffic rights to Cochin and Kozhikode and this year the supply of seats increased substantially.
14/08/08 Arvind Nair/Gulf Times, Qatar

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Etihad Airways launches 'unaccompanied baggage' service

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways has launched a new service which allows passengers to send heavy or excess quantities of baggage before they fly.
The 'unaccompanied baggage' service is for luggage that exceeds approved allowances to be sent separately to avoid excess baggage fees, an airline statement said.
"We anticipate this service will become extremely popular with our customers, especially members of the expatriate community in the UAE flying back home," said Des Vertannes, the Abu Dhabi-based airline's executive vice-president for cargo.
"All customers need to do is to fill in the required documentation and they will then be issued with a reference number for tracking and tracing their baggage. The entire process takes just 10 minutes and customers are kept informed about the arrival time of their baggage once it is booked as cargo on an Etihad flight or with one of our interline partners," he added.
The new Etihad service is run by the airline's cargo division, Etihad Crystal Cargo, using established cargo processes and procedures with customers benefiting from special rates that are cheaper than the excess baggage fees they would normally have paid, according to the airline statement.
13/08/08 Agencies/Economic Times

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Overseas flights fall at Los Angeles airport

Air India will withdraw its three weekly round-trip flights from Los Angeles International Airport in September, signaling a trend that finds more overseas carriers cutting service amid record-high fuel prices.
Tuesday's announcement comes as international air carriers are expected to slash 213 weekly takeoffs and landings at LAX by November, an 11 percent drop compared to the same period last year.
As a result, 33,452 fewer seats will be available to airline passengers each week by late fall, an 8.4 percent drop from last year, according to data provided by Atlanta-based Innovata, an airline scheduling database.
"It's going to be even more than that as we move closer to fall," said Frank Clark, head of LAXTEC Corp., the agency that represents carriers in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.
The figures do not take into account Air India's plan to cut six weekly takeoffs and landings aboard Boeing 747-400 jetliners between LAX and Frankfurt, with connecting flights to New Delhi and Mumbai.
"Air India's flights out of LAX were light, they were not daily and they competed with nonstop service to India out of San Francisco, so this was not much of a surprise," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX.
12/08/08 Art Marroquin/Daily Breeze, USA

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