Comatose patient finally taken home by Air India

Dammam: Air India has finally transported a comatose patient home after being lambasted for off-loading him from a flight earlier this month.
The patient, Mohammed Shaffe, 39, was accompanied on Sunday by Dr. Govindraj Satyanarayana, a doctor at Kims Hospital, Jubail, to Karippur International Airport in Kerala. Shaffe’s relatives have admitted him to a hospital there.
Shaffe, who came to the Kingdom seven months ago as a house driver, is the sole support of his wife and three children.
The Indian Embassy authorities, who intervened in the matter, made the repatriation possible. The workers of the India Fraternity Forum, who also worked hard to get Shaffe sent home, thanked the embassy officials and the doctors and staff of King Fahd Military Hospital for their care and support.
Shaffe, from Thanoor in Malappuram district of Kerala, India, spent almost two months in King Fahd Military Hospital, after being involved in an accident in the Abqaiq area.
31/08/10 Shabna Aziz/Saudi Gazette

Read More

NAC says its Delhi flight to resume soon

Kathmandu: The suspended Kathmandu-Delhi-Kathmandu flights of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) will resume in a week, according to the national flag carrier.
NAC flights on the sector have been suspended due to repair works of the 180-seater Boeing aircraft’s faulty gear some 10 days ago.
“It took a little more time to find the spare parts as NAC planes are of old model,” said a source at the national flag carrier. “After a long search, the spare parts were found in Canada,” the source said adding that NAC has placed the order.
The spare parts will reach Kathmandu within five days.
“It will take another couple of days to fix spare parts and tentatively flights on New Delhi route — one of the most lucrative routes — will resume in a week.”
Despite being a lucrative route New Delhi always suffers due to lack of NAC aircraft. The airline had suspended its flight in 2008 for almost seven months due to technical problem in one of the aircraft.
29/08/10 The Himalayan Times

Read More

Racial profiling, cries Indian filmmaker held in US

New Delhi: In his first interview since being incarcerated in a US jail nearly 10 days ago, Mumbai-based documentary film maker Vijay Kumar has claimed that he is a victim of racial profiling and is being harassed by US officials.
Speaking over phone from a detention centre where he was shifted from Houston county jail, Kumar, a strict vegetarian, claimed he skipped food in jail for two days as he was deliberately served non-vegetarian fare. Kumar's visa was revoked and he was declared an illegal visitor after he got bail from Houston county court.
Kumar was detained at Houston international airport while on his way to Vancouver, Canada after "behavioural detection officers" at the airport felt something was amiss with him. They pulled him in for questioning and were further alarmed when his baggage revealed publications dealing with Jihad and Islam. According to US authorities, his checked-in baggage from New Delhi revealed a pair of brass knuckles, prohibited by Texas state law, though not banned under US federal law.
"While at Houston airport there was a last-minute change in my flight's departure terminal due to which I had to run a long way inside the airport. That's why I was sweating and furiously searching for my travel documents. The Transportation Security Administration officials then took me aside for interrogation. ..," the filmmaker revealed.
When asked why he was carrying such an exhaustive collection of publications/books dealing with jihad, Kumar said he was researching jihadi terrorism and was headed to Vancouver to work out options for making a documentary. "I have been involved in making short films, documentaries on Muslim issues especially on how to bring misguided youths back into the mainstream, victimisation of Muslim women in India, their personal laws.
On reports of his being a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Kumar conceded he had been part of the organisation but had "long disassociated" himself with it owing to ideological differences.
30/08/10 Abinav Garg/Times of India

Read More

Comatose Indian flown home

Alkhobar: Thirty-nine-year-old Chekkamadath Muhammad Shafi Kutty, the comatose Indian national who could not fly home early this month because of lack of critical lifesaving equipment on board, was flown home on Sunday by Air India.
Dr. Govindraj Satyanarayan of Jubail’s KIM Medical Center accompanied Kutty. He will be initially taken to Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences and will later receive intensive treatment at Al-Shifa Hospital at Perintalmanna in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
30/08/10 Arab News, Saudi Arabia

Read More

Fly to Thailand, Dubai from Chandigarh: AAI

Chandigarh: Confident that the domestic terminal — swankier after the renovation — would be good enough for international air traffic, the local airport authorities have proposed starting flights to Dubai, Malaysia and Thailand from Chandigarh.
The delay in construction of the international terminal has led the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to allow international air traffic to and from the renovated domestic terminal, which would begin operations from its new building from December. To woo new players, AAI has also proposed the three possible destinations.
The director of Chandigarh airport, Sunil Dutt, said he had offered starting international flights for three destinations — Dubai, Malaysia and Thailand — from the local airport. ''The proposal was submitted because these were the most sought-after international tourist hubs and there is a huge scope of getting passengers for these places from Tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali as well as from Punjab and Haryana,'' he added.
Dutt said the renovated terminal with advanced facilities would begin functioning from December. ''We're hopeful of receiving a positive response from major players in the aviation sector,'' he added. ''As construction of the international terminal will take a lot of time, we will equip the domestic enclosure with complete infrastructure by December, enabling it to double its capacity,'' the director told TOI.
29/08/10 Times of India

Read More

El Al Israel Airlines looks at introducing services to India

Mumbai: According to a report in travelweekly.com, after being thwarted by the three major global alliances ---Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star, El Al Israel Airlines is going to start its own group of carriers. The new alliance will be called WE — derived from the first initials of Western-Eastern, to capture the scope El Al Israel Airlines hopes the group will have. The airline has been looking for alliance membership to broaden its global reach and has also expressed interest in serving Japan, India and South America.
Reports mention that El Al Israel Airlines already has letters of intent to join the alliance from Russia's UTAir, Ukraine's AeroSvit and Armenian carrier Armavia, and intends to have final agreements within about three months. El Al Israel Airlines plans to sign up 20 airlines by the end of 2011.
28/08/10 TravelBizMonitor

Read More

Nepal airline waits for clearances

Kolkata: Nepalese private carrier Buddha Air expects to get the clearance from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) next week and the nod from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by September-end to start daily flight operations between Kolkata and Kathmandu from the first week of October.
Buddha Air officials told TOI that the airline will operate a 48-seater ATR 42 plane and hopes to do brisk business given that currently only Air India flies three-four times a week between Kolkata and Kathmandu. "We expect the BCAS approval to come in a week and the DGCA nod within a month," said an official. Under the revised Air Service Agreement between Nepal and India, Buddha Air has been designated by the Nepal government to operate flights to Kolkata, Lucknow and Patna. While the airline hopes to start flights between Kathmandu and Lucknow in November, Patna will take a while.
29/08/10 Times of India

Read More

Air Seychelles to launch Chennai service

Starting November of this year, passengers traveling to Chennai, India, will have the possibility of doing so in one non-stop flight, with Air Seychelles. Responding to the increased number of arrivals from the Indian subcontinent and the demand from the local Indian community, Air Seychelles, has decided to launch this service, which will provide a direct air-link to India.
The national airline has recently secured landing rights with the Chennai authorities so as to be able to operate the weekly service. Air Seychelles has explained that it will operate this service on its Mahé-Singapore route. The flight will depart Mahé on Mondays and stopover in Chennai, before going on to Singapore. It will leave Singapore on Wednesdays and return to Mahé, again via Chennai. The national airline has chosen Chennai-based general sales agent, Global Aviation Services, to handle its sales in the Indian destination, which sees quite a lot of traffic to and from Seychelles.
Since many Seychellois travel to Chennai for medical and other purposes, including business transactions, and with many workers of Indian origin coming into Seychelles from and around the Chennai area, there is a sound market for servicing that route.
27/08/10 ForImmediateRelease.Net

Read More

Air India looks for a new hub

New Delhi: Should the cash-strapped national carrier Air India shift its 'expensive' European hub from Frankfurt to a more reasonably priced city or use the home advantage of Delhi's T3 to leverage all its strength here and forgo the base abroad? This is a question that's grappling the airline and the government as they have shortlisted three European cities — Copenhagen, Dublin and Birmingham — as alternatives to Maharaja's German hub which AI cannot afford for too long.
Dublin offers the advantage of having immigration check facility for US that allows passengers to get over with the entry drill there only and then whiz past serpentine queues at New York's JFK or other big American airports on arrival. Britain was keen to have some positive movement on Birmingham as AI's chosen one during its PM's recent visit to India. A number of other airports have also shown interest to get AI's business.
But the aviation ministry is clear that a decision with substantial financial implications won't be taken in a hurry. "From this winter schedule, AI will start using T3 as a hub and launch more non-stop flights to north American cities like Toronto and Chicago. The number of international destinations linked from Delhi will rise to 22 apart from 47 Indian cities in the AI-Indian Airlines network. With this kind of net in Delhi, there's no real need for fund-starved AI to have an expensive hub abroad," sources said.
28/08/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

On AI revamp menu: Non-stop daily flights to Toronto, Chicago

New Delhi: In an attempt to re-invent itself, national carrier Air India may introduce a brand new product in the market by launching non-stop daily flights from New Delhi to Toronto and Chicago. The move is part of the overall restructuring process at Air India that includes route rationalisation.
The loss-making airline would be aiming at launching these routes in the coming winter schedule, added a source. “The airline is working on setting up its hub at the newly opened Terminal 3 at the Delhi airport. Once that is finalised, it would start these two routes,” the source added. The airline hopes to fetch 40 per cent load factors on these flights in the first year of its operations and hopes to break-even on these routes in the third year of its launch.
The airline currently operates daily scissor operations to Toronto via its hub in Frankfurt from New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
28/08/10 Indian Express

Read More

PAL to embark on marketing drive, sets flights to India

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is set to embark on a marketing campaign designed to attract more passengers with an end in view of further improving its bottomline.
In an interview, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista said the flag carrier will be conducting “more promotional programs that would give incentives to its riders” admitting that the Monday Quirino Grandstand hostage carnage may likely dent its revenue performance.
“It will surely affect our route. But hopefully, we will recover and that is the reason why we need to have more promotional programs by giving incentives. It will be a total package, not only affordable rates but including accommodation,” disclosed Bautista.
He believed, however, that the marketing program should be undertaken “closely with government authorities.”
Bautista also disclosed that by March of the coming year, PAL will be mounting direct flights to New Delhi at three times a week. The expansion of its regional routes, particularly in India is to cash-in on its improving economic conditions plus the fact that there are many “Indian nationals here in the Philippines,” Bautista said.
27/08/10 Fil C Sionil/mb.com.ph

Read More

Expat dies at airport

A sick expatriate died at Bahrain International Airport while on his way home for life-saving treatment, it has emerged. Indian Shakkiayalath Kunhammed was admitted to BDF Hospital in July after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
The 54-year-old driver collapsed while parking his minibus.
He was kept in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a week before his condition gradually improved and he was able to speak.
"When his condition improved, his family wanted to take him to Kozhikode, Kerala, for further treatment.
"Papers were prepared and everything was organised with Bahrain Air," Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam acting president Aseel Abdulrahman said.
"A nurse was to accompany him and his sister, but he died while they were at the airport," he said.
27/08/10 Aniqa Haider/Gulf Daily News

Read More

Man arrested in US on jihadi suspicions is RSS activist

Mumbai: Malad filmmaker Vijay Kumar, arrested at Houston airport on Friday for carrying books on Islam, jihadi literature and brass knuckles, is an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist. He has given several lectures on religion across India and even abroad.
Kumar, 40, was detained at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after the authorities found his movements suspicious. He was found in possession of jihadi literature, brass knuckles and a handgun manual.
He was released on a $5,000 bond on Wednesday after a five-day detention.
Kumar resides at Interface Heights in Mailed, but is a native of Delhi. His family lives in Grumman. His advocate Naive Tamale said, “Kumar was an RSV pracharak for 10 years.
Later, he began making music videos and documentaries. He is now a life member of Delhi-based Patriots’ Forum (an organisation set up by retired IAS and IPS officers, and judges). He has got nothing to do with Islam and jihad.
Kumar’s neighbours at Interface Heights know little about him, but enough to say he was never the type to raise suspicion. A neighbour said, “His house often remains locked for weeks, but he has never troubled anyone in the colony.”
26/08/10 Deeptiman Tiwary/Mumbai Mirror

Read More

Indian arrested with jihadi material released on bail

Houston: Indian film maker Vijay Kumar, arrested for carrying jihadi literature and brass knuckles at the airport in Houston, has been released on a USD 5,000 bond and ordered not to move out of the city till Friday.
40-year-old Kumar was arrested at George Bush Intercontinental airport on Friday after "acting suspicious," when screeners thought they saw a possible handgun in a scan of his baggage. He was detained by immigration authorities at immigration holding facility for questioning.
A Malad resident in Mumbai, Kumar was released on bail last night after he spent five days at the Harris County Jail.
Kumar's lawyers Roger Jain and Grant Scheiner said that there is a hearing of the case on Friday, where Kumar has to be present.
"Their client is a documentary filmmaker, who made movies on Islamic terrorism and has been researching a lot on the subject. He was invited by the Hindu Congress to participate in a discussion regarding Islamic terrorism and hence he was carrying literature on the subject. There is no other reason for him to carry the material," Jain said.
25/08/10 Press Trust of India/NDTV.com

Read More

International Aviation Body Says Industry Growth Continues

The leading aviation organization says the global industry continues to grow, with international passenger and freight traffic rising in July. Speaking in Australia, the International Air Transport Association chief executive says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the rest of the year.
The International Air Transport Association predicts that 2010 will be a good year for the 230 airlines it represents.
The optimism is fueled by strong growth in first and business class ticket sales. However, IATA expects growth to slow in the coming months because of weakening consumer demand.
Chief executive Giovanni Bisignani forecasts that the global aviation industry will earn about $2.5 billion in 2010, following two years of losses, should the international economic recovery continue.
The IATA boss says profits will be pushed by stronger demand in Asia, the Middle East and South America, while business in debt-hit Europe remains gloomy.
In July, international passenger demand was up by more than 9 percent, while cargo rose 22 percent.
Bisignani, who is visiting Sydney, said Wednesday the strength of the upturn has come as a surprise.
25/08/10 VOA News.com

Read More

Hong Kong Aviation Capital leases three Airbus 320 to IndiGo airlines

Hong Kong Aviation Capital (HKAC), an investor in global aviation finance, recently announced new leases of three new Airbus 320 aircraft to IndiGo Airlines of India. The leases will start on delivery of the aircraft from Airbus to IndiGo in 2011. HKAC also agreed to extend the leases of four existing A320 aircraft to IndiGo.
The three new A320s will be delivered at manufacturer list prices totaling approximately $200m, and will be on lease to the airline for a period of six years. HKAC is closing the purchase of the new aircraft with support from significant Chinese banking and financial institutions. Upon delivery of the new aircraft, HKAC will have a total of ten A320s on lease to IndiGo. The transaction expands its existing 68 aircraft portfolio with assets totalling approximately $3bn.
HKAC acquired the Allco aviation portfolio in January 2010 and since then has brought on key senior hires, and adopted a new business plan, to leverage its significant capital position by providing liquidity to operators. It says its target is to hit the big time as a top five operating lessor.
25/08/10 Paul Walsh/Asset Finance Europe

Read More

Construction of St. Kitts’ multi-million dollar private jet facility to start February 2011

Basseterre, St. Kitts: Construction of St. Kitts’ multi-million dollar private jet facility at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport is to start in February next year.
U.K-based Veling Aviation (UK) limited Consultant, Michael Dingemans said construction firms or groups of individuals and tradesmen will be able to register their interest and complete the required paper work.
He said the main contractor will be selected by the end of the year and construction is scheduled to start in February 2011. The first phase of the FBO Terminal is to be completed by August 2012.
Dingemans told government, Port Authority and private sector officials at the signing of an agreement between Veling and the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA).
Construction of St. Kitts’ multi-million dollar private jet facility to start February 2011.
The project is a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) project with a term of 30 years. The development will be in phases and will complement the overall development of St. Kitts and Nevis in the tourism and real estate sectors.
Veling was formed in 2002 is a partnership of two like-minded individuals who own the company. Uday Nayak, the Chairman, based in London has had a successful career in the Banking world and comes from an entrepreneurial family from Mumbai, India.
Nirvan Veerasamy, the Managing Director lead successful sales campaign in Asia as a Sales Director with Airbus Industrie and was also the CEO of Air Mauritius, the national airlines of Mauritius.
25/08/10 CUOPM, St. Kitts

Read More

Finnair plans cargo freighter service to India

Nordic carrier Finnair plans to launch a full-fledged freighter service between Helsinki and Mumbai next year after seeing its cargo volumes grow quite impressively from India in recent years, despite the global slowdown.
The airline, which operates scheduled passenger services six-days-a-week between New Delhi and Helsinki, sees itself as an ideal cargo carrier out of India to serve both northern Europe and some member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
'Our experience so far with cargo out of New Delhi has been encouraging. We have space for at least 20 tonnes of cargo in each scheduled passenger flight, and that is being utilised quite well,' said Kuldip Singh Kharayat, area director for Finnair Cargo.
'It is for this reason that we managed to carry 5.4 percent higher volumes from New Delhi last year, despite a 16 percent cut in capacity. This year, so far, our volumes have grown 26 percent,' Kharayat, who overseas the Indian subcontinent, told IANS.
25/08/10 IANS/Sify.com

Read More

Unisys ups presence in airport mkt in India

Chennai/Bangalore: Unisys Corporation through its Indian subsidiary is expanding its presence in the fast-growing aviation sector in the country. The global corporation has announced that its Indian arm, acting as the systems integrator for the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), worked alongside the DIAL to start operations at Terminal 3 at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Terminal 3 was built to cater to the growing aviation industry, and will welcome visitors for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
According to a statement from Unisys, Terminal 3 is an integrated passenger terminal. It will provide additional capacity of 34 million passengers a year to Delhi’s IGI Airport. It will cater to increased air traffic expected for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and thereafter. The terminal covers 502,000 square metres of space with 92 automated walkways and 78 aerobridges. The new terminal is among the largest airport terminal buildings in the world. The cost of the terminal is estimated at approximately Rs 12,850 crores or $2.7 billion.
26/08/10 Business Standard

Read More

Ministry puts temporary curbs on Jet Airways to help Air India

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has decided to temporarily stop granting Jet Airways (India) Ltd any new code-share agreements with foreign carriers that are members of Star Alliance until national carrier Air India joins the international grouping next year, two government officials said.
Air India was invited to join Star Alliance, the biggest of the three global airline alliances, in 2007 and is expecting to join by March. Jet, India’s largest private carrier, hasn’t said when it will join an airline alliance, though it has been gradually collaborating with member airlines of Star Alliance by entering into code-share agreements with them, a move that Air India and the aviation ministry are averse to.
“There can’t be two people in the same boat,” said a top ministry official, who asked not to be named. “They can join (Star Alliance) after Air India has completed the process.”
Star Alliance, OneWorld and SkyTeam are the three international airline alliances.
25/08/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

Read More

Emirates flight with 278 passengers makes emergency landing

Thiruvananthapuram: An Airbus 330-200 aircraft of Emirates bound for Dubai made an emergency landing at the international airport here, 45 minutes after take off, on Tuesday morning following a technical snag.
The EK 523 flight, with 278 passengers on board, took off from the airport at 5.08 a.m. It returned and made a safe landing at 5.53 a.m. under full emergency measures, a top airport official said.
The authorities had informed all the agencies following a message from the pilot to the Air Traffic Control that he was returning following an alert about a ‘snag in the undercarriage' of the aircraft in the cockpit panel.
Shashi Tharoor, MP, and his wife, Sunanda Pushkar, were among the passengers on the flight, which was to depart at 4.35 a.m. The passengers were accommodated in city hotels by the airline.
The airline flew in another aircraft from Dubai to fly the stranded passengers. The flight EK 7007 left for Dubai with 272 passengers, including Mr. Tharoor, at 4.10 p.m.
24/08/10 The Hindu

Read More

Low-cost carriers force Jet to pitch for new routes

As a string of low-cost carriers from West Asia and South-East Asia make a beeline for the lucrative Indian market, the country's largest airline Jet Airways is getting jittery. In a recent presentation to the civil aviation ministry, the airline sought new routes in the international sector, notably in Europe and South-East Asia.
Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal flew down to Delhi and shared his airline's future growth plans with the ministry. Goyal is believed to have asked the ministry to grant it rights to fly to Paris. The proposal was shot down by the ministry as the national carrier Air India already flies on that route.
The airline sought permission for providing connectivity to three-four points in Europe. These points could be Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Milan, said an aviation expert. The carrier operates an international hub in Europe at Brussels and its international operations accounted for 56 per cent of total revenues for April-June 2010-11.
In its medium-term expansion plan, the carrier may be looking at getting a foothold in the North American cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, a source revealed. Jet Airways already operates code-share flights with American Airlines to Chicago. "The airline may start these routes in the next fiscal year, 2011-12, as it fits with its expansion plans," the source added. Its international operations achieved record seat factor of over 80 per cent in Q1 2010-11, continuing to post healthy operating margins. The inroads into the Indian market made by the recent entry of low-cost carriers like Malaysia's Air Asia and UAE's Air Arabia have added to Jet's woes. It has asked the ministry to grant it additional rights to fly to newer destinations in the region like Manila.
25/08/10 Smita Aggarwal/msn.com

Read More

Flying to Europe, US: Some good news, some bad

Ahmedabad: There is good news and bad news for tourists and travellers to European and US destinations. Good news first: the time taken to fly with Air India from Ahmedabad to these places will soon get cut substantially.
But, the flip side is the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) International Airport at Ahmedabad will no more have direct connectivity with Frankfurt as the solitary flight of Air India (AI) Ahmedabad-Frankfurt, connecting the city and Europe directly, will fly for the last time on November 2.
The AI authorities have cancelled the Ahmedabad-Frankfurt flight from November 2 onwards, after its winter schedule was prepared. An official said, "AI authorities have decided to use Delhi's newly-built swanky T3 terminal as a hub for international travellers. This will replace the Frankfurt hub because that has proved to be a costly affair. This will also bring down the travel time for passengers headed for these destinations."
According to AI sources, the move is based on pure economics and will give a better experience to the international passengers.
25/08/10 Kumar Manish/Times of India

Read More

Air India to lose Kathmandu-Kolkata monopoly

Kathmandu: From Oct 1, India’s national carrier Air India will lose its monopoly on the Kolkata-Kathmandu-Kolkata sector with independent Nepali airline Buddha Air beginning its inaugural flights between the two cities.
The 13-year Nepali airline, which went international this month by becoming the first foreign airline to fly to the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, may not just end Air India’s stranglehold on this sector but outpace it totally with plans to operate seven flights weekly while Air India runs just four flights a week.
Besides an embassy in New Delhi, Nepal also has a consulate in Kolkata.
Air India will also lose its monopoly on the Kathmandu-Varanasi sector with Buddha Air beginning four flights a week between the two cities from Oct 15. From the same day, it will also start flights to Lucknow, which till now has no direct air link with Kathmandu.
25/08/10 Thaindian.com, Thailand

Read More

Four caught on Mumbai CCTV, then at Dubai airport for diamond heist

Mumbai: A Venezuelan and three Mexicans, including a woman, have been detained in Dubai for their alleged role in the theft of diamonds worth Rs 6.6 crore from an exhibition in Mumbai, the Crime Branch said today.
They were on their way from Mumbai to Hamburg when the UAE police detained them at the airport Tuesday. The diamonds, stolen Monday night, have been recovered and are being brought back, Jt CP (Crime) Himanshu Roy said.
The diamonds, 887.24 carats, belong to Israeli company Dalumi Group. CCTV cameras at the India International Jewellery Exhibition on the NSE grounds, Goregaon East, had captured the four near the company’s stall. The police checked passport copies that all visitors had submitted at entry, established the identities of the four, and issued a lookout notice.
“Officials of Crime Branch Unit 12 and Goregaon East police station began perusing the CCTV footage. We identified the foreign nationals who were seen near the stall and based on the registration details that invitees were expected to fill, we identified the suspects,” Roy said.
25/08/10 Indian Express

Read More

RBI questions FDI changes in aviation sector

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India has sought clarification on some specific changes in the new foreign direct investment (FDI) policy and the rationale for the shift before it incorporates them in the foreign exchange rules.
In a letter to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the key government body for framing foreign investment policy, the Reserve Bank of India has questioned the policy changes in certain aviation sectors.
The new FDI policy issued on April 1 has retained the 74% ceiling on non-scheduled air transport services, chartered and cargo airlines, and ground handling services.
However, the new policy allows only 49% FDI under the automatic route as opposed to entire 74% earlier. Any foreign investment in excess of 49% has to now be approved by the Foreign Investments Promotion Board, or FIPB.
The RBI has asked the DIPP to not only confirm the change but also give the rationale for this tightening of the rules before it notifies the changes in the Foreign Exchange Management Act, or FEMA.
24/08/10 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

Read More

Bail reduced for man arrested at airport with brass knuckles

Houston: A judge Monday lowered the bail for an Indian man arrested for carrying brass knuckles and suspicious Islamic jihad literature in a Houston airport last week.
A documentary film maker from India, Vijay Kumar was in Houston to lecture a Hindu organization about Islamic fundamentalism and the books packed in his checked luggage were educational tools, authorities and his lawyer said.
State District Judge David Mendoza lowered Kumar's bail from $50,000 to $5,000 after learning more details about the case and that prosecutors were willing to let him plead to time served for unlawfully carrying a weapon in an airport.
"I think that everybody realized that he is not a threat. He's a peaceful man," his attorney Grant Scheiner said."He was here to visit the Hindu Congress of America, to deliver a lecture. It was about an interfaith discussion between Hindus and Muslims about the harms of terrorism."
Prosecutor Mary Irvine said in court that Kumar was detained at George Bush Intercontinental on Friday after "acting suspicious."
The situation escalated, Irvine said, after screeners thought they saw a possible handgun in a scan of Kumar's baggage and an explosives residue test showed a false positive for Kumar's baggage.Investigators found the brass knuckles, a manual for a handgun and Islamic literature in Kumar's checked luggage.
23/08/10 Brian Rogers/Chron.com

Read More

Airport on alert for foreign jewel thieves

The Mumbai airport was put on high alert at 2.30 am today, as the Goregaon police came close to cracking the Rs 6.5-crore diamond heist at the India International Jewellery Show organised at NSE Grounds.
Based on the footage from the CCTVs installed at the venue, the cops have identified three foreign nationals, including a woman as suspects. Custom officials have been informed about the heist and are on a vigil and so is the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), according to the police.
"There is a possibility that the foreigners might leave the state or even flee from the country. So, we are taking help from the airport security and CISF for tracing the three suspects," said a senior cop investigating the case.
"After going through the CCTV footage, the police have given us sketches of the three suspects and we are on the look out," added a CISF official, requesting anonymity.
The Goregoan police also deployed two teams at the airport to look out for the suspects, after they questioned four people working at the exhibition late last night.
24/08/10 Vikas Mishra/MiD DAY

Read More

Air Asia to push for 'open skies' for India

Malaysia-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Air Asia is pushing for open skies rights for India. The issue is expected to come up for discussion in the meeting between the two governments on aviation bilaterals sometime this month.
"In the bilateral meeting, we will push for open skies for India, allowing us to connect any part of the country. India is a huge country and can become a huge market for us," said a senior Air Asia executive, on the sidelines of the launch of the Delhi-Kuala Lumpur flight. Open skies is an international policy concept which calls for the liberalisation of rules and regulations on international aviation industry especially commercial aviation. The policy allows both sides to fly as many flights to each others countries subject to availability of airport capacity. India already has an open skies policy with the US.
23/08/10 Mihir Mishra/Sify.com

Read More

Sick pilot delays flight by 8 hrs

Lucknow: A day after a pilot of an Air India flight, plying between Lucknow and New Delhi, reported a snag in its engine and aborted the take off, passengers of an international flight got stranded at Amausi Airport on Sunday, after the pilot reportedly refused to fly the aircraft citing sickness.
Flight SX 881 of Saudi Arabian Airlines with 284 passengers on board was supposed to leave the Amausi Airport at about 9.40am to Jeddah. However, the pilot reported uneasiness and refused to fly. While airport authorities refused to say anything officially, they admitted that one of the international flights did get delayed.
The pilot was later taken to the hospital.
It was only eight hours later, at around 6.30pm, that the second pilot flew the aircraft to its destination.
23/08/10 Times of India

Read More

IBS Inks Deal with TUI Group Airlines

Trivandrum: In a significant development that underscores its deep domain expertise and technology competence, IBS Software, the IT specialists for the global aviation industry, inked a 5 year landmark deal with TUI Group Airlines. Under the contract, IBS will provide professional services, including development, support and maintenance services for TUI’s Integrated Disposition Planning and Statistics product (IDPS). IDPS manages flight planning & control, crewing & rostering, flight operations, maintenance planning, HR, Statistics & Reporting. IBS will create transformational value for TUI by building a robust and predictable Service Delivery model and continuously optimize TUI’s operational processes while providing a common user experience across the Group’s airlines using the IDPS system. IBS will also help TUI control costs through continuous improvements in operational efficiency and provide them the business agility to meet the changing demands of the market.
22/08/10 PR.com

Read More

Aviation ministry opposes UK's departure tax plan

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is against the proposal of the UK government to charge departure tax on airlines on the basis of the number of aircraft flying to and from the country, instead of the number of seats filled in every aircraft.
The prevalent practice is that airlines have to pay between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500 per filled seat as departure tax. Meanwhile, London’s airports have started charging £416 for using its VIP lounge at Terminal 5, the newest such facility. “There is no such charge levied at any other airport across the world,” said a senior ministry official.
Departure tax being charged on per-aircraft basis would mean that an airline would have to pay for all the seats available in an aircraft and not just for the filled seats. Even if the load factor for an airline is below flying capacity of its aircraft, it would have to shell out for the vacant seats. This would ultimately increase the fare on the routes.
“...How can one be charged for unfilled seats? It will be suicidal for airlines during non-peak seasons when the aircraft go vacant. ..” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The three Indian carriers — Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines — have 17 flights to London every week, all to Heathrow Airport.
23/08/20 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

Read More

Indian passenger arrested at Houston airport with jihadist books, a weapon

Houston: A passenger from Mumbai, India was sweating and shifting back and forth and fidgeting with his hands as he stood in line at the Intercontinental Airport Terminal E security checkpoint.
When 40-year-old Vijay Kumar was pulled aside for secondary screening, after raising suspicion with Transportation Security Administration 'behavioral detection officers,' even more alarm was raised by what was found.
One law enforcement officer said, "He had a ton of books," including jihadist books and publications written in Arabic. Some focused on espionage and other diagrams seemed to explain how certain US military weapons can be taken apart in the field.
The title of one book was "Spycraft" and another was titled "New Voices of Islam" and police noticed mentions of "infidels" in some of the writings that could be made out clearly.
The books and radical Muslim material was found in stacks, packed in Kumar's carry-on luggage, according to the police report.
Officers also found a pair of brass-knuckles in the luggage he had checked with his airline to be carried in the cargo hold of the aircraft. In Texas, brass-knuckles are prohibited by law so he was booked on a felony charge of Possessing a Prohibited Weapon in a Prohibited Place (airport).
FBI agents were called to the secondary screening area where Kumar was being detained. Agents are now checking his name on terror watch lists and 'no fly' lists, but there is no indication that his name has appeared on any of those lists.
In addition to the brass knuckles and the jihadist publications, police confiscated more than $10,000 in cash that Kumar is accused of carrying on his trip.
Federal law requires anyone carrying $10,000 or more to declare the currency to Customs agents, but law enforcement officials said there was no such declaration for Kumar.
Police and FBI agents said they were turning their attention to Kumar's background and what he was doing in Houston.
Kumar told police he was in Houston attending an "Islamic seminar." A search of federal court records in Houston shows a 2007 lawsuit filed by a man with the same name, same age, and same hometown as Kumar. In that lawsuit, Kumar described himself as a native and citizen of India, who was admitted to the United STates in 2004 on a student visa to the University of Connecticut.
The lawsuit said he had earlier studied at Texas Tech University after entering the US in 2003. He then transferred to University of Connecticut, where the lawsuit said he earned an MBA degree to bolster his undergraduate engineering degree.
The lawsuit said he married a US citizen in 2004 and he filed to change his immigration status to allow him to remain in the US past his student visa in 2005.
It was unclear Friday night whether federal agents would be placing a "hold" on Kumar, which would keep him locked up while further investigation is conducted.
21/08/10 examiner.com, US

Read More

NRI businessmen want more equity in new Kerala airport

Thiruvananthapuram: The Non-resident Indian (NRI) businessmen who attended an investors’ meet called by the Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) here Saturday insisted that the private investors must get majority stake in the company.
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, the chairman of the company who presided over the meeting, assured that their demand will be taken up for discussion at the next meeting of the KIAL board of directors.
Prominent NRIs who attended the meeting include Yousuffali MA of the UAE-based Emke group, P. Mohammed Ali of Galfar group, Oman, and C.K. Menon of Doha-based Behzad group. Yousuffali and Ali are also directors of the Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIA) in which private individuals and institutions hold the majority stake.
The government has decided to hold 26 percent equity in KIAL and allot 23 percent shares to the public sector undertakings and two percent to the government-promoted companies that are not PSUs, limiting the stake of private institutions and individuals to 49 percent.
KIAL Managing Director V. Thulasidas, a former chairman and managing director of National Aviation Co. of India Ltd., which runs Air India, and other directors, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, Principal Secretary Venu V., and Air India former CMD E.K. Bharat Bhushan also attended the meeting held at the Kanakakkunnu Palace.
According to the company authorities, 959.72 acres of land had been acquired so far in the Mattannur municipality and Keezhallur village areas for the project, the fourth international airport in the state. In the second phase, 783 acres more land has been notified and is expected to be taken over in six months.
21/08/10 Ashraf Padanna/Arab News

Read More

Air-India Express plans to reshedule Kozhikode flights

Kochi: Air-India Express may reschedule its Gulf sector flights bound for Kozhikode between 6 am and 9 am in view of frequent diversions caused by bad weather and poor visibility.
AI chairman and managing director Aravind Jadhav said this here today after discussions with representatives of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), leading hotels and travel agents’ associations.
The meeting of the high-power committee of AI was held under the initiative of P C Chacko, MP. It discussed grievances of passengers, anomalies of operations of AI and Air India Express (IX) and remedial measures.
Jadhav said AI would launch direction operations, if feasible, to Europe and beyond by linking Kochi and Delhi. This was in the light of passengers missing their Europe and West-bound connection flights in Mumbai. The airline would soon conduct a survey to look into the viability of the proposed schedule.
22/08/10 John Mary/The Peninsula, Qatar

Read More

Woman caught with drugs at Dubai airport

Dubai: Police arrested an African woman for allegedly trying to smuggle a large quantity of methamphetamines and heroin while in transit at Dubai International Airport.
The suspect, M.M., arrived from Hyderabad, India and was on her way to Nairobi, Kenya when an airport official became suspicious of her during a routine baggage check.
Noticing strange-looking objects in her luggage, the official searched her suitcase and found fish concealed in the bag's lining. Methamphetamine weighing more than 5kg was found inside the fish while the second suitcase yielded two packages of heroin, weighing 2.6kg.
M.M. admitted during interrogation that a friend in India had asked her to bring the suitcases to Johannesburg. She said he'd provided her with the tickets and a small amount of money.
22/08/10 Gulf News, UAE

Read More

Medical fitness norms tightened for foreign pilots, Centre tells HC

Chennai: The Civil Aviation Requirements, which prescribe norms for hiring foreign pilots by airlines in India, have been amended and a discriminatory clause which lays down "unreasonably low" experience and medical fitness standards for foreign pilots has been done away with, the Centre informed the Madras high court on Friday.
A submission to this effect was made by additional solicitor-general of South India, M Ravindran, when a PIL filed by the Mumbai-based Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots came up for hearing before the first bench comprising Chief Justice M Yusuf Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam. Taking the submission into consideration, the court directed the petitioner place its objections before the competent authority.
The PIL said that foreign pilots engaged by airlines in India under the Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) need not undergo medical checks which are mandatory for Indian pilots.
V Prakash, senior counsel for the society, said though Indian pilots have to undergo additional medical tests when they reach the age of 55, 57, 59 and 60, foreign pilots were not subjected to these tests. The society also alleged that many of the 174 foreign pilots flying under the FATA did not have satisfactory medical fitness and experience.
Ravindran, however, submitted that through an amendment dated June 8, 2010, identical medical standards have been made applicable to Indian as well as foreign pilots and that the petitioners cannot have any grievance now.
21/08/10 Times of India

Read More

Jet Airways plane makes emergency landing following bomb scare

Muscat/Mumbai: A bomb scare on board a Jet Airways Kuwait-Mumbai flight carrying 160 people forced it to make an emergency landing at Muscat airport on Friday but it turned out to be a hoax. Omani authorities received a tip off that a bomb might be aboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft following which they alerted its crew.
The crew then decided to divert to Muscat where the plane landed safely at 1 am local time, about two-and-a-half hours after departure from Kuwait City.
A subsequent search of the aircraft, luggage and passengers found no trace of any explosives.
The plane later took off and landed in Mumbai at 9.40 am.
20/08/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

Read More

Katrina Kaif to fly high as Etihad's brand ambassador

Mumbai: Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif has been named the brand ambassador of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, an official said.
The announcement will be made in Mumbai Tuesday in the presence of Etihad Airways' vice-president (Marketing) Andrew Ward, and country manager (India) Neerja Bhatia in the presence of Katrina Kaif, the official said.
According to the official, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the increasingly competitive luxury airline segment, Etihad Airways is constantly developing and communicating its unmatched and uncompromised service to patrons.
Katrina, 27, currently ranks as the top Bollywood star and has soared to this position in less than seven years, which has resulted in a string of awards to her credit.
19/08/10 Indo Asian News Service/NDTV.com

Read More

DGCA notice on delays ticks off foreign airlines

New Delhi: In a first of its kind, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued notices ticking off some foreign airlines on the grounds that very few or none of their flights arrive or depart from India on time. More importantly, showcauses are being served to 22 international airlines for not submitting their on-time performance (OTP) figures. It is mandatory for all carriers, Indian and foreign, to file OTP figures every month.
Records for July show that the overall OTP of the 48 international carriers that give their figures was 69.5% for departures and 60.1% for arrivals, a sharp drop from previous months.
19/08/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

British Airways, Kingfisher to announce a codeshare agreement

Mumbai/New Delhi: Premier airlines, British Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, are likely to announce a codeshare agreement next month which would facilitate seamless travel for passengers, who can also enjoy benefits while travelling on each other's networks.
An official announcement to this effect is expected to be made during the visit of British Airways CEO Willie Walsh to India early September, sources close to the development told PTI.
Codeshare allows an airline to book air tickets for its customers on its partner carriers. The frequent flyers of one airline can earn mileage points while travelling on the other's network.
The BA prefix would be added to flights by the Indian carrier to various points across the Indian sub-continent, while Kingfisher's IT designator would be placed on services operated by the UK carrier to key cities in Europe.
18/08/10 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Special flight to link Mumbai to Maldives

Male: Maldives, known for its exotic locales and breathtaking beauty, can now be accessed by Indian tourists through a special charter flight from Mumbai, to be launched in October this year.
The flight between Mumbai and Gan, the southern part of the Maldives, will commence operations on October 2 as part of an initiative by a leading travel company, which is offering special holiday packages for this country.
"Initially it will be a twice a week flight from Mumbai to Gan, whose operations are expected to be scaled up at a later stage," Keyur Joshi, co-founder and COO of MakeMyTrip, told reporters here yesterday.
The company is offering special holiday packages in association with the Tourism Ministry of the Maldives from October 2010 to February 2011 with the starting price of Rs 29,990 in a bid to boost the tourist arrivals from India, where people perceive this country as a high-end destination.
18/08/10 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Kingfisher to seek compensation for grounding of aircraft

New Delhi: Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines plans to seek compensation from the manufacturer of the engine that led to the grounding of nine of its Airbus 320 aircraft. Though the company spokesperson declined to comment on the compensation amount, industry sources put it at Rs 1,000 crore. An airline executive said the figure would include cost of repair and revenue losses due to grounding the aircraft.
"As a result of the identified engine issue, there were extraordinary repair costs on account of other engine issues after the aircraft went for repair. Revenue losses would also be a part of the compensation," said the executive, who did not want to be identified.
The engine, manufactured by International Aero Engines (IAE), a joint venture between four aviation companies, including Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce, is fitted on aircraft belonging to the Airbus A320 family.
An email question to the spokesperson of the engine manufacturer did not elicit any response.
IAE V2500 engines fitted on the airplanes of Kingfisher Airlines experienced technical issues with the HPC stage 3-8 drum assembly. There were issues with the silver nuts in the engine, which broke due to excessive heat. India’s largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, which operates 27 Airbus 320 aircraft, faced similar problems with the engine. The problem was rectified by the engine manufacturer, as IndiGo has a post-delivery agreement with the company on this.
18/08/10 Business Standard

Read More

95 Maldives Airports Company employees to be transferred to GMR

Male: Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has decided to transfer 92 employees of Corporate Services Department and another three employees to India’s GMR.
According to a circular issued by MACL, under the agreement between the government and GMR, employees associated with the operation of Male International Airport will be transferred to the joint venture company.
The circular noted that all the employees other than those working at Air Traffic Services Section of the Airport Operational Services Department, Aviation Security Command of Aviation Support Services Department, Security and Facilitation Services will be transferred to the joint venture company. All the employees of Engineering and Maintenance Services Department, Logistics and Utilities Department and 92 employees of Corporate Services Department will also be transferred.
MACL Managing Director Mohamed Ibrahim said transferring employees would be according to the agreement. Only about 40 employees will be working at the company’s Head Office as administrative staff, he added.
17/08/10 haveeru online

Read More

Is Indian Airbus A330 order hostage to the U.S. tanker bid?

Airbus has delayed delivery of 12 A330-200 freighters to India's Flyington Freighters because the U.S. is rebidding its aerial refueling tanker competition, a senior executive with the airline told Defense News.
The planes had been set for delivery in July 2008 but now may slip into 2011, and the Hyderabad-based airline is threatening to sue Airbus, Defense News reported.
The quick version is that Airbus used the Flyington order to show the viability of its plan to build airframes for the tanker and commercial A330s at a new plant in Mobile, Ala., and only intended to deliver the freighters if it won the tanker contract, the executive said in the story.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned an award to a Northrop Grumman-EADS team and ordered a redo of the tanker competition in 2008, after congressional auditors found serious flaws in the process.
17/08/10 Seattle pi

Read More

Hamilton Airport authorities uncover heroin stash

Authorities at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport have uncovered 360 grams of heroin worth about $150,000. The Canadian Border Services Agency said the drugs were discovered in a shipment of paper and nylon lampshades in a courier package from India. The drugs were concealed between wooden strips that had been glued together.
17/08/10 680 News

Read More

AI's entry into Star Alliance delayed again

New Delhi: Air India’s plans of joining the global airline network Star Alliance could get delayed again as the air carrier has not been able to get its employees appropriate training. The airline had fixed March 2011 as its outer deadline to join Alliance, which will open new routes and boost traffic for the carrier.
The debt-laden airline has not been able to commence a programme, the commercial transformation project (CTP), to train and bring employees to the standards recommended by the Star Alliance. “This project (CTP) is a prelude to joining the Star Alliance but it hasn’t even started due to unnecessary delays at AI’s end,” a government official told ET.
The delay comes despite the airline setting up a three-member committee to chart a course for the training so that Air India could join the alliance on time. “That (committee) has not even met, delaying the process. There is no clarity on the matter,” said an airline official, adding that the CTP will cost lot more now. In November 2009, Air India signed an agreement with London-headquartered management consulting firm Mckinsey and Co to implement the training project at a fee of Rs 12.86 crore. “Now, that the programme has not taken off for eight months, McKinsey has hiked fee by 25%, means Rs 3.2 crore more, which could have been avoided,” the airline official said.
17/08/10 Aindya Upadhyay/Times of India

Read More

Air India increases compensation claim from Boeing for delivery delays

National Aviation Company of India, the state-owned parent of Air India, is seeking about US$840 million in compensation from Boeing Corporation for the near three year delay of its 787 Dreamliner jets.
The previous demand of $710 million made in January 2009 was raised by National Aviation last week, Bloomberg reported. Air India's original commitment for 27 Dreamliners was targeted for delivery by September 2008, but is now expected to start delivery in the second quarter of 2011, according to the president of Boeing India, Dinesh Keskar.
The delay has hampered Air India's growth plans and saddled them with additional costs, said National Aviation in a recent statement. The airline, which has not posted a profit since its formation in 2007, said it may increase the demand for compensation should Boeing further set back the deliveries.
17/08/10 eTravel Blackboard

Read More

Foreign carriers get ministry backing on agents commission

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has quashed the order of sector regulator directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) asking foreign carriers to pay fixed commission to travel agents in the country. In a veiled instruction to the agency the ministry has asked it to rectify its interpretation of Aircraft Rules.
The ministry in a communication to the DGCA head Nasim Zaidi has made it clear that foreign carriers cannot be forced to pay commission to the agents.
“There is no violation of any provision of the Aircraft Rules by the foreign airlines if they do not pay commission to the travel agents. It’s clear that the commission will form part of tariff only if it is paid, not otherwise,” the ministry has said in the communication.
The ministry has also said that there is no express provision in the Aircraft Rules making it mandatory for the airlines to pay commission to agents.
“The airlines cannot be asked to pay commission only on the ground that the commission figures in the definition of tariff,” it said.
The current definition of tariff includes commission to agents if airlines agree to pay.
Over 2,400 travel agents in the country under the banner of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) and IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) had been protesting against foreign carriers’ decision to scrap fixed commission regime. The agents had last year moved to Karnataka and Kerala high courts challenging airlines’ decision. Following this the Kerala high court asked the DGCA to examine the issue and see if the foreign carriers’ move was in accordance with the law.
The DGCA later issued a directive upholding travel agents’ demand to reinstate commission.
16/08/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Financial Express

Read More

Destination India

New Delhi: Serving under-served routes in India is paying rich dividends for Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia. Can the largest low-cost carrier in South-East Asia stay ahead of rivals? Tiruchirappalli or Trichy lies somewhere in the middle of the highway that connects Chennai with Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the country. It is a hub for industrial engineering, houses a number of institutions of higher education — some of them over a hundred years old — and is famous for its temples. It is an ancient city and the fourth-largest urban centre of Tamil Nadu. Still, it is an unlikely place for an aggressive international budget airline to start its Indian operations.
But that’s precisely what AirAsia, the largest low-cost carrier in South-East Asia, has done. It found that people from Trichy travelled first to Chennai and then took a connecting flight to destinations like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. It was expensive, and it wasted a lot of their time.
AirAsia moved quickly to plug the need gap. And it has done so in its signature style: It has mounted no less than 10 weekly flights from the city to Kuala Lumpur; and the average return fare is Rs 12,000 — almost half of the Rs 21,000 that it cost earlier. And while Air India Express, the low-cost arm of state-owned Air India, has now matched the AirAsia fare, it does not offer a direct flight and has a stopover at Chennai. The news is that all of AirAsia flights are choc-a-bloc. Trichy could one day make it to a business school case study.
Having discovered Trichy, Anthony Francis “Tony” Fernandes, the maverick promoter of AirAsia, is not taking life easy. He means serious business. Last week, AirAsia launched a daily Airbus A-330 flight from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur at a basic fare of, hold your breadth, just Re 1 for two days. After taxes and other charges, the price to the traveller comes to Rs 1,633 for a one-way ticket — nearly one seventh of what you would have to fork out for a direct flight on any other airline.
16/08/10 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

Read More

‘More checks for expat pilots’

In their submission to the court inquiring into the Mangalore crash, Indian pilots have demanded that pilots hired by Indian carriers from other countries be put through rigorous background checks and stricter regulations.
The Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) has asked the court to probe the training and medical fitness records of Capt Zlatko Glusica, the Serbian commander of the plane that crashed.
It wants the court to check if he had the proficiency to operate the B-737 plane. It also wants the court to probe whether his medical tests were in conformity with Indian standards.
Additionally, the pilot's body has sought a probe into whether both the commander and his colleague co-pilot Capt H S Ahluwalia were fatigued due to an overnight flight from Dubai.
Foreign pilots working in India are issued a Foreign Air Crew Temporary Authorisation, a permit to fly in India. DGCA has allowed airlines to retain foreign pilots till next July.
15/08/10 Mumbai Mirror

Read More

Airlines feel the pinch as expat pilots' scrutiny gets tougher

Mumbai: Getting a Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA), the mandatory stamp of approval the expatriate pilots need from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to work in Indian carriers, was easy all these years.
After the Mangalore air crash though, the licences and medical files of foreign pilots are being put through much scrutiny by the DGCA.
Air India Express learnt it the hard way when FATA approval of 33 expatriate commanders expired on July 30 and could not be renewed on time. For want of cockpit crew, Indian Airlines aircraft, pilots and flight attendants have been operating some of Air India Express flights since August 1. With about 384 expatriate pilots employed with the country's carriers, there could be similar crisis in store for other airlines.
Air India Express, which operates a fleet of 21 B 737 aircraft employs 130 commanders (out of which 47 are expatriates) apart from 124 Indian co-pilots, according to the airline spokesperson. With 33 commanders grounded, the airline's aircraft utilisation has gone down as B737s are being scheduled for lesser flights.
Initially, AI Express was confident of getting the documents of its 33 commanders in place by August 4, then the deadline was moved to August 7, August 11 and now finally the IC operations department has been told they would need to help out till August 14.
14/08/10 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Jet Airways crew under fire over smuggled smokes choose to resign

Mumbai: In a country where a pack of cigarettes cost Rs 440 (£6), smuggling them from India is perhaps the easiest way to make a quick buck. However, this cost two Jet Airways crew their jobs. They were apprehended at London’s Heathrow Airport on charges of smuggling cigarettes in February and May this year.
The two were de-rostered on their arrival in India and were served a letter seeking an explanation. Fearing termination, the crew members chose to resign.
The first incident was on February 21 when a crew member on flight No 9W 118 (Mumbai-London) was found carrying 9,000 cigarettes (45 cartons). The second incident was on May 30 when a crew member on 9W 120 was found carrying 1,800 cigarettes with him (nine cartons). As per the United Kingdom customs regulation, a traveller from outside the EU can carry 200 cigarettes (one carton). The entitlement for airline crew is the same.
Simon Barrett, press officer in the UK Border Agency, which controls immigration and customs, confirmed the incidents. A source with the airline said, “In both cases the crew were de-rostered on their arrival in India and were served a letter seeking an explanation. Fearing termination, they chose to resign.”
13/08/10 Aneesh Phadnis/Mumbai Mirror

Read More

India sore over UK move to tax airlines on seat basis

The UK government’s move to charge airlines even on empty seats has not gone down well with the Indian civil aviation ministry. The UK authorities have proposed that every airline from across the world flying there should be taxed on the number of seats instead of passengers carried by them.
“This is just not possible. We are not the only one opposing the idea. We have asked the Indian high commission in London to give us a report on the exact proposal, then only we would take up the issue,” an aviation ministry said.
The UK levy is christened as London departure tax that varies between Rs 4,500 to Rs 7,500 per passenger, depending on economy or business class. Currently, domestic carriers Air India (AI), Jet Airways and Kingfisher fly to UK.
While Air India has 17 weekly flights to London from Delhi and Mumbai, Jet has 21 flights a week, two from Mumbai and one from Delhi every day. Kingfisher has 11 weekly flights to London. The average load factor on this route hovers around 70 per cent for all the carriers. The ministry official said even if taxes are levied on reciprocal basis, it would impact domestic carriers.
12/08/10 Parul Chhaparia/mydigitalfc.com

Read More

Jet Airways log strong growth in July, 2010

Mumbai: Capitalizing on the improvement in global business and holiday passenger traffic to overseas destinations, Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, has yet again achieved impressive seat factors of over 83.1% for its international operations. The airline has clocked a strong 27.8% growth in international revenue passengers which stood at 3.89 lakh in July 2010 as compared to the same period last year.
Jet Airways carried 7.82 lakh domestic revenue passengers in July 2010, while the seat factor for the airline's domestic operations also stood at an impressive 73.8%, a marked improvement over the same period last year. This at a time that is considered the slack travel season, especially for domestic travel given the onset of the monsoons bodes well for the airline, as it has helped Jet Airways clock ten consecutive months of impressive growth in passenger traffic and also retain its overall market leadership.
JetLite, the wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways India Ltd, has similarly posted a 16% increase in revenue passengers, carrying over 3.27 lakh in July 2010. JetLite also clocked a buoyant seat factor of 76.8% for July 2010, aided by improved services and enhanced on time reliability, which have enabled the airline to improve its penetration in the value carrier segment.
According to Mr. Nikos Kardassis, CEO, Jet Airways, “The organization’s strong performance for the tenth-consecutive month highlights, that we are the preferred airline carrier both internationally and in India for our guests. Jet Airways has retained the leadership position in an increasingly competitive market thanks to several initiatives such as constant product and service innovation, newly introduced codeshares, improved On Time Performance, all of which has manifested itself in superior service quality, greater reliability and enhanced connectivity for our guests. More importantly, it has been the unwavering dedication and commitment of our employees that have played a decisive role in helping retain our leadership in the India aviation sector, while staying one step ahead of the growth curve.”
12/08/10 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

Read More

USFedEx launches direct cargo flight from Bangalore to Europe, US

Bangalore: FedEx Express India has launched a new direct cargo flight from Bangalore to Europe, US and the Middle East and also announced expansion of its domestic express delivery service to 58 cities from 14 as demand grows.
FedEx Express India is a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., the world’s largest express transportation company.
Bangalore becomes the third Indian gateway for FedEx after Delhi and Mumbai.
FedEx will add cities such as Secunderabad, Tirupur, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Thane and Navi Mumbai into the service points from August 2010 .
12/08/10 P Manoj/Live Mint

Read More

Emirati collapses at Hyderabad airport after argument

Hyderabad: A UAE national suffering from a heart ailment collapsed at the check-in counter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad after a heated argument by the staff on the issue of excess baggage.
The dispute and the arguments over baggage caused Farzana Naushad Ali to miss her flight to Dubai yesterday morning and was forced to return from the airport. Farzana, who is a regular visitor to Hyderabad for checkup and medical treatment at Care Hospital and Apollo Hospital for a heart ailment, did not receive any help from the airport staff and it was left to a co-passenger to help her and offer water.
A tearful Farzana, who was to travel by Air India, told the reporters that she will never forget the way she was insulted by the counter staff, including a lady. "What angered me most was she kept objecting to the weight of my medical record. She asked me how can I carry 2 kg of paper. I explained to her that it was absolutely necessary for me to keep the record with me as I am prone to a heart attack any time. But she did not listen and I was harassed and mentally tortured," she said.
She suffered an injury on her forehead after she fell down on the ground.
13/08/10 Omer Farooq/Gulf News, UAE

Read More

ARINC Launches the Passenger Systems at India’s Largest Airport Terminal

Singapore: ARINC Incorporated has successfully cut over and launched the passenger technology for India’s largest airport terminal—the newly constructed Terminal 3 (T3) at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi.
T3 welcomed its first international flights on July 14 from Air India's Boeing 777 and Emirates' Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft. International operations were cut over smoothly from existing Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 on July 28, and preparations for full service carriers to start domestic operations are under way.
T3 is poised to serve huge numbers of international visitors for the highly anticipated 2010 Commonwealth Games, scheduled later this year. ARINC completed a similar project last year, installing passenger systems for IGIA’s domestic Terminal 1D.
The T3 project is massive, involving deployment of more than 550 ARINC vMUSETM passenger check-ins and ARINC’s BagLinkTM Baggage Messaging. ARINC also worked in partnership with Quantum Aviation Solutions to install 90 hand-held scanners for the automated baggage reconciliation system (BRS) that will handle 12,800 pieces of baggage per hour. Network connectivity across the airlines’ DCS hosts and back offices is provided by ARINC’s AviNet® Airport technology.
To enhance security, ARINC has deployed its new VeriPaxSM service at T3—the first implementation of VeriPax at an Indian airport. Security agencies use VeriPax to automatically validate boarding passes against the airport’s operational database, to prevent fraudulent passengers from entering the secure hold area.
Mr. I. Prabhakara Rao, Chief Executive Officer (Airport Development) of Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd. (DIAL), said “Passenger Delight has always been one single goal for us at DIAL, and I strongly believe that we will achieve that with the opening of T3. We have worked very closely with ARINC to implement the best ideas and solutions in the industry.”
Jim L. Martin, Managing Director of ARINC’s Asia Pacific Division, said “Our projects at New Delhi IGIA Terminals 1D and 3 are testament to the confidence DIAL has placed in ARINC to manage all their passenger technology needs. We will continue to support DIAL, with a team dedicated to growing the airport into a major hub in the region. We also look forward to future opportunities to support the growth of aviation in India.”
Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) is a consortium led by GMR Group and comprised of Airports Authority of India, Fraport AG, Eraman Malaysia, and India Development Fund. DIAL has been given the mandate to operate, maintain, develop, design, construct, finance, upgrade, and modernize Indira Gandhi International Airport until 2036. Terminal 3 is an integrated passenger terminal complex designed to handle 37 million passengers per year, and it will help handle the influx of visitors for the Commonwealth Games scheduled in Delhi in October.
ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified. For more information, visit the web site at www.arinc.com.
12/08/10 PRESS RELEASE/ARINC Inc

Read More

Cabin crew salute NY hero Steven Slater who slid out of job

Mumbai: Each time an aircraft's inflatable emergency evacuation slide is deployed, it has to make news. But no slide has ever been rolled down to arrest the salaried lot's attention, the way the one on Jetblue's flight 1052 did after cabin crew member Steven Slater deployed it to make the most dramatic walkout an employee must have made from a job.
If you have not yet been clued in on the latest commoner-who-turned-hero- overnight episode, then here is the story. Jetblue's flight attendant Slater instructs an errant passenger to sit down after she gets up to retrieve her luggage. The passenger defies him. He walks up to the passenger only to get hit on head with the luggage that was being pulled out. Slater demands an apology and gets verbally abused instead. He goes to the aircraft's public-address system and curses the passenger for all to hear. Then, after declaring that 20 years in the airline industry was enough, he activates the inflatable evacuation slide at a service exit, grabs two cans of beer, exits and goes home.
Overnight, Steven has become a cult icon in America. New York Times asked its readers to write in their meltdown moments. On Facebook, Slater has been cruising at an incredible speed of 100 friends a minute.
Slater's unique way of fighting the blues has struck a chord with the employed lot worldwide. In India, it is only in training school advertisements that the job of a flight attendant is considered glamorous. The real life as seen from behind those thick mascara-ed eyelashes is anything but rosy.
"Slater is our icon. He has done what I could only think of. We all have our lists of horrible passenger incidents,'' says a 24-year-old flight attendant working with a low-cost airline. "What no one spoke about is the attitude airlines have towards problems faced by flight attendants when dealing with passengers. We are asked to turn a blind eye. The Jetblue passenger who started it all has got away, though she broke rules,'' she adds.
12/08/10 Times of India

Read More

Dubai-based Titan Aviation opens office in Bengaluru and Chennai

Mumbai: Dubai- based Titan Aviation, providing aircraft charters, aircraft sales, operations and management services, recently opened offices in Bengaluru and Chennai. The company aims to offer charter services within India and to Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asian region by mid this month. The company was active in the Indian market since 2007 and has sold four business jets in India till date. With two offices in India, the company is aiming at selling about three to four business jets to the Indian corporate industry in the next one year. The first business jet – Phenom 300 (13 seater) sold by Titan Aviation to an Indian corporate will be delivered in October 2010 and the second aircraft – Learjet 60XR (eight seater) will be delivered in December 2010. It will also soon provide air ambulance services, lease aircraft, manage and operate aircraft and provide manpower for business jet services.
12/08/10 TravelBizMonitor.com

Read More

AI seeks $1 bn from Boeing

New Delhi: A miffed Air India management has slapped a notice on aircraft manufacturing major Boeing demanding compensation of about $ 1 billion (about Rs 4,600 crore) for the persistent delay on deliveries of planes. AI had placed an order for 27 B-787 Dreamliners. According to the original schedule, the
first such aircraft was to be delivered in September 2008 followed by one each in each of the subsequent months.
By March 2011, Boeing was scheduled to have delivered 18 of these premium aircraft to India’s state-owned carrier. It now appears, however, that the first of these aircraft will arrive only in April next year forcing the airline, already battling with a bleeding balance sheet, to slap a compensation notice to the Seattle based aviation giant. The compensation sought comes to about half of the airline’s accumulated loss.
10/08/10 Gaurav Choudhury/Hindustan Times

Read More

Airport Authority of India looking to build airports overseas

New Delhi: Spurred by the success of private infrastructure companies and also by the need to expand its footprint, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is looking to build airports overseas.
State-owned AAI is the largest owner and operator of airports within in India but now, it has expressed interest in modernising a small airport at Palali in Sri Lanka and plans to identify other similar projects in neighbouring countries.
Though AAI’s member (finance), Satish C Chhatwal, said about 30 years back, AAI had executed airport projects as far away as Libya and Yemen, the airport body has not ventured outside India in all these years.
He said the Palali airport project would be a contract worth Rs 400-500 crore but bidding has not begun as yet.
Interestingly, civil aviation minister Praful Patel has been exhorting AAI to not only expand it footprint beyond Indian shores but also look for alternative revenue generation sources to improve its financial conditions.
AAI chairman V P Agarwal said that the Authority has already completed feasibility study of an airport in Sri Lanka and was aggressively looking to bid for other countries for opportunities to build airports.
11/08/10 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Times of India

Read More

Patel asks AAI to try to enter global market

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) should compete with other airport developers to bag global contracts by using its expertise, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said.
"Change your mindset, without which we are not going to transform into the future. Look for every single opportunity. Bid for airports outside the country. If you have expertise, utilise it and leave a footprint," he said here.
He was speaking at a function to mark the launch of the final operational phase of GAGAN, a satellite-based navigation system to aid air traffic from Southeast Asia to Africa, including over the high seas.
Patel's statement came against the backdrop of Indian infrastructure firm GMR bagging deals to develop the Male airport in Maldives, after completing the new terminal at Istanbul airport.
The Minister asked AAI not to see itself as "a mere authority" or a government body but as a professional company.
Referring to the Rs 774 crore project GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system), Patel asked AAI to maximise its investment and market the capability to other countries around India as the system would become "a milestone".
10/08/10 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Airlines woo students going abroad

Bangalore: If your child is travelling to study overseas, there are a host of goodies on offer. There are free excess baggage offers from airlines, there are special forex rates, discounts of 20% to 30% on luggage and laptop bags, gifts worth Rs 11,000, and discounted calling cards.
Emirates is offering special one-way and return fares for students that are 20% to 30% cheaper than regular fares. About 1,60,000 students from India go abroad for higher education every year, the favoured destinations being the UK, US, Canada and Australia. Of this, around 40% to 50% head to the US.
The student market for airlines peaks between July and September, as many international universities begin their courses during this period."Our experience shows that students travelling abroad need to take a lot of extra baggage, especially if they are on their maiden trip. But the cost of excess baggage can be a serious problem for them," says Judy Jarvis, British Airways' regional commercial manager, South Asia. The British national flag carrier is allowing students to carry 23 kg of free excess baggage when flying to the UK, Europe, Canada and USA.
10/08/10 Times of India

Read More

Two Indians Caught With 9.4Kg Ketamine Strapped To Stomach And Legs

Shah Alam: Two Indians with 9.4kg ketamine worth RM282,000 strapped to their stomach and legs were arrested at KL International Airport (KLIA)at Sepang on Friday.
Selangor narcotics CID chief ACP Nordin Kadir said the suspects aged 28 and 40 years were arrested soon after arrival from Chennai, India at 7.30am. He said checks found three plastic packets ketamine strapped in front of the stomach while four others were strapped to their legs.
09/08/10 Bernama

Read More

Customs seizes dead sea horses at airport

Chennai: Customs officials seized 46kg of dead sea horses worth Rs 4.85 lakh from a Bangkok-bound Sri Lankan national at the airport on Sunday.
Haja Mohideen Mohammed Rafeek, 51, was trying to smuggle the sea horses by concealing them under fish maw in two plastic sacks, according to a press release. He was to travel on a Chennai-Colombo-Bangkok Sri Lankan Airlines flight.
The contraband was seized under the Customs Act and Wildlife Protection Act. The passenger and the sea horses were handed over to the state forest department.
Intelligence officials from customs stopped Rafeek at Anna international terminal as he was proceeding for security check. The press release said he appeared nervous when the officials questioned him. They checked the two plastic sacks he was carrying and found the hidden sea horses.
Sea horses are used in aphrodisiacs and medication for infertility, asthma, high cholesterol, kidney disorders and skin diseases in traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese medicine for centuries, said the release.
09/08/10 Times of India

Read More

Flight to Dubai with no one on board

A Dubai-bound Emirates flight from Ahmedabad, India, flew without a single passenger because the power failure at the airport disrupted the mandatory security check-ins at the airport, Indian media reported.
The power failure was caused by heavy rains which resulted in 44 minutes delay in flight take-off and was forced to leave without any passengers, Times of India reported on its website.
On the issue, an Emirates spokesperson told the paper that "Due to the water logging at the international terminal of the Ahmedabad International airport on Sunday, the passengers of flight were not able to enter the terminal and not permitted to check-in by the respective local authorities. As a result the flight had to depart for Dubai with no passengers on board."
09/08/10 Emirates Business 24/7/Zawya

Read More

Indian man stranded at Bahrain airport

An Indian mason has become the latest expat to find himself sleeping rough at Bahrain International Airport, after his boss allegedly cancelled his visa while he was on holiday and never told him.
However, authorities yesterday claimed they were powerless to stop the practice.
Parambath Bineesh returned to Bahrain on Thursday night after a two-month holiday in his native Kerala, India. But he found himself stranded there for two nights after immigration officers told him his visa had been revoked.
He had no choice but to sleep rough on the airport floor while friends in Bahrain rallied around to raise enough money for him to buy a plane ticket back to India, one of his friends told the GDN yesterday.
The 33-year-old finally left on Saturday night after spending days living off food given to him by airport staff.
Mr Bineesh came to Bahrain four years ago to work as a mason, but his friend claims his boss agreed he could work illegally for other firms because the company was unable to pay him regularly.
The same employer cancelled his visa while he was abroad, but a General Directorate of Nationality, Passport and Residence spokesman told the GDN yesterday there was no obligation for his boss to inform him.
09/08/10 Aniqa Haider/Gulf Daily News

Read More

Expat pilot seeks upgrade, abuses airline and gets marching orders

Mumbai: Captain D Giles, a French commander, with Jet Airways was given marching orders for allegedly behaving in an abominable manner on board one of the airlines' flights.
It all started on a good note last week when Giles got his leave sanctioned and was on his way home for a holiday. "He boarded a Jet Airways flight to Brussels from Mumbai as a passenger in uniform,'' said a source.
But the problems began after Giles found that he had not been allotted a premier-class (business-class) seat. He started drinking and was soon abusing the airline in front of other passengers, the source said.
"He was inebriated and so full of rage that the flight attendants had to inform the flight commander,'' the source added. On landing, the commander prepared a report about the incident, following which the airline terminated Giles' service contract.
08/08/10 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Backpacker jailed in India to be returned to UK

A 33-year old backpacker from Kent serving a 10-year sentence in one of India's most notorious prisons for a crime he says he didn't commit, has been given approval by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to serve the remainder of his sentence in the UK, The IoS can exclusively reveal.
Patrick Malluzzo has spent six years in Rajasthan's Kota prison, sharing a cell with more than 50 other inmates and has suffered serious illness. His mother, Teresa Malluzzo, who hasn't seen her son for seven years, is hoping the British government will get him home as soon as possible.
Malluzzo was arrested at Mumbai airport in 2004 and charged with possession of cannabis. In a trial that was conducted entirely in Hindi and which presented no DNA or fingerprint evidence linking him to the drugs, he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Fair Trials International, which has been working on the case since 2007, describes it as "a travesty – a grossly unfair trial in a language he could not understand".
08/08/10 Lena Corner/Independent, UK

Read More

B-787 delivery: Miffed AI to seek $240m refund

New Delhi: National carrier Air India is going to adopt a tough line with US aircraft major Boeing over long delay in its B-787 Dreamliner delivery that has upset Maharaja’s survival-cum-growth plans. AI had ordered 27 Dreamliners and Boeing was supposed to start the delivery from September 2008. Now, it says that first of those aircraft will come only in late Q1 or early Q2 of 2011.
Highly placed sources said a miffed AI is going to issue a notice to Boeing shortly, asking for a firm delivery schedule of its 27 ordered 787s and further delay would invite daily penalty. Clearly, AI feels unless Boeing gives a realistic schedule about the delivery, AI’s strategic plans won’t work.
AI will also seek a refund of $240 million paid three years ago as pre-delivery payment (PDP) for the B-787s. "We are telling Boeing that there will be no more PDPs for 787s and payment will begin only after actual delivery now," said sources. In fact, AI is also likely to warn Boeing that it can cancel the 787 order if these conditions are not met.
07/08/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Steps for international flights to Visakhapatnam mooted

Visakhapatnam: The district collector, Mr J. Shyamala Rao, held a high-level meeting with officials of various departments and sought their cooperation to get international air services to the city.
The meeting was held in the collectorate on Friday and attended by officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Naval officials, customs, police and representative of Air Travellers’ Association.
The collector, stressing urgency, said that the city and region was developing fast and there was need for putting the city on the international map.
Tourists from various countries had noticed the beauty of the city and similarly, industrialists were evincing interest in making investments here.
Noting that the limited operation of air traffic control manned by the Indian Navy was hampering international services, Mr Shyamala Rao asked Naval officials to increase the timings.
If there was need for more manpower and infrastructure, he would speak to higher-ups in New Delhi, he said.
07/08/10 Deccan Chronicle

Read More

Airlines looking abroad will need local management

New Delhi: The government may be considering a proposal to allow foreign airlines to make equity investment in Indian carriers, but it has laid down stringent ownership norms for domestic carriers wanting to fly overseas.
The aviation regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation, on Thursday specified that permissions for international operations may become hard to come by unless management control lies with Indian nationals.
As per the DGCA checklist, only airlines in which substantial ownership and effective control lies with either the government or with Indian nationals may be designated as international carriers.
“In addition to the ownership of the major part of the assets of the designated airline, (Government of India or Indian nationals) should also have effective control in the management of the designated airline and ownership and effective control of the major part of the fleet of aircraft and equipment of the designated airline,” the aviation regulator said.
According to aviation industry veterans, though these norms were loosely in place earlier too, the stipulation till now has been that 2/3rd of the directors on the airline’s board should be Indian. It does not specifically talk about management control being in Indian hands.
06/08/10 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

Read More

Amritsar to Toronto via London flight to continue, says Navjot Sidhu

Amritsar: BJP Member Parliament from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu here Thursday said that Air India flight from Amritsar to London - Toronto would not be discontinued.
Sidhu said that yesterday, he met Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel who assured him that that Amritsar to London– oronto flight would not be withdrawn for the larger interest of Punjab's Economy and people of the State who have relatives in these countries.
Sidhu told that Amritsar Rajasansi Airport has already been declared Charter Destination in Northern India as informed Praful Patel.
Throwing light about Charter Flight, he said that it means that the Tourist Charter flights like Goa, Trivandrum and other places in India can land with tourists at Amritsar. These are called ITP charter Flights to India (Inbound Tourist Charters). These flights are for inclusive Tour Package,it’s a round trip for a predetermined period for one or several places charging an inclusive consolidated price for the airfare for all segments, hotel accommodation and other arrangements services like visit to tourist places. “We wish to request the foreign tour operators to apply for the charter flights through DGCA. Permission to Fly charter to Amritsar could be obtained with one week notice to DGCA. The minimum duration of the Tourist charter to India shall be 1 week and maximum 4 weeks. Indian Passport Holders are also permitted to travel by ITP Charter Flights. All arrangements in India for the Tourists will be through Indian Tour Operators recognized by Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India”, Sidhu added.
05/08/10 Jagmohan Singh/Punjab Newsline

Read More

Boeing to start construction of MRO base in Nagpur by end of this year

Mumbai: Boeing along with Air India will set up its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) base in Nagpur and undertake the ground breaking of the site by end of this year. Boeing is in the process of identifying the company which will construct the MRO and has invited the design patterns for the same. Ideally, the MRO will be constructed within two years and further three to six months to put in place the equipments and getting the necessary certifications from DGCA to start operations.
Dinesh Keskar, President, Boeing India said, “The MRO is partnered with Air India and will be constructed at the SEZ in Nagpur. The MRO will see an investment of USD 100 million and is likely to be operational in 30 to 36 months after ground breaking.”
The MRO will initially concentrate serving Air India clients and later look at countries beyond the SAARC region.
06/08/10 Krupa Vora/TravelBizMonitor

Read More

Kidnapped Bangalore pilot comes home safe

Bangalore: City-based pilot Syed Mazhar (25), working in Africa with a local airline Goma Express, who was taken hostage by the rebels and later released on August 1, is back in the city. Mazhar was kidnapped by rebellions on July 24.
He was very happy and relieved about his safe return.
He also said that he was thankful to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and officers in Africa for his safe return.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Indian embassy in Congo and the government for helping him in getting free and coming back to the city.
Mazhar's parents had earlier given a complaint to both the governments asking for help and to get their son released at the earliest.
06/08/10 MiD DAY

Read More

Air India offloads unconscious expat

Dammam: Air India, India’s state-run airlines, offloaded an unconscious passenger even after he was issued a boarding pass and completed all his immigration procedures.
Mohammed Shaffe, 39, from Thanoor in Malappuram district of Kerala, India, has spent the last one and one half months in King Fahd Military Hospital, after being involved in an accident in the Abqaiq area.
According to Abdullah Ali, organizer of the India Fraternity Forum, Air India offloaded the passenger “due to lack of facility to carry a sick passenger”.
The welfare wing members of the forum, Ali said, made all the arrangements including the paperwork, and got Air India’s approval to carry Shaffe and received a seat confirmation for him along with a nurse and an assistant.
“Air India gave us seat confirmation on Wednesday’s flight AI 918. We brought Shaffe from hospital in an ambulance. But the inflight doctor did not allow Shaffe to travel since he was unconscious and there were no facilities inside the plane. “This is very cruel for the patient and his relatives who were waiting at the airport back home with an ambulance,” Ali said.
Ali said the accompanying nurse and travel assistant had to travel to India without Shaffe since their immigration formalities had been completed.
Social workers in Dammam are planning to file a complaint against Air India with the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Indian and Saudi aviation ministries, Indian Foreign Minister and Indian Minister for Expatriates’ Affairs.
06/08/10 Shabna Aziz/Saudi Gazette

Read More