Showing posts with label Foreign Aug 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Aug 2013. Show all posts

Saturday, August 31, 2013

With regulatory nods still to come, Jet-Etihad push deal deadline to Sept-end

New Delhi: Jet Airways and Etihad have given themselves one more month to complete the deal, wherein Jet will sell a part of its stake to the Abu Dhabi-based carrier. The two were to have completed the deal by end-August but extended the deadline to end-September as regulatory approvals are still to come in.
A statement from Etihad Airways’ headquarters says: “We have agreed to extend the long-stop date till the end of September as we continue to work through the details to finalise the regulatory process.”
This is the second successive extension that the two sides have agreed to since April when Jet Airways agreed to sell a 24 per cent stake for about Rs 2,050 crore.
The two sides were initially supposed to complete the deal by the end of July.
The deal ran into trouble with both the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Foreign Investment Promotion Board raising questions.
30/08/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

SriLankan Airlines to add more flights from India

New York: Sri Lankan Airlines is to increase its weekly flights from India from 48 to 60 till the year end by adding new destinations, the Airline has said.
Asia particularly India is a very important destination for the airline and it gives top priority to the region, the Airline Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe said in an exclusive interview to PTI yesterday.
Wickremasinghe was here on the sidelines of a reception hosted to him by Sri Lankan Permanent Representative to United Nations Ambassador Palitha Kohona.
“We now fly 48 flights a week from India and they will go up to 60 in 2014 and peak with 70 flights by 2015.
“The travellers come to Colombo for onward connection to West Asia and Far East as we plan to make Colombo an important hub,” he said.
30/08/13 PTI/Business Line

Friday, August 30, 2013

Dreamliner flight touches down in Australia for the first time

The first commercial flight of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Australia touched down on Friday morning, in an event that also marked the return of Air India resuming direct flights here.
Flight AI312 touched down at Sydney Airport at 8.29am, 14 minutes behind schedule. The flight continued on to Melbourne - originally scheduled for 11.20am, but finally landed at 11.59am.
The arrival of flight AI312 from Delhi marks the first time a Dreamliner has arrived in Australia on a passenger flight. The cutting edge aircraft has been plagued with problems during its initial construction and has run into further difficulties since entering service.
Japan's All Nippon Airways became the first airline to begin flying the Dreamliner in October 2011, three years behind schedule. In January this year the US Federal Aviation ordered the grounding of Dreamliners after a series of safety scares, including an emergency landing by ANA in January following a battery malfunction.
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The grounding delayed what was to be the first Dreamliner flight to Australia - a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Perth.
The Dreamliner is the first airliner to be made of carbon fibre, not aluminium, and promises airlines more fuel efficiency – a saving of 20 per cent. It also offers 20 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than comparable aircraft.
30/08/13 Craig Platt/Syndey Morning Herald

Air India Hedged Against Rupee Plunge With Overseas Revenues

Air India Ltd., the national carrier, said income earned in dollars from its overseas operations is acting as a hedge against the plunge in the rupee, Asia’s worst performing currency this year.
About 50 percent to 60 percent of the carrier’s business brings income in dollars, hedging against bills that aren’t rupee-denominated, Chairman Rohit Nandan said in a Bloomberg TV interview from Sydney today. The airline is getting new aircraft through a sale-and-lease back model, and therefore the carrier “won’t be very badly affected,” he said.
India’s rupee plummeted to record low this week and threatens to push the economy toward its biggest crisis since 1991. The currency’s plunge makes it costlier for local carriers to pay for aircraft they have ordered from Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS, which are in dollars.
29/08/13 Susan Li/Bloomberg/Business Week

Air India starts Delhi-Sydney flight after 22 years

New Delhi: After a gap of 22 years, Australia got a direct connection from India with Air India launching its daily direct flight to Sydney and Melbourne from today.
The flight had over 60 domestic transfer passengers and more than 40 international transit passengers, of whom more than 20 were from London.
With this, Delhi has positioned itself as premier hub airport of South Asia offering convenient connections to travellers on the ultra-long-haul Europe-Australia sectors.
"Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport is now connected to Australia with the launch of Air India's daily flights to Sydney and Melbourne. Air India's first flight to Sydney took off this afternoon after a gap of 22 years," said a spokesperson of Delhi International Airport limited (DIAL).
DIAL CEO, I Prabhakara Rao, said the service was long- awaited and Air India has now connected not only the two countries but the two continents.
29/08/13 Economic Times

India’s latest export to Doha: Rats from Mumbai

Mumbai: Mumbai International Airport Ltd was put to severe embarrassment when a rat on its premises ferreted its way on to an overseas flight and arrived at Doha International Airport last week. The crew of the flight were wishing people as they deplaned after the three hour, 25 minute flight when they came face to face with the unauthorised lowlife from India.
At least four airlines - Jet, Continental, Emirates and Qatar - have reported rat sightings along bay numbers 48 to 55 at Mumbai international airport, where there is a sudden rat menace. Officials have narrowed down the problem spots to the aerobridges where the rats are believed to be nesting and breeding.
"Rodents are a cause of worry as they could damage sensitive aircraft wiring, and this would mean disaster," an American pilot who docks his aircraft at these bays, and who has brought the matter to the notice of his superiors, said. "Rats are fond of gnawing off the insulation paddings in aircraft. This could result in malfunctioning or failure of aircraft systems," he added.
30/08/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

Private Company To Support MiG-29s in India

Russian Aircraft MiG and Indian private company Basant Aerospace have signed two maintenance deals worth $55 million to support MiG-29s in India. This is the first time that a Russian defense company has selected a non-government-owned partner to support high-tech military hardware such as radar abroad.
The first deal is worth $43 million and creates a service center in the New Delhi region to repair and maintain the Phazotron-NIIR Zhuk-M series of airborne radars that equip the Indian air force MiG-29UPG and Indian navy MiG-29K/KUB fleet. The second deal is worth $12 million and will establish a service center for parts used on those aircraft.
Speaking to journalists during the MAKS 2013 Moscow Air Show this week, RAC MiG general director Sergei Korotkov said the purpose of the deals is to ensure a high readiness level and safe operations for the Indian MiG-29UPG/K/KUB fleet by means of rendering high-quality and timely repair of their onboard equipment.
30/08/13 AINonline

India to customise Russia's FGFA planes

Moscow: The Indian version of an Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighter plane is going to be lighter weight, more powerful and less visible to enemy radars that the original Russian version, according to a senior executive at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Under a joint project with Russia to build a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) India will modify and customise the prototype Russia has developed independently.
“While the Russian version of the FGFA is all-metal, ours will have wings and empennage (vertical and horizontal stabilisers) made of composite materials,” said S. Subrahmanyan, Managing Director of MiG Complex at HAL.
“The use of composites will reduce the plane’s weight and give it lower signature. Our version will also have more advanced Indian-made avionics,” Mr. Subrahmanyan told The Hindu at the Moscow Air Show-2013. He is leading a HAL delegation to the biannual air show being held this year from August 27 to September 1.
30/08/13 Vladimir Radyuhin/The Hindu

Eye India Innovative Media brings to India the largest form of Aerial Advertisement

Eye India Innovative Media has tied up EXCLUSIVELY with a UK based company HOBS (Helicopter Overcity Banner System) to bring to India the largest form of Aerial Advertisement. Banners up to 20,000 square feet will be towed by a Helicopter. The managing Director of Eye India, Mr. Harbhajan Singh Sehgal says that “This form of advertising has a very high impact and recall as The banners are visible for approximately 10 miles and can be made in a broad range of sizes in only 3-4 weeks.It provides an uncluttered backdrop and has a huge wow impact. In the West it is used during high profile sporting events, product/movie launches and campaigns to name a few.”You can watch it at www.eyeindiamagic.com
Eye India has tied up with Deccan Aviation for the helicopter banner towing .This unique HOBS system was developed over 10 years ago and provides the safest and largest form of aerial banner advertising in the world. This has enabled HOBS to receive patent approval and Aviation Authority approvals around the world.
30/08/13 afaqs

US-based Seabury to advise Jet Airways on market strategy, maximising synergy with Etihad

Mumbai:  Jet Airways has appointed U.S.-based consultant Seabury Group to prepare a market study on route network and fleet, to help the airline and its strategic partner Etihad Airways to chalk out a plan to expand operations and acquire planes.
"The consultant will study how the Indian and middle eastern market will pan out for the next ten years and is likely to turn in its report in a month or two," said two people close to the development.
A close study of the market's current and future potential is crucial for both airlines as this is the first strategic alliance between an Indian and foreign carrier.
The Indian government last September allowed international carriers to pick up stake in the country's airlines. On April 24, Jet announced Abu Dhabi-based Etihad would purchase 24% stake in it for $379 million.
30/08/13 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Air India can fly Dreamliners to Japan with ICAO clearing operations

New Delhi: State-owned Air India can commence operations of Dreamliners to Japan with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) saying it no longer sees any “significant safety concerns” (SSCs) in India’s airline operations.
 A senior official in the ministry of civil aviation said, “The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) had said Air India cannot switch aircraft type and replace Boeing 777-ER with more fuel-efficient Dreamliners because of the two SSCs raised by ICAO in their audit in December last year.A corrective action plan (CAP) was undertaken by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and all concerns have now been addressed.”
 The ICAO primarily had two concerns related to airworthiness and operations. The concern on airworthiness related to approval of major modifications and repairs carried out on foreign manufactured aircraft and registered in India while the concern on operations related to the procedure for grant of Air Operator Permit to non-scheduled operators and flight documentation system of scheduled airlines. Both of these have been addressed, said DGCA Arun Mishra.
29/08/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

Which airlines are most likely to bump you from your flight?

Most major airlines are routinely overbooking their flights, an investigation by Which? has revealed, with several offering passengers no extra compensation for being bumped.
Which? looked at the policies of 14 airlines and found that nine regularly overbook their aircraft, in order to minimise the effect of no-shows. Of these, four - Air Transat, EasyJet, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic - say they'll offer compensation or extra benefits to passengers that get bumped, such as vouchers or cash; EasyJet, for example, gives £100 to people who volunteer for a later flight.
However, Aer Lingus, Jet Airways, Lufthansa and Swiss Airlines offer only the standard EU compensation. Under the EU's Denied Boarding Regulations, passengers are entitled to €250 for flights under 1,500 kilometres, €400 Euro for all longer flights within the EU, and for all other flights between 1,500 kilometres and 3,500 kilometres; it's €600 for all other long-haul flights.
28/08/13 Emma Woollacott/Aol

India resolves ICAO Safety Concerns, no longer among States with SSC

New Delhi: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has conveyed to India that the corrective action taken by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had successfully addressed and resolve two Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) relating to airworthiness and operations.
 "Consequent to this decision, the Safety Concerns have been resolved and India no longer figures amongst the States with SSC on the ICAO website," an official press release said here today.
29/08/13 Net Indian

Indo-Russian military aviation projects on schedule: HAL executive

Joint military aviation projects between India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Russian companies are running on schedule, a senior HAL executive told RIR at the MAKS-2013 international air and space show.
“The FGFA (fifth generation fighter aircraft) is on the right track and on schedule,”  R. P. Chakraborty, Deputy General Manager (IMM) at HAL said on Wednesday.
When asked about the delays in the project, Chakraborty said they were on account of the design documentation in the contract, an issue that has already been resolved. The contract to develop a sketch and technical project of the fighter was completed in April 2013.
29/08/13 Boris Egorov/Russia India Report

Wipro Launches Aviation IT Products In Partnership with Qatar Airways

Wipro Ltd., the global information technology, consulting and outsourcing company, has announced the launch of a range of information technology (IT) products for the aviation industry.
The aviation IT product portfolio comprises of two categories of solutions: enterprise and mobility solutions. Enterprise solutions include products for crew management, route profitability analysis, loyalty management, inflight catering, aircraft maintenance planning and crisis management. Mobility solutions include products for pilots, cabin crew and flight dispatchers.
The extensive product portfolio aims to address critical airline business functions, which have a direct bearing on service quality, operational efficiency and strategic decision making.
29/08/13 Biztech2.com

SpiceJet to start Pune-Sharjah flight

Pune: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has announced the launch of a direct flight service between Pune and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 21. The airline has opened bookings for the new service.
This will be the third flight service connecting Pune with an international destination, following Air India Express' service on the Pune-Dubai route and German airline Lufthansa's service on the Pune-Frankfurt route.
SpiceJet, in a press release issued recently, has stated that it will deploy its new generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the capacity to take 189 passengers on the Pune-Sharjah route. "Pune is the third Indian destination to be connected with Sharjah on SpiceJet network. The airline already operates on Varanasi-Sharjah and Lucknow-Sharjah routes," the release stated.
29/08/13 Times of India

Jet Airways increases daily service between Mumbai-Singapore

Mumbai: Jet Airways introduced a second daily direct frequency from Mumbai to Singapore. This new service will start from November 1.
The airline will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Mumbai-Singapore route. With the addition of this new frequency to Singapore, Jet Airways will have six daily direct flights connecting Singapore with Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.
The new service will depart Mumbai daily at 0950 hrs and arrive in Singapore at 1800 hrs (Local Time).
29/08/13 Business Line

Malaysian Airlines bullish on Indian market

Kuala Lumpur-headquartered Malaysian Airlines is still bullish on India despite the weakening Indian economy and will continue to seek growth opportunities here.
It expects to get traction from people travelling to India across its wide global network making this country a very relevant market for the airline.
"India's performance has been awesome," said Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Distribution, Malaysian Airlines, on Thursday. He added that while the current downturn in the Indian economy was being watched carefully, it had not made any difference to the airline's view that the Indian market was one of strategic importance.
Malaysian Airlines posted a profit of RM8 million (Malaysian Ringgit or Rs 16.34 crore) for the second quarter ending June 30 as against an operating loss of RM102 million for the corresponding quarter last year. This is its fourth consecutive quarter of operational profit. The number of passengers on its network has risen by 24 per cent.
29/08/13 Manisha Singal/Business Today

Indian Air Force receives its Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

Mumbai: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has received its third Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, a large, versatile military transport aircraft capable of carrying heavy, oversize loads long distances and landing on rough and unprepared surfaces.
Boeing is on track to deliver two more C-17s to the IAF this year, and five in 2014. The third plane joins the first and second India C-17 airlifters, which arrived in June and July, respectively.
Once India receives its full complement of ten aircraft, it will be the largest C-17 operator outside the United States.
29/08/13 Business Line

Passenger allegedly smuggling in gold dozes off, caught with 5 kg bars

Kochi: Five kg of gold bars, valued at Rs. 1.40 crore, were seized from a passenger who arrived in Kochi from Sharjah by the customs officials.
The passenger, Vafsamaraikyar Habeer of Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, who had kept the gold bars in his laptop bag when he embarked the flight, had planned to tape the gold bars on his leg inside the toilet just before the flight landed at Kochi.
However, his plans went haywire as he dozed off and woke up after the flight reached Kochi airport at 5:20 am yesterday and the passengers had started disembarking, customs sources said.
The flight was to leave on its domestic leg for Chennai and the man then hid the bars under the seat using adhesive tapes to stick them. It is suspected that the accused must have passed on the seat number to the consignor who had entrusted him the gold bars.
29/08/13 NDTV

United Airlines' flight from Delhi makes emergency landing in Moscow

Moscow: Over 260 passengers on an American airline flight from New Delhi to Newark were stranded at an airport here today after the aircraft made an emergency landing because of a mechanical problem.
The United Airlines' Boeing 777-200 with 267 passengers and 16 crew landed at 3.50 am Moscow time. The malfunction of a central accumulator unit caused the emergency landing, Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The passengers were "fuming" at Domodedovo Airport after being stranded for hours without food or a place to sleep, said a report in The Moscow Times.
No one was injured in the landing and no visible damage was found to the aircraft, reports said.
After disembarking at Domodedovo's international terminal, the passengers were told they would have to wait until 11 pm for the plane to continue its flight to Newark in New Jersey.
The passengers became "frustrated" when the flight crew disappeared and United Airlines did not provide representatives to offer assistance, reports said.
27/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Cities gets on-arrival visa facility

New Delhi: Tourist visa on arrival facility has been extended to four more airports in the country — Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
The facility of visa on arrival can be availed by citizens of 11 countries in these airports in addition to four already designated international airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Citizens of Japan, Singapore, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietn- am, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia — can avail the facility in the eight airports, a Home Ministry official said.
The visa on arrival facility would also be extended to Goa airport as soon as infrastructure and manpower requirements are in place, the official said.
28/08/13 PTI/Business Standard

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Jet Airways mulls JetKonnect changes after Etihad deal

India’s Jet Airways is looking at remodelling its low cost subsidiary JetKonnect as a full service airline as part of its anticipated alignment with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, according to local media.
Etihad is awaiting final approval to purchase 24 percent of India’s second largest carrier.
Jet Airways downgraded JetKonnect after rebranding it from Air Sahara, the airline it bought in 2008. It also merged JetKonnect with JetLite in 2012.
But it is now preparing to change again, including free meals, adding eight business class seats to each aircraft and improving its loyalty programs, according to business website livemint.com.
"The plan is to start giving free meals to passengers like it was earlier on JetKonnect and bring the airline at par with Jet Airways in all respects,” an unnamed source told the website.
26/08/13  Courtney Trenwith/Arabian Business

DGCA cells to help non-scheduled operators restart international flights

New Delhi: It could take anything from two-three days to two months before all the 44 non-scheduled air operators are in a position to restart operating their own aircraft for flights abroad.
“The number of days it will take an operator to overcome the hurdles will depend on their readiness at the moment,” a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official explained.
To expedite this process, the DGCA has created special cells to help operators overcome hurdles discovered on August 22 after an audit by an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit.
27/08/13 Business Line

Huge hike in air fares to Gulf countries

Kochi: Airlines have jacked up fares to the Gulf destinations from Kerala’s three international airports following heavy demand for seats.
Fares have been hiked 60 per cent and more, even three-fold in certain cases. Travel agents say the fare hike has been an annual feature around this time for some years now.
“Usually, there is heavy demand for seats during July-August as schools in the Gulf countries reopen in August and there is a rush of return travel by NRK (non-resident Keralite) families vacationing here,” a travel agent said.
He also pointed out that in May and June every year there would be a rush and fare hike on the opposite side as Malayali families working in the Gulf visit home during their children’s summer vacation.
27/08/13 Business Line

Jet Airways may save Rs 320-350 cr per yr as Etihad Airways sub-leases A330 plane

Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi-based partner Etihad Airways are moving fast to monetise the synergies between the two airlines even as they await the Cabinet's clearance for their stake-sale deal.
After agreeing to have common interiors for their future Boeing 787 fleet, Etihad has now agreed to lease Jet's Airbus A330-300, which will help the Indian airline save $50-55 million (Rs 320 crore-350 crore) annually in leasing costs. The aircraft being sub-leased to Etihad was out of service for the last two quarters as Jet pulled out of some unprofitable routes.
Jet Airways has five more such planes parked in India and a similar sub-leasing deal is likely to be signed for at least two more planes with Etihad. “The overall benefit could be somewhere close to $100-150 million in leasing cost-savings per year if the deal for two more planes works out,” said a person in the know of the development. “There are two more airlines interested in sub-leasing them from Jet, and the deal should be finalised by the end of the second quarter.”
27/08/13 Debabrata Das/Financial Express

Monday, August 26, 2013

Air India baggage cut ‘will be revoked’

Abu Dhabi: A delegation representing prominent Indian expatriate organisations that visited New Delhi to lobby against Air India Express’ new baggage rule was given a good hearing by senior Indian officials. The delegation is confident the rule will be reversed within one month.
The seven-member-delegation went to the Indian capital following a decision by the government-owned budget airline to cut its baggage allowance on flights from the Gulf to India, from 30kg to 20kg and charge Dh30 for the extra 10kg.
As the decision affects low- and middle-income Indian expatriates who depend on the budget airline, all Indian expatriate organisations in the Gulf protested against it.
25/08/13 Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

Indian air charter operators want DGCA to lift ban on international flights

Mumbai:  Close to 20 Indian air charter operators will meet the Director General of Civil Aviation on Monday to request the aviation regulator to lift the recent ban on all their international flights. The operators include Tata Group's Taj Aviation and Reliance Commercial Dealers apart from the Oberoi Group's charter division.
The DGCA's order says all charter operators in India will have to get certain approvals before they can fly abroad again.
"We will tell the DGCA we shouldn't be stopped from flying abroad while scrutiny for the new set of approvals is on," said Rohit Kapur, head of Business Aircraft Owners Association, a lobbying body of business jet operators.
"The ban is unnecessary and would mean significant losses," he added.
The ban on charter operators is part of the stringent measures taken by the DGCA to improve India's aviation safety and regulatory structure, after it came under the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) scanner for not being up to global standards.
26/08/13 Economic Times

At least one norm for flying abroad to go

New Delhi:The ministry of civil aviation is planning to do away with a regulation that requires Indian carriers to have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft to start international operations. The move will help the Wadia-promoted GoAir and AirAsia India (which is set to start operations by year-end) to fly passengers out of India.
“The clause that requires domestic airlines to have five years of business experience cannot be altered. But we are considering doing away with the requirement of having a fleet of 20 aircraft to start international operations. There is no rationale for putting restrictions on fleet size at 20 aircraft,” a senior ministry official said.
The change in policy, when effected, would immediately stand to benefit Mumbai-based GoAir, which started operations in 2005. Go Air currently has a fleet of 16 aircraft.
“We started operations in 2005. We are meeting the requirement in terms of business experience. We have applied for a waiver of the 20-aircraft regulation for flying international. A foreign airline can fly to and from India without meeting any such conditions. Why should not a domestic airline be allowed to do the same?” asked Giorgio de Roni, chief executive officer, GoAir.
26/08/13 Business Standard

Air charter operators must comply before permission to fly abroad: DGCA

Mumbai/New Delhi: Non-scheduled operators (charter flights) will have to fulfil operational requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) before they can be granted a clearance to fly abroad, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday. To secure compliance with ICAO, operators might have to hire personnel in air safety and air worthiness.
“We will fast-track the process and are creating special teams to coordinate with these companies. There are 8-10 companies, which are close to fulfilling the requirements,” Director-General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra told Business Standard.
According to sources in the know, only about a third of non-scheduled operators are close to complying with the requirements laid down by ICAO to pursue air service operations. The requirements laid down by ICAO pertain to the technical capabilities of an aircraft, training of personnel and documentation.
Mishra added, “It will be a phase-wise programme. The requirements for flying international are more stringent and it will be gradually covered for pure domestic operators, too.”
27/08/13 Aneesh Phadnis & Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

Plane Designer Mulls Partnerships to End Delays: Corporate India

India, seeking to build its first regional aircraft, is considering roping in local and foreign partners for the project, after spending more than two decades to build a smaller plane.
A study under review by a government panel favors tie-ups with equipment makers rather than purchasing engines and parts from them, Satish Chandra, head of aircraft program at National Aerospace Laboratories, a state-owned plane designer involved in the development, said in a telephone interview from Bangalore. He didn’t give a timeframe for the project.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month approved the plan for a 70- to 100-seat aircraft as economic growth and rising disposable incomes spur air travel demand. Boeing Co. expects India will require 1,450 planes in 20 years. The project will also help the nation catch up with China, Japan and Russia in building a regional aircraft and reduce dependence on Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA, the two companies that dominate the market for such planes.
26/08/13  Karthikeyan Sundaram/Bloomberg/Business Week

At least one norm for flying abroad to go

New Delhi: The ministry of civil aviation is planning to do away with a regulation that requires Indian carriers to have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft to start international operations. The move will help the Wadia-promoted GoAir and AirAsia India (which is set to start operations by year-end) to fly passengers out of India.
“The clause that requires domestic airlines to have five years of business experience cannot be altered. But we are considering doing away with the requirement of having a fleet of 20 aircraft to start international operations. There is no rationale for putting restrictions on fleet size at 20 aircraft,” a senior ministry official said.
The change in policy, when effected, would immediately stand to benefit Mumbai-based GoAir, which started operations in 2005. Go Air currently has a fleet of 16 aircraft.
“We started operations in 2005. We are meeting the requirement in terms of business experience. We have applied for a waiver of the 20-aircraft regulation for flying international. A foreign airline can fly to and from India without meeting any such conditions. Why should not a domestic airline be allowed to do the same?” asked Giorgio de Roni, chief executive officer, GoAir.
27/08/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

KC(M) flays hike in airfare to Gulf

Pathanamthitta: The Kerala Congress (M) has strongly condemned the steep hike in airfares by airline companies operating to the Gulf sector at a time when there is a heavy post-vacation rush to those countries from the State.
A statement issued by Joseph M. Puthussery, KC(M) State general secretary, on Monday, said there was no justification for the move. The hike that came in force in mid-August was expected to continue till last week of September, he said.
The price of a one-way ticket to Dubai and Sharjah had jumped from Rs.7,000 to Rs.30,000.
26/08/13 The Hindu

Chennai not on Malindo Air’s radar for now

Johor Baru: The latest addition to the local aviation scene, Malindo Air, does not expect to add Chennai to its network anytime soon as it is yet to obtain rights for the route from the Malaysian government.
According to Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd CEO Chandran Rama Muthy, rights given to the Malaysian government has been "exhausted" by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia.
International air traffic rights are governed by bilateral air services agreements between governments which contain provisions on the routes that airlines can fly, including cities that can be served, and the number of flights that can be operated or passengers that can be carried between the bilateral partners among other provisions.
AirAsia and MAS both provide double-daily services to Chennai from Kuala Lumpur right now.
Chandran however is confident that its first three international routes into India, New Delhi, Bombay and Kochi, will start by October this year, which will help it achieve its 1.5 million passenger volume target by year-end.
26/08/13 Liew Jia Teng/The Sun Daily

Airlines set to hit air pocket on weak rupee

Mumbai: With a depreciating rupee against the dollar and expected low passenger traffic, it is going to be an extremely tough quarter for the aviation industry.
The rupee, the worst performing currency in Asia, had dropped to a fresh lifetime low of 65.56 against the greenback on Thursday. On Friday, however, it recovered and closed at Rs 63.20 level against the dollar.
According to an analyst with a US-based equity firm, the second quarter is generally the worst quarter for the industry. And the weak currency situation is only going to add to that woe. “Around 60-65 per cent of airline company’s expenses are met through foreign exchange, to say, in dollar terms,” the analyst said, adding that the quarter is likely to see at least a five per cent decline in passenger traffic in this quarter.
Amber Dubey, partner and head-aerospace and defense, KPMG, said, “Around two-third of the expenses of the airlines are met in dollars, such as lease fees and even fees of expat pilots. So weakening of rupee has pushed the costs by almost 10-14 per cent".
25/08/13  Soumonty Kanungo/mydigitalfc.com

Private jets can’t fly abroad unless they follow int’l safety manual, says DGCA

Mumbai: Days after three foreign airports denied landing rights to private Indian chartered flights over safety concerns, aviation watchdog DGCA banned nonscheduled operators from flying abroad, unless they adhere to a certification manual followed by the likes of the US and Canada.
However, experts say that while the CAP 3100 -- an air operator certification manual --meets the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), it is not structured for India. They say a cut-paste version of the manual cannot be used by DGCA, as it does not have positions of project manager for air operations certification, director-operations or a director of flight safety, which play an important role in the process of certifying chartered aircraft, if the manual is followed. "CAP 3100, by itself, is not cut out for India," said a city-based charter operator. However, aviation expert Vipul Saxena said that adopting the manual was a very good move by DGCA and should be implemented soon.
26/08/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

Pvt jet operators seek time to get fresh licences to fly abroad

Representatives of 150 non-scheduled airline operators, including large corporates such as Jindal Group, Tata Group's Taj Aviation, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Commercial Dealers and the Oberoi Group, met senior DGCA officials on Monday to lobby for time, after the regulator maintained that all of them will have to apply afresh for licences to fly abroad.
At the meeting, held in the DGCA office in Delhi, non-scheduled operators also lobbied for lifting of the August 21 order banning all their international flights, which they were told was the outcome of an ongoing audit by International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), a United Nations agency.
"We were told that a new procedure, involving a 250-page international manual, is to be followed, and till such time we will be grounded from flying to international destinations," Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) head Rohit Kapur said.
Kapur also told DGCA officials that corporates should not be stopped from flying abroad while scrutiny of the new set of approvals is on. "Million dollar deals and medical evacuations can be jeopardised by this decision," he pointed out.
26/08/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror 

Air India bid to extract potential from Down Under

Air India is banking on the use of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to help it take advantage of what it describes as ''untapped potential'' on routes between Australia and the subcontinent.
After a 16-year absence from Australia, daily services begin on Friday between Delhi, Sydney and Melbourne. It also marks the first commercial flights using 787 Dreamliners to Australia, with Air India set to pip Qantas' budget offshoot, Jetstar.
Air India's country manager, Ravi Bodade, said there was ''absolutely no doubt'' the airline would be able to fill the planes making the daily 12-hour flights.
''It is a state-of-the-art aircraft, and we have a large Indian diaspora here - there is a huge student community and we are confident of filling up the aircraft,'' he said.
26/08/13 The Age

Sunday, August 25, 2013

India not likely to get ‘safety concerns’ tag

New Delhi: India is set to be removed from the list of nations having significant aviation safety concerns, with an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) showing that action plans were in place to address them.
After a safety audit carried out by ICAO experts, the auditors have informed aviation regulator DGCA yesterday that they would recommend India’s removal from the category of countries have “significant safety concerns“.
“The auditors have cleared us of all the ‘significant safety concerns’. They have recommended this to their (ICAO) headquarters in Montreal,” Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra told PTI.
The week-long audit has shown that India has “implemented corrective action plans to address the safety concerns satisfactorily,” he said.
24/08/13 Business Line

Airbus, Boeing say the Indian aviation growth story is intact

Mumbai: Plane makers Airbus and Boeing remain bullish on the demand for civilian aircraft from India despite a much slower GDP growth in the last two years. Analysts and industry experts, however,  warn of a lower than anticipated passenger growth unless urgent measures are taken to revive the sector
 In the market forecast last year Airbus and Boeing estimated a demand for 1232 and 1450 planes respectively over the next two decades.These estimates were drawn up  when Kingfisher Airlines was still in service and have estimated India's GDP growth at over 8%. Similarly a civil aviation ministry report for the formulation of the 12th five year plan (2012-17)  factored  12 percent average annual growth in  domestic air traffic between 2012-2017.
 In reality the GDP growth has slowed down to 5 percent in last fiscal and is estimated to grow around 6 percent this year. The domestic air traffic growth too is subdued and analysts and airlines are expecting around 6 % growth this year.
Despite the obvious slowdown the plane makers remain optimistic about their India forecast.
24/08/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Air customs seize gold bars worth Rs 3.8cr at Chennai airport

Chennai:  In one of the biggest hauls at Chennai airport, the air customs intelligence officers seized 12kg of gold from three passengers early on Friday. Customs officials said the seizure was made after a raid on passengers who arrived on two flights from Dubai. They seized 12 gold bars with foreign markings, valued at Rs 3.79 crore.
Officials said they were alert about some passengers trying to smuggle in gold after the import duty was increased. "In one incident, six gold bars weighing 1kg each were recovered from Habeeb Rahiman Thankayathil, 47, a native of Kannur in Kerala. The man, who runs an advertising business in Dubai, had hidden the bars in false pockets," said the official.
In the second incident, passengers Medoth Muhammed Shafeeque and Vallikettummel Pakku Mohammed were arrested with six gold bars hidden in an elastic belt tied to their waist. They were arrested and remanded in custody.
24/08/13 Times of India

FDI, low-cost airlines & AI's Dreamliners: Developments that can change fortunes of Indian aviation

May you live in interesting times," says an ancient Chinese adage. That pretty much sums up Indian aviation today. Three developments that turned the sector on its head have taken place in recent times.
First, foreign direct investment (FDI) rules that previously allowed 49% investment in India's airlines from only institutional and individual investors, thereby protecting India's strategic interest, were changed to permit 49% investment by foreign airlines.
Second, India's low-cost airlines, especially SpiceJet, instead of developing a business model customised for India, have increasingly mimicked the business operating styles of America's Southwest Airlines and JetBlue.
And third, Air India began flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners, drawing praise and flak in equal measure. Let's look closely at each development, for they could potential change the fortunes of Indian aviation.
25/08/13  Mark D Martin/Economic Times

Goa, the new destination for smuggled gold?

Dabolim: Drugs may not be the only contraband to find favour in Goa now. A rising pan-India trend of gold smuggling and sudden seizures of the yellow metal in Goa, otherwise a narcotics haven, has forced customs authorities in the state to step up vigil not only at the lone airport, but also on the sea routes to stop gold smugglers.
Earlier this week, there were three seizures at the Dabolim International Airport when two Sri Lankans and an Indian were caught with 4.12 kgs of gold valued at Rs.1.33 crore ($13 million) in the Indian market. "This seems to be the beginning of a new trend. Our air intelligence staff and air customs officers could retrieve the gold and seize it. This is so far the biggest seizure," Commissioner Customs and Central Excise VPC Rao told IANS. Gold smuggling, he said, has become a regular feature at the Goa airport.
The two Sri Lankans had boarded the flight as domestic passengers at Mumbai, but they had taken delivery of the gold from some passengers coming from Dubai, he said. "The gold was stuffed in their rectums. When they were passing through the green channel, our official saw something unusual with their movement. That is how they were busted," a Customs official said. The Indian was from Kerala and had the gold strapped on his body under his trouser.
25/08/13 IANS/Daily News & Analysis

Customs seize gold worth Rs 1.15 crore at IGI airport

New Delhi:  Even as the rupee continues to slide, the ever-rising duty on gold imports to curb it is having a cascading effect on the smuggling of the yellow metal.
Customs authorities at IGI airport in Delhi on Saturday seized smuggled gold worth Rs 1.15 crore from a passenger coming from Singapore. Based on suspicion, the said passenger was searched and 31 gold bars were recovered from specially designed pockets in his trousers.
According to sources, on Saturday, while keeping surveillance on the passengers coming from Singapore sector, one passenger who arrived at IGI Airport from Singapore on flight No. SQ-406 was intercepted after he crossed the green channel.
The passenger's movement was suspicious and customs authorities profiled him for further examination as it was suspected he may have been carrying goods for which duties were not paid.
24/08/13 Deeptiman Tiwari/Times of India

Friday, August 23, 2013

Three Asian airports ban Indian chartered flights

Mumbai: Three countries have banned Indian private chartered carriers from landing in their airports following rising concerns about whether Indian operators adhere to international safety norms. The ban does not apply to Indian commercial airlines.
The decision of Singapore, Hong Kong and Bali airports follows a December 2012 audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation that said Indian carriers do not comply with the its safety standards.
"We recently filed flight plans for Singapore and were told in writing that plans could not be cleared due to ICAO norms not being met," said a leading charter operator who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Business Jet Owners Association (BJOA) has written to the civil aviation ministry asking it to intervene and ensure that they can fly to these countries.
23/08/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror 

Indian aviation companies employ 262 foreign pilots: Minister

Foreign pilots employed by various domestic aviation companies have come down to 262 as more Indian pilots are promoted to the level of commander, official said Thursday.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation K. C. Venugopal informed the Lok Sabha that the only 262 foreign pilots were employed in the country from 340 pilots a year ago.
Currently, there is a shortage of commanders (pilot-in-command) in the country due to induction of new aircrafts. However, sufficient number of Indian co-pilots are employed with airlines.
22/08/13 IANS/Business Standard

UAE air deal: Redrafted note sent to Cabinet

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sent for approval the redrafted cabinet note on the bilateral air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, as suggested by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), to clear the air on the controversy over enhanced seat entitlements made to Abu Dhabi.
A senior official in the ministry said, “We have made the required modifications and incorporated the PMO suggestions. It should come up for post facto approval soon.”
A controversy had erupted over the decision to increase bilateral air traffic rights to the UAE nearly four-fold to 50,000 seats a week, over-riding recommendations of an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) to enhance weekly entitlements by 26,000 seats.
23/08/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

Facing international safety audits, DGCA goes on hiring spree

New Delhi: Being pulled up for slack monitoring of aviation safety, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is fast-tracking hiring for crucial posts as it faces safety audits from international bodies.
With a team from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) already in India and the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) audit next month, the DGCA is on a hiring spree, looking for airworthy officers, flight operation inspectors for aircraft and helicopters, and administrative officers.
The decision to fast-track the appointments comes after the ICAO pulled up DGCA in its last safety audit in late 2012. Since then, the DGCA invited applications for 201 vacancies in January but only half of them were filled up till late July. The DGCA has a sanctioned staff strength of 574 officials, but currently has only 421.
23/08/13 Debabrata Das/Financial Express

Air India, AI Express baggage cut takes off

Indians in the UAE are unhappy with the new baggage limit imposed by Air India and the budget carrier Air India Express, which came into effect Thursday.
Both the airlines have slashed the maximum baggage allowance by 10 kilograms - from 30 kgs to 20 kgs per passenger and have introduced a fee of Dh30 for the additional kilos.
A delegation comprising members of eight Indian expatriate associations from Abu Dhabi under the initiative of the Indian Media Abu Dhabi (IMA) has left for New Delhi to appeal to the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Civil Aviation Ministers Ajith Singh, and KC Venu Gopal; Indian Defence Minister A K Antony; the leader of opposition Sushama Swaraj and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, said Anil C Idukkula, General Secretary IMA.
Meanwhile, numerous Indian community associations, radio stations, newspapers and other media in the UAE  have been running campaigns against the revised baggage rules.
23/08/13 VM Sathish/Emirates 24|7

Thursday, August 22, 2013

81 foreign airlines operating 1,734 flights per week in India

New Delhi:  Foreign airlines are operating over 1,700 flights per week to and from 25 Indian airports, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.
In reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Singh said 81 foreign airlines were operating a total of 1,734 scheduled services per week.
"Of these 81, 72 are passenger, while nine are cargo flights and of the 1,734 flights, 1,655 are passenger and 79 are cargo. They are currently operating to and from 25 airports in India," Singh said.
In reply to a separate question, Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said that since 2009 domestic carriers have witnessed an increase in the number of passengers, expect in 2012 when the growth was negative.
22/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Qatar Airways eyes minority stake in GoAir: Sources

Budget carrier GoAir is likely to get a foreign partner soon. CNBC-TV18 learns from sources that Qatar Airways is eyeing a minority stake in Wadia Group promoted GoAir.
Qatar’s national carrier has valued GoAir at USD 550 million and if the deal goes through, promoters of the Mumbai-based no frills carrier will continue to hold majority stake. However, Qatar Air will have right to hike stake if the deal concludes, sources further add.
22/08/13 moneycontrol.com

AI Dreamliner set for Australia flight

New Delhi: Air India will start flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Australia from August 29.
The move is part of the national carrier’s plan to expand its global footprint.
“We had in our financial turnaround plan made a decision to use the Dreamliner for long-haul, non-stop flights. The Melbourne, Sydney circuit has a lot of traffic and is profitable. So, we will be starting flights on this route from August 29,” a senior Air India official said.
At present, the state-run airline has six B787s and expects eight more by the end of this year. Air India plans to fly the planes to more destinations in Europe, Africa and Latin America. At present, the airline flies to 33 international destinations and will add 12-14 routes by the first half of the next year. “Moscow, Rome and some destinations in Africa will be added by the end of this year itself,” the official said.
22/08/13 The Telegraph

Dabolim gold seizure trail points to Sri Lankan smuggler

Panaji: The catch of gold by the customs at the Dabolim airport has revealed the involvement of a Sri Lankan smuggler, but more details will be available only after a couple of days, officials said on Wednesday.
One of the Sri Lankans was being "controlled" by a smuggler in Sri Lanka. They had arranged a complex system- he was told to expect a phone call from a man, who would give him the serial number of a 5 note in his possession. Once the code was given, the courier would have to follow further instructions. No phone call has been received on his phone yet. Officials are afraid it is a dead end because the carriers do not have any details.
22/08/13 Times of India

3kg gold found in man's underwear

Hyderabad:  In one of the largest hauls in recent times, customs sleuths seized 3.3 kilogram of gold worth over Rs 1.1 crore concealed in the undergarments of a city-based smuggler at the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport on Wednesday morning. The air passenger had arrived from Dubai.
Rasheed Ahmed, hailing from the Old City, arrived at the RGI Airport from Dubai by flight number AI 952 on Wednesday morning. He opted for the green channel at the customs check area, declaring that he was not carrying any dutiable goods on him. At 7.30 am, air intelligence wing sleuths intercepted Rasheed as his travel pattern to Dubai looked suspicious.
22/08/13 Times of India

Iranian saffron seized from passenger at MIA

Mangalore: Customs officials at Mangalore International Airport seized Begonia brand of Iranian saffron weighing 12kgs from a passenger who arrived from Dubai on Thursday. The value of the contraband is approximately Rs12 lakh and was recovered from Abdul Rasheed Karimboonnummal Vadakkayil, a resident of Mattannur, Kannur district of Kerala. A departmental communique here stated that the saffron was concealed along with clothes and other personal belongings inside one carton box that Abdul Rasheed had in his possession.
22/08/13 Jaideep Shenoy/Times of India

Indian held at Dhaka airport, 8 kg gold seized

Dhaka: An Indian national was arrested and 65 gold bars weighing eight kilograms were seized from him at the Shahjalal International Airport.
Customs officials challenged Dipak Kumar Acharya, 60, who was moving in a suspicious manner, and recovered the gold bars from his hand bag around 10.30 pm Monday.
Alamgir Hossain, senior assistant superintendent of Armed Police Battalion, told The Daily Star Tuesday that 11,225 memory cards and 11 iphones were also recovered from him.
The seized gold is worth 3.5 crore Bangladeshi takas while the other items are worth 50 lakh Bangladeshi takas.
20/08/13 Zee News

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Air India's Dreamliners in Japanese air pocket

New Delhi: Air India's (AI) plan to launch fuel-efficient Dreamliner flights from Delhi to the Far East as part of the strategy to turnaround its loss-making operations has run into the Japanese barrier.
Japan's civil aviation authorities have asked AI for details of modifications in its Dreamliner fleet along with various clearances from the US Federal Aviation Authority and International Civil Aviation Organisation before it is given clearance to operate these flights to Tokyo or Osaka.
Japanese authorities have made out this information to be of crucial importance before they grant permission to AI flights in view of the series of snags that had grounded the Dreamliner fleet worldwide.
The airline operates four weekly flights on the Delhi-Tokyo route and three flights on the Delhi-Osaka route via Hong Kong. Apart from this, it also operates four flights to Seoul via Hong-Kong every week.
AI currently operates its gas-guzzling Boeing 777-200 LRs flights on Far East routes, which are running in loss.
21/08/13 Mail Today/Business Today

DGCA bans unauthorized overseas charter flights

New Delhi: A number of Indian charter aircraft companies are operating overseas flights without having the clearance to do so. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday issued an order forbidding unauthorized foreign charter flights with immediate effect and asked the operators to first get all the required clearances.
This will ground Indian corporates and high net worth individuals who roam the globe in charter jets or force them to fly schedule airlines. It will, however, not affect the private business jets of big corporate houses used for flying to foreign shores.
DGCA chief Arun Mishra clamped down on this practice, which industry sources point out could not have continued for years without connivance of DGCA insiders. Apart from being a gross violation of rules, this unauthorized operation has been putting the lives of the high net worth individuals hiring planes at grave risk.
21/08/13 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

SpiceJet to start Pune-Sharjah flight

Mumbai: Low cost airline SpiceJet today announced the launch of direct services between Pune and Sharjah that will begin from September 21.
The airline will be deploying its New Generation Boeing 737-800 (189 seater aircraft) on this route, SpiceJet said in a release issued here.
Pune is the third Indian destination to connect with Sharjah on SpiceJet network.
The airline already operates on Varanasi- Sharjah and Lucknow- Sharjah routes.
SpiceJet also operates flights to Dubai. It currently operates four daily flights to Dubai from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
21/08/13 Economic Times

Virgin Atlantic Airways eyeing growth in India

Mumbai: Virgin Atlantic Airways is eyeing a bigger pie of the lucrative India-US market, Craig Kreeger, its CEO said yesterday, as per a Business Standard report. He ruled out investment in an Indian carrier, saying Virgin Atlantic was in talks with global airlines for code-sharing on its routes within the UK. “We are seeing growth in the India-US market. The combination of our excellent timing and our products and services is working well for us,” Kreeger said.
The airline also plans to scale up its corporate business in India. “Last year, we entered the Mumbai market with a different approach. We took a valuable asset, a peak time landing slot in London. We felt this market needed connectivity to the US, Manchester and Scotland. From both directions, we are able to offer greater connections. We are actively involved in expanding corporate sales,” Kreeger said.
20/08/13 Travel Biz Monitor

11 Indonesians who arrived without valid visas sent back

Chennai: Eleven members of a group of Indonesians who arrived in the city by a Tiger Airlines flight from Singapore on Monday early morning were sent back by the same airline on Monday night as they did not have valid Indian visas.
Police said the group led by Mohamed Gulam had taken a flight from Singapore without a valid tourist visa issued by the Indian embassy there. The group members told immigration officials that they were misled by someone who said visas were issued on arrival in India.
They tried to reason with officials saying they were to take a train to New Delhi from the city as part of their tour package. Immigration officials refused and sent them back to Singapore and told them that they could come only on a valid visa issued by the Indian diplomatic mission.
21/08/13 Times of India

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Qatar Airways to extend Dreamliner route network to India

Qatar Airways has announced plans to extend its Boeing 787 Dreamliner route network to India with the launch of services to and from Delhi and Bangalore starting September 1 this year.
The introduction of the service promises the airlines' passengers with an unparallelled level of service, comfort and travel experience.
"The introduction of our Dreamliner service provides our passengers with an unbeatable level of service and comfort besides reiterating our firm belief in the 787s unrivalled capabilities and the value it will add to Qatar Airways' plans to continue delivering on its promise of quality," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, said.
"Our 787s provide a game-changing experience with specially designed interiors, spacious cabins and custom-made seats in both Business and Economy Class," he said.
20/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

New Air India route is statement of confidence

The marketing efforts will build on Birmingham’s new Air India service which operates four times weekly to Delhi and Amritsar.
About 13,500 people visit Birmingham from India each year – making the West Midlands the most popular region outside of the South East for Indian tourists – and the city is home to nearly 65,000 residents of Indian ethnic origin.
Marketing Birmingham hopes the new Air India service will help the city to boost its share of the ‘lucrative’ South Asian visitor market, which is ‘fuelled by India’s growing middle class who will take an estimated half a million tourist trips to Britain each year by 2020’.
Neil Rami, chief executive of Marketing Birmingham, said: ‘With friends and families representing a large proportion of visitors, we are now looking to grow the number of Indian tourists, who are typically keen to travel to destinations with a wealth of history, culture and good quality food and drink.
20/08/13 e-tid

10 Indonesians detained at Chennai airport without visa

Chennai: Ten Indonesian nationals, who arrived in Chennai by air without tourist visa have been detained, airport sources said today.
The youths would be deported for Indonesia tonight, they said.
Investigation revealed that the youths, all in their late 20s and early 30s, left Indonesia for Dhaka and then to Singapore, from where they landed here at 10.30 PM last night, they said.
20/08/13 NDTV.com

Indian held at Dhaka airport, 8 kg gold seized

Dhaka: An Indian national was arrested and 65 gold bars weighing eight kilograms were seized from him at the Shahjalal International Airport.
Customs officials challenged Dipak Kumar Acharya, 60, who was moving in a suspicious manner, and recovered the gold bars from his hand bag around 10.30 pm Monday.
Alamgir Hossain, senior assistant superintendent of Armed Police Battalion, told The Daily Star Tuesday that 11,225 memory cards and 11 iphones were also recovered from him.
The seized gold is worth 3.5 crore Bangladeshi takas while the other items are worth 50 lakh Bangladeshi takas.
20/08/13 Zee News

Monday, August 19, 2013

ILFC sends 2nd warning to India to return KFA aircraft

US-based aircraft lessor International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC) has sent second warning to India seeking return of six planes it had leased to Kingfisher Airlines.
Earlier, ILFC had warned that India’s failure to return leased planes to their owners when the airline cannot pay dues could put the country’s aviation growth at risk.
Meanwhile. these six aircraft are sitting idle at various airports after they were impounded by service tax department when the airline could not pay pending dues. For the purpose, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) can release the deregistered leased aircraft of the grounded Kingfisher Airlines for the lessors to fly them back only after required permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
19/08/13 CNBC-TV18/moneycontrol.com

Air India Express cuts down baggage allowance to 20 kgm on flights from Oman

Muscat: Air India Express has reduced the baggage allowance on flights to India from the GCC from 30kg to 20kg per passenger. The decision brings uniformity for passenger baggage allowance for flights into and out of the region, with 20kg permitted for flights from India destined for the Gulf.
Confirming the news, an official from Air India said the new rules will come into effect from August 22 and will be applicable to tickets booked on or after this date.
“This means that if passengers have bought tickets before August 22 they will be allowed 30kg (of baggage). Any additional weight will be charged extra. We have a standard rate at Air India Express and charge RO3 per kilogram.”
18/08/13  Maryam Khan/Muscat Daily

Hajis from UP to take first flight on September 7

Lucknow: The first flight carrying Haj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh to Saudi Arabia will fly from the Babatpur Airport in Varanasi on September 7. Subsequent flights will take off from Lucknow and New Delhi on September 9.
The chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Haj committee and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has asked the Hajis to make preparations for the pilgrimage as per guidelines. He has also urged the pilgrims to plan their journey such that they reach the Haj house in Lucknow 48 hours in advance of the onward flight.
18/08/13 TIsha Jain/imes of India

Mihin Lanka has started pilgrimage Air Services to India

The Mihin Lanka Air service informed that it has commenced new air services with the start of Buddhist pilgrimage season in India.
This season prevails from August to November. The Mihin Lanka Officials informed that from 3rd of August up to now more than 2000 pilgrims have traveled to India by Mihin Lanka. The Airline operates services to Baranes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, to Buddha Gaya on Saturdays. The services to New Delhi are being operated on Saturdays, Wednesdays and Mondays. The Air line also informed that facilities are being provided to government servants, pensioners and security services personnel to pay their ticket fare in 10 installments.
18/08/13 Sri Lanka Boradcasting Corporation
Air India is unable to fly its Dreamliners to Tokyo or Osaka because the airline failed to provide Japanese authorities with the information they required about its B787 modifications, it has been reported.
The state-owned airline had also planned to deploy Boeing 787s on its Delhi-Hong Kong-Osaka and Delhi-Hong Kong-Seoul routes from late June (see news, June 11).
But Japanese aviation officials are said to be refusing to allow Air India to operate the aircraft until they receive a list of all modifications carried out.
An Air India source told news agency PTI: "The civil aviation authorities of Japan had sought certain documents from Air India on the modifications carried out in the aircraft it intended to operate.
"But despite repeated communications, the AI management failed to furnish the required information. Moreover, agitated over the AI's management unresponsive attitude, the Japanese also decided not to interact with Air India and communicate only with India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation."
19/08/13 Business Traveller

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Qatar switches India routes to B787s

The airline’s Doha-Delhi and Doha-Bangalore services have operated mostly on A330s but also on B777s.
 Qatar flies to Delhi twice daily from Doha, alongside a daily Jet Airways flight. The carrier flies daily to Bangalore, the only service on the route.
 India is a key market for Qatar, which flies 95 passenger flights a week from Doha to 12 gateways in the country.
 The airline flies twice-daily to Delhi, 11 times a week to Cochin, and daily to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Chennai and Bangalore.
19/08/13 Piers Evans/Routes news

Indecision has Air India losing Dreamliners on Japanese, Korean routes

Mumbai: State-owned Air India's plan to operate a Dreamliner on the Delhi-Tokyo route could not take off as the airline's management failed to furnish the required information about the aircraft sought by the Japanese authorities, sources said.
Consequently, the airline could not begin operating the Delhi-Hong Kong-Osaka and the Delhi-Hong Kong-Seoul routes with the same aircraft, they said.
"The civil aviation authorities of Japan had sought certain documents from Air India on the modifications carried out in the aircraft it intended to operate. But despite repeated communications, the AI management failed to furnish the required information," Air India sources said.
As a result, the Japanese aviation authorities did not allow Air India to operate the aircraft.
18/08/13 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

London to Delhi, lenders & lessors pile suits against UB

Bangalore: The lenders’ consortium of Kingfisher Airlines, parallely with the latter’s lessors and vendors, are pushing the UB Group to a corner to recover their dues. They have dismissed UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya’s statements on being hopeful of restarting the airline.
The airline’s accumulated losses are Rs 16,023 crore and its net worth is a negative Rs 12,919 crore; it has further posted a net loss of Rs 1,156 crore for the first quarter of 2013-14, on nil revenue. The lenders’ consortium is understood to have recovered close to Rs 1,500 crore of their total dues of Rs 8,000 crore. The lessors are also going all out to recover their share. For instance, one of them has filed a petition in the Delhi high court for execution of an ex-parte decree by a bench in the UK for close to $17 million; it is being contested by the UB Group. From London to Goa and Delhi, Mumbai and Karnataka, the UB Group is fighting legal battles against the lessors and lenders, hopeful of salvaging some time before the lenders move further aggressively to enforce the corporate and personal guarantees of UB Holdings and Mallya.
17/08/13 Business Standard

Objections raised following Air India Express’ decision to slash baggage allowance

Abu Dhabi: Strong objections have been raised following Air India Express’ decision to slash its free baggage allowance, representatives of various socio-cultural organisations in Abu Dhabi announced on Saturday.
Air India Express has decided to reduce its free baggage allowance on flights operating into India from the Gulf from 30kg to 20kg per passenger and charge Dh50 for the extra 10kg.
“Due to the higher free baggage allowance on flights operating into India, the saleable seat capacity is reduced in line with payload constraints. In keeping with recent industry trends, it has been decided to reduce the free baggage allowance on flights operating into India, from 30kg to 20kg per passenger, which is the present free baggage allowance on flights operating out of India,” the airline said in a statement.
18/08/13 Sara Sabry/Gulf News

Two women arrested for trying to smuggle gold worth Rs 26.4 lakh

Mumbai: In separate cases, two female foreigners have been arrested from the international airport in Mumbai for allegedly trying to smuggle in 987.48 grams of gold valued at Rs 26.4 lakh from Iran and Sri Lanka, a senior Customs official said on Saturday.
According to Customs, passenger Farahnaz Gholamhossein, holding an Iranian passport, arrived on an Iran air flight and cleared herself through a Green Channel. As she arrived at 2B arrival hall, she was intercepted on suspicion and examination of her hand baggage resulted in recovery of assorted gold jewellery weighing 399.78 grams and valued at Rs.10.69 lakh. The gold was concealed in a bundle of Iranian breads and in cavity pocket of a jacket in her hand.
 In the second case, passenger Samsiya Mahammooddu lebbee, holding Sri Lankan passport, arrived on a Sri Lankan airlines flight from Colombo yesterday and was intercepted near Exit Gate. She was found in possession of 587.7 grams of gold jewellery valued at about Rs 15.71 lacs.
18/08/13 PTI/IBN Live

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Bombardier to explore market for CSeries in India

Chennai: Commercial aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc has said its 100-160-seater CSeries is expected to take off soon in the Indian skies and that the company is working with the government to find ways for financial institutions to become lessors for airlines.
This comes at a time when Indian airlines are looking at expanding operations to more Tier-II and -III cities.
“I am very excited that eventually we can bring in the CSeries into India. It can offer the latest technology with lower cost of operation, especially as the aviation industry is developing to Tier-II and -III cities,” said Mike Arcamone, president-commercial aircraft, Bombardier.
According to reports, the company has pushed back the first flight of the CSeries three times and recently said it was ready to fly in weeks.
The company has not revealed any timeline to launch the new product in India, but said it would be launched soon, “if the customer demands it”.
17/08/13 Gireesh Babu/Business Standard

Friday, August 16, 2013

Indo-Canadian convicted for bribery in Air India contract

Toronto: An Indian-origin Canadian citizen has been convicted by a court in Ottawa of conspiring to bribe Air India officials and an Indian minister to the tune of USD 450,000 in a failed bid to secure a lucrative contract for an airline security system.
Nazir Karigar, 65, was charged with one count of corruption after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested him in May 2010.
He was accused of being involved in a scheme to provide bribes worth thousands of dollars to officials with Air India from 2005 to 2007.
Canadian media had reported last year that investigators had alleged that in early 2007, Karigar had met the then Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel and had allegedly given USD 250,000 to one of his "political allies" to get the contract.
16/08/13 PTI/Business Standard

Teens resorting to 'spoon trick' to escape forced marriage

London: Faced with the prospect of being forced into a marriage against their will, teenagers, mostly from Britain's South Asian community, are using an unusual 'spoon trick' to save themselves from the ordeal.
A UK charity has revealed that it advises potential victims to hide a spoon in their underwear to set off metal detectors at the airport and believes it has helped save a number of girls from forced marriage in their countries of origin.
"When youngsters ring, if they don't know exactly when it may happen, or if it's going to happen, we advise them to put a spoon in their underwear," said a spokesperson for Karma Nirvana, which runs a helpline from Derby in the East Midlands region of England.
"When they go through security, it will highlight this object in a private area and, if 16 or over, they will be taken to a safe space where they have that one last opportunity to disclose they're being forced to marry," the spokesperson said.
"We've had people ring and say that it's helped them and got them out of a dangerous situation. It's an incredibly difficult thing to do with your family around you, but they won't be aware you have done it. It's a safe way," the spokesperson added.
It is feared that British teenagers, mostly with origins in the Indian sub-continent, are taken abroad on the pretext of a holiday and then forced into marriage instead.
16/08/13 PTI/Deccan Herald

UT Prof Shama Gamkhar, Spouse Die in Plane Crash

Shama Gamkhar, an associate professor of public affairs and long-time faculty member of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, was killed in a plane crash, along with her husband Sid Shah, 58, on Aug. 4.
Gamkhar, 54, was an expert in environmental economic policy and a teacher of public finance and financial management.
According to AP, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said a Hawker Beechcraft A36 went down the afternoon of Aug. 4 near Alma, about 70 miles northwest of Brunswick.
15/08/13 India West

60-year-old held for molesting Japanese woman in flight

Kolkata: A 60-year-old man was arrested here on the charge of molesting a Japanese woman mid-air in a Bangkok-Kolkata Thai Airways flight, airport sources said on Friday.
The woman complained to the authorities of the NSC Bose International Airport after landing here at around 12.55am that Narayan Singh, a co-passenger of the TG-313 flight, molested her mid-air.
16/08/13 PTI/Times of India

Woman rushed to hospital from airport dies a month later

Dubai: An Indian woman who had to be rushed to hospital from Dubai Airport minutes before her flight took off died on August 8, XPRESS has learnt.
Social worker Uma Padmanabhan told XPRESS S. Jyoti Satyanarayana Raju, a 57-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh in India, was set to fly home on an IndiGo flight on July 9. “However, she complained of breathing difficulties at the airport and was rushed to Dubai Hospital. Her condition was so bad she had to be immediately put on a ventilator and given oxygen,” she said.
According to Padmanabhan Jyoti’s condition kept deteriorating. “Her lungs were failing and she was also detected with breast cancer. Nobody in the family knew about the cancer as she was either unaware of it earlier or had not talked about it. She passed away on August 8.”
16/08/13 Sharmila Dhal/Gulf News

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Indendence Day schemes: Indian, foreign airlines launch promotional plans to lure passengers

New Delhi: To capture the market share in the upcoming festive season, many Indian and foreign airlines Thursday started promotional schemes to celebrate India's 67th independence day.
Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet has announced a 100 percent discount on its base fare for all serving and retired Indian armed forces and paramilitary personnel along with their families. The airline said that the offer will begin on August 15-31 for travel between August 15 to September 30, 2013.
Not just Indian passenger carriers but, interestingly, British Airways is also celebrating the 67th Indian independence day by giving 15 percent discount on its first class and business class seats to London and North America.
British Airways will start its four-day offer from August 15 to 18 for the outbound travel period from September 1 to December 20.
15/08/13 IANS/India Today

Spice to begin non-stop flights between Muscat and Ahmedabad

Dubai: SpiceJet, India's low cost airline will launch three weekly non-stop flight between Muscat and Ahmedabad from August 29.
SpiceJet has entered into a partnership with Oman based travel and tour operator, Khimji House of Travel (KHOT), officials said.
The airline will operate three weekly flights on every Monday, Thursday and Friday from its base in Ahmedabad.
The inaugural incoming flight from Ahmedabad will arrive on the 29th of August, it was announced here. The flight's evening departure from Ahmedabad will benefit the sizeable number of people that come into Oman from western India.
Onward domestic destinations operating with a non-stop flight from Ahmedabad include Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Pune.
15/08/13 Economic Times

Agusta's Indian helicopter deal set for more scrutiny

New Delhi: A report by federal auditors has criticized the Indian government for ignoring its own value-for-money defense procurement procedures in a protracted AgustaWestland helicopter deal.
India's Central Bureau of Investigation also is studying the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, which was tabled in Parliament for further scrutiny.
The report is a further blow for beleaguered $745 million deal signed with AgustaWestland in February 2010, The Economic Times reported.
AgustaWestland is a subsidiary of the Italian state-controlled defense giant Finmeccanica.
The AW101 aircraft are being supplied by AgustaWestland's division in the United Kingdom to replace Mil Mi-8 helicopters that are near the end of their technical life.
15/08/13 UPI

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

New app calculates aircraft weight

Bangalore: Jetstar and Zensar Technologies Australia have developed an iPad app that allows pilots to accurately calculate aircraft weight and balance before take-off. Jetload is used on-board Jetstar's A320s and is the first of its kind to be deployed in an Australian flight deck.
Jetstar chief pilot Mark Rindfleish said the launch of the app was an exciting step in the airline's journey toward a paperless flight deck using tablet computing. "At Jetstar we're always looking to harness new technology to improve the way we do things," Captain Rindfleish said.
Before Jetload was introduced, Jetstar pilots used handheld personal digital assistant computers requiring on-board printing and a complex software update process. Jetload is synchronized using a WIFI connection meaning documentation can now be sent through electronically in a more streamlined process for pilots.
Jetstar's iPad rollout began last year and the low fares airline has worked through the necessary steps with CASA to safely remove about 20 kg worth of paper manuals from the flight deck.Captain Rindfleish said the fuel savings from the reduction of paper manuals in flight decks is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
15/08/13 Shilpa Phadnis/Times of India

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Malaysia Airlines to operate daily flights to Kochi from September 1

Kochi:  Expanding its network, Malaysia Airlines will operate daily flights to Kochi from Kuala Lumpur from September 1.
The airline will introduce daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Kochi in both directions.
The new route will be operated using the 160-seater B737-800, a press release said.
14/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Laid off Singapore Airline pilots spoil the party for Air India counterparts

Mumbai: Air India pilots who were falling over one another to get jobs with the cash-rich and globally expanding Etihad Airways, are now having to do a rethink. This is because 75-odd expat pilots who have been laid off by Singapore Airlines are also gravitating towards Etihad.
According to sources, the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is now more keen on recruiting pilots from Singapore Airlines than those from AI. It has already inducted more than 30 AI pilots over the past four months.
The general perception in aviation circles is that Singapore Airlines pilots have a better safety record vis-a-vis the AI staffers. Also, the expat pilots of Singapore Airlines are currently jobless and hence have less bargaining power in comparison to the pilots working with AI. Aspirants from AI have been informed by Etihad that their applications will be considered only after the recruitment of Singapore Airlines’ expat pilots is completed in the next couple of months.
AI pilots stand to gain about a 40 per cent hike in salaries if they join Etihad. Also, the perks are far superior to AI.
14/08/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Panel negotiating compensation for grounded 787s: KC Venugopal

New Delhi: Air India has set-up a sub-panel to negotiate with Boeing the issue of compensation for losses suffered by the airline due to the grounding of the B787Dreamliner aircraft following incidents of battery fires, RajyaSabha was informed today.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation, KC Venugopal, in his reply to a written question said that Air India had to incur additional direct or indirect expenditures due to temporary grounding of the 787 fleet.
"Air India has to incur... an extra expenditure of Rs 60 lakh per day approximately, due to substitution of other aircraft on the 787 route and an extra cost on account of aircraft financing, cost of maintenance of pilots, etc. amounting to Rs 1.43 crore per day approximately," Venugopal said.
13/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Bombardier to explore market opportunity for CSeries aircrafts in India

Chennai: The commercial aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc has said that its 100-160 seater CSeries expected to take off soon in the Indian skies. This comes at a time when the airline companies are looking at expanding more to tier II and III cities.
The company is also working with the government on ways to bring up financial institutions to become major lessors for airlines, said a senior official from the company.
"I am very excited that eventually we can bring in the CSeries into India. It can offer latest technology with lower cost of operation especially as the aviation industry is developing to tier II and tier III cities," said Mike Arcamone, president, Commercial Aircraft, Bombardier Inc.
It may be noted that according to reports, the company has pushed back the first flight of the CSeries three times and recently said that it is due to fly in the coming weeks.
13/08/13 Gireesh Babu/Business standard

British Airways announces 4-day discount offer for biz class

Mumbai:  British Airways today announced a four-day special offer of 15 per cent discount on its business class tickets to London and North America from across its destinations from the country to celebrate the 67th Independence Day.
The offer available only on the first and club world cabins, starts from August 15 and lasts till August 18 and outbound travel period of September 1 until December 20, the airline said in a statement.
"British Airways marks its 84th year of flying to India this year and we are proud to be sharing such a long legacy with this country. We are delighted to announce our grand offer exclusively designed for our Indian customers," British Airways South Asia regional commercial manager Christopher Fordyce said.
13/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Monday, August 12, 2013

Lion Air Shores Up Pilot Training for Fleet Growth

Lion Air, Indonesia’s largest domestic carrier, is expanding its routes and training facilities, having ordered 20 Cessna 172s and one Boeing 737-900ER simulator, its third, to shore up an impending need for pilots. The budget carrier has placed orders for more than 500 narrowbodies with Boeing and Airbus; it currently has a fleet of 96 aircraft.
Indonesia’s growing middle class and poorly served air corridors have provided the region’s airlines with opportunities for expansion. In the next 20 years, the Indonesian middle class will grow from 130 million to 240 million people, the World Bank estimates.
Malindo Air of Malaysia, which is 49 percent owned by Lion Air, is launching a daily nonstop 737-900ER service from Kuala Lumpur to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 28. The carrier awaits regulatory approvals to launch flights to New Delhi, Trichi, Cochin and Mumbai in India, “as demand is there,” said CEO Chandran Ramamurthy. Malindo Air will funnel through-traffic to underserved Indonesia via Malaysia.
12/08/13 Neelam Mathews/AINonline

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Dubai to unveil a 'home' for super-jumbo A-380s and its flyers

New Delhi:  Dubai airport is slated to open the world's largest business and first class lounges in January next year at the new concourse coming up at a cost of USD four billion to house 28 superjumbo A-380s at a time.
Apart from accommodating the double-decker Airbus A-380s, the 11-floor concourse, with a capacity of handling 11 million passengers a year, would have a five-star and a four-star hotels with over 200 rooms.
Two lounges for First and Business Class passengers would occupy an entire floor each, extending to almost 900 metres or nearly a km long, said Don Surrendra, Manager (Product Development) of Emirates Airport Services. While the first class lounge would have a capacity of accommodating 1,400 at a time and the business class lounge would house 2,500. The long lounges would have mirror foot- print, that is the same facilities would be provided on both sides of the floor, he told PTI from Dubai.
11/08/13 Economic Times

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Indian tourism entrepreneurs demand Mumbai-Kathmandu direct flight

Mumbai: The tourism entrepreneurs here in Mumbai have complained that the interested tourists to visit Nepal are diverted to other countries owing to lack of enough direct flights to Kathmandu.
Tourism entrepreneur of Mumbai Juzer Shaikhally said, “We are unable to send interested Indian tourists to Nepal due to limited flights to Kathmandu from Mumbai.”
The entrepreneurs of Mumbai lodged their complaints to the members of team of tourism entrepreneurs of Pokhara who are touring India in bid to attract the Indian tourists.
The team is in a promotional campaign led by Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA).
Only Jet Airways has direct flights between Mumbai and Kathmandu. Mostly tourists from Mumbai can Kathmandu only via Delhi, which means extra time and hassles.As there is no other airlines offering a direct flights from Mumbai to Kathmandu, the service offered by Jet Airways is expensive, according to the entrepreneurs.
10/08/13 Santhosh Pokhrel/My Republica

DSGMC committee to launch a global turban awareness campaign

Amritsar:  Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has announced to launch a global turban awareness to make people aware about Sikhs, their religious tenets, traditions, culture and most important symbol of faith-dastar (Turban) which is an integral part of Sikhs.
While talking to TOI upon his return from Italy and Dubai on Saturday, DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK said,"With the incident of Rome airport, the exact position at the airports in Italy has come to light and it is clear that Sikhs are harassed at the airports in the name of security checks. We were victorious at the airport and passed the security check without removing turbans, but real victory will be only when all Sikhs would pass through the security at the airports especially in Italy, without being asked to remove turbans for security check,".
GK had lead a delegation to Italy and was stopped at Rome's airport and were asked to remove turbans for security check. The delegates had refused to remove their turbans and missed their flight to Dubai.
10/08/13 Yudhvir Rana/Times of India

No record on Anderson's flight, PMO tells Bhopal gas leak panel

Bhopal: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has no record of the arrest and release of former Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson and the state plane which flew him back to Delhi.
Official sources said the PMO told the Commission probing the 1984 Bhopal gas leak case that the “desired information was not available.”
The commission, headed by Justice (Retd) S L Kocchar held a hearing on Thursday. Earlier, it had written to the PMO and the Union Home Ministry seeking the information. The Home Ministry has not responded yet.
Justice Kocchar also directed commission officials to write to Union Cabinet Secretariat to find out whether on December 7, 1984 then Cabinet Secretary gave any directions to State Chief Secretary Brahma Swaroop and whether any record of the same was available. The same information has also been sought from Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary's office.
09/08/13 PTI/IBN Live

Friday, August 09, 2013

Eye on Star Alliance, India to look at air pacts with Austria, Switzerland

New Delhi:  The government is taking a fresh look at India's air traffic rights with Austria and Switzerland, four years after their national carriers were acquired by Lufthansa, possibly to coax the German airline into inducting Air India into a powerful global airline alliance.
The civil aviation ministry has approached its external affairs counterpart to check whether the effective control of Swiss and Austrian Airlines lie with their own nationals, said two senior aviation ministry officials, asking not to be named. "We are waiting for their opinion before we review the bilaterals (with Austria and Switzerland)," said the first official.
India has separate air traffic arrangements, known as Air Service Agreements or 'bilaterals' in aviation parlance, with Switzerland, Austria and Germany, among other nations. Lufthansa bought majority stakes in Austrian and Swiss in 2005 and 2008 and automatically won the flying rights allotted to these carriers.
09/08/13 Binoy Prabhakar/Economic Times

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Jet Airways to raise $300 million ECB, use Etihad proceeds to retire debt

Mumbai: Jet Airways, which today posted a loss for the second consecutive quarter, said the USD 749-million cash flow from the proposed deal with Etihad Airways will help it repair its balance sheet.
The airline also said it plans to raise USD 300 million in external commercial borrowings (ECB) to retire high-cost debt.
The company reported a net loss of Rs 355.38 crore for the first quarter ended June 30 compared with a profit of Rs 24.7 crore a year earlier. Total income from operations declined to Rs 4,005.15 crore from Rs 4,587.27 crore, Jet Airways said in a filing to the BSE today.
Last month, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approved a Rs 2,058-crore deal under which Abu Dhabi-based Etihad proposes to buy a 24 per cent stake in Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways. The proposal needs to be cleared by capital markets regulator Sebi and fair trade watchdog CCI.
09/08/13 PTI/Economic Times

Jet Airways, Etihad have revised agreement: Ajit Singh

New Delhi: In wake of concerns raised by some ministries over the Jet-Etihad deal, the government today said the two companies have revised their agreement and the proposal is currently being prepared for submission.
"Addressing the concerns, the applicant companies have revised their agreement.
"Comments of SEBI have also been received by Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and the proposal was considered by it at a meeting held on July 29 and the same is currently being prepared for submission to the competent authority," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said.
He said this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. The minister said that during the consideration of the proposal on June 14, some ministries had raised certain concerns on the issue of "effective control" over Jet Airways post the allotment of its 24 per cent share to Etihad Airways.
08/08/13 Press Trust of India/NDTV

Jet plans to expand global presence

Mumbai: Jet Airways said that it plans to grow international capacity by 10-12 per cent and have a 10-year network plan to expand its footprints to Abu Dhabi and beyond.
International operations accounted for 58 per cent of its total revenues. “Through the deal with Etihad, we also plan to enhance our corporate contacts in the international market. Right now, we do not have strong corporate contacts internationally,” said K.G. Vishwanath, Vice-President (commercial strategy and investor relations) on the sidelines of the 21st Annual General Meeting on Thursday.
He said the company is looking to raise $300 million through the external commercial borrowing (ECB) route. This will include the deal for $150 million that will be facilitated through its partnership with Etihad.
08/08/13 Business Line

Swamy to move apex court if SEBI clears Etihad deal

Mumbai: Troubles for the Jet-Etihad deal are far from over, with Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy planning to approach the Supreme Court in case the market regulator approves the stake sale.
“If SEBI also gives a clearance to this deal, then I would be very surprised. If it gives a clearance then it (SEBI) would become respondents in this case. It would become culpable under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Subramanian Swamy told Business Line in an interview.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had approved Abu Dhabi-based Etihad’s proposal to acquire a 24 per cent stake in Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways, with certain riders. To sail through, the Rs 2,058-crore deal requires approvals from SEBI, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Finance Minister P. Chidambram is yet to sign the minutes of the FIPB meeting. The day the FIPB gives final clearance, a PIL would be filed in the Supreme Court, he added. Swamy has also alleged that the deal is not in public interest as people with links to terrorist organisations have invested in Jet.
08/08/13 Rahul Wadke/Rajesh Kurup/Business Line

GoAir likely to sell 40% stake to Qatar Airways: Sources

Wadi Group-led low fare carrier GoAir is learnt to be in talks with Qatar Airways to sell around 40 percent stake to the former. The Mumbai-based airline has already appointed two bankers to facilitate this deal, reports CNBC-TV18’s Kritika Saxena. Sources also indicate that talks have already begun for a likely sale.
Currently, the valuation details have not been discussed. The Wadias hold complete stake in GoAir, which increases the scope of bringing it down to reduce its debt. The Qatar-based airline will also have the option to hike it to 49 percent under foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations eventually.
08/08/13 Kritika Saxena/CNBC-TV18/moneycontrol.com

Sikhs get their way on turbans in Italy

Amritsar:  The five members of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) were allowed to take the flight to Dubai without removing their turbans for a security check after they mounted pressure on the Italian government.
An elated DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK, told TOI, "The protocol officer of the Indian embassy, a representative of the Italian government and chief of security staff of airport came to us. We were treated well and were not asked to remove our turbans. This is what the Sikhs expected from all the airports. We should not be humiliated."
DSGMC team including Manjit, Paramjit Singh, Gurvinder Pal Singh, Puneet Singh Chandhok and Gurbachan Singh Cheema had refused to board the plane from Rome's Fiumicino Airport on Tuesday, after they were asked to remove their turbans for a security check. They protested against it and camped in the airport. They had gone to Italy to attend the "International Sikh Dastar (Turban) Awareness Day" on August 3.
08/08/13 Yudhvir Rana/Times of India

Air China mulls plans for more flights to India

Kolkata: WITH trade between China and India growing exponentially and load factors as high as 82 per cent on routes linking the two countries, Air China is looking into establishing more flights to India, said a spokesperson from the airline.
The carrier is currently conducting a market study as it intends to launch two new flights – Ahmedabad-Shanghai and Hyderabad-Beijing – according to Tang Zhongling, general manager Mumbai, Air China, who was unable to give a start date for the flights.
She observed: “The satisfactory growth of passenger load is encouraging us to add flights to other cities in China as part of our growth plans for India. We intend to make the Mumbai service a daily one in the near future.”
07/08/13 Shekhar Niyogi/TTG Asia

Govt approves visa on arrival for tourists from 11 countries

New Delhi:  Tourists from 11 countries can now avail of visa-on-arrival (VoA) facility at four additional airports - Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The Union home ministry has approved introduction of the tourist VoA facility at these airports with effect from August 15, according to minister of state for home MullapallyRamachandran.
So far, the tourists could get visa-on-arrival only upon disembarking at international airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. This facility - now available to the nationals of New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Finland, Luxem Bourg, Phillippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar - was introduced by the MHA in 2009.
Ramachandran said the civil aviation ministry will provide logistical support to implement the TVoA facility and also inform airport operators.
08/08/13 Times of India

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

10-member international team to inspect India's air safety preparedness

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is keeping its fingers crossed as it prepares for inspections by two global aviation agencies on air safety preparedness besides evaluation of the training and technical measures meant to support India's growing civil aviation sector.
While a 10-member ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) team will be in India from August 19 to 24, a representative of USFAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) will arrive in the county on September 9, a top DGCA official said.
"We have done our best to meet the demands of ICAO and USFAA . We have recruited at least 77 airworthiness officers who will take care of air safety. About 33 more officers will join soon," the official said. The ICAO team will inspect DGCA's preparedness for addressing immediate concerns related to the safety of air passengers as well as training and technical support to the country's civil aviation sector.
07/08/13 Sanjay Singh/India Today