India's civil aviation minister advocates scrapping of 5x20 rule

GoAir could be one of the airlines profiting from plans of civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju to scrap a rule currently in place forcing airlines to fly domestically for a period of five years and to have a minimum of 20 aircraft in its fleet before being allowed to operate on international routes.

GoAir currently operates 19 A320-200s domestically in India and unlike larger LCC rivals IndiGo Airlines  and Spicejet has not been allowed to operate to destinations abroad yet.

Spicejet currently serves Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Colombo Int'l, Dubai Int'l, Kabul, Kathmandu, Malé, Muscat and Sharjah. IndiGo also operates to Bangkok, Dubai, Kathmandu and Muscat but also serves Singapore Changi from Chennai.
31/12/14 ch-aviation

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BIAL handled 14 m passengers in 2014

Bengaluru: Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has handled over 14.38 million passengers in 2014. A resurgent domestic aviation market saw new airlines and routes, resulting in a 14 per cent increase in air traffic movements (ATMs), with an average of 359 ATMs per day.

Domestic ATMs increased by 15.4 per cent to 110,773 in 2014, while international ATMs rose to 20,330. The airport handled 12.5 per cent more passengers than last year’s, making it the third busiest airport in the country.

The domestic traffic recorded an annual growth of 13.5 per cent to 11.55 million passengers at the end of the year. International passenger traffic grew at 9 per cent.

This year also marked the opening of the extended terminal with enhanced facilities, along with new commercial offering and the capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually.

“A focused approach centred around the passenger experience has paid rich dividends, making the KIA (Kempegowda International Airport), Bengaluru, a strategic aviation hub in seven years of operations,” said GV Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, BIAL.
30/12/14 Business Line

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Bird hit Jet Air plane still grounded

Kathmandu: : A Jet Airways aircraft that was hit by a bird (black kite) on Monday has had a serious engine problem and is still grounded. Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) officials said that since the engine cannot be fixed it will be replaced and the aircraft will be flown back to India on January 1 or 3 for further maintenance.

The flight, 9W 268, en-route to Kathmandu from Mumbai had been hit by a bird at 12:00 noon when it was just two to three km away from TIA runway. Averting a major accident, it had landed safely. “There are some internal damages in the left engine caused by the hit,” said Deo Chandra Lal Karn, chief of Airport Operation Department, TIA Civil Aviation Office.

A team of engineers had also arrived from India on Monday evening to fix the engine. After failing to fix the problem, Jet Airways had not submitted a technical report of the aircraft to the TIA till 5:00 pm today. Karn said that since the damage was ‘serious’ its left engine will be replaced and the aircraft will be checked by special Airbus engineers in India.
30/12/14 Himalayan Times

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Air India, Malaysia Airlines, now AirAsia: Does Asia have an aviation problem?

The cause of the disappearance of AirAsia flight QZ8501 is still to be ascertained, with inclement weather currently suspected to have be responsible, but questions are now being raised about whether Asia's rapidly expanding airlines are going easy on safety regulations in order to cater to the growing demand for flights.
Questions are being raised on the enforcement of air safety standards followed in Indonesia, from where QZ8501 began its flight, and whether the airlines have adequately qualified pilots to fly the rapidly growing fleets.
An analysis in Bloomberg Businessweek  raises doubts over whether the pilot of the missing aircraft had adequate experience to fly the aircraft to the height that he had sought permission from the Air Traffic Controller to do and points to the fact that some low cost carriers may be overworking the limited number of pilots that they have. Pilot error is also suspected to be the cause of the ill fated Air India crash in Mangalore in 2010 in which a Serbian pilot failed to act on his co-pilot's warnings while the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 is also suspected to be the result of the pilot's actions.
A Wall Street Journal report notes that most Asian countries don't have the number of schools to provide airlines with pilots and airlines turn to expatriate pilots from Europe and US to fill the gap, but open the possibility for greater error. It also notes that even QZ8501 had a French co-pilot with a Indonesian captain and the integration of diverse cockpit crews is often a "big management challenge". it is also not certain that the airlines in their rush to meet demand are able to ensure it takes place.
However, apart from the functioning of airlines, the incident also places the spotlight uncomfortably on Indonesia's not so stellar record on air safety.
30/12/14 First Post

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Cops feel the pinch, look for ‘cheapest’ air tickets to deport arrested foreigners

Mumbai: Almost every time a decision is taken, there is one standard operating procedure the Mumbai Police follow in deporting arrested foreigners: They look for the “cheapest airline ticket available.”
For most of these journeys, with the diplomatic urgency involved, the police personnel end up paying from their own pockets.
This year, 13 foreign nationals were deported on air tickets that were paid for from the salary of police inspectors. Although the amount is reimbursed in most cases, the process of getting the ticket dues cleared can take at least six months.
“Our instructions are clear —to look for the cheapest tickets available,” said Suhas Gokhale, senior police inspector of the Azad Maidan unit of the anti narcotics cell.
Gokhale had funded the deportation of three foreigners back to Nigeria in March this year. Having already identified Nigerian and Ethopian Airlines as those with the ‘most affordable’ flight, police officers have said they refer to sites such as Yatra.com and Makemytrip.com to compare fares.
30/12/14 Rohit Alok/Indian Express

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AirAsia's long term plans will not suffer due to missing plane, say aviation experts

Mumbai: AirAsia is facing challenges in the South East Asia region, and the disappearance of its Airbus A320 aircraft on Sunday will add to its woes and impact its earnings. However, the incident will not significantly impact its long-term growth, say aviation analysts.

Their optimism is based on two factors — AirAsia’s safety record (it has not suffered a crash till now) and the strong demand for budget travel in the region.  AirAsia runs airlines in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and now in India. AirAsia’s consolidated results includes income from the parent airline in Malaysia and the share of profit or loss from its airlines (treated as associate companies) in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The last few months and the year have not been encouraging for the airline. Its consolidated profit ($110 million) in 2013 was the lowest since 2009. Profitability was impacted due to intense competition in Malaysia, a slump in demand because of political crisis in Thailand and the impact of currency depreciation.
29/12/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Ensure Safer Air Travel in Asian Subcontinent

The search for the missing AirAsia jetliner that disappeared Sunday morning over the Java Sea has been suspended for the day, with no significant breakthroughs. Though Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency said the search for the plane with 162 passengers and crew aboard would continue with the help of foreign vessels with sonar capabilities, it suspects the plane was likely to be “at the  bottom of the ocean” with little chance of survivors. The story of AirAsia flight QZ850 that went missing during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore sounds remarkable similar to that of Malaysia Airlines MH370 that remains missing nearly 10 months after it disappeared from radar screens on a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

Should no survivors be found among the 162 passengers and crew members, 2014 will turn out to be an unimaginably horrible year for Asian aviation in general and Malaysian aviation in particular. There have been four incidents in which over 600 people have died before Sunday’s tragedy and carriers from Malaysia or their subsidiaries have been involved in the three deadliest aviation disasters this year. The Airbus that disappeared on Sunday is operated by an Indonesian subsidiary of AirAsia, a company based in Malaysia. The parent company, run by a Malaysian, Tony Fernandes, owns 49 per cent stake.
29/12/14 New Indian Express

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Seven-Hour Flight Turns into 60-Hour Ordeal for AI Passengers

A seven-hour flight from Milan, Italy to New Delhi took almost 60 hours to reach its final destination. After an initial delay at Milan due to adverse weather conditions, Air India flight 0122 was originally expected to land in New Delhi on December 24.

However, the flight was diverted to Mumbai twice, due to dense fog in the Capital, too. The 259 agitated passengers had to wait at Mumbai airport for almost a day before they were finally flown to Delhi on Christmas afternoon.

Kshitij Srivastava, a passenger from the flight, told mid-day, "The flight was originally expected to leave Milan on December 23, 2.50 am (IST). However, the weather conditions did not permit the flight to take off till December 24, 12.30 am (IST)."

The flight, which was expected to reach New Delhi within seven hours, was circling over Indira Gandhi International Airport around 9 am, when passengers were informed that they could not land due to thick fog and poor visibility. The aircraft had to be diverted to Mumbai airport.
26/12/14 NDTV.com

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US Airport Staff Convicted of Stealing Money From Indian-Origin Passengers

New York:   A security officer at John F Kennedy International Airport here has been convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from two Indian-origin passengers before they boarded a plane to India and faces up to 14 years in prison.

Alexandra Schmid, 34, who worked as a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer assigned to the city's busiest international airport, has been convicted of grand larceny and other charges for stealing $ 10,000 dollars cash from the two passengers travelling in December 2011 and January 2012.

Mr Schmid was convicted last week following a nearly month-long bench trial before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Joel Blumenfeld, who found her guilty of third degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and official misconduct.

She would be sentenced in March next year and faces up to 14 years in prison.

"It is particularly troubling that someone hired to ensure the safety and security of our nation's airlines and to protect all of us from terrorism would stoop to stealing from those she is supposed to protect. The defendant's actions tarnish the reputation of the many TSA agents who faithfully carry out their duties with integrity and pride," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.
27/12/14 PTI/NDTV

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Malindo Air partners with Travelport in India

Mumbai: Travelport, one of the leading travel commerce platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the tourism industry, has announced the distribution of ancillary services and full-content agreement for Malindo Air for travel agents in India. Malindo Air is now available on Travelport GDS and can be booked by travel agents across India.

The agreement taking immediate effect enables Travelport- connected agents across the country to search, compare and book competitive fares and popular ancillaries such as checked-in bags, advanced seat selection and in-flight meals offered by the respective airlines.

Anil Parashar, president and CEO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient, official distributor of Travelport in India and Sri Lanka said, “It is an honour to be partnering with Malindo Air. Travel agents in India who are connected on Travelport’s distribution network will be able to access Malindo Air’s fares, as well as their extensive ancillary products and services. This is a significant milestone for us in providing technology to Malindo Air to distribute their content and ancillary services through our industry leading merchandising platform.”
24/12/14 Financial Express

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24-hr ordeal for US-bound passengers, as airline dumps them in Iceland

A family from the city spent eight agonising hours not knowing what had become of their relatives, after a Chicago-bound Turkish Airlines flight they had boarded took an unexpected detour to Iceland and the passengers were unreachable. The incident occurred with Pankaj Shah, whose brother-in-law Nimesh Mehta (54), a businessman based in Chicago, was on his way back home after attending a family function in Mumbai. Mehta, along with his 70-year-old aunt Sarojben Shah, was onboard flight TK 721, which took off for Istanbul at 7 am Indian Standard Time (IST) on December 23. The duo was supposed to board TK 5 of the same airline at 5 pm (IST), which was scheduled to land in Chicago the next day at 6 am IST.Instead, the flight ended up in Reykjavik, Iceland. Mehta later told mid-day from Iceland, “After landing, we were told that the aircraft had to land in Iceland due to a medical emergency and technical snag. We were made to sit in the aircraft itself for three hours.” He added, “We were all clueless and didn’t know how to react. We had to reach Chicago, but only when we got out of the aircraft were we told we had reached Iceland instead of Chicago.”
25/12/14 Neha LM Tripathi & Nimesh Dave/Mid Day

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JP Morgan may invest in troubled SpiceJet

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry could very soon issue a set of guidelines to aviation regulator DGCA to prevent airlines from both over-charging passengers in spot fares while at the same time ensuring that airlines do not offer very cheap fares below the cost of operation.

Meanwhile, with former promoter of SpiceJet Ajay Singh trying to bring investment of at least Rs1000 crore into the cash-strapped airline, speculation is rife that US-based investment firm JP Morgan could be interested in investing in the airline.

Speculation is also rife that market leader IndiGo  which has already captured more than one-third of the aviation market  could buy more aircraft to boost its own network, possibly upto even 80 aircraft.  

The ministry sources had recently indicated that there could be a cap of about Rs15,000 on maximum fare on any sector. The ministry sources are exploring the possibility of linking fares to the distance per km. Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju is currently examining the proposal which could be cleared by the ministry very soon, sources said.
24/12/14 Deccan Chronicle

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For Tripura residents, its via Bangladesh to the rest of India

Agartala: Hurdles in travelling to other parts of the country by road, rail and air are increasingly prompting the people of Tripura to go to other parts of India via Bangladesh.

Before the partition of the country in 1947, the routes of the then East Bengal (now Bangladesh) had been used to ferry men and materials to and from northeast India.

“For the people of Tripura, the Bangladeshi route is the only and secured option to go to Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of India as road, rail and air journeys from this hilly state now become impossible,” Tarun Chakraborty, an executive of a Kolkata-based private company posted here, told IANS.

“If you are keen to visit Tripura, then the Bangladeshi route is the solitary and secure alternative. I, along with my family, were stranded in Kolkata for three days. My leave has exhausted but I was unable to rejoin my office in Agartala as no air tickets were available . I returned to Tripura from Kolkata via Bangladesh,” he added.
22/12/14 IANS/Vancouverdesi.com

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Jet Airways keeps insurance cost flat on Etihad renewal

Mumbai: By leveraging its tie-up with Etihad Airways, Jet Airways has managed to keep its insurance premium flat at a time when foreign reinsures have increased the premium for underwriting aviation covers due to a series of accidents across the world in the last several months.

The insurance cover renewal of Jet Airways coincided with the insurance policy renewal of Etihad Airways, the domestic carrier managed to bargain as a group and keep its insurance cost low while renewing its policy with domestic insurance companies. Jet Airways renewed its policy for 2014-15 on November 22, 2014 for a premium of around $6.5 million for a total sum insured of $5.11 billion. The fleet size at policy inception was 106 aircrafts while at the time of expiry was 99 aircrafts. The sum insured at expiry stood at $4.87 billion. Jet Airways bought Hull, Spares and Liability All risk policy, Hull War Liability cover, Hull Deductible and Excess War Liability covers.
21/12/14 Falaknaaz Syed/mydigitalfc.com

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GMR's Philippines JV raises USD 750 million for Cebu airport

India-based GMR Infrastructure's joint venture GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) Monday said it has signed agreements for financing 70 percent of the Mactan Cebu International Airport project in Cebu in the Philippines worth nearly USD 750 million.
GMCAC is a joint venture of GMR Infrastructure with 40 percent share holding and the Philippines-based Megawide Construction Corporation with a 60 percent stake.
The loan for the project is being financed by six Philippines-based banks - BDO Unibank Inc, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines and Metrobank and Philippine National Bank.
The total equity contribution of GMR to GMCAC will be nearly USD 90 million, of which the Indian construction company has already invested USD 48 million.
22/12/14 IANS/India Gazette

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’Star Alliance membership will aid Air India’s turnaround’

Air India stands to gain upto $100 million (over Rs 600 crore) in the first year of its membership of Star Alliance, the the world’s largest airline accord that brings together 27 carriers for increasing passenger share and earnings, the top official of the grouping has said. It’s an infusion that would greatly help Air India in its turnaround efforts.

Star Alliance chief executive Mark F Schwab said that Air India is expected to gain around $50–$100 million as a result of its entry into alliance, which would account for revenues from transfers, saving synergies and better reach to passengers.

“Its just the beginning. As and when Air India completes a full year of membership, you can see gains of at least $50–$100 million,” Schwab told IANS on the sidelines of the first Star Alliance Chief Executives Board (CEB) meeting held in India.

Star’s current network has over 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 destinations in 193 countries.

“India is the world’s fifth largest domestic aviation market and will continue to grow both domestically and internationally. It is therefore essential for Star Alliance to have a strong presence in this market,” Schwab added.
22/12/14 Rohit Vaid/The Sentinel

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1986 Pan Am hijacking: Ministry of External Affairs may raise issue of compensation with United States

New Delhi: A 28-year-old hijacking case that involved a Pan Am airline may cast shadow over Barack Obama's January visit. A directive from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to the Ministry of External Affairs has suggested that it should raise with the United States the issue of not granting compensation to Indian-origin victims who were killed before the hijack ended.

Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked on September 5, 1986, while on the ground at Karachi by four armed Palestinian men of the Abu Nida the Abu Nidal organisation. The aircraft, with 360 passengers on board, had just arrived from Sahar International Airport in Mumbai, and was preparing to depart the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi for Frankfurt, before its ultimate destination of New York. 20 passengers were killed after commandos stormed the plane and the hijackers started shooting. Twelve of the killed were Indians.

While the US authorities compensated American nationals on the ill-fated flight, it refused to pay any compensation for passengers of other nationalities.
20/12/14 Dipanjan Roy Choudhury/Economic Times

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Passengers Stranded As Flight From Bahrain To Kuwait Is Cancelled

Manama: Passengers have been stranded for more than 24 hours after a flight from Bahrain to Kuwait was cancelled on Wednesday.

Air India Express flight IX 890 was supposed to leave at 10.15am, but a fuel leak detected on landing in Bahrain meant the flight was called off.

A total of 101 passengers booked on the flight bound for Mangalore, India, via Kuwait were supposed to board the flight at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) on Wednesday morning.

Another 29 flew in from Mangalore, bound for Kuwait, and all were accommodated at the Gulf Gate Hotel on Wednesday night while repairs were carried out.

Passengers to Kuwait left on a Kuwait Airways flight yesterday evening, while Air India officials were communicating with operations control in New Delhi, India, to come up with an alternative flight for Mangalore-bound passengers -- who had still not left last night.
19/12/14 Aviation Pros

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Code-share agreements soon with Star Alliance members: Air India

New Delhi: National carrier Air India today said it expects to put-in place code-share partnerships with most member airlines of the Star Alliance grouping by March next year.

"We are looking at closer interaction with member airlines. By March (2015), we aim at having code-share agreements with most Star Alliance member airlines," said AI chairman and managing director, Rohit Nandan.
Nandan, along with Star Alliance chief executive Mark Schwab and Chief Executive Board (CEB) chairman Calin Rovinescu, who is also the President and CEO of Air Canada, was addressing the media after the conclusion of the two-day CEB meeting in the national capital.

This was the first time that the CEB meet took place in India following the entry of AI as the 27th member of the elite global airlines' club in July this year.

Nandan said that AI has signed a code-share agreement with Air Canada besides MOUs recently with Avianca and EVA Air. "The focus will now be on geographies such as Africa and South America," he said.
17/12/14 PTI/Economic Times

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Visa on Arrival At Goa Airport To Boost Tourism

Panaji:  The Goa airport at Dabolim has issued 357 Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) within ten days of the commencement of this facility by the Centre, offering a glimmer of hope to the sagging tourism in the state, officials said today.

The VoA facility was launched by the Union Home Ministry on November 27. Soon after the notification, the Dabolim airport started the process of issuing visas from December 4.

A total of 43 countries have been extended this facility and Goa is one of the nine airports which has been selected for providing the VoA facility.

Of the total number, the highest number of 183 VoA has been issued to tourists from Ukraine followed by 154 to those from Russia. While 7 VoA have been issued to tourists from Germany, those from Jordan, Singapore and the US have been issued 3, 1 and 4 VoA respectively.
Foreign nationals from Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Philippines have also been issued VoA each as per data furnished by the Goa airport.
16/12/14 NDTV.com

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Gulf Air resumes flights to Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has resumed its direct services between Hyderabad and Bahrain.

Hussain A Rahman, Gulf Air Country Manager for India, in a statement said “Gulf Air has provided direct air services between India and Bahrain since 1971, catering to over 5 million Indian nationals residing in the Arabian Gulf region. With the resumption of our flights to Hyderabad, Gulf Air’s sixth Indian destination would further strengthen these longstanding ties between our two countries and offer our passengers convenient access to strategic business, trade and leisure destinations.”

Gulf Air’s five weekly flights between Hyderabad International Airport and Bahrain International Airport are operated with an Airbus A321 aircraft in a two-class configuration, featuring 8 Falcon Gold Class full flat-bed seats and 161 Economy Class seats.
15/12/14 Business Line

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India interested in Russian Superjet

The Russian plane arrived to the Indian capital from Moscow on Dec. 12 specially for the presentation in order to allow the local officials and entrepreneurs see it with their own eyes and assess the prospects of the project.

«It's the first time that we arrived in India on a new version of Sukhoi Superjet 100 and had the opportunity to demonstrate it to our Indian colleagues. Before that, it participated in a number of air shows in India - in Bangalore and Hyderabad, - the head of the United Aircraft Corporation Mikhail Pogosyan told RIR. According to him, the presentation of the Superjet will foment Indian colleagues' interest to participate in the project of producing this aircraft in India.

To date, more than 30 Sukhoi Superjets 100 have been produced, and some of them purchased by the airlines of Mexico and the Southeast Asian countries. In the future the flight geography of Russian aircraft has good prospects for expansion.

«We are considering multifaceted cooperation with India: the provision of services, aviation equipment supplies as well as collaboration with the Indian industry,» - Pogosyan noted. He also added that the UAC is ready to continue its cooperation with the Indian public and private companies, including the establishment of joint ventures.
15/12/14 Russia & India Report

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Jet Airways to benefit from new Abu Dhabi links to India

Jet Airways is expected to receive a boost from its newly introduced daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Goa and Lucknow in India.

The routes, introduced a month ago, are aimed at attracting tourists to the popular western city of Goa, and labourers to travel through Lucknow in the north, according to analysts.

Etihad Airways, which owns a 24 per cent stake in Jet, is also expected to benefit from the arrangement by bringing tourists from Europe, North America and the Middle East via its Abu Dhabi hub and flying them to Goa.

“This is a very good move for Etihad and Jet, as the peak season in Goa starts in November [and lasts] until February,” said Praveen Sahay, a senior research analyst at India-based Batlivala and Karani Securities.

For Lucknow, labourers working in the Gulf would usually commute to larger cities such as New Delhi to fly to Abu Dhabi. By connecting the two cities, Jet will also benefit from cheaper fuel and airport charges at Lucknow airport, said Mr Sahay.

Etihad’s partnership with Jet includes three pairs of arrival and departure slots at Heathrow Airport through a sale and leaseback agreement.
14/12/14 Shereen El Gazzar/The National

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Indian arrested for carrying drugs at Kuala Lumpur airport

Kuala Lumpur: An Indian has been arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport for allegedly carrying 5.34 kilogrammes of illegal drugs worth USD 288,155.

The 27-year-old, who arrived here from Chennai by a Malaysia Airlines flight, landed in Customs Department's net upon his arrival at the airport.

"He was arrested after being found with a crystal-like substance which tested positive for Methamphetamine," Customs Department's director Datuk Chik Omar Chik Lim was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times on Monday.

The man's identity was not disclosed.
15/12/14 PTI/ZeeNews

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Local airlines pull strings for & against the 5/20 rule

New Delhi: Domestic airlines have begun frenzied lobbying for and against the proposed government move to scrap the existing norms stipulating mandatory five years of operations in the domestic market and a minimum fleet of 20 aircraft to be able to fly overseas.

While the airlines already flying on international routes insist that these restrictions should stay, those seeking to make a debut on overseas routes are pushing for flexibility on the 5/20 rule.

Any move to dilute the existing eligibility criteria for flying overseas will benefit the newly set-up Tata Sons’ joint ventures Vistara and Air Asia India, and open up the protected turf of carriers like Air India, Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to further competition.

In the face of intense opposition from the established players, the aviation ministry is burning midnight oil to hammer out a “please all and consensual” policy, which is likely to be unveiled by January 10.
14/12/14 Nirbhay Kumar/mydigitalfc.com

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Singapore-bound Silk Air flight develops snag; returns to Hyderabad

Hyderabad: A Singapore-bound flight of Silk Air, a regional wing of Singapore Airlines, on Monday returned to Rajiv Gandhi International airport within two hours of taking off from here due to a technical snag, an airport official said.

"Silk Air MI-473 Hyderabad-Singapore flight at 23.05 hrs (December 14) returned at 01.04 hrs (December 15) due to technical reasons. All the passengers were accommodated in Novotel Hotel," the official told PTI.
14/12/14 PTI/Deccan Chronicle

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GMR unit buys out Malaysia Aerospace stake in Hyderabad

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHAIL) recently bought out Malaysia Aerospace Engineering SDN BHD (MAE)’s 44.61% stake in a jointly-owned maintenance and overhaul facility.

With the buyout, MAS GMR Aerospace Engineering Company Limited (MGAE), becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of GHIAL, itself a subsidiary of the diversified GMR Infrastructure Limited.

GMR did not disclose the deal’s value (involving 9,67,50,000 shares of face value of INR 10 each) but said it was for a nominal consideration.
14/12/14 Steel Guru

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China's HNA eyeing to invest $200 million in Indian aviation sector

New Delhi: Chinese aviation firm HNA Group is eyeing to invest around $200 million in Indian aviation industry, said its president Tan Xiangdong.

"We are looking forward to an investment of between $150 to 200 million in the Indian aviation sector only if we get a viable domestic partner," Xiangdong told PTI.

HNA Group is one of the biggest aviation conglomerates of China owning 16 airline companies with 528 aircrafts operating across the world. The group's flagship Hainan Airlines is one of the seven airlines awarded five-star rating by Skytrax.

HNA also have interests in shipping, logistics, financial services and hotel business.

With troubles hitting the Indian aviation industries and companies like Kingfisher and Spicejet facing crisis, Xiangdong said the group is very cautious about making investments in this sector of the country.
14/12/14 PTI/Economic Times

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FAA's Delhi visit raises hope of aviation safety upgrade

Mumbai: A US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) team is in Delhi to audit the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA)  safety oversight mechanism.

In January, the FAA downgraded India's safety ranking to category II finding deficiencies in DGCA's safety oversight function and had imposed curbs on additional flights by Indian carriers to the US.

This has impacted Air India and Jet Airways, particularly the latter which is keen to add flights to Chicago and New York. Also US airlines have been restricted from code sharing with Indian carriers.

Air India earns about 18-20% revenue from India-US routes while Jet Airways about 5% of its revenue from its sole flight to Newark.

FAA team's Delhi visit a month before US president Barack Obama's India trip has led to buzz in aviation circles about a quick revision in India's ranking.
"The FAA team is checking DGCA's procedures regarding certification of airlines and charter companies. The audit is currently underway.  While India follows International Civil Aviation Organisation standards there were lacunae in procedures being followed in India. These processes have been streamlined and certification process has been revamped," said a civil aviation ministry official.
11/12/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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While they descend in India, airline profits fly globally

Mumbai: Higher altitude I Airlines are likely to post collectively $19.9 billion profit this year and $25 billion in the next as falling oil prices and economic recovery provide tailwind, says IATA.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) has raised its profit outlook for global airlines on lower oil prices and recovery prospects of world economy.

The industry body sees airlines globally posting collective net profit of $19.9 billion this year, up from $18 billion projected in June. This looks set to rise to $25 billion in 2015, IATA said.

"Stronger industry performance is good news for all. It's a highly competitive industry and consumers—travellers as well as shippers—will see lower costs in 2015 as the impact of lower oil prices kick in. A healthy air transport sector will help governments in their overall objective to stimulate the economic growth needed to put the impact of the global financial crisis behind them at last," said Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO.
11/12/14 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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German Flier Stopped for Sat Phone in Bag

Chennai:  For the second time this year, airport security personnel have gotten paranoid over a foreign passenger carrying a satellite phone, and detained him in the country for a few more days.

While it was a young American woman last time, this time it turned out to be the managing director of global make-up manufacturer Kryolan.

In the process of checking in to board a Singapore Airlines flight SQ 529 at 11.15 on Tuesday night, the German passenger’s sat phone was found in his baggage by CISF men. He was apparently asked to accompany them and an explanation was sought. Airport sources confirmed that the CISF were steadfast about the rules surrounding satellite phones as they breached rules set both by the Union Home Ministry and the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). After being forced to miss his flight and answer questions, he was handed over to the Airport S2 Police Station for further investigation.

Unlike most other international passengers who have termed the ‘no sat phone’ diktat ludicrous, and have been verbal about it, Langer Wolfram Frank Wilfried (64) was apparently aware of the rule.
11/12/14 New Indian Express

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Air India's cabin crew detained in Russia due to visa issues: Government

New Delhi: Air India's cabin crew on a Delhi-Moscow flight were kept in detention as they had landed in the Russian capital before the validity of their visas had begun, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"Yes Sir. The visa validity of the three cabin crew who operated the Delhi-Moscow flight of Air India on September 13, 2014, started from September 14. Hence, they were allowed to proceed to the hotel on September 14, that is midnight of September 13," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said.
He was replying to a written question whether the cabin crew were kept in Russian detention because of not having valid visas on their passports "due to an oversight".

Sharma replied in the negative to another question whether Air India was fined a lakh Russian roubles for this oversight.

To another question, he said the government planned to modernise Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports through the public-private partnership (PPP) route and take up those at Kolkata and Chennai under management and operation contract, indicating involvement of the private sector.
09/12/14 PTI/Economic Times

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Lufthansa eyes Indian destinations with low-cost Wings

New Delhi: Your dream European holiday may soon be within your reach. German airline Lufthansa is launching a long-haul low-cost carrier (LCC) by 2016 and India is among the destinations being eyed for this airline called Wings.

"We are going to buy three Airbus A-330s next year for Wings and try for launch in 2016. There is huge demand in India and places like Hyderabad and Kolkata could be destination for Wings. The LCC's European base could be either in Germany, Austria or Switzerland (Swiss and Austrian are Lufthansa group airlines). From there, flyers can connect to others LCCs for travel within Europe like German Wings, which is already flying," Lufthansa director (South Asia) Wolfgang Will told TOI. Wings will not fly to major hubs like Frankfurt or Munich (just like German Wings) and go to other less congested airports.

While the model for Wings is being finalized, this LCC is going to be different from short-and medium-haul budget carriers. It is unlikely to charge for food and beverages. Its aircraft will have in flight entertainment — something that short haul LCCs don't boast of. So, how can passengers hope for lower fares?
10/12/14 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Boeing’s MRO facility set to take off in Nagpur next month

Mumbai: After much delay, Boeing’s largest aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul facility in Asia, would be operational by January. The site is almost 95 per cent complete and will come up at the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN).

The maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility is spread over 50 acres and will be able to service two commercial aircraft simultaneously.

In the mid-2000s, when Air India had placed an order for 68 aircraft with Boeing, it had committed that an MRO would be set up in India to service the aircraft. In 2009 it decided to spend $100 million on developing the MRO site at Nagpur.

The MRO is located inside the special economic zone at MIHAN, which is managed by Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC).

General Manager (Marketing) of MADC, S Sittarasu told BusinessLine that the project site, especially the 2 km taxiway, which connects the site with the runway, was facing problems of land acquisition.
10/12/14 Rahul Wadke/Business Line

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IATA projects bright outlook for aviation in 2015

Geneva: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday announced an outlook of a healthier 2015 for the world aviation industry, marked by improved profitability of carriers. It said that airlines will post a collective global net profit of $25 billion in 2015, up from $19.9 billion in 2014.

The positive outlook will provide a breathing space for the Indian aviation sector, which is struggling amidst high operating costs leading to squeezed margins.

Indian airlines lost about $400 million in the second quarter of the present fiscal 2015, according to consulting firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

“The industry outlook is improving,” said Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO, IATA after sharing the Association’s Economic Performance of the Air Industry report.

“It is a highly competitive industry and consumers will see lower costs in 2015 as the impact of lower oil prices kick in,” he added.

The report expected the full-year average price of oil to be at $85 per barrel. This will bring down the overall fuel expense to $192 billion, down from $204 billion in 2014.

This is significant for Indian companies as fuel costs make up for over 40 per cent of their total expenses. Globally, fuel prices will represent 26 per cent of the total costs in 2015, down from 29 per cent in2014.
10/12/14 Prince Mathews Thomas/Business LIne

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First Russian business jet to deliver VIP-passengers to India

It is expected that the Sukhoi Business Jet will make its first international flight in December this year flying to India. The airplane, recently handed over to the customer, will deliver high ranking officials for negotiations.
The official presentation of the Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ100) as a business model took place at JetExpo in Moscow this September. The first aircraft which was launched as part of the business-aviation programme aroused the interest of dozens of potential buyers from among the VIP guests.
“This is an airplane which has been constructed according to the very latest requirements. In a whole range of characteristics, comfort and cost, it distinguishes itself with its advantageous comparison against other competitors”, stated Mikhail Pogosyan, president of the United Aircraft Corporation.
The level of comfort is comparable to large business aircraft of the BBJ type (based on the Boeing 737) and the ACJ (based on the Airbus A318, Airbus A319 and Airbus A320). For operating expenses the SSJ100 is comparable to regional aircraft, but significantly exceeds them in comfort. The business jet is designed for 19 passengers and is equipped with a highly comfortable VIP-class interior, which is divided into three functional areas: service, business and an office. The interior was prepared by Russian company Aerostyle, which has plenty of experience, including in business aviation.
10/12/14 Russia India Report

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Raju acts tough, denies Air Arabia, Emirates' requests for expansion into India

United Arab Emirates is perhaps the only country in the world with which India has multiple bilateral air services agreements, emirate wise. The usual practice is for two countries to have only one such agreement which covers airlines operating from each country. But only in the case of UAE does India inexplicably ink such pacts separately with each emirate.
We have already seen how this discriminatory practice has bled Indian carriers - two of UAE's largest airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways - have been carrying Indians in droves to their respective hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi before providing them onward connections to the Americas and Europe. This, of course, has bled Indian airlines like Air India which could have carried this traffic had the Government not been generous with flying rights to the two UAE airlines with deep pockets.
But a decision taken recently by Civil Aviation Minister A Gajapathi Raju may finally reverse this trend of fawning over foreign carriers, at the risk of putting our own airlines in trouble. A source says the ministry has rejected Air Arabia's demand of being allowed to use flying rights accorded to the designated carrier of Ras Al Khaimah, an emirate of UAE. Ras al Khaimah's own airline, RAK Airways, shut down last year after which the emirate petitioned India for allowing Air Arabia to operate 14,000 seats a week between itself and various Indian cities.
"We have rejected this proposal. Our Indian airlines are unable to use seats provided to them under bilateral pacts and this situation needs to be corrected. Air Arabia is the designated airline for Sharjah, why allow it to fly from Ras al Khaimah?," this source said.
09/12/14 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Air Canada to launch flights to Delhi from Nov 1, 2015

Air Canada has unveiled plans to launch non-stop flights between Toronto and Delhi, India beginning in November 2015. The new route, the first to be dedicated for Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 series aircraft, will open new opportunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air Canada.
Calin Rovinescu, president and chief executive officer, Air Canada said, “Air Canada’s strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition of Delhi to our extensive global network. We will be offering the only non-stop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The operating economics of these new aircraft make this service feasible and it will be the first route dedicated to the larger, 787-9 version of this aircraft, which begin entering our fleet in 2015. This service will appeal both to customers visiting and doing business in Delhi, the capital region of India and the fourth most populous urban area in the world, and to those customers making onward connections within India and throughout Southeast Asia on our Star Alliance partner, Air India, or other interline partners.”
08/12/14 Financial Express

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Indian Navy Selects Sikorsky's S-70B SEAHAWK Aircraft

Stratford: India's Navy has selected Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), to fulfill the service's Multi-Role Helicopter requirement for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW), among other maritime roles. Negotiations will now begin to procure 16 S-70B SEAHAWK® helicopters, with an option for eight additional aircraft, along with a complete logistics support and training program.

"India's selection of the S-70B helicopter represents a major strategic win for Sikorsky in an important growth market, and positions us well for future opportunities," said Mick Maurer, President of Sikorsky Aircraft. "We look forward to a long-term collaboration with the Indian Government and local industry as we work to bring the Indian Navy the highly advanced multi-role S-70B aircraft."
05/12/14 PRNewswire/AvkiationPros

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Air Canada to launch flights to Delhi from Nov 1, 2015

Air Canada has unveiled plans to launch non-stop flights between Toronto and Delhi, India beginning in November 2015. The new route, the first to be dedicated for Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 series aircraft, will open new opportunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air Canada.
Calin Rovinescu, president and chief executive officer, Air Canada said, “Air Canada’s strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition of Delhi to our extensive global network. We will be offering the only non-stop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The operating economics of these new aircraft make this service feasible and it will be the first route dedicated to the larger, 787-9 version of this aircraft, which begin entering our fleet in 2015. This service will appeal both to customers visiting and doing business in Delhi, the capital region of India and the fourth most populous urban area in the world, and to those customers making onward connections within India and throughout Southeast Asia on our Star Alliance partner, Air India, or other interline partners.”
08/12/14 Financial Express

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No question of automatic ejection, pilot error led to Su 30 crash: Russia

New Delhi: Rejecting reports that a technical glitch led to the rather unique crash of a Su 30 MKI fighter in October in which both pilots had ejected while the aircraft was on landing approach, the Russian side has said that after an investigation, no defect has been found and that the incident occurred due to a pilot error. Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has said that a joint investigation by Indian and Russian experts did not find any glitch with the Russian technology on board and said that the fault was `human'. "I do not want to say that it was a human error but the fact is that it was a human error and the fighters are now flying again," Kadakin said in response to a question by the India Today.Sources said that the fact that the entire fleet of Sukhoi 30 fighters, which was grounded for three weeks following the crash in which the pilots said they had been ejected automatically from the plane while on approach, if flying again with no technical changes or tweaks also indicates that no fault was found after extensive checks as well as examination of flight data.
08/12/14 India Today

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Bombardier Business Aircraft appoints ASF in India

Bombardier Business Aircraft has appointed Indamer Aviation as an Authorised Service Facility (ASF) for business aircraft customers based in or flying to India. The new ASF in Ahmedabad, India, will be capable of performing line maintenance for Global business aircraft.

Michel Ouellette, vice president, aircraft programmes and customer services, Bombardier Business Aircraft, said, “The new addition to Bombardier’s expanding aftermarket network will provide our business aircraft customers with even more options for high quality maintenance services closer to home. With its wealth of experience, we are confident that Indamer Aviation can deliver first-class services to operators in the region.”

Providing maintenance on business aircraft for 67 years, Indamer Aviation has various service facilities around India. The facility in Ahmedabad, India is located at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and is supported by a team of more than 42 technicians. The 3,220 square meter maintenance facility offers a variety of on-site services with capabilities to perform minor scheduled maintenance, re-work and modifications for business aircraft customers.
08/12/14 Financial Express

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Thai VietJetAir commences operations with India charters

Thai VietJetAir (Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) began operations on Friday, December 5, with a flight from Bangkok Don Mueang to Gaya in India. The charter flights, which cater to Buddhist faithful and clergy, will operate on a weekly basis beginning in January. Flights are on-board the budget carrier's sole aircraft, an A320-200 HS-VKA (cn 2745) leased from parent VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi).
08/12/14 ch-aviation

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Ejected SpiceJet pilots land in Jet

New Delhi: With SpiceJet flying into financial turbulence, its pilots are making a beeline for safer jobs in Jet Airways, rival IndiGo and cash-rich foreign carriers.
According to industry sources, more than 50 SpiceJet pilots of the 125 odd who have quit are in line for jobs in Jet and IndiGo.
The others have joined fast-expanding foreign airlines like Etihad while some are seeking entry into Southeast Asian airlines which are also doing well. Sources added that the exodus of pilots is continuing from SpiceJet and this has led to cancellation of several flights and delays, which is pushing the airline further into the red.
The airline's auditors in a report have cast doubts over the ability of SpiceJet to run as a going concern. Concerned over the deteriorating condition of SpiceJet and large-scale flight cancellations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday withdrew 186 of its slots and asked the carrier to clear salary dues of employees by December 15.
08/12/14 Business Today

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Bombardier Expands Worldwide Service and Maintenance Network for Business Aircraft Customers in India

Montreal, Quebec: Bombardier Business Aircraft continues to find more places to serve its customers with the appointment of Indamer Aviation Private Limited as an Authorized Service Facility (ASF) for business aircraft customers based in or flying to India. The new ASF in Ahmedabad, India, will be capable of performing line maintenance for Global business aircraft.
"The new addition to Bombardier's expanding aftermarket network will provide our business aircraft customers with even more options for high quality maintenance services closer to home," said Michel Ouellette, Vice President, Aircraft Programs and Customer Services, Bombardier Business Aircraft. "With its wealth of experience, we are confident that Indamer Aviation Private Limited can deliver first-class services to operators in the region."
Providing maintenance on business aircraft for 67 years, Indamer Aviation Private Limited has various service facilities around India. The facility in Ahmedabad, India is located at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and supported by a team of more than 42 technicians. The 3,220 square meter (approximately 34,660 square feet) maintenance facility offers a variety of on-site services with capabilities to perform minor scheduled maintenance, re-work and modifications for business aircraft customers.
The appointment of Indamer Aviation Private Limited to Bombardier's service and maintenance network brings the number of ASFs catering to Bombardier's business aircraft customers to more than 50 facilities worldwide. These are supported by seven Bombardier-owned service centres in North America, Europe and Singapore.
06/12/14 Market Wired

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Tigerair to SpiceJet’s Rescue?

Chennai: With the crisis-ridden SpiceJet desperately seeking an infusion of fresh funds, one of the potential investors the airline is believed to have approached is Singapore-based Tigerair.

Though Tigerair, also a low-cost carrier, has spread its wings across the South-East Asia  in its decade-long existence, it is in a spot of financial bother itself and may just be tempted to take a look at the SpiceJet’s books.

Though a direct answer to whether they had approached or had been approached by SpiceJet wasn’t forthcoming, Tigerair’s Commercial Director Robert Yang did say, “We are constantly looking at opportunities to strengthen our Indian network. We are always on the lookout for expansion opportunities in India, which is subject to market demand and regulatory approvals,” when asked if they would go the AirAsia India route.

Tiger, of which Singapore Airlines is a majority stakeholder, currently connects Chennai, Kochi, Tiruchy, Hyderabad and Bangalore with Singapore.

The airline has the advantage of already having evaluated SpiceJet’s mounting losses,  shortly before they entered into an inter-airline agreement (on the lines of a codeshare) last December.
06/12/14 New Indian Express

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Air Canada to resume non-stop service to India next year

Toronto: Air Canada will resume non-stop service from Toronto to New Delhi starting in November 2015, nearly eight years after it scrapped its flights to India, an official announcement by the Canadian flag carrier said today.

The new route will open new opportunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air Canada.

"Air Canada's strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition of Delhi to our extensive global network," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

"We will be offering the only non-stop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are revolutionising long-haul air travel," Rovinescu said.
06/12/14 PTI/Economic Times

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India Rafale jet deal needs more negotiations: France

France says its deal with India to sell 126 Rafale combat jets, worth 15 billion US dollars, to the South Asian country will require several months more negotiations between the two sides.

"We are in a positive process; I hope it will come to a successful conclusion. It has progressed well," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday.

Le Drian, however, noted that the deal will not be signed before the end of the year.

"It's not three weeks. ... It's several months, we'll see. But I'm optimistic," he stated.

His remarks came after the Indian Defense Ministry said this week that it had agreed with the French Defense Ministry to accelerate the talks and resolve the problems.
06/12/14 PressTv

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Indian Navy to purchase 16 US multi-role choppers for $1 bn

New Delhi: The Indian Navy has finally selected the US Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk for its shipboard multi-role helicopter (MRH) requirement. Sixteen helicopters will initially be bought for $1 billion.

Sikorsky's tender was opened December 4 on the Navy Day, soon after the navy chief, Admiral Robin Dhowan, said that the government was fast-tracking various programmes for the modernization of the armed forces, and that some of the naval projects would be cleared "very soon."

Indeed so, the opening of the commercial bid at the ministry of defence (MoD), where the files have been held up for one reason or another for three years, was a Navy Day gift to the force.

Admiral Dhowan, who hosted a big Navy Day reception, did not say anything on the ceremonial occasion but was visibly in smiles and high spirits. Only a day before, on December 3, he had told this writer that it was "comforting" to the navy brass to know that long-pending requirements were now being procedurally cleared on fast-track.
05/12/14 ZeeNews

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Flying to US from India by British Airways now up to 74 per cent cheaper

New Delhi: British Airways entered the pre-holiday season merry-making by reducing its base fare for flights from India to a host of destinations across the US by up to 74 per cent.
The offer is available on flights booked in Club World (business class) and World Traveller (economy class) for sale period between December 5 and December 15 with a travel period validity of up to March 15 next year, the airline said on Friday.
British Airways covers over 150 destinations in 75 countries while in India the carrier operates 49 flights a week from London's Heathrow airport to Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
"This is a significant year for us at British Airways as we celebrate 90 years of flying to India. We are delighted to launch the biggest sale of the year for all our Indian customers to visit some of the best destinations in the US, whilst enjoying our award winning facilities on-board," British Airways regional commercial manager for South Asia Christopher Fordyce said.
05/12/14 PTI/Business Today

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Hindus hail “Yoga Room” launch at Chicago Midway Airport

Hindus have applauded launching of “Yoga Room” at Chicago Midway International Airport, calling it a “step in the positive direction”.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Burlington International Airport Vermont—all in USA, and Helsinki Airport in Finland, already offer yoga facilities. Recently opened “Yoga Room” at Concourse C of Chicago Midway International Airport “provides a space for yoga practice, relaxation and meditation”, according to an Airport release. It features a sustainable bamboo wood floor, floor to ceiling mirrors, exercise mats, frosted windows, video monitor, and the audio plays soothing sounds. Sustainable elements were claimed to be incorporated in the design and construction of this room.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged other top world airports—Singapore Changi, Incheon (South Korea) International,  Amsterdam Schiphol, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International,  Munich, Zurich, Vancouver International, Tokyo (Haneda) International,  London Heathrow—to provide yoga facilities  for the passengers if they wanted to help reduce their stress levels and be “world-class” airports.
06/12/14 Bilkul

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India finds US' discrimination in Pan-Am hijack case

Chandigarh: India has charged the US with discrimination in awarding compensation to passengers of a Pan-Am flight that was hijacked by Libyan terrorists. The hijack had left 20 people dead and 150 injured after a bloodbath at Karachi International Airport on September 5, 1986.

While the US authorities compensated American nationals, this was denied to passengers of other nationalities, a majority of them Indians. There were around 200 Indian passengers on the flight, of whom 13 died while over 100 were injured.

The union civil aviation ministry, in a recent communication to the external affairs ministry, asked it to "take up the matter with the US authorities in a suitable manner".
Chandigarh girl Neerja Bhanot, 23, who was the chief purser of Pan-Am flight 73 (Bombay-Karachi-Frankfurt-New York), was killed in the shootout following the hijack as she tried to save American children and other passengers without bothering for her own life. The government awarded her the nation's highest gallantry award in peacetime, the Ashok Chakra, for her act of utmost bravery.
Finding "merit" in a petition filed by Neerja's brother Aneesh Bhanot, on the basis of which the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the central government to "look into" the matter, the civil aviation ministry said: "The stand taken by the US authorities is totally unjustified and smacks of rank discrimination. How can they pick and choose among passengers travelling on the same flight? Morevover, the flight was of Pan-Am, which was an American carrier and was chosen by the terrorists as a target essentially as it belonged to America."
25/12/14 ZeeNews

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US pilot discharged of forgery charges

New Delhi: A US pilot working in an Indian aviation company here, has been discharged by a Delhi court of the charges of tampering with a DGCA authorisation letter permitting him to fly in the country.

Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma discharged Captain Edmond Danvers Clifford II, who was accused by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of changing the expiry date of his flying permission on the Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) letter from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014.

"...The facts emerging therefrom taken at the face value do not disclose the existence of all ingredients of the alleged offences.

"Mere tampering in the year cannot validate the same for another year and also facts do not disclose that accused tried to use it for his flying operation after expiry on December 31, 2013," the magistrate said.
04/12/14 PTI/Business Standard

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IAF sends drinking water to Maldives

Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Air Force operated an IL-76 aircraft from Thiruvananthapuram international airport to Maldives on Friday afternoon to provide drinking water to the people of the island nation.

Confirming the movement, a top official of the Airports Authority of India told The Hindu that the aircraft left the international airport around 1 p.m. The drinking water was flown to the island nation on the request made by the Maldivian government to India.
05/12/14 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Air India pilot made to fly after 26-hour detention

New Delhi: An Air India pilot was recently forced to walk straight out of detention and operate a long international flight back home — and freedom! In the process, AI reportedly violated safety rules by sending an unrested pilot from detention to the cockpit.

This unprecedented situation arose when an AI 155 touched down in Moscow on November 7. According to sources, the immigration at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport detained the commander of that flight on charges that he had 'falsified' his passport. They confiscated his passport and detained the captain at the airport. The commander wanted to be sent back home on the plane he had flown into Russia but the aircraft had by then taxied out.
The Russian immigration doubts against the AI pilot were misplaced. The senior captain had got his Russian visa on October 29 and operated a Delhi-Moscow flight that very day and commandeered an incident-free return flight.
"I was contacted by the commander's relative and informed about his wrongful detention. I asked our operations to do the needful to immediately secure his release," said AI chief Rohit Nandan. After Nandan's intervention, some Indian officials went to Moscow airport but could not satisfy the authorities there about the veracity of his papers.

As a result, the pilot had to spend 26 hours in detention. AI then asked him to fly back to Delhi by operating flight number 156 on November 9. "AI should have sent an extra pilot to operate AI 156 on that day and have the commander fly to Delhi as a passenger as he was in detention and did not get any rest there apart from suffering tremendous mental agony," said a source.
04/12/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Air Canada to lauch non-stop service to Delhi

Air Canada today said that it will begin non-stop service from Toronto to Delhi beginning in November 2015.
The new route, the first to be dedicated for Air Canada's Boeing 787-9 series aircraft, will open new opportunities in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest international market not served by Air Canada.

"Air Canada's strategy to grow its Toronto Pearson hub and international presence is taking a major step forward with the addition of Delhi to our extensive global network. We will be offering the only non-stop flight from Canada to India using our newest Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are revolutionizing long-haul air travel. The operating economics of these new aircraft make this service feasible and it will be the first route dedicated to the larger, 787-9 version of this aircraft, which begin entering our fleet in 2015," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
"This service will appeal both to customers visiting and doing business in Delhi, the capital region of India and the fourth most populous urban area in the world, and to those customers making onward connections within India and throughout Southeast Asia on our Star Alliance partner, Air India, or other interline partners," said Mr. Rovinescu.
04/12/14  Aviation Tribune

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Passengers spend the night at T2 after Israel flight leaks fuel

Mumbai: Hundreds of passengers to Israel had to spend a night at Terminal 2 of the Mumbai international airport, instead of in the flight, after the airplane they had boarded started leaking fuel. The flight could only take off six and a half hours after its scheduled departure, when the aircraft was finally repaired. The incident was reported in flight LY-072 (Mumbai-Tel Aviv) after passengers had just boarded the aircraft, which was scheduled to take off at 11.30 pm on Tuesday. Soon after they had started settling in, they were asked to de-board the plane. There were 165 passengers and 12 crewmembers. “These passengers were de-boarded in advance while they had just settled down for safety measures. Care was taken to ensure their comfort,” said an airport official. Passengers, after de-boarding, exited through the arrivals section and were allowed to wait in the check-in area of T2. Another airport official present at the spot added, “The airline tried to adjust 150 of its passengers in any four-star or five-star hotel, but was unable to do so as rooms weren’t available. Instead, they were given snacks.” The aircraft could only be repaired by 6 am, after which the passengers were made to board immediately. The Boeing 767 flight in question is the only flight of the airline that flies to Tel Aviv, Israel’s second-largest city. “The passengers were, hence, made to wait until the aircraft was repaired, since no workaround adjustments could be made for them.
04/12/14 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Following FAA’s Concerns, Aviation Watchdog DGCA Hires For 75 New Positions

Replying to a question raised in Rajya Sabha regarding hiring by Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that the agency has hired for 75 new positions, it had created last year.

"The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) accorded approval to DGCA to directly hire the FOIs from the market instead of going through the UPSC route while Department of Expenditure approved the proposal for paying remuneration to the FOIs at par with the industry," said Sharma.

The decision was taken following FAA's audit in December 2013, which was a follow-up of the audit carried out in September 2013. The US auditor Federation of Aviation Administration (FAA) had pointed out that DGCA did not have adequate number of Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) required for checking the worthiness of an aircraft.

Last year, the DGCA hired only 18 FOIs on full-time contract basis out of the approved 75 FOI positions. According to him, 40 positions have been created for FOIs for commercial aircraft while seven has been made for helicopters. Similarly, 17 Senior FOIs for airplanes have been appointed while three appointments have been made for helicopters.
02/12/14 Purba Das/Business Insider

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Court battle continues almost a decade after Air India acquittal

Vancouver: Almost 10 years after Ripudaman Singh Malik was acquitted in the Air India bombing, the B.C. government and his family are still battling in court over the money used to pay his legal fees.

The government wants Malik, his wife and his three eldest sons to pay damages, alleging they conspired to hide his assets so he would qualify for legal funding before his terrorism trial began in 2003.

Malik was acquitted of murder and conspiracy charges on March 16, 2005, but continued to fight the government’s efforts to get repayment of more than $5 million loaned for his defence team.

The Vancouver businessman finally repaid the millions in February 2012, but that didn’t end the long-running civil suit by the government.

The attorney general’s latest statement of claim, filed last July, alleges Malik, his wife Raminder and sons Jaspreet, Hardeep and Darshan, “wrongfully and maliciously conspired together to defraud and injure the plaintiff by assisting Ripudaman to hide his assets and disguise his net worth.”

It also says they created numbered companies that they used “to enter into sham transactions, to make payments not owed and to acknowledge liabilities that do not exist.”
02/12/14 Kim Bolan/Vancouver Sun

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Air Seychelles flies into India with three services

The national carrier of Republic of Seychelles today entered the Indian market with three flights to Mumbai, first of which landed today.
Announcing the launch, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Manoj Papa said the tri-weekly flights (operating under code HM 260) would meet the growing demand for business and leisure travel between the two nations, as well as from the Indian Ocean Rim and East African regions.
"Our three weekly services, which have a capacity of over 21,000 annual seats, will increase the flow of tourism and trade from India into Seychelles and help boost traffic to our archipelago from the wider Asian region," Papa said.
 The airline has optimised its schedule to offer two- way connectivity from Mumbai to Chennai, New Delhi and Hyderabad for both inbound and outbound passengers, he said.
This will be in arrangement with Jet Airways, as Air Seychelles has a 40 per cent equity partnership with the UAE- based Etihad Airways, which owns 24 per cent in the Naresh Goyal-promoted Indian carrier.
03/12/14 PTI/Business Standard

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More charter flights, but 23% drop in tourists

Panaji/Margao: Two months into the new tourist season Goa has recorded an increase in the number of charter flights but a drop of 23% in charter tourist arrivals. Some charter flights have flown in half-empty, said stakeholders.

October-November last year saw 229 charters with 57,445 tourists, while till November 23 this year, Dabolim airport has welcomed 236 charters, but with just 44,116 fliers.

Stakeholders, who predicted this in July-August because of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the weak rouble against the dollar, say it's indicative of a poor season ahead compared to the last season. Goa received a record 1,128 charters with 2,61,432 tourists in 2013-14. While 898 flights were from Russia, 31 were from Kazakhstan.
02/12/14  Times of India

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Rafale issue will be resolved on fast track: Manohar Parrikar

New Delhi: India has assured France that all issues in the multi-billion dollar deal for the 126 Rafale combat aircraft would be "resolved in a fast-track manner" as the two sides agreed to overcome the differences over the long -delayed project.
The issue came up for discussion during the delegation- level talks last evening between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.
India had in 2012 selected the Rafale jet for a deal estimated to be worth over Rs 60,000 crore, but the negotiations are still continuing between the Defence Ministry and French firm Dassault Aviation.
"The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. All issues related to India-French defence cooperation were discussed," official sources said.
The sources confirmed that the Rafale deal came up during the discussions and that both sides agreed there were matters on which differences still exist between the two.
02/12/14 Zee News

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Etihad Airways to begin operations from Kolkata in February

Kolkata: Etihad Airways is set to commence operations from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCB Airport) in Kolkata February onwards, an official said Tuesday.

"Besides Etihad Airways, talks are on with Turkish Airlines and Japan Airlines and these two may also soon start their operations from here," airport director B.P. Sharma told IANS.

"German carrier Lufthansa is also in talks over resuming their operations," said Sharma adding that Rs.1,000 crore has been allotted to improve aircraft handling and maintenance services at the terminal.

Presently, the city airport handles annual traffic of 11 million passengers while 23 foreign airlines companies have operations out of the airport.
02/12/14 Business Standard

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Lufthansa India operations affected by pilot strike

New Delhi: The German airline Lufthansa has cancelled five of the seven flights that are to leave from India tonight. The flights have been affected due to a strike by Lufthansa pilots.

In a statement, the airline said that the Pune-Frankfurt and Mumbai-Munich flights are the only two flights that are being operated tonight.
01/12/14 Business Line

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