Drug seized from Indian national at Jakarta airport

Customs and excise officers have arrested another Indian national for trying to smuggle drugs into the country at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Bahaduri Wijayanta, the chief of the customs office at the airport, said Tuesday that officers had seized 2.5 kilograms of ketamine worth Rp 2.5 billion (US$270,000) from the suspect identified as Chetan Ashokal Rohra, 25.
He said the suspect flew from India on Philippine Airlines flight PR 503 and arrived at the airport on Monday.
The suspect, who works as a textile trader in India, said he was asked by a man identified as SS to carry the drugs to Jakarta.
The suspect said that he would be paid 5000 rupee (around Rp 1 million or US$108) if he could deliver the drugs to someone in Pasar Baru, in Central Jakarta.
Separately, Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, head of prosecutions at the customs and excise office, said this was the second drug smuggling case involving Indian nationals that officers had foiled this year.
02/03/10 Multa Fidrus/The Jakarta Post

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Raytheon bags contract to automate ATC for Chennai airport

New Delhi: US communication and aviation company Raytheon has won a contract to automate air traffic control services at the Chennai International Airport.
The company will install its next-generation air traffic management system AutoTrac III which is expected to help reduce delays in aircraft arrival and departure, a company release said here.
The new system will also have real-time meteorological information to assist air traffic controllers in adjusting to changing weather conditions, it said.In addition to the Chennai International Airport, Raytheon is also upgrading air traffic management systems at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai and at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
28/02/10 PTI/Deccan Herald

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Air China lands at BIA

Bangalore is now connected directly to China by air. The first flight of Air China, China’s national carrier, landed at the Bengaluru International Airport here late Saturday night. The Boeing 757 aircraft had taken off from the Chinese IT hub of Chengdu.
The first flight from Bangalore to Shanghai via Chengdu will take off from BIA on Sunday.
The Air China service will fly twice a week; on every Thursday and Sunday from Bangalore to Shanghai via Chengdu.
The airline is offering exclusive promotional fares starting from Rs 20,625 for a return ticket for a booking period from February 28 to May 31.
27/02/10 Deccan Herald

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Zambian national held with cocaine worth Rs 2 crore

Mumbai: City airport officials today handed over a Zambian national to the Customs authorities after a baggage scanner detected cocaine worth Rs 2 crore concealed in her baggage, an official said.
"Security personnel today detected a passenger carrying cocaine worth Rs 2 crore," a Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesperson said.
The matter was immediately reported to the Air Intelligence Unit and customs authorities, the spokesperson said
According to MIAL, the Zambian national, Matapo Ajar Twambo, was flying to Lusaka via Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 611.
27/02/10 Press Trust of India

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Merrill Lynch offloads 16 lakh shares in SpiceJet for Rs 9 cr

Mumbai: Foreign fund house Merrill Lynch Capital Markets Espana today sold 16 lakh shares in domestic airline SpiceJet for Rs 9.12 crore in open market transaction.
As per the bulk deal data available with the Bombay Stock Exchange, Merrill Lynch sold its 16 lakh shares or 0.66 per cent stake at a price of Rs 57.02 per piece, aggregating to Rs 9.12 crore.
26/02/10 Press Trust of India/Economic Times

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Qatar Airways launches flights to Bangalore in 2010 expansion plan

Dubai: Qatar Airways on Wednesday embarked on its 2010 global expansion programme with the launch of scheduled flights to the southern Indian city of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore).
Flight QR226 arrived in the country's IT capital city — dubbed India's Silicon Valley — in the early hours of Tuesday morning following its maiden non-stop overnight journey from the airline's hub of Doha, capital of Qatar.
Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, becomes the first of several new route launches planned by Qatar Airways this year.
Scheduled flights are set to be introduced to Copenhagen on March 30; Ankara on April 5; Tokyo on April 26; Barcelona on June 7 and Sydney at a date to be confirmed, together with a raft of capacity increases on many other routes worldwide.
The launch of daily flights to Bengaluru takes Qatar Airways' Indian capacity up to 71 services a week to 11 key cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Cochin, Kozhikode, Goa and Amritsar.
26/02/10 Gulf News.com, UAE

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Mumbai International Airport receives Emirates' first luxury lounge in India

Dubai: Passengers from Mumbai can now enjoy Emirates trademark service on the ground, as well as in the air, following the airline's inauguration of its first dedicated passenger lounge on the Indian Subcontinent at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
The Emirates Lounge in Mumbai is the first to be opened by an international carrier in India.
Offering passengers the latest in convenience, comfort and luxury whilst on the move, the lounge will play host to all Emirates First and Business Class passengers as well as Skywards Gold members.
25/02/10 Zawya

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Suriya to don Commando's role in 'Kandahar'

After Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, Tamil star Suriya has given his nod to act in the Malayalam film 'Kandahar', based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight to Afghanistan in 1999, along with Mohanlal.
Suriya will don a commando's role in the film, its director Major Ravi told us.
"It would take another 3-4 months for the shooting to begin. I am still in the process of getting permission from the Army and selection of locations etc. The spade work is going on," he said.
Bachchan, who will be playing the role of the father of a hijack victim, will be making his appearance in the second half of the film. Major Ravi denied that Bachchan's role was only a guest appearance. The story line was narrated to the Big B during his visit to Kerala earlier this month and he liked it and readily gave his nod.
Resul Pookutty, who won the Oscar in 'Slumdog Millionaire', is likely to mix the sound for the film. The female lead has not yet been decided, Ravi said.
25/02/10 PTI/MSN.com

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GE Appoints Two Company Officers

Fairfield, Conn.: GE today announces the appointment of two new company officers. GE currently has 191 GE officers globally, who lead large revenue generating businesses or are in critical functional roles, helping to drive growth.
Below is the list of GE's two new officers:
Sanjay M. Correa, 53, has been named vice president and general manager of GE's John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore, India. Correa is a 28-year veteran of GE and has held several leadership positions across GE Global Research and GE Technology Infrastructure.
Prior to his current position, Correa was general manager of Engineering Technologies at GE Aviation. Immediately prior, he worked in GE Aviation's Global Supply Chain as general manager of the Fan, Compressor & Combustion Center of Excellence, managing manufacturing plants and engineering teams in the Unites States, Canada, Europe and India. Sanjay previously held a number of technology roles with increasing responsibilities at GE Global Research, including technology Llader for the Energy and Propulsion Global Technology Organization.
Correa holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering including a bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Russell Stokes, 38, has been named vice president of Global Services for GE Transportation, a business within GE Technology Infrastructure. In this new role, Stokes will continue to strengthen the Transportation services business and drive a balanced focus on core solutions as well growth opportunities.
24/02/10 Business Wire/Marketwatch.com

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Antonov to start Indian An-32 upgrade during March

Ukrainian aircraft-maker Antonov is poised to start work on an upgrade to the Indian air force's An-32s, with a first batch of aircraft scheduled to arrive in Kiev in early March for modernisation.
"Part of the An-32 fleet will be upgraded at the BRD-1 [base repair depot number one] of the Indian air force in Kanpur," says a senior official at Antonov. The facility is in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The upgrade work involves all 105 An-32s in the air force fleet, and is being done in accordance with a contract signed in June 2009, says Antonov.
The project involves fitting the aircraft with up-to-date equipment, including an "air collision avoidance system, ground proximity warning system, satellite navigation, distance measuring equipment, upgraded radio altimeter, new radar with multifunctional indicators, new oxygen system and improvements to the crew seats," the company official says.
Indian pilots will test the upgraded An-32s, the source adds, with the entire modernisation programme to take about five years to complete.
25/02/10 Leithen Francis/Flightglobal

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A mixture of 'physics and romance' for plane-spotters

For most of us an aeroplane is a mere means of transportation, a prosaic and functional method by which we can travel around the world in a matter of hours.
But for some, planes are a source of magic and wonder, a fascinating beast conveniently supplied with serial numbers and a traceable history just dying to be logged and discussed among like-minded folk.
And so there is a breed of aeroplane enthusiast, who stands out for long hours in all weathers at the edge of airports and in line with screaming flight paths, hoping that a certain type of aircraft will thunder overhead, allowing another mechanical beast to be added to their collection of visual contacts.
People have been looking up planes for a long time, of course, but plane spotters are once again back in the news after Stephen Hampton and Steven Ayres, from Bristol, were charged with intercepting communications in India.
They have been released on bail and have had their court case adjourned until 3 March.
And 12 plane-spotters from the UK were among a group of 14 who were arrested in Greece in 2002 and charged with spying, but were later acquitted.
Troy Kaser is a 34-year-old plane-spotter who gives extensive mention on his personal blog about a day spent at Heathrow Airport looking at aircraft coming in to land.
Originally from Florida, he has been living in Ealing, London, for more than three years, and said his interest in spotting planes stemmed from his previous job.
"I used to work for the Expedia travel company and so I used to travel a great deal.
"You get to see the minute adjustments a pilot makes as he's coming into land. And there's a mystery of the physics of aircraft, combined with the romance of travel.
Peter Field, 33, is a pilot with the bmibaby airline, who flies around the UK and on flights across Europe.
He is in the enviable position of having combined his passion for plane-spotting with his job.
"It's the same as people collecting stamps - I just collect tail numbers.
"The equipment I carry is getting heavier. I've got a telescope - which raises eyebrows when you get it out in the middle of Chicago airport. I also have binoculars, a laptop for the tailfin database, a book and pen and a camera with lenses.
Levent Bergkotte is a 33-year-old Dutchman who lives in Geneva but is on a day trip to Toulouse in France when he agrees to be interviewed, spelling his name using the phonetic alphabet in the manner of any good plane enthusiast.
"There are different types of spotters," he said. "Some are into military aircraft but my interest is civil aviation.
24/02/10 Mario Cacciottolo/BBC News

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Hotel room recommended by friend to Brits for view

New Delhi: The two British plane spotters, arrested in Delhi last week, were asked by one of their friends from Bristol to hire a particular room at Radisson Hotel because it gave them a better view for aircraft spotting. The friend, Kevin Stokes, along with another person, Alastair James Huggins, had stayed in the same room (No 464) for three days in January from where the two —Steven Martin Ayres (55) and Stephen Hampston (46) — were held.
Speaking to TOI over phone, Hampston refused to comment on the case. ‘‘I do not want to make any comment till the court case is over,’’ he said. Police said he had called up his home and broke down while narrating his ordeal.
He and Ayres had been booked under the Indian Telegraph Act and were on Tuesday granted bail by a Delhi court. They were charged with carrying an SBS 1ER, popularly known as S BOX, which monitors and records the movement of aircraft. After recording the details of the aircraft like altitude, call sign etc., they used to decode the information on their laptop with the help of a software called Base Station, which can be easily downloaded from the internet.
The court asked the accused not to leave India without prior permission from it. Their passports have been returned to them.
Both are employed with First Great Western Railways Limited in Bristol. Hampston belongs to Keynsham in Bristol and works as a railway conductor while Ayres works at St Philip’s Marsh. Police said Ayres was not carrying any mobile phone and had only a pair of binoculars and a notepad.
24/02/10 Rahul Tripathi/Times of India

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Singapore's Tiger Airways to expand in India

Singapore: Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways said Tuesday it was looking at flying to three more destinations in India in addition to Chennai and Bangalore.
Tiger president and chief executive Tony Davis said the airline wants to fly to Trivandrum and Kochi in Kerala state and Trichy in Tamil Nadu.
Tiger Airways, which is one-third owned by Singapore Airlines, operates flights to 33 destinations across 11 countries and territories in Asia and Australia from bases in Singapore and the Australian cities of Melbourne and Adelaide.
23/02/10 AFP

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Cargo plane lands with AK-47 rifles from Dubai

Chennai: A mysterious consignment of 10 AK-47 rifles along with telescopes landed here in a cargo plane three days ago and now security agencies are hot on trail of a man from Uttar Pradesh.
Yusuf, a resident of Varanasi and a Customs Clearing agent here, is on the run and the police are looking for him after a person to whom the cargo was addressed claimed he had nothing to do with it. The cargo plane from Dubai landed at Anna International Airport on February 20 and the consignment including 10 rifle scope was marked for a person identified as Vijayan, official sources said here today.
23/02/10 Press Trust of India

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Lufthansa’s India operations to normalise

Bangalore: Though the ongoing German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) strike which has affected Lufthansa flight operations worldwide over the last couple of days might gradually return to normalcy from February 24 onwards, the airlines will be able to operate its regular flight schedule on the India route only just before the end of this week.
" Before the end of the week at the latest, the airline expects to operate its regular flight schedule with 52 weekly connections from seven Indian gateways," the airline statement said.
Previously cancelled flights will continuously get added to the airline's Special Flight Schedule, which was put in place to minimise the effects of the pilots' strike on passengers.
Therefore, for the next few days customers are requested to regularly check their flight's status on the airline's website or with the call centre, the statement added.
24/02/10 ExpressBuzz

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Kingfisher plans to join oneworld alliance by 2011

New Delhi/Mumbai: India’s second biggest carrier by passengers carried Kingfisher Airlines Ltd plans to join the oneworld alliance, a global grouping of airlines, by 2011, which would give it better access to US, European and Asia-Pacific markets.
“It will also strengthen us financially through revenues from passengers transferring to our network from our oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the alliance offers,” Vijay Mallya, Kingfisher’s chairman, said in a statement. The airline has signed a memorandum of understanding to enter the group.
Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the country’s largest airline, is not part of any such alliance yet, while Air India, run by state-owned National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, has paid to join Star Alliance, the biggest airline grouping.
The top three airline alliances are Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam.
India’s civil aviation ministry has to approve Kingfisher’s proposal as code-share agreements with such alliances involve bilateral rights with other countries. Code-sharing is a ticket-selling deal that allows travellers to connect seamlessly to destinations on flights of more than one airline. The civil aviation ministry has received the proposal and will study it, a ministry official said.
“A target date for Kingfisher Airlines to join the alliance will be confirmed once this approval is gained,” the airline said in its statement. “The process to bring any airline on board normally takes around 18 months to complete, so Kingfisher Airlines could be expected to start flying as part of oneworld during 2011.”
24/02/10 Tarun Shukla and P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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Air India to connect Washington with Indian cities via Milan

Washington: India's national carrier Air India will soon launch daily flights between Washington and Indian cities with a stopover in Milan.
The decision to start a daily flight connecting Delhi amd Kolkata with Washington via Milan follows the successful launch of Air India's New Delhi-New York-Washington since December last year.
S Ghole, head of Air India operation in Washington, told PTI that all necessary clearance has been obtained from the authorities in the United States for the launch of its new service to India via Milan.
24/02/10 PTI/Times of India

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Air India extends CFM56 support pact with SR Technics

Air India has extended a maintenance agreement with SR Technics covering support of CFM International CFM56 engines.The agreement encompasses 61 Airbus A320-family and Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and the work will be carried out at SR Technics' Zurich powerplant maintenance centre.
SR Technics values the deal at SFr60 million ($57 million).
23/02/10 David Kaminski-Morrow/Flightglobal

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British plane spotters granted bail

Two British plane spotters are facing up to three years in prison after pleading guilty to monitoring aircraft in India.
The two men, named by the Foreign Office as Steven Ayers, 55, and Stephen Hampton, 46, admitted breaching the Telegraph Act at Patiala house court in Delhi today.
The pair had been held at the New Delhi immigration centre, but have been granted bail and will appear in court again on 3 March.
Ayers and Hampton, both railway workers, were detained on 15 February after travelling to Delhi to monitor aircraft at the city's international airport.
New Delhi Television reported that they had been charged under Sections 4 and 20 of the Telegraph Act, which states that "only licensed persons may operate a telegraph on ships and aircraft".
Hampton's local MP, Dan Norris, said today the men could face anything from a fine to three years imprisonment. He said the judge's concern was that the pair could have used their receiver to interfere with communications between pilots and the control tower.
Hampton, from Keynsham, near Bristol, is understood to have been using a SBS-1eR receiver, described as "a secondary surveillance radar receiver, with a built-in airband radio", manufactured by a British aviation company, Kinetic Avionics.
The company's chief executive, David Goodman, said it would be capable of intercepting communication, but could not communicate with either pilots or air traffic control.
"It receives aircraft transponder signals which either a) identify the fact there is an aircraft within reception range; or b) with more modern aircraft, display the flight and progress of the aircraft," he said.
"The built-in radio allows the enthusiasts to listen to the conversation between aircraft to air and aircraft to ground, as do about 300 other makes of aircraft scanner currently made in the UK."
Bail, which was set at 10,000 rupees (£140) each, has been paid by Kinetic Avionics, in a move Goodman described as "simply a matter of goodwill".
He said the company would assist with the pair's legal costs.
23/02/10 Adam Gabbatt/Guardian.co.uk

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British plane-spotters facing three years in an Indian prison

Two British plane spotters detained in Delhi could face up to three years in prison after they were charged with illegally intercepting communications between pilots and airport authorities.
Stephen Hampton, 46, and Steven Ayres, 56, were detained last Monday at the Radisson hotel, near Delhi’s international airport, after staff grew suspicious and contacted police.
The two railway workers from Bristol had requested a room overlooking the terminal and police found them in possession of a map of the airport, a radio scanner, cameras and binoculars, according to local media reports.
The Radisson is mentioned as one of the best places in the Indian capital to watch planes on the website plane-spotting-hotels.com.
The pair were questioned in the hotel by the Intelligence Bureau, Delhi police and the National Investigation Agency for two days, then sent to the Lampur detention centre just outside Delhi. The British High Commission told The Times they had been charged under the Indian Telegraph Act, which regulates the use of telecommunications equipment, and were being provided with consular assistance.
They are not suspected of involvement with terrorist groups and are set to be bailed in the next few days, but they could still face up to three years in prison if they are convicted.
It is not the first time British plane spotters have broken the law overseas: in 2000, 12 were arrested in Greece for monitoring planes at an Air Force Day function. They were charged with espionage and faced 20-year prison terms but after six weeks the charges were reduced and they were released pending appeals.
23/02/10 Times Online, UK

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Wife Of Bristol Plane Spotter Held In India 'Anxious and Devastated'

The wife of one of the Bristol plane spotters being held in India says she's anxious and devastated that her husband still hasn't been released.
Dorothy Ayres has also criticised the authorities over the lack of information she and her family have been given about what's going on.
Stephen Hampton from Keynsham and Steven Ayres from St George were arrested last week and charged under the Telegraph Act with illegally intercepting communications between pilots and airport authorities.
The pair, who regularly go on plane spotting trips, apparently raised suspicions amongst staff at their hotel in New Delhi after asking for a room overlooking the nearby airport.
They're due to appear in court today and are thought to be being kept at a deportation centre at the moment.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office yesterday said that the British Consulate was in contact with the two men and also said their families were being kept up to date with developments.
23/02/10 Jack FM, Bristol, UK

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Strike on, Lufthansa cancels some flights

Bangalore: Lufthansa has made adjustments to its flight schedule from February 22 to 25 following the strike initiated by the German pilots' union 'Vereinigung Cockpit'.
Out of 52 flights in a week, 13 Lufthansa flights out of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore to Frankfurt and Munich have been cancelled during the strike period, an airlines spokesperson said.
However, the airline has published a special flight schedule to help customers find out whether their flight will be affected or not.
According to a company release, "The special flight schedule for the period of the strike is available at www.lufthansa.com and lists all flights which should be operating according to the current planning."
23/02/10 Times of India

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Aerospace Manufacturing 2020 Conference to be held in Al Ain

The Middle East Aerospace Consortium is preparing to host its Aerospace Manufacturing 2020 Conference to be held in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi on 3rd March 2010.
This conference will be the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi, bringing together the world's leading aerospace manufacturing companies.
The conference will offer delegates an insight into a number of primary global original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") and vital solutions required to meet the demands and challenges of this ever growing market.
With a focus on the very latest technologies, the conference presentations will focus on the future of achieving
cutting edge capability and high levels of efficiency in aerospace manufacturing. The MEAC is a membership association of Middle East and international organisations and companies. Joining this dynamic inter-business forum is highly beneficial for all companies working in the numerous aerospace sectors throughout the Middle East region.
Leading international aerospace organizations have joined the MEAC to support the conference and will be presenting at the event. These include intelligeNDT, Siemens, Aeroform, MAG, KUKA, Waer Systems, and Flow International. Podcasts of the conference will be broadcast by Arabian Aerospace, official media partner of the MEAC.
John Ellis, CEO of MEAC commented:
"We are really excited about holding this inaugural event in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi which is set to become one of the leading Aerospace Clusters in the world. Delegates will have the opportunity to learn about new technology coming to the market over the next decade which will make tremendous improvements to manufacturing in the Aerospace Industry. The event will support the aim of the Middle East Aerospace Consortium to be one of the largest consortiums in the world, serving both international and Middle East companies and organisations."
Keith Matthews of Siemens Industrial Automation and Drives Technology added:
"Siemens is a long established company in the UAE. We are very pleased and proud to be part of this prestigious event alongside MEAC and our partners. As a global leader in aerospace manufacturing technologies, we are eager to develop partnerships and support these new and exciting aerospace opportunities."
22/02/10 PRESS RELEASE/Middle East Aerospace Consortium, UAE

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NACIL in talks with SITA to provide common IT platform for integrating flight codes of IA, AI

Mumbai: According to a PTI report, global air transport communication and IT solutions provider, SITA is in advanced stages of discussion with National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) to provide the much-needed IT platform for integrating flight codes of Air India (AI) and erstwhile Indian Airlines (IA) into a common one. Apart from its benefits in the sale of tickets, a common code is an essential requirement for the national carrier to join the Star Alliance.
NACIL had earlier invited global tenders for providing, implementing and maintaining a Passenger Services System (PSS) for the airline. Sources close to the development mentioned that negotiations (for providing PSS system) are in advanced stages but nothing has been finalised so far. The two parties, however, are expected to conclude the discussions shortly. SITA provides hosted PSS services to 140 airlines, carrying an estimated 120 million passengers across the world.
The biggest obstacle for Air India in becoming a part of Star Alliance is the absence of a single flight code between AI and IA. Currently, the international and domestic services of the merged carrier continue to operate under two different codes AI and IC.
22/02/10 TravelBizMonitor

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Indian National Arrested With 7kg of Ketamine Drug

Jakarta: An Indian national was arrested at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport on Monday for carrying seven kilograms of ketamine hidden in 10 wooden frames and in the sides of six leather briefcases.
The airport’s head of custom investigations told Kompas.com on Tuesday that the suspect had arrived from Singapore at 2 p.m. on Monday afternon on a Singapore Airlines flight.
Gatot said that under the 2009 Health Law, the suspect could be sentenced for up to 15 years imprisonment.
23/02/10 Jakarta Globe, Indonesia

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No safety over Kabul skies: AI pilots

Bangalore: Air connectivity between Kabul and India could be severely affected if pilots from the national carrier Air India go ahead with their threat of not flying to the war-torn Afghan capital.
Air India is the only Indian-registered International Air Transport Association member (carrier) that operates a service from India (New Delhi) to Afghanistan (Kabul).
With NATO and Afghan forces scaling up anti-Taliban air/drone offensive through Operation Moshtarak, pilots have complained about safety, especially over the Kabul skies, and the lack of “clear and Kabul airport / environs specific guidelines” that have to be followed in case of emergencies such as a hijack or even during low visibility.
Pilots have also complained that despite it being mandatory they have not been provided with topographical maps of the Kabul region. Only navigational charts are given, which they say is not adequate given the topography of the region.
The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) has listed a number of areas that lack specially defined procedures/guidelines which have the approval of the Civil Aviation Authority of Afghanistan and the operator (Air India).
22/02/10 Ravi Sharma/The Hindu

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Police book Britishers detained for recording pilots' conversation

New Delhi: Police today booked two British "plane spotters" who were detained for allegedly recording conversations between pilots and Air Traffic Control, a week after they were detained in the capital.
Stephen Hampston (46) and Steve Martin (55) were detained on February 15 night at Radisson Hotel after its staff reported to police that they were found indulging in "suspicious activities".
"We have registered a case against them. They have been charged under Telegraph Act under Section 20 (read with Section 4)," Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Ajay Kashyap told PTI.
If convicted, the duo will have to serve a prison term of up to three years, or with fine extending to up to Rs1,000, or with both. However, the offence which they committed comes under bailable and non-cognisable offences.
According to Section 20 of Telegraph Act, if any person establishes, maintains or works a telegraph within the country in contravention of the provisions of Section 4 which allows only licenced ones to establish, maintain or work a telegraph, be it on ships and aircraft, he shall be punished.
The Britons, who are employed with the UK Railways, were confined to Radisson Hotel near the international airport here from Monday night and were shifted to Lampur Detention Centre on February 17 after detention orders.
The Union home ministry had asked Delhi Police to find out the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act violated by the Britishers and if so directed them to book the duo.
21/02/10 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Talks fail as Lufthansa braces for four-day pilots strike

Frankfurt: Lufthansa, the German airline, was last night braced for a four-day strike by its pilots after last minute talks and government appeals failed to avert one of the most bitter industrial conflicts in recent Germany history.
Vereinigung Cockpit, the trade union, had called on more than 4,000 pilots to strike from midnight Sunday until midnight on Thursday in a dispute over job guarantees. Widespread disruption was expected to the schedule of Europe's largest airline by revenues. The stoppage would cost at least €25m ($34m) a day, Lufthansa said.
Contact between the two sides continued over the weekend, including a telephone call between Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa's chief executive, and Winfried Streicher, Cockpit's president, but apparently without results. Also involved in the talks was Peter Ramsauer, federal transport minister, who pledged yesterday to "do everything to bring the two sides together and avert the strike".
The Lufthansa pilots' action, which also affects Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings, its low-cost carrier, adds to a wave of industrial unrest in the European airline sector as managers attempt to cut costs in the face of a severe downturn. British Airways faces the threat of action by its cabin crews, after only narrowly avoiding a strike before Christmas.
Lufthansa staff spent the weekend attempting to minimise the impact of this week's strike, by putting into effect an emergency timetable and by booking passengers onto partner airlines.
22/02/10 Ralph Atkins/Financial Times

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German union strike hits fliers

Calcutta: Hundreds of fliers to Europe from Calcutta will be grounded or forced to rejig their travel schedules this week, thanks to a strike called by a German pilots’ union — not known to owe allegiance to either the CPM or the Trinamul Congress — starting Monday.
The four-day walkout by Lufthansa pilots to participate in a strike for pay hike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has sent schedules haywire, denying Calcutta its sole direct air link with Europe.
Lufthansa operates three flights in a week from Calcutta — on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
“The Frankfurt-Calcutta flight and the one out of Calcutta on Tuesday have been cancelled. The status of Thursday’s flight is uncertain,” a Lufthansa official said on Sunday.
“Passengers booked on a Lufthansa flight between February 22 and 25 can rebook free of charge on another Lufthansa flight if they wish to change their travel plans, provided their ticket was issued before February 18, the new travel date is before March 31 and no change is made in their departure and arrival destination,” said an official statement issued by Lufthansa.
“Should the purpose of a journey become null and void because of a flight cancellation, passengers can annul their flight booking free of charge,” the statement added.
22/02/10 The Telegraph

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Kingfisher, BA in talks for code-sharing in India

Mumbai/New Delhi: Liquor baron-turned airline promoter Vijay Mallya is negotiating an arrangement with British Airways that would allow Europe’s second-largest carrier to book its passengers on Kingfisher flights within India. These arrangements, so-called code-sharing agreements allowing one airline to make travel arrangements for its customers, are common in the aviation industry but would be the first such agreement between a private Indian carrier and a foreign airline for domestic routes.
Kingfisher will soon seek the regulatory approval from India’s civil aviation authorities, if the talks prove successful. A civil aviation ministry official confirmed that regulators had been sounded out. “Kingfisher has enquired about the possibility of code-sharing with British Airways on domestic routes. It is, however, yet to formally write to us on this,” he said on condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Kingfisher said the airline is in talks with international carriers without naming any. “We are in discussion with a few airlines on possible code-sharing and we have made informal inquiries with the ministry of civil aviation,” he said in response to a query from ET.
The proposal, if cleared by Indian regulators, would be a major liberalisation of rules governing civil aviation in India because all other airlines would also benefit. Kingfisher Airlines recently received permission to operate 14 flights from India every day compared to the seven earlier.
22/02/10 Manisha Singhal & Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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NACIL in talks for IT platform to integrate flight codes

Mumbai: Global air transport communication and IT solutions provider SITA is in advanced stages of discussion with NACIL to provide the much-needed IT platform for integrating flight codes of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines into a common one, sources said.
Apart from its benefits in the sale of tickets, a common code is an essential requirement for the national carrier, which joining a global airlines' alliance-- Star Alliance.
National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) had earlier invited global tenders for providing, implementing and maintaining a Passenger Services System (PSS) for the airline on a turnkey basis.
SITA provides hosted PSS services to 140 airlines, carrying an estimated 120 million passengers across the world.
Following the merger with Indian Airlines, Air India is in the process of integrating activities that cover product delivery, passenger handling and sales and marketing functions.
The biggest obstacle for Air India in becoming a part of the Star Alliance is the absence of a single flight code between Air India and Indian Airlines. At present, the international and domestic services of the merged carrier continue to operate under two different codes AI and IC.
21/02/10 PTI/Economic Times

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SriLankan Air to fly to Kochi

SriLankan Airlines, the emerald isle’s flag carrier, plans to increase its flights to India this year.
The carrier will add a flight to Kochi from Colombo, and is evaluating flights to Hyderabad andother destinations in the south, said Mohamed Fazeel, head of worldwide sales. It plans to start eight more flights from India this year. The carrier has ordered two Airbus A320s, which will be delivered this year.
SriLankan currently flies to four Indian cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Passenger load factor for flights from India stood at 85% for December and January, Fazeel said, while global load factor was 78%.
The breakeven load factor was 74%. FY10 load factor numbers were unavailable as the airline is readying for the close of its financial year on March 31. The airline reported a loss of 9.3 billion Sri Lankan rupees (approx Rs 375 crore) for FY09, on the back of a 72.85% load factor.
The airline operates an all-Airbus fleet of 12 aircraft — five A340s, four A330s and three A320s. It plans to refurbish its widebody aircraft later this year. Among the planned refurbishment is the introduction of sleeper beds in premium class cabins.
22/02/10 Mandar Bakre/Daily News & Analysis

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Philippine Airlines plans Mumbai flights

Philippine Airlines wants to resume its flights to Mumbai, India, but the country’s flag carrier needs to first secure the landing rights for a commercial stopover in Bangkok, Thailand.
“We want to fly back to Mumbai in India, but the problem is the landing rights,” PAL president Jaime Bautista said in an interview on Friday during the induction of officers of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines at the Filipinas Heritage in Makati.
Asia’s first airliner, which launched its inaugural flight on March 15, 1941, PAL is now in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to negotiate with Bangkok for the landing rights.
According to Bautista, however, the issue goes beyond the landing rights, as PAL also needs to make the route profitable by being able to pick up passengers from Bangkok to Mumbai and on the return flight from Bangkok to Manila.
“There is demand there,” he said. “Hopefully, we can fly there within the year.”
The airliner now sees the Manila-Bangkok-Mumbai route a lucrative business with the influx of Indian tourists flying to Manila and Cebu. The carrier stopped flying to India in the 1950s.
But the route would be costly if PAL would not be able to book passengers from Bangkok, which would then be rendered a non-commercial stopover. PAL could not fly directly to Mumbai, as it would have to offset the cost of the long-haul service, Bautista said.
22/02/10 Jeremiah F. de Guzman/Manila Standard Today, Philippines

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India police release plane spotters

Two plane spotters questioned by Indian police about monitoring communications between pilots and air traffic controllers have been released without charge, the Foreign Office said.
Stephen Hampton and Steven Ayres were arrested on suspicion of monitoring flights at Delhi International Airport last Monday.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokeswoman said it was informed of their release and added: "We can confirm that both British nationals, Stephen Hampton and Steven Ayres, have been cleared and the case is now closed.
Mr Hampton, a railway worker, and Mr Ayres, both from Bristol, aroused suspicion after asking a Delhi hotel for a room overlooking a runway.
20/02/10 Belfast Telegraph, UK

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Top Indian airline and hotel groups SA-bound

The Taj Cape Town, part of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, will open its doors at the beginning of March, and Jet Airways will begin flights between Johannesburg and Mumbai from April 14.
Nikos Kardassis, Jet Airways' chief executive, said they were delighted to be entering Africa with a daily Mumbai-Johannesburg service.
"South Africa's reputation as a leading tourist and business destination and the fact that it will play host to the 2010 World Cup also present a huge opportunity for Jet Airways.
"We are confident that our airline will soon emerge as one of the first-choice carriers on this popular route, given our unparalleled domestic network in India and expanding international footprint," said Kardassis.
"South Africa, as well as the African region at large, is an important market for us, and we are confident of capturing and growing the market."
The airline's new Airbus A330-200 is configured in two classes, with 30 seats in premier (business class) and 190 seats in economy.
21/02/10 Taschica Pillay/Times Live

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Lufthansa gears up to face German pilots’ union strike

Mumbai: The German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has called on Lufthansa pilots to participate in a four-day walkout from February 22-25, 2010. Lufthansa has urged the pilots' union to return to the negotiating table in order to work out a constructive solution to the dispute in the interest of the company and its customers.
Passengers booked on a Lufthansa flight in the period from February 22-25, 2010 can rebook once free of charge to another Lufthansa flight, if they want to change their travel plans – provided their ticket was issued before February 18, 2010. The new travel date is before March 31, 2010 and no change can be made in their departure and arrival destination. Indian customers can call the airline’s toll-free telephone number in India (1800 102 5838) to obtain information about their flight bookings (also for flight re-bookings/cancellations). The airline also offers up-to date information on its website. All information about ongoing flight operations can be found at www.lufthansa.com.
20/02/10 TravelBizMonitor

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Kingfisher in code-share talks with British Airways

Mumbai/New Delhi: Liquor baron-turned-airline promoter Vijay Mallya is negotiating an arrangement with British Airways which would allow Europe's second largest carrier to book its passengers on Kingfisher flights within India.
These arrangements, so-called codesharing agreements, allowing one airline to make travel arrangements for its customers, are a commonplace in the aviation industry but would be the first such agreement between a private Indian carrier and a foreign airline for domestic routes.
Kingfisher will soon seek regulatory approval from India's civil aviation authorities, if the talks prove successful. A civil aviation ministry official confirmed that regulators had been sounded out. "Kingfisher has enquired about the possibility of code-sharing with British Airways on domestic routes. It is, however , yet to formally write to us on this," he said on condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Kingfisher said the airline is in talks with international carriers without naming any. "We are in discussion with a few airlines on possible code share and we have made informal inquiries with the ministry of civil aviation," he said in response to a query from ET.
20/02/10 Manisha Singhal & Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Demand for private jets set to rise as global economy improves

The demand for private jets continues to rise in the Asia Pacific region, with more high net-worth individuals and recovering economies propping up growth in the sector.
According to industry players who were in Singapore for the recent airshow, Asia is fast overtaking Western countries when it comes to the private jet sector. And it is not just high net-worth individuals driving demand.
And observers said the push for demand when it comes to private jets in the region will also come from high rollers who are expected to arrive once the two integrated resorts with casinos are fully opened in Singapore.
Luis Carlos Affonso, Executive VP, Executive Jets, Embraer, said: "The casinos, as many other industries, will improve the number of planes flying around. The Asia Pacific market is one of the most important markets for business aviation. We believe this region will represent 12 percent of the total market in the next 10 years."
20/02/10 Satish Cheney/CharterX

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United Airlines outsourcing leads to questions over aircraft safety

United Airlines plans to outsource engineering work from its SFO maintenance hub to other parts of the world, but United employees and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, question the impact the move will have on the quality of repair work and aircraft safety.
The company said it would lay off 50 employees, mostly engineers, later this year at its San Francisco International Airport maintenance base located next to the San Bruno Avenue exit off Highway 101.
The airline said the majority of the engineering work would move to a private consulting firm in Atlanta while some information technology jobs would be transferred to India. Workers at the base said they were told most of the work would take place in India, with some oversight in Atlanta.
The engineers, technologists and specialists losing their jobs are part of a team that works with about 3,000 mechanics at the base to ensure that proper designs are applied when building and repairing aircraft there.
The engineers, mechanics and Speier said duties being done by non-airline workers off site could result in mistakes from miscommunication or inferior quality work. With an aircraft carrying hundreds of people at a time, an error could prove disastrous.
United downplayed the significance of the move and said it is confident that the changes would not result in any safety problems.
19/02/10 Mike Rosenberg/San Mateo County Times/Mercury News.com

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Airlines return to premium services as economy recovers

Mumbai: Encouraged by the economic recovery and anticipating a growth in premium passengers, international airlines are beginning to offer a raft of services to first and business class fliers.
While some carriers have reintroduced first class sections on certain routes, others have launched exclusive lounges at airports.
On Friday, Dubai-based Emirates Airline threw open its first such lounge in India at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport for its first and business class passengers as well as some of its frequent flyers.
These customers will also be offered a pickup facility to the airport, which already has five premium lounges by other airlines. The Emirates lounge, built at a cost of around $4 million (Rs18.6 crore), offers services such as wireless internet access, designer bathrooms and even massages.
“Ideally, we want to set up an exclusive lounge in every airport from where we have at least two flights a day,” said Mohammed H.Y. Mattar, divisional senior vice-president, airport services, Emirates group, adding that they are launching a similar space at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG, which operates Lufthansa, in November reintroduced a first class section on its Mumbai-Munich route, which was discontinued in November 2008 due to a global economic slowdown. A spokesperson for Lufthansa in India said the airline is also considering a lounge for premium passengers.
19/02/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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British Airways 'Opportunities Grant' receives maximum entries from India

British Airways’ has shortlisted the final 70 entries for its flagship Opportunities Grant programme where the airline will give away over Rs. 11,20,35,000/- in flights to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in India. India with one of the largest SME communities in the world generated one of the highest levels of applications across all markets and more than any other country in Asia.
The scheme is part of the airline’s commitment to help India’s SME community and stimulate local business. British Airways will go on to announce the 50 winners by Friday, February 19, 2010. Successful winners will be awarded 10 return British Airways Business Class Tickets to be used in Club World or Club Europe between March 01, 2010 and February 28, 2011. The winners are also eligible for the Regus Prize, which consists of five Regus Businessworld gold cards valid for 12 months.
Judy Jarvis, British Airways’ regional commercial manager, South Asia said, “The interest and level of applications for the Opportunities Grant has been fantastic. Applications have come in from almost every business sector - from across the country, and not just from the main metros. Each shortlisted application has put forward a compelling case to grow through travel and this is exactly what we set out to achieve when we rolled out the programme across India last year.”
“The judging process which, has on its panel industry bodies like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Confederation of British Industries (CBI) is nearly complete and we look forward to announcing the winners as early as next week on February 19, 2010.”
The British Airways Business Opportunity Grants programme was launched in November 2009 with support from cricketer Mr. Sourav Ganguly, Dr. Indu Shahani, the Sheriff of Mumbai, prominent businessman, Mr. Suhel Seth and industry bodies CII and CBI. The scheme was simultaneously launched in the U.S. and U.K., Hong Kong, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. SMEs across India were invited to submit a short business case to qualify for the grant. The 50 winners of the grant would have the opportunity to travel across the British Airways network as business travelers and a chance to grow their businesses beyond India.
The Opportunities Grants programme was created after a recent Harvard Business Review Analytical Services study revealed that 95% of leading international businesspeople said they believe that face-to-face meetings are the key to success in building and maintaining long term relationships, and 89% agree face-to-face meetings are essential for “sealing the deal.”
16/02/10 PRESS RELEASE/British Airways

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Jet Airways Interested in Flying to Indonesia

Jakarta: An Indian airline, Jet Airways, is interested in flying to Indonesia.
“There have been talks, but as yet there has been no official request from the Indian government,” said the Director of Air Transport Tri S. Sunoko yesterday.
Tri said that Jet Airways had not notified the government yet on this plan.
But there is room for an Indian airline in the country since Air India left.
Tri explained that according to a bilateral agreement between the two countries, Indonesia could fly to Mumbai and Kolkata.
Meanwhile for Madras (Chennai) there has to be cooperation.
19/02/10 TEMPO Interactive, Indonesia

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Suriya with Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal?

Actor Suriya will also play a prominent character in the film Kandahar (Malayalam) directed by Major Ravi, which revolves around a plane hijacking. Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan will play a meaty role.
Sources say that Suriya was impressed by the commando story and immediately accepted the role. The movie will be a bilingual made simultaneously in Tamil and Malayalam.
There are also news that Naadodigal girl Ananya has bagged a role in this film. She will begin shooting for this film after completing her current commitments, including Dhanush's upcoming Seedan.
Amitabh will be seen as the father of a passenger on the ill-fated plane that was hijacked and Mohanlal will play a commando. The film is inspired by the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999 by five Pakistani militants while on its way from Kathmandu to New Delhi on Christmas eve.
19/02/10 Ambili/Galatta Cinema

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Dassault Falcon at India Aviation, Hyderabad, March 3-7

Saint Cloud,France: Dassault Falcon will present a selection of Falcon large cabin business jets at the India Aviation 2010 exhibition (Hyderabad, March 3-7), including the first of six Falcon 7X aircraft to be delivered in India along with the Falcon 2000EX. The 7X is Falcon's best selling model, with more than 200 orders from 42 countries. Dassault has the highest market share in the large cabin business jet segment in India, driven by new models with exceptional performance, comfort and fuel economy.
The Falcon fleet is well established in India, with 16 Falcon 2000 and Falcon 900 models currently operating in the country. Another dozen Falcon aircraft are on order with deliveries anticipated within the next three years.
The performance of the Falcon fleet is especially valued in India where short airfields, elevated runways and high temperatures are common. Falcons are also more economical to operate and more environmentally responsible than any other large cabin business jet. Their efficient design means 20-60 per cent less fuel consumption and lower emissions.
The new Falcon 7X was awarded type certification in India in November 2009, by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). India's first Falcon 7X will be delivered on the occasion of India Aviation 2010 to Religare Voyages Limited, a charter company based in New Delhi.
19/02/10 PR Newswire/Yacht Vacations & Charters

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Air Works Engg buys 85% stake in UK based Air Livery

Air Works Engineering, India`s leading provider of aviation services has acquired 85% stake in Air Livery, UK. With an annual turnover of Rs 1.35 billion, Air Livery is Europe`s leading aircraft refinishing company.
The acquisition adds significantly to both the revenue and profitability of Air Works. Air Works has constantly been focusing on adding accreditations and services to make the company a one-stop shop for all aircraft maintenance work.
Air Works recently became the first Indian independent airframe MRO Company to be awarded the EASA repairs station approval. By adding a whole new section of painting and refurbishment services through this acquisition, Air Works marks another significant milestone for the Indian MRO industry.
There are over 500 business aircraft (Fixed & Rotary) and 350 planes owned by airlines in India. In the absence of a dedicated professional Paint Hangar in India, SE Asia or Middle East, Air Works will have a unique position after this acquisition.
Air Works expects that through this acquisition, it can save airlines approximately 25% of their current costs for painting of wide and narrow bodied aircraft in India. More importantly, this will result in very significant savings to the airlines in ferry costs (average of USD 80,000) and reduction in down time (minimum of 2 days of operations which average USD 60,000).

18/02/10 My Iris

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Indian company makes chopper airframes for US

New Delhi: The first India-made airframe of the Sikorsky S-92 medium-lift helicopter will be handed over to the US firm in November and there is the distinct possibility of the entire chopper being manufactured in this country at some stage - the first time that a major aviation actitivity is being done in the private sector.
The airframes will be manufactured at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) facility in Hyderabad with three being produced this year and the number gradually rising to 38-48 annually.
“The factory is up and running and is fully functional. The first airframe of the S-92 will be handed over in November,” Air Vice Marshal (retd) A.J.S. Walia, managing director (India and South Asia) of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, told IANS in an interview on the sidelines of the DefExpo land and naval systems exposition.
“This is the first time in the history of independent India that a major aviation activity is starting in the private sector,” Walia pointed out.
From Hyderabad, the airframes will be airlifted or sent by ship to the Sikorsky headquarters at Stratford, Connecticut, where the engines, avionics and interiors will be installed before the helicopter is delivered.
The S-92 is the most advanced helicopter in Sikorsky’s civil product line, certified to the most stringent safety requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
18/02/10 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Sikorsky eyes helicopter deal with Indian Navy

New Delhi: US helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky is actively pursuing defence deals with the Indian Navy to cater to its requirement of multi-role helicopters. The firm is offering the S-70B through the direct commercial sale route. Simultaneously, the US Air Force has responded to the Indian Navy’s RFP for a $1 billion multi-role helicopter with the Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky MH-60R.
“This is to meet the requirement for 16 helicopters to replace the aging Sea King multi-role helicopters. In addition to this, Sikorsky is also in dialogue with the Indian Coast Guard to meet their specific requirements and has responded to their RFI that was sent out for leasing helicopters,” Steve Estill, vice-president, strategic partnerships, told FE on the sidelines of DefExpo 2010 in New Delhi. The Indian coast guard is keen to lease around 10 helicopters and Sikorsky will be financing the lease, he added.
Acknowledging that India is a fast-growing market and is of high importance to Sikorsky, the company official said, “We want to keep bringing the best of technologies to India and are positive about meeting the requirements of the Indian armed forces and will continuously pursue opportunities here.”
As a direct commercial sale, the firm is offering the S-70B Seahawk and the MH-60R as foreign military sales under the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). “The MH-60R comes with the interaction of the US government,” said Estill.
19/02/10 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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UK ‘plane-spotters’ moved to Lampur centre, no case yet

New Delhi: Two days after two British ‘plane-spotters’ were detained for “suspicious activities”, the police on Wednesday sent them to the Lampur detention centre for foreigners.
According to sources, the police have been unable to book them under any section of either the Indian Wireless Act or Aircraft Act since no agency has lodged a complaint.
Sources said the police now plan to book Stephen Hampston and Steve Martin under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows an officer with magisterial powers to arrest a person for “potential to cause unrest or danger to peace and tranquility”.
Under this, a person can be jailed for up to six months.
Officials said nothing suspicious has so far emerged in their call details, or in their movement in India.
An officer said they could have been booked under Wireless Act only if they had transmitted information collected on aircraft. “But they only received it, or we can say they collected it for their own use,” the officer said. “The activity also does not fall in the ambit of Aircraft Act.
Sources said the British authorities have given a clearance to Hampston and Martin on their antecedents in London, where they live — the duo has told police they are employed with London railways and are plane-spotting enthusiasts who travel to various countries to pursue this hobby.
18/02/10 Indian Express

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Aerospace major EADS establishes R&D facility at Bangalore

Bangalore/New Delhi: Aiming to ramp up the capacities of India's defence manufacturing industry, European aerospace major EADS has established a military R&D facility at Bangalore to take forward the group's existing projects and work on new programmes.
"We have just started. Within two years, we hope to employ 200 engineers at the centre. If you consider that we employ 2,000 R&D engineers, this means that within two years, 10 percent of our R&D work will be conducted at Bangalore," Bernhard Gerwert, CEO (Military Air Systems) of EADS Defence and Security, said.
"We are working with Indian industry for developing its skills. This is because it is important for us to show our commitment to India," Gerwert, who is here for the biannual DefExpo land and naval systems exhibition, told IANS in an interview.
The centre is independent of the Eurofighter Typhoon, which the group produces and which is one of the six combat jets contending for an Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 aircraft, he added.
"The impact (of the R&D centre) for India is tremendous. The Eurofighter is just going into operation. There will be further enhancements for the next 20-30 years. Automatically, the Indian industry will be part of the programme," Gerwert noted.
In this context, he pointed out that the Eurofighter programme was supported by 400 main supplies and collectively employed 100,000 people.
17/02/10 IANS/Mangalorean.com

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Cranfield eyes India aerospace collaborations

Senior scientists from India’s foremost aerospace laboratory visited Cranfield University to explore how the two organisations could work together on a range of high-tech development programmes.
Organised by EEI, the region’s international business support organisation, the visit showcased Cranfield’s aerospace technologies.
Dr Ramesh Sundaram and Mr Kotresh Gaddikeri visited the multi-million pound ‘Integrated Vehicle Health Management’ (IVHM) Centre that benefits from a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing together aeronautical engineering, materials and manufacturing, with expertise in aviation business processes and practices.
The IVHM Centre plays a key part in the aerospace business sector with commercial partnerships with BAE Systems, Boeing and Rolls-Royce among others. The facility carries out essential research into the working condition of a wide variety of vehicles, from aircraft and ships to high-speed trains and performance cars.
Whilst at the Photonics Laboratory, they examined the research with sensors in optical fibres which can be embedded in composite structures, enabling the monitoring of mechanical conditions within the structure. At the Composites Centre, they learned of the breadth of composite technologies and R&D projects at Cranfield.
17/02/10 Business Weekly

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Lufthansa pilots vote to go on four-day strike

Frankfurt/New Delhi: Pilots at German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG voted Wednesday to go on a four-day strike over wages and potential plans to move jobs to lower-paying subsidiaries, the union said. It is unclear if the India operations will be hit as a result. Lufthansa India said could not offer any immediate comments.
The pilots’ Vereinigung Cockpit union said the strike will begin midnight Monday and that at least 90% of the members from Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and the airline’s subsidiary Germanwings voted to strike.
Lufthansa in a statement said the strike is unreasonable and would greatly hurt the company, workers and customers.
17/02/10 Live Mint

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Ananya to Join Amitabh and Mohanlal in Kandahar?

Top Mollywood actress Ananya appears to have bagged a role in Mohanlal’s Kandahar, in which Amitabh has also promised to play a substantial role. The film is based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999 while on its way from Kathmandu to New Delhi on Christmas Eve. It was forced to land in three different airports -- Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai -- before spending a week on the tarmac in Kandahar with 186 hostages on board.
Ananya will begin shooting for the movie when she has completed her current commitments, including Krishna’s upcoming Seedan.
Ananya was magnificent as the caustic girlfriend in Naadodigal, the runaway hit of last year, which starred Sasikumar.
17/02/10 Andrew Stephenson/ BollySpice.com

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Paramount Eyes India-Gulf Skies

The India-Gulf sector, one of the busiest international aviation routes in the region, will see more competition with Paramount Airways, a premium Indian carrier, planning operations to the UAE and Qatar later this year.
“We will start our international operations in the last quarter of 2010,” M. Thiagarajan, the founder and managing director of the airline, told Khaleej Times on Tuesday. “We plan operating flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah ?and Doha.”
The airline, with only business-class seats, has placed orders for 10 Airbus A-321 aircraft, to enable it to launch its international operations. Thiagarajan says the airline will also operate flights to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius, besides the two Gulf countries.
India’s civil aviation policy allows private airlines to start international services on completion of five years of domestic operations. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are the only two private airlines now operating international services.
SpiceJet and GoAir, two low-cost carriers, and Paramount Airways, the all business-class airline, are among the three private carriers that will be completing five years of domestic operations in 2010, entitling them to launch international services.
SpiceJet is expected to launch services to South and South-East Asia, while GoAir has not announced any plans for an international foray. Jet Airways operates flights to eight destinations in the Gulf from India: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, Riyadh and Muscat.
17/02/10 Nithin Belle/Khaleej Times

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Taping pilot-ATC conversations a hobby, says detained Britons

A hobby has proved costly for two British nationals detained at a posh hotel near the airport in New Delhi for allegedly recording conversations between aircraft pilots and the Air Traffic Control (ATC). The two British -- Stephen Hampston (46) and Steve Martin (55) -- were detained by security officials along with hi-tech gadgets from a room at Radisson hotel located in the periphery of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Official sources said the two British nationals had called up the hotel from London before their trip to India specifically demanding a room overlooking the airport. "The investigators were shocked to find that they were recording the conversation between pilots and the ATC which is totally illegal," a senior Home Ministry official said. The duo has checked in four days ago and was now being questioned now by officials of security agencies.
16/02/10 Times Now

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Jet Airways Mumbai- Johannesburg direct service from April 14

Mumbai: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, today announced that it will commence daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Johannesburg from April 14th, 2010. The airline will introduce services to the Rainbow Nation using a new state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft.
The launch of this new international route marks the first time that Jet Airways is adding destinations to Africa on its international route network.
Flight 9W 242 will depart Mumbai at 0205 hours, arriving in Johannesburg at 0735 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 241 will depart Johannesburg at 1100 hrs, arriving in Mumbai at 2330 hrs.
According to Mr. Nikos Kardassis, CEO, Jet Airways, “Jet Airways is delighted to enter Africa with its daily Mumbai-Johannesburg service. South Africa’s reputation as a leading tourist and business destination and the fact that it will play host to the 2010 FIFA World Cup also presents a huge opportunity for Jet Airways. We are confident that our airline will soon emerge as one of the first choice carriers on this popular route given our unparalleled domestic network in India and ever expanding international footprint. South Africa, as indeed the African region is an important market for us and we are confident of capturing and growing the market".
"Given the strong linkages between India and South Africa, and the large number of people of Indian origin living in and/or working in South Africa, we believe that there is untapped potential and this new route promises to serve the needs of our discerning corporate and leisure flyers”, added Mr. Kardassis.
A truly diverse rainbow nation with 11 official languages, South Africa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. From the deserts of the Kgalagadi to the lush green forests of Tsitsikamma to the unspoilt beaches of the wild coast to the vibrant nightlife of Cape Town, the country has something for every traveler.
It is also emerging as one of the leading business tourism and conference destinations in the world, and ranked 18thon the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Index as an attractive foreign investment destination.
Configured in two classes, with 30 seats in Première (Business Class) and 190 seats in Economy, the spacious full-length wide-bodied twin aisle cabin of the A330-200 will truly make for a more pleasurable flying experience. The airline's Première guests will enjoy a 180 degree flat bed with lumbar support and massage systems, oversized table, laptop power, telephony, SMS, Email and live text news to deliver a flying office, state-of-the-art On-Demand Panasonic In-Flight Entertainment (IFE), as well as the finest in-flight dining and service, among other amenities.
Return Economy fares from various Indian cities start from INR 35,595 while return Premiere (Business Class) fares start from INR 1,16,020.
Johannesburg will be the twenty-second destination in the airline’s international network. Jet Airways currently flies to New York (both JFK and Newark), Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Sharjah and Riyadh.
16/02/10 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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Air India loses lease deal for three aircraft to Jet Airways

Mumbai: National flag carrier Air India has lost a lease deal for three wide-body aircraft to rival Jet Airways (India) Ltd, two people familiar with the deal said.
Royal Brunei Airlines, which had been in talks with state-run National Aviation Co. of India Ltd (Nacil) earlier, has agreed to take the lease of three Boeing 777 planes from Jet Airways, said a senior executive at Air India, the country’s biggest by passengers flown.
The deal, however, is at a lower rate than Jet’s previous agreement with Gulf Air, which is returning the aircraft after deciding against extending its lease deal.
“Though Jet Airways could not manage to get the same rates they got from Gulf Air, the carrier has managed to strike a decent deal,” said an aircraft consultant close to the development.
Both the executive and the consultant did not want to be identified.
Boeing Co.’s 777 planes are used for long-haul routes and can seat up to 440 passengers.
A spokeswoman for Jet Airways said the deal with Royal Brunei Airlines it yet to be finalized.
“We have four Boeing 777 planes which we have leased out, and, in the next one or two weeks, we will finalize the lease-out plan for three more Boeing 777 aircraft,” said K.G. Vishwanath, vice-president (commercial strategy and investor relations), Jet Airways.
Air India is changing its strategy after it didn’t get a good response for its six Boeing 777 aircraft.
16/02/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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Tatas, AgustaWestland form JV to make choppers

New Delhi: Top Indian company Tata Sons and leading Italian helicopter company AgustaWestland on Tuesday signed an agreement for formation of a joint venture company which will establish a final assembly line for AW-119 helicopters for the Indian and global market.
The agreement was signed in the Capital by Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi.
The AW-119 has been offered to India by AgustaWestland for replacing ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak light helicopter fleet of the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Army currently has around 300 Chetak and Cheetah in its chopper fleet and is looking at modernisation of the fleet with AW-119 helicopters.
The joint venture company will be a supplier for the current Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) programme of the Indian Armed Forces, for which AgustaWestland has already proposed the AW119 to be manufactured in India.
As per the agreement, the joint venture company will be responsible for AW119 final assembly, completion and delivery while AgustaWestland will retain responsibility for worldwide marketing and sales. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered from the new facility in 2011 with production forecast to rise to 30 aircraft per year to meet worldwide demand.
16/02/10 The Tribune

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Three Russian Ka-226 choppers in high-altitude India trials

New Delhi: Russia has brought three of its Kamov-226 light multi-purpose helicopters to join trials in high altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir for the Indian armed forces' requirement for 197 such choppers.
"We have brought the Ka-226 helicopters for the high altitude trials that are going on at present. We are competing in the bids against Eurocopter and Agusta Westland," Rosoboronexport's deputy director general Victor Komardin said here today.
Ka-226, an upgraded version of the Ka-26 choppers, will be competing in the trials against European chopper manufacturer Eurocopter's AS-550 and British-Italian major Agusta Westland's AW119 helicopters for the tenders.
The tenders were floated last year to equip the army with 133 and the IAF with 64 such choppers to replace its ageing 350-helicopter Cheetah and Chetak fleet.
While 197 of these choppers would be bought off the shelf, another 187 would be manufactured within India by the Defence Public Sector Undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Komardin also told reporters at the DefExpo here that Russia would deliver the fifth and the last of the Illushin-38 maritime aircraft to the Indian Navy tomorrow.
16/02/10 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Searidge Strengthens Executive Team and Deepens European Market Support

Gatineau, Quebec: Searidge Technologies, provider of intelligent video solutions to air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airports, announced the appointment two new board members, Steve Nicolle as Chairman and Chris Burke as European Director.

"Steve and Chris offer a wealth of business knowledge and global expansion experience to our Board and will provide Searidge with invaluable guidance as it continues to develop, and bring to market the latest advancements in intelligent video solutions for the aviation industry worldwide," explains Moodie Cheikh, CEO, Searidge Technologies.
Steve Nicolle is a venture, technology and executive advisor with more than 24 years of industry experience, the last ten of which have been in CxO roles, including: COO at March Networks, a digital video surveillance company; CEO at venture-backed Tatara Systems; CEO at Sigma Systems Group; and President of Nortel's OSS software business unit. Steve has been
involved with Searidge for almost a year, and was named Chairman in October of 2009.
"Searidge is a very dynamic team with incredible vision and ability to execute. I am excited to be working with them as they grow their business domestically and abroad," says Steve Nicolle.

Based in the UK, Chris Burke has spent over 27 years in the telecommunications industry in a career spanning Europe and North America. He most recently held the position of Managing Director for Research in Motion (RIM) in Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Chris founded an Investment Fund and Advisory business in 2004 and has significant merger, acquisition and public offering experience including: Ubiquity Software, Oz Communications, and Dialog Semiconductor. Chris also worked at Vodafone UK Ltd. where he was the Chief Technology Officer responsible for all Vodafone UK's technology and product architecture, design, procurement, development, support and operations.
"I believe there is tremendous opportunity in the European market for Searidge solutions and I am glad to involved and support them locally as they continue to secure business with leading ANSPs and airports here,"explains Chris Burke.
17/02/10 PRESS RELEASE/Searidge Technologies

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Britons arrested near Delhi airport as India remains on high alert

Indian police have briefly detained two British citizens at a hotel near Delhi's international airport on suspicion of monitoring flights using high-technology surveillance equipment, according to Indian police and media reports.
India is on high alert for terrorist activity following a weekend bombing in the western city of Poona, which killed 10 people, including two foreigners, in the first such assault since the devastating Mumbai attack in November 2008.
Stephen Hampston and Steven Martin were arrested on Monday night at the Radisson Hotel after staff there grew suspicious of their behaviour and informed Indian intelligence agencies, according to the reports.
They were picked up on the basis of suspicion but nothing incriminating has been found," Rajan Bhagat, a spokesman for Delhi Police, told The Times.
"We are satisfied with the interrogation and have released them," he said, while declining to comment on the reports that the two men possessed sophisticated tracking equipment.
The NDTV news channel said police found the two men in possession of a map of the airport as well as "radar-like equipment", which could be capable of tracking aircraft.
But it also said that there was no evidence of terrorist activity yet and the men had told police the equipment was meant for plane-spotting.
16/02/10 Jeremy Page/Times Online, UK

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Cathay ups flight frequency on robust bookings

Mumbai: Cathay Pacific, which had reduced frequency to India from 35 flights a week to 23 in early 2009, plans to raise it to 35 per week once again. Tom Wright, general manager (India, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan) at Cathay said, “We are looking to increase the number of flights in and out of India again. Our passenger bookings globally, including bookings in India have been robust. The Indian market contributes around 2.5-3% to Cathay’s global revenues,” he added.
Most foreign airlines that have plans to increase frequencies, have the flying rights as per the air service agreement which they signed a couple of years ago.
Currently, there are 1,070 international flights per week operating from various Indian airports. Over 69 international carriers from 49 countries operate in and out of India. Also, nearly 40% of the international traffic is concentrated in Mumbai and Delhi and Bangalore airports followed by Kolkata and Hyderabad. Last year, airlines like Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways discontinued their Mumbai operations. Delta Air Lines suspended its non-stop flight from Atlanta to Mumbai in October 2009, prompted by lower projected passenger demand.
16/02/10 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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Domestic carriers close in on their international rivals

New Delhi: Domestic airline companies Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India are starting to overtake international carriers on certain key global routes and challenge their decades of domination.
Data available from international aviation consultancy Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) shows that Kingfisher and Jet, which have a combined 40 per cent share of weekly capacity on the India-Hong-Kong route, now offer the same number of seats as Cathay Pacific, the official airline of Hong Kong.
Add in Air India with a 10 per cent capacity share and Indian carriers are offering more seats than Cathay on this route.
Similarly, Singapore Airlines’ long-standing domination of the lucrative India-Singapore route is also under pressure. Singapore’s flag carrier and its sister airline Silk Air’s share of the weekly capacity on this route (46 per cent) is just a few percentage points more than the Indian carriers — Kingfisher (7 per cent), Jet Airways (12 per cent and Air India (24 per cent) put together.
Neither Cathay nor Singapore Airlines replied to emails.
The trend is not limited to south east Asia. On the UK-India route, Jet Airways and Kingfisher have a combined 31 per cent share of the weekly capacity closing in on to British Airways, which has dominated the market.
Add in Air India (with a 21 per cent share) and Indian carriers have already overtaken British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (5 per cent) combined in terms of capacity share on the route.
India’s share will only get bigger once SpiceJet enters the fray from June to fly south east Asia and south Asian countries and Kingfisher recently receiving permission to nearly double its international flights to locations like London and Singapore.
London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai account for 40 per cent of the international aviation market from India.
15/02/10 Surajeet Das Gupta & Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Air India hires three consultants

Mumbai: Beleaguered flag carrier Air India has appointed three foreign consultancies to help redraw its flight network and save fuel costs, in a bid to cut down on expenses and earn a much needed equity infusion from the government.
The airline, run by National Aviation Co. of India Ltd (Nacil), needs to meet a cost-cutting target of Rs1,991 crore by March to get Rs2,000 crore as the first tranche of the equity infusion. But it has managed to save only Rs1,000 crore in the last six months, two senior airline officials said on condition of anonymity.
Aviation experts said the operational restructuring can only help in the short term, and even that could be thwarted by industrial action. Air India, they added, needs more autonomy to take commercial steps that the government is unwilling to allow.
Nacil, which was formed by merging Air India and Indian Airlines, had hired Ireland-based consultancy Accenture Ltd to advise on the integration process.
It has now appointed US-based aviation consultant Simat Helliesen and Eichner Inc. (SH&E), Flugwerkzeuge Aviation Software GmbH of Austria and Texas-based technology company Sabre Holding Corp.
“Simat Helliesen has been hired to prepare a profitable and best optimal route plan,” one of the officials said.
Flugwerkzeuge Aviation will help Air India pilots locate the best flight path for optimum use of jet fuel.
The company will also generate customized modules for pilots, outlining all technical details of the airports and aircraft they fly. SH&E will focus on the hubs and plan alignment with other international flights for smooth transfer of passengers across flights.
Nacil is also in talks with McKinsey and Co., Booz and Co. Inc. and NM Rothschild and Sons Ltd. One of them is likely to be hired to help in Air India’s financial restructuring, one of the officials said.
14/02/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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JPMorgan to refinance AI’s $1.1-billion bridge loan

Mumbai: The protective shield of state ownership and guarantees from the US Exim Bank have helped Air India, the loss-making flag carrier, refinance a $1.1-billion bridge loan that it had taken to fund the purchase of 10 Boeing aircraft even as private Indian carriers struggle to attract investors.
Long-term debt arranged by JPMorgan Chase will fund the purchase of seven Boeing777s, the wide body aircraft deployed by Air India on long haul routes, three 737-800s for Air India Express, the low-cost service of Air India, and a spare engine. The debt, which replaces a bridge loan from Standard Chartered, was finalised on January 28 in Washington.
Piyush Agarwal, executive director-corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, confirmed the transaction. “We are the sole underwriters of the deal; the entire exposure is on our books. It is a well-structured transaction and our risks are adequately covered as it is a large, long-tenor loan,” Mr Agarwal told ET.
An official of the National Aviation Company of India, or Nacil, the company formed by the merger of Air India and the erstwhile Indian Airlines, claimed that the deal would help save $30 million in interest costs per year, though he declined to provide any details.
15/02/10 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Indian Man Busted at Bali Airport For Smuggling Club Drug Ketamine

Customs officials at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Friday arrested an Indian man identified as Rangaswamy Mohammed Umar for allegedly trying to smuggle 9.8 kilograms of ketamine into the country.
Bambang Wahyudi, head of the airport’s customs office estimated that the ketamine, an anaesthetic used illicitly as a hallucinogen, was worth about Rp 9.8 billion ($1 million).
“It has a price of about Rp 1 million to 1.2 million per gram on the street,” he said.
Umar arrived in Bali on a Thai Airways flight from New Delhi via Bangkok, arriving in Denpasar on Friday afternoon. Customs officials’ suspicions were aroused when they spotted a suspicious-looking item when carrying out an X-ray examination of Umar’s luggage.
Officials said Umar told them the item was only a water heater that he planned to donate to a local orphanage, but on closer examination the officials found that it contained white crystal powder which was later identified as ketamine.
14/02/10 Jakarta Globe

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Nepal to asses India´s offer to supply machine readable passports

Kathmandu: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an UN agency, has officially informed the government that it cannot extend the April 1 deadline for introducing the high-tech machine readable passports (MRP) without obtaining mutual permission from its member countries.
This means that Nepal has to introduce the MRPs in the next 46 days at any cost as any traditional non-machine readable passports to be issued after the deadline will be invalid for international travel.
Meanwhile, a six-member delegation led by Chief of Protocol Mohan Krishna Shrestha is flying to India on Sunday to prepare an assessment report on India´s offer to supply MRPs to Nepal. India has offered to provide the high-tech passport at the cost of US$ 4 each.
But Shrestha and another official will fly to Indian only on Monday as Shrestha is facing a confirmation hearing in parliament Sunday as ambassador-nominee to France. Four members are leaving for Delhi on Sunday.
The team will be in India for five days to study the Indian offer and Nepal also will submit its requirement position before Indian officials, said a MoFA source.
14/02/10 Kiran Chapagain/Republica, Nepal

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Lockheed Martin in talks to sell 6 more C-130 jets to India

New Delhi: Lockheed Martin Corp.is in talks with the Indian Air Force to sell an additional six Super Hercules C-130J military transport planes, a senior executive at the company's India unit said Saturday.
"There was an option in the original request for additional six [Hercules planes] and we are in dialogue with the Indian Air Force for the addition of those six," Orville Prins, Lockheed's vice president, business development, in charge of India, told Dow Jones Newswires. "What's the timing of this [order], we don't know yet."
Lockheed Martin is currently implementing a similar order for supplying six Super Hercules planes in a deal worth about $1 billion. The company bagged the order in February 2008.
The company will deliver the first Hercules plane to the Indian Air Force by the end of this year, Prins said.
"We are slightly ahead of the schedule to deliver these planes," Prins said. "Under our contract we had to deliver the first plane by first quarter of 2011. It'll probably be delivered by late this year, maybe by December."
Prins said Lockheed Martin last week completed a third phase of trials of its F-16 Falcon fighter plane, competing for an estimated $10 billion contract from the Indian Air Force to supply 126 combat jets.
13/02/10 MarketWatch

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Agencies say detained US national is 'undesirable'

New Delhi: Enough material to hold him “undesirable” in India, not enough to dub him a terror suspect. That’s how far the case of detained US national Winston Marshal Carmichael has progressed.
US agencies have informed India that New York resident Carmichael has criminal cases related to drugs and robbery registered against him. However, Indian authorities have not found a terror link even after sustained questioning.
Sources told DNA once Carmichael is deported to the US after verifying all details about him, Indian agencies might issue a look out circular (LOC). After the issuance of LOC, Carmichael would not be allowed to enter India again. Details of his passport will be provided at all entry points.
Sources said he was “undesirable” in India, even though they have not found any terror link so far.
Indian authorities have yet to find out whether the passport (number 422836049) used by Carmichael is original. They are trying to find out where else he went in India apart from Delhi. So far, agencies know he came to India twice — once on October 7, 2009, and then on January 27. On the first visit, he stayed in Delhi for five days before leaving for Pakistan via Attari on October 12. He stayed in Pakistan for two months and left the country on January 7 for Bangladesh capital Dhaka on a flight from Karachi.
He returned to India on January 27. A convert from Christianity to Islam, he had been preaching at various madrassas and introduced himself as a theologist. He has accepted being a member of the tabligi jamaat.
Carmichael was detained in the early hours of February 10 when he was about to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha after CISF recovered a 4.3-by-1.5-inch knife concealed in a herbal plant, shilajit, from his handbag.
13/02/10 Josy Joseph/Daily News & Analysis

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Cops await FBI report on US national's credentials

New Delhi: Two days after an American national was detained for carrying a knife concealed inside a herbal plant, Shilajit, Delhi Police said they have sent the plant for chemical analysis and the report is awaited. The US national, Winston Marshal Carmichael (61), spend the third day at the Lampur detention centre as the security agencies were checking his statements besides awaiting clearance from the FBI.
Carmichael was detained in the wee hours of February 10 when he was to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. The CISF personnel who spotted a suspicious object during the screening of his hand baggage alerted the officials and he was detained. Since then he has been questioned extensivly by various agencies.
Carmichael has told his interrogators that he has been on a religious package tour during which he wanted to visit Indian mosques. He also told police that he used to own a farmhouse and shifted to New York from Jamaica five years ago. "Born to American parents and father of 19 children from three wives, he has a son who is an athlete and carried the Olympic torch for the country last year while his other children are also doing well in their fields. He also claimed to be teaching students at a school,'' said a police officer.
The US Mission here was informed about the arrest after which a team of FBI officials is coordinating with Indian agencies. Carmichael, a resident of New York, worked as a carpenter. He was carrying a knife (4.3 by 1.5 inches) which he reportedly bought from Paksitan.
12/02/10 Times of India

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Cabinet nod for air service deal with Nepal

New Delhi: The government on Thursday gave its approval for signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and

Nepal.

An official statement said that a new ASA based on International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) template was negotiated and initialled in September 2009 between India and Nepal.

It said the ASA has the potential to spur greater trade investment, tourism and strengthening the cultural exchange between the two countries besides bringing it in tune with developments in the international civil aviation scenario.

11/02/10 IANS/Economic Times

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Boeing to deliver nine planes by year end

New Delhi: Aerospace and defence major Boeing company today said it will deliver nine planes to three Indian air carriers by this year end.

While Air India would get three Boeing-777s, no-frill carrier SpiceJet would receive three B-737s. Jet Airways would lease three new B-737s, Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said here.

Asserting that no Indian airline has cancelled any orders, Keskar said there have been requests by some airlines for deferred deliveries due to the depressed market scenario. Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetLite have deferred orders for two B-777s and three B-737s respectively, he said.

Boeing expects a 8-10 per cent growth in the domestic market deamnd this year and a "significant improvement" in the profitability of Indian carriers. The Indian civil aviation market would require about $50 billion worth aircraft over the next ten years, he said.

The recent spurt in air traffic would lead to better utilisation of roughly 225 planes now available in the domestic market, he said. There are a total of over 300 planes in India, with about 75 being used for international travel.

11/02/10 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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US national detained after 4'' blade found in hand baggage

New Delhi: Indian authorities have detained US national Winston Carmichael of African-American descent at the IGI airport as he found to be carrying a four inch blade embedded in aphrodisiac "Himalayan Shilajit" resin in his cabin luggage on Wednesday morning while boarding a flight to Doha, Qatar en-route to New York. Subsequent inquiries with the NYPD have revealed that Carmicheal, a convert to Islam, has earlier being charged with dug related offences and some petty crimes in the States and some discrepancies in his Indian visa application but no terror connection has been unearthed.
Government sources said that the CISF at IGIA detained Carmicheal as he could not provide satisfactory answers to queries on why he was carrying the blade.
11/02/10 Shishir Gupta/Indian Express

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US national held at Delhi airport for suspected terror links

New Delhi: A US citizen was detained at New Delhi's international airport after a knife was found in his baggage, officials and news reports said Thursday.
The man, identified as Winston Marshall, who was to board a flight to the Qatari capital of Doha Wednesday night was being interrogated by police and security agencies.
After finding from his passport that Marshall had travelled to Pakistan and Bangladesh recently, officials were checking if he had any terrorist links.
'A 5-inch (13-centimetre) knife was detected in his hand-baggage when he was preparing to take the flight. He was unable to give a satisfactory answer as to why he was carrying a weapon and was handed over to the police,' a police official at the airport said, requesting anonymity.
Home Ministry sources told the NDTV network that the questioning by the Delhi Police and the Indian Intelligence Bureau so far had not revealed any terrorist links.
11/02/10 Monsters and Critics

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