Malik to repay loans for Air India trial bills

Vancouver: After a 10-year dispute over finances, Ripudaman Singh Malik is finally repaying the B.C. government millions of dollars in loans that went to cover his legal bills during the Air India trial where he was acquitted of the murders of 331 people.

The payment of $6.3-million will come from proceeds of the sale of prime property in Vancouver’s trendy Yaletown district that closed Tuesday.

However, the payment will not end the matter.

The B.C. government had asked for an additional $1.6-million to cover punitive damages and their legal costs. The government has also indicated its intention to pursue a charge of civil fraud and conspiracy against Mr. Malik and his family members for trying to hide assets during their decade-long dispute.

Mr. Malik declined to comment Tuesday about his decision to repay the loan.

His lawyer, Bruce McLeod, said Mr. Malik initiated court action that led to the sale of the property, which enabled Mr. Malik to pay the outstanding debt in full.

“The province sought an immense amount of money, and it is only by the sale of this property that it has been possible to pay the amount the Attorney-General has been seeking,” Mr. McLeod said in an interview.

Rapidly escalating real-estate prices in Yaletown have made repayment of the loan much easier for Mr. Malik. The property, which was owned jointly by Mr. Malik and his wife, Raminder, was sold for $14.5-million. It was valued at $2.5-million in 2003 when the government agreed to provide the loan to pay Mr. Malik’s legal bills, according to media reports at that time.

28/02/12 Robert Matas/The Globe & Mail

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India To Probe Helo Contract With Italy

New Delhi: India’s agreement to purchase 12 helicopters from Italy is likely to be investigated in India after reports from Rome suggested irregularities in the contract. The Italian defense firm, however, has denied the allegations.
Reports in Italian daily newspaper la Repubblica suggest prosecutors have started checking into allegations of corruption against state-backed major defense contractor Finmeccanica’s dealings, including the 35.46 billion rupee ($720 million) contract with India.
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony, concerned over the reports, has ordered an inquiry into whether corruption was involved in the procurement of the helicopters from Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland, a senior defense ministry official said over the weekend.
India signed the contract with AgustaWestland in February 2010 to buy 12 AW101 helicopters, mainly to be used by the president, prime minister and other top government functionaries. The AW101 was selected over Sikorsky’s S-92 Super Hawk.
Finmeccanica on Feb. 27 declared that “AgustaWestland is not involved in any irregularity concerning the supply of helicopters in India.
29/02/12 Jay Menon/Aviation Week

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South India is SriLankan Airlines' extended home base, says CEO

Mumbai: South India is an extended home base for Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, which is all set to expand its operations in metros and tier-two cities in the region, according to Kapila Chandrasena, Director & CEP, SriLankan Airlines. As part of a move to accord thrust to the Asian market, the airline will increase both frequencies of operations and choices of destinations in India.
In an interview with The Hindu, Chandrasena said increasingly liberal aviation policies and opening of secondary cities was a welcome sign for the industry in India. “India is important due to the sheer scale of operations it offers our network, and the market is big enough to sustain any number of airlines.”
The airline despite incurring losses and curtailing frequency of operations in the European sector would increase frequencies to Delhi and Chennai while exploring the possibility of operations in Tier II cities, including Madurai. Chandrasena was in Tiruchirapalli en route to Madurai to hold talks with stakeholders in exploring the potential of the temple city.
“Sizing up the Madurai market, we feel that the city has the right mix of passenger segments,” he said adding that the airline might look at operating turbo aircraft with limited seating capacity at the initial stage. Responding to a query on how the operations would affect Tiruchirapalli, the closest destination for travellers in south, he was optimistic that markets were big enough for unexplored segment.
26/02/12 Travel Biz Monitor

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Air India mulls selling 787 Dreamliners

New Delhi: Cash strapped Air India is planning to sell off its much talked about Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes, as per a newspaper report on Monday.
According to reports, the civil aviation ministry is discussing a proposal to sell 27 medium-haul aircraft.
The sale that will attract a substantial premium, compared to the price it was bought, can make the debt ridden airline company richer by 7,200 crore.
Air India had bought the aircraft at Rs 703 crore apiece in 2005. The price of the aircraft has gone up by 37 percent since, at Rs 970 crore a plane.
The move would also help AI to shore up its balance sheet as the airline company has an accumulated loss of Rs 20,000 crore.
The newspaper quoted a top official in the ministry saying there are two reasons why they are discussing the proposal — one, Dreamliners are facing technical problems; and two, the airline would improve its bottom line through a sale.
27/02/12 Zee News

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Air India's 787 dream unlikely to become a reality

New Delhi: Air India may not induct the much-anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes after all. The civil aviation ministry is discussing a proposal to sell the 27 medium-haul aircraft, which will attract a substantial premium, compared to the 2005 cost.
The profits from the sale, if the proposal is cleared, could make AI richer by over Rs 7,200 crore (Rs 72 billion), equivalent to a third of its accumulated losses pegged at Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion).
27/02/12 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard/Rediff.com

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Air India livery to be showcased next month

New Delhi/Hyderabad: The much-awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is expected to be soon inducted into Air India's fleet will be on display at an air show in Hyderabad from March 14 in the flag carrier's livery.
"The 787 with the Air India specifications as well as interiors, colours and logo of the flag carrier will be in the country from March 12 till March 16, 2012," a senior Air India official said.
"The aircraft will be showcased at India Aviation 2012 in Hyderabad from March 14 to March 16. This will a chance for everyone to have a look and feel of the aircraft."
The aircraft boasts of reduced operating costs in terms of maintenance, 20 percent less fuel consumption and enable faster turnarounds, resulting in more flying hours.
The plane can fly up to 16,000 km non-stop and is suitable for long to medium-haul routes like Mumbai-Sydney, Delhi-Tokyo, Delhi-New York or Delhi-Toronto.
According to the official, AI's B-787 will be equipped with best-in class seats for its 256 passengers and would sport beautifully designed interiors with warm colours.
27/02/12 IANS/Economic Times

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Kingfisher in talks with 2 foreign carriers for rescue package

London: Kingfisher Airlines, owned by Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya, is in talks with two foreign carriers, including International Airlines Group (IAG) — the owner of British Airways and Iberia — for a potential rescue package, a report said.
This could pave the way for IAG to take a minority stake in the troubled Indian airline, a report by The Times said.
Mallya, who controls 58% of Kingfisher, told The Times that he had secured provisional approval from the Indian government for a change in the law that would ease restrictions on foreign ownership of airlines.
He claimed that the foreign carriers, which he refused to identify, stood ready to invest as soon as the change was announced - possibly within days.
It would allow overseas airlines to own up to 49% of an Indian airline for the first time.
Mallya expressed confidence that a deal with a "foreign strategic investor" was likely.
The report quoting a financial source in Mumbai named one of the airlines involved as IAG.
Etihad, the UAE-based airline, is also keen to have discussed a tie-up, which would involve the foreign groups providing equity in exchange for a minority stake.
27/02/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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21 heart patients fly to India for surgery

Twenty-one patients with various heart problems are flying to India today for subsidized Open Heart Surgery treatment at Fortis Escorts Heart Hospital in New Delhi.

Dr Rajni Kanabar, the district convenor of Open Heart Surgery for Lions Club Dar es Salaam host, said the patients are expected to come back after three weeks, following what is expected to be successful surgery.

“We are pleased to announce that Lions Club of Dar-es-Salaam (Host) in collaboration with Regency Medical Centre and the Ministry of Health, Zanzibar will be sending a group of 21 heart patients and 10 escorts including one escorting doctor,” he said.

Twenty patients are from Zanzibar and one patient from Arusha, he said, paying particular gratitude to IPP Executive Chairman Reginald Mengi for sponsoring 10 patients in the group.

In the group the youngest patient is seven-month old Sinani Maliha Makame with a trial and ventricular septal defects (two holes in the partition of upper and lower chambers of the heart), and the oldest patient is a 69 year old suffering coronary heart disease.

Escorts Heart Hospital is a world renowned cardiac centre of excellence offering subsidized rates for heart surgery to Tanzania heart babies under the Lions banner.

26/02/12 Joseph Mwendapole/IPP Media

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India, 22 nations to retaliate EU move on carbon tax

New Delhi: Faced with European Union’s decision to impose a carbon tax on all flights operating on its skies, India and 22 other countries, including Russia, China and the U.S., have decided to retaliate with a series of measures which would impose heavy costs on European airlines and plane manufacturers.

A joint declaration to this effect was unanimously adopted at a meeting of these countries in Moscow earlier this week, which asked the E.U. and its member States that they “must cease application of the Directive 2008/101/EC to airlines/ aircraft operators registered in third States.”

Through the directive, the E.U. has included all flights operating on its skies in the Emission Trading System (EU ETS) for payment of the carbon tax for CO2 emission. The directive has been effective from January this year.

Indian carriers that fly to Europe — Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher — may end up having to pay millions of dollars annually on this count as it requires them to pay 15 per cent of the cost of compensating for the CO2 (carbon dioxide) emitted during landings or take-offs from Europe.

24/02/12 PTI/The Hindu

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Allow A-380 to fly to Indian airports: French Minister

New Delhi: The French Government will take up the issue of India not allowing international airlines to operate the Airbus A-380 aircraft, the world's largest commercial jetliner, to airports here.

“Of course, this will be one of the issues which will come up at the meeting with Indian Civil Aviation Minister. There are 15 airports globally which accept the A-380 aircraft. Delhi and Mumbai are the only two airports that do not. It will not be possible for Indian airline companies to buy this aircraft if they cannot fly it to Delhi and Mumbai,” the French Minister Transport, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, Mr Thierry Mariani, said.

The double-decker A-380 airbus aircraft can carry up to 550 passengers on a single flight, almost 150 more passengers than the next largest aircraft currently in service. The Indian authorities have not allowed any international airline to operate the A-380 here despite several operators, including German carrier Lufthansa, Dubai-based Emirates and Singapore Airlines showing interest.

The issue of cooperation between Indian Railways and France in various sectors, including in safety, came up at the meeting with the Minister for Railways, Mr Dinesh Trivedi.

24/02/12 Business Line

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Air India to import jet fuel directly

New Delhi: In an effort to reduce its operating costs, the state-owned Air India plans to start direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

Official sources told Business Line that the airline has informed the Government of its decision to approach the Director-General of Foreign Trade for permission to directly import aviation fuel.

The airline's monthly fuel bill is in the range of about Rs 500-550 crore and is among the top three major expenses incurred by the carrier. By directly importing fuel, the Maharaja will not have to pay sales tax on ATF which ranges from four per cent to about 32 per cent across the country. The imposition of sales tax raises ATF prices and makes it almost 50 per cent more expensive than what airlines pay in Singapore or Dubai.

24/02/12 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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France to discuss Airbus 380 issue with India

New Delhi: With India opposing entry of the world's largest aircraft Airbus 380 into the country, French Transport Minister Thierry Mariani is likely to take up the issue with Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.

The French Minister, who is on a three-day visit to India, said out of 50 airports across the world, only airports in Delhi and Mumbai have denied permission to land the aircraft.

Inspite of demands from Lufthansa, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, government has not been allowing any foreign airline from bringing in the 'super jumbo' passenger aircraft as it would give tough competition to Indian carriers on major international routes.

No Indian airline has acquired the A-380s, though cash- strapped Kingfisher has placed orders for five of these aircraft. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is owned by EADS.

24/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Aerospace body inks MoU with Australian team

Bangalore: The Society of Indian Aerospace and Technologies Industries has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aviation Aerospace Australia. The partnership will help firms from Australian State of Victoria, also an aerospace hub, to tap into new opportunities in India, said Mr Gordon Rich-Phillips, Victoria's visiting Minister for Aviation Industry.
The MoU signalled a new level of co-operation and exchange between Victoria and India in aviation and aerospace. “This agreement will make it easier for our respective organisations to share knowledge, develop expertise and transfer skills,” a release quoted him as saying.
24/02/12 Business Line

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Cayman private equity fund tailors deal to buy Deccan 360

Bangalore: A Cayman Islands-domiciled private equity fund has offered a package deal which could result in it acquiring Deccan 360, the ailing air cargo operator founded by low-cost aviation pioneer G R Gopinath, a person directly involved in the negotiations said.
Redclays Capital has offered to help raise $50 million ( 250 crore) for Gopinath's aviation services company Deccan Charters and buy Deccan 360 for between $2 million and $5 million, the person said, requesting anonymity.
If the transaction is finalised, it will mean that Gopinath and Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries, the main shareholders in the moribund freight and logistics company, will have to cede ownership in what will essentially be a fire sale. Reliance, which paid about 110 crore in April 2010 for a 26% stake in Deccan 360, declined to comment for this story, as did Redclays managing director Srini Chakwal. Gopinath, too, did not reply to an email and phone calls.
Deccan 360, which was started in 2009, has been in a limbo for nearly a year. Three Airbus A-310 aircraft leased from Mauritius-based Veling have been returned to the lessors; nearly 600 employees were asked to look for jobs and two ATR aircraft have been grounded as the company has not been accepting new orders.
23/02/12 Economic Times

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FDI in aviation may take off only after Budget

New Delhi : Cabinet nod to allow foreign airlines to buy up to 49 per cent stake in Indian carriers is likely to become a reality only after the Budget. Reason: The government does not want to be seen as favouring any one company.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent is permitted in domestic airlines, but foreign airlines are not allowed to pick up stakes in domestic carriers. The government’s move to allow the FDI in domestic airlines is expected to benefit cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines. It could also provide a reprieve for the many airlines that are also under financial strain and have been looking at raising funds.

Kingfisher and SpiceJet have warmed up to the idea of foreign funding, but Jet Airways and IndiGo have shown no interest.

A senior government official closely associated with the thought process of the government said the underlying message from the Prime Minister’s Office was to time the permitting of FDI in a way that would not be perceived as a move to benefit a person or a company.

23/02/12 Santosh Tiwari & Nayanima Basu/Business Standard

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India, 25 others nations to oppose EU airline carbon tax

New Delhi: India, China, the US, Russia, Brazil and another 21 nations have decided to retaliate against the EU decision to collect billions of dollars every year by unilaterally imposing a carbon tax on flights landing in Eurozone.

The retaliatory measures decided include reviewing or abrogating the bilateral service agreements and open skies' agreements with each European country, suspending all negotiations on operating rights for the EU airlines and aircraft operators and imposing additional levies and charges on flights coming in from European nations. The fallout could hit the domestic consumers hard since the number of European flights landing and flying from India could be reduced and the cost of tickets could increase exponentially.

The decision to launch an all-out trade war against EU airlines was taken at a meeting of the 26 countries in Moscow on Wednesday after the EU refused to withdraw the unilateral carbon tax on fliers from other nations. The measure would help EU pocket around $1.5 billion starting 2013 that will go up every year, thanks to the annual carbon tax at the cost of fliers from India and other countries ostensibly to combat climate change, some industry estimates have suggested.

23/02/12 Nitin Sethi/Times of India

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Airport worker battling for life after suffering burns

Dubai A 26-year-old electrical engineer was critically injured along with four others when an installation they were testing at the Concourse 3 terminal at the Dubai airport on Monday threw up sparks.

The engineer, Abdul Subhan Fajrullah, was testing the installation at a sub-station when the incident occurred, a family member claimed, adding, "He is critical. He has suffered severe burn injuries and is battling for life in the ICU at Rashid Hospital."

A source at Rashid Hospital confirmed that three of the injured were in the ICU while a fourth worker had been shifted to a ward. The fifth person has already been discharged.

The Dubai Aviation City Corporation's Engineering Projects said in a statement. "The injuries are not life-threatening."

M. Ilias, a relative of Fajrullah, said he is the sole breadwinner of his family and his parents in Tamil Nadu of India are in a state of shock.

23/02/12 Sharmila Dhal/Gulf News.com

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Singapore Airlines to operate 2 more Mumbai flights from March

Mumbai: Singapore Airlines today said it will be increasing its frequency for Mumbai from 17 to 19 weekly flights from next month.
The additional flights will be operated between March 25 and October 27, the international carrier said in a release here.
The airline, however, did not specify the day of the new flights.
20/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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AerCap Grabs Kingfisher Planes, Backs American Deal

The head of AerCap Holdings NV said Wednesday that it repossessed two planes from India's Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. , underscoring the challenges facing aircraft leasing companies after the collapse of as many as a dozen carriers so far this year.
Kingfisher has grounded planes and is seen by analysts as the next potential casualty of the tough industry environment that has already claimed large carriers such as Hungary's Malev and Spanair in Spain.
Aengus Kelly, AerCap's chief executive, said the company has the resources and financial strength to ride the downturn, and has already found new homes for the Kingfisher planes as well as another leased to Global Aviation Holdings Inc., the U.S.-based charter specialist that filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year.
Kelly, talking to analysts on a post-earnings' call, said AerCap expects to improve earnings per share this year, and said it remains committed to a big leasing deal with AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines.
22/02/12 Doug Cameron/Dow Jones Newswires/Fox Business

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Jet Airways eyes CFMI engines to expand fleet

Mumbai: Jet Airways said it is working with CFM International to deploy next generation propulsion systems to power its fleet as and when it expands domestic and international network.
CFMI is currently developing ultra-high technology "green" engines for next generation aircraft, which is expected to help reduce fuel burn and bring down carbon emissions.
Jet Airways said it has completed over three million operating hours on CFM56 engines manufactured by CFM International, barely a few months after the airline inducted its 100th aircraft.
22/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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EU reiterates charging airlines for emissions even as India opposes

Nairobi: The European Union reiterated that it was not going to put on hold its controversial decision to charge airlines taking off and landing in Europe for emissions.
India had asked the EU to consider postponing the implementation of the controversial decision in order to work out a solution acceptable to all was worked out. Instead, the EU has asked that countries opposing the inclusion of aviation in the trading scheme bring a positive agenda or an laternative plan to the table, instead of being negative.
India is among the 20-odd countries opposing the inclusion of aviation in the EU's emission trading scheme. Other countries which oppose the move include the United States, China, Australia. Civil aviation ministers from these countries are meeting in Moscow later this week to evolve a response to what is seen as an an intrasient position.
Earlier, environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan had written to EU climate change commissioner Connie hedegaard asking that the union put on hold its decision. But clearly the EU is no mood to do so
21/02/12 Urmi A Goswami/Economic Times

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CIAL seeks technical aid

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is in talks with at least four global aviation companies based in Europe for technical partnership so as to raise its under-construction “Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)” facility into a centre for major aircraft repairing works.
Though Air India has set up a hangar at Thiruvananthapuram, only minor maintenance works are done there.
First phase of the Rs 100-crore project has been completed and it has been granted permission by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to carry out ‘A’ check (minor maintenance work of aircraft).
The facility includes two hangars to carry out simultaneous maintenance works on narrow-body aircraft. The second phase will include two wide-body hangars, more parking bays and workshops apart from two additional narrow-body hangars.
“We further aim to expand the operations to B, C and D checks for executive jets, passenger and cargo aircraft. For that we require manpower and technical expertise for which talks have been initiated with at least four aviation companies,” a CIAL official said, adding the company is willing to offer up to 49 per cent equity.
22/02/12 Krishna Kumar K.E./Deccan Chronicle

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55 Boeing Dreamliners 'have potential' problem

Boeing said around 55 of its flagship 787 Dreamliners "have the potential" to develop a fuselage shimming problem, but reiterated that the fault was being fixed.
Shims are used to fill in space between parts and industry publication Flightglobal has reported that improperly joined pieces had caused "parts of the aircraft's carbon fibre structure to delaminate".
The discovery of the issue in early February is the latest snag to hit the showpiece but troubled jet, which suffered extensive production delays.
"In all the airplanes that we built, up to airplane 55 in round numbers have the potential for the shimming issue," said the aviation giant's vice president Jim Albaugh at a media roundtable in Singapore.
"It's very fixable and we are in the process of fixing the airplanes that are in flow, there is not a safety or flight issue on the airplanes that we've delivered and this is a long term issue that has to be addressed," he added.
Boeing has previously said the problem arose because "incorrect shimming was performed on support structure on the aft fuselage" of some 787s.
Albaugh -- who is concurrently the chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes -- stated the problem would not impact total Dreamliner deliveries scheduled for this year.
Boeing joins a growing chorus of airlines as well as countries including China, India, Russia and the US in decrying Europe's carbon tax scheme, saying it violates international law.
22/02/12 Bangkok Post

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AI deployed larger aircraft for Praful family?

Air India deployed a larger aircraft apparently to accommodate the family of the then Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on its Bangalore-Maldives trip in April 2010, file notings disclosed by the national carrier have indicated.
There were claims earlier that since the business class seats were already booked on the A319 aircraft IC-965 from Bangalore to Male, Air India switched to the bigger A320 with 20 business class seats to accommodate seven members of the Deshpande family — in-laws of Mr. Patel's daughter Avni. The passenger list, disclosed on the directives of the Central Information Commission, shows that the Deshpandes — Congress leader R.V. Deshpande, Radha Deshpande, Prasad Deshpande, Meghna Deshpande and Master Dhruv, in addition to Avni and her husband Prashant Deshpande — were indeed on board IC-965 on April 25, 2010 for the Bangalore-Male and IC-966 from Male to Bangalore on April 28, 2010.
The file notings show that instructions were issued through email from the Mumbai headquarters. The order, a copy of which was supplied with the RTI reply said, “Due to heavy demand in J Class on Bangalore-Male on April 25, 2010 and Male-Bangalore on April 28, 2010, the J Class capacity is increased on the above two dates by rotation change in equipment.”
The order for the change was evidently from top officials of Air India, as the copy on the decision was sent to Aben Lal, who is now General Manager, Commercial, with the note “this is in reference to your telecon with Mr. F J Vaz [now Executive Director, Commercial].''
20/02/12 The Hindu

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US airlines sue Exim Bank for giving loan guarantee to Air India

Washington : In a revised complaint filed before a US court on Friday last week, the Air Transport Association of America, Delta Air Line and Air Line Pilots Association International, alleged that Exim Bank’s decision to provide a loan guarantee of $3.4 billion to Air India, to help it buy 30 aircraft from Boeing, would badly affect several US airlines, the Delta in particular.
Arguing that without the financial support from Exim Bank, Air India, which in itself is in deep red, would not have purchased these aircraft and thus would deploy them on those routes where it gives a tough competition to US airlines.
"The Bank's support for foreign carriers puts ATA's operator members, including Delta, at a competitive disadvantage because, among other things, the Bank's foreign beneficiaries have access to cheaper capital to finance their aircraft purchases," the complaint said.
"Delta's experience is illustrative. In 2006, Delta offered nonstop service between New York and Mumbai. Between 2006 and 2009, the Bank gave Air India loan guarantees totaling approximately $3.3 billion.
"Those guarantees allowed Air India to flood the US-India market with extra capacity and crowd out competitors like Delta. Delta stopped flying from New York to Mumbai in October of 2008 due to the Bank's loan guarantees to Air India," the court affidavit said.
The Exim Bank’s subsidies to foreign carriers have forced US airlines to cut between 4,100 and 7,500 jobs. The loss of those jobs has led to $372 million to $684 million in lost employee income, it alleged.
The Air Transport Association of America also challenged the argument of the Obama Administration that orders placed by foreign airlines like Air India is creating jobs in the US.
20/02/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Body of Indian stuck at Muscat airport after coffin not loaded on flight

The dead body of an Indian expatriate has been lying at Seeb Airport in Muscat in Oman for two days now, as an Indian airline’s cargo handlers “forgot” to load the coffin on the plane.
Relatives have been waiting to receive and cremate the body of the dead man who committed suicide about 15 days ago.
Airline and cargo officials are now working to repatriate the body of Jinesh Chandran (24) who killed himself on February 5 at Saham in Oman.
The body was to be sent home by an Air India Express flight from Muscat to Kozhikode at 1.45pm and his relatives were waiting at Kozhikode airport to receive the body.
C M Jabbar, a Muscat-based social worker of Kairali, a socio-cultural organisation, said: “It is the first time that a coffin was forgotten by ground-handling staff at the airport. The coffin is in a big box and no one can miss the box as all the names and details of the airline and the dead man are written on the box."
He said arrangements were being made to repatriate the body on an Air India Express flight on Sunday.
20/02/12 VM Sathish/Emirates24/7

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Direct ATF import may not solve airlines' woes: HSBC report

Mumbai: Direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) by airlines, a recent proposal by an empowered group of ministers which is awaiting Cabinet nod, may not solve the civil aviation industry's woes, according to a recent report by HSBC.
"The actual benefit, if any, would be limited and much less than the current anticipation of 10 percent fuel cost savings. Fuel cost saving greater than 5 percent is unlikely in our view, as fuel price is rising and in all likelihood, airlines would benefit on only a portion of their total fuel consumption as opposed to the general expectation of the entire usage," the report said.
The report has also concluded that the initiative will take time and depend on many factors and several stakeholders.
The more likely option, it says, will be a mid-way path where airlines use a mix of direct imports and source oil from domestic marketing companies (OMCs) or if the OMCs offer more lucrative rates to the airlines, like taking a cut on their marketing mark-up price and offer better rates.
19/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Plane crash injures Indian origin couple

Fayetteville, N.C.: Two people injured when a single-engine plane flipped while landing at the Fayetteville Regional Airport were continuing to recover Saturday, but the Federal Aviation Administration still has no answers as to what caused the crash.
Both people on board suffered leg injuries, but were expected to make a full recovery, authorities said.
Dr. Nitin Desai was listed in good condition at Cape Fear Valley Hospital Saturday. The condition of his wife, Rita Desai, was not available.
Tony Coleman, assistant airport director, said the Mooney-20 – a small, four-seat, fixed-wing plane with tail number N118RZ – rolled and came to rest in a grassy area along the taxiway and parallel to the main runway Friday afternoon.
18/02/12 WRAL.com

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Lufthansa opens self check-in kiosks at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: German national carrier Lufthansa today said it has introduced four self check-in kiosks at the Mumbai International Airport.
In this facility, a passenger can check-in using his/her booking code in combination with the first and last name, credit card number or Miles & Moreor Star Alliance mileage card numbers, individually or in groups of up to four persons.
19/02/12 Business Line

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Private jet makers woo Asia's super rich

If you have money and want to flaunt it, mansions, limousines and yachts are no longer enough. For the super rich of Asia, owning a private jet has become the ultimate status symbol.
Executive-jet makers aiming to woo Asia's growing ranks of billionaires and multi-millionaires were out in force at the Singapore Airshow, which drew to a close over the weekend.
Brazil's Embraer had Jackie Chan's personal Legacy 650 jet -- with a unique white, red and yellow livery inspired by a mythical Chinese dragon -- flown to Singapore for the trade fair.
The Hong Kong-born martial arts movie star, who has a massive following in China, was appointed this month as the company's first ever brand ambassador.
Chan's 13-seat plane, which has a list price of $31.5 million, was one of several executive aircraft put on display by exhibitors including Canada's Bombardier and US-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
Asia now has the world's second largest concentration of millionaires after the United States, with China and India producing them at a dizzying rate, according to a study by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and Capgemini.
19/02/12 France24

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India needs to go duty free for developing aerospace industry

Singapore: The Indian government will have to lend duty-free support to the country's upcoming but fledgling aerospace industry, which has the world's highest growth potential over the next 10 years, a senior industry observer has said.
"There is an industry-wide concern about Indian customs' import duty policy, which ranges between 60 per cent and 100 percent for bringing in spare parts and equipment for repairing and manufacturing aircraft locally," said C G Krishnadas Nair, President of the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SAITI).
"It has to be zero duty for this industry," he said, highlighting the projected multi-billion dollar growth of the aviation industry, which would, conservatively, see the increase of aircraft numbers to 900-1,000 by 2020 from 526 as end of 2011.
India would become the world's "most important market" with increase in aviation services including increase of passenger traffic to 500 million people by 2020 from the 100 million in 2011.
The Indians have confirmed orders for 137 business jets in addition to the current fleet of 113 and the helicopter population in the country would triple in five years from the present 260.
17/02/12 ZeeNews

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Airbus may have to replace rivets in A380: EASA

Frankfurt: Plane maker Airbus, already forced to fix cracks in the wings of some of its A380 superjumbo jets, sought to play down news on Friday that it might now have to replace rivets in the fuselage.
The European Aviation Safety Agency is considering issuing an "airworthiness directive" ordering Airbus to replace six aluminium rivets in the fuselage of the A380 with much stronger titanium fasteners, according to a document posted on the EASA's website.
In a "notification of a proposal" to issue such a directive, EASA said that an engineering review had shown that while the rivets would survive so-called limit load -- which takes into account the maximum stresses likely to be experienced during flight -- they "may not support the ultimate load".
That refers to conditions beyond those normally encountered in the lifetime of an aircraft.
"This condition, if not corrected, could lead to in-flight loss of the radome (antenna dome) in case of rapid decompression and could adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane," EASA said.
17/02/12 Economic Times

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India says it is negotiating contract with Dassault

New Delhi India today virtually ruled out a rethink on its decision in the multi-billion dollar combat aircraft deal saying it has already started negotiating the contract with French firm Dassault Aviation in this regard.
On January 31, India had announced that the French Rafale fighter jet has emerged as the lowest bidder in the deal for procuring 126 combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) edging out its European rival EADS consortium's Eurofighter Typhoon.
“Already the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC) has started for the procurement of Rafale,” Defence Minister A K Antony said.
The minister was asked to comment on British Prime Minister David Cameron's statement that he would ask India to rethink its decision on the deal and buy the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The CNC is formed by the ministry to negotiate the final price of the equipment offered by the vendors.
Antony warned the officials and vendors involved in the process against indulging in any wrongdoing saying “everybody should be careful.... Nobody can corrupt India system. We will not tolerate this”.
He said the contract negotiations take place for over six months and after that the deal will have to pass through eight stages.
17/02/12 Express India

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We don't need FDI for Jet Airways: Naresh Goyal

Jet Airways does not need foreign direct investment but will back moves to open up the aviation sector to foreign airlines, its chairman Naresh Goyal said on Thursday. The government has said it will open up the airline sector and there is a proposal to allow 49% FDI to help cash-strapped carriers. "We do not need any FDI. We are doing fine. But we welcome the move," Goyal said.

He said the airline was ready to fly to several foreign routes once it gets approval from the government. The airline has applied for permission from the government to fly to Bangladesh, countries in West Asia and Europe. Goyal was in Pakistan as part of the Indian business delegation led by commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma to expand economies ties.

Goyal said he welcomed government's decision to allow direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF/jet fuel) but added that there were several issues which needed to be ironed out to implement the plan fully. "We need to have the infrastructure for this. We also need to look into the issue of state entry taxes," Goyal said, referring to the move from state governments to levy state entry taxes on direct import of ATF.

17/02/12 Surojit Gupta/Times of India

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Govt goes ahead to allow direct import of jet fuel by airlines

Government today moved forward to implement its decision to allow Indian carriers to directly import jet fuel, with the Civil Aviation Ministry writing to the Commerce Ministry to take the necessary steps.

The decision was taken earlier this month at a meeting of a Group of Ministers on aviation, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, that the Commerce Ministry would permit direct import of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) "by or on behalf of Indian carriers directly as the actual user and on actual use basis," officials said here.

The cash-strapped Indian carriers, particularly Kingfisher, have been demanding allowing of direct imports due to the high incidence of taxation on ATF by state governments which led its price to be 30 to 40% higher in India than in countries like Singapore, Japan, and those in the Gulf and in Europe.

16/02/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Indian pilots flying away to foreign carriers

Mumbai/New Delhi: Plagued by salary woes, Indian pilots have begun to look for greener pastures as leading carriers like Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air India struggle under heavy losses.
According to airline sources, foreign carriers are looking to tap the talent pool in India and hire pilots.
Leading carriers in India have been witnessing an exodus of pilots. Sources indicate that in the recent past nearly 40 pilots of Air India have quit, while about 60 have quit from Jet Airways. Kingfisher Airlines has seen about 50 pilots leaving.
Most of the pilots leaving the Indian carriers are said to be taking up employment with foreign airlines like Emirates and Silk Air. Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is also looking to hire pilots in India.
Industry watchers say that pilots are very much in demand in a number of markets including China and West Asia. In the West Asian market, the demand has been aided by the huge number of aircraft orders placed by various airlines.
15/02/12 Nivedita Ganguly/Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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PM clears Praful in Canadian bribery case

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cleared Union Minister Praful Patel of allegations that he took a kickback when he was Civil Aviation Minister from a Canadian businessman for an Air India contract for supply of security equipment.

In a letter to Patel, the Prime Minister is understood to have told him that the External Affairs Ministry has been asked to convey to Canada that the contract was never executed as it was not found to be cost-effective.

Patel had termed as "baseless and preposterous" the allegations by Indian-born Canadian Nazir Karigar that a close associate of the minister was paid USD 2.50 lakh for getting the contract for a computerised passenger face recognition biometrics system for Air India approved.

Following this, Patel had written to the Prime Minister urging him to direct Air India to forward all relevant information and documents of the tender to PMO or to any agency nominated by him for a probe.

Patel had wanted that the "factual position" be conveyed to the authorities in Canada in order to avoid any embarrassment to the government or to him personally.

15/02/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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India, China attack EU on Carbon tax

New Delhi: India, China and other major developing economies on Tuesday attacked European Union saying the bloc's "unilateral" decision to levy charges on international flights "in the name of climate change" would "seriously jeopardise" efforts to fight global warming.
Talking tough on the issue of EU's Emission Trading Scheme during their 10th meeting on Climate Change here, Environment Ministers of the BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China- noted that the measure on aviation sector "violates international law including the principles and provisions of UNFCCC and runs counter to multilateralism".
"Ministers noted that the unilateral action by EU in the name of climate change was taken despite strong international opposition and would seriously jeopardise the international efforts to combat climate change," said a joint statement issued by the the BASIC group at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.
The Ministers-- Jayanthi Natarajan (India), Xie Zhenhua (China), Francisco Gaetani (Brazil) and Alfred James Wills (South Africa)-- also "recognised the threat of similar unilateral measures being
14/02/12 ZeeNews

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GoAir says P&W engine deal worth $1 bln

New Delhi: Low-cost airline GoAir's engine supply deal with United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit is valued at about $1 billion, managing director Jeh Wadia said.
The privately held airline, which has a market share of about 6 percent in India, ordered 72 A320 aircraft from Airbus last year for about $7.2 billion.
Pratt & Whitney will supply about 150 engines when the planes are delivered between 2015 and 2020, Wadia said in an interview on Wednesday. The deal will be funded through a combination of equity and debt, he said.
"The reason why we chose these engines is because they will give us fuel efficiency of more than 15 percent in total, and that would relate to 11 percent improvement in direct operating cost," Wadia said by phone from Mumbai.
Indigo, the only major Indian airline that is making a profit, also ordered 150 Pratt & Whitney engines for planes it ordered from Airbus last year.
Wadia declined to reveal GoAir's debt load but said the company would be "extremely profitable" on an operating basis if fuel costs had not risen. He did not elaborate.
India's airlines, burdened by $20 billion of debt and fighting high fuel costs and low fares, are desperately seeking changes in government policies to help their business.
15/02/12 Reuters/Moneycontrol.com

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Indian Air force expresses interest in acquiring six more C-17 planes: Boeing

Singapore: The Indian Air force has expressed interest in acquiring six more C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft, in addition to a contract for 10, the US defence giant Boeing said today.

"Indian Air Force has expressed for six more C-17s," Paul Lewis, Director of International Communications for Defence, Space and Security said.

Five of the 10 aircraft will be delivered by next year and the other five in 2014, he said. The deal for supplying ten C-17 aircraft is USD 4.1 billion.

Boeing was also set to deliver first of the maritime petrol airplane, Poseidon P8-I, early next year to the Indian Navy, he told PTI at the Singapore Airshow being held from February 14 to 19. The P8-1 contract is worth USD 2.1 billion.

The Navy also has option to order four more of the P8-1, anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft in addition to the 8-unit contract.

14/02/13 PTI/Times of India

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Honeywell opens 4th centre in India

New Delhi: Honeywell International Inc, a diversified industrial solutions provider, is looking at introducing technologies for optimising fuel production and generating green fuel in India as it opened its fourth technology centre here at Gurgaon at an investment of $24 million.

The US-based company is looking to bring in Uniflex, coal-to-liquids and coal-to-chemicals technologies as refineries hunt for ways to extract more end-products from the expensive crude.

“We are planning to convert waste biomass into power and plan to help local entrepreneurs set up plants. This can take care of insufficient power availability in rural India,” Honeywell’s UOP president and CEO Rajeev Gautam said.

The bio diesel produced can also be used as fuel for auto and aviation sectors, he said, adding in future the aviation industry will require green fuel to fly to developed nations as they are becoming more concerned about environmental issues.

Gautam claimed a refinery using its Uniflex refining process can save up to $6 billion crude every year as the process helps to yield 4-6% more diesel and gasoline.

Honeywell is also promoting coal-to-chemicals technology for producing polyethylene and polypropylene, which are mainly used for making car bumpers and packaging materials, instead of petroleum.

15/02/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Indian airlines should raise fares by 15%: Boeing

Singapore: Cash-strapped airlines in India should raise fares by at least 15% by achieve the break-even point, a senior official of Boeing said here today.

Boeing Senior Vice-President, Sales in Asia Pacific and India, Dinesh Keskar also said airlines in India are estimated to post over $1 billion loss in the current fiscal. Stiff competition, depreciating rupee and the rising costs of fuel have impacted earnings of the Indian airlines, he added.

"The best way [for the airlines] is to raise fares by minimum 15% to hit a break-even point," he told PTI at the Singapore Airshow here

"Indian airlines would suffer over $1 billion in FY2011-12 due to high operating costs," he added.

Keskar pointed out that these cost elements were beyond the control of airlines.

Airlines in India are going through turbulent times and many of them have been consistently registering losses. High fuel costs and low passenger fares are cited as the main reasons for rising operating costs.

14/02/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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SriLankan gets contract to service IndiGo's aircraft

Colombo: SriLankan Airlines Engineering has secured its largest contract this year to conduct maintenance checks for an Indian airline.
IndiGo, India's budget carrier with a fleet of 48 Airbus A320 airliners has awarded the contract to SriLankan Engineering to conduct C-checks on 26 Airbus A320 through 2012.
This is the fourth consecutive year IndiGo has outsourced to SriLankan and this year's contract is the largest overseas outsourcing of maintenance, repair and overhaul work by an Indian carrier.
According to Aviation International News India's air carriers outsource the maintenance checks to foreign companies due to the unfavorable tax position with the country that makes the Indian MRO providers uncompetitive.
15/02/12 Colombo Page

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Air India may lose monopoly over international flying rights

New Delhi: Air India’s monopoly over bilaterals, or international flying rights, may soon come to an end. The government is considering doing away with the special ‘Right to First Refusal’ privilege enjoyed by the state-owned carrier almost a decade after private domestic airlines were allowed to fly overseas.
This would free up foreign flying rights reserved for AI which are not being utilised currently.
Two top government officials told The Indian Express that the move is in the works, and may be included in the new civil aviation policy. “Discussions were held in the ministry and broadly there is a consensus that bilateral rights should be freed, and be allotted to the interested airlines,” said one of them. The special privilege enjoyed by AI allows it the lone right to all seat capacity agreed to between India and any other country. If AI refuses, only then can the private airline stake a claim.
“Once the national carrier signed away these seats to others, they would be gone forever. In most cases, Air India would hold on to them, arguing that it is awaiting planes to deploy them on these routes on a later date,” said another official. But, he conceded, “It is a waste of a resource. An airline can’t hold it indefinitely.”
13/02/12 Smita Aggarwal /Indian Express

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EU Vows to Keep Airline-Emission Levies as China-India Opposition Mounts

The European Union will press ahead with emissions levies for international airlines, putting the bloc on course for a trade spat with countries including China, India and the U.S.
“The EU will not suspend the legislation,” Siim Kallas, the European Commission’s vice president for transport, said today in Singapore at an airline conference. “It’s a very high- profile environmental issue.”
At least 27 countries are due to meet next week in Moscow to discuss laying new charges on European airlines as they protest the EU’s addition of aviation to a carbon-emissions trading system last month. The governments say the move extends EU regulations beyond the bloc’s border.
“What started out as a solution for environment has become a source of potential trade conflict,” Tom Enders, chief executive officer of Airbus SAS, said in Singapore today. “That should be a worry for all of us.”
China and India have already asked airlines to rebuff mandatory requests from the EU for data needed to fix emissions payments. Carriers will have to hand over permits for 2012 carbon production by April 30, 2013. They will receive about 85 percent for free and will need to buy the rest in the market.
13/02/12 Jasmine Wang/Bloomberg

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India's aviation policies not supportive of competitiveness: IATA chief Tony Tyler

New Delhi: India was "missing out" on the potential of civil aviation as a key economic contributor as its policies were not supportive of competitiveness in the sector and stunted its growth, global airlines' body IATA said today.
"India is one market that is missing out on aviation's potential as a result of a policy framework that does not support aviation's competitiveness," International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief Tony Tyler said in his address to the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit.
Giving examples, he said high taxes, lack of capacity in Mumbai and increasing infrastructure costs in Delhi "are holding back Indian aviation's potential".
Maintaining that Singapore government supported aviation as a strategic industry and the sector contributed 119,000 quality jobs and 5.4 per cent of GDP, Tyler said "not all governments have the same positive approach."
13/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited prepares to manufacture Rafale combat jet in India

New Delhi: State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is getting ready to progressively manufacture the Dassault Rafale combat jet that has apparently been chosen by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its $10.4 billion order for 126 planes.
HAL officiating Chairman and Managing Director P.V. Deshmukh told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) that the company had already earmarked its own land near Bangalore, where it is headquartered, to produce some of the aircraft's major components and integrate the overall aircraft and systems.
The first 18 aircraft would come in fly-away condition, within three years of signing of the contract and meanwhile, HAL would get the production tooling, expertise and technical know-how under transfer of technology from the French.
The remaining 108 aircraft would initially be progressively manufactured from SKD (semi-knocked-down) and CKD (completely knocked-down) kits. Gradually, HAL would start producing the fuselage and other parts from the raw materials. Dassault engineers would assist in technology transfer and production plants.
13/02/12 IANS/Economic Times

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Retired Indian Major General to Lead HAL and CAE Helicopter Joint Venture in India

Bengaluru: Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), the joint venture owned equally by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE, today announced the appointment of Major General (Ret’d) Ajit Hari Gadre as Chief Executive Officer of HATSOFF.
“I am pleased to join an organization established by HAL and CAE, two of the world’s leading and most reputable aerospace and defence companies,” said Major General (Ret’d) Ajit Hari Gadre, now CEO of HATSOFF. “Since its opening in 2010, HATSOFF has set the standard in India for advanced helicopter simulator training, and I am convinced that simulation-based training will continue to grow and prove to be one of the best approaches for improving safety, operational efficiency and mission readiness.”
General Gadre spent 37 years with Indian Army as a commissioned officer, retiring in June 2009 as the Additional Director General of Army Aviation. In this role, he managed the operations, training, maintenance and logistics of the entire Indian Army Aviation Corps. Prior to this assignment, General Gadre was Commandant of the National Cadet Corps Officers Training Academy. He is an accomplished helicopter pilot and a qualified flying instructor with over 5,000 hours of accident/incident free flying. During his career, he also oversaw training operations at the Indian Army Headquarters for the entire Army Aviation Corps.
13/02/12 Ottawa Citizen

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Austrian Airlines to Stop Mumbai Operations

Mumbai: The Austrian Airlines today joined AirAsiaX to announce its move to quit a part of its operations in and out of the country by deciding to discontinue the Mumbai-Vienna sector from March 25.
"Austrian Airlines confirms that the Mumbai-Vienna flight will be suspended from March 25 due to the challenging economic situation. The airline remains committed to its Indian customers and will continue its sales activities in the market. Also, our six-times weekly flights in the Delhi-Vienna sector remain unchanged," the airline said in a statement.
Customers travelling from Mumbai to Europe can connect to Europe and beyond on Austrian's partner airlines Lufthansa and Swiss with 21 weekly flights from Mumbai via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, the airline spokesman added.
"From the summer of 2012 onwards, we shall be sharply increasing flight frequencies to our core markets in Eastern Europe, and building up capacity to the Middle East in a trade-off with the destination of Mumbai," said Austrian's executive board member Andreas Bierwirth in a statement.
13/02/12 PTI/Outlook India

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Air India: CBI begins probe into pay-off charges

New Delhi: The CBI has begun an in-house probe into pay-off allegations concerning a $100 million Air India contract in 2007 when Mr Praful Patel was Civil Aviation Minister, a charge which he has rubbished as “baseless and preposterous“.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had approached the probe agency through diplomatic channels informing them about the scandal and allegations made against Indo-Canadian businessman Mr Nazir Karigar who claimed that he had paid a bribe of $250,000 to an aide of Mr Patel, official sources said on Sunday. The contract has since been scrapped.
The CBI had recently asked the Canadian authorities for a statement from Mr Karigar, who, according to a Canadian newspaper, was to be prosecuted by the authorities in Toronto under the newly-legislated Foreign Public Officials Act.
Air India had floated a tender in 2006 for computerised passenger face recognition biometrics system and the businessman was representing CrypoMetrics company.
Mr Karigar had claimed that he had met Mr Patel through former Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor and allegedly paid the bribe amount to the minister’s aide for pushing the contract in favour of his company.
The contract was, however, scrapped after internal objections by officials of the Air India and Civil Aviation Ministry.
12/02/12 PTI/Business Line

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India finalises contract with GE for 99 aircraft engines

Bangalore: The only thing left before India signs the estimated $800 million deal with GE Aviation for 99 GE-F414 engines now, is the clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The Price Negotiation Committee (PNC), which was set up late 2010 after GE had nipped Eurojet to become the lowest bidder, has recently finalised the deal after having surpassed all the hurdles before it and the file is now expected to go to the CCS anytime.
The PNC, comprising representatives from the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Navy, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) negotiated with GE and the US government for over 15 months before coming to a conclusion.
GE had been, in September 2010, declared the lowest bidder over Eurojet’s EJ200 to power the Mk-II version of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)—tejas–but there were a lot of issues that had to be resolved before the PNC could finalise the contract details.
11/02/12 Chethan Kumar/Deccan Herald

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Tiger Airways to resume Kochi-Singapore service

Kochi: Tiger Airways, one of Asia's leading low-cost carriers, has announced a new direct service between Kochi and Singapore, becoming the first regional low-cost carrier to connect these two cities.
11/02/12 City Journal

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India’s Air Works Extends Its MRO Reach

Air Works, India’s only third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider in commercial aviation, is making large investments to enter the general aviation market for heavy maintenance and, at the same time, is putting down roots in Europe, with the imminent opening of a new aircraft paint facility at Bratislava Airport in Slovakia. The 60-year-old company already claims to hold a 30- to 40-percent share of the general aviation MRO sector in India.

Meanwhile, Air Works (Booth No. G93) also is looking to play a larger role in supporting India’s growing regional airline network as more and more smaller cities get scheduled service. For instance, budget carrier SpiceJet’s initial order for 15 Bombardier Dash 8 Q-400s (seven of which have been delivered) and Embraer’s aggressive plans to market its E-Jets in the country have prompted the company to plan ahead. Currently, it is working with both Bombardier and Embraer to develop a $2 million maintenance facility with up to C-check level capability at a private airfield in Hosur, near Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore).

11/02/12 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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Air India seeks $1 bn from Boeing for Dreamliner delays

New Delhi: Air India has increased its demands for compensation from Boeing to about $1 billion for delays in delivering new 787 Dreamliners.

A civil aviation ministry official, speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald on condition of anonymity, said that there's room to negotiate until all 27 Dreamliners on order have been handed over to the national carrier.

Boeing, based in Chicago, declined to comment.

Air India had said in August 2010 that it would seek $840 million from Boeing, whose new 787 hadn't yet entered service at that point.

The carrier's order would be valued at about $5.7 billion, before traditional discounts off the plane's average list price of $211 million.

The Dreamliner was three-and-a-half years late when it began passenger service in November, after seven delays related to new materials and manufacturing processes used.

10/02/12 Indian Express

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Airlines' carbon pollution bill $670 mn?

Singapore Airlines face a carbon pollution bill of 505 million euros ($670 million) for this year under a controversial EU emissions trading scheme, an analysis shows.
Carriers joined the scheme, which covers carbon emissions from European and foreign airlines flying into and from EU airports, on Jan 1.
The scheme has triggered widespread anger among foreign governments and carriers because the cost is calculated on the emissions from the point of origin, not just in Europe.
This has led to accusations the European Union is exceeding its jurisdiction in a row that risks escalating into a full-blown trade war.
China this week banned its airlines from participating without its permission and, along with India and the United States, warned of retaliatory steps.
The latest analysis by Point Carbon, which provides market intelligence, news and advisory services, calculated the cost based on the price of EU emissions allowances traded as of Monday at 8.56 euros and the latest emissions forecasts for carriers. Each allowance represents a tonne of emissions.
09/02/12 Express India

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3 NY cabbies misbehave with AI cabin crew on flight, held

New Delhi: Three men were arrested for allegedly misbehaving with the cabin crew on board an Air India flight (AI 102) from New York to Delhi.
It is alleged that the three men, all taxi drivers based in New York, threw alcohol on two air hostesses who approached the security detail at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as soon as the flight landed in New Delhi on Thursday afternoon.
Police said Varinder Pal Singh, Hardeep Singh Deol and Bhupinder Singh had boarded the flight with two bottles of liquor which have been recovered.
“Throughout the flight, the men kept yelling and created a ruckus. They kept asking for more liquor on board. After a point, we requested them to stop creating a scene, but to no avail. The situation had gone out of hand,” said one of the airhostesses in her complaint.
Angry at being stopped from consuming more alcohol on board, the three men threw liquor at the complainant’s face, police said.
10/02/12 Indian Express

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IndiGo gets delivery of its 50th Airbus A-320 aircraft

New Delhi: IndiGo on Friday took delivery of its 50th Airbus A-320 aircraft, with which it would launch additional flights connecting Mumbai, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata next week.

With this addition in its fleet, the no-frill carrier would start the new flights connecting Mumbai to Coimbatore and Bhubaneswar and one new flight from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar from February 16, an airline spokesperson said.

Inducting the 50th aircraft into its operational fleet, IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh claimed the airline had the youngest fleet and was the fastest growing carrier in the country.

"Having flown over 39.46 million in over 277,900 flights since launch, IndiGo has achieved immense success in the Indian skies, and continues to show steady growth. The induction of its 50th aircraft is yet another proof of the commitment to customer experience and growth," he said in a statement.

The airline would take delivery 45 brand new Airbus A- 320s of an earlier order of 100 of these planes, till 2015.

IndiGo, which placed one of the world's largest airplane orders last year by announcing to buy 180 Airbus aircraft, would have deliveries scheduled between 2016 and 2025.

10/02/12 Economic Times

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Direct jet fuel imports: states will lose Rs 3k cr in sales tax

Indian states could lose sales tax revenues totalling Rs 3,000 crore if the central government’s proposal to allow airlines to directly import jet fuel is implemented, a report in Hindu Business Line said.

Don’t expect states to take this loss lying down. The rate of sales tax on jet fuel varies across different states — between 4 percent and 30 percent. To compensate for this loss in revenues, some states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh might introduce an “entry” tax, an HSBC report said recently.

Ministers are expected to meet this month or early next month to discuss the consequences of the loss in sales tax.

We’ve already said that direct fuel imports are easier said than done.

The infrastructure to import and transfer fuel across the country is the biggest problem for airlines. The companies that do have the infrastructure are the oil marketing companies.

It remains to be seen how willing oil marketing companies will be to help airlines import their own fuel, because it will, after all, affect the business of oil marketing companies themselves, who are currently the main suppliers of jet fuel to airlines.

10/02/12 Rajanya Bose/First Post

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India, Iraq to resume direct flights

New Delhi: India and Iraq will resume direct flights which were stopped during the first Gulf War two decades ago, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported official sources as saying Thursday.

The aviation authorities of the two countries, which were in talks for over the past few months, have decided to launch these flights from the coming Sunday, the sources said.

Iraq government has designated its national carrier Iraqi Airways, which would operate two flights each to Delhi and Mumbai every week from Baghdad.

India is yet to take a final decision on designating any carrier that would fly to Iraq, they said.

The sources said India was keen to have direct flights to the Iraqi religious city of Karbala and not just to Baghdad.

A bilateral air services agreement was first signed between the two countries in 1955.

10/02/12 Bernama/brunei fm

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Cleaning the fuel subsidy mess

The Finance Minister's candid admission on subsidies affecting his sleep will only be cold comfort to public sector oil companies which have been battling the fuel pricing issue for some years now. “Today, things have become so bad that we are content scraping through each fiscal with negligible profits. At least, this will ensure that we can still access loans, unlike Air India, which has been written off by all bankers,” an oil sector official told me recently.
It is unfortunate that even gigantic entities like IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation are in a difficult situation thanks to the pressure of mounting fuel subsidies and inadequate compensation for losses incurred. This has become a yearly ritual these days, and their top managements have virtually reconciled themselves to the fact that they just have to live with this harsh reality.
Mr Pranab Mukherjee's predicament is understandable, given that the earlier projections of oil subsidies for this fiscal at Rs 24,000 crore have jumped more than five times since. Given a chance, he would ideally like to opt for complete price deregulation, except that it will be politically suicidal to do so at a time when his own Government is constantly walking the tightrope. The only alternative is to continue with these subsidies, except that the fiscal deficit balloon is in danger of bursting any moment.
09./02/12 Murali Gopalan/Business Line

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Gulf airlines say no interest in Kingfisher stake

Dubai/Mumbai: Two major Gulf Arab carriers said they have no interest in taking a stake in struggling Kingfisher Airlines, which is grappling with a pile of debt and on the hunt for fresh equity.
Abu Dhabi's state-owned Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways said on Thursday they were not inclined to invest in Kingfisher.
Sources in India familiar with the matter told Reuters that Kingfisher was in early talks with Qatar Airways about a possible stake in the company. The Indian carrier is also known to have met officials at Etihad, one source said.
"We have no interest in Kingfisher," a spokesman for Qatar Airways said.
Etihad's chief executive James Hogan told Reuters that they too had no interest in the Indian carrier. He declined to elaborate.
Kingfisher, controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, has said it is in talks with potential investors. Kingfisher officials did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
The carrier has failed in its long-running efforts to bring in fresh equity. Its banks are stuck with a quarter of Kingfisher's shares after a debt recast and lead lender, State Bank of India, refuses to lend more in the absence of an equity injection.
09/02/12 Reuters/Times of India

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Jet fuel import may not take off in a big way

New Delhi: The ministerial panel on aviation on Tuesday recommended allowing carriers to import jet fuel but ground realities may not allow the move to take off in a big way as was the case in 1998. The recommendation comes after intense lobbying by loss-making carriers, led by Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines.
Airlines hope to lower 10%-15 % of their fuel bill that accounts for 40% of their cost. The saving will be mainly the high sales tax of 8%-25 %, which makes jet fuel in India globally among the most expensive even though it is priced at international parity. The first disadvantage for carriers would be the loss of a credit period of up to 60 days now. Carriers would have to pay upfront, probably in dollars , for imports. But aviation minister Ajit Singh said, "We will try to see whether some kind of credit arrangement can be made"
Besides, imports would have to be made in a minimum parcel size of 10,000-20 ,000 tonne. The fuel would then have to be unloaded and stored in specialized storage tanks at ports equipped to handle fuel.
08/02/12 Sanjay Dutta/Times of India

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MMRCA deal a shot in the arm for industry

Chennai/Bangalore: The impending $12 billion contract to buy 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) by the defence ministry from Dassault, is set to be a game changer for the Indian aerospace and defence industries with as much as $6 billion worth of offset contracts expected to flow to Indian companies.
This deal, as and when signed, ensures that Dassault along with its two major suppliers Thales and Safran Group would place offset contracts on Indian vendors amounting to minimum of 50 per cent of the value which in this case could be $6 billion and this obligation would be co-terminus with fulfilment, which is 12 years span. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would be the lead production agency and would be in charge of assembly of the aircraft and engines. It would commence production by T+4 years. It would produce 20 aircraft a year at steady state (T+9 years) and deliver all 108 made in India by the 12th year. However, components, subsystems and services can be procured by the vendor (Dassault) or its OEMs from any Indian Defence Industry of their choice.
The three companies that constitute the vendor team, i.e. Dassault, Thales and Safran, have traditionally a strong presence and relationship with Indian companies. For example, the Safran group has already invested a lot in India through companies like Safran Engineering Services, Snecma HAL, Turbomeca India engines in aerospace and Morpho Detection, Smart Chip Ltd in homeland security and more such inflows are expected.
“As per Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2006 on which the contract is quoted, only HAL, a few defence PSUs and about 60 Indian Companies licensed by DOFA (Defence offset Agency) are eligible to share this offset pie and all procurement should be defence related only, with full value addition in India. However if the proposed new DPP 2012 or its immediate release in 2011 are applicable it would widen the catchment area including any product or Direct services relating to Defence, Commercial Aerospace or Homeland Security performed by any company of vendors choice licensed or otherwise. Also the offset obligation can be shared by Dassault or its main OEMs — Thales and Safran Group in a pro-rated basis. Retrospecting the new 2012 to this contract would definitely be a game changer,” said Sampath Ravinarayanan, an industry expert, having served on the Board of Air India, Indian Airlines, Airbus Engineering India among others.
08/02/12 Raghuvir Badrinath/Business Standard

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BAE Systems looking at cutting Eurofighter Typhoon's price

London: Cutting the price of the Eurofighter Typhoon is among the options that would be considered by the four-nation consortium to re-enter the bid for India's $10-billion fighter jet contract, British defence contractor BAE Systems has said.
“All options” including cutting the price of the fighter jet were being considered, BAE Chief Executive, Mr Ian King, told the Financial Times on Tuesday. “I will be discussing with our partners what we do next.” A spokesperson for Eurofighter declined to comment on his remarks.
Mr King's comments are the latest evidence that from the Eurofighter consortium's perspective, the competition is far from over.
The decision to pick Dassault Aviation as the preferred bidder for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender has caused much upset in Britain, where a Eurofighter victory had all but been taken for granted (the reaction in other consortium countries has been more muted). While Dassault Aviation has come close to deals with a number of countries from the United Arab Emirates to South Korea and Switzerland, it is as yet to sell a single Rafale abroad.
07/02/12 Vidya Ram/Business Line

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KF tie-up snap: Family stranded at Seoul airport

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines let its passengers down yet again leaving them stranded at Seoul airport for a day on February 5.
Four passengers, all members of the same family, were not intimated by the airline that its alliance with Korean Air has been cancelled by the International Air Traffic Association (IATA), and that the flight ticket issued by Kingfisher for the Seoul-Hong Kong flight on the Korean airways would stand annulled.
The passengers reached the airport and were denied boarding by the staff of the Korean airlines. Eventually, they had to buy new tickets to reach Hong Kong and take their connecting flight to India.
A businessman from Goa, Ramkishan Chopra, had booked four Goa-Seoul-Goa tickets from Kingfisher airline office. Chopra had travelled to Seoul with his parents and sister due to a medical emergency in the first week of January. Ramkishan's father, Gangasharan (85), underwent brain surgery while his mother, Vinita (80), had a spine operation.
They were due to take their flight back to India on February 5. "Kingfisher had booked them on a Korean Air flight (KE 619) from Seoul to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, we were supposed to board another Kingfisher flight to Mumbai and then Goa," Ramkishan said.
08/02/12 Times of India

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Airport operations in Male not hit by unrest: GMR Group

Hyderabad: The political unrest in the Maldives is a cause of but it has not affected airport operations, according to GMR Group which manages the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INAI) at the country's capital Male.
The archipelago nation witnessed widespread protests as hundreds of police started demonstrating in Male after officials ordered them to withdraw protection for government and opposition supporters protesting close to each other. The withdrawal had resulted in a clash.
Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed today announced his resignation following weeks of public protests over his controversial order to arrest a senior judge.
"We are concerned about the reports of certain developments in the Republic of Maldives. Preliminary indications are that the situation is calm now and the airport is functioning normally", GMR said in a statement today.
07/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Flights diverted to India as Nepal’s only international airport closes due to grass fire

Katmandu: A grass fire has closed Nepal’s only international airport and forced flights to divert to India.
Police spokesman Raviraj Shrestha said the fire spread close to the runway but away from the terminal building Tuesday evening. No damage or casualties were reported, and it was brought under control within hours.
The fire and smoke were visible around part of Nepal’s capital, Katmandu.
Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Lokendra Bista said he ordered an investigation into how the fire started.
07/02/12 Associated Press/The Washington Post

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Ajit Singh assures more direct international flights from Vizag

Visakhapatnam: The Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Ajit Singh, has assured the Union Minister of State for HRD, Ms D. Purandeswari, on Tuesday that he will take all steps to pave the way for operation of direct flights to various international destinations from here. He said that he will visit Visakhapatnam soon to study the problems faced by the Vizag airport on his own and find solutions, according to a press release.
It may be noted that the first international flight from here to Dubai will be operated from March. 25. In the backdrop, a delegation headed by the Union Minister for HRD, Ms Purandeswari, who also represents the Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency, called on Mr. Ajit Singh on Tuesday in New Delhi. Mr Ch. Ramakotaiah, of the Air Travellers' Association, Mr P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, President of the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association, and Mr O. Naresh Kumar, CEO of Symbiosys Technologies, were the other members of the delegation.
07/02/12 Business Line

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International flights from Vizag in March

Visakhapatnam: International flights from Vizag will become a reality with the first flight to Dubai taking off on March 26. The inaugural fare of Vizag-Hyderabad-Dubai flight has been fixed at Rs 9,377 by Air India.
Marking the operation of first international flight from the port city, flight IC 952 will take off from Visakhapatnam on March 26.
The Vizag chapter of the Air Travelers Association of India has requested the travelling public to avail the facility to fly to Dubai from Vizag.
Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines has, in principle, agreed to operate a direct flight from Visakhapatnam. "The airlines authorities in that country have taken up the issue with our authorities for final clearance which is expected soon," a member of Visakhapatnam Air Travelers Association (VATA) said.
08/02/12 Times of India

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FDI in aviation: Allow foreign airlines to invest 49% in domestic carriers, suggests CII

New Delhi: Industry body CII today suggested that the government liberalise the FDI policy to allow foreign airlines to invest up to 49 per cent in cash-starved domestic air-carriers.
"A liberal FDI regime would pave the way for foreign airlines to participate in India's aviation sector and strengthen it. A comprehensive policy direction is needed to address the prevailing crisis and lay a path for future growth," CII said in a statement.
It said the aviation sector in the country is going through a tumultuous phase and the policy should create an enabling framework for a safe, secure and investor-friendly environment.
A liberal FDI regime would also instill confidence among foreign investors, including overseas hedge funds and private equity groups, in domestic carriers, it said.
Currently, the government allows foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers by non-airline players, but bars foreign airlines from investing in them, primarily due to security reasons.
05/02/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Global airlines wary of investing in India

New Delhi: Just because foreign airlines may soon be allowed to invest in India's battered carriers doesn't mean they will.
New Delhi's expected move to allow global airlines to own up to 49 percent in Indian carriers has been welcomed by investors as a potential lifeline for an industry mired in $20 billion of debt and on course to rack up $3 billion in annual losses.
But aviation industry experts say any celebration is premature.
"There's absolutely no reason to be bullish on airlines," said a Mumbai-based analyst with a local brokerage, who did not wish to be identified.
"Unless fuel and other dollar-denominated costs come down, nobody's going to invest in these companies, they're in such bad shape," he said, referring to a 16 percent decline in the rupee in 2011, which has driven up costs for local carriers.
Five of the country's six main operators are loss-making. Taxes in India make jet fuel far more expensive than for global competitors. State-owned Air India, which is trying to restructure $4 billion in debt, has slashed fares, forcing competitors to follow suit.
Two carriers, IndiGo and Go Air, have between them ordered about 200 planes for more than $23 billion, adding capacity to a market where dozens of planes already sit grounded.
05/02/12 Reuters/Economic Times

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IndiGo to deploy 18% capacity on foreign routes

India’s largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, plans to dedicate 18 per cent of its total capacity to the international sector.
Currently, the airline flies four aircraft on the international sector, which is roughly eight per cent of current capacity.
“We think 15 to 18 per cent of the capacity should be in the international sector. By March, we would be a 55-aircraft fleet, and would be able to dedicate seven-eight aircraft exclusively to international operations, if the permissions come by then,” said IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh.
IndiGo, which secured the permission to fly to international destinations in September, operates five flights a day to Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat and Kathmandu. The carrier is operating all its flights to these destinations with occupancy of over 80 per cent and hopes to remain profitable. “I hope we will remain profitable on all those routes,” Ghosh said, without commenting on the yields on these routes.
05/02/12 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Vijay Mallya's private jet creates ruckus in Chennai Port

Chennai: Chennai Port Trust officials have been facing problems over a private jet belongs to the chairman of UB Group, Vijay Mallya. After receiving a notice from traffic department, the port officials tried to contact with UB Gropup but failed to get any response from UB Group spokesperson.
The controversy started when a Hawker Siddeley HS-125 mid-size luxury corporate jet arrived at Chennai port in an open container vessel from UK. The jet has been kept at the port since last four months.
PC Parida, Chennai Port Trust deputy chairman said, "We sent three notices to the importer, UB Group of Vijay Mallya, but have not received any response."
However, while contacted, Mr Mallya informed about his unawareness about the whole issue and also said, "t may not be an operational aircraft. I will be able to gather details about the plane only by Monday (feb 6)."
05/02/12 One India

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Kingfisher puts off plans to join ‘oneworld’ alliance

Bangalore: Financial constraints have come in the way of cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines’ (KFA) entry into the global airlines’ grouping “oneworld”.
The DGCA had asked KFA officials last month to focus on recapitalisation and fix a timeline for it. The latest fiasco indicates that efforts of KFA for “recapitalisation” (infusing fresh capital) have not been working.
KFA sprung a surprise when it announced in December last that it would become part of oneworld, one of the world’s three largest global airline alliances, with effect from February 10, 2012. By joining oneworld, the debt-ridden KFA was also hoping to make a financial turnaround.
However, a joint statement issued by KFA and oneworld late last night said KFA’s entry into the global airlines’ alliance was being put on hold to give KFA time to strengthen its financial position.
“These are turbulent times for the airline industry. We have been working closely with Kingfisher over the past months and it has become increasingly clear recently that the airline needs more time to resolve the financial issues it is confronting before it can be welcomed into oneworld”, Bruce Ashby, CEO of oneworld, has been quoted to have said.
04/02/12 The Tribune

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EU not to spare Aviation from emission plan

New Delhi: The European Union has made clear that while it would not consider putting on hold the inclusion of the aviation sector in its Emission Trading Scheme, it was willing to consider whether India's efforts to reduce carbon emissions could qualify for waivers.
Likewise, the EU stressed that while it would push for a legally binding international climate agreement to which all countries are equally accountable, it is not asking developing countries like India to take on absolute emission reduction targets.
Aviation was brought under the EU Emission Trading Scheme from January 1. As a result all airlines landing in any of the European Union airports have to pay a price for emitting planet-warming gases during a flight. India, along with the US, China and several other nations, has opposed this.
European Union's climate change commissioner Connie Hedegaard, who met civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on Friday, said, "We are not dictating others what to do. They can do whatever they want and we can discuss if they are equivalent measures. I invited the Indian minister so that we could engage in a discussion on equivalent measures. We had a very constructive dialogue."
04/02/12 Economic Times

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EU carbon tax: India, Russia, China may impose over-flight charges on European airlines

New Delhi: India, Russia and China may consider imposing over-flight charges on European airlines, if the European Union (EU) continues with its plans of imposing a carbon tax on international airlines operating to the EU. The tax came into force from January 1.
A clearer picture is likely to emerge after an international conference in Moscow scheduled to begin on February 21. An inter-ministerial delegation drawn from the Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation will attend the meet.
“There is growing acceptance between various countries, including the US and Brazil, on imposing some restrictions on the EU if they continue with their plans to impose the tax.
“If just India, Russia and China decide to start charging for over flying by European carriers or decide to restrict the number of flights being operated by them citing emission concerns, it could have a devastating effect on the European airline industry,” a senior Government official said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Indian opposition to what it terms as a law that “offends Indian sovereignty” was conveyed yet again at a meeting in which the visiting EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Ms Connie Hedegaard, had with Ministers for Environment and Civil Aviation.
03/02/12 Ashwini/Aditi/Business Line

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GMR Infrastructure says it did not bid for Brazil airport work

Mumbai: GMR Infrastructure did not bid for contracts to modernise and expand three Brazilian airports but will consider joining a second round of bidding, a senior company executive said on Friday.
A company official told Reuters last month that GMR was preparing to bid for projects at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport, Viracopos airport near Sao Paulo, and Brasilia airport, which serves Brazil's capital. The deadline for bids was Thursday.
"We have not gone ahead and bid, and I think the prime reason is that we entered the country fairly late," said Sidharath Kapur, chief financial officer of GMR's airport business, which builds and operates airports.
"We started looking at these opportunities only about four months back, and when it came to the final stage, we felt that we are not fully prepared," Kapur said.
"We need some more time to understand the country, the geography and the environment," he said.
03/02/12 Economic Times

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MHA plans to buy six Mi-17V-5 helicopters

New Delhi: The Home Ministry has decided to buy six Mi-17V-5 helicopters from Russia to assist its forces engaged in internal security duties, including anti-Naxal operations. The decision came days after the Ministry's entire fleet of indigenous Dhruv helicopters was grounded following a series of mishaps.
The Mi-17V-5 is designed for utility cargo work and can carry up to 36 passengers or four tons of weight. The machine features advanced multifunction cockpit displays and upgraded TV3-117VM engines. The helicopters are being built by Russian Helicopters' Kazan Helicopter Factory (KVZ) subsidiary.
03/02/12 One India

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Air India Express recasts overseas operations

Mangalore: Air India Express (AIE) has recast its schedule effective February 15 to comply with the new Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Guidelines of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
An AIE release said here on Friday that the in accordance to the new CAR guidelines, which emphasises on safety and addresses the fatigue of pilots, AIE has to make certain changes in its flight schedules.
A majority of the flight timings will be changed to day time effective February 15 so as to avoid the WOCL (Window of Circadian Low) phase.
It said that certain flights will be combined so that the sectors remain connected and only in a minuscule cases, flights have to be cancelled.
In case a flight is cancelled, the passenger will be informed by the AIE's reservations staff and alternative arrangements will be made available, it said.
Since the requirements of pilots have gone up substantially, the airline has already initiated a recruitment drive to meet the increase in requirement of pilots. Some of the curtailed frequencies will be restored as more and more pilots become available, the release said.
03/02/12 Business Line

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Six held with Rs 1-crore gold at Chennai airport

Chennai: Smuggled gold, reportedly worth `1 crore, was seized from eight passengers who arrived at the Chennai airport from Singapore and Colombo, in separate incidents on Thursday. ?
Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said they arrested six persons - four hailing from SP Pattinam, Ramnad district and one from Pudukottai- when they landed from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
They were found to be carrying 26 gold bars in their rectum, apart from gold weighing a total of 2.9 kg in the form of white metal hooks usually found on lady’s handbags.
The men were acting as carriers, concealing the gold bars tightly wrapped in a black coloured insulation tape, the officials said, while adding that they were nabbed on the basis of? specific intelligence inputs.
DRI additional director general C Rajan said, “They said that they had to hand over the gold to one person waiting outside the airport, but we could not find that person.”
04/02/12 New Indain Express/IBN Live

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Abbotsford Airport wants routes to Europe, India, Toronto

Abbotsford: Abbotsford International Airport is looking overseas to help attract some new customers and boost its business to become a bigger economic engine for the Fraser Valley.
Business Development Manager Jean-Paul Laube says they hope to take in $2 million worth of revenue in 2013, up from the estimated $1.4 million they currently make.
"We have a fairly comprehensive strategy to make sure that we treat the airport as the economic driver that it can be, and that it should be," explains Laube.
"That comes down to what we can do by way of commercial aviation, potentially charter aviation, aerospace and industrial development, and then lastly cargo and intermodal... transportation of goods," he adds.
Laube explains the airport would also like to attract more international carriers, although he admits it takes time.
03/02/12 News1130

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Patel urges PM to intervene in aviation graft slur

New Delhi: Praful Patel, minister for heavy industry, has asked the prime minister to intervene in an allegation of corruption against him in his previous avatar as civil aviation minister, after a Canadian media report alleged that a $250,000 payoff may have been made to him to swing a security contract from Air India.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Patel asked that all records of the issue should be brought out to establish his innocence. "A perusal of Air India's records would demonstrate that these allegations are baseless and false and that there was absolutely no interference whatsoever, at any level from the ministry of civil aviation, or me, personally in this matter. In any event, as stated above, this EOI/tender had been scrapped in the initial stage itself."
The report in Canada's leading daily, Globe and Mail, says an Indian-born Canadian citizen Nazir Karigar has been implicated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, on charges that he had paid Patel a massive bribe, and had conspired with former Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Ghafoor to rig a contract worth $100 million of a facial-recognition system for Air India. It says that Karigar met Patel along with Laxman Dhobole a NCP politician from Pune.
03/02/12 Times of India

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EU carbon tax: India, Russia, China may impose over-flight charges on European airlines

New Delhi: India, Russia and China may consider imposing over-flight charges on European airlines, if the European Union (EU) continues with its plans of imposing a carbon tax on international airlines operating to the EU. The tax came into force from January 1.

A clearer picture is likely to emerge after an international conference in Moscow scheduled to begin on February 21. An inter-ministerial delegation drawn from the Ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation will attend the meet.

“There is growing acceptance between various countries, including the US and Brazil, on imposing some restrictions on the EU if they continue with their plans to impose the tax.

“If just India, Russia and China decide to start charging for over flying by European carriers or decide to restrict the number of flights being operated by them citing emission concerns, it could have a devastating effect on the European airline industry,” a senior Government official said on Friday.

03/02/12 Ashwini/Aditi/Business Line

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India's MMRCA decision continues to create ripples

First it was the United States that got annoyed and now it is Great Britain's turn to ask some tough questions about its India policy.

Ever since the French Rafale fighter was declared the lowest bidder in the multi-billion dollar contract to provide new generation fighter for the Indian Air Force, a debate is raging in the UK as to what has gone wrong with David Cameron's charm offensive in wooing India. His visit to India in 2010 was widely viewed as a highly successful. He made all the right noises in India about Pakistan and terrorism and there was a sense that the UK-India ties finally turned a new corner.

Cameron government has also decided to give India £1.4?billion in aid between now and 2015, amounting to almost 1 per cent of Britain's own £159 billion debts. But when it came to the much sought after the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft contract, France was the winner and the Eurofighter, produced by a consortium of four nations, including Britain's BAE systems, lost. Apparently, saying right things and giving aid doesn't get you any influence in New Delhi.

From the very beginning, this saga has been rather interesting. Last year in April, India rejected bids by Lockheed Martin and Boeing (along with Russian and Swedish bids) for the $10 billion-plus contract for 126 medium multi-role combat aircrafts, despite extensive lobbying by the US military-industrial complex, supported by President Barack Obama himself.

03/02/12 Rediff.com

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Fare war on international routes as lean season begins

Mumbai: The tussle for cornering a share of international passengers is getting hotter. Jet Airways is offering up to 50 per cent discounted fare to Bangkok, Dubai, Muscat and Singapore to attract loads and lure away passengers from low cost carrier, IndiGo.
February-March are lean seasons for leisure travel. With the closing of Dubai shopping festival, loads on this sector also dip. International sector contributes 55 per cent to Jet’s revenue and in winter, the sector had an average load of 80 percent. Amongst the international airlines, Singapore Airlines has launched lower fares to coincide with the launch of its two additional flights from Mumbai.
Air India which came under criticism for dropping fares last summer, has kept its December fare levels intact. According to airline sources, it is holding on to relatively higher fares expecting improved revenue. “We are offering low fares to stimulate the demand,’’ a Jet Airways source said. The strategy is also to poach passengers from IndiGo and Kingfisher. Jet is also selling discounted one way fare to Dubai and Muscat, to attract labour traffic.
IndiGo went international last September with Rs 9,999 return fares to Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and Muscat routes. This enabled the airline to make its presence on the international sector.
03/02/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Canada report claims ‘payoff’ to Patel

Heavy Industries Minister and former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has been named in a Canadian newspaper report as an intended beneficiary of a bribe supposed to have been given by an Indo-Canadian businessman in an attempt to obtain an aborted contract for supplies to Air India.

Canada’s The Globe and Mail newspaper reported this morning that Canadian authorities were “planning to prosecute” one Nazir Karigar, an India-born Canadian citizen, for alleged violation of Foreign Public Officials Act — a relatively new law that forbids Canadian citizens from paying bribes abroad. The law applies to bribes as well as “attempted payments”.

The paper claimed that the 64-year-old Karigar was the India representative of CryptoMetrics, a Canada-based high-tech security company aiming to secure a “$100-million contract” to supply facial-recognition security system to Air India — a contract that never fructified.

According to the newspaper, Canadian authorities allege that Karigar, who was born in Solapur in Maharashtra, met Patel in “early 2007” along with NCP leader Laxman Dhoble who now happens to be a minister in the Maharashtra government. “Later, Mr Karigar described to others...how he gave $250,000 to Mr Dhoble to pass on to Mr Patel so the minister would use his influence to make the project happen,” the report says.

02/02/12 Indian Express

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Aviation Ministry shielding officers in Airbus deal?

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has doggedly refused to grant sanction to the CBI to prosecute six people who were responsible for signing a deal with Airbus to procure 43 aircraft for Air India (AI) and cause a loss to the exchequer.

The CBI completed its preliminary enquiry into the Airbus procurement deal in 2011 and sought permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to lodge an FIR as the main suspect is a Joint Secretary level officer.

In November 2011, the ministry refused to grant sanction on what CBI officials say were 'flimsy grounds'. Even though the CBI wrote back explaining why a case is made out and why sanction should be given, the ministry continues to deny permission to prosecute.

The Supreme Court (SC) had on Tuesday ruled that the sanction to prosecute public servants, if asked, should be given within four months. The CBI's preliminary enquiry revealed that the negotiations panel failed to get a $ 175 million concession from Airbus.

01/02/12 Arunima/CNN-IBN/IBN Live

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