Air Canada temporarily suspends flights to India as Indo-Pak tension escalates

Canada's flag carrier Air Canada Wednesday temporarily suspended its flights to India due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Pakistan Wednesday closed its airspace for commercial flights and suspended flight operations across major airports. India also closed nine airports in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab for civilian air traffic and the entire airspace north of New Delhi was vacated.

The move came amid escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan after Indian Air Force carried out a pre-dawn air strike on terror bases in Pakistan on Tuesday.

India said Pakistan jets intruded into Indian air space in the Rajouri and Poonch sectors.

"One flight en route to Delhi from Toronto was turned back over the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday night and returned to Toronto Wednesday, while a second flight from Vancouver to Delhi that was scheduled to depart Tuesday night was also been cancelled," Air Canada said.

"Air Canada's flight from Toronto to Mumbai is planned to operate tonight as it takes a different routing, and we are evaluating the routing options for both Toronto-Delhi and Vancouver-Delhi flights scheduled to operate later tonight," it said in a statement.
28/02/19 PTI/Business Today

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IAF airstrike aftermath: Flights on western routes turn longer

New Delhi: Commercial airlines such as Air India, Jet Airways, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines on Wednesday announced they were re-routing their flights as neighbouring Pakistan closed its airspace in the wake of increasing hostilities with India.

Both inbound and outbound flights from USA and Europe for Delhi are being re-routed through Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Flights coming into India from USA and Europe are being re-routed via Dubai and Sharjah and will land into India with a delay, Air India tweeted on Wednesday evening.

The national carrier, however, maintained that no flights are cancelled and there will only be an increase in the flying time.

Pakistan on Wednesday shut its airspace for commercial flights and suspended flight operations across major airports including Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, for an indefinite period as tension mounted with India.
Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement after the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media arm, acknowledged the closure of Pakistan's airspace due to the prevailing security situation.
In India, Jet Airways sought relaxation in flight duty and rest-hour norms for pilots and cabin crew from the country's aviation watchdog the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) due to the closure of the Pakistani airspace and subsequent re-routing of the Westbound flights.
The dispensation has been sought as the flights, which were earlier using Pakistani airspace, will now have to be operated over the sea, entailing longer flying hours than the regular routes, sources said. Due to the escalation of tension along the western border, the Pakistani airspace has been closed.

"In view of this, we have to reroute flights South of Pakistan FIR (flight information region) leading to increase in flight and flight duty times," Jet Airways Vice President for operations Floyd Gracious said in a communication to the airline pilots.

An FIR refers to specified airspace where flight information and alerting services are provided. Both pilots and cabin crew are governed by DGCA-mandated flight duty and time limitation (FDTL) norms, but a special dispensation allow the crew to do additional duties and night landings as well.
28/02/19 India Today

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Air India flights to New York, Chicago commence on Thursday

New Delhi: Air India flights to New York and Chicago took off some time back today, sources in the airline said. Sources said both these flights will go over Sharjah, adding that while the flight to New York took off at 11.11 am the flight to Chicago left 11.44 am.
With Pakistan shutting its airspace to airlines several global airlines have had to look at alternate routes for flights going and coming from India.
The closure of Pakistan is likely to see flying time between India and Europe and US to increase by between 90 to 120 minutes, sources said.
28/02/19 Business Line

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Flight services affected as Pakistan airspace remains closed

Mumbai: Amid escalating tensions between the two countries, several international flights were affected on Thursday after Pakistan closed its air space.
At least seven international arrivals and eight departures were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, while two other flights were diverted.
Canada's flag carrier Air Canada has also temporarily suspended its flights to India. Air Canada operates 18 flights weekly to India from Toronto Pearson.
Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that all international and domestic flights operations across Pakistan stand suspended on Thursday.
The move came amid escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan after Indian Air Force carried out a pre-dawn air strike on terror bases in Pakistan on Tuesday. Pakistan violated Indian air space on Wednesday.
"NOTAM is still in place & airspace over #Pakistan remains closed. Apology for an earlier tweet that
indicated the partial opening of our airspace for commercial aviation. Any further information will be shared accordingly," Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) tweeted early on Thursday.
Meanwhile, several Indian airlines have waived off cancellations and re-booking charges after flight
operations across eight airports - Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Jammu, Shimla, Dharamshala, Kullu and Leh - were shut briefly on Wednesday.
"There are no cancellations for the Chandigarh, Dehradun and Amritsar airports in North India which were affected yesterday," said an official.
Air India has capped fares at Rs 5,000 for flights to Srinagar, Leh and Jammu from New Delhi, besides waiving off rescheduling charges for up to the first week of March.
28/02/19 Mumbai Mirror

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IAF pilot Abhinandan to be released tomorrow; Imran Khan once again calls for peace

New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released on Friday. Addressing Pakistani parliament, Pakistan PM said that the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan Air Force a day earlier will be released tomorrow as a 'peace gesture'. "In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow, and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody," PM Khan said. Meanwhile, the Army, Air Force and Navy will address a joint press conference shortly.

LoC residents live in fear after Pak ceasefire violation Return Wing Commander Abhinandan safely and immediately, India tells Pakistan High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released on Friday. Addressing Pakistani parliament, Pakistan PM said that the Indian pilot captured by Pakistan Air Force a day earlier will be released tomorrow as a 'peace gesture'. "In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow, and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody," PM Khan said. Meanwhile, the Army, Air Force and Navy will address a joint press conference shortly.

Catch all the latest updates on the India-Pakistan conflict on BusinessToday.In LIVE blog.

5:34pm: Ajay Maken welcomes back the Indian pilot.

5:25pm: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, "I'm very happy, I had demanded his release earlier too. This is going to be a step towards goodwill and I hope this will be lasting."

5:20pm: Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto, niece of former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto said that this move of returning the IAF pilot can only be commended.
5:15pm: Joint press briefing by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force that was scheduled for 5:00 pm has been postponed till 7:00 pm.

5:00pm: At their Parliament session Pakistani Imran Khan had said that talks over Kashmir are important, further adding, ""I have a feeling that the Indian public does not agree with the current government's warmongering. If their media had seen what our media has seen over the past 17 years, they would not have created this war hysteria."
28/02/19 Business Today

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Qatar Airways Flight Delayed At Kolkata Airport After Pilot Observes Fire

Kolkata:  Fire indication observed by the pilot during boarding delayed a Doha-bound Qatar Airways flight by nearly five hours on Thursday at Kolkata Airport in Bengal.
The flight QR-541 was originally scheduled to take off at 3:15 am.

Officials from the Airport Authority of India said while boarding of Qatar Airways flight QR-541 was in progress, the pilot observed fire indication in the auxillary power unit. A full emergency was declared by Air Traffic Control at 3 am which was withdrawn an hour later.

Only after the aircraft was thoroughly inspected by the team of engineers, passengers were allowed to board it, said an airport official.

After the aircraft was checked and cleared, the flight finally departed at 8:11 am.

In a statement, Qatar Airways apologised for the delay that occurred due to a technical issue on board, adding that the airlines'' top priority is safety and security of the passengers.
28/02/19 NDTV

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Pakistan airport closure effect felt in Calcutta

Calcutta: Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace forced Calcutta’s air traffic control (ATC) to divert several flights bound for Europe through other routes and allow some to turn back on Wednesday.

Since evening, airport sources said, a number of overflying flights bound for Europe from southeast Asia and Australia were being cancelled.

Officials at the Calcutta airport said diversion of flights bound for Europe and the Gulf would continue till Pakistan reopened its airspace. “Till then, planes will take longer to reach their destinations,” an official said.

Although most aircraft taking off from Calcutta do not fly over Pakistan, some of the airlines are being flooded with calls from passengers eager to know the status of their flights.

Usually, Europe-bound flights from southeast Asia, far-eastern Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand fly over Calcutta and Delhi before entering the Pakistani airspace.

On Wednesday, these flights were diverted through Mumbai. “They flew over the Arabian Sea and Oman on their way to Europe,” an official said.

The ATC at the city airport handles about 1,000 such overflying aircraft every day. Many of them fly late at night or early in the morning.

“Before noon, the Pakistani authorities issued a communication to all airports across the world that its airspace was closed. Immediately, Calcutta’s ATC had to plan the alternative routes,” the official said.

Sources said the Calcutta ATC re-routed at least 16 overflying flights bound for Europe through Mumbai between noon and evening on Wednesday. The pilots of eight aircraft sought permission to return to the airports from where they had taken off or get diverted to the nearest airports for refuelling.

Most of the eight flights that wanted to turn back or be diverted were from Thailand.

An Aeroflot flight from Bangkok to Moscow was diverted to Dhaka, as requested by the pilot.

“The aircraft was not carrying enough fuel to fly through the diverted routes. The Europe-bound flights have to fly at least two hours more to reach their destinations through the new route,” the official said.
28/02/19 Sanjay Mandal/Telegrapgh

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Pakistan airspace a no-go, airlines in spot over cost of diverting flights

New Delhi: The escalation of military tension between India and Pakistan is set to have an adverse impact on the aviation industry, which is already under stress. Wednesday’s decision on closure of airspace in Pakistan and parts of northern India will force airlines to cancel or divert some flights, thereby pushing up cost.

As Pakistani fighter jets targeted Indian establishments across the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday, the Western Command of the Indian Air Force asked airlines to stop operations to several airports, including Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kullu Manali and Pithoragarh. While more than 30 flights were cancelled from the closed airports, around 47 of them were affected from the Delhi airport.

‘’As the initial notice had indicated a month-long shutdown, we had decided to close sales for these airports. Overall, it’s a massive revenue loss and operational hiccup,” said an airline executive. However, low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet said cancellation charges to these airports had been waived till March 31.

For Air India and Jet Airways, an airspace closure over Pakistan would mean their flights to the US and Europe will have to take a longer route. That will stretch the travel time by almost two hours. “Our flights to North America from Delhi will now go to Ahmedabad, take a right turn to avoid Pakistan airspace, head to Muscat and fly to North America over Iran.
28/02/19 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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Avoid travel to India or Pakistan for now, Minister of Foreign Affairs advises

Malaysians are advised to postpone non-essential travel plans to Pakistan and India, amidst rising tensions between the two nations, following the deadly attack on Kashmir on February 14.

As the conflict escalates since, both India and Pakistan partially closed their airspaces and suspended commercial flights from several airports.


“In view of the gravity of this issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to advise Malaysians that they should postpone non-essential travel, particularly to the areas directly affected,” said Wisma Putra in a statement.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Putrajaya hopes to see the two nation to exercise maximum restraint as well as to re-engage in dialogue and negotiations.

“As a country with close and abiding relations with both countries, we encourage them to exercise maximum restraint, and to re-engage in dialogue and negotiations”. the statement read.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes and shot down two Indian jets, a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan.

Both countries have ordered airstrikes over the several days, and tensions escalated since a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir had killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police earlier this month.
28/02/19 Amin Ashaari/Soyacincau

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As hostilities rise, Pakistan shuts airspace, India lifts partial shutdown

Amid continuing tension on the border, India reversed a shutdown that was put in place on Wednesday morning across nine airports and the airspace north of New Delhi. While civilian flight services to Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, Pathankot, Dehradun and Dharamshala resumed in the afternoon, the situation continued to be fluid.

Pakistan, which had initially imposed restrictions on flights originating from and headed to India, fully closed its airspace by evening. As a result, flights that normally fly above Pakistan to go to the West were forced to take a detour.
International airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad and others, cancelled their flights to Pakistan and Afghanistan till the time that the Pakistani airspace was closed. For Indian carriers, such as Air India’s flight to the US, the need for a refuelling stop till the time the Pakistani airspace remains closed means more flying time for passengers and delays in schedule.
About 800 international flights use the India-Pakistan airspace on a daily basis, according
to industry estimates. Most of them have been affected due to the ongoing tension, industry executives said.

Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted: “Reviewed the current airspace restrictions with Member-ANS, AAI (Air Navigation Services, Airports Authority of India) in view of the current cross border situation. I assure you that we are working out modalities so that the air passengers are least inconvenienced. All stakeholders were kept informed.”
Air India, in a statement issued later in the day, said: “In view of the prevailing situation regarding closure of air space, we would like to inform our esteemed passengers that astute route-planning for our long and medium haul flights have been drawn up by our operations in preparedness of any exigency, including closure of airspace, so that flights operate with minimal delay according top priority to safety and security.
28/02/19 Financial Express

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India Pakistan: Kashmir fighting sees Indian aircraft downed

India said it had lost one MiG-21 fighter and demanded the immediate and safe return of its pilot.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan said the two sides could not afford a miscalculation with the weapons they had.

India and Pakistan - both nuclear-armed states - claim all of Kashmir, but control only parts of it.

They have fought three wars since independence from Britain and partition in 1947. All but one were over Kashmir.
The aerial attacks across the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Indian and Pakistani territory are the first since a war in 1971.

They follow a militant attack in Kashmir which killed at least 40 Indian troops - the deadliest to take place during a three-decade insurgency against Indian rule in Kashmir. A Pakistan-based group said it carried out the attack.

The BBC's Soutik Biswas, in Delhi, says the challenge for India and Pakistan now is to contain the latest escalation before things get completely out of control.

Pakistan's military spokesman said that Pakistan fighter jets had carried out "strikes" - exactly what they did remains unclear - in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday.

Two Indian air force jets then responded, crossing the de facto border that divides Kashmir. "Our jets were ready and we shot both of them down," Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

He said that one Indian pilot was in the custody of the Pakistani army. Officials had previously said two pilots had been captured and one had been taken to hospital.

No explanation has been given as to why the numbers have changed.

In India, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar acknowledged the loss of a jet and its pilot.

He also said that an Indian plane had shot down a Pakistani fighter jet, and Indian ground forces observed it falling on the Pakistani side of the LoC. Pakistan denied any of its jets had been hit.

India's foreign ministry later issued a statement demanding the release of its fighter pilot and condemning the images shared by Pakistan of Wing Commander Abhinandan, describing them as a "vulgar display of an injured personnel".
27/02/19 BBC.com

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Outbound, inbound flights from USA and Europe diverted as Pakistan closes airspace

New Delhi: International air traffic was affected as Pakistan closed its airspace in the wake of escalating tensions with India. Many airlines such as Air India, Jet Airways, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines announced they were diverting their flights which were initially going to pass through Pakistani airspace.

"Inbound and Outbound flights from USA and Europe for Delhi are being re-routed through Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Flights landing into India from USA and Europe are being re-routed via Dubai and Sharjah and will land into India with a delay," Air India tweeted Wednesday evening.
However, Air India said that "no flights are cancelled and there will only be an increase in the flying time".

Pakistan on Wednesday closed its airspace for commercial flights and suspended flight operations across major airports, including in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, for an indefinite period

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement.

In India, the Jet Airways sought relaxation in flight duty and rest-hour norms from the country's aviation watchdog the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) due to the closure of the Pakistani airspace and subsequent re-routing of the West-bound flights.
Spokesperson of the Singapore Airlines said that two of Singapore-London flights - SQ308 and SQ318 - will stop for re-fuelling at Dubai and Mumbai, respectively on February 27.
Additionally, the spokesperson said the Singapore-Frankfurt flight SQ326 will stop at Mumbai for re-fuelling on February 27 "provided it is able to arrive in Frankfurt before the airport's curfew".

"Qatar Airways can confirm that due to the ongoing situation on the India-Pakistan border, its flights to the following airports are currently temporarily suspended: Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Sialkot," said Qatar Airlines.

"Other flights routed over India-Pakistan aerospace may also experience delays due to rerouting around the affected area," it said.

British Airways said it was closely monitoring the situation and its flight plans varied "frequently" depending on a number of factors.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted Wednesday evening, "Reviewed the current airspace restrictions with Member (ANS), AAI in view of the current cross border situation. I assure you that we are working out modalities so that the air passengers are least inconvenienced. All stakeholders were kept informed. @AAI_Official."

The AAI on Wednesday issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM), saying flight operations at the airports in Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kullu Manali and Pithoragarh will remain shut from February 27 to May 27.

However, the DGCA said operations at these nine airports have resumed "as of now".
27/02/19 India Today

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Air Canada suspends flights to India following downed jets

Air Canada has temporarily suspended service to India, following a decision by the Pakistani government to close its airspace, a spokeswoman for the carrier said on Wednesday.

Canada’s largest carrier cancelled one flight to India from Vancouver and another flight en route to Delhi has turned back to Toronto, spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said by e-mail. The carrier, which operates daily service from Toronto and Vancouver to Delhi and four times weekly between Toronto and Mumbai, will “monitor the situation.”

Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets on Wednesday, a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971, prompting leading powers to urge the nuclear armed rivals to show restraint.
Canada is calling for a de-escalation between the two countries.

“Canada is gravely concerned about rising tensions,” said foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland in a statement. “We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any further military escalation. Dialogue between India and Pakistan is needed to identify a durable diplomatic solution and maintain peace and security in the region.”

Several other airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, suspended flights to Pakistan on Wednesday after the South Asian nation closed its air space following heightened tensions with neighboring India.
Etihad, flydubai, Gulf Air and SriLankan Airlines also suspended services to the country and flight tracking portals showed Singapore Airlines, British Airways and others were forced to reroute flights.

Airlines flying over India and Pakistan to Europe, the Middle East and Asia were disrupted and some flights were routed through Mumbai on India’s western coast, so they could head further south and avoid Pakistan air space, an Indian government official told Reuters.
27/02/19 Aditi Shah and Devjyot Ghoshal/REuters/Globe and Mail

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Flight ops to north India resume 'as of now', Pak airspace remains closed & international flights being diverted

New Delhi: Operations to north Indian airports resumed “as of now” at 3 pm on Wednesday. In morning, another Notam (notice to airmen) was issued by Delhi ATC (air traffic control) saying “no flight permitted to operate to/from VIAR (Amritsar), VIPK (Pathankot), VISR (Srinagar), VIJU (Jammu), VILH (Leh), VISM (Shimla), VIGG (Kangra), VIBR (Kullu) due operational reasons.” At 3 pm, a senior DGCA official said: “As of now, operations to these airports resumed.” Leh can expect flights only on Thursday as aircraft operations happen there only till about noon as winds get very strong after that in the valley where the high altitude airport is located.

“Some flights that took off for Jammu and Srinagar Wednesday morning returned to the origin cities. Some aircraft that had to a quick return and had landed in Jammu are nor unable to take off from there. Flights bound for these places were boarded at airports like Delhi but they did not take off,” said sources.

Some airlines had operated early morning flights to Jammu and after they landed, the airport was closed. These airlines were trying to get their planes back to Delhi.

While the north Indian airports have opened “for now”, Pakistan has barred aircraft taking off from Delhi and entering its airspace to fly below 32,000 feet. A Notam issued by Delhi ATC said “due restrictions conveyed by Lahore (air control), lowest flight level available is F320 (32,000) for flights exiting VIDP (Delhi) via (three entry point to Pakistan) Sulom/Gugal/Raban.”
27/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Rerouting: Delhi-London flying time may go by up to 2 hours; non-stops to US likely to require fuelling halt

New Delhi: Flying time from Delhi to London may increase by up to two hours and the non-stops from Delhi to the US may require a technical fuelling halt that could increase the travel time even more. With Pakistan closing its airspace, including that of Karachi flight information regional that covers a part of Arabian Sea next to the port city, airlines are finalising new routing for their flights between US, Europe, Gulf and north Indian airports, mainly Delhi. International airlines that overflew this region, on say a Bangkok-London flight, are also rerouting.

The Air India management held a series of meetings on Tuesday itself to deal with the situation. Delhi’s IGI Airport is the Maharaja’s base from where it operates non-stop Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Europe and B777s to American cities like New York (both JFK and Newark-EWR), Chicago, Washington and San Francisco (SFO).

Flights from Delhi and other north Indian cities to the west will need to fly close to Mumbai, take a right turn to the Arabian Sea and head to Muscat — completely avoiding the Pakistan airspace. From Muscat, they will head to their destinations on the shortest great circle route.

“We will fly out two hours more and on return flight take 45 minutes more (due to wind flow). The B777 uses about Rs 7.5-8 lakh worth fuel every hour. So, East Coast flight may see extra fuel burn of about Rs 21 lakh and Europe of Rs 16 lakh on way out,” said a senior AI official.

The ultra long range flights to US may also require a technical fuelling halt which may be Ahmedabad, depending on availability of Boeing 777 parking bays, or Milan.
27/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Stranded: Indo-Pak tension leaves travellers in limbo

Muscat: Passengers flying from Oman to Pakistan were stranded, while those travelling to India faced unexpected delays, after both countries decided to temporarily shut their airspace, due to the tension between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s entire airspace was closed to all commercial airliners, starting at 7.30am yesterday, and is expected to reopen at 11.59pm today, after Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), which is provided to air crew and airport staff, should they need to take precautions in case of risks posed to flights.

India also halted flights, to Srinagar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jammu, Leh and Amritsar, all of which share a border with Pakistan. This came after an air force jet was reportedly shot down during an alleged air raid by the Pakistan Air Force on Indian defence installations. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation and once again invited India to hold dialogues to defuse the situation.
Mohammed Zaeem, the General Secretary of the Pakistan Social Club in Oman, was expecting to take a flight from Islamabad to Multan, but was unable to do so because of the airspace closure.
“I came to Pakistan on vacation for two weeks as the final exams of my children at school just ended,” he told Times of Oman from Pakistan. “I am a resident of Islamabad, and we booked a domestic flight to travel to Multan at 11.30am to attend the wedding reception of my nephew. Everything went smoothly and we got our boarding passes. However, before take-off, we were informed that our plane had been delayed for an hour, and at 2pm we were informed that all airfields in Pakistan had been closed.”
“Despite the chaotic situation, authorities of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) were extremely cooperative,” he added. “They served snacks to all the passengers at the airport and provided connecting and international flight passengers with accommodation and food as well.”
All flights to Pakistan have been diverted to other airports, or have been ordered to turn back – sometimes mid-air – while domestic and international flights scheduled to depart from Pakistan have been grounded.

In addition, Indian flights that use Pakistani airspace to fly to the northern parts of the country will now face longer flying times, as they will need to take longer routes over the Arabian Sea before entering the Indian airspace.
27/02/19 Times of Oman

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Flights to and from Pakistan, India disrupted as tensions rise

New Delhi: Several airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, suspended flights to Pakistan today after the South Asian nation closed its air space following heightened tensions with neighbouring India.

Etihad, flydubai, Gulf Air and SriLankan Airlines also suspended services to the country and flight tracking portals showed Singapore Airlines, British Airways and others were forced to reroute flights.
Airlines flying over India and Pakistan to Europe, the Middle East and Asia were disrupted and some flights were routed through Mumbai on India's western coast, so they could head further south and avoid Pakistan air space, an Indian government official told Reuters.

"Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan has officially closed its airspace until further notice," the Pakistani regulator said in a tweet.

Pakistan carried out air strikes and shot down two Indian military jets on Wednesday, Pakistani officials said, a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971, prompting leading powers to urge both of the nuclear-armed countries to show restraint.

Tension has been elevated since a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police on Feb. 14, but the risk of conflict rose dramatically on Tuesday when India launched an air strike on what it said was a militant training base.

Mark Martin, founder and chief executive at Martin Consulting India, said about 800 flights a day use the India-Pakistan air corridor, making it "very critical".

"You can't overfly China, so you have to overfly Pakistan and India and go to Southeast Asia and Australia. Most of the traffic destined for Bangkok and Singapore will have to fly over Iran and then possibly take a detour," he said.

International airlines that normally transit between Indian and Pakistani airspace have been forced to reroute, including flights by Singapore Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Aeroflot, and Air India, according to online portal flightradar24.com which tracks the movement of planes globally.
27/02/19 Reuters/Daily Star

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Aircraft of Turkish Airlines returns to Istanbul due to India-Pakistan tensions

Baku, Azerbaijan: A cargo plane of Turkish Airlines was forced to return due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, Trend reports via Turkish media.

The plane flying from Istanbul to Chennai, due to the closure of Pakistan's airspace, returned to Istanbul.

Reports also noted that currently a number of flights from Istanbul to Pakistan have been canceled.

The Pakistani authorities completely closed the country's airspace on Feb. 27 against the background of aggravated relations with India.

On Feb. 26 morning, Indian Air Force fighter jets attacked a big training camp of the Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistani part of Kashmir. As a result of the air raid, many militants were eliminated, their vehicles, weapons and ammunition were completely destroyed.

Indian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vijay Gokhale said that a preemptive strike was "absolutely necessary" because the group was preparing suicide attacks in various parts of India.

Moreover, according to New Delhi’s opinion, Pakistan has not yet taken any practical steps to eliminate the infrastructure of terrorists on its territory.

Acting foreign secretary of Pakistan summoned Chargé d'Affaires of the embassy of India in Islamabad and stressed that India’s aggression poses a threat to peace and stability in the region and Islamabad will give an adequate response to it at its convenience.
27/02/19 Rufiz Hafizoglu/Trend News Agency

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Pakistan partially restores airspace after hours-long closure

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced partially restoring the country’s airspace after keeping it closed for several hours following Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) encounter with the Indian fighter jets along the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday.

“Pakistani airspace has partially restored, starting with Jinnah International Airport of Karachi. Following flights have departed, WY324 KHI MCT, EK601 KHI DXB,” the CAA announced in a tweet. “North East & North Western airspace remains closed until further notice,” it added.

CAA sources said that the country’s airspace would remain closed till Thursday midnight.

All local and international commercial flights were suspended following escalating tension between India and Pakistan on Wednesday.
27/02/19 Tribune

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‘Lack of advice to pilots led to collision’

The non-availability of any advice to the pilots by the airport operator’s dispatch section with regard to restrictions on taxiing and poor lighting have been found to be the cause of a ground collision of two aircraft at Mumbai airport in 2016.

An official probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board into a ground collision between a Kuwait Airways flight which had just landed in Mumbai and an IndiGo aircraft headed for Jaipur has also recommended that the Mumbai International Airport Ltd and the Airports Authority of India treat the incident site as a ‘hot spot’ till a permanent solution is reached. The incident, reported on November 30, 2016, occurred when the IndiGo aircraft was cleared to taxi via a specified path and hold when it reached a particular point.

However, in a few minutes the Indigo flight crew felt the aircraft shaking. The probe report said that immediately after that, they received a call from the Lead Cabin Attendant that a passenger had reported seeing the left wing coming in contact with another aircraft. Kuwait Airways also reported that, “We felt shaky when the Indigo aircraft passed behind.”

The AAIB probe revealed that the Kuwait Airways aircraft, an Airbus 330 had swept wings which are subject to a phenomenon known as ‘swept wing growth’ or ‘wing creep’ that occurs during a turn when the wingtip describes an arc greater than the normal wingspan due to the geometry of the aircraft and the arrangement of the landing gear. Though in the present case, the Kuwait Airways aircraft was stationary it had hit its wing.

The AAIB report said that an assumption by the Indigo flight crew that they were clear of the Kuwait Airways flight had continued taxiing onto taxiway N, thereafter crossing runway 14 without realising that left winglet had contacted the second aircraft.
AAIB said that Indigo Airlines may provide guidance material to its flight crew regarding the difficulty associated with assessing wing tip clearance. “MIAL and AAI may review the procedure for taxiing on taxiway N when an aircraft is holding on taxiway W4, short of Runway 14. MIAL may carry out assessment of the visibility conditions in the portion of W4 / N and take necessary corrective action if required,” the report said.
25/02/19 Aditya Anand/The Hindu

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GMR and Terna JV sign agreement to build Kasteli Airport

Ariadne Airport Group, a joint venture (JV) between Greek firm GEK Terna and India-based GMR Airports, and Greek Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis have signed a concession contract to build Kasteli International Airport.

The contract will see the Greek-Indian consortium construct the new airport on the Greek island of Crete with an investment of approximately €850m.

Of the €850m investment, the consortium will invest more than €500m in the project, which is also financially supported by a state grant and equity.

Under the 35-year concession, the consortium will be responsible for the design, construction, financing, operation, and management of the new international airport.
The scope of work also includes key infrastructure projects such as the completion of the north road axis, as well as networks of peripheral roadways.

The airport is scheduled to become operational by 2024-25.

Construction of the airport is expected to be completed over the next five years.

The project will create 1,500 jobs during the construction period and nearly 7,500 direct jobs after completion, according to a study by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).
26/02/19 Airport Technology

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Etihad Airways’ absence at Jet Airways’ EGM worries minority shareholders

Minority shareholders have raised concerns over Etihad Airways’ absence at the EGM of Jet Airways on Friday.

Arvind Gupta, whistle-blower activist and minority shareholder of Jet Airways, who was present at the meeting, said, “I had raised questions on Etihad Airways, Jet Airways and the future of the SBI. However, the board’s representatives said questions about Etihad and SBI were irrelevant to fit the EGM.”

According to one source, Etihad Airways did not even cast its vote as the airline needed clarity on investment plans.

Etihad and Jet Airways did not respond to emails from BusinessLine.

At the EGM, the Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways managed to get votes of 98 per cent of shareholders. The proposals included allowing lenders to convert debt to equity.

According to sources, no member from Etihad Airways was present at the EGM. The Abu Dhabi-based airline owns 24 per cent in Jet and could see its stake go down to 12 per cent if lenders convert the debt to equity.

Currently, the airline has loans of over ₹8,400 crore, with SBI being its biggest lender. SBI’s exposure is said to be close to ₹2,000 crore. Jet Airways had proposed to increase the authorised share capital of the company from ₹200 crore to ₹2,200 crore, a move aimed at issuing fresh shares to the lenders.

“Etihad has been taken for a ride and they would be happy to acquire the company. The small shareholders have been cheated,” said Gupta.

“If the SBI takes Jet Airways to NCLT for debt resolution, I will be happy,” he said. A bank cannot invest in a company, it’s people’s money after all, he said. “What appears is that SBI is trying to revive the company. It’s good politics but bad economics. They are avoiding the open offer to the shareholders which is against the interest of small shareholders,” Gupta added.
24/02/19 Forum Gandhi/Business Line

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Indian Airlines Can Beat Emirates and Etihad, Says Spicejet Co-founder Ajay Singh

New Delhi: Low cost airline SpiceJet co-founder Ajay Singh said Indian companies had the capability to beat international brands like Dubai-based Emirates and Etihad Airways.

Speaking at the News18 Network's Rising India Summit 2019, Singh said a new robust restructuring tax framework and political will induced by the government was needed to make this possible.
"There is a mindset problem in India. Most people think flying is for the rich and hence, taxes on aviation are crazy. India has the highest number of taxes. This has to change,” he said.
According to Singh, aviation is an exciting sector in India with a 20 per cent growth rate — the fastest in the world. These figures are only increasing with the opening of 50 more airports in the next two years, adding to the tally of the 75 existing ones.

Seeking a level-playing field to compete with international air travel companies, Singh said taxes in the aviation sector needed to come down.
25/02/19 News18.com

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Jet, Etihad say airline will 'emerge financially strong, resilient'

New Delhi: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has for the first time officially acknowledged it is working for restructuring of Jet Airways to ensure the airline avoids a Kingfisher-like fate. Jet chairman Naresh Goyal and Etihad CEO Tony Douglas on Monday issued a joint statement, saying the airline’s restructuring is on and that the process will soon be completed. While the exact nature of restructuring has not been stated, it is learnt that once this process is complete Jet will be majority owned by PSU banks and a government-managed investor fund with Goyal’s stake reducing to about 20%.

“Jet Airways, its principal shareholders including Etihad Airways, and key financial stakeholders are working towards the finalisation and subsequent implementation of the Bank-led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP), to ensure that the carrier emerges as a financially strong and resilient airline. The approval of the BLPRP by the board of directors of Jet Airways last week was an important step in this direction. As we move forward, we are confident that once the BLPRP is finalized and implemented, Jet Airways will reemerge as a viable and robust airline to reclaim its rightful place as airline of first choice for its customers,” the joint statement said.

It came a day after twin troubles on Sunday. First there were reports that State Bank of India (SBI) may take Jet to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to recover its loans as it felt the airline was running out of funds for operations. SBI dismissed these reports as ‘speculative’ on Monday.

Secondly, Jet’s pilots who are yet to get their December and January salaries had warned of agitation from March 1 if the airline defaulted its promise of clearing 25% remaining salary of November by this month-end.

To assure the pilots, stakeholders and most importantly passengers who were beginning to have debt over booking tickets on Jet, Goyal and Douglas issued joint statement on Monday. It gave a genesis of the problem that Jet is facing now.


“For a quarter of a century, Jet Airways has set the gold standard for Indian hospitality on-ground and in the skies and worked tirelessly to anticipate, meet and surpass guest expectations. However, in the last year the aviation industry has experienced extraordinary headwinds and challenges. Rising oil prices, a depreciating rupee and market saturation, among other things, have combined to critically impact the civil aviation sector as a whole. Some airlines have been hit harder than others; Jet Airways, India’s premier full-service airline, being one of them. Nevertheless, despite these challenges and higher costs of running a full-service airline in this environment, the airline’s staff have worked tirelessly with sincerity and commitment to continue serving their loyal guests,” it said.

25/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Jet Airways, Etihad reiterate resolution plan, but give away few details

In a joint statement that gave away little, Jet Airways and partner Etihad Airways reiterated that they are working towards the finalisation of a bank-led provisional resolution plan. But the statement didn't give any details.

Instead, sources told Moneycontrol that details of the possible deal could come out in the first week of March, when Etihad is expected to meet Jet's lenders, led by State Bank of India.

"The meeting is crucial, and the deal could fructify after that," said an executive from the industry.

The plan was cleared by the Jet Airways board on February 14, and a week later on February 21, it also got the nod of shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting.


The troubled airline, with mounting debt and stiff repayment schedule, was expected to make an announcement on the plan post the shareholders nod. But with reports emerging that Etihad had put in conditions for its investment, it may take a while more before the details are disclosed.

"Jet Airways, its principal shareholders including Etihad Airways, and key financial stakeholders are working towards the finalisation and subsequent implementation of the Bank-led Provisional Resolution Plan (BLPRP), to ensure that the carrier emerges as a financially strong and resilient airline," Jet Airways' Chairman Naresh Goyal and Etihad Airways' Chief Executive Officer Tony Douglas said in a joint statement.
25/02/19 Moneycontrol.com

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Soon, fly IndiGo to China: India’s largest airline mulls overseas expansion with flights to these countries

India’s largest airline IndiGo is looking spread its wings by expanding services into China, Vietnam, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia and among other countries, PTI cited CEO Ronojoy Dutta as saying. “We will be looking to add new service to countries such as China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries and also add frequencies in existing routes,” Dutta said in a communication to employees.

Half of IndiGo’s new capacity addition will be directed towards international operations, Dutta added. The airline would continue to build air-infrastructure to smaller cities, he added.

Other than being the leading domestic air carrier in India, IndiGo operates flights to 12 countries including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and United Arab Emirates (UAE), all in Asia.
25/02/19 Prachi Gupta/Financial Express

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IndiGo to start flight from Pune to the Maldives

Pune: Soon, Pune residents will be able to fly to a new international destination — Male in the Maldives.

A source said low-cost carrier IndiGo will be starting this flight by the end of March. The source added that it will not be a direct flight. It will halt at Bengaluru.

This will be Indigo’s first international flight from Pune. “The 10-hour flight is expected to start from March 25. While exact details aren’t known yet, it will be an early morning flight — with a 5am take-off,” a Pune airport official said.

“IndiGo had been looking to start an international connection from Pune for a long time. A flight to Dubai was almost finalized last year, but things fell through,” the official said.

At present, there are four direct flights to international destinations from Pune. These include two to Dubai (Air India and SpiceJet), one to Abu Dhabi (Jet Airways) and one to Singapore (Jet Airways).

Vistara, which has got three flights from Pune to Delhi has signed a code-share agreement with British Airways and Japan Airlines, giving Pune flyers more options. Similarly, the Jet Airways flight to Singapore has opened access to many countries in the east with its code-share agreements.
25/02/19 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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SalamAir to fly to new GCC cities, India from Salalah

Muscat: SalamAir is looking to connect the southern Omani city of Salalah with direct flights to Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, plus its current flights to Sohar.

The move is subject to discussion with local authorities and stakeholders and follows the recent opening of its first sales office in Salalah.

The airline currently flies 21 direct flights to Salalah from Muscat a week, as well as connects Muscat International Airport to 14 regional destinations.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: “Salalah has the potential of being our hub and will enable us to take major strides to further expand our operations and network. We also want to achieve greater air connectivity for Oman, which is key to unlocking the sultanate’s economic diversification strategy and growth potential, as well as spur key sectors like tourism, aviation and logistics in the process. Our decision will depend on the facilities that will be provided to make Salalah a hub.”
25/02/19 Trade Arabia

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Singapore Airlines to expand India ops

Bengaluru: Singapore Airlines is planning to significantly increase its capacity for India. The airlines is hopeful of doubling its flight services from Bangalore soon by introducing 10 weekly flights.

The airline has already increased the capacity from Delhi by 10 per cent while Mumbai, which has been the top 20 route for the airline, will also witness a capacity enhancement.

David Lim, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines, said told FC that: “We are expanding our capacity in India by adding more frequency and flight services. There has been a substantial increase in the number of passengers between India and Singapore. Singapore is also emerging as afavoured transit hub for Indians travelling to Australia, US and other geographies.’’
25/02/19 Mini Tejaswi/Deccan Chronicle

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Aircraft with Zimbabwe VP on board develops snag, grounded at IGIA

New Delhi: An aircraft with Zimbabwean vice president Constantino Chiwenga and his delegation on board developed a snag at IGI Airport on Friday when the dignitaries were about to fly back to their country.
According to sources, the Boeing 737 (A6-RJX) taxied out at 7 pm for taking off for Zimbabwe. However, soon afterwards it developed a snag and then returned to the terminal at 7:45 pm.
The non schedule flight was operating with a call sign RO-J005. The B737-700 is over two decade old.
22/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Go Air, Sri Lankan Airlines to use Airbus’ cloud-based platform

Sri Lankan Airlines and Go Air have signed agreements with Airbus to use the manufacturer’s cloud-based platform Skywise Core.

Go Air, the first Indian customer on Skywise, will use the platform to reduce operational interruptions,maximise aircraft utilisation and flight operations. This will benefit the airline’s existing fleet of about 50 aircraft and the future deliveries.

“With the growth of our A320 fleet, we are delighted to join Skywise. We are convinced this digital platform will support our daily operations,” said Jeh Wadia MD and Acting CEO of GoAir, India.

Skywise will help Sri Lankan Airlines anticipate maintenance tasks for its A320 and A330 fleet, allowing them to track and analyse their operations and performance data. This will benefit the airline’s present fleet of 30 aircraft and those on order. “We are confident that Sri Lankan Airlines will benefit from Skywise within our current digital transformation,” said Capt Rajind Ranatunga, Chief Officer Service Delivery.

“We are delighted to see GoAir and Sri Lankan Airlines join the growing number of airlines connected to Skywise. This makes us even more confident in our ability to bring more value to the industry through data sharing, and I would like to thank our valued customers for their forward-looking approach,” said Marc Fontaine, Airbus Digital Transformation Officer.
23/09/18 Business Line

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Soon Fly To Malaysia, Thailand From AirAsia India: Airline Looks To Begin International Operations By 2019-End

Budget Airline, Air Asia India (AAI), in collaboration with Malaysia’s Air Aisa group, is hoping to start international operations by 2019-end, the Financial Express has reports. Recently appointed MD and CEO, Sunil Bhaskaran said while speaking with FE on the sidelines of the aviation summit.
The Tata Group-promoted airline, is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly bribing and lobbying various government officials.
The airline reportedly wants changes made in the civil aviation rules, according to which an Airline needs to complete five years of domestic service with 20 aircraft in its fleet, before being eligible to fly abroad.
The airline, which began operations in 2014 and completes its five years in June 2019, has applied for an international permit to the Civil Aviation Ministry in January.
21/02/19 Swarajya

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Move to stall AirAsia's international flight operations

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday moved an application in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Centre to stay an AirAsia India plea seeking permission to fly internationally. Swamy told the court that various media reports are saying that AirAsia India wants to begin operations to Southeast Asian destinations and has sought licence from the union government to fly international. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and V. Kameswar Rao listed the matter for further hearing on March 29. Please issue order staying the grant of permission/licence permitting Air India to fly internationally, Swamy pleaded. The court was hearing a plea seeking quashing of the approval granted to Malaysia-based AirAsia to start flight operations in India.
22/02/19 IANS/Sify

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TSA adds Air India to list of airlines whose flyers can avail its 'PreCheck' programme

New Delhi: Air India’s direct flights between India and the US are set to get even more convenient for citizens, nationals and permanent residents of America. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of America has now included AI in the list of airlines whose passengers can avail its 'PreCheck' programme.

“TSA Pre is an expedited screening programme that enables low-risk travelers to enjoy a smart and efficient screening experience at more than 200 US airports. For TSA Pre travelers, there is no need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts or light jackets. In 2019, nearly 94% of passengers in TSA Pre lanes waited less than five minutes,” TSA says describing this programme.

TSA Pre is available when departing from a US airport to a foreign country, and for domestic, connecting flights after returning to the US. Travelers who are US citizens, US nationals and lawful permanent residents of the US can apply for TSA Pre for $85 for five years, through the TSA Pre application programme. Once approved, travelers will receive a “known traveler number” to input when making an airline reservation and will have the opportunity to utilize TSA Pre lanes at select security checkpoints when traveling on any of the 65 participating airlines.

A TSA statement on Thursday said it had expanded its TSA Pre expedited screening programme to nine more domestic and international carriers — Air India, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Elite Airways, EVA Airways, Japan Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and Volaris. Now, 65 airlines participate in TSA Pre program.
22/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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3 Afghan men held at Delhi airport for trying to smuggle in gold

New Delhi: Three Afghan men have been arrested by the customs officials at Delhi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs 54 lakh, according to an official statement on Friday.
The accused were intercepted after their arrival from Dubai on Wednesday.
A detailed personal and baggage search resulted in the recovery of 13 gold biscuits and a gold bar which in total weighed 1.6 kg, the customs department said.
22/02/19 PTI/Times of India

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Airbus A320 neo again flies into India; deliveries back on track, says company

European aircraft maker Airbus deliveries of its A320neo aircraft are back on track in India with fewer problems being seen with the narrowbody jet’s Pratt & Whitney engines, a senior company executive said on Wednesday. “Pratt has informed Airbus that engine issues have come down by a factor of four in the last 12 months,” said Airbus’ India head Anand Stanley, on the sidelines of the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru. Last month, India’s aviation safety watchdog forced airlines to make extra checks on their Airbus A320neo aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines, as part of new safety protocols after temporary grounding orders affected the planes last year.

IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier by market share, and its low-cost rival GoAir, both fly the A320neos. The aircraft, which entered service in early 2016, boasts significant fuel efficiency benefits, but it has been plagued by teething issues with its engines that have forced Interglobe Aviation-owned IndiGo and Wadia Group-owned GoAir to regularly ground a number of the planes. This caused a backlog in deliveries of the planes by Airbus. IndiGo has over 60 A320neos in its fleet and is one of Airbus’ biggest global customer with over 400 more A320neo and A321neo jets on order.
GoAir has about 30 A320neos in its fleet and over 100 more of the jets ordered. Stanley said that the reliability rate on A320neo engines is now 99.6 percent and that it has retrofitted engines of about 95 percent of the A320neos in service. It expects to finish work on the remainder in the next two months.
20/02/19 Reuters/Financial Express

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Vistara, Japan Airlines ink codeshare agreement

Mumbai: Tata-SIA joint venture full service carrier Vistara Friday announced a codesharing pact with Japan Airlines (JAL), a move which will allow Vistara customers seamless connectivity to Japan and vice versa.

The pact between the two carriers is effective February, according to a Vistara release.

Codesharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless travel to destinations where it has no presence.

JAL is the second code share partner for Vistara after British Airways.

As part of the agreement, Japan Airlines will add its 'JL' designator code to approximately 32 Vistara flights operating across Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune.

JAL and Vistara already have an interline/through check-in partnership and the two airlines had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September, 2017 to pursue commercial opportunities together, the release said.

An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline.

The code share flights will offer convenient connections to and from a daily flight that Japan Airlines already operates to Delhi directly from Tokyo Narita, it said.
22/02/19 PTI/Times of India

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Airbus back on track with A320neo deliveries to India

European aircraft maker Airbus deliveries of its A320neo aircraft are back on track in India with fewer problems being seen with the narrowbody jet's Pratt & Whitney engines, a senior company executive said.

"Pratt has informed Airbus that engine issues have come down by a factor of four in the last 12 months," said Airbus' India head Anand Stanley, on the sidelines of the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru.

Last month, India's aviation safety watchdog forced airlines to make extra checks on their Airbus A320neo aircraft fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines, as part of new safety protocols after temporary grounding orders affected the planes last year.

Also last month, Airbus said it fell behind the planned delivery curve of about 800 commercial aircraft for last year as engine issues afflicted the top-selling A320neo , with a factory in Hamburg also struggling to keep up with demand for the long-range A321 variant, Bloomberg reported. The group finally cut its forecast amid slow turbine production for the A330neo wide-body at Rolls-Royce Holdings.

IndiGo, India's biggest carrier by market share, and its low-cost rival GoAir, both fly the A320neos.

The aircraft, which entered service in early 2016, boasts significant fuel efficiency benefits, but it has been plagued by teething issues with its engines that have forced Interglobe Aviation-owned IndiGo and Wadia Group-owned GoAir to regularly ground a number of the planes.
21/02/19 National

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Error of judgement by IndiGo’s crew resulted in wing tip clash with Kuwait Airways: probe report

The probe report into an incident of a Mumbai-Jaipur IndiGo aircraft's winglet coming in contact with that of a Kuwait Airways aircraft at Mumbai airport while taxing has revealed that human factor played a role in causing the incident calling it an error of judgement on the part of the crew of IndiGo.

The probe report has cited that crew of IndiGo assumed that they were clear of the other aircraft (Kuwait Airways) further continuing taxing without realising that left winglet had contacted the aircraft of Kuwait Airways.

The report of the inquiry committee set to probe the incident has further stated that that medical study reveals that it is not possible to accurately judge absolute distance or separation when the line of sight distance is more than 10 metres.
The incident took place in November 2016 early when the Kuwait Airway's Airbus A330 was taxing towards the parking bay and the IndiGo aircraft was taxing out for departure to Jaipur. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Mumbai had instructed the IndiGo pilot to follow the Kuwait Airways aircrafts' arrival, and the Kuwait Airways pilot was advised to move ahead to make way for the former.

The probe report further reads, "When following a taxiway route, pilots are expected to keep a good lookout and are responsible for taking all possible measures to avoid collisions with other aircraft and vehicles. Due to an error of judgment on the part of the crew of aircraft 1 (IndiGo), while crossing taxiway N keeping aircraft 2 (Kuwait Airways) on the left on W4 resulting in the LH wing tip (sharklet) coming in physical contact with the wing of aircraft 2."

The report has said that initially, the flight crew of IndiGo were not aware of the contact, but once apprised by the cabin crew decided to return back to the bay for rectification. 
21/02/19 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA

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Adani Group in race to buy 23.5% in Mumbai Airport

Mumbai/New Delhi: The Adani Group has made a formal offer to buy out the 23.5% held by two South African firms in Mumbai airport, setting the stage for a battle with the GVK Group which has also shown interest in increasing its stake.
The Adani Group has sought to buy the stakes of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest, the joint venture partners of GVK in the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), at a valuation of Rs 9,500 crore, people aware of the situation said.
With an offer on the table, the South Africans — believed to be keen on exiting the venture — have invoked the right of first refusal (RoFR) clause, forcing the cash-strapped Hyderabad-headquartered infrastructure conglomerate to scurry for funds to ward off what is now being perceived as a smart corporate move by the Adanis to take a large chunk of the country’s second-busiest airport. As per the agreement, the invocation can happen only once. GVK has time till February-end to comply or face a protracted corporate or legal battle.
Bidvest’s holdings have been valued at Rs 1,248.75 crore, or Rs 77 per share, according to documents seen by ET. At this rate, MIAL is valued at about Rs 9,500 crore, lower than the promoter group’s expectation. Bidvest has written to GVK and ACSA, with a copy marked to AAI, asking the two partners to match the offer within a month, according to the letter dated January 26, 2019. ET was first to report the developments on February 1.
People close to GVK said that it has received stake sale proposal from both the partners in the consortium and the RoFR clause gives GVK group a chance to match the offer.
“The GVK group will match the offer and buy the 23.5% stake in the company. We will not let the stake in the company go to anyone else,” said one of them, who did not want to be identified.
21/02/19 Arjit Baman/Economic Times

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GMR, TERNA JV signs concession agreement for new Crete airport

GMR Airports Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited along with Greek partner TERNA Group has signed the Concession Agreement for Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, and Maintenance & Exploitation of New International Airport of Heraklion at Crete, Greece. The Concession Period for the project is 35 years including Phase 1 Construction of 5 years.

Greece is one of the leading International tourist destinations, attracting nearly 27mn tourists per annum. Crete is largest and most visited island in Greece. Heraklion airport, located in Crete, is the 2nd largest airport in Greece and has registered traffic growth at a CAGR of 10% p.a. over the past 3 years.

The current airport is facing a severe capacity constraint and will be replaced by the new airport at Kastelli. The scope of the project involves Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, and Maintenance & Exploitation of the New Heraklion Crete New International Airport.

The consortium intends to invest over 500 million Euro for development of the new airport. The entire project will be funded through a mix of equity, accruals from the existing airport, and financial grant being provided by the Government of Greece; therefore, debt is not required in this project.
21/02/19 IndiaInfoOnline

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"No Scandal, Rafale Jets Will Join IAF In 6 Months," Says French Envoy

Bengaluru: As three Rafale fighter jets were displayed at the mega Aero India show in Bengaluru today amid a huge political controversy, the French envoy to India rejected allegations of corruption in the multi-billion dollar fighter jet deal with India. The ambassador said the "very good" aircraft is expected to join the Indian Air Force within six months.
"I do not see any scandal. What I see is a very good aircraft which has been purchased by Government of India. The aircraft will probably come here (Bengaluru) first and will join the Indian Air Force within six months," French ambassador Alexandre Ziegler told news agency ANI on the sidelines of Aero India in Bengaluru.

The Congress alleges that the government went for an overpriced deal for Rafale jets to benefit industrialist Anil Ambani, whose Reliance Defence is one of the offset partners for Rafale maker Dassault. Both Dassault and Anil Ambani have denied the Congress allegations.

India had signed a deal for France in 2016 for for 36 Rafale fighter jets.

At the air show, the Rafale aircraft was a clear winner, with daring feats at the aerial display visitors' area.

Three Rafale aircraft touched down at the Yelahanka airbase in Bengaluru last week for the biennial five-day air show. While two of these French-made fighters were used for flying exercises, the third one is just being used for static display.

However, these three Rafale jets are not the ones that have been made for India by French aerospace major Dassault. "Rafale for India will not be ready by February. We expect Dassault to fly some other Rafale at the Aero India show here...," Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal RK Singh Bhadauria had said in October last year.
20/02/19 Shylaja Varma/ANI/NDTV

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HAL hopes to get order for squadron of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets

Bengaluru: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday said that it hopes to get an order for a squadron of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets which are assembled in the state-owned facility.

"We have put up a proposal and we hope to get a new squadron of Sukhois (Sukhoi-30 fighter jets) in the future," Chairman and Managing Director (MD) R Madhavan said here at a press conference. He was responding when asked by a reporter whether HAL had any order in the pipeline.

His statement came amid media reports that the central government is planning to increase the overhauling capacity of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to 25 per year from the existing 12 aircraft. One squadron comprises 20 fighter jets.

The Bengaluru-based HAL has been assembling and overhauling Su-30 fighter aircraft at its Ozar unit in Maharashtra's Nasik district since 2004. According to reports, HAL has manufactured 260 Su-30 aircraft to date and is expected to manufacture two additional aircraft from the facility by the end of this year.

According to sources, the IAF is planning to procure eight new Sukhoi Su-30MKI from HAL. The total cost of the order is estimated to be more than Rs 30 billion ($421.03m).
21/02/19 ANI/New Indian Express

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Not Interested in Rafale Offsets, Says HAL CMD

Amidst the political controversy over the procurement of 36 fighter multi-role fighter aircraft from France, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director R Madhavan, on Thursday, 21 February, said the PSU is not interested in the Rafale offsets.

While addressing media at Aero India 2019 Madhavan said: “As of now, it (Rafale deal) is a direct purchase, because of that we are not interested. If it was the manufacturing, we are interested in it. We are not interested in the offsets in the direct purchases. Also, it is the government’s decision (to allocate offsets).”
Commenting on the recent controversy over HAL borrowing close to Rs 962 crore to pay salaries due to payment default by the armed forces, CB Ananthakrishnan, director (Finance) of HAL said the financial situation of the PSU is stable.

“Our targets are being met, our profitability is increasing. The only issue was the cash flow, because of some receivable delays and budget allocation delays, even they are being sorted out… the cash flow from the armed forces has begun,” he said.
Answering specific questions on HAL’s quality being questioned and the general denting of its image, CMD Madhavan said: “Our quality is at a par with anybody else... There was some bad press after the Mirage crash, but we decided not to say anything until the CoI (court of inquiry) is complete. The Rafale thing has been going on for a while now, and that has not affected our morale.”
A day after the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was declared combat ready, R Madhavan said HAL is looking at exporting the fighter aircraft and there are a few countries that have shown interest. While he didn’t share specific details about the export proposal, he added that some countries in North Africa and the Asia-Pacific region have shown interest in India’s homemade fighter plane.

“We are looking at countries in Asia-Pacific and North Africa. We are taking our product on other air shows. Only after they evaluate and they have finalised their specification, we can comment on that,” Madhavan said.
21/02/19 Quint

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FedEx Express showcases its solutions at Aero India

Chennai: FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation has showcased its solutions at the Aero India 2019 held until 24 February in Bengaluru.

A release from the firm stated that Aero India will highlight the importance of the Indian aviation market and the role the industry plays in supporting global trade.

“With the needs of our customers continuously evolving, FedEx is committed to developing innovative solutions that connect people with possibilities,” said MD – Operations, FedEx Express India, Mohamad Sayegh. “Our solutions deliver the speed, reach, reliability, and industry expertise that aerospace businesses require, to operate as efficiently as possible.”

Operating a fleet of more than 670 aircraft across the globe, FedEx has a range of solutions that addresses the various shipping needs of the aviation industry including expedited transportation, proactive monitoring by dedicated aerospace specialists, expertise in customs clearance, dedicated logistics and international freight forwarding.
20/02/19 News Today

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Airbus Says Engine Issues Resolved, Aims To Speed Up India Deliveries

Airbus said it's looking to exceed its 2018 targets by delivering over 67 aircraft to Indian airliners this year as engine issues have been resolved. “We plan to have an impressive number of deliveries this year with our supply chain in place,” Anand Stanley, managing director and chief executive officer of Airbus India and South Asia, told BloombergQuint ahead of Aero India in Bengaluru.
Supply-chain issues and problems with Pratt & Whitney engines had derailed delivery schedule for the French manufacturer. Issues with engines had grounded planes ordered by IndiGo last year.
That's getting resolved, said Stanley. “On the Pratt & Whitney engines, we have seen a reliability of 99.6 percent,” he said. “In the last 12 months, we have been very focused in working with the engine partners, the airlines and the regulatory authorities proactively.”
Stanley said Airbus made a number of software changes and fixes and, wherever required, retrofits. “The Indian fleet has seen 99 percent retrofits and in the next two months we will complete all of them.”
That led to three to fourfold reduction in engine issues. So for every 1000 hours, the reliability issue is now at 0.02 against the global benchmark of 0.05, he said.
Planes sent to India accounted for 8 percent of the global deliveries in 2018, Stanley said.
20/02/19 Sajeet Manghat/Bloomberg Quint

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​Boeing preparing to pitch 777X to Indian airlines

Bangalore: Boeing intends to begin talks with Indian airlines shortly as it looks to win business for the 777X as a replacement for ageing widebodies.

Speaking to FlightGlobal at Aero India in Bengaluru, Boeing's senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific and India sales Dinesh Keskar said he expected the 777X to replace the 777s operated by Air India and Jet Airways – India's only two widebody operators

Cirium fleets data shows that Air India has 11 777-300ERs and three 777-200LRs, with an average of around 10 years. Jet, meanwhile, has 10 777-300ERs aged between 10 and 12 years.

Keskar acknowledges that both airlines are pursuing ownership changes, but he nonetheless expects them to have the financial resources to afford new widebodies.

He says the two 777 variants, the -8 and -9, offer different benefits to the Indian airlines.

"The -8 offers unprecedented range that can operate nonstop flights between Delhi and San Francisco or Mumbai to Newark and Chicago … and allows them to open more new routes. If they go with the -9, they can expect better economics with lower fuel burn and more seat capacity, which translates to lower seat-mile cost."
20/02/19 FlightGlobal

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Lockheed Martin unveils new combat jet F-21 for India

Bengaluru: US defence firm Lockheed Martin on Wednesday unveiled the F-21, a multi-role fighter jet for India, which it claimed will be produced in India. The announcement comes in the backdrop of the firm vying for the multi-billion dollar order from India, which has floated a Request For Information (RFI) for 114 fighter aircraft.

The company, while claiming that the new plane will be specifically configured for the Indian Air Force (IAF), said that it will have Make in India opportunities that no other firm had offered earlier.

The announcement was made at the Aero India show in Bengaluru, and the firm said in a statement that it would partner with Tata Advanced Systems to produce the F-21 in India.

Lockheed is among the seven firms that have responded to IAF's RFI for fighter planes. However, it had offered the F-16. The F-21, the firm said, is designed to address IAF's unique requirements.

The F-21 will be completely different, the company said, adding that the new plane highlights its commitment to delivering an advanced, scalable fighter aircraft to the IAF, while also providing industrial opportunities locally.

However, it could not be immediately confirmed whether the IAF has already been consulted with about the new aircraft. The IAF though is aware of the F-16 fighter that Lockheed has offered as part of the new RFI. The US firm had offered the F-16 Block 70 as part of the MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) deal which was bagged by Dassault's Rafale.

20/02/19 Times of India

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Emirates airline to explore direct flights to Calicut in Kerala

Emirates airline is exploring the possibility of starting its own direct flights to Kozhikode Calicut International airport in Kerala.

Senior officials from Emirates will inspect the airport in the coming weeks, according to an executive from Kozhikode Calicut International.

“A high level team from Emirates airline will be visiting Calicut airport in the first week of March for an inspection and discussions on commencing its operations to and from Calicut airport,” K Srinivasa Rao, Airport Director, Kozhikode Calicut International Airport, told Arabian Business.

While Emirates is yet to finalise a start date for operations, aviation industry sources said the Dubai carrier is likely to include the flight to Calicut in its summer schedule, beginning from end of March.

Srinivasa Rao said the date of start of Emirates’ operations to Calicut will depend on the Gulf carrier receiving the no-objection certificate from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

An Emirates spokesperson said the airline continually reviews possible market opportunities, both in India and globally, but would not comment future plans.

“Official announcement, if any, will be made at an appropriate time,” the Emirates spokesperson said, when asked about the airline’s plans for Calicut airport.
20/02/19  James Mathew/Arabian Business

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Two Nepalis held while boarding Sharjah flight

Surat: Two Nepalis were caught during immigration check at Surat airport on Monday trying to board a flight to Sharjah on forged NOCs and other documents of Nepal Embassy in New Delhi.
Bimla Rai Narayan Das, 40, and Parajuli Ishwar Padma Prasad, 25, were detained by the immigration staff at Surat airport when they produced forged NOCs and other documents of Nepal Embassy. The accused man and woman, who are not related, were handed over to Dumas police station. The duo was arrested on Tuesday evening after a preliminary investigation that revealed that they had produced forged NOCs to go to Sharjah. They were booked for criminal breach of trust, cheating and forgery under various sections of Indian Penal Code on a complaint filed byPSI H G Gohil.

“It is yet not clear why the accused used forged NOCs of Nepal Embassy. We are yet to find out why they didn’t get original NOCs,” said a police officer at Dumas police station. Police will produce Parajuli (man), a resident of Palan Chowk, and Bimla (woman), a resident of Lalitpur, in court on Wednesday and request their custody.

The accused were living in New Delhi and had come to Surat to board Air India’s direct flight from the city to Sharjah.
20/02/29 Times of India

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Israeli carrier Arkia to have direct flights from Goa, Kochi to Tel Aviv

New Delhi: Connectivity between India and Israel is all set to improve with Israeli airline Arkia going to start flights from Tel Aviv to Goa and Kochi from September 28. At present, El Al has a thrice-weekly Mumbai-Tel Aviv nonstop and Air India has five times a week direct on Delhi-Tel Aviv route.

According to Israel Tourism, Arkia will operate its 220-seater single-aisle Airbus A321 LR (long range) to fly nonstop from Tel Aviv to Goa and Kochi. “Arkia will fly once a week to Goa on Tuesdays and twice a week to Kochi on Mondays and Fridays. From October 27, 2019, the flight to the latter city will move to Sundays and Thursdays. The air travel will run all year round except during the monsoon season in India,” Israel Tourism said in a statement.

The increased connectivity comes as Israel recorded 21% growth with 70,800 Indian tourist arrivals to the country in 2018, up almost 21% from 58,700 travellers in 2017. India is now the 12th biggest source market for Israel.

Hassan Madah, director of Israel’s ministry of tourism (India and Philippines) said: “In light of the significant increase in incoming tourism from India over the past few years, the ministry of tourism has been encouraging of Israeli airlines like Arkia to foray into the Indian market. We see India becoming one of the key source markets for Israel in the coming years and with Arkia’s direct flights to Goa and Kochi, the Indian traveller’s interest will surely increase. Goa attracts many Israeli tourists who visit the Indian state for leisure holidays, while Israel has recorded a notable mix of pilgrimage and leisure travellers from Kochi. With nonstop operations from the west, north and now south of India; this will help meet the growing demand and enable us to achieve higher Indian arrivals to Israel in 2019.”
19/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Sri Lankan couple uses kid to smuggle gold, arrested by Air Intelligence Unit

Mumbai: A Sri Lankan couple who used their minor kid as a carrier of 1.08 kilogram gold worth Rs 3.31 crore was arrested by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs. The officials intercepted the duo late Saturday based on profiling as frequent short-span travellers. When the kid was frisked, the officers found gold in his jacket and shoes.

The accused were identified as Siqad Nazrina Raafi, his wife Fathima Mohamed Hassen, and a minor kid who was used for smuggling the gold across the borders of two countries.
"The trio had arrived from Singapore to Mumbai by a Jet Airways flight 9W-0007. The accused were intercepted and gold was found in specially stitched concealed pockets inside the jackets,” said an AIU officer.

The gold bars of 99.9 per cent purity were found inside the pockets. The officials said that the purpose of using the juvenile as a carrier was to avoid suspicion or interception, the officials said.

The couple’s travel history aka profiling in customs’ parlance, set alarm bells ringing. Their travel history revealed frequent and very short trips to locations including Singapore. The visits were seen as suspicious as they involved multiple hops via longer routes, the officials said.
19/02/19 Asian Age

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Poland's Lot Polish Airlines to start Warsaw-Delhi direct flight from Sept

New Delhi: Poland's flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines will start direct flights between Warsaw and Delhi from September as it views India as a "strategic market" for its growth opportunities, a senior official said Monday.
One of the oldest airlines in the world, LOT Polish would commence operations to India with five weekly services and the first flight from Warsaw to Delhi would take off on September 17.

"We have a fairly large vision as far as our operations to India are concerned... There is strong business activities between the two countries... India is a strategic market for LOT Polish Airlines," the airline's Regional Director DACH and India markets Amit Ray said.

Based on market research, the carrier sees high demand from both sides for corporate and leisure travellers, among others.

The carrier, which began services in January 1929, flies on 110 routes and connects 90 destinations.

In an interview to here, Ray said LOT Airlines would like to give the Indian consumers another destination to look at in Europe as well as provide indirect connectivity beyond Warsaw.

Currently, the airline has a fleet of 76 planes, which is expected to rise to 90 by the end of this year.

Ray said the carrier would operate Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with three-class configuration for services to India.

There would be 18 business, 21 premium economy and 212 economy seats.
18/02/19 PTI/Times of India

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Dassault Aviation reinforces Falcon presence in Indian Market

The Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000S, recently certified by EASA and the FAA for low visibility approaches down to 100 feet using the advanced FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS), will be spotlighted at India’s largest military/civil aircraft show, Aero India, which opens February 20 at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. The 2000S will be presented alongside the company’s Rafale frontline fighter at the five-day event. The first Falcon 2000 nose section produced by the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility in Nagpur, India, will be also displayed during the show. “In addition to their unrivaled combination of range, agility and airport performance, the reputation of Falcon jets in India and the surrounding region rests on Dassault Aviation’s half century of experience supplying the Indian Air Force with sturdy, technologically advanced fighters for its frontline combat aircraft requirements,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation.
The Falcon 2000 twin-engine business aircraft has long been popular with Indian operators for its reliability, cabin comfort, hot-and-high capability and low operating cost. Two third of the Falcons currently operating in the region are Falcon 2000S.
The FalconEye enhanced flight vision system capability – the first Head Up Display (HUD) to combine synthetic and enhanced vision capabilities – greatly improves access to airports in bad weather and significantly enhances aircraft fleet efficiency. The system is now also certified for the Falcon 2000LXS and Falcon 8X.
18/02/19 ANI/Sify.com

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Indian national dies at Sri Lanka's international airport

Colombo: An Indian national has died at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport after falling at the departure terminal.

The victim was reported to be a 52-year-old Indian small businessman from Ramanathapuram. The unfortunate fate has come when he was returning to India at 2.00 am today.

Airport Police viewing the CCTV video footage have observed that the man apparently suffering from a medical condition has grabbed a concrete pillar in the departure terminal and slid down to the floor.

The Airport Police had taken steps to inform the Indian High Commission of Sri Lanka of the Indian national's death.
18/02/19 Colombo Page

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US National Found Dead At Airport Lounge In New Delhi

A U.S. national was found dead in a room at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Premium Plaza Lounge in New Delhi, Saturday.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said they alerted the police after the duty manager of the lounge called them to inform that a 52-year-old man from the United States, who had arrived in New Delhi from Coimbatore in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was not responding.

“The passenger was identified as Ian Andrew. The manager said he arrived from Coimbatore by an Air India flight the same day. He booked a room to take a nap. Around 4 a.m. [local time, 5:30 p.m. EST, Friday], he locked the room and did not respond. When the room was opened with a duplicate key, Andrew was found lying unconscious. Medical examination confirmed him dead,” a police officer who wished to remain anonymous, told local newspaper Hindustan Times.

After the police responded to the scene, the body – found lying on the bed – was recovered from the room and transported to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, where he was declared dead. The cause of death was not determined and will be declared after an autopsy. However, authorities confirmed there were no signs of any external injuries on the man’s body.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia said the U.S. embassy and man’s family members, including his wife, who was in Australia, were informed. “We are waiting for her. A postmortem will be conducted once his wife is here. We are yet to confirm the man’s background and why he was in India,” Bhatia said.

According to local news outlet Times Now, the deceased was born in Bihar, India.
19/02/19 Pritha Paul/IBTimes

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India & Bangladesh working to improve connectivity: Envoy

Shillong: Both Dhaka and New Delhi are working to improve connectivity between the two countries to boost trade and tourism, Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner to India, Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur said on Monday.

The Governments of Bangladesh and India are working on river routes, rail and air connectivity to boost tourism, he said.

"... From next month, the Civil Aviation Ministry of the Government of India is going to launch a direct flight between Guwahati and Dhaka. I am sure that this will address connectivity and boost tourism growth manifold between the two countries," Monsur said, addressing a tourism convention here.

"Currently, I am issuing 150 visas daily. I am sure from next month, the number of visas will increase three times or at least 400 every day," he said.

Monsur said Bangladesh will put its best efforts to export and enhance tourism medical, religious, archaeological tourism, between the two countries.
18/02/19 PTI/Business Standard

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EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite and daughter 10, ‘left crying and scared’ after being refused entry into India for yoga holiday

EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite has been left devastated after being refused entry to India with her 10-year-old daughter Florence.

The actress - who plays Mel Owen in the BBC soap - had her yoga retreat holiday in Goa ruined by immigration officials who turned them away."
She was left terrified she would be separated from her young daughter during the ordeal as both cried at the airport.

She tweeted: "My 10 yr old and I have just been refused entry into India due to my visa , which was still valid, but apparently a passport stamp in Mumbai to get a connecting flight to London at new year, counts as entry.

"We both sat crying in immigration at Goa airport but nobody died and after another 9 hr flight we are back in Blighty!

"Only having one week for a mother/daughter healing holiday after a difficult year means we are now looking for a new trip.
18/02/19 Carl Greenwood/The Sun

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Indian national dies at BIA

Colombo: A 52 year old Indian national died at the Katunayake International Airport this morning (February 18).
The Indian businessman suffered a sudden ailment and collapsed as he was nearing the departure terminal. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Ramanadapuram, India.
18/02/19 NewsFirst

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UAC Proposes Unified After-Sales Service For All Russian Aircraft In India

The Russian United Aircraft Corporation has proposed a unified after-sales service for all the Russian aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

“We consider the development of a unified after-sales service for Russian aircraft, which already constitutes a serious potential for the Indian Air Force, to be a key priority for the growth of our presence in the Indian aviation market,” Yury Slysur, UAC President said in an interview with Ria Novosti Monday.

“On the one hand, this is the urgent need of our Indian colleagues and a necessary element in the development of our strategic cooperation. On the other hand, this is a serious business for us as manufacturers of equipment. Our long-term strategy is to make UAC a single window in the provision of after-sales service for Russian aircraft in India,” Yury added.

Recently, we have been paying a lot of attention in our cooperation with Indian colleagues to transport topics, this topic is very much in demand. We also plan to introduce our civil programs. I think that a project such as a modernized Il-114 could have a good prospect in the Indian market, Yury stated when asked about the focus Russia is eyeing during the upcoming AeroIndia Airshow scheduled to start later this week in India.
18/02/19 Defense World.net

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Singapore Airlines to fly Airbus A350 from Bengaluru soon

Bengaluru: Leading international carrier Singapore Airlines on Monday said it would fly Airbus A350-900 medium haul aircraft between Bengaluru and Singapore thrice a week from May 18.

The 325-seater A350-900 of the French aerospace major (Airbus Industries) is a twin-engine wide body passenger jet for medium and long-haul cruise in three-class configuration, with fuselage and wing structures made of carbon fibre reinforced polymer.

"The aircraft features higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body delivering more space and comfort, besides lighting designed to reduce jetlag," said the Airlines' India General Manager David Lim in a statement here.

Of the total seats in the jet, 40 in the business class are in a 1-2-1 row for direct aisle access for every passenger while the 263 seats in the economy class are in a 3-3-3 row.

"Passengers will have access to high-speed in-flight wireless service on the aircraft, equipped with Inmarsat GX aviation's broadband connectivity system," said Lim.
18/02/18 IANS/Business Standard

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SpiceJet announces direct connectivity from Kozhikode to Jeddah

Pune: SpiceJet has announced a daily direct flight on Kozhikode-Jeddah-Kozhikode sector effective April 20. SpiceJet is the first Indian budget airline to offer connectivity between Kozhikode and Jeddah. Jeddah is SpiceJet’s ninth international destination, its officials claimed.

SpiceJet’s flight SG 792 will depart from Kozhikode at 5.35 am (all local times) and arrive Jeddah at 8.35 am on the same day. The return flight SG 793 will depart at 9.45 am and reach Kozhikode at 6.05 pm. The airline will deploy its 189 - seater Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on the sector. Passengers flying from Jeddah can also easily travel to a host of other cities on SpiceJet’s domestic network via multiple onward connections from Kozhikode.
Shilpa Bhatia, chief sales & revenue officer - SpiceJet, said, “We are very sure that the new flight will benefit thousands travelling between the two cities for pilgrimage, business or leisure.”

Celebrating the launch, SpiceJet has announced a special fare of Rs 13,399 (all-inclusive) for Kozhikode – Jeddah and Rs. 12,199 (all inclusive) for Jeddah - Kozhikode. Officials said that bookings are now open on www.spicejet.com, SpiceJet’s mobile app and through online travel portals and travel agents.
18/02/19 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Dassault to showcase Falcon 2000S alongside Rafale at Aero India

Bengaluru: Dassault Aviation, manufacturers of the Rafale, Monday said it would showcase its Falcon 2000S business aircraft, certified for low visibility approach, alongside the fighter jet at the five-day Aero India Show, beginning here February 20.
The 2000S was recently certified by EASA and FAA for low visibility approaches down to 100 feet, using the advanced FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS), the company said in a statement.
The first Falcon 2000 nose section produced by Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL), manufactured at Nagpur, will also be displayed at the show, it said.
"In addition to their unrivaled combination of range, agility and airport performance, the reputation of Falcon jets in India and the surrounding region rests on Dassault Aviation's half century of experience supplying the Indian Air Force with sturdy, technologically advanced fighters for its frontline combat aircraft requirements," Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier said.
The Falcon 2000 twin-engine business aircraft has long been popular with Indian operators for its reliability, cabin comfort, hot-and-high capability and low operating cost, the company said.
18/02/19 PTI/Economic Times

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Air India Express to change Kannur-Doha schedule from April

Doha: Indian budget airlines Air India Express will shift its Monday flight to the newly-opened Kannur International Airport in Kerala, India, to Friday.

In an earlier report about Air India Express starting flights on Friday from Doha to Kannur, we erroneously reported that it will be an additional service. It will not be an additional service but they are discontinuing their flight on Monday and rescheduling it to Friday from April.

“We are not adding an additional service, we are stopping the Monday flight and starting a Friday flight,” an Air India Express official clarified to The Peninsula.

Starting April first week, the four flights from Doha to Kannur and return will operate on Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Another Indian low-cost carrier Indigo had also announced that it will be starting daily non-stop flights to and fro on the Doha-Kannur route from March 15.
16/02/19 The Peninsula

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Air India Express Launches International Operations From Surat

Surat:  Gujarat's 'diamond city' Surat has made it to the international aviation map with the first Air India Express flight arriving in Surat carrying 75 passengers from Sharjah, the airline said on Sunday.
The maiden Air India Express flight IX 172 from Sharjah touched down at the Surat airport at 11.30 pm on Saturday with 75 passengers on board the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the airline said in a statement.

The passengers were received by the airline's chief executive officer K Shyam Sundar and other dignitaries, it said.

With this, Surat has become the 20th destination in the country for the international budget arm of the flag carrier Air India, the airline said.

The return flight IX 171 carrying 180 passengers for Sharjah departed from the Surat International Airport past midnight at 12.47 am on Sunday, it said.


Air India Express will fly four times a week on the new route, it said.

Surat-Sharjah is the 47th non-stop direct connection of Air India Express between destinations in India and the Gulf region, the release said.
17/02/19 PTI/NDTV

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