Showing posts with label Foreign Jan 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Jan 2010. Show all posts

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Egypt to add more flights from India by 2010-end

New Delhi: As part of its strategy to attract more tourists from India, Egyptian authorities are planning to raise the number of flights between the two countries by the end of this year.
At present, there are three flights between Egypt and India and the plan is to increase it to seven each week.
"We are planning to start operations of the rest of the four flights. Though we hope to start all the four, at least Delhi to Cairo, we expect to start this year," Egyptian Ambassador to India Mohamed Higazy said.
He said the country expects to almost double the number of Indian tourists visiting Egypt to around 1.5 lakhs by the end of this year.
Higazy said discussions are on with private airlines like Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India for the service.
31/01/10 PTI/Economic Times

Air India International told to pay Rs 4.16 lakh compensation

New Delhi: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has asked Air India International to pay compensation of Rs 4.16 lakh to a cotton fabric manufacturer after some bales in a consignment were stolen and others damaged due to exposure to rain.
The complainant, Soimex International (P) Limited, had entered an agreement in 1996 with a Middle-East company, Al Khwaja, for delivering a consignment comprising 43 bales of fabric.
But the complainant suffered losses after most of the cotton bales were damaged at Mumbai airport after the carrier chose to break the journey from Delhi to Dubai in the process of completing the assignment.
"If the carrier had chosen to break the journey after airlifting the consignment..., any loss caused to it at Bombay airport will have to be borne by Air India International," the Commission, comprising Members Justice K S Gupta and Rajyalakshmi Rao, said.
The manufacturer approached the Commission, seeking Rs 38.50 lakh compensation for the loss of business and reputation by the carrier's deficiency in service.
The carrier alleged that the Airports Authority of India, Mumbai was liable for the damage to the consignment as the bales were lying under its custody.
The Commission cited the condition which attributed responsibility on the carrier to deliver the complete consignment to the destination.
31/01/10 PTI/Economic Times

Qatar Airways to fly Bangalore from Feb 22

Doha: Qatar Airways has announced plans to fly daily to Bangalore, the capital of India's Karnataka state, from February 22.
Bangalore (also known as Bengaluru), India's top information technology hub, is also a major industrial and commercial centre.
Flights will depart Doha at 2100 and arrive in Bangalore at 0335. Return flights will leave Bangalore at 0435 and arrive in Doha at 0640.
Dotted by numerous parks and tree-lined avenues, Bangalore is known as the “Garden City of India”. Considered the IT capital of India, it is home to numerous computer software, aerospace and telecommunications companies.
With the addition of Bangalore, Qatar Airways’ Indian capacity will rise to 71 flights a week spread across 11 cities. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Cochin, Kozhikode, and recently introduced Goa and Amritsar.
The Doha – Bangalore route will be operated by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.
Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said the new route demonstrated the airline’s ongoing commitment to the Indian market.
31/01/10 TradeArabia, UAE

Actual aviation security at TIA

The print media has been recently abuzz with the news of heightened security at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) citing security threats to Indian air-carriers. The officials from both the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the custodian of physical infrastructure of the TIA, and the police department are amusingly going overboard in trying to project a safe image of TIA. However, keen observers of the state-of-affairs at TIA are reluctant to accept the claims of a safe TIA citing fundamental problems within the elements involved in the operations of TIA.
First, despite being a commercial entity and involving a certain degree of hospitality or facilitation, TIA is being run by people bereft of any decent formal qualification in business management or branch thereof. The only necessary qualification required to run the show is some seniority within CAAN and the rest is clear proximity to the party in power. And the results are there for all to savor, stretching all the way from passenger queues to mess at taxi rentals. The million-dollar question is: Why is this farce going on for so long? Well, the primary cause for this continued deterioration has a historic precedence in that the airport managers have been posted for their capabilities to “contribute” to the political party and godfathers rather than for their capabilities to contribute to the airport and civil aviation. The reason is not difficult to fathom as two-thirds of the annual budget of TIA (to the tune of about 400 million rupees) fetches an attractive commission of up to 40 percent on the purchase of goods and services. When such an amount is involved, it is certain that an elite clique with direct political patronage will control the key functioning of the relevant matters and other voices of reason are summarily dismissed as dissent and the individuals suitably punished. The second cause of the mess is the lack of an alternative airport and this lack of competition makes the sole player complacent or, worse still, irresponsible.
31/01/10 Mukund Mishra/My Republica.com

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Indian Airlines lets Airbus off Rs 788 crore hook

New Delhi: The CBI is investigating how a clause requiring Airbus, a leading manufacturer of airliners, to invest $ 175 million in India was glossed over in an agreement it signed with Indian Airlines to sell it 43 aircraft in 2006.
Airbus was to invest that money (about Rs 788 crore) in creating training and repairs facilities in India, according to that clause as stated by the government in press statements issued then.
This was mandated by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM), which monitored the purchase because of the sheer size of the deal, and it was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, according to a statement issued by the civil aviation ministry in September 2005.
Indian Airlines was to buy 43 Airbus aircraft — 20 A319s, four A320s and 19 A321s — for $ 2 billion (Rs 9000 crore).
The delivery has already begun.
But the final agreement signed between the two sides “does not clearly mention the commitment of Airbus”, the CBI has said in a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) filed on January 14, No. DAI 1020-A-001.
The PE has been filed against unnamed officials of the civil aviation ministry and Indian Airlines.
“We have replied to the CBI and will provide them with whatever help they require,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official when asked for comments. He did not want to be identified.
The agency files PE as soon as it is convinced there is material evidence to investigate a case. This is turned into a Regular Case if the offence is found serious enough to be sent to court.
29/01/10 Tushar Srivastava/Hindustan Times

Four days on, Austrian paraglider still under surveillance

Rajkot: For four days now, a paragliding enthusiast from Austria has been kept grounded and confined to the pilgrim town of Dwarka, where he had to make a forced landing after gliding his way through the coastal belt of Goa, Mumbai, Daman and Gujarat.
Peter Nazbet (37), apparently had no valid license. He told The Indian Express on Friday: “Paragliding is an international sport; I do not intend to harm any one. It is just a form of recreation for me.”
Although there were intelligence warning about possible air-borne terror strikes, Peter was let off twice by the Gujarat Police at Bhavnagar and Madhavpur, after perfunctory interrogation soon after he had landed there earlier. The Dwarka police, however, during the verification of his documents, found that his paragliding license, limited to Goa, had expired in 2005.
The police said they are waiting for an official confirmation from the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Indian Air Force (IAF) whether Peter had permission to fly.
Till then, he will be kept confined to Dwarka “under surveillance”, the police said.
30/01/10 Hiral Dave/Indian Express

Manan Sharma stopped from boarding flight in New Zealand

New Delhi: Allrounder Manan Sharma, a member of India's under-19 team, was not allowed to board his flight (flight SQ 298 CHC - SIN flight) back home from New Zealand because his hand injury was not properly dressed.
"The ICC Logistics team subsequently brought Mr Sharma back to the hotel. They will be helping him check-in on the following flights tomorrow (30 January 2010)," BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.
29/01/10 Press Trust of India

Emirates hopes to score with DSF

Thiruvananthapuram: Dubai-based Emirates has announced special packages to Dubai to coincide with the Dubai Shopping Festival that runs from January 28 to February 28, and is expecting to better its performance this year.
The package this year is an economy class return fare of Rs 19,461 that includes three nights' stay on twin-sharing basis and airport transfers. The price is exclusive of departure taxes and surcharges.
Emirates sales manager for south Kerala, Asha Subramaniam said the airline expected an increase of 12-15% in bookings during the DSF period, compared to the bookings in the same period last year.
29/01/10 Joe A Scaria/Economic Times

Ex-Im Bank, Air India Conclude $1 Billion Financing Transaction

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and the National Aviation Company of India Ltd. (NACIL, also known as Air India) today held a signing ceremony to celebrate the $1.1 billion Ex-Im Bank-supported financing of U.S.- manufactured aircraft sold by The Boeing Co. to NACIL.
At a ceremony held at Ex-Im Bank headquarters, the financing documents were signed by Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg, NACIL Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav, and JPMorgan Chase & Co (New York) head of Global Structured Trade Finance, Astar Saleh. Also at the ceremony and representing the Government of India was Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India, Bharat Bhusan.
The Indian government has provided Ex-Im Bank with a payment guarantee of Air India's obligations under the financing backed by the full faith and credit of the Republic of India.
Today's transactions represent the second partial conversions of two Ex-Im Bank preliminary commitments to final commitments. The final commitments were approved by Ex-Im Bank's board of directors in June 2009. Ex-Im Bank is guaranteeing loans extended by JP Morgan Chase & Co.
29/01/10 Financial

Indian National Sentenced To Hang For Ketamine Trafficking

Shah Alam: An Indian national was sentenced by the High Court here on Friday to hang for trafficking in 25kg of ketamine at the KL International Airport (KLIA) two years ago.
Judicial Commissioner Mohd Yazid Mustafa passed the death sentence on Athiseshan Singaram, 48, after ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond doubt.
Athiseshan was found guilty of committing the offence at the customs examination counter of the airport at about 3.30pm on July 26, 2008.
29/01/10 Bernama, Malaysia

Friday, January 29, 2010

GMR to assemble planes next

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) is setting up an aircraft manufacturing unit near the international terminal that it operates near the city, in a joint venture with an unnamed European major.
“We are talking to an European company, which is a leading aircraft manufacturer. We are hopeful of signing an agreement in the next 1-2 months,” Ravindran Devagunam, COO, of the aviation and aerospace business of the GHIAL, told DNA on Thursday.
The manufacturing activity would be confined to smaller aircraft initially. “We are looking assembling these small aircraft first,” Devagunam said.
GHIAL is setting up an aerospace special economic zone across 250 acres at the sprawling 5,500-acre airport complex.
In fact, the European company is working on this deal as part of its offset obligation for defence contracts bagged in India.
The GMR group is planning to convert this aircraft major into an anchor client at the manufacturing hub at the SEZ.
“We are talking to one more aircraft company. But, the European company would be the first to come and hopefully it would be the first with which we would be signing a deal,” he said.
The investments and size of the activity are yet to be determined.
In fact, the SEZ is one of the plans GMR has to monetize the property it has at the international airport.
29/01/10 KV Ramana/Daily News & Analysis

India is Viva Macau's next target for expansion

Viva Macau is eyeing new services to India and flights to additional points in existing destinations as part of its growth plan for the next year.
"India is on the cards as we look to grow our network," says CEO Reginald Macdonald. "We also want to increase the frequency on existing services and fly to new points in the countries that we already serve."
With Macau is keen to promote itself as a leisure and MICE destination, its government is working with the carrier to market the island to visitors.
"We go to destinations where nobody else really flies to, and that means we are the only option. As a result, we spend 80% of our time telling passengers about Macau and promoting it, instead of talking about the airline," adds Macdonald.
28/01/10 Siva Govindasamy/Flight Global

South African nabbed with 7 kg heroin at city airport

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs nabbed a South African national with 7 kg of heroin at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Thursday morning. Julia Nyandeni (50) was allegedly on her way out of the country with a cache of high quality heroin hidden in the false bottom of a suitcase. Some quantity was hidden in the soles of three sandals and a few purses in the suitcase. “The Customs seized a total of 6.955 kilogram of heroin from her which is valued at seven crore rupees in the international market,” said Baljeet Singh Nunwal, Additional Commissioner of Customs, AIU.
According to Customs officials, the South African national was on her way to Manzini, the largest city of Swaziland in Africa. Nyandeni was due to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa from where she had a connecting flight to Johannesburg.
“We caught her because of our routine surveillance at the airport. We saw her behaving in a suspicious manner and kept an eye on her,” said a Customs official.
29/01/10 Indian Express

Ray of hope for Bangkok air service

Guwahati: Flights in the Guwahati-Bangkok sector, which had died a premature death after being introduced with much fanfare, may take off once again with Thailand evincing keen interest in resumption of the service.
A Thai delegation had a detailed discussion here in back-to-back meetings with chief minister Tarun Gogoi and industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi on the possibility of resumption of the Guwahati-Bangkok flight today.
The Thai team, led by the country’s ambassador to India, Krit Kraichitti, comprised commercial counsellor at the Thai embassy in New Delhi, Tharadol Thongruang, besides officials from Thai Airways, among others.
If the move fructifies, it would give a fillip to trade ties between the region and Thailand, which also forms the focus area of India’s Look East policy.
Gogoi, while welcoming the show of interest by Thailand, said all support would be provided to make the venture a success.
He said tourism and other sectors would prosper if there was air connectivity between the Northeast and Thailand.
The chief minister even suggested a common tourism package given that there were similarities between the culture of Thailand and some parts of the Northeast.
29/01/10 The Telegraph

Thursday, January 28, 2010

SpiceJet: In Talks With Boeing, Airbus to Buy Planes

Singapore: Indian budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd. is in initial talks with Boeing Co. and Airbus to order new planes, its chief commercial officer said Thursday.
"We are evaluating the future," Samyukth Sridharan told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of a conference on budget airlines. "We have not taken a decision. It is at a very preliminary stage."
Mr. Sridharan said SpiceJet is on track to take delivery of five additional Boeing 737-800 planes by February 2011, with the first plane coming in March this year. The airline currently has 19 Boeing planes.
He said an additional four Boeing planes will be added at a later stage, taking the fleet size to 28.
Mr. Sridharan reiterated that SpiceJet, which will complete five years of domestic operations on May 23, has sought approval from India's federal government to start flights to Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
28/01/10 PR Venkat/Wall Street Journal, USA

Nepal divided to allow India put Air-Marshals on Kathmandu bound flights

Nepal’s National Security Council Directorate-advisory board of the Government of Nepal on security matters have asked Government to reject Indian proposal for allowing deployment of Indian Air Marshals in all Air-flights bound to Kathmandu from India.
Sources as Prime Minister’s official secretariat reveal that the advisory board also asked the government to refrain from taking any decision that would have far-reaching impact on matters pertaining to nation and nationalism.
The advisory board comprise of the defense secretary, representatives of Nepal Army, director of Investigation Authority and Chief of General and Armed Police Forces.
“The security board has called the Indian pressure as Hegemonic behavior of India”, reports add.
It was reported on Wednesday that Indian diplomats have been pressurizing Nepal to allow deployment of Indian Air Marshals in all flights bound to Nepal citing “intelligence inputs” that the Lashkar-e-Toiba, an Islamic terrorist group plans to hijack an Indian carrier flying to and from SAARC countries.
However, Nepal’s Minister for Civil Aviation Mr. Sarat Singh Bhandarai told a media that such concerns being expressed by a country should not be linked to Nepali sovereignty.
28/01/10 Telegraph Nepal.com

AirAsia to launch direct flights to 6 new Indian routes in the first quarter of 2010

Kuala Lumpur : AirAsia, the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline is all out to rock and paint the India skies red by extending its footprint with the launch of its direct flights to 6 new routes in the first quarter of 2010. Conquering India skies by storm, the new services to key metro cities include Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi from Kuala Lumpur and from Penang to Chennai.
The Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad sectors will be serviced by AirAsia’s A320 aircrafts, Mumbai and Delhi will be served by its long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X via its new Airbus A330 fleet.
AirAsia is the only airline which connects to the most points in India from Malaysia with a total of 148 flights weekly. This new development is subsequent to AirAsia’s huge success of Tiruchirapplalli (Trichy) followed-by Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) recording an average of 80% load factor on all our four existing routes. Thus, these new services will not only complement AirAsia’s aggressive growth in India, but is also feeding more traffic into the country.
To mark the opening for sale of these new routes, AirAsia is offering an unbelievable all-in low fare from as low as RM 199 for the booking period from 27 – 31 January 2010.

AirAsia
Penang – Chennai : RM199.00 (INR 2,999.00)
Travel Period : 28 April – 30 October 2010
Kuala Lumpur – Chennai : RM199.00 (INR 2,999.00)
Travel Period : 17 May – 30 October 2010
Kuala Lumpur – Bangalore RM199.00 (INR 3,999.00)
Travel Period : 20 May – 30 October 2010
Kuala Lumpur – Hyderabad : RM199.00 (INR 3,999.00)
Travel Period : 20 July – 30 October 2010

AirAsia X
Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai : RM299.00 (INR 4,999.00)
Travel Period : 6 May – 30 October 2010
Kuala Lumpur – Delhi : RM299.00 (INR 4,999.00)
Travel Period : 4 August – 30 October 2010

Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively available online via www.airasia.com and mobile.airasia.com.
Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad said “AirAsia has well-arrived in the Indian market to change the very definition of low-cost airlines as the India market is booming. We are proud to position Kuala Lumpur as the gateway to India and at the same time it is India’s gateway to ASEAN. This is also a timely effort in response to our Prime’s Minister’s call on strengthening Malaysia – India bilateral relations. AirAsia will support this by liberalizing the air travel with our undisputed low-fares, opening-up the India market to the world and support businesses and more. To date, we have received an over-whelming response for our existing routes from Kuala Lumpur to India. Our continuous focus on making travel effortless for our guests with our simple, no-frills but convenient and renowned customer service, will stand AirAsia in good stead to compete with the best carriers in this region with the added bonus of lower fares. With the launch of these new routes we expect more guests from India to experience the pleasure of flying with the world’s best low-cost airline.”
AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan said, “India has always been on our network radar and thrilled to create history in the aviation industry today. There are various cultures, linguistics and a myriad of attractions; in short India is such a colourful country which you have to discover. This is a clear indicative of the fact that our expansion plans are fully on track. In fact, this signifies our keen determination in offering our guests truly low fares, unrivalled route network, award-winning products and services and the best-in-class travel value in the industry. We have been receiving a lot of requests from our guests and the travel community in Malaysia and India and we believe that our low fares will help to stimulate and trigger new travel demand, and will help to boost tourism potential from both ends,”
“We are confident that AirAsia’s direct connection serving Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai & Delhi will be able to stimulate new travel demands and further tap markets, especially that of young working adults and families, to travel to Malaysia and thereafter use Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to over 130 routes in Asia, that includes regional ASEAN cities or long-haul sectors serviced by AirAsia X. This translates into a low-cost yet efficient travel experience for guests who benefit from using the LCC Terminal in Kuala Lumpur to connect to destinations as diverse as Australia (Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne), China (Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu), Taipei, London and Abu Dhabi,” concluded Kathleen.
To add value, AirAsia, under GoHoliday at www.airasiago.com, also offers some great online hotel deals to stretch the dollar where guests can choose their holiday lodgings from over 50,000 hotels, tour packages and ground transfers. Guests are also encouraged to purchase food, baggage, hot seats online to enjoy more discounts and savings through www.airasia.com. AirAsia’s low-cost model, with its ultra low fares and modern fleet of comfortable and spacious aircraft, is undoubtedly an attractive consumer proposition, strong enough to compete with premium airlines.
Kuala Lumpur is an exciting and bustling metropolitan city and the center and symbol of Malaysia's rapid rise as an economic powerhouse. This includes amongst others the modern buildings of the Golden Triangle, massive shopping malls, rocket-like Petronas towers which rise above the city and driverless trains that glide across the city. Yet nestled amidst the high-rises, it still offers a glimpse of its colorful heritage and a taste of traditional, exotic Asia. With a blend of unique cultures, great variety of food and world-renowned attractions such as KLCC Twin Towers, Genting City of Entertainment often frequented by families, Sunway Lagoon water park, the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls located in the Langkawi islands, Taman Negara National Park, a major wildlife reserve, both Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur are renowned as perfect year-round holiday and business destinations. Guests are also spoilt for choice as there’s more than just Malaysia under the AirAsia network, with flights to exotic destinations across the ASEAN countries and beyond via its hubs in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu), Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket), and Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Bali).
26/01/10 PRESS RELEASE/Air Asia

AirAsia’s entry may reduce airfares to India

Petaling Jaya: A decline in airfares is a given with the entry of AirAsia and AirAsia X on the major routes to India, some of which were once tightly held by the incumbent.
Previously, Indian Airlines operated certain routes but it ceased over a year ago, following which Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has been the sole carrier for some of the points.
Now things will change and it is “normal to expect a drastic drop in airfares” with competition coming from the low-cost carrier, said an analyst.
How low fares could go is not clear but as a promotional offer, AirAsia is offering a one-way fare of RM199 and analysts believe the incumbent will also drop fares very soon in response to the RM199 offering.
A check on the respective airlines’ websites revealed that a round trip from KLIA to New Delhi on August 5 to 15 is RM719 on a low-cost carrier; AirAsia X is more than 50% lower than MAS, whose online fare was RM1,592, but MAS is a full service carrier.
“The incumbent will not drop fares to RM199 but a reasonable discount can be expected as it would want to safeguard its market share. Initially, the drop will be bigger but in the longer term and prices will stabilise. However, yields will come under pressure,” an industry source said.
The RM199 offer is for a limited period only.
The cutting of airfares to combat competition is nothing new as this was seen when AirAsia X began mounting flights to Melbourne and Perth.
AirAsia and its sister airline, AirAsia X, finally got the nod to fly to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai beginning April.
This will set a new wave of competition which is necessary for the Indian routes and gives more choices to consumers.
The low-cost carrier will fly from Penang to Chennai on April 28 and from Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai (May 6), Chennai (May 17), Bangalore (May 20), Hyderabad (July 20) and New Delhi (Aug 4).
28/01/10 BK Sidhu/The Star Online, Malaysia

Air India Express to restart Mumbai and Delhi flights from Doha

Doha: Air India Express will recommence its operations to Mumbai and Delhi from Doha effective February 1, 2010.
Due to operational reasons, Air India Express had suspended only its operations to Mumbai and Delhi for three weeks in January, 2010. However, these flights have been reinstated.
Due to weather conditions in Delhi, the flight will operate as per revised timings from February 1 to February 7, 2010 as Doha Departure 0205hrs, Arrival into Mumbai at 0730hrs and arrival into Delhi at 1035hrs.
The passengers travelling to Delhi will not have to disembark at Mumbai or change aircraft. The same plane will carry them to Delhi.
For the convenience of the travelling public, from February 8, 2010, Air India Express will operate ex Doha at 1715hrs, arrive into Mumbai at 2240hrs and Delhi at 0150+1hrs.
28/01/10 The Peninsula, Qatar

Headley flew PIA 7 times, named Pak father, yet went unchecked

New Delhi: In his flights to and from India, Lashkar-e-Toiba suspect David Coleman Headley flew Pakistan International Airlines seven times, mentioned his Pakistani father’s name — Syed Akhtar Geelani — in his passport and yet never raised a red flag in Indian immigration.
Top Intelligence sources have confirmed this to The Indian Express adding that as a cover, he used fake references, false entries, a quick switch of hotels — from the most expensive in Mumbai to backpacker haunts in Delhi — a shell office, shopping sprees in malls and bookstores.
His PIA flights assume significance given that their passenger manifests are routinely put through rigorous scrutiny and checks. In fact, these flights are timed in off-peak hours to facilitate careful inspection. Incidentally, Headley’s passport had his “American name,” instead of his original name Daood Geelani but it did mention his father’s name as Syed Akhtar Geelani.
The multi-agency probe into the nine visits made by Headley (between September 2006 and March 2009) and the single visit of his associate, Tahawwur Rana (November 2008) has uncovered a sinister modus operandi as the duo went about setting the stage for the Mumbai attacks.
28/01/10 Ritu Sarin/Indian Express

Ethos Swiss Watch Studios plots Indian airport expansion

Ethos Swiss Watch Studios, a leading Indian retailer of Swiss watches, is eyeing expansion across India’s airport network after recently opening an outlet at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 2.
The company’s first airport store opened in 2008 at the new Bengaluru International Airport, followed in October last year by a store at Delhi T1, Domestic Departures – described by the company as India’s first watch store in a domestic terminal. Then came the opening of its Departures duty free unit at Delhi T2. And the retailer said that “more airport stores are in the pipeline.”
Ethos Swiss Watch Studios CEO Yashovardhan Saboo said: “All of us at Ethos love the airport experience of welcoming new customers and meeting old friends and customers passing through Indian airports on business or holiday.
27/01/10 Dermot Davitt/The Moodie Report

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Canada deports '84 IA hijacker to India

Toronto: Canada on Tuesday deported the mastermind of the 1984 Indian Airline hijacker to India.
Parminder Singh Saini, 46, who took refuge in Toronto 15 years ago and faced deportation to India, was put on the plane back to India earlier on Tuesday, officials said. Saini was escorted by officials of the Canadian Border Security Agency to Toronto airport to board a flight for India.
It was not known on which airline flight he was put on his one-way journey to India.
Saini was the leader of five Sikh militants who hijacked an Indian Airlines flight from Srinagar to Delhi on July 6, 1984, with 255 passengers on board and took it to Lahore. The hijack drama ended after a 17-hour stand-off, with the hijackers surrendering to the Pakistani authorities.
After a trial in Pakistan, Saini was sentenced to death by a Lahore court.But the death sentence was commuted to life term. He was released after 10 years and asked to leave Pakistan.
In 1995, Saini entered Canada illegally under the name of Balbir Singh with a fake Afghan passport arranged by the Pakistanis. He maintained that he lied about his identity for fear of being deported to India.
27/01/10 IANS/IBNLive

Disaster averted as Iran Air flight lands with burst tyres

Mumbai: A major Republic Day disaster was averted at Mumbai Airport on Tuesday when an Iran Air Boeing-747 aircraft managed to land safely despite a set of burst tyres.
All 117 passengers and crew on the Tehran-Mumbai IR-810 were reported safe, according to airport sources.
The incident, which occurred around 8 am, was noticed by the pilot of the aircraft after landing as he was moving towards the passenger terminal.
He immediately alerted the concerned authorities and the aircraft was moved to a different location at Parking Bay No 49 where the passengers disembarked.
26/01/10 Indo-Asian News Service/Muslim News

Minister advises Nepal PM to agree to Indian request for sky marshals

Kathmandu: Nepal’s Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has asked for the opinion of his Cabinet colleagues and other party leaders on India’s request to have sky marshals on board Indian aircraft flying to Nepal. Simultaneously, the Nepalese Home Ministry has upgraded the security system at the Tribhuvan International Airport.
“India has sent its request and we are discussing it. At the same time, elaborate security arrangements have been made at the international airport,” said Home Minister Bhim Rawal, who was in Delhi recently.
“They can have sky marshals on board like other countries facing terror threats,” Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Singh Bhandary is believed to have advised the PM. Bhandary is also believed to have told the PM that all such arrangements will have to be on reciprocal basis and Nepal will get the same treatment if it wants to have its commandos on its aircraft flying to India.
Poor security arrangements at the international airport in Kathmandu — with an Indian Airlines plane having been hijacked in December 1999 — has been a matter of concern for India.
27/01/10 Yubraj Ghimire/Indian Express

Virgin Atlantic files case in UK against Jet

Mumbai: Britain-based Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd has filed a case in a UK court charging Jet Airways (India) Ltd with infringing its patent on flatbed seats for the premium class.
In its Tuesday edition, Mint reported that Jet Airways had objected to a patent claim filed in India by Virgin for the design and technology of the seats and the so-called herringbone configuration used in its upper class, the same as first or business classes on other carriers.
Virgin, founded by Richard Branson, holds the patent and design rights for the flatbed seating system in several countries, including in the UK.
“We are currently pursuing Jet in the UK courts for jointly developing a seat with manufacturer Contour, which infringes Virgin Atlantic’s patent,” Anna Knowles, head of public relations at Virgin Atlantic, wrote in an email on Tuesday. “Any actions which Jet takes in India will have no impact on these UK actions.”
26/01/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

AirAsia Targets Two Million Passenger To India By 2011

Kulala Lumpur: Budget carrier AirAsia, which will start services to five more Indian cities starting April, has targeted two million passengers to India by 2011, its group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes on Tuesday.
"We are proud to position Kuala Lumpur as the gateway to India and at the same time it is India's gateway to Asean," Fernandes said after the launch of the new services by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
The airline will start daily flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in the second and third quarters of this year.
It will fly from Penang to Chennai on April 28 and from Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai (May 6), Chennai (May 17), Bangalore (May 20), Hyderabad (July 20) and New Delhi (August 4).
Ong said with the new routes, Air Asia and and its long-haul carrier Air Asia X would be able to leverage on the fast economic growth of India.
"I hope that AirAsia and AirAsia X will continue to go forward and open up even more destinations in India and across the world to give Malaysians the oppportunity to visit new places and more importantly providing Malaysia's companies and businesses an avenue to go into new markets and explore new economic opportunities," he said.
26/01/10 Bernama, Malaysia

AI to face tough times from low-cost AirAsia

Flying to Malaysia will turn cheaper with low-cost carrier AirAsia on Tuesday announcing the launch of direct flights to link six new destinations in India during the first quarter of 2010.
While consumers will gain, ailing national carrier Air India is headed for more turbulent weather as it will have to face fierce competition on these routes. Air India operates both full service and no-frills services with Air India Express to Malaysia and will now come under pressure to cut fares.
According to an AirAsia statement, the new services will link Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur as well as Penang to Chennai. Bookings for low introductory fares have already been thrown open for these flights, which will be introduced in a staggered manner starting from April 28.
AirAsia currently operates 148 weekly flights to India from Malaysia. "The new flights have been prompted by AirAsia's huge success in recording an average of 80 per cent load factor on its four existing routes of Tiruchirapplalli, Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram," AirAsia Group chief executive officer (CEO) Tony Fernandes said.
"These new services will not only complement AirAsia's aggressive growth in India, but is also feeding more traffic into the country," he added.
The Chennai-Bangalore-Hyderabad sector will be serviced by AirAsia's A320 aircraft while Mumbai and Delhi will be served by its long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X, which has a new Airbus A330 fleet.
27/01/10 India Today

German airline wants hub in India

German carrier Lufthansa has been encouraged by the growing air traffic from India.
Lufthansa Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber has said he would like Delhi to become an international operational hub in the future, to feed from the European market.
Mayrhuber said there would be much more scope for transfer traffic, whereby international passengers could change planes in Delhi for their onward journey.
27/01/10 Macau News.Net

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

AirAsia Makes Beeline To India

New Delhi: Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia is stepping up its momentum in India with definite plans to add eight more routes in the next seven months.
The carrier started flights to India late in 2008, and flies at present to four destinations in India. Starting Jan. 27, its flights will be loaded for sale on its Web site.
This new service is a coup for the carrier, given that most airlines are reducing fleet capacity to deal with debts and waning customer demand.
Effective April 28, AirAsia will start its daily A320 Chennai-Penang flight, an old Malaysian Airlines sector. Penang is home to ethnic traffic, and AirAsia will offer fares as low as $43 from Trivandrum in South India to Kuala Lumpur.
The first week of May will see the launch of the Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur A330 service four times a week followed by Chennai-Kuala Lumpur on May 18, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore)-Kuala Lumpur daily A320 flights two days later, and daily Hyderabad-Kuala Lumpur flights on July 18. Starting Aug 1., AirAsia will start its daily service to Delhi on an A330.
Approvals are being sought by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for Thai AirAsia to fly Bangkok-Mumbai and Bangkok-Kolkata.
The carrier is looking at flying to 15 Indian destinations by the end of 2011 once it gets approvals.
India might become a bigger market for AirAsia than China. It has more than 60 destinations globally, and will be able to open markets such as Vietnam that have no connection to India, an official told AviationWeek.
25/01/10 Neelam Mathews/Aviation Week

Hijack plot not imminent threat: Brown

London: Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday declined to confirm or deny reports about a suspected plot by Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Pakistan to hijack an Indian plane and “crash” it into a British city saying the government did not discuss intelligence matters.
“Nobody is going to confirm [this],” he said.
But Mr. Brown played down speculation that the decision, at the weekend, to raise the terror threat level to “severe” was linked to any specific threat. He clarified that while the “severe” alert level implied that an attack was “highly likely” it did not mean that it was “imminent”.
Mr. Brown, who was speaking to reporters at his monthly Downing Street press conference, pointed out that a “number of factors” were taken into account while deciding to raise the threat level. Such a decision was never based on “just one” factor, he said.
He was reacting to a front page report in The Sunday Times that the weekend’s terror alert was prompted by warning from Indian authorities that Al-Qaeda militants planned to hijack an Air India or Indian Airlines plane from either Delhi or Mumbai and use it to attack Britain.
The paper claimed that MI5 was told about the alleged plot by India early last week following the interrogation of Amjad Khwaja, a suspected militant, arrested recently.
26/01/10 Hasan Suroor/The Hindu

Man dies on flight from Ethiopia, body taken off board at IGI

New Delhi: A tanzanian national on a flight from Addis Ababa to Beijing died on Saturday on board the Ethiopian Airways, which had a stopover at IGI Airport here.
Since Musak Suleman Amir, 36, did not have an Indian visa, his body was kept at the airside for over three hours till the Tanzanian Embassy was contacted to verify his details.
According to airport officials, Amir complained of feeling uneasy two hours after the flight took off from the Ethiopian capital — he reportedly collapsed inside the airborne-plane.
The Ethiopian Airways flight (ET 604) had a stopover at Delhi, and Amir’s body was be de-boarded at IGI Airport. Airport sources said he was declared dead by doctors after arrival at the city airport around 4.30 pm, and the police followed the standard operating procedure of informing the concerned embassy.
Amir’s body is now awaiting postmortem at Safdurjung Hospital, and further formalities would be performed only once the relatives get in touch with the airport authorities in India, a senior official said.
26/01/10 Geeta Gupta/Indian Express

Monday, January 25, 2010

Police look for ‘bullet’ doctor

New Delhi: Delhi police are looking for a US-based Bengali doctor who was detained after live bullets were found in his flight luggage but vanished before he was to board a plane to Calcutta. Red-faced cops in the capital have now turned to their counterparts in Calcutta for help as Subroto Lahiri was scheduled to reach the Bengal capital on Friday.
A Delhi police officer, however, said Lahiri’s relatives had denied that he had reached Calcutta.
“During investigation, it was found that Lahiri had taken an Indigo flight to Calcutta. However, his relatives in Calcutta are denying that he has reached. If Calcutta police manage to trace him, we will send a team to arrest Lahiri,” a Delhi police officer said.
Lahiri, who has been living in the US for the past 25 years and is said to be a professor at a university, had landed at Delhi airport on January 20 and boarded a coach for the domestic terminal for a connecting Kingfisher flight to Calcutta.
But in the coach he had left behind a bag, which was found by the Central Industrial Security Force. When the bag was opened, it was found to have live cartridges.
“..Lahiri was detained. He is a licence holder but his licence is not valid in India,” the police officer said.
During detention, Lahiri complained of chest pain and was admitted to the Apollo medical unit at Delhi airport. “After completing the formalities, we allowed him to leave for Calcutta,” the police officer said.
24/01/10 Ananya Sengupta/The Telegraph

Cops hunt for NRI caught with bullets

New Delhi: The cops have launched a hunt for a US-based Indian from whose bag live cartridges were recovered at IGI Airport on Tuesday.
The Delhi police have sought help from their Kolkata counterparts to locate Subroto Lahiri, reportedly a professor at a US university, who gave investigators the slip on Friday. Cops lost track of him even though he was in their custody earlier. Lahiri was to board a morning flight to Kolkata on Friday but instead took a different flight later that day, police said. Lahiri was detained on Tuesday after CISF personnel recovered live cartridges from a bag he left behind in the coach.
During questioning, Lahiri complained of chest pain and was admitted to a medical unit at the airport. He was later shifted to a hospital in Vasant Kunj and was discharged on Thursday.
Lahiri was scheduled to board the Kingfisher flight on Friday morning. But according to sources, he took a different flight. His relatives in Kolkata claimed he had not reached.
25/01/10 Times of India

MAS unit makes major inroads into India’s MRO sector

Chennai: MAS Aerospace Engineering Sdn Bhd (MAE), a unit of Malaysia Airlines, is making major inroads into one of the fastest-growing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market in the world through its 50:50 joint venture with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) in India.
Formed last year, the joint-venture company, MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Co Ltd (MAG) has signed MRO deals with two major airlines in the country this month.
One of them is with low-cost carrier SpiceJet while the other is with Jet Airways group. And these agreements were signed despite the fact that MAG’s MRO facilities are currently still under construction.
The facilities at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad will be completed in the second quarter next year.
The values of the agreements are not stated, but it is believed they will bring in quite siginificant revenues for MAG once the agreements come into effect.
This is particularly so with the works to be done for Jet Airways group.
Jet Airways operates a fleet of more than 100 aircraft of various models. It is the second-largest airline in India after Air India.
It was a win-win situation as the MRO agreement with MAG could result in a cost-savings of up to US$820mil for Jet Airways over the span of 10 years, said Jet Airways executive director Saroj K. Datta.
The agreements with SpiceJet, which involves three years of maintenance and support works, could come with a value ranging from US$4mil to US$12mil.
25/01/10 Cecilia Kok/The Star, Malaysia

Hungary for direct air link with India, says its foreign minister

Mumbai: European Union member, Hungary, is keen to establish a direct air-link between its capital Budapest and New Delhi and has taken up the issue with the Indian government, Hungarian foreign minister, Peter Balazs, said
The Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, was quite positive on the issue, Balazs said, adding, "of course, we have to see the conditions, how many times a week, what expenses would emerge."
India and Hungary do not have any direct air-connectivity and one has to criss-cross several countries to travel either way.
Balazs, however, did not give any timeline on when the proposed air-service would commence operations.
25/01/10 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Indian hijack plot caused new UK terror alert

Fears that Islamist terrorists plan to hijack an Indian passenger jet and crash it into a British city helped to prompt this weekend’s heightened terror alert.
MI5 was told by the Indian authorities early last week about a suspected plot by militants linked to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan to hijack an Air India or Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai or Delhi.
The warning, which came after the capture of a suspected Islamic leader, was contained in a detailed “threat assessment” sent to MI5 by the Indian Intelligence Bureau. It did not state that Britain was a specific target. But police security sources said it had raised fears in London that a British city might be attacked.
The warning revived long-running concerns following an Al-Qaeda plot in 2003 in which a hijacked aircraft was to be flown into Heathrow airport. That incident led Tony Blair, then prime minister, to make the largely symbolic move of dispatching armoured vehicles to guard the airport perimeter.
The Indian government has increased passenger screening and frisking at all main airports. It is deploying additional armed sky marshals to deal with the threat.
The threat to hijack an Indian aircraft was uncovered during the interrogation of Amjad Khwaja, a member of a militant Islamist group involved in numerous attacks against India.
He was arrested in the southern city of Chennai earlier this month. He is said to be a leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, a militant group involved in terrorist attacks in India.
24/01/10 David Leppard/Times, UK

IATA calls for harmonising security laws

New Delhi: With heightened terror threat on civil aviation the world over, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has asked governments to harmonise security laws and procedures, upgrade screening technologies and share passenger data to identify those wanted.
The appeal by IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani came after a conference attended by US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Janet Napolitano, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) secretary general Roberto Gonzalez and top executives from 25 airlines and US government officials.
The meeting came on a day when high security alert was issued to all Indian airports and airlines, including Air India, following intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al-Qaeda terrorists were plotting to hijack an Indian plane in the region.
In line with the IATA appeal, India and the US recently set up a joint working group of officials of the Transportation Security Administration and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to standardise security procedures, including laying down parameters for deployment of sky marshals on flights between the two countries and transfer of security-related technology.
At the conference in Geneva on Friday, IATA and the airlines made several recommendations, including institutionalising government and industry cooperation on security matters. This would allow security policies to be written with the benefit of airlines’ operational expertise. IATA also urged the ICAO to create a template for such cooperation to be implemented globally, a spokesperson for the global airlines body said.
24/01/10 PTI/Economic Times

ASEAN wants to firm up open skies regime with India

Chennai: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is keen on firming up an “open skies regime” with India, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General S. Pushpanathan said here on Saturday.
An open skies regime with India would enhance air connectivity, which was key to integration of regional markets, he said participating in a plenary session on “From Regional Integration to Global Partnerships” at the Partnership Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
The ASEAN-India Aviation Cooperation Framework sets a preface for moving to an India-ASEAN open skies regime.
While ASEAN expected to firm up the open skies regime with India in “the next few years,” it expected to finalise a similar pact with China by year-end, Mr. Pushpanathan said.
Pointing out that one of the key trends was an increasing volume of trade within the region, the official said ASEAN was also looking at a wider Free Trade Agreement (FTA) involving India, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.
A “mutual recognition arrangement” was being mooted to ensure freer movement of labour within ASEAN, he said.
24/01/10 M Dinesh Varma/The Hindu

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Tribhuvan International Airport on high alert

Kathmandu: Security at Tribhuvan International Airport has been beefed up to foil any possible security risks after the Indian government sensitized all Air India planes operating to and from India’s neighbouring countries.
The Indian government move followed ‘intelligence inputs that terrorist groups with allegiance to al-Qaeda, Lashker-e-Toiba and Jamat-ul-Dawa were planning to hijack an Air India plane, especially operating to or from SAARC countries.
“We are on high alert in view of a possible hijack plot,” said Keshav Raj Khanal, Director General at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
The Home Ministry, however, said there was no formal notice issued in this regard. “We have taken the issue seriously in order to avert any untoward incident,” said Jay Mukunda Khanal, the Home Ministry spokesman.
India has increased security at its airports and warned its domestic airlines about a possible hijack attempt by Islamic militant groups following Western intelligence reports, according to Indian officials.
22/01/10 Baburam Kharel & Sangam Prasai/The Kathmandu Post

Malaysian airlines keep to schedule despite Indian alert

Petaling Jaya: Flights going to and from India will keep to their schedules despite Indian airports being put on high terror alert yesterday because of information that militants were plotting to hijack a plane.
An AirAsia spokesperson said airlines was aware of the alert but they had not received any official statement or directive from the Indian authorities.
“Nevertheless, we are monitoring this closely and so far, no flights are affected,” said the spokesperson.
A Malaysia Airlines official said it had yet to receive any official statement from the Indian Go­­vern­ment.
“At the moment, our flights will take off as usual,” said the MAS spokesperson.
23/01/10 The Star Pnline, Malaysia

'Air India may have to wait longer to join Star Alliance'

New Delhi: The formal induction of Air India as a member of Star Alliance, the largest pact among global carriers, is expected to be delayed further as it is yet to integrate its systems, a top official from a founding member of the alliance said.
The remarks by Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman and chief executive of Lufthansa, came after a meeting with Arvind Jadhav, Air India's chairman and managing director, to discuss among other issues the progress being made by the Indian carrier to join Star Alliance.
"Apart from upgrading its IT technology, there are other issues also which have to be worked out before Air India becomes a full member part of Star Alliance," Mayrhuber told IANS.
Star Alliance, which has 25 carriers as members, has a network that operates more than 19,500 flights every day from as many as 1,071 airports in 171 countries.
Air India has been wanting to join Star Alliance ever since it was invited in 2006 as it entails benefits such as improved product offering, better service standards, access to new markets and premium customers and partnership with leading global carriers.
23/01/10 IANS/Economic Times

MAG signs 10-year deal with Jet Airways

Chennai: MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Co Ltd (MAG) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jet Airways for an exclusive 10-year deal with an option for another five years, for the provision of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the latter’s entire fleet of aircraft in India.
This is the first major deal in India for MAG, which is a 50:50 joint venture between MAS Aerospace Engineering (MAE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL). It is expected to take effect from the second quarter of next year upon the completion of the first phase of MAG’s facility in the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
The deal with Jet Airways is seen as setting the stage for MAE to build its presence in the fast-growing Indian market, where airline fleets are expected to triple in the next 10 years. MAE had earlier this week signed a three-year maintenance support agreement with SpiceJet for its fleet of Boeing 737.
While the value of the MRO deal with Jet Airways was not disclosed, GHIAL chief operating officer of aviation and aerospece business D. Ravindran told reporters that works for Jet Airways were expected to constitute around 55% of MAG’s business.
23/01/10 Cecilia Kok/The Star Online

Friday, January 22, 2010

India, US agree to deploy sky marshals on flights

New Delhi: India and the US have agreed to deploy sky marshals on flights between the two countries.
An agreement on this was inked Wednesday with the Joint US-India Aviation Security Working Group agreeing to deploy sky marshals. The agreement will ensure clear parameters for their deployment, an official statement said.
Both sides are also expected to work out a list of dignitaries who would be exempted from pre-embarkation security checks at airports in the two countries.
In April last year, former president APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked by the staff of Continental Airlines at Delhi airport before boarding a flight for the US.
21/01/10 Economic Times

India, US ink 2 pacts on flight security

New Delhi: India and the US on Thursday signed two agreements, with one of them meant to standardise various security procedures that will lay down parameters for deployment of sky marshals in flights between the two countries and the other on cooperation in airport technical visits.
A Joint Working Group (JWG) of officials of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) discussed issues relating to transfer of technology, including full body scanners and X-ray systems, and training.
However, the Indian side’s request that dual screening of baggage on US-bound flights be dispensed with, has not been met as the US has expressed its apprehensions. This would involve the US side surveying the security operations at the originating airports, a spokesperson said, adding that India would facilitate an early visit by the TSA to enable this process. The recently formed JWG would meet periodically to take forward the issues agreed upon.
22/01/10 Indian Express

US envoy lauds US-India cooperation in aviation security

New Delhi: The United States and India are pleased to announce the formulation of the US-India aviation security working group, a bilateral interagency and inter-ministry working group led on the US side by the US transportation security administration and on the Indian side by the ministry of civil aviation.
The group, conceived during the 2009 US-India aviation partnership summit held in Washington DC in December, held its first set of meetings in New Delhi on January 20 and 21.
In accordance with the bilateral goals as reflected by the US-India Air Transport Agreement of 2005, the purpose of the working group is to build upon the strategic partnership between the US government and the government of India to enhance international civil aviation security.The group envisions subsequent meetings to be hosted alternatively by each country.
21/01/10 ANI/Thaindian.com, Thailand

Jet, KF, AI to push int'l biz

Mumbai: If its globe trotting you're into, you could soon be spoilt for choices be it Johannesburg, Dubai, Washington or Boston, if you want to fly to these cities this summer most Indian airlines will be vying for your wallet as Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India plan to add flights to these destinations to leverage the upcoming peak travel season especially as travel agents say that cheap tickets to the Europe and America are getting sold out, during the March and May period.
Consumer confidence apart, the Indian aviation appears to be in recovery mode. Air traffic grew nearly 8% in 2009 over the previous year and airlines carried over 445 lakh passengers versus 413 lakh in 2008, in fact, international operations contributed 62% of Jet Airways' September quarter revenues in 2008, up from 12% in the 2005-2006 fiscal. Meanwhile, Kingfisher has upped capacity to London, Colombo and Dhaka and is now keen to launch a Mumbai-Dubai flight after its success on the Bangalore - Dubai sector.
Jet too is keen to launch Mumbai-Johannesburg as experts say there is a lot of business opportunity between India and South Africa as about 92,600 passengers flew between Mumbai and Johannesburg in 2007-08 given the strong NRI and student population there.
19/01/10 Shuchi Srivastava/Bloomberg UTV

Jet Airways commences Delhi-Doha daily flights

New Delhi: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, today launched its daily services on the Delhi-Doha sector, aboard a state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The new flight is Jet Airways’ third daily flight to Doha from India, complementing the airline’s existing daily services to Doha from Mumbai and Kochi respectively.
Flight 9W 554, with a full complement of passengers, will depart Delhi at 1945 hrs, arriving in Doha at 2150 hrs. Flight 9W 553 will then depart Doha at 2305 hrs, arriving in Delhi at 0515 hrs, the following morning.
According to Mr. Nikos Kardassis, Acting CEO, Jet Airways, “Doha has been among the more popular destinations in Jet Airways’ international network, and the airline’s services to and from India to the capital of Qatar have been much appreciated by travelers. The launch of our daily services to Doha from Delhi will cater to the strong customer demand for direct flights on the route, and will also connect travelers from Doha to Jet Airways' 61-destination strong network spanning the length and breadth of India and beyond."
In addition to Doha, Jet Airways flies from India to eight destinations in the Gulf, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Sharjah and Riyadh.
21/01/10 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

Passenger Arrested for Using Fake Passport

Mangalore: A passenger named Tajuddin (28), residing near the Railway Gate in Manjeshwar Hosangady, was detained by the immigration on Wednesday January 20, while trying to travel to Bahrain by using a fake passport. He was to take the Air India Express Flight from the local airport.
He had gone to Bahrain for work in the year 2004. As his passport was retained by the supervisor of the company for which he works, he had come to India by using the emigration clearance facility.
21/01/10 Daijiworld.com

Thursday, January 21, 2010

AI flight delayed after passenger found with match-box

New Delhi: A Bangkok-bound Air India flight from here was today delayed by about three hours after a person allegedly boarded the plane carrying a match-box and all passengers had to undergo the security check once again.
"The incident happened around 2 pm, when Air India flight IC 853 with 117 passengers and six crew members was ready to fly. A lady passenger allegedly spotted a co-passenger possessing a match-box and lighting a cigarette," an airline official said.
She informed the cabin crew, who in turn alerted the pilot. The pilot, following the safety procedure, asked all the passengers to undergo security check once again, he said.
20/01/10 Press Trust of India

KA flight violated air security too

Mumbai: The Kuwait Airways flight from Mumbai Airport which flew with three extra passengers in October last year has turned out to be a serious case of not just air safety but also air security violation. It has now emerged that even documents were manipulated to show that the trio was not on board at all.
The three passengers, whose case is being investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, were “offloaded’’ on paper and their boarding passes deliberately not scanned so that their presence on board was not registered. The trio flew business class and among them carried a total of 15 bags, with check-in bags alone weighing 221 kg.
It is not known whether the Kuwait Airways pilots were aware that a total of 400 kg of “unaccounted’’ extra weight had been loaded on to their A300 aircraft.
According to sources, the three passengers were the mother and two female relatives of a Kuwaiti national who worked for Kuwait Airways and was based in Mumbai airport. “They had three economy-class open tickets, and though the economy class, with a total of 214 seats, was over-booked on flight KU 302 of October 20, the airline station manager decided to accommodate his colleague’s relatives,’’ an official alleged. Khalid AlHazza, the Kuwait Airways station manager, when contacted, said that a staff member would comment on the issue. The staff member, when questioned, said that the matter was being investigated.
The problems began when the three passengers had to be upgraded to business class since the economy class was overbooked. This meant violating the Kuwait Airways policy, which dictates that passengers with open tickets should not be upgraded. It was to circumvent this policy that a number of rules were broken.
But since the three passengers were “offloaded’’ on paper, the load and trim sheet (which is prepared by Air India staff for Kuwait Airways) was changed accordingly. A load and trim sheet has crucial inputs like total weight carried on board, where and how it is loaded and so on to ensure that the aircraft stays balanced and in control during all stages of a flight.
21/01/10 Manu V/Times of India

Air India’s Engineering Achieves Significant Financial Gains

Air India has assembled, tested and delivered CF6 80C2 Engine S/No: 695 296 belonging to a Customer routed through Aerostar, earning approx. USD 300,000 in December 2009. Air India had recently entered in to a strategic marketing alliance with Aerostar Asset Management, a Dubai based Company, to form “The A Team” for providing Engine repair management solutions to Operators in the Gulf and Middle East region to begin with.
Last week, the Facility notched up two more landmarks accruing a total saving of approx. USD 650,000. The first 131-9B APU S/No: 7313 {Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) for new generation B 737-800 Aircraft} was assembled in the Engine Overhaul Facility. Also the assembling and testing of a fully refurbished CFM 56-7B27 Engine (B737-800) belonging to Lessor (Air Castle) was performed successfully with excellent results.
20/01/10 Vadvert, UK

Hijacker denied right to become a lawyer in Ontario

Toronto: A man convicted of hijacking a 1984 Air India flight and who has battling Canada's immigration system for more than a decade doesn't have sufficiently good character to practice law in Ontario, the province's law society has decided.
Parminder Singh Saini, who was jailed in Pakistan for 10 years before coming to Canada with fake identification, applied for inclusion in the Upper Canada Law Society in 2006. His application was denied in a ruling last week.
Mr. Saini led the militant Sikh student organization that hijacked the plane, bound from Srinagar to New Delhi, with 264 people on board. The plane landed safely in Lahore and no one was hurt.
Mr. Saini was originally sentenced to death, then given a life sentence. He was released on parole in 1994 and came to Canada with a fake passport and name in 1995 to join family in Brampton, Ont. He was detained for years by immigration authorities, and while battling multiple deportation orders, got a political science degree from York University and a law degree from the University of Windsor.
20/01/10 Anna Mehler-Paperny/ Globe and Mail, Canada

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

PrivatAir prepares for Arabian venture; explores opportunities in India

Swiss VIP charter and management company PrivatAir is gearing up to establish a Middle Eastern base by June as part of a strategy to expand the global footprint of this high-end business aircraft services company.
"The Middle East has a huge appeal for PrivatAir," says chief executive Greg Thomas. "We have wanted to establish a PrivatAir Arabia base for some time, but now the market is ripe for the move. We plan to be up and running in Bahrain by June and if this move is successful we may consider setting up as second base in Dubai, Jeddah or Abu Dhabi."
Thomas says the Middle East has weathered the economic storm better than most of the developed countries and the potential across the region for its management and charter brand is strong.
PrivatAir is also exploring opportunities in India and China. Thomas says both are "ripe for business aviation, with poor transport infrastructure, underdeveloped airline network, and a growing population of millionaires. But there is no set timetable for establishing a base there."
The Geneva-based company - which has an eight-strong aircraft fleet including four Boeing Business Jets, a Boeing 757 and 767 - is evaluating a move into the nascent European very light jet air taxi market in 2011, when the industry is expected to be on the road to recovery.
19/01/10 Kate Sarsfield/Flight Global.com

Qatar Airways adds Bengaluru from February 22

Qatar Airways today unveiled the launch date of its newest Indian destination with daily non-stop scheduled flights between Doha and Bengaluru (Bangalore) beginning on February 22.
To celebrate the new route, Qatar Airways is introducing launch fares from key international markets to Bengaluru. The airline kicks off its promotional activities this week with a print and radio media campaign across the southern Indian state of Karnataka, of which Bengaluru is the capital city.
In addition, depending on the country of origin, members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club will earn up to 28,000 bonus Qmiles when they fly the new Bengaluru route.
With the addition of Bengaluru, Qatar Airways' Indian capacity will rise to 71 flights a week spread across 11 cities. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Cochin, Kozhikode, and recently introduced Goa and Amritsar.
The Doha - Bengaluru route will be operated by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 in Economy.
19/01/10 AMEinfo.com, UAE

Indian man jailed for stealing mobile phone at Dubai airport

Dubai: A storehouse keeper has been jailed for three months for stealing a mobile phone from Dubai airport and keeping it with his wife, who faces a three-month suspended sentence.
The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the 33-year-old Indian of stealing a mobile phone which was left behind in a washroom at Dubai International Airport's duty free section.
Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout also convicted his 33-year-old Indian wife, but suspended her sentence after she claimed that she was unaware that the mobile phone was stolen.
Prosecutors charged the keeper, A.H., with stealing the mobile phone, which belonged to an Emirati police sergeant. A.H.'s wife, M.L. was charged with possessing stolen goods.
The primary judgment is still subject to appeal within 15 days.
20/01/10 Bassam Za'za'/Gulf News.com, UAE

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Boeing MRO unit to take off

New Delhi: Boeing will invest $100 million to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul centre in Nagpur by the second quarter of this year. The project will be a joint venture with state-run Air India
“We deliberately delayed the MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) project as we wanted to time it to match with the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Air India. Now, we are on track to deliver the first 787 Dreamliner to Air India by the second quarter of 2011,” Boeing India chief Dinesh Keskar told reporters here.
The Dreamliners were originally scheduled to be delivered in late 2009.
Air India has ordered 27 of the twin-aisle, long-haul aircraft. The MRO would come up by late 2013 or early 2014, Keskar said.
About 50 acres had been allotted by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company and construction will start in the “second quarter of this year”.
Keskar said the MRO facility was intended to serve 23 Boeing 777s, 27 Dreamliner 787s as also other aircraft such as the 737s ordered by Air India.
19/01/10 The Telegraph

Boeing, Airbus fight over market share in India

Mumbai: With around 242 aircraft expected to be delivered to Indian carriers over the next five years between 2010 and 2014, Boeing and Airbus are locked in battle over market share.
According to Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar, the company is supposed to deliver an additional 100 aircraft to its Indian customers over the next five years. Talking to FE, Keskar said, “We have not had any cancellations from India and so far our orders are intact.” Boeing’s main customer is National Aviation Company of India, which alone accounts for 68 aircraft orders.
Airbus is slated to deliver 142 aircraft according to a company official. This would take its share to around 54% of the total 680 aircraft expected to be in operation. Airbus’ primary customer in India is Kingfisher Airlines.
Of the total 440 aircraft in use today, Airbus accounts for 223 or 51%, while close to 220 aircraft come from the Boeing stable. In 2005, Indian carriers were operating close to 200 aircraft and Keskar estimates that the country will need around 1000 aircraft, valued currently at close to $100 billion (Rs 470,000 crore), over the next 20 years.
Airbus delivered its first aircraft in 1976 to the erstwhile Indian Airlines, and with carriers like Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Air India, among its current crop of customers, the company estimates that the country will need around 992 aircraft by 2026.
19/01/10 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

Boeing Gets Initial India Request For 6 Refueling Planes

New Delhi: Boeing Co. (BA) said Monday it has received initial requests for information from India's federal government for supplying six refueling tankers, in what is likely to further expand the U.S. aircraft maker's presence in this burgeoning market for defense equipment.
"We will do a detailed evaluation of the request for interest from the Indian government, study our inventory, and accordingly inform the government," Vivek Lall, vice president and country head of defense and space and security at Boeing India, told reporters.
Lall didn't elaborate on the potential value of the contract. Earlier this month, Boeing said that the U.S. government has received a letter of request from India's defense ministry and the Indian Air Force on the potential acquisition of 10 C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters.
18/01/10 Nikhil Gulati/Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal

MAE And India's Spicejet Sign 3-Year Maintenance Support Agreement

Kuala Lumpur: MAS Aerospace Engineering (MAE) sealed a three-year maintenance support agreement Monday with India's SpiceJet for the airline's fleet of Boeing 737 New Generation series aircraft.
The first aircraft had arrived at MAE's Subang hangar last Friday.
MAE managing director Mohd Roslan Ismail said with SpiceJet coming on board for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, it also made the low-fare airline the first airline customer of MAS-GMR Hyderabad Engineering Company Ltd.
The airframe MRO joint venture company was established by MAE and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd on a 50:50 basis in Hyderabad last year.
Roslan said SpiceJet's current fleet of 19 aircraft and future aircraft would be sent to MAE for 'C' and heavy checks from 2010 until 2013, adding that the airline would add 12 B737 New Generation aircraft over the next two years to build a fleet of 31 aircraft
The 'C' checks are where virtually the entire aircraft goes through a series of checks, inspections and overhaul work.
"SpiceJet's aircraft will first be serviced in Subang. Once our joint-venture company in Hyderabad commences operation by the first quarter of 2011, the aircraft wil be serviced on the subcontinent," Roslan told reporters after the signing ceremony here Monday.
The facility at the Hyderabad airport will provide base maintenance services, starting with 'C' checks for narrow bodied aircraft like Airbus A 320 and Boeing 737, including the B-737 Classic and B-737 next generation aircraft.
18/01/10 Bernama, Malaysia

Boarding pass swap at airport lands trio in jail

Mumbai: Three Sri Lankans - one of whom holds a Danish passport - were arrested by the Sahar police from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Monday in an ingenious case of human trafficking.
According to police sources, 27-year-old Sivapatha Jayakant - the Sri Lankan with a Danish passport and a valid French visa - had purchased ticket to France for Sunday night.
According to plan, his fellow countryman, Rajratnam Sagaram, 30 - who holds a Sri Lankan passport - purchased a ticket to Cochin on an Air India flight that arrives from the Gulf. This flight then accommodates domestic passengers from Mumbai at the international airport. Police sources disclosed that Sivapatha and Rajratnam planned their rendezvous in such a way so that both of them would be at the airport at the same time. Sivapatha underwent the routine immigration and security check required for international flights, while, Rajratnam - since he was to take a domestic flight to Cochin - was only required to clear the security check.
The two then met in the security hold - which accommodates passengers of both, domestic as well as foreign flights - and swapped their respective boarding passes.
“Rajratnam - who carried Sivapatha’s boarding pass for a direct flight to France - had even proceeded to board the aircraft. However immigration authorities suspected something afoul and checked his travel documents. They then found that he did not have a French visa and that he was travelling on someone else’s ticket,” Sahar police sources said.
A third Sri Lankan national, V Vimal Alex, who had arrived to see the two off, was also detained.
19/01/10 Abhijit Sathe/Mumbai Mirror

Remove names of Sikhs from Blacklist, Akal Takht Jathedar asks Govt

Amritsar: Jathedar Akal Takht (highest Sikh Temporal Seat) Gyani Gurbachan Singh asked the Union Government of India to remove the name of Sikh persons from black list so that they could come to India.
Addressing the media persons here Monday, Jathedar said that number of Sikh people and Sikh families living abroad were unable to visit India to pay obeisance at Harmandahr Sahib (popularly know as Golden Temple) Amritsar due to their name existing in the blacklist of Indian Government.
Citing the recent example, Jathedar said that few days back on January 12, New Zealand based Sikh lady Shubneet Kaur was deported from Delhi Airport along with his two years old son on the pretext that her name stood in the blacklist of Indian Government. Whereas, she had visited India two years back along with her husband and now her name was appearing in the blacklist.
8/01/10 Jagmohan Singh/PunjabNewsLine

Monday, January 18, 2010

SpiceJet shortlists four foreign destinations, to shift to GDS

New Delhi: India’s second largest low-cost carrier by passengers flown, SpiceJet Ltd, has applied for permission to fly abroad and hopes to land in one of four neighbouring nations it has shortlisted for expansion by July this year.
Analysts, however, say SpiceJet should focus on stabilizing its domestic operations before venturing into the highly competitive foreign market.
SpiceJet is already taking the first steps towards running international flights—including registering with a global distribution system of ticketing and seeking the membership of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), the global lobby for airlines.
“We will have 21 planes when we go international. We are looking at a June-July time frame,” said chief executive Sanjay Aggarwal.
Any carrier requires a fleet of at least 20 aircraft before it can be considered for an international licence. Aggarwal said SpiceJet would meet the requirement by March. “We are working with the (aviation) ministry and the DGCA (directorate general of civil aviation) to get everything going. That’s where we are until we get the approvals,” he added.
DGCA is checking SpiceJet’s international preparedness, including the capability and maintenance of its aircraft and the training levels of its pilots and engineers, an aviation ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
SpiceJet wants to fly to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives in the first phase of its international operations. If approved, SpiceJet will become only the fourth Indian carrier to fly internationally—after National Aviation Co. of India Ltd-run Air India, Jet Airways (India) Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.
17/01/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

DGCA reprieve on deadline to phase-out expat pilots

Mumbai: Domestic air-operators seem to have earned a reprieve with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) understood to have extended the deadline for phasing out expat pilots by one year.
The aviation industry regulator had earlier fixed July 31, 2010, as the deadline for domestic airlines to phase out their foreign pilots.
"The DGCA has given us more time to phase out expat pilots. It has extended the deadline by one year," a top industry official told PTI here.
17/01/10 Press Trust of India

Sunday, January 17, 2010

24 yrs after Pan Am hijack, Neerja Bhanot killer falls to drone

Washington: Half of India's population today wasn't born when she died in 1986 in a hail of gunfire on a hijacked plane after courageously saving scores of passengers, a feat for which she was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra in India, Tamgha-e-Insaniyat in Pakistan and the Justice for Crimes Award in the US. Earlier this week, some 24 years after her heroism, one of her killers died a dog's death in the badlands of Pakistan, reportedly shot to pieces in a US drone attack.
The saga of Neerja Bhanot transfixed India at a time where there was no 24-hour news television and it had little to do with the fact that her father was a New Delhi journalist. She was a flight attendant on Pan Am Flight 73 as it headed out of Mumbai to Karachi en route to Frankfurt and onward to New York City. Four armed men dressed as airport security guards stormed the plane in Karachi. The cabin crew managed to alert the pilots, who decamped, effectively grounding the flight.
In the hours-long ordeal that followed, Neerja showed exemplary courage, attested by some 350 passengers who survived the nightmare, although some 20 died and 120 were wounded after hijackers opened fire on them when Pakistani commandos prepared to storm the plane. Among her acts of courage was her refusal to collect US passports and hiding some of them as the hijackers sought to isolate Americans and Indians.
Neerja died shielding three children from gunfire as a bloody massacre erupted on the plane. The hijackers, who were said to be from the Abu Nidal Organisation, were eventually captured, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in 1988. But in a Pakistan that became increasingly permissive about terrorism, the sentences were later commuted to life in prison.
Earlier this week, Pakistani intelligence officials announced that a January 9 missile strike in the North Waziristan tribal region killed Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, one of the hijackers.
17/01/10 Chidanand Rajghatta/Times of India

Denial of entry to Sikh woman, son severely criticized by Sikh orgs and Human Rights bodies

Patiala: Various Sikh and Human Rights organizations including Sikh Students Federation, SAD (Panch Pardhani), Dal Khalsa, Khalsa Action Committee, Sikhs for Human Rights, Khalra Mission Organization and New Zealand Supreme Sikh Council, have severely criticized Indian authorities for denial of entry to Sikh women Shubhneet Kaur, a New Zealand citizen from Manukau, and her year’s old son Bachint Vir Singh. NZSSC representative S. Daljeet Singh who is currently in India informed that Shabneet Kaur, who migrated to NZ about a decade ago, had visited India earlier also since her migration. “Both, the mother and the son returned to New Zealand after spending allowed period here in India in February, 2008. But this time they are denied entry on their arrival Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. ” he added.
It is notable that Shubneed had secured the visa required for the purpose, for herself and her son, from NZ based Indian Embassy. The authorities at New Delhi Airport questioned Shubneet and her son and informed their names appear in black list of Sikhs who can not enter into India. “When the matter came to my knowledge, I contacted many leaders and authorities in India and NZ, but of no avail as they were send back to NZ by India authorities with in hours of their landing.” said Daljeet Singh.
16/01/10 Daljeet Singh/Sikh Siyasat

Financial worries add to stowaway Habib's woes

New Delhi: Habib Hussain, arrested in Jaipur on Dec 25 after taking an Air India flight from Saudi Arabia without ticket or passport, is out on bail and back home in Moradabad. But the 26 year-old stowaway’s rough ride is far from over.
With his immigration plans permanently botched, the poverty and deprivation that Habib had tried so hard to pull his family out of, have deepened. The costs of a court case, frequent journeys of family members to Jaipur, the board and lodging there - have all added to his financial worries.
The family is hoping the matter will be resolved fast but their lawyer Ashwani Mishra says there isn’t much chance of that. The chargesheet is yet to be filed; investigation, cross-examination and the rest will take at least one to one-and-half years to complete.
“I’m asking him to look for a job,” says Habib’s elder brother, Jalaluddin. A chastened Habib says he’ll start after the next hearing, slated for January 18. “We’re worried about what to do. I’ll have to trouble my wife and kids more. And my mother,” Habib, who belongs to Maliq Mohammad Jawapur village in western UP’s Moradabad district, told TOI over phone.
17/01/10 Shreya Roy Chowdhury/Times of India

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Sildenafil citrate tablets from Mumbai seized at UK airport

A shipment of 80,000 sildenafil citrate tablets - the active ingredient in Pfizer's erectile dysfunction product Viagra - has been intercepted at Newcastle Airport in the UK by Border Agency officers.
The haul was in transit via road freight from Heathrow Airport and had entered the country on a flight from Mumbai, India. The shipment was mislabelled as containing food additives.
At present it is not known whether the items are counterfeit or genuine product diverted from the usual supply chain as a result of theft or diversion.
The value of the haul is hard to gauge. There is a market in the UK for individual tablets on the street (often referred to as 'poke') with each selling at a few pounds per pill, indicating that the shipment could have been worth £300,000-£500,000.
Fred Simmons, assistant director of the UK Border Agency, said: “Medicines smuggled into the country illegally are often found to be counterfeit and as such pose a huge health risk to the end user."
15/01/10 Phil Taylor/Securing Pharma, UK

2 year old NZ boy figures in India's terrorism blacklist?

A 2-year-old New Zealand boy and his Indian-born mother were barred from India and, on their return to Auckland, delayed for four hours and questioned after their names appeared on a terrorism blacklist.
After a 20-hour journey to New Delhi, Shubhneet Kaur, a New Zealand citizen from Manukau, and her son, Bachint Vir Singh, were turned back to New Zealand despite holding valid tourist visas for India.
They pair arrived back in Auckland three days after their Monday evening departure - only to face a Customs interrogation about why they were on India's list of possible terrorists.
"My wife and baby boy were treated like criminals," said Ranvir Lali Singh, a builder, justice of the peace and secretary of the Auckland Sikh Society.
"My son is just a 2-year-old baby and my wife is a housewife.
"It is so ridiculous to even suggest they can be terrorists or pose a threat to India's security."
In Auckland, Mrs Kaur was repeatedly questioned by several people about why she and her son were denied admission into India, and every item of her luggage was searched.
Despite pleas from Mr Singh from the arrivals lounge for the toddler to be released to him, the boy was kept with his mother throughout her ordeal.
The 35-year-old has lived in New Zealand for 12 years and has been a citizen since 2003. Bachint was born in New Zealand in August 2007.
"If their names are really on India's watchlist, why did the Indian High Commission issue tourist visas for them to go to India?"
Mr Singh said he would lodge a formal complaint with the high commission and ask Labour Party foreign affairs spokesman Chris Carter, a former Minister of Ethnic Affairs, to raise the issue at a diplomatic level.
16/01/10 Lincoln Tan/nzherald.co.nz, New Zealand

Friday, January 15, 2010

Passenger died onboard Oman Airways flight: MIAL

Mumbai: A 48-year-old Indian passenger, onboard a Mumbai-bound Oman Airways flight from Muscat, died before the plane landed at the city airport here today.
Mushtaq Ahmed Patel was declared dead by the airport doctor after the aircraft landed, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson told PTI here.
"Our doctor attended the passenger onboard the aircraft at 0610 hours after the flight landed. Patel was unconscious and his blood pressure was not recordable," the spokesperson said.
The cause of death would be known after autopsy report was available, the spokesperson said.
14/01/10 Press Trust of India

Jet Airways set to take its flight to South Africa

New Delhi: India’s largest airline by passengers, Jet Airways (India) Ltd, is set to become the country’s first carrier to fly to South Africa.
The airline is also entering into an agreement with Kenya Airways to connect to the northern regions of Africa, coinciding with India’s recent thrust to improve economic diplomacy in the continent.
An official in the aviation ministry said Jet Airways is keen to begin flying to South Africa ahead of the football World Cup that begins on 11 June.
The official, who didn’t want to be named, said Jet Airways has sought the ministry’s approval to start non-stop daily flights from Mumbai to Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.
“Earlier, we had a clause in the bilateral rights with South Africa which restricted flight for only one carrier to fly from Mumbai,” the ministry official said. “That was lifted some time back. Now anyone can fly (to South Africa).”
Jet Airways still needs a formal clearance from the ministry.
Right now, only Air India and South African Airways connect India to South Africa. Air India doesn’t fly to the country, but it has a code-share agreement with South African Airways, which flies four times a week on the Mumbai-Johannesburg route.
Code-sharing is a ticket-selling alliance that allows travellers to connect seamlessly to destinations on flights of more than one airline. But there still is a huge potential to be tapped, both in terms of non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin as well as young Kenyans flying to India for studies, said analysts. A Jet Airways official said the airline plans to initially use the wide-body Airbus A330 planes to fly to South Africa. He declined to give more details.
Another Jet Airways official said the airline has enough spare A330 planes in its fleet to start services to South Africa.
14/01/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

Ethiopian Airlines eyes China/India profit boost

Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Airlines hopes to boost profits this year by taking advantage of growing ties between Africa and China and India, adding new routes to the Asian powers, Chief Executive Girma Wake said on Thursday.
China and India have displaced many western countries as the major investors in Africa, where they have invested billions of dollars in recent years.
"Because we are also flying to more destinations in Africa than any other airline, we can connect a lot of African traffic to China and India," Girma told Reuters in Addis Ababa.
"We are seeing a significant increase in our traffic to China and India and we are planning to launch more flights to different cities in both countries."
Ethiopian Airlines operates 14 flights a week to Beijing and Guangzhou and 12 flights a week to New Delhi and Mumbai. Girma said the airline was planning to add flights to Shanghai in China and Chennai and Bangalore in India.
14/01/10 Barry Malone/Reuters

Baggage claimed, at last!

Eliza Parvez Khan’s ‘lost baggage’ ordeal is finally over. The Dubai-resident had lost one of her bags while traveling to Pune to visit her family in Parmar Garden, Wanowrie, on December 23.
The bag contained belongings worth over a lakh of rupees and the airline by which she was traveling, Air India Express, did little to assuage Eliza’s fears of never seeing her bag again. For nearly two weeks of her stay here, Eliza faced apathetic authorities and her repeated efforts to secure her lost bag came to no avail.
Pune Mirror had reported about Eliza’s ordeal on December 31. On January 10, Eliza returned to Dubai and got back her bag the same day.
“I am happy to get my bag back. Though it took almost a month for the airport authorities to trace my bag, I am glad I have my bag safely with nothing missing from it,” a relieved Eliza told Pune Mirror over the phone.
On December 23, Eliza had checked in five baggage at the Dubai airport. However, upon reaching Pune, she found one of her bags missing while collecting her baggage.
After speaking to the Air India Express staff, she was asked to fill the Property Irregularity Report (PIR). She was told that her suitcase may still be in Dubai and also that if not Dubai, it may have been sent to Mumbai since the flight was leaving for Mumbai via Pune then.
Then followed an exasperating wait for Eliza in Pune, with the Air India Express authorities failing to contact her even once regarding the lost suitcase.
14/01/10 Vishakha Sharma/Pune Mirror

GMV Awarded Contract by Raytheon for India's GAGAN Program

GMV, a private, multinational firm headquartered in Madrid, has been awarded a contract with Raytheon Company to develop a prototype algorithm for the detection of ionospheric depletions in the magnetic equatorial region that may be utilized in the user receiver data processing for the space-based augmentation system for the GAGAN program operated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). This is GMV’s second contract with Raytheon Company. In 2007, GMV began a contract with Raytheon to provide maintenance and training support for Raytheon’s commercial ground systems.
GAGAN (Global Positioning Satellite-Aided Geosynchronous Augmented Navigation System) is a space-based augmentation system (SBAS) developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India. "Gagan" is the transliteration of a Hindi word that means sky. GAGAN will provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation across South and East Asia, giving India an accurate, flexible, and efficient air navigation system.
The program is in its final operational phase, incorporating critical navigation components.
Raytheon has deployed various elements of the system, both in this and in earlier phases of the program. It has signed a contract with ISRO for incorporating the necessary modifications in the system data processing, message generation, and user receiver processing to increase the availability of precision approach guidance to civil aircraft using SBAS in the equatorial region.
14/01/10 GPS World

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Man goes missing from outside IGI Airport

New Delhi: Charanjeet Singh, 22, went to Abu Dhabi to look for a job. On December 4, last year, he arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport without informing his family — he wanted it to be a surprise visit.
He has been missing since.
The police, who have now registered a case, suspect Singh took a private taxi from outside the airport and was kidnapped.
Singh’s family was initially unaware of his arrival but they later learnt that he arrived at IGI Airport on a Gulf Air flight at 4 am on December 4, 2008.
According to the police, Singh’s family, in Amritsar district, came to know about his arrival 10 days after he landed at IGI when another relative, who also arrived from Abu Dhabi, went to their house after a death in the family. On Tuesday, Singh’s uncle Kuldeep Singh told Newsline over telephone: “He had not informed us of his visit since he wanted it to be a surprise. After other relatives told us, we called everyone we know in Delhi, as also in our village. We then went to the local police station and were asked to approach the Delhi Police.”
The officer said it has been confirmed that Singh boarded a Gulf Air flight from Abu Dhabi and landed at the Delhi airport on December 4. According to the family’s complaint, Singh was carrying Rs 20,000 cash along with his belongings.
13/01/10 Indian Express