Air India Express to increase Kerala-Gulf flights

New Delhi: Air India Express, the low cost arm of Air India, is to operate 119 weekly flights between Kerala and the Gulf sector up from the 96 that it operates now.

In a statement, the airline said the increase will be in a phased manner starting from March 28.

The frequency between Kozhikode and Dubai will be doubled from daily to two flights per day. The airline will operate a morning departure flight, in addition to the existing night departure flight to Dubai. Air India Express will also introduce daily two separate non-stop services between Kozhikode and Bahrain and Doha in the new schedule.

Ras Al Khaimah is being introduced as a new destination with four weekly flights from Kozhikode. This flight will be shared with Al Ain, thereby increasing the frequency of flights between Al Ain and Kozhikode also to four weekly flights up from the current one weekly flight.

On Monday and Friday, the flight will be routed as Kozhikode – Al Ain – Ras Al Khaimah – Kozhikode and on Wednesday and Saturday, the flight will be operated as Kozhikode – Ras Al Khaimah – Al Ain – Kozhikode.
04/02/16 Business Line

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SC upholds award of Cebu airport deal to GMR-Megawide consortium

The Supreme Court has upheld the decision of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) to award the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) modernization project to the consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. (MCC) and India’s GMR Infrastructure Ltd.

In a recently released 39-page decision dated Jan. 13, the SC Third Division denied for lack of merit the April 2014 petition by Senator Sergio R. Osmeña III, a Cebuano, to stop the awarding of the contract. It also denied for lack of legal and factual bases the Business for Progress Movement’s October 2014 petition to halt the facility’s turnover.

In one of the last decisions penned by recently retired Associate Justice Martin S. Villarama, Jr., the high court held that there was no patent error or arbitrariness on the DoTC’s part for awarding the contract on April 4, 2014.

“There being no violation of any law, regulation or the bidding rules, nor any arbitrariness or unfairness committed by public respondents, the presumption of regularity of the bidding for the MCIA Project must stand,” the decision read.

The P17.52-billion project involves the airport’s operation, the renovation of the existing passenger terminal and the construction of a new one to service international flights.

After the GMR-Megawide consortium won the bidding by offering a P14.4-billion premium, various sectors questioned GMR’s financial capability in the aftermath of the Maldives government’s cancellation of a $500-million deal to upgrade the Malé international airport in 2012.
29/01/16 BusinessWorld Online

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Amsterdam Airport carries Hindu Vedas for passengers

Nevada: : Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands’ largest and one of the world’s leading airports; carries Bhagavad-Gita, Vedas and other Hindu holy books.
These are available to passengers in the Meditation Centre, located near the F-gates, which is open 24-hours a day for prayer or meditation or relaxing in silence or holding a group service.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, thanking Schiphol, urged other top world airports—Singapore Changi, Incheon (South Korea) International, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International, Munich, Zurich, Vancouver International, Tokyo (Haneda) International, London Heathrow—to provide Hindu scriptures for its passengers as a substantial number of Hindu passengers used these airports regularly.
30/01/16 Punjab News Express

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Retiring West Coast Air India Manager Given Fond Farewell

Fermont, California:  Almost 80 individuals from the Indian travel agents fraternity of Northern California gathered at the Bombay Garden restaurant here Jan. 20 to bid a fond farewell to Ferdoas Nagarvala, head of Air India’s operations in the Western United States.

Nagarvala officially announced his retirement last month, shortly after Air India had announced the launch of direct flights from San Francisco to New Delhi on Dec. 3, 2015.

Nagarvala served as head of Air India’s operations for the Western United States for almost 40 years before announcing his retirement. The farewell event was organized by Sandeep Talwar and Deepak Vohra of VIP Travels.

“On behalf of all the Indian travel agents in California, I would like to let you know that we are going to miss your presence,” Talwar said in his brief speech. “You were the face of Air India on the West Coast, and your infectious smile used to relieve the stress in all the people around you,” Talwar stated.
29/01/16 India West

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Air India and Jet Airways flights grounded following bomb scare

New Delhi: Two flights, one each of Air India and Jet Airways, were grounded today just before their departure for Kathamandu from here following a bomb scare.
Airport sources said that the two flights were halted after the Jet Airways security office at Indira Gandhi International Airport here received an anonymous call saying there was a “bomb threat” to Air India flight AI-215 and Jet Airways flight 9W 260.
The two flights were scheduled to take off for the Nepalese capital at 0115 hour and 0130 hours, respectively.
This is the second such incident of grounding of an aircraft due to a bomb scare as on Saturday the same flight of Jet Airways was delayed by six hours due to the grounding of the plane after a bomb threat call, which turned out to be a hoax.
While 121 passengers were booked on the Air India flight, Jet Airways said it had 122 passengers and seven crew on board its flight 9W 260.
The two aircraft have been taken to the isolation bay, where security personnel from Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) are carrying out an extensive search of the baggage and check-in luggage of the passengers, the sources said.
27/01/16 PTI/Financial Express

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Stop chasing France’s Rafale: India’s air warriors can’t fly on foreign wings forever

The Indian Air Force’s requirement for a medium multi-role combat aircraft continues to remain unfulfilled.
In the early 2000s, the IAF decided that the logical answer to its problems of obsolescence, attrition, and declining fleet strength was to induct additional numbers of the single-engined Mirage 2000. This aircraft had an excellent safety and serviceability record, and played a decisive role in the Kargil conflict. With a few changes and upgrades, Vayu Bhavan felt that it could become the future multi-role aircraft—not only bridging the gap between the heavyweight Sukhoi Su-30 and the light-weight Tejas, but also compensating for the eventual de-induction of MiG-21s.
However, there was a fly in the ointment. Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer, was now producing a more advanced variant—the Mirage 2000-5. Dassault was also on the verge of closing down the entire Mirage 2000 production line unless it had some orders.

The joint secretaries in the defence ministry refused to treat the IAF proposal as merely a “repeat order on a past supplier” as envisaged in the “fast track procedure” of Defence Procurement Procedure 2006. They insisted that as the Mirage 2000-5 was an entirely “new” aircraft, the IAF should follow the standard process of drawing up an air staff requirement, and then floating a request for proposal.
The irony is that if the IAF was willing to settle for the older Mirage 2000 instead of the Mirage 2000-5, it could have got the fighters under existing rules. But that is like wanting to buy a discontinued motorcar model when the latest was already in the market.
The Mirage 2000 acquisition, too, has a bit of a history. When the original deal was signed, the “intention to proceed” contract was for an initial order of 40 aircraft for outright purchase in fly-away condition and an option to produce another 110 aircraft in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bengaluru with total technology transfer. If this plan were carried forward, the IAF would not have needed the MiG-29. But, in 1984, the then defence minister R Venkatraman visited Moscow and, shortly after his return, stated in Parliament that India was going to select a “futuristic aircraft to meet the challenge posed by the presence of the F-16 in a neighbouring country.” The inference was clearly with regard to the MiG-29.
27/01/16 Mohan Guruswamy/Scroll.in/Qauartz India

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French have marginally reduced the price of Rafale planes: Govt sources

New Delhi: The French have “marginally” reduced the price of Rafale combat planes but India is seeking more and the multi-billion dollar deal could take at least another six weeks to be finalised, government sources said today. The price for 36 Rafales, as per the UPA tender, keeping the cost escalation and dollar rate in view, comes to over over Rs 66,000 crore (around 9 billion Euros), they said. This includes the cost involved in making changes that India has sought in the aircraft, including Israeli helmet-mounted display and some specific weaponry, among others.
“The effort is to bring down the price to around Euros 8 billion (over Rs 59,000 crore),” the sources said, adding that the actual price negotiations only started from January 21. “They have come down from the original price as per the earlier tender of the UPA but we expect more,” they said.
Asked about plane price being offered by the French now, they said it has been reduced “marginally”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande Modi had agreed to conclude an Inter- Governmental Agreement for supply of the aircraft “on terms that would be better than conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process underway”, which was the MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) tender.
27/01/16 PTI/Indian Express

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Direct Flight for Pakistan to Guwahati, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on Board Too

Chennai: Finally it’s official. As reported by Express, Pakistan will take chartered flights directly to Guwahati for the South Asian Games next month. This was decided after the Organising Committee got clearances from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs, Express has learnt.

Pakistan who are sending a large contingent of around 450 (including officials) will arrive in two batches – one on February 2 and the other two days later  — before the event begins on February 5. According to top officials in the SAG organising committee, India have agreed to Pakistan’s request to let them fly directly to Guwahati instead of stopovers in Delhi or Mumbai. The organising committee, through a special notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs, got the nod. Even the MEA has ratified it.
A top official in the organising committee said non-validated passes were allotted to athletes along with their accreditation cards which will serve as visas. “Their cards will be validated as soon as they land in Guwahati, so there is no concern of issuing or declining visas here,” he said. The MHA and the MEA have been notified about the athletes and the NVPs were issued after getting necessary clearances from all agencies. “No NVP was issued without thorough scrutiny,” said an official. It has been learnt even the procedures on arrivals at the airport will manned by specially deputed security personnel.
27/01/16 Indraneel Das/New Indian Express

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Foreign airlines owe billions to CAA

Islamabad: The Civil Aviation Authority has said the airlines of several foreign countries, including the United States and India, owe billions of rupees to the CAA. Officials yesterday told the Public Accounts Committee that the foreign airlines have yet to pay Rs 15 billon, including Rs18 million by the US Air Force. The US had to pay these dues in the heads of using Pakistan airspace, rent, electricity bill and aeronautical revenue during the war in Afghanistan.

According to the CAA, the US has not cleared the arrears from 2002 to 2003 and Pakistani authorities have repeatedly raised the issue with the American embassy in Islamabad but in vain. The US declared war on Taliban in Afghanistan in the 2001 following Sept 11 attacks. Pakistan’s airbases were used by the US and its allies during the Afghan war. US and Nato forces used Shamsi, Shahbaz and Tarbela Ghazi Airbases during the war. However, the airbases were cleared after the martyrdom of Pakistani soldiers in Nato air attack on Salala checkpost near the Afghan border.

The attack drew Islamabad’s ire and prompted Pakistani authorities to halt logistics’ supplies to the US-led forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Nato vehicles were allowed to pass through Pakistan after a year when the US formally tendered an apology to Pakistan for the attack.  CAA Secretary Irfan Elahi told the Public Accounts Committee that in the head of airport tax, Indian Airlines, Russian Airlines and local airlines owed heavily to CAA, but the authority yet to receive Rs 8 billion from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
27/01/16 The Nation

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Air India bombing convict granted statutory release from B.C. prison

Vancouver: Inderjit Singh Reyat, who in 1991 became the only person ever convicted in the Air India bombing, is being released from prison in British Columbia after serving five years for perjury.

Patrick Storey, Pacific regional manager of the Parole Board of Canada, said Mr. Reyat has reached his statutory release date and must be let go.

“A statutory release is not a discretionary release. It’s an automatic release mandated by law,” he said.

Mr. Reyat was convicted of perjury in 2010 for lying to the court in 2003 during the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were acquitted in the terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182 that killed all 329 people aboard.

In 1991, Mr. Reyat was convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of two baggage handlers who were killed at Tokyo’s Narita Airport when a suitcase bomb destined for the Air India flight blew up. He served 10 years for that crime. He also got five years for another manslaughter charge in the Air India bombing.

Mr. Reyat got nine years for perjury, the longest such sentence ever given in Canada, although he was given credit for time served awaiting trial. His sentence began on Jan. 7, 2011.
26/01/16 Mark Hume/The Globe and Mail

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Fly to India for just Dh193? Airfares from UAE nosedive

Airfares from the UAE have been dropping after the New Year’s busy period, with most airlines offering discounted rates.

The latest to join the bandwagon is the Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, which us running adverts in local dailies to promote its offer for one-way tickets to India for just Dh193.

This, however, is the base price of a one-way ticket excluding taxes.

To avail of the deal, one needs to book it by tomorrow (January 27) for travel from February 1 until April 12.

This deal is valid only on select international flights of India’s fourth largest airline, but SpiceJet has not specified the routes on which this fare will be applicable on.

Moreover, there will be limited availability with blackout periods too; so there could be just a few seats available at this rock bottom fare.
26/01/16 Shuchita Kapur/Emirates24|7

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Milan-bound Air India flight forced to return to Delhi airport after smoke detected in cabin

New Delhi: A Milan-bound Air India plane carrying 167 passengers onboard was forced to return to IGI Airport in New Delhi barely two hours after it had taken off as smoke was "detected" in its cabin.
The flight, which had taken off at around 3 pm on Tuesday, landed safely back at the airport at 4.47 pm, Air India officials said.
The aircraft has been grounded for now, they said, adding that the technical team is trying to find out if there was a fire or it was a "false alarm"
26/01/16 PTI/First Post

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Air India eyes new service from Madinah to Indian cities

India ’s national carrier, Air India operates 42 services from Saudi Arabia to India including the services of its subsidiary company ‘Air India Express’ which operates 7 flights from Dammam to Indian destinations.

Air India operates 14 services weekly each from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.
The Indian subcontinent is a potential market for all the regional airlines in Asia, Gulf and Middle East region, and Air India serves as major carrier connecting Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam with all major Indian cities.

“Air India, established in 1932, is now flying with 135 strong fleet including 21 Dreamliners, the world’s latest jet. We fly to 39 international and 69 domestic destinations in India,” said Air India’s Western Province, Manager M.A. Noor Mohamed. “The international network is spread over the globe from India to Australia, South East Asia, Far East, Middle East, Europe, UK and North America,” he added.

“We are a member of Star Alliance, a mega airline alliance in the globe which benefit access of our passengers to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries and to enable them to use more than 1000 lounges across the globe” he said.
26/01/16 Saudi Gazette

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Indian-origin Briton deported from US due to 'skin colour'

London: A UK-based Indian-origin man who had travelled to the US from London on a business trip has alleged that he was held for 13 hours by the immigration officials and was deported because of his skin colour.

Amreet Surana, who works for a UK security company, was held in Detroit while trying to catch a connecting flight to the firm’s branch in Arizona.
Mr Surana, from Leicestershire in the Midlands region of England, said that he was stopped when he landed at Detroit Airport from Heathrow on January 17.

He was then allegedly held for 13 hours, during which time his photograph and fingerprints were taken, and his belongings searched.    
“I believe I was profiled because of my appearance,” Mr Surana told the BBC.
27/01/16 PTI/Daily Pioneer

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Dassault to work with India to build on new Rafale agreement

Dassault says it will “go step by step” to securing further Rafale orders from India after prime minister Narendra Modi signed an agreement on 25 January with his French counterpart to purchase 36 of the type.

During a state visit by president Francois Hollande, the French and Indian governments signed an intergovernmental agreement which “paves the way” for the conclusion of a contract, and Dassault says it is working with Paris to finalise it within four weeks.

Speaking to Flightglobal on 20 January – ahead of Hollande’s visit to India this week – Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier said the company would work with the customer to add to the order.

Four years ago, New Delhi selected the Rafale for its $20 billion, 126-aircraft Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement, but in August cancelled the doomed programme after announcing it was likely to only place an order for 36 fighters.

The acquisition of the 36 aircraft is now set to go ahead, although financial issues relating to the new agreement need to be agreed, which "must be resolved as soon as possible", a joint government statement says.
25/01/16 Flightglobal

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Overcoming chequered history, India and France finally sign Rafale agreement

New Delhi: As expected, India and France have signed a MoU towards an Inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to purchase 36 Rafale aircraft from Dassault Aviation during the visit of French President Francois Hollande. Hollande is in Delhi as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations.
The procurement of Rafale fighters from France has a long, chequered history of over a decade. India had issued a tender for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) fighters in 2007, and at the end of the selection process in 2012, Rafale fighters were selected. Things got in a logjam when the price negotiations were taking place, and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar later disclosed that his predecessor, AK Antony’s noting on the negotiations had ensured that the process gets stalled.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris in April last year, India announced a plan to buy 36 Rafale fighters in a government-to-government deal. A few days later, Parrikar announced that the old 126 fighter deal was dead and the 36 fighter deal will be a fresh acquisition.
25/01/16 Sushant Singh/Indian Express

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Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra reaffirm ties

Singapore: Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence have reaffirmed their partnership toward producing military helicopters in India.

The two companies have made “significant progress” since entering a joint venture in 2015, says Airbus Helicopters in a statement.

To affirm their cooperation, the two companies signed a “statement of intent” in the presence of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and French president Francois Hollande, who is visiting India.

“Mahindra Defence and Airbus Helicopters have already initiated an industrial relationship to produce helicopter parts locally and are defining additional work packages to be industrialised in India which would facilitate the required rapid ramp-up in the case of a programme award to the joint venture,” says Airbus Helicopters.
25/01/16 Greg Waldron/Flight Global

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New York's JFK airport reopens after 'Snowzilla' with Air India flight

New York: A day after life-threatening monster snowstorm almost paralysed the entire US East Coast, the iconic John F Kennedy International airport here partially
resumed its services with Air India's plane being the first one to land at the airport.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said John F Kennedy International had its first arrival at 7:10 am yesterday as Air India flight landed on the tarmac.

The first departing flight left shortly after 10 am. The three airports in and around the city -- LaGuardia, Newwark Liberty and John F Kennedy -- however had very limited
resumption of service.

Hundreds of flights were still cancelled, with LaGuardia accounting for more than 700 cancellations yesterday.
25/01/16 PTI/Zee News

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Make in India dazzles at Bahrain Air Show

As a show of exciting proposition, it was breathtaking, to say the least. The manner the minutest of detail was executed to crystal clear precision, it left everyone wonderstruck. The charming effect was as mesmerising as the men who piloted the aircraft with their sortie-like maneuvers and dexterous dare-devilry.

What gladdened the Indian hearts and made people like me proud was that the honours and spotlight were grabbed by the magnificence of the country’s indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which the world was seeing for the very first time as it was making its foreign air show debut.

Taken as a whole, the awe-inspiring mid-air thrillers were worth the wait for hundreds and thousands of fortunate people, who were around, and also to millions who could catch the action on small screen. For one who has covered many such out of the ordinary spectacles during a three-decade career as a photo-journalist, even I was left speechless.

The Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS) that was inaugurated by Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, and was held from Thursday to Saturday, was spectacular when taken from any angle and under any yardstick.  In doing a thorough professional job, the organisers have set a fine example for other countries, most notably to India and other Asian nations, of what a spellbinding global event can bring in as tourism revenue and help strike bilateral deals, along the way.
25/01/16 Hans India

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Hindus commend SkyTeam for yoga rooms at Heathrow & Hong Kong airports

Nevada: Hindus have commended SkyTeam, global airline alliance with 20 member airlines, for launching yoga rooms in their lounges at London Heathrow and Hong Kong International airports, calling it a step in the positive direction.

Yoga Room at SkyTeam Exclusive Lounge at Heathrow terminal four provides yoga mats and video exercises in a tranquil space. Yoga Room announcement at Hong Kong Exclusive Lounge tells the users to “reset your body”. SkyTeam has also developed mobile app Yoga on the Go in its selected Exclusive Lounges and in-flight entertainment systems.

Complimenting the SkyTeam vision of making yoga facility available in their lounges, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, yoga was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all.
 25/01/16 Punjab News Service

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25 kg crackers seized from Kuwait citizen at Karippur airport in Kerala

New Delhi: A fan of desi crackers in all probabilities a Kuwait citizen was found carrying 25 kg of crackers in his baggage during the security check at Karippur International Airport.

The couple had been on a holiday to Kerala. They landed at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on January 12, 2016. The 29-year-old Ali Ismail Sayyed Ahmed and his wife didn't know crackers were not allowed in planes it seems.

They were supposed to fly back to Kuwait by an Air India Express flight yesterday, but were stopped at the security check after seeing various explosives packed into different suitcases. They couldn't take the flight yesterday.
25/01/16 India Today

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Biman plans to expand wings on int’l routes: Menon

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has planned to expand its wings to Guangzhou (China), Colombo (China) and Male (The Maldives) apart from resuming its suspended routes to Delhi and Hong Kong in 2016.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said this in Parliament today while responding to a written starred question from MA Awal (Laxmipur-4).
Besides, Menon said, the state-run airliner has the ambition to operate flights to Sydney (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Madras and Mumbai (India) in the future after commercial feasibility studies.
24/01/16 The Daily Star

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Malaysia-bound flight fails to take off in Chennai

Chennai: A Malaysia-bound flight, carrying 160 passengers on board, failed to take off from here today following a technical problem, airport officials said.
The Malaysian Airlines was moving on the runway when the pilots detected the problem, they said.
The passengers were safely offloaded and provided with accommodation in various hotels in the city, they said.
23/01/16 PTI/Economic Times

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India, France try hard to end 'complex negotiation' on Rafale

New Delhi: India and France are trying hard to conclude the “complex negotiation” over proposed supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets to Indian Air Force (IAF), with only two days left before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande meet in New Delhi.
 
Though the multi-billion dollar deal for supply of 36 Rafale multi-role combat aircraft — manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France — for IAF was expected to be one of the most prominent outcomes of French President’s visit to New Delhi, the negotiators could not narrow differences, particularly on the issue of price of each aircraft along with its weapon system.

“The discussions are taking place at present. So I cannot say what will be the outcome of this. They are not finalised. It is indeed a complex negotiation,” France’s ambassador to India, Francois Richier, told journalists on Friday.

Hollande, who is going to be the chief guest on the occasion of Republic Day in New Delhi, will land in Chandigarh on Sunday to commence his second visit to India.
22/01/16 Deccan Herald

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2 Iranian nationals held with 'fake' passport in Chennai

Chennai: Two Iranian nationals have been arrested at the airport here for trying to fly to London allegedly on fake passports, officials said today.

The two accused- a man and a woman aged 25 and 35 respectively --were detained late last night when they arrived to board a London-bound flight of a private alirline, police and Immigration officials said.

The duo had come here from Goa and were found in possession of 'fake' Israeli passports, officials said adding they were subsequently detained.
22/01/16 PTI/Business Standard

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Tigerair to have additional flights from Hyderabad, Tiruchirappalli to Singapore

New Delhi: No-frills carrier Tigerair will start additional flights from Hyderabad and Tiruchirappalli to Singapore between April 25 and June 15.

The carrier, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Ltd, has decided to operate one seasonal additional flight each from both places after seeing good response from passengers during peak seasons.

"From April 25 to June 15, 2016, the airline will increase flight frequency on its Hyderabad-Singapore route, taking the total count to seven weekly flights while Tiruchirappalli-Singapore route would have a total of 14 weekly flights," Tigerair said in a press release today.
The move is part of Tigerair's growth strategy in the Indian market and its commitment to meeting increasing demand from travellers in India, it added.
20/01/16 PTI/Economic Times

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Cambodia looking at direct air connectivity with India

Manila: Cambodia is looking,at improving air connectivity with India through direct flights. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld at the ongoing ATF 2016 in the SMX Convention Centre in Manila, Prak Vuthy, deputy director, marketing and promotion department. ministry of tourism, Cambodia said, “The airport authority of Cambodia is talking to  airlines in India to open up this sector for direct connectivity. Though no names can be revealed we hope the talks will come through.”
21/01/16 Steena Joy/Financial Express

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Namibian arrested with 20 kg ephedrine

Bengaluru: In the largest haul of ephedrine in Bengaluru so far, a Namibian national carrying 20 kg of contraband was apprehended by sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at the Kempegowda International Airport early on Tuesday. Investigators suspect that the drug, worth over Rs. 60 lakh, was scheduled to be received by dealers here.

Ephedrine, a stimulant and banned substance — which is primarily used in rave parties — has been seized on earlier occasions by the city police in small quantities. With a thriving rave party scene in Bengaluru, the substance smuggling is suspected to have been to fuel the revelry here. This is the first haul of the substance by the NCB.

Sources in the NCB’s Zonal Unit in Bengaluru said, “Our team on standby intercepted a 50-year-old Namibian man, who disembarked from a flight that arrived in Bengaluru from New Delhi. His hand luggage had 20 kg of ephedrine concealed in packets layered with carbon papers, possibly to avoid detection on an X-ray machine,” said an officer. Investigations revealed that the accused had procured the contraband from an unknown source in New Delhi and was en route to Johannesburg, South Africa.
21/01/16 Petlee Peter/The Hindu

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Four men thrown off American Airlines flight because they 'looked too Muslim'

Four men were thrown off a flight because their Muslim appearance made crew feel "uneasy”, it is alleged.

The four fliers from Brooklyn were travelling with two other friends on a flight between Toronto and New York City when they claim they were asked to leave the plane operated by Republic Airways, a regional partner of American Airlines.

The men claim the airline "disgracefully engaged in discrimination" and that they were ejected from the flight "based upon their perceived race, colour, ethnicity".
Two of the men, identified only by their initials WH and MK, had paid $70 to upgrade to first class, while their friends, Shan Anand and Faimul Alam, spent $75 to switch flights so they could travel together. On board, Mr Anand and Mr Alam switched seats so they could sit next to each other.

In an interview with the New York Daily News, WH, a fashion designer, claimed a flight attendant asked him to get off the plane.

WH reportedly said: “I thought it was an evacuation or something, so I didn’t think nothing of it, but then she told me to take my bags, and when I went back into the plane I saw I was the only one standing.”

Passengers surrounding Mr Alam and Mr Anand were reportedly making racist comments and “clutching their children”.

Mr Alam was allegedly asked to get his belongings and get off the aircraft. Mr Alam and his flying companion are Bangladeshi Muslims, another is an Arab Muslim and Mr Anand is a Sikh from India.
WH an American Airline’s worker approached the four men as they were taken from the plane.

“She said the stewardess and the captain felt uneasy with us being on the flight,” he claimed.
20/01/16 Eleanor Ross/Independent

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Bombay High Court upholds penalty on Maldivian Airlines for flying individual to India without valid visa

The Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Maldivian Airlines challenging a penalty of Rs1 lakh imposed by the immigration office for flying a British National into Mumbai who did not hold a valid visa, in 2013.
A division bench of justice SC Dharmadhikari and justice GS Patel, while rejecting the petition filed by Island Aviation Services Limited that operates the airline, said: "To accept that every airline or
carrier can allow any passenger to board without checking whether that passenger has valid entry papers and it will then be for the immigration authority to either issue an entry document or to deport the passenger in question.
This would nullify the whole of the Carriers' Liability Act and would also pose an unacceptable risk from the security perspective."
20/01/16 Mustafa Plumber/DNA

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Ahmedabad-Dubai air fares touch the skies

Ahmedabad: If you are planning a visit to Dubai in the next few days, then be ready to shell out extra bucks for air tickets. The huge traffic on he Ahmedabad-Dubai route including large numbers of ravelling NRGs and visitors to the Dubai Shopping Festival has led to a spike in air fares.
Ordinarily , a one-way ticket for a single person from Ahmedabad to Dubai costs around Rs 8,000 for a non-stop light. Currently , the same tickets are fetching prices upwards of Rs 25,000.
Tour operators and travel agents in the city claim that the rush for Dubai Shopping Festival has led to higher fares, as airlines are running out of seats. "The airlines operate on dynamic pricing.Fewer tickets sold, higher the fare. This is what is happening right now. More than 95% of international flights from Ahmedabad operate to and from destinations in UAE. On an average, there is a movement of over 50,000 passengers from Gujarat to Dubai almost every week," said a city-based travel agent.
19/01/16 Times of India

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India drives Asian airport traffic growth

Passenger traffic at Asia Pacific’s airports increased 7% in November 2015, driven by a surge in Indian passengers.

According to the latest data from Airports Council International (ACI), the majority of Indian airports recorded double-digit growth during the month, led by Delhi (+21.9%), Mumbai (+18.3%) and Bengaluru (+24.3%). This growth can be partially attributed to the timing to the Divali holidays, which took place in October in 2014.

India’s growth offset a dip in traffic at some Chinese airports however, with Beijing (-1.6%) and Guangzhou (-1.8%) both reporting fewer passengers in November.

Shanghai Pudong Airport (+9%) continued to see strong growth, while Shenzhen (+2.6%) and Shanghai Hongqiao (+1.3%) airports also improved.

Japan’s busiest airport, Tokyo Haneda (+3.3%), also saw more passengers, while traffic at Osaka Kansai (+15.7%) surged.
18/01/16 Travel Daily India

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India's SpiceJet launches 2 new routes to Dubai

Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet has launched two new routes to Dubai, bringing the number of Indian cities it connects with the emirate on a daily basis to ten.
The latest cities to be connected to Dubai are Jaipur and Hyderabad, which will be operated by a Boeing 737 800 aircraft.
Shilpa Bhatia, senior VP commercial, SpiceJet, said: “We see huge potential, especially from non-metro cities such as Jaipur, waiting to be unlocked and over the years we have also witnessed a resurgence in demand on the Hyderabad-Dubai route from business and leisure travellers alike. Dubai is a key market in increasing our footprint across the Middle East and with these flight launches we aim to provide our customers with better and more convenient travel options.”
The routes demonstrate the strong links between the two markets and in November SpiceJet’s chairman Ajay Singh revealed a number of Gulf carriers have expressed an interest in acquiring a stake in the Indian budget airline.
“Some of the Gulf airlines have expressed an interest in SpiceJet as we have come back into the market, but this is not the right time to be diluting the equity,” Singh was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
“There is some dialogue which is ongoing and we continue to explore other types of relationships we could have.”
18/01/16 Arabian Business.com

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Boeing 752 from Cambodia lands at Jaipur airport, authorities claim 'usual landing'

Jaipur: A chartered Boeing aircraft from Cambodia landed here at the Jaipur airport on Sunday. The aircraft Boeing 752 with 23 tourists and 14 crew members landed in Jaipur after the authorities at the Jaipur airport got Flight Information Range (FIR) from their Delhi counterparts. The aircraft was allowed after furnishing the load penalty.
Though there were initial reports on Sunday morning that the aircraft had an emergency landing as it was on its way to Agra, however, the authorities cleared that it was a routine landing but was special.
"It was a routine yet special landing for our airport. We have completed the runway extension from 9,500 feet to 11,500 feet but it is yet to be commissioned by the director general, Civil Aviation. However, by furnishing the load penalty and getting the FIR from Delhi, we ensured safer landing for the aircraft," said a senior officer of airport authority.
When contacted, M P Bansal, officiating director, Airport Authority of India, Jaipur, said, "It was not an emergency landing. The same aircraft had to land in Jaipur as domestic flight in the evening on Sunday. But the pilot and tourists decided to land in Jaipur in the morning. We now have an extended runway of 11,500 feet. We got FIR from Delhi to ensure safer landing. The chartered aircraft will be in Jaipur for the next three days."
Bansal clearly denied that the aircraft had any technical snag.
18/01/16 Times of India

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Air Asia pitches for better flying rights in India

New Delhi: Pitching for additional flying rights ahead of its re-entry in the Indian market next month, Malaysia's AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of budget carrier AirAsia Berhad, says it plans to provide greater connectivity to Australia and North Asia via Kuala Lumpur from here in its second coming.

"The airports are supportive.... The only issuThe carrier, which had opted out of Delhi and Mumbai routes in early 2012 citing high airport costs, also said it may look at launching flights to the Malaysian capital from other airports like Ahmedabad and Amritsar as well. AirAsia X has announced resumption of its Delhi flight from February 3, which will be operated four times a week.
e we may have is the bilateral (flying rights) constraints in adding frequencies... We want our government to talk with the Indian Government to open more bilaterals," AirAsia X  Berhad Chief Executive Officer Ben Ismail told PTI.
18/01/16 PTI/Hans India

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Russian priest deported from Chennai, embassy says treatment 'unacceptable'

Chennai: A Russian priest was deported by immigration authorities on Sunday after he arrived at Chennai International Airport, Russian embassy claimed on Monday and said such "disrespect" went against the spirit of mutual affinity and cooperation.
"The Embassy of the Russian Federation condemns the deportation of a Russian citizen, Father Seraphim, by the immigration authorities of the Chennai International Airport," a statement posted on embassy website said.
It claimed Russian diplomats were denied contact with the priest at the airport for seven hours, which was "unacceptable" and that he (the Father) was also denied basic assistance, including food, despite the requests from the embassy and the consulate general of the Russian Federation in Chennai.
"Such disrespect, shown to a priest from a friendly country, goes against the spirit of mutual affinity and cooperation characteristic of Russian-Indian relationship," the statement added.
However, airport sources said the individual, identified as Anuireikravhenko, with Passport no 7Z7405543 had arrived from Abu Dhabi on Etihad airlines flight HY283 at 9.30am yesterday.
"He was quizzed for three hours by immigration authorities and deported at 10pm after being told that there were restrictions on his entry in the country," they said.
18/01/16 PTI/Times of India

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AirAsia to give 20% discount to ICICI Bank card holders

Malaysian budget airline AirAsia on Monday said it will offer 20 per cent discount on base fares to private sector lender ICICI Bank's debit and credit card holders, under an exclusive tie-up, for a limited period.
The offer will be valid for travel on AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia India and Thai AirAsia flights, the airline said in a release.
The debit and credit card holders of the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank can avail an exclusive 20 per cent discount on base fare on tickets booked between the period of January 18 to January 31, 2016.
The travel period for this promotional offer stands between February 1 and April 10, 2016, AirAsia said.
For travel within India, the offer is available on its flight from Bengaluru to airports such as such Goa, Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, it said.
18/01/16 PTI/BusinessToday

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This is the Indian-made fighter jet that will go up against Pakistan's planes at the Bahrain airshow

As the government continues the slow, arduous task of attempting to foster an indigenous defence manufacturing industry, the country will get a chance in the coming week to show off what it hopes will be a genuine success. The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, which was designed and developed in India, is set to display its capabilities at the Bahrain International Airshow, from January 21-23.

Two aircraft from the Tejas line have already made their way to Bahrain, marking the first time that the indigenous fighters were flown in foreign airspace. To add intrigue, the airshow organisers have parked the Tejas right next to the JF-17 Thunder, a multi-role fighter jet that was jointly designed and developed by Pakistan and China.

Officials insist that the Tejas can go toe-to-toe with its neighbourhood rival, and in fact can fly further distances, carry more fuel and even refuel mid-air unlike the JF-17. But the journey till here hasn't been easy.
17/01/16 Scroll.in

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Have proof Netaji died in plane crash: Grandnephew

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew Ashish Ray has claimed he has “irrefutable evidence” to prove Bose died hours after he was seriously burnt in an air crash on outskirts of an airfield in Teipei, Taiwan, on August 18, 1945.
Speaking to Karan Thapar on India Today’s Nothing But The Truth, Ray said two doctors, a nurse, an interpreter and Bose’s aide-de-camp Colonel Habibur Rehman have given eyewitness accounts of his last moments. According to Ray, like him, Bose’s daughter Anita Bose Pfaff is also in favour of a DNA test on remains kept at Tokyo’s Renkoji Temple.
Ray said he has been able to establish through evidence posted on http://www.bosefiles.info that on August 12, 1945, Bose was in Malaya when he heard Japan had offered to surrender to the Allies. He then returned to Singapore where he learnt Japanese were ready to give him shelter. On August 16, he began the journey to Tokyo. In the first stage, he reached Bangkok.
“The Japanese told Bose that his situation in South East Asia was becoming insecure and asked him to move to Japan. This was conveyed to him in Singapore and reiterated at Bangkok. It was planned that he would go to Japan, but his plan was to disappear, perhaps into Soviet Union,” Ray said.
17/01/16 Indian Express

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Hindus welcome yoga rooms at Frankfurt Airport

Hindus have applauded launching of two yoga rooms at Frankfurt Airport, a major international airport in Germany, calling it a step in the positive direction.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Burlington International Airport Vermont and Chicago Midway International Airport, Sioux Falls Regional Airport—all in USA, and Helsinki Airport in Finland, already offer yoga facilities.  These "professionally equipped" yoga rooms, located in passenger terminals one and two of Frankfurt Airport, open around the clock and are free of charge. Airport authorities claim that all of the required equipment is available in these: yoga mats, blocks, cushions, pads, floor-to-ceiling mirror, monitor screens explaining exercises to music and flyers with how-to-do instructions.   The lighting is subdued and there is a wall-sized Buddha.
Meanwhile distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged all top world airports—Singapore Changi, Incheon (South Korea) International, Amsterdam Schiphol, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International, Munich, Zurich, Vancouver International, Tokyo (Haneda) International, London Heathrow—to provide yoga facilities for the passengers if they wanted to help reduce their stress levels and be "world-class" airports.
17/01/16 MeriNews

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Russian Orthodox priest detained at Chennai airport to be deported

The Russian Orthodox priest, Father Superior Serafim, who has been detained by India’s migration services at the Chennai international airport in southern India will be deported to Russia within hours, Russian Consul General in Chennai Sergei Korov told TASS on Sunday. "The decision on deportation is final. A boarding card for the flight to Russia has already been handed over to hegumen Serafim," he said, adding that it was "a bureaucratic rather than political incident." He noted however that Russian diplomat had spent more than seven hours at the airport but had not been allowed to see the priest. "It is a violation of the current Russia-Indian consular agreements and we will raise this issue with the Indian authorities," the Russian diplomat stressed. Father Superior Serafim was detained by India’s migration services at the Chennai international airport. The priest is not let in the country on charges of having tourist visa.
17/01/16 Tass

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Kuwait Airways to increase India flights

Mumbai: Kuwait Airways on Saturday said it will add flights to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru in the summer schedule as a part of its expansion in India.

While the Gulf Big 3 – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – dominate aviation globally, Kuwait Airways has been a laggard. But things are changing. Kuwait Airways has phased out its two decades-old fleet (Airbus A300s and A310s) with new planes and is expanding its network. Last year it added eight new destinations, including the two Indian cities.

Currently it flies thrice weekly to Ahmedabad and Bengaluru and in summer schedule the frequency will increase to five a week.

“The growth in Indian market is positive and our plan is to grow presence in key destinations which we serve at moment,” said Kuwait Airways chief commercial officer Philip Saunders. However there is no immediate plan to add more destinations in India. The airline currently flies to seven destinations in India.
16/01/16 Business Standard

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Rafale deal to be inked before France President visit?

New Delhi: Suspense is mounting on whether India will finally bite the bullet and ink the deal for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft with the French government ahead of the visit of French President Francois Hollande just before Republic Day. Top sources indicated that though the proposed deal is at a “final stage”, cost negotiations were still on but other sources indicated that a “positive” development would emerge ahead of the French President’s visit. Speculation is also rife that a French defence delegation will visit New Delhi ahead of the French President’s visit and that an agreement could be inked on the deal as a “sweetener” in the strategic defence ties with France. There are indications the deal could cost India about Rs 65,000 crore but there is no clarity on this, officially. Price negotiations had earlier hit a roadblock.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to France earlier in 2015, had announced that India would acquire 36 Rafale MMRCA, citing operational necessity of the IAF. News agency reports had earlier claimed that the negotiations had run into rough weather over the “offset clause and tweaking of weaponry technology which is driving up the cost”. One of the key issues reportedly was the IAF seeking modifications on the Rafale.
16/01/16 AsianAge

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Beef up security of Pak airlines offices, MEA tells Delhi Police

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today asked the Delhi Police to strengthen security around the offices of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Yesterday, people belonging to a right-wing group vandalised the offices of the PIA, making the already strained relationship more tense.
“MEA has directed the police to beef up security around the PIA office,” the official spokesperson of the MEA said today.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan Foreign Office issued a statement asking the MEA to step up security around PIA offices.
“The PIA office in New Delhi was ransacked by a group of extremists. They caused damage to the property and also harassed and threatened the PIA staff.
“The Pakistan High Commission immediately took up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs, asking them to provide adequate security to the PIA offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as to take action against the miscreants,” said the statement.
15/01/16 Simran Sodhi/Tribune

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Hindu Sena Chief Vishnu Gupta arrested in connection with vandalism at PIA office

New Delhi: Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta was arrested on Friday by Delhi Police in connection with the vandalism of Pakistan International Airlines office in New Delhi by the members of the outfit.

Gupta has been arrested under Sections 120B (being party to a criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 149 (being the member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 427 (mischief causing damage to property)and 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) of IPC, said police.
"The police are still looking for the other Hindu Sena members who were involved in the vandalism," DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.

On Thursday, four members of Hindu Sena, a fringe right-wing group, ransacked the fifth floor office of Pakistan International Airlines at Narayan Manzil in Barakhamba Road around 3:15 PM, damaging computers, furniture and other items.
15/01/16 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Airlines in Oman reduce prices this month to attract travellers

Muscat: January is the lean travel season and airlines across the Gulf have dropped return fares to many destinations across the Middle East, Asia and Europe to entice travellers.

Oman Air (national carrier) is offering special fares to destinations like Salalah and the Maldives. Also flying free between Sohar and Muscat and exploring the Musandam Peninsula.

Qatar Airways (Doha-based airline), is offering an up to 35 % discount on travel from Muscat to many destinations.

A travel agent from the Sultanate divulged that the tickets must be purchased before January 17 so that passengers can earn triple miles and win many prizes, reported Times of Oman.

Jet Airways (India-based) is offering a special five-day sale, allowing guests from Muscat to enjoy a flat 10 % discount on base fares, travelling to India and countries in ASEAN and the SAARC regions.

The discount is applicable on all flights booked on Jet Airways.com for travel to India and countries in ASEAN and the SAARC regions.
16/01/16 GDN Online

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Nepal fuel shortage delays flights to India

New Delhi: The fuel shortage in Nepal due to the economic blockade in the country has impacted flights to India as well with the Kathmandu-Mumbai direct flight making a stopover at the Varanasi airport to refuel for its onward journey to Mumbai.

A Jet Airways flight between these two cities has been making a stopover in Varanasi since October 5, 2015, to refuel, which has increased the flight time from 2 hours and 50 minutes to 4 hours. "It is rarely that one gets fuel at Kathmandu airport these days, leading to a situation where flights do not have enough fuel to return to Mumbai. The flights have to make a stopover," said a person aware of the matter.

Jet Airways operates the Mumbai-Kathmandu flight on a Boeing 737 and it takes the aircraft 45 minutes to reach Varanasi from Kathmandu. While the amount of fuel carried by an aircraft is dependent on payload and weather conditions, there is a standard global norm for fuel an aircraft should have extra.
16/01/16 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Pakistan asks India to provide adequate security to Pakistan International Airlines offices

Pakistan on Thursday asked India to provide adequate security to the PIA offices in the country and take action against "miscreants" who allegedly vandalised the office of Pakistan's national carrier in New Delhi.
"The Pakistan High Commission immediately took up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs, asking them to provide adequate security to the PIA offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as to take action against the miscreants," a spokesperson of the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement. "We have been assured by the Indian government that it would take all the necessary steps for the security of the PIA offices in India," the statement said.
The four activists of right-wing Hindu Sena on Thursday went to all the three rooms in the PIA office in New Delhi, vandalising furniture and computers. They also scattered some pamphlets while they dismantled a miniature replica of an airplane installed near the reception desk.
14/01/16 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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India in talks to boost Rafale deal ahead of Hollande visit: Source

Paris: France and India are negotiating whether to widen a proposed $9 billion deal for the sale of 36 French-built Rafale warplanes to include an option for further purchases, but have yet to decide the scope of the deal, a person close to the talks said.
The nations have been negotiating for months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to buy 36 warplanes directly from the French government following the collapse of a larger commercial deal with Dassault Aviation.
Talks have sped up in recent weeks ahead of a visit to India by French President Francois Hollande on January 25-27, and aides were said to be locked in discussions with Indian officials at France's presidential offices on Wednesday.
"The deal should be signed at the end of January and there is an option" for more jets, the person close to the talks said.
14/01/16 Reuters/Times of India

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Unruly passenger delays flight departure at Mumbai Airport

The Oman Air WY 204 on Thursday evening was delayed for around two hours due to an unruly passenger.
The passenger who is believed to have an Indian Nationality did not agree to put on the seat belt which resulted in the delay.
"The passenger was creating a ruckus as soon as he boarded the flight and it was becoming increasingly difficult for the crew and the airline security to handle him. He was therefore, offloaded." said an Airport Official.
15/01/16 Mid Day

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Father on Visitor Visa dies on Arrival at Melbourne Airport

Melbourne: In a tragic and sudden death, a passenger from Punjab (India) died at the arrival gates of Melbourne Airport on Monday morning.

Gurdyal Singh collapsed at the arrival gate following a suspected heart attack, and despite the efforts of paramedics he died at the scene.
He along with his wife was on their first visit to Australia as they were visiting their only son Jaspal Singh & his family in Melbourne.

His 26-year-old son Jaspal Singh, who arrived in Australia as a student, was waiting for the arrival of his father and mother at Melbourne Airport on Monday morning when tragedy struck.

Jaspal Singh, who has a wife and child, is on a bridging visa which does not allow him to return if he leaves the country. Jaspal is now at risk of being blocked from coming back to Australia if he escorts his dead father’s body back to India.

The family is now making arrangements for the funeral, which will be held in India.
17/01/16 SinghStation

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US pilot smuggles $200,000 from Mumbao, arrested in Newark

Mumbai: An American commercial airline pilot has been arrested for trying to smuggle in nearly $200,000 in undeclared currency at a Newark airport shortly after arriving as a passenger on a flight from Mumbai.
Anthony Warner, 55, a resident of Dallas, Texas, was arrested at the Newark Liberty International Airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and charged with bulk cash smuggling and making false statements.

Officials said that US immigration and customs enforcement agents would not known that Warner was carrying the cash wrapped in a newspaper, besides 10 rings, earrings and other jewellery if the global entry kiosk computer system was in order. A physical screening of baggage led to his arrest. Warner, acommercial pilot, possessed a global entry cardthat allows for quick clearance when entering the US, officials said.
15/01/16 Mumbai Mirror

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AirAsia X to resume flights to India, start service to the US

AirAsia X Bhd., the long-haul arm of Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd., will resume flights to India and start service to the U.S. this year as it looks to new routes for growth, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Benyamin Ismail, chief executive of AirAsia X, said Wednesday that low fuel prices and increasing market potential have given the company confidence to resume service to India. The budget carrier will operate four flights a week between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia X abandoned flights to New Delhi in 2012.

“It’s about the right time to come back” to India, Ismail in an interview, to the Journal. “India is a massive market.”

Next month, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will likely approve the airline’s request to operate four flights a week from the Malaysian capital to Honolulu, said Ismail. Air Asia X had earlier said flights to Honolulu would start in November.
13/01/16 American Bazaar Online

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Direct flight between Delhi and Mongolian capital by March

New Delhi: The Mongolian national carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines is all set to provide direct air connectivity to India with a flight service to Delhi from its capital city Ulan Bator by this March.
The airline has appointed Delhi-based cargo firm Zeal Global Services as its General Sales Agent (GSA) to handle its sales, marketing and distribution business prior to spreading its wings to the Indian skies.
MIAT Mongolian Airlines is one of the two international Mongolian carriers in the east-central Asian country.
A GSA is a sales representative for an airline in a specific country or region, responsible for selling all products including tickets and cargo services in the region where the airline does not operate.
"We had signed the GSA agreement with MIAT Mongolian Airlines in June last year. However, our registration with the Customs was in process and it got completed recently.
14/01/16 IBN Live

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Singapore to host Aviation Festival Asia 2016

Singapore will host the 12th Aviation Festival Asia 2016, 23-24 February. This annual conference and exhibition will span seven streams of content with over 150 speakers sharing their insights on the latest innovations in aviation and where the industry is heading.

Airlines' with confirmed attendance include: Etihad Airways, Delta Air Lines, AirAsia, Jetstar, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Finn Air, Gulf Air, Air India,  Sri Lankan Airlines, V Air, Cebu Pacific Air,  Air Astana, ANA,  Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Nok Air, Peach Aviation, Spring Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, VietJet Air andTigerair.

Senior executives attending include Arif Wibowo, president and chief executive Garuda Indonesia, Juha Jarvinen, senior vice president – chief commercial officer, Finnair, Barathan Pasupathi, chief executive Jetstar Asia Airways and Vinay Dube, senior vice president - Asia Pacific Delta Air Lines.
14/01/16 MICE BTN

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Hindu Sena activists attack Pakistan International Airlines office in Delhi

Members of a right-wing group allegedly on Thursday vandalised the office of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) near Barakhamba Road in New Delhi area here, following which one person was arrested.
The four activists of Hindu Sena went to all the three rooms in the office, vandalising furniture and computers. They also scattered some pamphlets while they dismantled a miniature replica of an airplane installed near the reception desk.
The outfit blamed Pakistan in connection with the attacks at Pathankot and the Indian consulate in Afghanistan.
“There should be no talks with Pakistan unless they take stern action against people who have caused damage to India and hand over people like Dawood Ibrahim and Hafiz Saeed to India,” it said.
14/01/16 Indian Express

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Global aviation leaders head to Singapore for Aviation Festival Asia 2016

Singapore: Asia's aviation industry is booming. With low fuel prices allowing airlines to realise improved margins, increased focus on passenger experience making happy passengers and new market entrants emerging all the time, there are some big successes to celebrate. But we are also facing a very real problem – how will the industry cope with huge expected rises in passenger numbers, increased competition and a downward trend in fare prices?

Enter Aviation Festival Asia 2016, a Terrapinn event.

Over 2,000 leaders in global aviation will come together in Singapore this 23-24 February at the 12th annual Aviation Festival Asia 2016 to tackle these challenges head on. This annual conference and exhibition will span seven streams of content with over 150 experts sharing their insights on the latest innovations in aviation and where the industry is heading towards in the future.

This is the place to get practical advice from leading airlines and airports on how you can streamline your business and improve profitability; learn about the latest technological innovations shaping the future of our industry and their application for your business; and explore how you can put the passenger experience at the heart of your strategy and become a truly customer-centric airline.
13/01/16 e-TurboNews

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Ethihad, Jet airways to offer discounts during Nishagandhi fest

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s biggest multidisciplinary cultural extravavaganza has found precious support from the sky.

A host of national and international carriers have lined up to partner with the annual Nishagandhi festival, beginning in the state capital on January 20.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of United Arab Emirates, will offer 25 per cent discount on its flights to Thiruvananthapuram to help cultural enthusiasts travel to the festival. The Jet Airways has announced discount rates for artists participating in the mega event.

Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the eight-day long festival of dance and music, attended this year by internationally acclaimed artists like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Hema Malini and Anoushka Shankar.

“We are happy that several national and international carriers have come forward to support the Nishagandhi festival,” said Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar.

The festival, which ends of January 27 attracts renowned artists from across the world and is a major draw on the international cultural calendar, is organised every year by the state tourism department.
12/01/16 e-vartha

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BP gets approval to sell jet fuel in India

New Delhi: After nearly two years of wrangling, BP plc has won an ‘in-principle’ approval to retail aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to airlines in India.

While the Petroleum Ministry has given nod to BP to enter Indian aviation fuel supply space, the Europe’s second-largest oil company will have to take environment and safety as well as airport clearance before actually beginning jet fuel sales.

“BP has been granted ‘in-principle’ approval to market aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in India. We see a great future for aviation in India and are excited to be involved in this market and contribute to its future development and success,” a company spokesperson said.

BP Exploration (Alpha), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BP, had on June 11, 2014 submitted an application for authorisation to market ATF. It claimed to have invested USD 477 million in the country.
13/01/16 PTI/BusinessLine

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'Terror' call stops Abu Dhabi flight

New Delhi: An Abu Dhabi-bound Etihad Airlines flight had to be called back from the runway at IGI Airport on Monday just before its departure following a phone call that there was a terrorist on board. The caller, identified as a Delhi-based doctor, said a man from Aligarh with terrorist links is on board.
"It was around 9am when the call was received. The woman, who was later identified as one Shweta from Sarojini Nagar, had also sent a photo of the suspect. Armed police personnel surrounded the aircraft, and all passengers were offloaded for checking," said Dinesh Gupta, DCP (IGI). A Delhi-based property dealer was detained but found to be clean, he added.

The flight, EY 229, which was scheduled to depart at 9.15am, was given clearance by 11am and took off by 11.45am.
12/01/16 Anvit Srivastava/Times of India

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Rise in Passengers at Dubai Airport from Indian Subcontinent

Dubai: Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest by international traffic, experienced an 8.1 per cent increase in passenger numbers in November 2015, including a large spike in travelers from India.

Traffic rose to 6.01 million passengers from 5.57 million in November 2014, taking the total so far in 2015 to 70.96 million, up 10.9 per cent, according to the monthly traffic report released on Tuesday.

During the month, Indian subcontinent recorded the largest increase in total passenger numbers (+160,647 passengers) spurred by growth in traffic and launch of new flights including SpiceJet's services to Kozhikode and Amritsar, followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Western Europe and North America.

Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said the airport had an average monthly traffic of nearly 6.5 million passengers.

"We are sure the seasonal peaks that we experienced in December will help round off the year with an impressive annual figure," he said.
12/01/16 PTI/New Indian Express

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UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah eyes 30,000 Indian arrivals in 2016

New Delhi: Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, is betting big on Indian arrivals to boost tourism in the destination. It expects to receive 30,000 Indian travellers in 2016 against 16,000 in 2015.

Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said, “India is our fourth largest source market after Germany, Russia and the UK. Indians are good spenders, especially on destination weddings, which are emerging as an attractive market for us.”

An Indian traveller spends two-three nights in the city and spends around $219 on an average. Increasing arrivals from India is an important area of focus as Ras Al Khaimah aims to attract 1 million tourists by 2019.
12/01/16 Business Line

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More than 100 fliers to Nairobi grounded in Mumbai after snag in aircraft engine

Mumbai: Over a hundred Nairobi-bound passengers on board a Kenya Airways flight, who were scheduled to take off from Mumbai at 7.25 am on Monday, were forced to spend the entire day in the city after the aircraft was grounded at the last moment due to a snag in the engine. The airline will now send a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Tuesday to fly out the passengers.
Mozambique national Jorrit Oppewal was one of the disgruntled passengers who said that the airline staff didn't keep the passengers updated. "They said that the engineers were being flown in from Kenya. That's pointless, as there are enough engineers in India," he said.

Oppewal, an economist with London - headquartered International Growth Centre (IGC), was in Mumbai for a conference. "I have been allotted a hotel. But there is very poor communication and management. How long am I to remain within the four walls of my hotel room in Sahar?" he asked.

Kenyan queer rights activist Melissa Sikiliza too was among the stranded. "There were no staff members around to answer questions on what was going on. The boarding process of Flight KQ205 for January 11 was totally wanting," Sikiliza, who had to attend a funeral back home, said. "My baggage too hasn't been handed over," she said.
12/01/16 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Air fares to Dubai at a high

Ahmedabad: If you are planning to visit Dubai over next few days, be ready to shell out extra for air tickets. Heavy traffic on the Ahmedabad-Dubai route, following the movement of NRGs in large numbers and the Dubai Shopping Festival has led to a spike in air fares.
On a regular basis, a one-way ticket for a single person from Ahmedabad to Dubai costs around Rs 8,000 for a non-stop flight. Currently, the prices of non-stop flights have surged to beyond Rs 25,000 for a one-way ticket.
Tour operators and travel agents claim that the rush for the Dubai Shopping Festival has led to the high fares as airlines are running out of seats. "Airlines operate on dynamic pricing. The fewer the tickets, the more the fare. This is what is happening now. More than 95% of international flights from Ahmedabad operate to and from destinations in the UAE. On average, there are over 50,000 passengers from Gujarat to Dubai every week," said a city-based travel agent.
11/01/16 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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Asian budget carriers tops in passenger load

Singapore: Asian budget airlines - including AirAsia, Tigerair and Jetstar - carried more passengers last year than their European or North American counterparts.

In just over a decade, the Asian airlines have gone from an almost-zero presence to carrying 31 per cent of global budget travellers last year.

European carriers - which include Ryanair - accounted for 30 per cent of total traffic while North American airlines had 26 per cent market share, according to preliminary data compiled by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Globally, budget airlines carried more than 950 million passengers last year, which is about 28 per cent of all air travelers, compared with 27 per cent in 2014.

Asia’s share of the pie is expected to continue to grow, analysts said.

A rising middle class in India and China, and budget carriers still in their infancy in Northeast Asia especially, will fuel growth in the sector, they said.
11/01/16 Karamjit Kaur/The Straits Times/Jakarta Post

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22 more students deported from US

Hyderabad: The deportation of Telugu students from the US continued with 22 more students returning to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamsabad here in the early hours of Sunday.

The students who were detained by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency at the port of entry for more than 20 hours were interviewed by authorities for prolonged hours and were then huddled in return flights to India.

All 22 students were again detained by the RGIA officials who questioned them for another eight hours.

They were allowed to leave for their homes around 11am after the intervention of Telangana state deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali who was at the airport to catch a flight. Vijayalaxmi, mother of one of the students deported from the US, said her daughter was threatened by the US authorities who reportedly said that they would ban her from entering the US for five years if she refused to return home.
11/01/16 Deccan Herald

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16 Indian students sent back from New York, say 'hassled' at airport

The ordeal of 16 students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who had gone to the US seeking admission in educational institutions there but were sent back from New York, continued despite landing back home as they alleged that they had been kept waiting for around six hours at the international airport here over some ticket issue.

The students, who landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Saturday night, claimed they were stranded for around six hours at the airport due to some issue about the return ticket fares with the airline they travelled in. They also said that some authorities at the airport took longer time for checking their documents.
The parents of these students approached Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, who had landed at the airport at that time from Srinagar, and sought his intervention in the matter.

"I asked the airline officials and also authorities to first allow the students to leave the airport. I told them they have already faced problems in the US. After I took up the matter, the students were allowed to leave the airport," Mahmood Ali told PTI.
He said that some parents complained to him about the authorities taking a long time in checking the documents of the students.
11/01/16 Daily News & Analysis

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L&T bags $93.1m contract to build airport in Oman

Larsen & Toubro (Oman), a subsidiary of the engineering and construction firm of India-based Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has won a $93.1m contract to undertake construction work of a regional airport in Oman.

As per the terms of the deal, L&T Oman will construct an air traffic control (ATC) building, a passenger terminal building, cargo and other service buildings that comprise mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works, and special systems, reports Arabianbusiness.com.

Scheduled to be completed in two months, this regional airport will be the third airport project to be executed by the company in Oman.

A new terminal with passenger capacity of 12 million every year, which was due to open at the Muscat International Airport, is now expected to open by the end of 2016, about a year later than the earlier estimated schedule.
11/01/16 airport-technology.com

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Airbus Group India hires Ashish Saraf as ‘Make in India’ officer

Mumbai: Airbus Group on Monday said it has appointed Ashish Saraf as Vice-President - Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships and Offsets. Saraf will drive the Group's existing 'Make in India' initiatives and conceive new ones for all the businesses of Airbus Group India with the aim to increase their industrial footprint here. The move comes close on the heels of Airbus Group uniting its Divisions in India under a single company.

"Airbus Group's ambition is to be a benchmark setting company when it comes to realising the 'Make in India' vision of the Indian government. I look forward to supporting the group fulfil its ambition while helping my country meet its indigenisation goals. I feel privileged to be in this role at a company which has put 'Make in India' front and Centre of its India strategy," said Saraf.

Prior to joining Airbus Group, Saraf was the India head of the Tata Sikorsky joint venture since 2010 and led Sikorsky's industrialisation and strategic partnerships in India.
11/01/16 Rica Bhattacharyya/Economic Times

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Tk 2cr sarees, medicine seized at Dhaka airport

Dhaka: Customs officials seized a huge amount of sarees and medicine from two flights of Regent Airways at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka today.  

Acting on a tip-off, a preventive team of the Dhaka customs house raided a flight from India that landed at the airport around 3:30pm and seized a huge amount of Indian sarees brought illegally, Customs’ assistant commissioner Shahiduzzaman Sarkar told The Daily Star.
10/01/16 Daily Star

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Chinese among two women held for smuggling gold at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A Chinese is among two women held for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold valuing about Rs one crore at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.
Though the incident took place on Thursday but the custom officials shared the details on Monday.
Sources said, acting on inputs, the Chinese woman was intercepted by the customs officials soon after her arrival from Hong Kong.
"While manual frisking, four gold bars totally weighing 4 kilograms valued at Rs 1.03 crore were recovered. One another Indian passenger was found in connivance in smuggling activities with the Chinese passenger," a press release issued on Monday by the customs said.
11/01/16 IBN Live

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American nightmare for Hyderabad students

According to news reports, close to 150 students travelling to the US to join universities in California have been sent back over the past few months.

On December 22, students headed to the US returned from Abu Dhabi, where they were locked up for over 16 hours during their pre-clearance (immigration) interviews. One of them was Amaresh Jana, who has shared his experience on Facebook. "They checked my WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, photo gallery, Gmail and bank accounts, and then after 16 hours of questioning, told me my visa was cancelled," shares Jana.

Fifty-four students were deported within 24 hours of Christmas Eve from 11 universities. A majority of these students were headed to the Silicon Valley University at San Jose and Northwestern Polytechnic University at Fremont.

As batches of students complaining of ill-treatment started coming in, the Ministry of External Affairs was quick to issue an advisory on December 23. Students seeking admission to the Silicon Valley University and Northwestern Polytechnic University were advised to "defer their travel to the US".

Before that, Air India, acting on a tip-off from the US Customs and Border Protection Agency, stopped about 15 students from boarding a flight to the US - they were headed to the two universities.

While some were still hailing Air India as a good Samaritan for saving students from the trouble that awaited them at US immigration check points, the two universities started to hit back. Both are on the list of institutions approved for the Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme.
09/01/16 Nikita Puri/Business Standard

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Air India cancels Sharjah-Kochi route, begins Dubai-Kochi service

Indian carrier Air India is cancelling its daily service between Sharjah and the city of Kochi in Kerala from January 11, 2016, it has confirmed.

The airline will instead operate daily flights to Kochi from Dubai, in response to increased demand on the route.

An A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats will be deployed on the new route, said Air India’s regional manager of Gulf, Middle East and Africa Melwin D'Silva.

Flight AI 934 will depart from Dubai at 1330 hours and arrive in Kochi at 1910 hours. On the return journey, AI 933 will depart from Kochi at 0935 hours and arrive in Dubai at 1235 hours.

The state-owned carrier is also offering customers an introductory fare of Dhs 330 one-way and Dhs 785 return with 30kg baggage on the Dubai-Kochi route, D’Silva added.
10/01/16 Aarti Nagraj/Gulf Business

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Tejas team to put 'best ever' aerobatics in Bahrain

New Delhi: India's home-grown Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) might never fire a shot in anger at its Pakistani counterpart, the JF-17 Thunder. Yet, the Tejas is already squaring off against the JF-17. When the Indian fighter performs aerobatics at the forthcoming Bahrain International Air Show international aviation experts will directly compare it with the JF-17, which flew at the Paris Air Show in July.

The Tejas team is geared up to impress the experts in its international debut. Business Standard learns that the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which oversees the Tejas' development, has put together a flying routine that "significantly surpasses any aerobatics display the fighter has presented earlier."

"So far, we have always flown with large safety margins in hand. At Bahrain, we will show the spectators what the Tejas can really do, how much energy the fighter has", says an ADA official closely associated with the preparations.
09/01/16 Ajai Shukla/Business Standard

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4 women from Nepal held with fake visas at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Four Nepalese women who were trying to travel to Sri Lanka on fake visas were arrested at IGI Airport recently. Police said the women were to fly to Colombo posing as tourists and then travel to Dubai and other West Asian nations.
The cops have also traced an agent involved in the alleged trafficking of these women. They also suspect the role of airport or airline staff in the racket. At least 30 Nepalese women have been caught while trying to use this route to reach West Asia in the past six months.
In 2013, Nepal had put a ban on its women citizens flying directly to nine West Asian countries for employment after a number of bonded labour and flesh trade cases were reported from there. Since then, traffickers have taken the India route to send women to such nations.
10/01/16 Anvit Srivastava/Times of India

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Bengal Aerotropolis Projects signs MoU with Druk Air for flights to Singapore

Kolkata: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) signed two pacts for air services and bus manufacturing on the last day of Bengal Global Business Summit here today.

The first MoU was signed with Bhutan's Druk Air for operating flights from Andal to Durgapur, Bagdogra, Bhutan and onwards to Singapore.

The second MoU is for bus manufacturing at Andal in Burdwan district with China's Zhongtong Bus Holding Company.
The project would entail an investment of Rs 1,500 crore.
09/01/16 PTI/Economic Times

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AAI trains Afghan personnel in airport safety management

New Delhi: Lending its expertise in civil aviation, national airports operator AAI has imparted training to seven Afghan nationals in airport safety management systems at its Allahabad-based training institute CATC.

AAI has been mandated by the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) to train Afghan civil aviation personnel in various aspects of civil aviation sector including Air Traffic Control, airport safety management systems and meteorological services, among others, Civil Aviation Training College (CATC) director Rajiv Goel said.

The Airports Authority of India's 67-year-old premier training institute offers ICAO approved courses, ranging from one-week to 50 weeks, in disciplines like air traffic management and communication and navigation services maintenance and operations.

"Seven Afghan civil aviation personnel have recently completed the six weeks training in airport safety management systems at our institute besides a two-weeks on-job training at the Varanasi airport," Goel said.
08/01/16 PTI/Business Standard

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Air India reschedules Kozhikode-Sharjah flight

Kozhikode: Air India today announced a change in the schedule of its flight to Sharjah from here with effect from January 11.

Flight AI-997 has been rescheduled to depart from the International Airport here at 12.50 AM instead of the current departure time of 9.00 PM, effective from January 11, the airline said in a release.
08/01/16 PTI/Economic Times

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Saudi national arrested in India for ‘illegally’ using satellite phone

Riyadh: The Indian authorities detained a Saudi national from Kochi Airport on Thursday for using satellite phone, instead of a cell one.

The 38-old Saudi national who paid a three-week-long visit to India was arrested as he was preparing to return home, reported Arabic daily Sabq.

According to Nedumbassery CI Murali M K, Al Fahad Sultan was detained by the CISF after a satellite phone was found in his possession, which is banned in India, reported English daily Indian Express.

“He has been staying in the country for the past 21 days. A case has been registered against him under Sections-4 and 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act. He will be presented before the court on Friday,” added the CI.
09/01/16 Gulf Digital News

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Union cabinet approves AAI-SCE MoU

The union cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which was signed in November, 2015 between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) in civil aviation during PM’s visit to Singapore, according to a PIB release.

The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual co-operation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad initially. This co-operation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent.

Provisions of the MoU include collaboration in areas such master planning and design, traffic development, commercial development, service quality improvement, training and development, cargo handling and management, maintenance, repair and overhaul and operation and management.

AAI may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximisation of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building, excluding land on city side and air side. The city side and air side will continue to be managed solely by AAI.
07/01/16 Express Travelworld

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KL-bound plane makes emergency landing after woman falls ill

Chennai: An AirAsia plane bound for Kuala Lumpur today made an emergency landing here after a 71-year-old Indonesian passenger complained of severe chest pain, airport officials said.

When the plane (D1-171), orginating from Jeddah with 286 passengers onboard was flying near Chennai airspace, the woman passenger felt severe pain and the crew alerted the authorities here seeking approval for emergency landing, officials said.

Immediately, permission was granted and a medical team was kept ready for attending to the ailing woman.
07/01/16 PTI/Business Standard

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HaveusAerotech signs MoU with Air India

Haveus Aerotech India, chosen by Dubai World Central (DWC) to build the first and most advanced maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, has signed a MoU with Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), a subsidiary of Air India to help set up engine MRO facility to cater to the burgeoning demand of engine maintenance, repair and overhauling services in the Gulf region.
H R Jagannathan, CEO, AIESL, said, “AIESL has vast aviation and engine experience which we will deploy to provide Haveus Aerotech India with all necessary support in terms of provision of skilled manpower and quality certification related to the facility.”
As per the MoU, AIESL will provide experienced engineers, skilled manpower and technical personnel to Haveus Aerotech India to build and operate MRO facility at Dubai. AIESL will provide the required support to Haveus Aerotech in procuring 145 certifications to establish an engine MRO at Dubai. Haveus Aerotech can use the AIESL facilities and manpower for engine overhaul of CFM56/CF6 series and any other engine or APU in India till Haveus Aerotech facility is operational in Dubai. AIESL will also work in unison with Haveus Aerotech and will provide any surplus work generated to Haveus Aerotech.
07/01/16 Express Travelworld

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Banned drugs from India seized at Juba Airport

Juba: The Pharmaceuticals and Foods Control Authority seized a shipment of counterfeit drugs at Juba International Airport on Wednesday.

Pharmaceuticals department head Angelina Juma Chol said in a press statement that the shipment seized Juba Airport came from India, and included fake drugs for weight control and impotence.
07/01/16 Radio Tamazuj

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Air India signs MoU to help build MRO facility at Dubai airport

New Delhi: Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi-based aircraft services firm, Haveus Aerotech, to provide technical assistance to develop Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. AIESL is a subsidiary of Air India.
According to the understanding, AIESL will provide its pool of engineers, manpower and technical know-how in building the MRO facility. The total project is spread over an area of 9,000 sq metres and will need an investment of $100 million, said Anshul Bhargava, MD, Haveus Aerotech India.
"The MRO facility will be able to service 100 engines in a year," Bhargava said.
At present, Indian carriers outsource about 90 per cent of their repair and maintenance work to companies abroad. This is partly because of the limited capabilities of domestic service providers and partly because of the high tax structure in India.
06/01/16 Business Standard

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US varsity blames Air India, students for visa mess

Washington: A US university, whose Indian students faced deportation in recent weeks, has blamed Air India and some of the deported students for the prevailing confusion on the issue.
"I want to share with everyone my strong belief that these difficulties arose solely because of the actions of Air India," Peter Hsieh president of the Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) said in an email to its students.
"At this time, we do not know why Air India has undertaken these actions to cause irreparable harm to our university and tarnish its reputation and incite great distress in our students and their families...we can only speculate as to Air India's motives and assume Air India's recent actions are related to their precarious financial position," he said.
Hsieh alleged that Air India is preventing students from boarding the plane because of the fear of financial burden in case students are deported from the US.
"We have been informed that many, but not all, are going through secondary inspection. As long as students have proper documentation and are able to answer questions, they are being allowed into the US. They also report that this is not limited to NPU or F-1 students, but also to other foreign traveller on H-1 visa and the like," Hsieh said.
06/01/16 Tribune

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Cabinet approves MoU with Singapore to manage airports

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Singapore for operating and maintaining the terminal building of airports at Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This is the first time the Airports Authority of India will award operation and maintenance contract to any entity for terminal building. The city side and airside of Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports will continue to be managed by the AAI.
“The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent,” the government said in a release.
07/01/16 The Hindu

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Indian MoD confirms Rafale contract

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed the order for Rafale combat aircraft with France's Dassault Aviation.

Under the terms of the contract, Dassault will supply 36 medium multi role combat aircraft (MMRCA) aircraft to the South Asian Country.

The move is part of the nation's decision to upgrade the inventory of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with focus on domestic manufacturing.

However, India was originally expected to buy 126 Rafale aircraft.

Dassault Aviation has previously delivered its Mirage 2000 I / TI fighter aircraft to the IAF. The IAF currently operates 51 Mirage 2000H fighters, which are known as Vajra in the Indian service.

The new contract is believed to be on the same lines as the Mirage 2000 aircraft contract signed in 1980's, reported Indo-Asian News Service.
06/01/16 Airforce-technology.com

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Turkish Airlines introduces Flying Chef service on Mumbai-Istanbul route

Mumbai: Turkish Airlines has introduced the Flying Chef service on its Mumbai-Istanbul-Mumbai route. The service delivers a restaurant-like experience to the business class passengers.

The Flying Chef service offers world and Indian veg and non-veg, Jain cuisines. Business class passengers will get to indulge in menus that will be rotated regularly in order to provide new options to frequent travelelrs, every time they fly.

Mehmet Akay, general manager, Western and Southern India, Turkish Airlines, said, “We are happy to introduce the Flying Chef service on our Mumbai-Istanbul-Mumbai route. We were overwhelmed with the feedback we received for the Flying Chef service on our long haul routes and hence we decided to introduce this service on our flights to and from Mumbai as well.”

Under the service, all business class passengers will be greeted with a choice of welcome drinks as soon as they board the aircraft. To add to the on-board bar experience, guests will be offered a selection of cocktails as well as assortments of Turkish and International beers and wines. Traditional Turkish tea and coffee will also be available on board.
06/01/16 Express Travel World

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India and Russia Fail to Resolve Dispute Over Fifth Generation Fighter Jet

During the annual India-Russia summit, which took place in late December 2015 in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to resolve an ongoing disagreement between the two countries over the future of a joint fifth generation fighter program.

India and Russia in early 2007 signed an intergovernmental agreement to co-develop a fifth generation fighter–the Sukhol/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) or as it known in India, the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The aircraft will be a multi-role, single seat, twin-engine air superiority/deep air support fighter with stealth capabilities and is based on the Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) T-50 prototype, currently undergoing flight tests in Russia.

Ever since 2007, however, the  weapons program has experienced various setbacks.

Delays were caused by New Delhi and Moscow disagreeing over many fundamental aspects of the joint development project including work and cost share, aircraft technology, as well as the number of aircraft to be ordered.
06/01/16 Franz-Stefan Gady/The Diplomat

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Drop in pressure forces Jet Airways' flight to land in Myanmar

Mumbai: A Jet Airways' flight from Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh via Bangkok made an emergency landing in Yangon almost four hours after its take-off yesterday due to drop in cabin pressure. The pilot of flight 9W 070, which took off from Mumbai at 9.30 am, made an emergency landing at 1.10 pm (IST) at Yangon in Myanmar when its passengers faced difficulty in breathing due to fall in pressure at 32,000 feet.
The Boeing 739 had taken off on schedule, but when it was an hour away from Bangkok, it faced a drop in cabin pressure and was forced to land at Yangon around 2.10 am (local time). The 184 passengers on board faced difficulty in breathing as the oxygen level had dropped and the masks dropped down for the passengers' relief.
"During the journey, we experienced low cabin pressure, heavy turbulence, unexpected descent from 32,000 to 10,000 feet and breathlessness. Then, the oxygen masks dropped down and, with their help, we managed to breathe a little better. While receiving security instructions in numerous flights, I had never imagined that one day we would have to use these masks. Hats off to the young cabin crew who took care of scared passengers on board, and the captain who managed safe emergency landing at Yangon airport," said Dharmil Thakkar, one of the passengers. The passengers were taken care of at the Yangon airport terminal.
06/01/16 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Etihad to up stake in Jet Airways via fund infusion

Jet Airways is neck deep in debt and has once again turned to Etihad to raise funds, but, this time the stakes could be higher. Sources with direct knowledge share that Jet Airways is in talks with Etihad to raise $300-400 mn via convertible bonds. On conversion Etihad could raise its stake in Jet up to 49% from 24% currently.

Negotiations on valuations are currently on between the parties and the deal is expected to be closed by March 31, 2016, a source said. People in the know also shared with ET Now that the conversion of bonds could be in 2018-19 period
Jet Airways has debt of $1.7 bn or Rs 11,000 cr and is under pressure to de-leverage its balance sheet. Jet intends to use the funds largely to pare down debt and a part of it could be used for expansion in operations, sources indicated.
06/01/16 Nisha Poddar/Economic Times

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