Kolkata-London flight off radar, flyers to transit Delhi, Mumbai

Kolkata: The weekly flight between London and Kolkata is not in the limited number of flights that have been allowed to operate between the UK and India from January 8 to January 23. The ministry of civil aviation on Saturday announced the list of 15 flights a week between airports in India and those in the UK. While Delhi has a daily flight, Mumbai has six and Bengaluru two.

Telephones at the Air India office in Kolkata kept ringing on Saturday as anxious passengers booked to travel on the direct weekly flights between Kolkata and London enquired when they would be able to fly. The flurry of calls was triggered by an earlier MoCA notification on Friday evening announcing regulated resumption of flights between the two countries from January 8.

“We have received hundreds of calls since the morning from passengers seeking clarification on their travel. We are assuring everyone that there is no need to panic. Since they are booked on AI, the airline will ensure that they reach the destination, be it passengers set to travel to London or arrive here,” an AI official said.

Among the callers was Lalit Tejwani, whose son Vikram was originally scheduled to travel on Sunday. “There is no clarity at this point on when Vikram will be able to fly. We hope the airline will make some arrangement via another city,” said Tejwani. Vikram has completed four years in Leeds university and has to return after the Christmas break for the fifth year.

03/01/21 Times of India

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‘It’s empty’: Air India crew’s first reaction to landing in Wuhan airport in China for evacuation

While the region of Wuhan stays under lockdown, as the epicentre of the coronavirus disease, India sent a flight on February 1 to evacuate Indian citizens in China. The flight that landed in India on Saturday morning had three minors, 211 students and 110 working professionals, an airline spokesperson said.

Six Indians were offloaded before the plane took off, as screening showed they were running a high temperature, reported ANI. The remaining passengers will be kept in isolation for 14 days at the Indo-Tibetan Border Force centre in Chhawla in Delhi.
In a video taken during the landing of the Air India flight in Wuhan, the first reactions of the crew can be heard. “Khaali hai [It’s empty],” said one of the pilots, as the aircraft taxied across a seemingly deserted airport.
31/01/20 Scroll.in

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Special Indian flight en route to Wuhan to deliver medical supplies & evacuate citizens stranded in coronavirus epicenter

An Air India flight has been given the green light to travel to the Chinese city of Wuhan – ground zero for a new rapidly spreading coronavirus – in order to evacuate citizens and drop off sorely needed medical supplies.
Taking off from Mumbai early on Friday, local time, the Boeing 747 will first stop off at India’s capital, Delhi to load up on supplies before heading into China for the rescue mission, where a number of nations have issued travel restrictions due to the new virus, recently declared a global health crisis by the World Health Organization.
New Delhi indicated it would take steps to bring Indian citizens home from the embattled city earlier this week, hinging only on approval from Chinese authorities. There are around 250 Indians currently trapped in Wuhan, many of them medical students studying abroad.

The move follows a similar initiative by Washington to bring US consulate officials home from Wuhan, as well as other US citizens who were at a “greater risk” of infection. Australia, Canada, Japan, and a number of EU nations have also either begun or are preparing to begin evacuations.
31/01/20 RT

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Coronavirus outbreak: With 5 doctors on board, Air India's B747 plane departs from Delhi to Wuhan

New Delhi: Air India's 423-seater jumbo B747 plane took off from the Delhi airport at around 1.20 pm on Friday to evacuate Indian nationals from Wuhan as China deals with the novel coronavirus outbreak, officials said.
 There are five doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital and one paramedical staff onboard, they said, adding that around 400 Indians are expected to be evacuated and the plane is likely to return between 1 am to 2 am on Saturday.
 "The plane did a pushback towards the runway at around 12.50 pm. It took off at around 1.20 pm on Friday. The departure got delayed a little from 12.30 pm scheduled time because of some pending clearances," said a senior airline official.
 After takeoff, Air India spokesperson stated that another special flight may take off from Delhi airport on Saturday to evacuate Indians from Wuhan. About Friday's flight, the spokesperson said, "A team of five doctors from RML hospital, one paramedical staff from Air India, with prescribed medicines from doctors, masks, overcoats, packed food are in the aircraft. A team of engineers, security personnel are also there in this special aircraft. Whole rescue mission is being lead by Captain Amitabh Singh, Director (Operations), Air India."
 The spokesperson added that there are five cockpit crew members and 15 cabin crew members on Friday's flight. Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said on Friday morning, "No service will take place in the plane. Whatever food is there will be kept in seat pockets. As there will be no service, there will be no interaction (between cabin crew and passengers)." "Masks have been arranged for the crew and passengers. For our crew, we have also arranged a complete protective gear," he added.
 31/01/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Air India evacuation flight may take off today; China yet to give nod

New Delhi: India is expected to conduct its maiden mission on Friday to evacuate its nationals from Wuhan even as it awaits Chinese green signal for the exercise.
 ET has learnt that first Air India flight is expected to operate flight on Friday for evacuation mission. The flight has been kept ready in Mumbai for past three days after formal permission was sought from China. 
“The government of India has been conducting a regular review on the situation arising out of the outbreak of coronavirus in China. We have put out regular updates on the arrangements which are being made. We have made a formal request to the government of China for bringing back Indian nationals from the Hubei province in two flights. We are awaiting for the necessary approval from the Chinese side. We hope this will be granted soon,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said here on Thursday.
 “Meanwhile, we have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. Our Mission in Beijing is working round the-clock on the ground to work out the necessary logistics,” Kumar said, adding, “Arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport. We remain committed to the safety and wellbeing of our nationals abroad. We appreciate the support extended by the government of China and other ministries in the government of India in putting this process together.”
 31/01/20 Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury/Economic Times

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Refrain from travelling to China: India tells its citizens

A few days ago, India had issued a travel advisory to its citizens asking them to take certain health precautions during their visit to China to avoid getting infected by the Coronavirus. However, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has now revised its travel advisory taking into account the worsening state of health affairs in China.

According to the news reports, in the wake of more cases of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) being reported in China, India has asked its citizens to avoid visiting the Republic of China.

Formerly, the advisory written by the ministry said that travel-related cases of Coronavirus are appearing in several countries, and it is advised that all non-essential travel to China is best avoided. Now, the ministry has clearly asked Indians to refrain from travelling to China.

Airlines in India that operate flights to Southeast Asia have directed the cabin crew members and pilots to wear N95 masks and abide by all possible precautionary measures. A few flights have also been cancelled.

Reportedly, IndiGo will temporarily stall the operations of its Delhi-Chengdu daily flight from February 1 to 20, 2020, and the Bengaluru-Hong Kong flight. In addition, the airline is avoiding any layover for its staff in China.
30/01/20 Times of India

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Coronavirus cloud over China flights

Calcutta: The scare triggered by a new strain of coronavirus has led to a dip in passenger count on flights to China, forcing airlines to suspend some flights from India to Chinese destinations and monitor the viability of the rest.

IndiGo airline has suspended its flights between Delhi and Chengdu and between Bangalore and Hong Kong from February 1.

The airline said on Wednesday that it was also closely monitoring the passenger count on its flights from Calcutta to Guangzhou, another Chinese city.

Air India said it was suspending its flights on the Delhi-Shanghai route from January 31 to February 14.

In Calcutta, tour operators said people were cancelling visits to China and alleged that some of the money-changers in the city were refusing to accept China’s currency notes, Chinese Yuan, fearing that there would be no takers.

“After carefully assessing the current coronavirus situation in China, IndiGo is taking some safety measures for its customers, crew and staff. Because of China travel restrictions, we have seen a high number of cancellations from China on our Delhi-Chengdu route and vice versa. Therefore, we are suspending our flights between Delhi and Chengdu from February 1 till February 20. We are also suspending our Bengaluru-Hong Kong flights from February 1,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

“For now, we will continue to operate our Calcutta-Guangzhou flights, which we are monitoring on a daily basis. And for our operating crew, we are ensuring that they return to India on inbound flights without any layover in China,” the spokesperson said.

IndiGo sources said there was a sharp dip in the number of passengers to Guangzhou a few days back.

“The passenger count on some days was as low 20 or 40. But now it has started to pick up again,” a source said. The flight is operated with Airbus A320 aircraft with 180 seats.

One official said the flight was operated to bring back passengers from China.

China Eastern Airlines, which operates flights between Calcutta and Kunmin, has not suspended its operations.
30/01/20 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph

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Coronavirus outbreak: ‘Air India’s Wuhan rescue mission would not be a usual one’

Mumbai: With Air India preparing to operate flights to evacuate Indians from Wuhan in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, a pilots' union of the carrier has said the airline cannot afford any mistakes and risk spreading the infection.

In a letter to Air India chief Ashwani Lohani, the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) said the mission would be quite different from usual rescue and relief efforts, and presents new challenges as well as obstacles to overcome.
"... due to the long incubation period of this virus, post mission support for all personnel and equipment involved in this mission is crucial well after the completion of a flight," it said.

The union has around 600 members. Two flights are set to be operated to bring back Indian nationals from China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the Chinese government has been requested for permission to operate these two flights.

"Given the complex and dangerous nature of this situation, it would be best if the operating crew is accompanied by the ablest and most experienced members from relevant departments like engineering, commercial and medical to ensure the best on ground support to accomplish this mission safely," the union said.
30/01/20 PTI/TimesNowNews.com

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Air India pilots union sounds caution on Wuhan evacuation flights

Mumbai : With Air India preparing to operate flights to evacuate Indians from Wuhan in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, a pilots' union of the carrier on Wednesday said the airline cannot afford any mistakes and risk spreading the infection.
In a letter to Air India chief Ashwani Lohani, the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) said the mission would be quite different from usual rescue and relief efforts, and presents new challenges as well as obstacles to overcome. "... due to the long incubation period of this virus, post mission support for all personnel and equipment involved in this mission is crucial well after the completion of a flight," it said.
 The union has around 600 members. Two flights are set to be operated to bring back Indian nationals from China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the Chinese government has been requested for permission to operate these two flights.
 "Given the complex and dangerous nature of this situation, it would be best if the operating crew is accompanied by the ablest and most experienced members from relevant departments like engineering, commercial and medical to ensure the best on ground support to accomplish this mission safely," the union said.
30/01/20 PTI/Economic Times

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B’luru-Hong Kong direct flight suspended

Bengaluru: Amid growing fears over coronavirus and high number of cancellations, IndiGo Airlines has decided to suspend its Bengaluru-Hong Kong flight from February 1. Indigo operates 6E 1773 from Bengaluru to Hong Kong.
The Delhi-Chengdu direct service has also been called off between February 1 and February 20. With this, the Kolkata-Guangzhou flight remains the only direct flight between the two countries which continues to be operational. Other airlines, including British Airways too have suspended all direct flights to China.

The airline added that the cancellations are ‘precautionary’ and ‘temporary’ and that it’d be providing a full refund to impacted passengers.

“After carefully assessing the current coronavirus situation in China, IndiGo is taking some safety measures for its customers, crew and staff. Due to China travel restrictions, we have seen a high number of cancellations from China on our Delhi-Chengdu route and vice-a-versa. Therefore, we are suspending our flights between Delhi and Chengdu from February 01, 2020 until February 20, 2020. We are also suspending our Bengaluru-Hong Kong flight effective February 1, 2020,” read a statement issued by IndiGo on Wednesday.
30/01/20 Times of India

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SpiceJet and Amadeus strengthen partnership in the Gulf

Looking to the future of travel in the Gulf, SpiceJet—India’s second biggest budget carrier—and Amadeus recently organized a series of empowerment sessions for the region’s travel community held in Dubai, UAE.
More than 100 travel consultants participated in the sessions, which focused on how the Gulf’s travel industry can collaborate to better define and deliver offersto travel agents, corporates, and individual travellers.  A number of success cases were also presented during the sessions, including SpiceJet’s MoU with Gulf Air and codeshare agreement with Emirates.
Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, managing director of Amadeus Gulf, briefed audiences on how the travel tech company is working with ecosystem partners to createfully-open systems, to better harness the intelligent use of data, and to integrate new interfaces and architectures that connect travellers to the journeys they want.
The sessions follow an agreement signed between SpiceJet and Amadeus earlier this year for a new distribution agreement that gives Amadeus’ global network of travel sellers access to unique content fromthe airline—including a range of fares and prices—through the Amadeus Travel Platform. The agreement marks the first time that SpiceJet is working with a distribution partner.
“Offering travellers the opportunity to choose how, where, and when to buy travel online is fundamental to meeting their needs today,” says keynote speaker Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, managing director of Amadeus Gulf. “To realize the full value of theirinventory in 2020 and beyond, it is essential for the Gulf’s travel community to differentiate their offers beyond just price, while ensuring that moreagencies and travellerscan connect with theirgrowing networks.”
The Middle East travel industry currently has a growing online penetration rate with around 33% of bookings being made online in 2018. An Amadeus report earlier this year revealed that the region is especially receptive to growth in the online travel sector with an increase of 14% expected year-on-year, which will make the MENA region the second-fastest growing online travel market in the world.
28/01/20 PRESS RELEASE/Amadeus 

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Karanvir Bohra detained at Delhi airport for flying to Nepal without passport

Actor Karanvir Bohra has been detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for not carrying proper travel documents. Karanvir was on his way to Nepal from Mumbai, and had a connecting flight from Delhi to Kathmandu. Bohra was stopped at the Delhi airport as he was carrying his Aadhar Card (UID), which is not valid identity document in Nepal for Indian nationals, if you're flying into the country.

Karanvir Bohra took to Twitter to share his anguish, saying that he was allowed to board the flight from Mumbai but was stopped in Delhi. He wrote, "Deported at Delhi airport on my way to #nepal. trvlng wid #adhaarcar not allowed Nepal gov alows (PP,voters ID & Adhaar by road,by air only PP & VI)Then,Y did @airindiain in Mumbai let me fly with my Adhaar?Y didn't they stop me there? #indianembassy @DrSJaishankar @IndiaInNepal. (sic)"

The Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, lists the following documents as valid for travel to Nepal:

1. Valid National Passport.
2. Photo Identity card issued by the Government of India/State Govt./UT Administration in India to their employees or Election ID card issued by the Election Commission of India.
3. Emergency Certificate issued by Embassy of India, Kathmandu.
4. Identity Certificate issued by Embassy of India, Kathmandu.

The list also mentions that an Aadhaar (UID) card is not an acceptable travel document for travel to Nepal/Bhutan except for certain cases.

Twitter users pointed out the same to Bohra, and said that the rule has been in place for a long time.
30/01/20 India Today

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Air India Evacuation Flight To China's Wuhan Likely On January 31: Report

New Delhi: Air India is likely to operate a flight service to Wuhan in Central China to evacuate Indians stuck in the city due to the outbreak of coronavirus, sources said on Tuesday.
However, when contacted, the airline's CMD Ashwani Lohani said that the airline is prepared to operate the flight, but did not reveal other details.
The airline is expected to operate a flight using Boeing 747.

Earlier, India's civil aviation regulator DGCA gave its clearance to the airline to operate the Mumbai-Delhi-Wuhan flight.

Highly-placed sources said that Civil Aviation Secretary P.S. Kharola had back-to-back consultation here on Tuesday with Air India officials about operating the special flight.

According to sources, the major worry with regards to evacuating Indians from Wuhan and other affected areas is about screening the people boarding the flight.

Moreover, the passengers have to be constantly monitored during the flight and have to be quarantined after reaching Delhi.
"Do we have the required infrastructure to deal with this? The aircraft, crew and the passengers from Wuhan have to be isolated and only after ruling out infection they are to be allowed to leave," a source said.

He added that it is a complicated issue as India cannot shrug off its responsibility.

"So, infected or not infected, they have to be brought back," the source said.
29/01/20 IANS/NDTV

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Why Air India gifted Salvador Dali an elephant

Flights may just be just a mode of transit today. But, back in the 1960s, flying was a lifestyle. Passengers puffed Havanas and enjoyed caviar and Champagne, Stewardesses sported designerwear and amenities were supplied by Hermes and Christian Dior. In the Golden Age of Flying, no expense was spared. And while India’s national carrier may be reeling under debt and up for sale now, Air India was once at top of the chain when it came to luxury. It was perhaps the only airline that gifted ashtrays designed by Salvador Dali! And it was definitely the only airline that paid for it in elephant!

In 1967, Jot Singh, the then public relations officer of Air India, happened to meet Salvador Dali in New York City. Air India, by then, was a vast collector of art. Singh asked Dali to create something for the airline. The Spanish surrealist obliged and designed a small unglazed porcelain ashtray with a shell-shaped centre and a serpent around the perimeter supported by two surrealist headstands–a swan on one side and elephant on the other. Beautiful. When it came to fees, Dali asked for an elephant! Why? “ I wish to keep him in my olive grove and watch the patterns of shadows the moonlight makes through the twigs on his back,” he is reported to have said.

The carrier obliged and flew a two-year-old elephant from Bangalore to Geneva. The little jumbo was then transported by truck to Cadaques, where Dali lived. Its arrival was celebrated with much pomp. Apparently, the mayor declared a three-day holiday and there was a special parade organised at the plaza.

What happened to Dali’s elephant?
Dali had big plans to ride across the Alps with it, somewhat like Hannibal. However, none of that materialised. The mammal grew too big and eventually Dali lost interest. So, it was taken to Barcelona Zoo in 1971.
28/01/20 Conde Nast Traveller

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Air India jumbo plane ready for evacuation of Indians from Wuhan

Mumbai: Flag carrier Air India has kept one of its 423-seater jumbo plane ready in Mumbai for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Wuhan province in China in the wake of coronavirus outbreak in the East Asian country, an official source said on Tuesday.
 The airline is awaiting necessary approvals from the ministries of External Affairs and Health to operate the special evacuation flight, the source said. The decision follows the government instructions to various ministries to take steps to deal with the issue.
 "We have kept a Boeing 747-400 ready in Mumbai to operate an evacuation flight to China whenever we get a go ahead from the government," the source said. Some 250 Indians are to be evacuated, the source said, adding, "we are awaiting clearances from Ministry of External Affairs and also from Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry's nod is required because the operating crew has to fly in a virus outbreak territory.
" At the Cabinet Secretary meeting on Monday, the government decided that steps may be taken to prepare for the possible evacuation of Indian nationals in Wuhan. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus in China is a novel strain and not seen before.
 28/01/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Not interested in Air India divestment, focus on organic growth: Emirates

Mumbai: Emirates Airline has ruled out participation in Air India disinvestment and said it will continue to focus on organic growth opportunities in India.

Emirates is the largest foreign airline operating in India with over 10 per cent market share. The carrier operates 170 weekly frequencies to nine cities in India.
In a statement, Emirates said "We do not intend to acquire equity in Air India as we are currently focused on our own organic growth. We remain committed to support India’s vision for the tourism and aviation sectors.“

“Our journey in India has been defined by progressive investment, partnership, and growth. We started with two direct routes to Mumbai and Delhi, and now offer 170 weekly services to nine cities. Through our partnerships with SpiceJet and Vistara, our customers have access to an extensive network of cities across India," the airline added.
28/01/20 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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FlyAmritsar Initiative met with airlines for creating better air connectivity from Amritsar

Keeping up the efforts for boosting the domestic and international connectivity from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar for Amritsar & Punjab region, a delegation of FlyAmritsar Initiative let by its Convener met with officials of Star Air India, Thai Airways, Thai Smile, &Air Asia at Delhi and Bengaluru.

In a press release, the Global Convener for FlyAmritsar Initiative and Overseas Secretary of Amritsar Vikas Manch, Sameep Singh Gumtala, NRI from the USAalong with Convener (India) Yogesh Kamra informed that they had a fruitful meetings with different airlines where they presented detailed data and statistics to the airline officials.

They had a very fruitful meeting withSimran Singh Tiwana, CEO of Star Air at Delhi and shared the statistics for air linking Amritsar with Ahmedabad and other airports. Star Air is currently launching flights on several routes under government-initiated UDAN scheme. During the previous term of Modi government, FlyAmritsar Initiative along with representatives from acclaimed civil society organization Amritsar Vikas Manch met with Minister of Civil AviationSh. Jayant Sinhathat lead to the inclusion of Amritsar in UDAN-3 phase. Currently, due to UDAN-3, direct flights are operating from Amritsar to Jaipur by Spicejet and Kolkata by Indigo.

Gumtala informed that a meeting was also held with Thai Airways officials to link Amritsar directly to Bangkok, capital of Thailand. Thai airline currently operates direct flights from Bangkok to several cities in Australia and New Zealand, where a large number of Punjabis resides in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Christchurch and other cities.
28/01/20 Punjab News Express

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Flights to Dubai from Vijayawada soon: Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Bala Showry

Vijayawada: If things go as per the plan, leading flight operator Air India will be operating two flights to Dubai every week from Vijayawada airport soon, said Machilipatnam MP Vallabhaneni Bala Showry. Speaking to mediapersons at the airport on Monday, Bala Showry said he has requested the flight operator and Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to operate international services from Vijayawada.

"At present, flights to Dubai are being operated on the Visakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Dubai route. We have requested Air India chairman and managing director (CMD) Pradeep Singh Kharola to operate a flight on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad-Dubai route twice a week," he observed.

Elaborating further, the MP said passenger ratio would be higher if a flight service was operated to Dubai from Vijayawada since many from the region visit the city for employment and tourism purposes. "Considering our request, Air India has assured to study the feasibility and may introduce the flight service in the months to come. Not only this, we have also requested SriLankan Airlines, Jet Airways and IndiGo to begin flights from Vijayawada to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore, during a recent conference at the Civil Aviation office," he said.

"Our objective is to operate international flights from Vijayawada and I am confident that all our requests will be considered by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and flight operators," Bala Showry assured. Giving an update on the status of integrated terminal building works, the MP said Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for it in December, 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 611 crore.
28/01/20 New Indian Express

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International flyer movement up in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Improved connectivity, more direct flights to newer destinations from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad, has led to a significant increase in international passenger movements. According to data given by Airport Authority of India (AAI), international tourist arrivals at the SVPI airport in Ahmedabad went up by 16% in 2019, with some 24.09 lakh international passengers moving in and out of the city airport during the year. The number of international passengers handled at the SVPI airport in Ahmedabad stood at 20.6 lakh in 2018.
“The connectivity to international destinations has tremendously improved from SVPI airport. We now have direct flights to destinations such as Turkey, whereas direct connectivity to existing destinations has increased significantly. Moreover, some of the airlines have upgraded with higher seating capacity aircraft and others plan to do so. As a result, the overall passenger movement has increased significantly and will further go up,” said Manoj Gangal, director, SVPI airport.

Travel experts also attribute the growth in passenger movement to the heritage city status conferred upon Ahmedabad; in addition to a slew of foreign investments that have taken shape.
“Several foreign companies have invested in Gujarat and most of them are in and around Ahmedabad, as a result of which, movement of international business delegates has significantly increased at the city. This number is growing year on year and is visible with several hotels in the city hosting international guests,” said a city-based tour operator.
28/01/20 Niyati Parikh/Times of India

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Air India Boeing 747 on standby to evacuate Indians from Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak

New Delhi: An Air India Boeing 747 has been kept on standby for the evacuation of Indian citizens from Wuhan city of China, the epicentre of novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the official of the national carrier.
The aircraft is waiting for the Centre's decision regarding the evacuation.
"Air India Boeing 747 is on standby for the evacuation of Indians from Wuhan (China) due to scare of Coronavirus. Carrier is waiting for the government the decision," an Air Indian official told ANI on Monday.
The infectious virus, due to which 80 people have died so far in China and affected over 2500 people in the country, reportedly originated from Wuhan city, a major transportation hub of China.
Following the outbreak, China has imposed a lockdown in the city. However, the virus has spread to many parts of the world including France, where three cases have been reported so far.
27/01/20 ANI/Times of India

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Air India to operate six flights in week b/w India-Israel from April

Tel Aviv: Air India will now operate six flights in one week between India and Israel from April this year, Indian Embassy in Israel said on Sunday.
"On 71st RepublicDayIndia, we are happy to announce that Air India will now operate 6 flights a week from April 2020 on NewDelhiTelAviv sector. Tickets for the additional flight on Wednesday are on sale", the embassy said in a tweet.
 Meanwhile, Israel envoy to India Ron Malka greeted the people on the occasion of Republic day, which is being celebrated with enthusiasm and patriotic fervour across the country.
"On behalf of my team at IsraelinIndia and the people of Israel, I wish you all a Happy RepublicDayIndia", he tweeted.
26/01/20 UNI

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Talks on for air link to Dubai, Bangkok & Colombo

Aurangabad: Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF) has said that talks were on with operators for flights to Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok and Colombo.
The announcement was made at an event held in city to mark the National Tourism Day on January 25.

Over 11 months, flight operations at Aurangabad Airport have increased from six to 30. Much of this increase has been credited to the efforts of hotelier Sunit Kothari, ATDF president Jaswant Singh, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Pranob Sarkar, IATO vice-president Rajeev Mehra, and Aurangabad airport director D G Salve.

There was a widespread impact on travel to the region following the grounding of Jet Airways flights in March last year. Subsequently, the team was responsible for continued follow-ups with airlines and the ministry of civil aviation. Currently, Aurangabad Airport hosts Air India, Trujet, Indigo and Spicejet flights. It is linked to Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.
26/01/20 Arpita Sharad/Times of India

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Boeing plans MAX simulator in India

Davos: Boeing Co is looking at setting up a flight simulator for its grounded 737 MAX jet in India to help hasten its return there, according to SpiceJet Ltd, one of the biggest customers for the narrow-body model.
The US manufacturer is in talks with India about establishing a local facility by April or May, SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh said on Friday in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“We have ongoing discussions with Boeing but I think they will pay for the training,” Singh said.
SpiceJet has idled 13 jets after the MAX was grounded globally in March after two crashes, having agreed orders or options on 205.
Boeing said January 8 it had advised regulators that pilots will need more than brief tablet-based instruction before flying the MAX.
That could swell costs by $5bn, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, since the company will be expected to reimburse airline expenses after selling the jet on the basis that pilots certified for the previous 737 would need minimal additional training.
The manufacturer pushed back the time-line for the MAX’s return on January 21, saying it won’t now make a comeback until mid-2020.
26/01/20 Bloomberg/Gulf Times

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Air India doubles flights on Tel Aviv-New Delhi route to tackle increase in passenger rush

Tel Aviv: In view of the increase in passenger traffic on the Tel Aviv-New Delhi sector, India's official carrier Air India will double the number of flights on the route to six per week from April.
 The national carrier created history by becoming the first commercial flight to fly to Israel over Saudi Arabia and Oman in March 2018, seen by many as a diplomatic breakthrough and often presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a major achievement of his government signalling improving ties with Gulf countries.
 The access to Saudi and Omani airspace shortens the flight path by almost two hours which lowers the fuel cost leading to reduction in fares. The announcement was made by Indian Ambassador in Israel Sanjeev Singla during the Republic Day celebrations at the Indian Embassy here on Sunday.
 "Direct Air India flight connectivity between New Delhi and Tel Aviv is a game changer in our bilateral relations reflecting the importance we attach to people-to-people linkages and connectivity. The direct flights have greatly enhanced movement of people between the two countries resulting in an increase in tourism and also facilitating the travel of the business community," Singla told PTI.
 Air India started with 3 flights a week and within a span of two years has gradually increased it to six, starting from April 1 this year. It will not operate on the route on Friday when Israeli Jews observe Sabbath, a day of religious observance and abstinence from work.
 26/01/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Immigration Officials Block Trafficking Of Nine Girls Out Of Nigeria At Lagos Airport

New York: The Nigeria Immigration Service has intercepted an attempt to traffic nine girls out of the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The service said the girls were to be trafficked to Lebanon, Cairo, Dubai and India on Ethiopian, Peace, Egypt and East Airlines.
Public Relations Officer of immigration, Mr Sunday James, in a statement on Saturday said that four of the girls after interrogation claimed that they were traveling out of Nigeria to take up employments without knowing their employers or the nature of jobs they were going out of the country for.
The statement said two of the girls claimed that they were embarking on visitation trip to India for medical treatment but were not in possession of referral letters from any hospitals in the country.
Also, at first, the two could not explain the nature of the ailments they had, but later claimed they had malaria fever.
However, after much interrogation by its personnel at the airport, they confessed “to be going to India to hustle”.
The other two said they were on a trip to Dubai for visit but later confessed they were going to Dubai for “hustling”.
James hinted that the trafficking was organised by agents aimed at exploiting their innocence and ignorance.
25/01/20 Sahara Reporters

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Escapee From India Arrested At Newark International Airport; 17 Years After Name Topped Under ‘Quebec’s 10 Most Wanted List’

A 46-year-old escapee from India was caught at Newark Liberty International Airport last Sunday. Police reports suggest that he sexually assaulted five young boys from the year 1998 to 2003. And he was in the most wanted list of the crime bureau. Kapoor arrived in Canada almost 17 years ago after he got to know that he has an arrest warrant against his name.
He is suspected of sexually assaulting five young teens in Montreal. He mostly used young boys as his targets, lured them into his house, and then engaged with them in sexual activities. After police were reported about the case, they issued an international arrest warrant so that he would return to Canada if he were somewhere else in the world.
The police officials from Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police and U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Protection and Interpol worked equally hard to get hold of the criminal who was flying away from the scene. He was presented in the Newark federal court on Tuesday and was later taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals.
According to the recent media reports, Interpol concluded that the man faces several charges which includes sexual assault, incitement of children to engage in sexual acts and production, and possession of child pornography. The Interpol and U.S. Attorney’s Office is looking after the case, and his prison life will be decided in the upcoming court hearing.
25/01/20 Soham Saha/The Innersane

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Hinduja, US-based fund join race for Air India: Report

Earlier, the Hinduja Group had shown an interest in taking over Jet Airways but did not make a formal bid as it felt Air India oered better opportunities. "We are looking at Air India and will take a decision once the bid documents are in place," a source told the publication.
 The bidders are now showing interest in Air India because the government transferred Rs 29,500 crore of Air India’s debt to a special purpose vehicle — Air India Assets Holding, which reduced the finance cost of the airline substantially.
According to the report, the sale of 100 per cent equity of the airline has also enthused bidders. In May, the government had oered 76 per cent of the equity sale in the last round but it failed to attract any bidder. Interups told the publication that it was waiting for the Indian government to float the bid document on Air India and that it will be a serious contender.
 "We have opened a dialogue with the ministry, and our CEO Louise Jones will be in India next week (to discuss the issue). We have some concerns on non-inclusion of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) assets in the acquisition and would put our appeal before the government, as without MRO, it will be diicult for our identified operators to manage aircra maintenance," Laxmi Prasad, chairman and chief business architect of Interups told the publication.
 25/01/20 Deccan Herald

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Air Asia PMLA case: R Venkataramanan did not ignore ED summons, says Tata Sons

Tata Sons, the holding company of the salt-to-software conglomerate, on Friday, clarified that R Venkataramanan, former director of AirAsia India, did not ignore any summons issued by Enforcement Directorate (ED) or other agencies in connection with a money laundering case.

AirAsia India is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Malaysia’s AirAsia Berhad, both owning 49 percent each. Venkataramanan was the Tata Sons nominee on the board of AirAsia India. He stepped down as managing trustee of the Tata Trusts in March last year and later exited AirAsia India.

Claiming that media reports of Venkataramanan ignoring summons on three occasions as factually incorrect, Tata Sons said he received the summons for the first time on January 22, 2020.

However, based on due enquiry undertaken by Air Asia India, there has been no wrongdoing by Venkataramanan, the company said in a press release.

Probe in the PMLA case is related to allegations that the airline tried to manipulate government policies through corrupt means to get the international licence for its Indian venture Air Asia India.
25/01/20 CNBC TV18

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No major coronavirus impact so far on India-China air sector

New Delhi: The outbreak of coronavirus in Chinese province of Wuhan has set off alarm bells across the globe but air traffic on India-China route is yet to see any major impact, primarily because it is not peak travel season.

Travel firms have been suggesting alternate tourist destinations such as Vietnam and Singapore to their clients in case they want to cancel their travel plans to China.

"As this is not currently India's holiday season, most of our leisure customers are adopting a wait and watch approach to gauge further developments. For our booked customers who prefer cancelling their China tour, we are offering various alternative destinations or the option to either defer their trip or avail of a future travel voucher," said Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head - Holiday, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

Kale said Indonesia and Singapore are favoured destinations for Indian travellers for this travel season.

Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo connect several key cities of China such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Biggest no-frills carrier IndiGo on Thursday announced daily direct flights connecting Chengdu with Mumbai.

As per industry estimates, the quarterly air traffic on India-China routes is over 1 lakh (one-way) and comprises tourist and business travellers. China is considered key source market for many global carriers and travel firms with over 100 million outbound trips estimated in 2020.
24/01/20 IANS/Daijiworld

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Airlines to connect Mumbai to seven additional international destinations in 2020

Mumbai: Airlines will connect Mumbai to seven additional overseas desinations in countries such as China and Russia, the operator of India’s second busiest airport said Friday.
 At least 10 airlines such as Garuda Indonesia, Jazeera Airways, Air Italy, RwandAir, Air Tanzania, Star Air, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines and Uzbekistan Airways started flights from Mumbai last year. Flights from the airport ferry passengers to 108--47 international and 61 domestic-- destinations.
It handled close to 49 million passengers in the financial year 2018-19. “On an average the airport has introduced two new international airlines every year since 2007,” said the GVK Power & Infra led airport operator.
 Also last year, Air Mauritius introduced its new Airbus A330 Neo and A350 aircraft while Singapore Airline introduced its new and refurbished A380 jumbo jet.
 24/01/20 Economic Times

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Coronavirus outbreak: IndiGo and Air India waive change and cancellation fee in flights connecting China

IndiGo and Air India on Friday announced that in view of the Coronavirus outbreak, they are offering change and cancellation fee waiver for all flights to or from China if the travel period is within next one month. IndiGo currently runs two daily direct flights to China, one is on Delhi-Chengdu route and another is on Kolkata-Guangzhou route. It will start a daily flight on Mumbai-Chengdu route from March 15. Air India has only one direct flight to China and it runs on Delhi-Shanghai route.

Dampening the celebrations of the Lunar New Year, China, in an unprecedented move, has shut down transportation in at least 13 cities — Wuhan and 12 of its neighbours — in central China’s Hubei province to contain the coronavirus. According to the National Health Commission in China, 26 people have died so far with over 880 confirmed cases being treated mostly in Hubei province. Twenty-nine provinces have reported the cases.
IndiGo said on Twitter, “In view of Coronavirus outbreak, we are offering change and cancellation fee waiver for all flights to/from China, effective 24th Jan to 24th Feb, 2020. Waiver is only towards the penalty charges. Fare difference, if any, will be applicable.” Similarly, Air India announced on Twitter, “In view of Coronovirus outbreak, Reissue/No-Show/Cancellation and refund charges for all international tickets for travel to/from China effective January 24, 2020 to February 24, 2020 is waived off. Waiver is only on the penalty charges. Any fare difference will be additional.”
24/01/20 PTI/Financial Express

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Fleeing Wuhan: 14 Indian students to fly to Kolkata from Kunming

Kochi: As the coronavirus scare spreads, Indian students studying in universities located in places close to Wuhan city are desperately trying to get back to their homes. Students who are generally dependent on Wuhan airport, which is closed, are trying to reach India through other nearby airports.
Medical students from Three Gorges University, located in Yichang in western Hubei province, said authorities have provided them masks and gloves. Wuhan is little more than 300 km from Yichang and students generally take a train to reach Wuhan to catch international flights.
“We are being told to stay back in the dormitory as the risk is high while travelling. As of now there is no quarantine in this region. However, we want to leave the university before the nearest airports close,” Manasa Manoj, a final year medical student who hails from Perumbavoor near Kochi told TOI over phone.
She also said two days ago some of the students who were doing internship at the Yinchang Central Hospital were asked not to report for duty. “There was a case of pneumonia. But, there was no confirmation regarding coronavirus,” she added. There are about 14 students from the university, mostly Keralites, who plan to leave Yichang by Thursday night or Friday morning to catch a flight to Kolkata from Kunming airport.
24/01/20 Times of India

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Indian tourists to prop up MAHB airport arrivals amid coronavirus outbreak — MIDF Research

Kuala Lumpur: Higher tourist numbers from India could serve to prop up arrivals into Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)'s airports should there be no coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia.
In a note to investors this morning, MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd Research said assuming there are no cases of the virus in Malaysia, Indian tourists — whose 15-day visa-free travel has been extended to the whole of 2020 — could offset a decline in Chinese tourist arrivals.
The research house noted tourist arrivals from India reached approximately 600,000, which is almost comparable to South Korea and 52.2% higher than Japanese tourist arrival numbers.
"Other growth factors would include direct connectivity seen from international airlines flights to locations such as Langkawi. As such, we still believe that MAHB passenger numbers can meet the 110.8 million mark in 2020 at the current juncture, assuming a growth rate of 5.4%. In terms of valuations, MAHB's stock price is trading at a 12-month price-to-earnings ratio (PER) of 24.6 times, less than half of its five-year average (PER) of 63.7 times and at a discount compared to the regional PER of 37.6 times," MIDF noted.
MIDF has maintained its buy call on MAHB with a target price of RM8.98.
The research house noted that following the 2003 SARS outbreak, MAHB's passenger traffic growth in Malaysia slowed to 1.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) — with total international passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)'s main terminal travelling to and from China declining 10.7% y-o-y.
24/01/20 Arjuna Chandran Shankar/The Edge Markets

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No coronavirus infection cases in India, 12,828 passengers screened so far: Health Ministry

No case of suspected Novel Coronavirus infection has been detected in India, a statement from Union Health Ministry says.

As on January 22, 12,828 passengers from 60 flights have been screened for Novel Coronavirus symptoms at the International airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin, it states.

Briefing the preparedness of the government, the statement said Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China and disembarking in India. Instructions for in-flight announcements for India bound flights have also been given.

"National Institute of Virology, Pune is fully geared up to test samples of nCoV. Ten other laboratories under Indian Council of Medical Research's Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories network are also equipped to test such samples, if need arises. Adequate stock of Personal Protection Equipment is being maintained by Medical Stores Organisation," the statement said.
The health ministry also said that through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme issued advisory to all States/UTs for SARI surveillance, it has to pick up any travel-related case reported in the community and follow up contacts of suspect/confirmed cases.
23/01/20 Joe C Mathew/Business Today

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Flights from Warsaw to Delhi: Why LOT?

LOT Polish Airlines, a Star Alliance Member, commenced operations out of India on September 12, 2019. Based on strong demand from the Indian Point-of-Sale and latest booking forecasts for flights from India to Europe and North America, as well as high demand from corporate travelers and leisure guests from Europe to New Delhi, the airline decided to increase the number of weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights from 5 to 7 effective September 14, 2020.

India-originating passengers can now further benefit from the new codeshare agreement between Star Alliance members LOT Polish Airlines and Air India, offering connectivity via New Delhi’s terminal 3 from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune.

New Delhi was chosen not without reason as the next LOT destination in Asia. India is inhabited by over 1.3 billion citizens and is the world’s 7th biggest economy. After Singapore, India is the second center of direct investment in Asia for Polish entrepreneurs. In turn, for Indian business, Poland has a cost-effective and profitable investment environment. Geolocation of Poland with LOT’s extended network of connections rank Warsaw hub as a gateway for Indian passengers enabling them access to all countries in Europe. The new LOT’s connection will be a key element in strengthening economic ties and developing business relations between the two countries.
23/01/20 eTurboNews

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Viability shadow on Lanka flights

Calcutta: The flights to Colombo from Calcutta are not viable because there are not enough takers in the city for the island destination, an official of an airline owned by the Sri Lankan government said on Thursday.

SriLankan Airlines, which operates thrice a week between Calcutta and Colombo, has barely 40 per cent of passengers whose destination is the island country.

Most of the others are bound for the Gulf and to lure them, the airline has to offer “very low fares” to compete with Gulf carriers.

“Compared with other markets like Mumbai and Delhi, Calcutta is not lucrative. Because of Calcutta’s geographical location, we are not getting passengers onwards from Colombo for destinations like southeast Asia or the far-east,” said V. Ravindran, regional manager, India and Bangladesh, SriLankan Airlines.
“Passengers from Calcutta would not take a flight and make a detour down south and then go to these destinations,” he said.

India accounts for the largest number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka. Only a few of them are from Calcutta.

Mihin Lanka, a low-fare airline owned by the Sri Lankan government, had started the Calcutta-Colombo flights in 2015. The airline was later merged with SriLankan Airlines.

In April 2019, the airline had reduced the frequency from four flights a week to three because of problem of viability. “If we get enough passengers, we will consider introducing a fourth flight next winter,” said Ravindran.

From Delhi, the airline operates three flights daily to Colombo.
24/01/20 Sanjay Mondal/Telegraph

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SriLankan Airlines to expand operations from India

Kolkata: SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of the island nation, is planning to ramp up operations in India within this calendar year (2020). This would include adding new destinations such as Ahmedabad and Calicut – and an increase in frequency from existing cities such as Kolkata, Coimbatore and Hyderabad.

The airlines currently operates out of 11 cities in India (to Colombo) which include four flights a day from Chennai; a double daily flight from Mumbai and Bengaluru, and one flight daily each from Madurai, Tiruchi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. This apart, it flies three times a day from Delhi. It has four flights a week from Coimbatore and six flights a week from Hyderabad. From Kolkata it has three flights a week to Colombo. According to V Ravindran, Regional Manager – India & Bangladesh, SriLankan Airlines Ltd, operational ramp up is expected once fleet expansion happens by August.

“We are looking to start operations from Ahmedabad and Calicut as the new aircraft, an Airbus, is added to our fleet. This should happen by end of 2020. This apart we will gradually increase flight frequencies from existing destinations like Kolkata, Hyderabad and Coimbatore as stability in operations (from new Indian cities) happen,” he told BusinessLine.
SriLankan Airlines has already placed orders for two Airbuses, a wide-bodied A-331 that will be used for longer routes (above 4 hours of flying time) and a narrow bodied A-320 for shorter routes (less than 4 hours). The latter will primarily help service operations from India. Its present fleet strength stands at 26.
Sri Lanka which had emerged as one of the go-to destinations for Indians in recent times suffered a set-back with the Easter bombings earlier in 2019. However, there has now been a pick-up of tourist flow from the sub-continent. Obviously, this has helped the airlines explore expansion of operations here.
24/01/20 Abhishek Law /Business Line

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ED issues fresh summons to Air Asia CEO, other executives in PMLA case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to senior executives of AirAsia airlines, including CEO Tony Fernandes, for questioning next month in connection with a money laundering case, officials said on Friday.

According to sources, the central agency has asked Fernandes to appear before the investigating officer of the case here on February 5, his deputy and former Deputy Group CEO of Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad Bo Lingam on February 3 and R Venkataramanan, former Director Air Asia India Ltd, on February 10.
A Tata Sons spokesperson said Venkataramanan had received the summons "first time" on January 22 and it was incorrect to say he ignored any communication sent to him by the federal probe agency.

"Mr Venkataramanan has confirmed he will be attending to the ED summons as required," the spokesperson said, adding he was a non-executive nominee director of Tata Sons on the board of AirAsia Ltd when the airlines took shape.

"Based on due enquiry undertaken by Air Asia Limited, there has been no wrongdoing by Mr R Venkataramanan," he added.

Few others linked to the present and past management of the airline have also been asked to depose, sources said.

The ED had earlier asked some of these executives to appear this month but after some failed to appear or sought additional time, new dates have been given, they said.

The summons have been issued under the PMLA and as per sources, the executives will be questioned and their statements recorded in connection with the investigation.
24/01/20 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Vistara Considers Adding More Boeing Jets in India to Fight Emirates

Singapore Airlines Ltd. is preparing to add planes in India to take on Emirates in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.
Vistara, Singapore Air’s Indian joint venture, is considering ordering more 787 Dreamliner jets — whose sticker prices start at about $250 million each — from Boeing Co. to add flights to destinations as far away as the U.S., people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing a confidential matter. The carrier is also mulling buying more A320neo-family planes from Airbus SE, including the longest-range A321XLR model, they said.
For Vistara, which counts top Indian conglomerate Tata Group as its majority shareholder, the move would be part of plans to loosen Emirates and Etihad Airways PJSC’s grip over the lucrative market of flying passengers between India and Europe or the US Singapore Airlines has reason to look to India as it faces intensifying competition from budget carriers in its home market of Southeast Asia.
As part of its expansion plans, Vistara is also considering buying some of London Heathrow airport’s prized slots — which can cost as much as $70 million each for about two decades — and that may determine the scale of the carrier’s plane orders, one of the people said.
While India’s aviation market is growing fast, it’s notoriously difficult to make money there as fares often sell below cost. Jet Airways India Ltd., once the country’s largest airline by market value, has been grounded after it ran out of money and the government has been struggling to find a buyer for unprofitable Air India Ltd.
Still, international routes have been among the few profitable flights out of India, with Emirates and Etihad leading the way for foreign carriers by accounting for about a fifth of total passenger traffic.
23/01/20  Anurag Kotoky and Siddharth Vikram Philip/Bloomberg

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Emirates to Not Participate in Air India Sale, Says COO

Talking to BloombergQuint Emirates’ chief operating officer (COO), Adel Ahmad Al Redha, said that the airline is not planning to bid for the national carrier Air India as there are difficulties to entering India.

“As far as investment (in Air India) is concerned, there’s nothing yet on the table,” he said, adding that the middle-eastern airline lacks the management bandwidth to go out of its “comfort zone”.

He also said that there were positive trends in traffic movement in the last two months and that no drop in traffic was recorded despite the escalations in the middle east.
23/01/20 Quint

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LOT Polish Airlines increases frequency from New Delhi to Warsaw

New Delhi: After the successful launch of its New Delhi – Warsaw operations in September 2019, LOT Polish Airlines will increase its frequency from 5 weekly to daily.
LOT Polish Airlines, one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe and a Star Alliance Member, commenced operations out of India on 12th September 2019. Based on strong demand from the Indian Point-of-Sale and latest booking forecasts for flights from India to Europe and North America, as well as high demand from corporate travellers and leisure guests from Europe to New Delhi, the airline has decided to increase the number of weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights from five to seven effective 14th September 2020.
Schedule in local time:
Delhi-Warsaw      LO-072:                 departure Delhi at 11:05h, arrival Warsaw at 15:20h
Warsaw-Delhi      LO-071:                 departure Warsaw at 22:45h, arrival Delhi at 09:15h (next day)

India-originating passengers can now further benefit from the new codeshare agreement between Star Alliance members LOT Polish Airlines and Air India, offering seamless connectivity via New Delhi’s terminal 3 from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
In Warsaw, passengers have access to LOT Polish Airlines’ global network and can easily connect to key business and leisure destinations such as London City Airport, Paris, Vilnius, Brussels, Frankfurt, Cracow, Geneva, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hanover, Oslo, Paris, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, Billund, Prague, Budapest, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Toronto.
Furthermore, India-originating passengers will greatly benefit from the airline’s new US destinations: San Francisco (effective 5th August 2020 and Washington, D.C. (effective 2nd June 2020) as following (in local time)
Delhi 11:05 – 15:20 Warsaw 17:20 – 20:15 San Francisco
Delhi 11:05 – 15:20 Warsaw 16:50 – 20:30 Washington

On its Delhi-Warsaw route, LOT Polish Airlines features Indian meals in all three cabins (LOT Business Class, LOT Premium Economy Class, LOT Economy Class), complimentary beverages including alcoholic drinks as well as inflight entertainment system including the latest Bollywood releases in Hindi.

Amit Ray, Regional Director India and DACH Markets of LOT Polish Airlines: “Our market entry in India has been a great success since the beginning. We have seen strong bookings from corporate and leisure travellers alike. We are therefore very pleased to increase our frequency.”
23/01/20 Press Release/LOT Polish Airlines

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How equipped is an Indian airport to screen for coronavirus?

On our arrival at the Kochi airport, we saw a health desk that was managed by two persons wearing masks. We went to them and said we were from China and want to be examined. "Go ahead to the immigration counter and you can move out. You don't need to be examined," said one of them, much to our astonishment.
Read what Anirudha Karindalam (The Week) found out on returning from China >>

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India to Singapore: How airlines, passengers are responding to China virus

Airlines and passengers are on guard against a new flu-like virus that originated in Wuhan, China.
Here's an explainer on the airline industry's response to the outbreak so far and its potential financial exposure compared to SARS in 2003, which killed nearly 800 people
- Jamie Freed's (Reuters) story >>

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France to train Indian flight surgeons for Gaganyaan mission

France will train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan, officials said on Tuesday. The two-week training is a critical aspect of the Gaganyaan project that is aimed at sending three Indians to space by 2022. A memorandum of understanding on the matter is expected to be signed later this week when French space agency CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall arrives in Bengaluru, officials told PTI.
 The flight surgeons, who will be Indian Air Force doctors specialising in aviation medicines and responsible for the health of astronauts before, during and after flight, will be shortlisted soon, an official from India’s space agency ISRO added. Those shortlisted will then undergo two weeks training in France. Brigitte Godard, a flight surgeon with the European Space Agency, was in India in July and August last year to start the training of physicians and engineers.
22/01/20 Hitavada

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14 new flights planned for better air connectivity to Odisha

14 new flights are planned to several national and international destinations as Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged airline operators to improve connectivity with the coastal state. Most of the flights are scheduled to operate between January to the summer of 2020.

According to sources here, the planned destinations are Kolkata-Jharsuguda, Bhubaneswar-Varanasi, Varanasi-Bhubaneswar, Jharsuguda-Mumbai, Prayagraj-Bhubaneswar, Delhi-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Bhubaneswar-Kalaikunda, Bhubaneswar-Bangkok, Bangkok- Bhubaneswar, Singapore-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar-Abu Dhabi.

The Odisha government on Wednesday discussed with the airline operators and officials of the Union Civil Aviation Ministry about improving air connectivity to the state. More than 25 CEOs of different airlines were invited to the meeting.

The Chief Minister cited the growth story of Odisha, the presence of techno-savvy diaspora in different countries, the emergence of a globe-trotting middle class, growth of tourism and rapid growth in various sectoral economies.

Introduction of more international flights from Bhubaneswar to destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Bangkok will provide convenience and comfort to the people of the state, he said.
22/01/20 14 IANS/India TV

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Coronavirus outbreak: India screens 43 flights, 9156 passengers arriving from China at 7 airports

New Delhi: Secretary at the Union Health Ministry, Preeti Sudan, on Wednesday informed that a total number of 43 flights and 9156 passengers arriving from China have been screened for novel coronavirus illness at seven different airports across the country so far.

However, no case has been detected through these screening efforts.

The Civil Aviation Ministry, from Tuesday, initiated the thermal health screening of passengers arriving from China including Hong Kong at seven Indian airports, under the directions of the Union Health Ministry.

These airports include Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata respectively.

This is being done as a preventive measure against the outbreak of deadly Novel Corona Virus Disease (nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. All seven identified airports have airports signage displayed boldly at the strategic locations.

According to Sudan, the Embassy in China has informed that till January 22, a total of 440 cases of pneumonia with nCoV were confirmed in China and a total of 9 people have died.

Cases have been reported in 14 provinces (including Taiwan) and municipalities as well.

The Health Ministry has directed travellers to China, in particular, Wuhan city to monitor their health closely. Travellers have been asked to follow simple public health measures and a good standard of hygiene.
22/01/20 ANI/Yahoo!

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Woman loses phone in Sharjah, gets it back in India

Sharjah: An Indian woman couldn’t believe her eyes when a phone she lost in the UAE was returned to her in her home country after she sought help from the police on Twitter.

The woman had tweeted on Tuesday afternoon saying she lost her mobile phone at the Sharjah International Airport. She also posted pictures of the missing mobile phone.

A Sharjah Police officer, who spotted the tweet, swung into action and search was launched at the airport, He also got in touch with the woman and arranged for the phone to reach her in three hours’ time.

The woman, identified as A.G.B, thanked Sharjah Police for their prompt action.

In a tweet, she said, “I salute Sharjah Police ... Thank you Captain Saeed from Sharjah Airport Police .”
22/01/20 Aghaddir Ali/Gulf News

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IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir seek TDS relief for expat pilots

New Delhi: Domestic carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir have pitched for TDS (tax deducted at source) relief for expat pilots.

The airlines have claimed that foreign pilots insist on a tax-free salary, knowing that India faces a shortage of experienced pilots at senior level.

In their budget proposal, airline lobby group, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), said that air carriers have to currently gross up salaries of expat pilots and bear the taxes. This results in increase of expense for airlines by 50 per cent on this account.

"It is recommended either not apply section 195A in case of payment to be made to an employee or tax paid by company on behalf of employee should be an allowable expense as business expenditure," the FIA, which represents three private carriers, said.

Section 195 of the Income Tax Act deals with TDS for the non-resident people of India.

With high traffic growth in domestic and induction of new type of aircraft in their fleet, the industry has been facing a shortage of type rated pilot-in-command.

To cover the shortage of type rated pilots-in-command, validation of foreign pilots is done as per rule 45 of Aircraft Rules, 1937. The foreign pilots are phased out by the airlines once the co-pilots inducted by them gain the mandated requirements for being designated as commander.
22/01/20 Outlook

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Rare species of exotic animals seized at Chennai Airport, smuggling racket busted

In what is the first seizure of wildlife that was being smuggled into India via Chennai Aiport in 2020, Air Intelligence Officers have seized rare species such as marmoset monkeys, tamarin monkeys, tricolour squirrels and iguanas that were being smuggled in from Bangkok.

Officials say that in most cases of smuggling be it wildlife or valuables, it is only the courier that is caught, but this case also saw the organiser being nabbed.

Based on the information that wild animals are likely to be smuggled from Bangkok, Air Intelligence officers had been maintaining a special vigil. On Tuesday morning AIU officers noticed that one passenger was moving in a suspicious manner in the arrival area. On close watch, it was observed that he collected his checked-in stroller bag and started to walk hurriedly, after which he was intercepted and questioned at the exit.

The passenger was identified as one Suresh(35), of Chennai who had arrived from Bangkok by Thai Airways flight TG337. His evasive replies prompted the officials to proceed with checking his belongings.
22/01/20 Sidharth MP/DNA

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Jet Privilege's fresh start as InterMiles

Last year loyalty and rewards management company Jet Privilege Pvt Ltd (JPPL) unveiled a new brand identity 'InterMiles' as part of its growth strategy. The company plans to launch a 360 degree consumer campaign across print, digital, social media and outdoor media including airports and Will be reaching out to members through mailers and SMS campaigns.

Five years ago JPPL was carved out as a separate entity from the now-grounded Jet Airways and has close to 10 million members. The interchangeable nature of the rewards currency is the highlight of this revamp identity, where points can be earned and redeemed across platforms including airlines, hotels, dine, shop, and fuel.
InterMiles, will encompass both loyalty and rewards programmes (previously, Jet Privilege) and the ubiquitous rewards and recognition currency (previously, JPMiles). The immediate focus of the brand is to consolidate growth in the travel space including flights and hotel stays.

JPPL is a part of Etihad Aviation Group, which holds 50.1 per cent stake. Its members can earn and redeem 'InterMiles' across more than 10 categories and over 150 programme partners. The company is working towards a platform model, an aggregator across categories since the last five years.
"InterMiles is an enabler of our members’ entire travel and lifestyle needs from flights to any destination to stay and experiences at the destination. Our growth plan includes aggregating benefits and simplifying access to a choice of experiences and rewards across 10+ categories. We are constantly expanding our vast partner network to offer diverse InterMiles earning opportunities across 10+ categories to our members," said Zameer Kochar, VP, marketing and member engagement, Jet Privilege Pvt. Ltd.
21/01/20 Namit Singh Sengar/Brand Equity

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Indian aviation startups to pitch for support at Singapore Air Show 2020

Singapore: Startups from India with innovative technologies in the aerospace, civil aviation and air services are expected to pitch for support to industry heavyweights such as Airbus and Boeing at the Singapore Air Show 2020 next month, the organisers said.

The Singapore Air Show would be organised from February 11-16 and will witness the participation of some 65 top aerospace and defence companies.
The show, which is being organised by Experia Events Pte Ltd, will also be joined by 1,000 industry exhibitors from 50 countries and 55,000 trade visitors from 150 countries.

"We all know that there is a lot of technologies that these companies hold. We are looking forward to see these startups during pitching sessions," said Leck Chet Lam, the managing director of Experia Events Pte Ltd during the pre-show press conference on Monday.

More than 60 startups from 10 countries, including India, are scheduled to make presentations on a wide range of domains during the show.

The presentations will cover sustainability, smart transport, automation, smart manufacturing, digital solutions, artificial intelligence and cyber security apart from other vital subjects.
21/01/20 PTI/Business Standard

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Thermal screening of flyers from China, Hong Kong at 7 airports

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New Delhi: India has directed airlines operating direct flights from China and Hong Kong to start making in-flight announcements, asking passengers with history of fever and cough and history of travel to Wuhan City in last 14 days to self-declare at port of arrival, in wake of the flu epidemic there. Passengers on these flights will need to fill up a self-reporting forms before disembarkation, making these declarations. The aviation ministry (MoCA) has directed seven airports — Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata — to do thermal screening of these flyers in pre-immigration areas.
Airlines staff will bring passengers to these health counters before immigration check. All passengers and crew who are otherwise healthy should be allowed to continue their onward journey. If the ill passenger or crew member is confirmed as a probable case of Wuhan Corona Virus, public health authorities will be notified, according to a MoCA statement Tuesday.
The alert comes in time for the Chinese New Year on January 24 which is the most important holiday season and witnesses maximum vacation travel globally out of China. Locals get a mandatory seven-day holiday at the start of this spring festival. Several Chinese airlines and two Indian carriers — Air India and IndiGo — have direct flights between India and China. In the past few years, Chinese carriers have managed to woo travellers between India and the east — going right up to east cost of North America — with their low fares.
A spokesperson of IndiGo, which flies to China, said: “The area of virus is affecting around Wuhan which is a long way from our destinations in Guangzhou and Chengdu. We will continue to monitor the situation. At present, our flights are operating as normal.”
MoCA, in accordance with health ministry’s advisory, made an action plan for airlines and airports for strict adherence. This plan includes: “In order to facilitate early isolation, In-flight announcements to be made by the airlines (which are directly coming from any airport in China including Hong Kong) requesting passengers with history of fever and cough and history of travel to Wuhan City in last 14 days to self-declare at port of arrival or to State Health Authorities,” said a statement issued by MoCA Tuesday.
21/01/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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No change in Dubai flight timings, relief for passengers

Indore: In major relief to passengers, who have booked Air India Dubai-Indore flight between February 1 and April 30, the airline announced to reinstate the flight after cancelling it two days ago.
“The flight AI -904 has been reinstated at the same timing as it was operating earlier and affected passengers will now be moving on the same flight without any change,” said an official with the airline.
The airline operates the flight thrice a week. The flight departs from Dubai at 8:10pm and lands at Indore at 12.45am. On January 17, the airline had announced to suspend the flight from February 1 to April 30 for construction of taxi-way near the runway.
Airport authority had proposed to carry out the development work during night hours between 11pm and 5am from February 1 to April 30, 2020. Air India was asked to re-schedule its flight as its scheduled arrival timing was coinciding with the schedule planned for construction of the taxi-way to provide a path for aircraft at the airport connecting runway with 15 parking bays. Thereafter, the airline announced to cancel its Dubai-Indore flight.
However, on Monday, after communicating with the airline as well as travel agents, airport authority on Monday agreed to halt the proposed development work to pave way for arrival of the airline as per its scheduled timing.
21/01/20 Times of India

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SpiceJet ends expat pilot’s contract while on leave

Low cost airline SpiceJet has terminated the contract of a 57-year-old expat Boeing 737 pilot, in the middle of his 21-day leave, and has told him that he need not report back for flying duties.
 The pilot said he was later told that the airline was letting go of a number of pilots owing to the crisis stemming from the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX in March last year.
 The pilot, with more than 37 years of flying experience, expressed shock at the manner in which his contract was terminated. “I completed a training schedule with the airline and went on home leave till January 26 to spend time with my wife and daughter. I get an email informing me that I have already been fired without even a notice!” the pilot told Mirror.
 An email from a senior operations executive read: “This mail is in regards to your employment contract which is valid till Jan 27, 2020. As decided by the management your contract will not be further renewed. Currently you are on your leave rotation till 26-Jan-20 , so you are requested not to report back for flying duties.”
 The pilot, who has worked with international airlines in the US, China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, said his valuables and personal belongings have also been taken out of the room at the hotel he was living in at Chennai “because SpiceJet stopped paying for my housing”. “I had left behind my watches, personal documents, my computer-—stuff which I didn’t need when I was going to relax with my family,” he said.
 He said another senior operations executive from SpiceJet later called him up and apologised for the rude manner in which the contract was terminated. “The person told me that they were happy with my work but due to financial crisis involving 737 Max, they had to let go of a number of pilots. At least two other 737 pilots also got these emails. I will return to India as scheduled on January 26 and I will go to the SpiceJet headquarters the next day,” he said.
 SpiceJet denied that the termination was arbitrary. “To say that the said pilot was fired without being given notice is absolutely wrong, baseless, illegal and an attempt to twist facts. As clearly stated in the letter, the contract of the said pilot was getting over on January 27, and the company decided not to renew the contract. A contract between an employee and a company clearly lays down the period of service. In this employee’s case, it was no different. The pilot was employed for his full contract period. So the question of him being fired without being given notice does not arise,” said a spokesperson.
The airline also denied that it was cutting down on pilots.
 SpiceJet had to ground 13 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in March 2019 after they were grounded globally following two major air accidents in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
20/01/20 Satish Nandagaonkar/Mumbai Mirror

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India, Russia conclude price talks for 200 Kamov copters

New Delhi: More than four years after India and Russia signed an inter-governmental pact allowing Russia to supply 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters, the price negotiations have been concluded. A formal contract may be signed in the next few months.
The price for the 200 copters would be around $4 billion (Rs 28,000 crore approximately), sources said. This would also include transfer of 50% technology, including structure of the copter, its blades and landing gear, all important for metallurgy and transfer of technology.
The Kamov 226T uses an engine made by French major Safran. India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran already have an existing joint venture to produce engines for the advanced light helicopter made by the HAL. A facility to manufacture KA-226T helicopters in India has been created at HAL’s newly set up plant at Tumkuru, near Bengaluru. A new created entity called Indo Russian Helicopter Pvt. Ltd. (IRHL) will produce these copters. Once the domestic demand is met, India and Russia also intend to export Kamov-226Ts to other countries.
19/01/20 Ajay Banerjee/Tribune

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Qatar Airways to narrow FY loss, still keen on IndiGo stake

Qatar Airways is expecting to reduce its losses in the fiscal year ending in March after a surge in sales had led to an improvement in load factors, claimed the Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Akbar Al Baker at a media briefing during the Kuwait Aviation Show 2020, and attended by Bloomberg.

“Our losses are half of what we budgeted,” Al Baker said on January 15. Reducing costs and “being very aggressive in the way we sell” has resulted in the improvement. The CEO explained that the losses were not caused by the Saudi Arabia-led blockade of the country but were due to higher operating expenses, including increased fuel prices, and that he expected that the airline would break-even in the next financial year (FY) and could post profits in FY2021-22.

Al Baker also discussed his continued interest in acquiring a stake in IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l). The Oneworld carrier is ready to buy as much as the Indian airline "can give us" said the CEO. The two airlines already have a codeshare agreement and are looking to increase capacity on the busiest routes between India and Qatar in the wake of Jet Airways' demise in April last year.

Also during the media briefing, Al Baker stated that Qatar Airways would continue to fly to Iran despite the recent tensions between the Middle East country and the US, and the Ukraine International Airlines (PS, Kyiv Boryspil) B737-800 crash. The Middle Eastern carrier flies from Doha Hamad Int'l 38x weekly to Iran, with 22x weekly flights to Tehran Imam Khomeini, daily routes to Mashad and Shiraz, and a 2x weekly service to Isfahan Int'l.
19/01/20 ch-aviation

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Discover the World ties up with GoAir to tap connecting passengers in new markets

Scottsdale:  Discover the World, a leading global travel sales and marketing specialist has partnered with GoAir, Asia’s most trusted, punctual and fastest growing airline to expand the carrier's reach into previously untapped offline territories. The initial agreement covers Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Israel, UK and USA markets.

From January, this year Discover the World will leverage its close trade relationships to promote GoAir’s offering across key target audience segments including the group travel.

Aiden Walsh, Airline Account Manager - EMEA Region at Discover the World says: “GoAir offers a reliable and great value product, which is exactly what the market wants. I know that our trade partners will welcome the choice, reassurance and quality that they will now be able to offer onwards to their travellers."

GoAir is part of the 283-years-old Indian conglomerate, The Wadia Group. The airline has received the highest approval rating of four-out-of-four star from 1.4 million passengers - certified, validated and verified by US-based APEX, a non-profit organization. Thus, GoAir is the only airline in its category to receive such an accolade in the entire Central Asia Region. The airline was also awarded ‘Asia’s Most Trusted Brand 2019’ by International Brand Consulting (IBC) Corporation, USA and voted as the number one airline in ‘Best Seat Comfort’ and ‘Best Cabin Service’ category.

The airline is seeking to capitalise on this recent success through the new partnership with Discover, which will focus on introducing its popular offering to connecting customers in new markets around the world.     
20/01/20 Travel Daily News

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Flights to Bangkok halted, blow to international air connectivity from Guwahati

Guwahati: Suspension of flight operations between Guwahati and Bangkok from this week has come as a major setback to the government's plan to transform the city into a travel hub, and connecting it to the some international destinations in southeast Asia.

This comes at a time when the government and airlines companies have completed an air route survey to connect Guwahati with two more international destinations - Kathmandu and Mandalay (Myanmar). After daily flight operations between Guwahati and Dhaka were suspended within three months from their commencement in July last year due to lack of "commercial viability", the decision of Nok Air to temporarily suspend operations between Guwahati and Bangkok from Monday has hit government's efforts to connect the gateway of the northeast with more international destinations.
SpiceJet had in September suspended the first flight under international version of 'Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik' (UDAN) between Guwahati and Dhaka under International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS).

Now, the keenness of the airlines to operate international flights from Guwahati to Kathmandu and Mandalay will be known in February-end with the opening of the tenders floated, inviting the airlines to operate in Guwahati-Kathmandu and Guwahati-Mandalay routes under UDAN IV scheme.
20/01/20 Kangkan Kalita/Times of India

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New virus in China: Health ministry seeks info on Indian visa applicants from MEA

New Delhi:  In the wake of the outbreak of an infection in China caused by a new strain of virus, the health ministry has sought from the Ministry of External Affairs details of those who have applied for Indian visa since December 31 so that they can be counselled.
The MEA has also been requested to disseminate travel advisory to Indian Embassies in China and adjoining countries in local languages for wider circulation and passenger information, the health ministry said in a statement.

Special secretary, health, on Monday reviewed the public health measures that need to be scaled in the context of spurt in cases reported by China.

According to chinese authorities, coronavirus has infected more than 220 people and resulted in the death of three persons in the country. WHO, in its risk assessment, said that the risk for a global spread of the infection remains low.

The health ministry has written to the civil aviation ministry for thermal screening of passengers at the international airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Cochin and the airlines to follow International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines for managing and notifying anybody reporting illness on flights originating from China.

The Airport Health Organizations at the Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have put up signs at prominent locations informing the public about self-reporting of illness. Hospitals attached to these airports have been reviewed for provision of isolation and critical care facilities, the statement said.

"The ministry of health has also written to Ministry of External Affairs to provide details of travelers from Wuhan city who have sought visa to travel to India, since December 31 and to counsel the applicants while issuing visa.

"They have also been requested to provide daily details. As for E-visa issue Ministry of Home Affairs is being approached," the statement stated.
20/01/20 PTI/Outlook

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One more airline stops service from Trivandrum International Airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the development plans of the Trivandrum International Airport are yet to take off, one more airline has decided to withdraw its services from the airport.

Malindo Air, based in Kuala Lumpur, which operates three flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Kuala Lumpur, has stopped its reservation facility for the schedule beyond June 6.

Fly Dubai had suspended its operations from the airport and Saudia had shifted its operations to Kannur International Airport last year.

“The decision to withdraw services from Thiruvananthapuram is an internal matter. There are only three services from Thiruvananthapuram in a week, while there are daily services from Cochin International Airport. Demand is good from Thiruvananthapuram, but the airlines get more passengers from Kochi,” said a staff of Malindo Airlines.

The Airport Authority of India, which had decided to outsource the airport’s management operations last year is yet to complete the process. While, the bids were opened in February 2019, the awarding of tender got delayed after protests were raised against the privatization of the airport and cases were filed.

A group of airport users have begun an online petition requesting Malindo Airlines to not stop its services from Thiruvananthapuram.

“Hundreds of Indians and Malaysians of Indian origin with ties to Kerala and Tamil Nadu will be deprived of direct access since Thiruvananthapuram airport caters to the southern districts of these states. It will also impact tourism traffic from and to Thiruvananthapuram and Kuala Lumpur. Hundreds of regular passengers using the route, including senior citizens and young families, will now be forced to take alternative routes such as Chennai and Kochi,” states the petition.
20/01/20 Anasooya S/Times of India

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Nok Air suspends Guwahati-Bangkok flight service

Guwahati:  Nok Air suspended its bi-weekly Guwahati-Bangkok flight service from Sunday as it was not getting the desired number of passengers.

“…Looking at the current situation of market demand, we are temporarily suspending our flights from the 19th of January and will resume operations from the 12th of April 2020, with a new flight schedule,” the airlines said in a statement.

“…We are appreciative of your support and we believe immensely in this market. This period has been of immense learning and we value all the suggestions which are valuable and needed attention,” the statement said.

This was the only international fight that originated from Guwahati.

A subsidiary of Thai Airways International, Nok Air had launched the service with much fanfare on September 21 last year.
19/01/20 New Indian Express

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Flu fear: Mumbai Airport to do thermal scanning of passengers coming from China

New Delhi: All passengers flying into Mumbai from China will have to undergo a thermal screening “as a matter of precaution”, due to the outbreak of pneumonia caused by Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan city of Hubei province. Airport health officials (APHO) teams at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) have activated a health counter and thermal scanners at the pre-immigration area for arriving passengers.
Mumbai currently has two airlines — Air China and Rwand Air — with flights to and from China.
“The airport has now expanded its existing passenger safety measures in compliance with the latest directive given by the World Health Organization (WHO) in case if any traveler is detected with the symptom. The concerned passenger will be immediately shifted to the isolation hospital earmarked for CSMIA on advice of the APHO team. The airport will share a daily report with the ministry on the scanning of passengers,” a statement issued by CSMIA said.
“As reported by Chinese authorities, this is a new type of coronavirus and is different from all other human coronaviruses. WHO has reported symptoms such as fever, difficulty in breathing and chest radiographs showing bilateral lung infiltrates as the cause of the pneumonia,” it added.
18/01/20 Times of India

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Japan to UK: Vistara plans to double ports of call in 2020

New Delhi: With 5 years of operations under its belt, Tata Group-Singapore Airlines backed passenger carrier -- Vistara -- plans to double its international ports of call in 2020.

In an interaction with IANS, Vistara''s Chief Executive Leslie Thng said the airline plans to double the number of international destinations that it connects with India.

At present, the airline operates to Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok and Colombo and will commence services to Kathmandu.

However, long-haul flights will only start after the airline inducts the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The aircraft is expected to enter the airline''s service by February.

The airline plans to commence flights to Europe and northeast Asia which also depends upon the receipt of regulatory clearances.

When asked about the airline''s plans for destinations in China, Japan or South Korea, Thng said that these will depend upon the flying time and regulatory clearances, nonetheless, he did not deny the passenger carrier''s interest in these stations.

"We feel that an Indian carrier to destinations in Japan can provide quality service which will be sought after. There are potential destinations in northeast Asia," he told IANS.

Vistara had inaugurated international operations in August 2019 with Singapore as its first destination, followed by Dubai and Bangkok.

In addition, the airline plans to commence direct services to one of the airports near London.

From February, the airline will start services to Nepal by operating a daily flight between Delhi and Kathmandu.
19/01/20 IANS/Outlook

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Swedish woman detained at Kochi Airport for carrying demonetised notes amounting to Rs 51,500

Kochi:  Demonetised currency notes are still a headache for enforcement agencies. A 56-year-old Swedish woman in possession of invalid notes amounting to Rs 51,500 was detained at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) last Tuesday.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel detected 49 old Rs 1,000 currency notes and five Rs 500 notes during the baggage screening at the airport. According to the airport authorities, there have been a few such incidents at the airport after the demonetisation in November 2016. If detected, a case is
registered under IPC Section 489 C (possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes) and section 7 of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017.

"The Swedish woman had visited India in 2014 and the currency notes have been in her possession since then. She was not aware of the demonetisation,” said M S Faizal, sub-inspector, Nedumbassery police station. She paid a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh at the First Class Judicial Magistrate court, at Angamaly before leaving for Colombo on Saturday.

A case was registered as per the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017. According to the officers, the Act prohibits possession of more than 10 pieces of the old notes by individuals and more than 25 pieces for study, research or numismatics purpose. An offence under the Act attracts a fine of
Rs 10,000 or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.
19/01/20 New Indian Express

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Air India to cancel Indore-Dubai flight for 3 months from February

Runway repair work at the AAI-managed Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International airport has forced the flag carrier Air India to cancel its Dubai flight from the city for three months, starting February 1, a source said on Saturday.

The airline, however, said it is taking "necessary steps" to ensure the flight continues to operate as per its schedule.
The national carrier operates from Indore a daily non-stop service to Dubai and back.

In a statement on Saturday, Air India chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said the airline is in "consultation" with Airports Authority of India on this issue.

"Due to runway repair work at Indore airport, Air India's Dubai-Indore flight is getting affected," Lohani said.

"The airline (is) in consultation with airports Authority of India (on this issue) and is taking necessary steps to ensure the continuance of this flight," he added.

According to a source, the national carrier has been forced to cancel its Dubai-Indore and connecting Indore-Delhi flight for three months, starting February 1 due to the runway repair work.

However, since the repair work is to be carried out during the night time, the Indore-Dubai flight, which departs in day time, will continue to operate as per schedule, he said.
18/01/20 PTI/Business Standard

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Biman officials for replacing Indian CFO

A number of senior officials of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines have been disappointed over the contractual job of an Indian national as its chief financial officer for more than four years,

Because of the discontent, the management has started looking for a replacement of the lone foreigner holding a key position in the national flag carrier.

Bangladesh officials said that the issue of appointing Indian national Vineet Sood and extending his job was discussed many times at the policy level but without reaching any conclusion.

Biman’s managing director and chief executive officer Md Mokabbir Hossain on Thursday told New Age that as Vineet Sood was holding a vital position they were, therefore, taking time to find  his replacement.

Vineet is one of the nine executive directors appointed through an advertisement and he has been serving the Bangladesh flag carrier as its CFO since August 2015, said Biman officials.

The senior Biman officials have also raised questions about his competence for the job, but these questions could not be independently verified.
18/01/20 Muktadir Rashid/New Age 

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