Showing posts with label Foreign Jul 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Jul 2007. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Chidambaram inaugurates Jet Airways hub in Brussels

Brussels: Finance Minister P Chidambaram, inaugurated the exclusive Jet Airways international hub at the Brussels airport on Monday, making Jet Airways the first Indian airline to have full scale operations outside India.
Jet Airways recently launched international flights out of Delhi and Mumbai to destinations in North America. All its international flights fly through Brussels.
The hub is the only of its kind at the Brussels airport, which is Europe's sixth largest. It is self-sufficient and exclusive to Jet Airways with exclusive security channels for its passengers, exclusive shopping arcade, lounges and restaurants serving Jet passengers, Naresh Goyal, the chairman of Jet Airways said.
In the beginning Jet Airways will operate 10 daily flights from the Brussels hub, connecting Indian cities to places in USA and Canada. But the airline expects to expand and operate up to 35 flights ex-Brussels in future connecting India to European and African destinations.
Goyal also said that his airline was negotiating agreements to operate flights from Brussels to Shanghai, Dhaka and Colombo.
17/09/07 PTI/Economic Times

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Air India confession probed

Ottawa: The head of the Air India inquiry wants to know more about a claim the suspected ringleader of a 1985 bomb plot that claimed 329 lives admitted his role in the attack to Indian police before they killed him.
Former Supreme Court justice John Major said yesterday he's not drawing conclusions yet about the purported confession by Talwinder Singh Parmar. But Major intends to pursue the matter when hearings resume in the fall, in the hope of clearing the air.
"It falls under the terms of reference (of the inquiry) so we don't really have an option," he said in an interview with CP.
"We have to find out what it's about, to the extent we can, and either decide that it's something relevant and important, or something that is not credible. There's no way of knowing until you hear and see what's going on."
The Indian magazine Tehelka reported on the weekend that Harmail Singh Chandi, a former Indian police officer, has confirmed that Parmar was interrogated after his capture in 1992 -- and that written statements and audio tapes of the sessions still exist.
The official story has always been that Parmar died in a shootout with police. But his family and other sources have long contended he was captured alive, interrogated under torture, and only then put to death by his captors.
Sarabjit Singh of the Punjab Human Rights Organization, which has investigated the affair, told Tehelka he believes that senior police officials ordered Parmar's execution because, during the course of his confession, he implicated another man who turned out to be an Indian government agent within the Sikh separatist movement.
That man is alleged to be Lakhbir Singh Brar, a former head of the International Sikh Youth Federation who has never been prosecuted in connection with the Air India bombing.
31/07/07 Jim Brown/CP/London Free Press, Canada

Boeing to begin work on MRO

New Delhi: US aircraft maker Boeing today said it will this year begin work on its 100 million dollar MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in India, while raising the projection for the country's requirement for jets to 911 in the next two decades.
"We have figured out the corners of the 75 acres of land in Nagpur in a Special Economic Zone. We will do the ground-breaking later this year and have a projected investment of 100 million dollars," Boeing Vice-President (Sales) Dinesh Keskar told reporters here.
Boeing, Air India and a third partner - which is yet to be selected - would run the MRO unit, he said, adding "we are in talks with several companies which have MRO experience".
The MRO, which will be capable of carrying heavy checks and repair of aircraft, is part of the offset provisions in the US firm's deal to supply 68 planes to Air India.
Keskar said the MRO would bring down maintenance and repair cost of Indian carriers as it would not only serve AI, but also other carriers which operate Boeing planes in India.
30/07/07 PTI/The Hindu

Emirates Expands Internet Seat Selection Feature

All Emirates Airline customers can now select and secure their preferred seats on their flights at the time of booking, when they purchase their tickets online at www.emirates.com.
Previously available only to customers who purchase First and Business class tickets online, Emirates is now making this feature available to customers booking online for all classes of travel. The award-winning airline has simultaneously launched this convenient online service across its global websites, making it immediately available to customers in more than 50 countries served by Emirates, including New Zealand.
In addition to information on the airline and its latest promotions, www.emirates.com provides easy-to-navigate prompts to guide travellers through the process of selecting their flight itinerary, purchasing of tickets and selection of seats.
Customers will be informed that exit row seats onboard any flight can only be allocated at airport check-in counters, as per international aviation regulations.
From its Dubai hub, Emirates currently flies to 92 destinations in 59 countries. On July 1, the fast-growing airline launched daily flights to Venice (Italy), and later this year will also start services to Newcastle (UK), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Toronto (Canada), Ahmedabad (India) and Houston (USA).
31/07/07 Scoop.co.nz, New Zealand

Air Deccan Web-Enables Airline Management Application with GO-Global

Santa Cruz, California: GraphOn Corporation a leading developer of application publishing and Web-enabling solutions, today announced that Air Deccan, India's second largest and fastest growing airline, has deployed GraphOn's GO-Global server-centric computing solution to Web-enable its airline management enterprise resource planning (ERP) application.
"To accommodate its rapid market expansion, Air Deccan needed an easy, inexpensive way to access its mission-critical ERP legacy application from remote locations," said Ashish Kamotra, CEO of ADAPT Software, GraphOn's distributor in India. "The airline evaluated Citrix, but found the solution to be overly complex and expensive."
Instead, Air Deccan deployed GO-Global for Windows, the fast, simple and affordable Web-enabling alternative. Without having to touch a single line of application code, Air Deccan was able to instantly publish or "serve-up" the ERP application to the Web, thereby allowing easy access from any authorized user. GO-Global is optimized for reliable, secure, scalable application delivery to virtually any network-attached device, regardless of location, platform or operating system.
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30/07/07 Business Wire/TMC Net, US

Monday, July 30, 2007

Indian Envoy Sees Nepal as Air Cargo Transit Point

Kathmandu: Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee has said that Nepal could be developed as a transit point for air cargo between India and the rest of the world.
Referring Nepal's geographical location between the world's two fastest growing economies; India and China, Mukherjee said that Nepal has an opportunity to serve as a transit point for air cargo that could bring considerable benefits to the country.
"We are prepared to examine necessary bilateral arrangements that would make it possible for Nepal exploit such opportunity, especially after forthcoming revision of air services agreement between the two countries," he said addressing a programme to mark to the 13th Cargo Day organised by Nepal Freight Forwarders' Association (NEFFA), on Sunday.
Mukherjee further added — that India would substantially liberalise the bilateral air services arrangements — hinting for modifying the bilateral trade treaty to add international airports to the designated routes for bilateral trade.
External trade is a key to Nepal's economy, he said adding that expansion of transport network and elimination of non-tariff barriers are required to boost the trade. Contemplating that about two-thirds of Nepal's foreign trade is with India and over 90 per cent of Nepal's third country trade transits through India, Mukherjee stressed on the need of improving infrastructure as well as expanding transport network.
30/07/07 Himalayan Times, Nepal

Tuberculosis-infected pair to return to Taiwan

Arrangements have been made for two infectious tuberculosis patients who illegally traveled to China to return to Taiwan for further medical treatment, said the Center for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday.
The patients, a married couple surnamed Lee, traveled on July 21 from Taiwan to Nanjing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu via Hong Kong, onboard Dragon Airlines flight KA435 and Dragonair flight KA810.
The husband, who has multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and the wife, who has infectious TB, were tracked down by Chinese health authorities at a hotel in the northern part of Jiangsu Province July 26, and escorted the next day by Chinese quarantine officials to a hospital in Nanjing.
Per the couple's request, the CDC and the Chinese health authorities have agreed to withhold from public disclosure the couple's mode of transport, the route they are taking to Taiwan, and their departure time, said Chou Jih-haw, CDC deputy diretor.
In a letter to all 276 passengers and 11 crew members who flew from Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan to Hong Kong on the same plane as the couple did, Steve H. S. Kuo, director-general of the CDC said Saturday his office will take responsibility for the medical treatment of any of the passengers who may have been infected with the disease.
The passengers include 270 Taiwanese, three Dutch, one Indian, one American, and one Japanese.
30/07/07 China Post, Taiwan

Recording of Air India bombing confession allegedly surfaces 22 years late

Vancouver: A recording of the alleged confession of the mastermind behind the bombing of Air India Flight 182 has surfaced 22 years after the tragedy, an investigative magazine in India says.
Vancouver Sikh militant Talwinder Singh Parmar confessed to Punjab police during five days of interrogation in October, 1992, before being killed by police, the article says. The officer who arrested Mr. Parmar, Harmail Singh Chandi, was directed to destroy the tape-recorded confession but he kept them secretly, it says.
Under the headline “Operation Silence,” the article in the magazine Tehelka also says the police officer who arrested Mr. Parmar flew to Canada in June to provide evidence to the Air India inquiry headed by retired judge John Major.
However a spokesman for families of the victims of the attack said last night that he knew nothing about a statement by Mr. Parmar.
In the alleged confession, Mr. Parmar shifted the blame from himself, telling police he was acting on behalf of Lakhbir Singh Brar, a member of a prominent family in the fight in the 1980s for a Sikh separate country called Khalistan.
Mr. Parmar is said to have told police that Vancouver Island resident Inderjit Singh Reyat prepared the suitcases with bombs for two flights while Mr. Brar arranged for the booking of the tickets.
30/07/07 Robert Matas/Globe and Mail, Canada

EADS gets FIPB nod to procure SSI components

New Delhi: Aeronautics giant EADS is strengthening its business in India to take on rivals from other countries such as the US. The European consortium, which already has a major presence in the Indian market through Airbus and Eurocopter, has obtained clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to source goods and components from India.
These components, some of which would be sourced from small scale units, would be then supplied in the international market as well as India.
The FIPB, however, has stipulated that the company should not undertake the manufacturing of arms and ammunition or any other defence sector activity. Apart from civilian aircraft and avionics, EADS manufactures military transport planes and security and communication equipment worldwide.
The European giant would, however, require specific clearances for investment in subsidiaries.
The multinational has been allowed to source components for its subsidiaries as well as other companies across the world, according to official sources.
30/07/07 Nirbhay Kumar & G Ganapathy Subramaniam/Economic Times

Branson spills ‘mile-high’ secret of liaison

London: Richard Branson, the 57-year-old chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, today admitted that he was a fully paid-up member of “the mile-high club” — a euphemism for those who claim to have had sex during a flight.
It was not on one of his own planes, though, but when he was only 19 years old and flying to America on an airline operated by Freddie Laker, the British pioneer who dreamt up the novel concept of cheap trans-Atlantic flights.
“I was sitting in economy on a Freddie Laker flight, next to this very attractive lady, as we headed to LA,” said Branson, in an interview with GQ, a men’s magazine. “We got chatting and it went a bit further. And it was every man’s dream, to be honest. I was about 19, I think.”
“I remember getting off the plane and she turned to me and said, ‘Look, it’s slightly embarrassing but I am meeting my husband at arrivals, would you mind holding back a bit...’. But it was a memorable flight.”
He added: “The problem with plane loos generally is that they are very small, and the acrobatics can’t take too long because there’s no room and people start banging on the door. What I remember vividly is seeing four handprints on the mirror as we finished, and thinking I’d better wipe them off.”
Branson has always maintained that private bedrooms would be easy to introduce on the A380 superjumbo, which Vijay Mallya, among other prospective purchasers, is committed to buying.
At the time, he said: “We have a lot of honeymoon couples who fly on Virgin, and a lot of couples who have been together for many years. There is no reason why they shouldn’t cuddle up on board like they would at home.”
29/07/07 Amit Roy/The Telegraph

162 Keralites from UAE return by chartered flight

Kochi: At least 162 Keralites in UAE, who did not have valid documents and were given general amnesty by the UAE government, will be returning to the state by a chartered flight from Dubai today.
The UAE government had given them outpass some days ago but they did not have money to purchase even their tickets. Following an initiative by Kairali Peoples Television, a Malayalam channel, their tickets were taken care of and the Air India chairman also provided a chartered flight to bring them to kerala, Kairali said in a press release here.
Some well known NRIs, including M K Group Managing Director M A Yousuf Ali, lent a helping hand by sponsoring several tickets.
30/07/07 Zee News

Aerius Aviation teams with Bermuda group

Portsmouth: John Contas, president and founder of Aerius Aviation Capital Partners Inc. (Aerius) of Portsmouth, announces that he, along with colleagues Patti Sullivan and Don Sterling, have joined forces with Aviation Resource Group International of Hamilton Bermuda (ARGI) to form a Structured Aviation Finance Division (ARGI-SAF).
Under a teaming arrangement with ARGI, the group will continue to offer its aviation financing services under the ARGI brand.
The ARGI-SAF group will provide aviation finance advisory services on behalf of clients in Europe, India and other emerging markets throughout the world with an emphasis on structuring and arranging loans and leases to fund the acquisition of private, corporate and commercial aircraft.
Aviation Resource Group International Ltd., a privately held company, is a recognized leader in international aviation consulting and advisory services, providing an array of strategic and financial, operational and managerial advisory services to FBOs, airports and aviation-service businesses throughout the world.
ARGI maintains offices in Salt Lake City, Miami, Boston, London, Warsaw, Istanbul, Riga, Latvia, New Delhi and Mumbai, India.
29/07/07 Portsmouth Herald News, US

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Finnair seeks Indian frequent flyer partner; third destination

New Delhi: Finland's flag carrier Finnair, which operates two flights to as many Indian gateways from Helsinki, is working on a frequent flyer partnership with an Indian carrier as a precursor to a code share agreement.
Finnair already has interline agreements with the likes of Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Indian, under which airline partners accept each other's travel tickets.
"We are trying to find an Indian partner for frequent flyer programme," Finnair Director (India region) Taina Tornstrom told media, adding this would take the airline closer to a code share agreement.
A code share pact would allow airlines to sell tickets on routes and flights operated by a partner as their own.
Finnair, whose second Indian service to Mumbai was added within eight months of flying to New Delhi in October last, has also asked the Finnish government to revisit the air services agreement with India to increase the number of flights to the sub-continent.
29/07/07 PTI/Economic Times

Touristy South Indian Cities A Haven For Asian LCCs

New Delhi: Flourishing south Indian cities are a haven for burgeoning Asian no-frill airlines that have set an exciting rhythm for travel-starved passengers in the region.
Regional low cost carriers (LCCs) like AirAsia, Nok Air (Thailand) or Tiger Airways (Singapore) cannot miss the economically vibrant and touristy cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Cochin, from their radar screens.
The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) forecasts that the four southern cities are likely set a new mood for LCCs that will further cheer up the thriving tourism travel between South India and Southeast Asian countries, both bonded by centuries-old traditional links.
With Hyderabad and Bangalore slated to have world class airports by 2008 and Chennai by 2010, while Cochin's modern airport is now the gateway for many tourist destinations, passenger volume is bound to multiply beyond the 17 percent growth last year on these routes.
Passenger volume could soar higher once the aviation bilateral agreements are further liberalised between India and Asean.
28/07/07 P. Vijian/Bernama, Malaysia

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Pooja and champagne as AI does Seattle-Delhi non-stop

Seattle/New Delhi: Air India became the first Indian carrier to successfully complete a non-stop long haul flight from the US to India.
The first of Air India's six Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, named “Andhra Pradesh”, took off from Boeing's air base facilility — which had the US president's official plane, Air Force One, parked alongside -- at 10.30 on the morning of July 26, US time and landed at the Indira Gandhi international airport in New Delhi at a little past 2pm on July 27.
The flight lasted just 14 hours and 25 minutes — and promises to cut jet lag for passengers.
In Seattle, the aircraft took off to chants of the Gurbani. "Fly well", said television screens aboard the aircraft and that is the experience that Air India is offerring its passengers aboard the 777.
In cutting the flight time by half, Air India today flew over the North Pole -- another first for the airline and a great point of worry to its pilots before the plane took off. All, however, ended well.
Champagne corks popped and a toast raised for Air India and Boeing in the blistering Delhi afternoon. Parallely, Air India chairman K. Tulasidas offered a formal thanksgiving pooja on the tarmac.
28/07/07 Sujata Anandan/Hindustan Times

IBM announces five transportation innovations

IBM revealed here Friday five innovations that have the potential to change the way people travel.
IBM said that these next generation transport innovations would revolve around drive-assist technologies, intelligent traffic systems using sensor technologies, advanced mass transit systems connected to mobile phones, ultra sophisticated voice recognition systems and smart airport system.
"We believe these innovations will be available within the next few years. Some of them, such as the traffic notifications via cell phone and intelligent traffic systems using sensor technologies are already in limited use, but all of these innovations are being worked on today in IBM's Research labs," Dr. Daniel Dias, Director of IBM's India Research Laboratory, said at a press conference here.
IBM said, through these innovations, vehicles will exchange information with each other and with the road infrastructure, take corrective action where appropriate, and provide essential feedback to the drivers.
Meanwhile, increasingly sophisticated voice recognition systems will allow drivers to get real-time flight updates, read and respond to emails, get directions, avoid accidents, play DVDs or select music through simple, conversational voice commands.
27/07/07 Xinhua/People's Daily Online, China

Air India memorial unveiled in Vancouver's Stanley Park

Vancouver: More than 20 years after the 1985 Air India bombings, officials gathered with victims' families to open a waterfront memorial — the second such Canadian tribute unveiled in just over a month.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and Vancouver's mayor opened a redeveloped playground in the city's famed Stanley Park.
The site honours the 329 passengers and crew aboard the Air India flight that exploded off the coast of Ireland, as well as two baggage handlers who died in a related bombing at Japan's Narita Airport.
The playground memorial offers a quiet space and a tangible reminder of the realities of hate and intolerance, Mr. Day said.
Last month a similar memorial was unveiled along Toronto's waterfront. A memorial was built in Ireland 22 years ago.The Canadian families of the victims have applauded the tributes, but they remain skeptical that they'll ever see justice.
Jayashree Thampi of the Air India Flight 182 Victims' Families said the Vancouver memorial is particularly a tribute to the 82 children who lost their lives.
Another memorial is to be build in Montreal and an existing one in Ottawa will be renovated.
27/07/07 Canadian Press/Globe and Mail, Canada

Friday, July 27, 2007

One Indian among Dragon Air passengers flown with tuberculosis patient

Taipei: Taiwan health authorities on Thursday were continuing to trace a tuberculosis patient from Taiwan and the passengers he may have infected on flights between Taiwan and Hong Kong, and Hong Kong and China.
"We have not found Mr Lee yet, but we have founded his relatives in Nanjing and told them to tell Lee that he should seek treatment in China or Taiwan," Chou Wen-hau, deputy director of Taiwan's Centre for Disease Control (CDC), told reporters.
Chou said CDC had learned that 276 passengers and 11 crew were on board Dragon Air flight KA435, which Lee and his wife took from the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung to Hong Kong on July 21.
The passengers include 270 Taiwanese and six foreigners, three of whom were Dutch, one Indian, one from the United States and one Japanese.
"We have notified the health authorities of their respective countries to monitor their situation," he said.
The CDC has also notified the World Health Organization as well as Chinese and Hong Kong health authorities, and Taiwan will send doctors to China to send Lee to hospital or to take him back to seek treatment in Taiwan.
The CDC has received dozens of inquiry phone calls from the Taiwanese who took KA435 from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong and is trying to trace the 123 passengers and 12 crew on flight KA810 with the same airline, which Lee and his wife took on July 21 from Hong Kong to Nanjing.
The 55-year-old Lee was diagnosed with a drug-resistant form of TB in 2003 and has been told by doctors not to take flights.
Lee has not been taking medication properly and has infected his wife, who has been ordered not to take flights longer than eight hours.
27/07/07 DPA/China Post, Taiwan

A-I cuts non-stop US fares by 33%

Mumbai: To compete with private airlines, state-owned carrier Air-India has reduced fares by an average 33 per cent for its non-stop Mumbai-New York flight from August 1 on its fully furnished new Boeing B777-200-LR aircraft.
Air-India took delivery of these B777-200 aircraft in Seattle yesterday. Air-India has positioned its fares on a par with airlines offering one-stop services to US, as part of testing the market.
The national carrier has reduced its economy fares by 37.17 per cent to Rs 50,700 (return fares excluding taxes) from Rs 80,700. The executive (business) class fares were lowered by 40.11 per cent to Rs 159,700 against the original price of Rs 2,66,700.
The first class fares of this brand new carrier has reduced by 22.01 per cent to Rs 3,57,700 against Rs 4,58,700. The duration of the flight is approximately sixteen hours, resulting in saving of over 4 hours.
27/07/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

Boeing, Air India Celebrate First 777-200LR Delivery

Seattle: The Boeing Company and Air India today celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 777-200LR (Longer Range) Worldliner airplane. This is the first 777 from Air India's order of 68 Boeing jetliners. The airline will receive an additional three 777-200LR Worldliner and three 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes this year.
Air India's order for 68 Boeing jetliners, placed in December 2005, was the largest commercial airplane order in India's civil aviation history in terms of price. The order consisted of 23 777s, including eight 777-200LR Worldliners and 15 777-300ERs, and 27 787-8 Dreamliners. Additionally, Air India Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, ordered 18 Next- Generation 737-800s.
Air India will use the 777-200LR to become the first India-based operator to offer direct, nonstop flights between the United States and India. It begins service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Mumbai, India, on Aug. 1.
Air India's 777-200LR will have a three-class configuration, including eight first-class cabins, 35 executive class and 195 economy seats. All executive class seats will turn into flat beds and economy seats will be larger, at 18.5 inches in width. Passengers also will have access to an in-flight entertainment system provided by Thales on video screens that measure 23 inches in first class, 15.4 inches in executive class and 10.6 inches in economy. Additionally, the airplane will be able to carry up to 15 tons of cargo.
26/07/07 PRNewswire-FirstCall/CNNMoney.com

Boeing delivery starts

Starting Thursday, US-based plane manaufacturer Boeing will deliver six aircraft to different airlines in the country. The aircraft maker will deliver six planes within five days in an order worth USD 1.2 billion, with the first of these deliveries going to flagship carrier Air India, which will add a new aircraft in its fleet after eleven long years.
While the first Boeing will be called Andhra Pradesh, the subsequent deliveries would be names of the other states in the country. The inaugural flight will also showcase the new image of Air India and uniforms designed by designer Ritu Berri and Pierre Cardin from Paris.
Of the six aircraft being rolled in, the first will be a Boeing 777-200LR today. This will be followed by another delivery of the same aircraft in Delhi. The rest of the aircraft would be delivered to Jet Airways (two Boeing 777-300ERs), two 737-800 each to Air India Express and SpiceJet. The Air India delivery is part of the larger order comprising 68 aircrafts worth USD 11 billion.
26/07/07 Manisha Singhal/Daily News & Analysis

Four Indian cities to be added to ANA network

Tokyo: Air Nippon Airways (ANA) and Singapore Airlines have filed for permission to increase their present code-sharing relationship to cover destinations in Asia, North America and Japan beyond the hub airports of Singapore Changi Airport and Tokyo Narita Airport, from September 1 this year.
Five destinations in Japan, from the southernmost island of Okinawa to Sapporo in the north, as well as Chicago and Washington DC in the United States will be added to Singapore Airlines'network. Four cities in India, in addition to Jakarta and Johannesburg will be added to the ANA network.
"We are delighted to work ever closer with our Star Alliance partner, the world renowned Singapore Airlines, to bring more choice to our customers," said ANA President & CEO, Mineo Yamamoto. "The timing of the expanded agreement is particularly fitting for ANA as it coincides with the start of our own flight to Mumbai, and allows us to simultaneously offer flights to multiple cities in the fast expanding Indian market."
26/07/07 Japan Corporate News (press release), Japan

Kerala expats decry Indian airport ‘fees’

Doha: A Keralite expatriate forum representative said he is considering a petition to the Kerala High Court, seeking its intervention to prevent the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) from moving ahead with its plans to reintroduce the users’ fee at the airport.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Kareem Abdullah, patron of Indian Expatriates Cultural Association (Indeca) said it is “unfortunate” that the airport company’s board, which includes some prominent Gulf-based expatriates, is pushing its plans to “punish” ordinary expatriates with the reintroduction of a fee that was withdrawn two years ago.
Kareem was drawn in a decade long legal battle which ultimately led to the withdrawal of users fee at Karippur airport in Kerala’s Malappuram district in June 2005. He had filed the petition in 1995.
In separate statements issued yesterday Sanskriti, Friends of Thrissur and Friends of Tiruvalla (Fota) decried the move.
Urging airport authorities to explore other options for raising finances, the forums called upon the board to introduce “innovative” measures to raise finances.
27/07/07 Gulf Times, Qatar

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Trial run of Rs 100-cr MRO facility at GHIAL in Dec

Hyderabad: The third party maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) facility coming up at the proposed GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) will be the driving force for aviation business at Hyderabad, claims T Srinagesh, chief operating officer of the company.
Speaking to a select media here on Wednesday, Srinagesh said, "we are aspiring that Hyderabad become the 'aviation hub' at the earliest and in that direction the company is working along with the government." The company is planning to establish a training centre near the airport to impart training to the young engineers on aviation related trades, which may even be upgraded as a University at a later date, he pointed out.
This apart, the MRO facility, with heavy maintenance (D checks) facility, would further attract more airlines into the airport. As of now, about 10 airlines operate from the existing Begumpet airport and this will increase.
Revealing that the state government has provided VAT exemptions for the first five years operations to the MRO project, Srinagesh said that the civil works have already commenced at the site by Lufthansa Technik.
GHIAL has 24.5% stake in the MRO business, while the remaining is held by Lufthansa Technik AG.
26/07/07 Financial Express

Ryan Air promoter to invest in SpiceJet

New Delhi: The ongoing consolidation process in the Indian aviation industry has caught the attention of foreign bigwigs too. Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier Ryan Air is learnt to be doing a due diligence of SpiceJet.
SpiceJet is trying to raise $ 40 million to fund its expansion plans as its current fleet strength of 11 will rise to 18 by next year and it is also nurturing with the idea of flying abroad.
According to current rules, foreign airlines can’t invest directly in an Indian carrier but its promoters can buy shares in their individual capacity, subject to a condition that 51% stake held by Indians. Declan Ryan of the Ryan family, who started the airline in 1985, held talks with SpiceJet management.
On its part SpiceJet denied that it was looking at Ryan for investment.
Ryan Air, which was started by the Ryan family with a share capital of Pound 1 and a plane and will boast of 163 planes next year, has been showing interest in Asian LCCs.
26/07/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

General Atlantic looks at IBS

Bangalore: The $15 billion private equity giant General Atlantic (GA) is on path to expand its IT investment portfolio in India. The PE firm is close to picking up a substantial minority stake in Kerala-headquartered firm — IBS Software Services, sources said.
The investment is rumoured to be in the range of $25-35 million, though, there was no confirmation.
IBS, which started its operations in 1997 at the Technopark campus in Thiruvananthapuram, with around 60 people today has a headcount of 1,200. The company provides IT services primarily to the verticals of travel, cargo, logistics and oil and gas.
IBS has development centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi with sales presence in the US, Europe, Middle-East and Asia-Pacific.
IBS has certain marquee clients in its portfolio like Cathay Pacific, Nippon Cargo Airlines and BP. It has also made certain acquisitions by buying out Avient Technologies from Honeywell International and certain technology assets of Discovery Travel System.
25/07/07 Economic Times

Deccan, IndiGo deals excellent examples of sale and lease-back arrangement: Genesis CEO

Shannon, Ireland: Genesis Lease Limited today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2007.
For the quarter, revenues were $43.8 million, compared to $36.5 million for same period in 2006, an increase of 20.1%. Net income was $11.4 million, compared to $7.1 million for the same period last year, an increase of 59.0%. For the six months ended June 30, 2007, revenues were $86.0 million, compared to $72.4 million for the same period last year, an increase of 18.8%. Net income was $22.4 million, compared to $14.2 million for the same period last year, an increase of 57.1%. Increases in both year-over-year revenues and net income reflect primarily the acquisition of additional aircraft during 2006.
For the quarter ended June 30, 2007, EBITDA was $38.9 million, compared to $35.7 million for the same period in 2006, an increase of 9.0%.
John McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of Genesis, said, "During the second quarter, Genesis executed successfully against our business plan, signing separate agreements with Air Deccan and IndiGo Airlines to purchase four new Airbus A320 aircraft. These recent agreements are excellent examples of how the carriers are utilizing sale and lease-back arrangements to finance new additions to their fleets."
In April and June 2007, Genesis signed agreements to purchase four new Airbus A320 aircraft -- two from Air Deccan and two from IndiGo Airlines, both of India. Genesis took delivery of two of these aircraft (one from each of Air Deccan and IndiGo) in July 2007, and the remaining two will be delivered in September 2007. All four aircraft are subject to long-term leases to Air Deccan and IndiGo.
Genesis made its first borrowings under the credit facility in July 2007 in connection with the deliveries of aircraft from Air Deccan and IndiGo.
Genesis Lease Limited is a global commercial aircraft leasing company that is headquartered in Shannon, Ireland.
25/07/07 PRIME NEWSWIRE/CNNMoney.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Indian’s aircraft stranded at Sharjah

Sharjah: The runway at Sharjah International Airport was briefly closed on Monday night after an Indian airline aircraft coming from Mumbai was stranded on the runway due to leakage of hydraulic oil, a source at the airport said.
The 20-minute closure, however, did not affect the inbound and outbound flights.
The incident, according to sources, occurred at around 10.15pm when the pilot of the IC-595 flight was forced to stop the aircraft on the runway soon after it landed. “The flight was towed to the bay and the passengers were offloaded,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Indian officials said that technical snag had caused the delay in the operation of Sharjah-Mumbai flight which was scheduled to leave Sharjah Airport at 12.20am yesterday morning (Tuesday), but finally could leave only in the evening at 7pm.
All 140 passengers were shifted to hotels and provided with all facilities, Abhay Pathak, Indian’s regional manager for Gulf, said.
25/07/07 Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Jet Lite shelves plans to fly to Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: India's Jet Lite, formerly Air Sahara, is suspending plans to fly to Malaysia following its merger with private Indian carrier Jet Airways, a company official said Tuesday.
"There is a new management in India to helm the transformation of the airline. Right now, we are looking at how Jet Lite can compliment Jet Airways in the fast-growing domestic hub," Marthinus told The Associated Press.
Air Sahara's previous plans to fly to Malaysia and other international destinations have been shelved until it completes its revamp, he said.
Its New Delhi-Singapore flight — the airline's only international route — was terminated earlier this month as part of the overhaul, he said.
Air Sahara first received landing rights in Malaysia in 2005. The approval lapsed after it failed to open flights due to operational difficulties, Marthinus said.
It received the green light again in May this year to fly from New Delhi to Kuala Lumpur. By that time, the carrier was in the process of being taken over by Jet Airways, he said.
"We hope to capitalize on the opportunity in Malaysia, especially with the liberalization of air space between the two countries," he said. Jet Lite could launch flights to Malaysia in the next one to two years, he said.
24/07/07 The Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, France

SilkAir to launch service to southern Indian city of Coimbatore

Singapore: Singapore Airlines' regional unit SilkAir said Monday it would in October launch service to the southern Indian city of Coimbatore, the carrier's third destination in the South Asian country.
SilkAir will operate three flights a week from Singapore to Coimbatore, it said in a statement.
The service is subject to regulatory approval from aviation authorities in both Singapore and India, it added.
The airline already flies to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, also in southern India.
SilkAir is a full-service regional carrier with an extensive network, flying from Singapore to popular holiday destinations like Phuket, Kunming, Langkawi and Cebu.
23/07/07 Channel News Asia, Singapore

Air Asia X eyes Aussie, Indian destinations

New long-distance budget airline Air Asia X says it will announce its first Australian destination within days, and its promotional fares to London will be as low as $11.30.
The carrier - an offshoot of Asia's biggest low cost airline Air Asia - hopes to fly to Australia for its inaugural flight from its Kuala Lumpur base in September.
It expects to offer Australians standard fares 30 to 50 per cent cheaper than its competitors, to the Malaysian capital, and then a host of far flung places, including the UK, Middle East, India and China.
Air Asia X's new chief executive Azran Osman-Rani is in Australia this week holding final talks with airports around the country.
Air Asia X has leased one plane and is looking for a second, while it awaits its order of 15 new Airbus 330s, due to come on line late next year.
Osman-Rani said Australia would "very, very likely" be the airline's first destination, although discussions are also underway with two cities in China and one in India.
Promotional fares would include $US10 ($A11.30) flights to London on selected flights, but regular fares would still be significantly cheaper than full service carriers, Osman-Rani said.
24/07/07 The Age, Australia

Qatar Airways will fly to Nagpur and Ahmedabad by 2008

Washington: Qatar Airways will fly to Nagpur and Ahmedabad in India by the end of 2007, its chief executive confirmed on Friday, which will cap off an extraordinary year when fast-growing Gulf airlines made major inroads into India.
The new daily service to Nagpur, at the geographical centre of India, and Ahmedabad, in the northeastern state of Gujarat, will mark the seventh and eighth Indian destinations for Qatar Airways, according to Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways chief executive.
With the two flights, Qatar will have launched an impressive 11 new routes in 2007 alone. Beginning with Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in January, Qatar Airways followed up with new service to Lagos, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Geneva, New York, Washington, D.C. and in November, Stockholm. Its current network now totals 78 destinations worldwide.
Qatar is just one of several airlines which have deepened their network into the red hot aviation market on the subcontinent, which Indian authorities have gradually opened up in recent years.
24/07/07 Ivan Gale/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

Monday, July 23, 2007

Civil aviation sector to attract USD 110bn investment by 2020

New Delhi: The civil aviation sector in the country is likely to attract an investment of USD 110 billion by 2020 for purchasing new aircraft and building airport infrastructure.
''Out of the total investment, 80 billion dollars would be required for the purchase of new aircraft and 30 billion dollars for building up airports' infrastructure,'' Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation R K Singh said in a seminar.
In a bid to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the civil aviation industry, it is proposed to further liberalise the FDI policy particularly in areas of charters, cargo, maintenance and repair operations, flying training and ground handling, he added.
If India's current economic growth rates were sustained, it would become a trillion-dollar economy by 2009 and also emerge as the world's third largest economy by 2025.
22/07/07 Zee News

Jet rules out fare war on US flight

New York: Private Indian carrier Jet Airways, which begins its US operations next month, has ruled out entering into a price war with other airlines and expects to attract passengers by offering top-class services.
"We are not here to get into fare wars. We are here to give you the best product, which hopefully no other airline gives you," chairman Jet Airways Naresh Goyal said in an interview posted on the website of Forbes magazine.
Goyal said American passenger-airlines "dump people" from one point to another. But "With us, you get a hot meal within a half-hour of takeoff. It's a three-course meal in every section of the airplane - even in coach," he said.
Asked by the interviewer how would be airline offer best quality service without raising fares, he said the carrier would increase productivity.
Jet makes its maiden US flight to Newark airport from Mumbai next month. This will be followed by Toronto on September 5 as part of efforts to tap the 800,000 Indians living in Canada, he said.
22/07/07 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

'Mihin a boon for pilgrims going to India'

Colombo: Mihin Lanka, the fully Government owned budget airline, has carried over 17,000 passengers in the last two and a half months, a spokesman for the airline told the Daily News.
The airline, which operates two Airbus aircraft, offers flights to a number of regional destinations. Bangkok is the latest destination. More destinations are being added on an almost a weekly basis.
The spokesman said Singapore’s airport authorities were willing to grant certain concessions to the airline, having noticed its potential for increasing tourist and business traffic between the two countries.
He said the start-up airline has proved a boon for pilgrims going to India and migrant workers as Mihin airfares were much more affordable. Moreover, they were granting passengers a much bigger passenger allowance.
23/07/07 Ceylon Daily News, Sri Lanka

Allow FDI in airline infrastructure: PHDCCI

New Delhi: The new civil aviation policy should allow foreign direct investment for developing airline infrastructure and encourage larger participation of private players, industry chamber PHDCCI has said.
"As the civil aviation sector is expected to see 25 per cent growth in the next 10 years, civil aviation infrastructure needs faster development through public-private participation mode, to be supplemented by foreign direct investment," PHDCCI President Sanjay Bhatia said in a statement.
He said the new policy should facilitate entry of new private carriers and promote healthy competition to benefit the national economy and air passengers.
More funds from private sector and FDI were needed as airport development in the country has not kept pace with the growth of the economy and passenger and cargo traffic, the statement said.
"The airport infrastructure was developed expecting a growth of 16 per cent in air transport traffic per annum but the actual growth during the last three years has been in the range of 24-28 per cent," it said.
22/07/07 PTI/Economic Times

Sunday, July 22, 2007

TV channel hires chartered flight for amnesty seekers

In a humanitarian gesture, the Malayalam television channel Kairali Television has chartered a flight to transport Keralite amnesty-seekers free of charge from Dubai to Kochi. The flight will depart from Dubai International Airport at 12.30pm on July 30.
The 160-seater aircraft has been hired from Air India.
According to E.M. Asharaf, Kairali Television's Associate Editor-Middle East, "We telecast a number of programmes on amnesty. It was an eye-opener for us and we learnt that many illegal workers are finding it difficult to buy air tickets. So we decided to charter the flight for them."
"A special committee comprising members of various social organisations has been formed to shortlist the needy people. Handicapped people, women and patients will be given priority," he added.
22/07/07 Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

AI planning to create European hub

New Delhi: State-run carrier Air India, which is being merged with another national airline Indian, is looking to create a hub in Europe and rationalise its route structure by providing more direct services.
Following the footsteps of its private competitor Jet Airways, which has established an operational hub at Brussels, Air India is holding discussions with aviation authorities in some major cities of Europe.
"Discussions are going on. Let us come to some final conclusion and then we will let you know," Air India Chairman and Managing Director V Thulasidas told reporters in an interview.
The carrier, which already flies to several European cities like Frankfurt, London, Paris and Birmingham, "is now looking at other cities which can become our hub," he said, indicating the new hub could be finalised by early next year.
Asked to elaborate, he said at least five to six daily flights would arrive at the European hub from different parts of India and the passengers transferred to other Air India planes bound for destinations beyond.
22/07/07 Zee News

UPS faces protective challenges with India

With its Indian partner, Jetair Business Solutions, Sandy Springs-based UPS expanded business in India by a whopping 25 percent last year, representing a growing — if deliberately undisclosed — portion of UPS' $47.5 billion in revenue. The UPS Store in New Delhi, the company's fourth in India, is part of a rollout of 150 retail stores over the next four years.
With markets at home becoming saturated — and with an economy appearing to slow down — many American companies are looking toward the world's fastest-growing economies, India and China, to pick up the slack. India's economy is expanding at its fastest rate in nearly two decades: Its $771 billion economy grew by 9.4 percent in the last fiscal year, slightly higher than expected.
But India's postal service wants to rein in international express couriers doing business in India, in what many here see as a backward step in the liberalization of the country's economy.
A recent proposal to be reviewed by Parliament gives the postal service exclusive rights for express delivery of letters weighing up to 300 grams within the country, virtually shielding the government agency from competition.
The proposal also blocks foreign ownership of express couriers operating in India and requires large private courier services to fork over 10 percent of their profits to a fund that helps the government improve its delivery service to the country's rural areas.
22/07/07 Raymond Thibodeaux/Atlanta Journal Constitution, US

Passengers left stranded as IA's Mumbai flight cancelled

Dubai: Several Indian airlines passengers scheduled to fly on IA-684 from here to Mumbai on Friday, July 20, were stranded for a while at Dubai International Airport as their flight was initially delayed by about an hour and a half and later cancelled.
The IA flight was scheduled to leave at 11:15 pm. But it was delayed till 12:30 am and later cancelled. However, about 40 passengers agreed to go to Mumbai via Delhi on another flight while over a dozen were sent directly to Hyderabad. The rest of the 29 passengers were provided accommodation for the night in Dubai by the airline.
Local Indian airlines officials confirmed the flight delay and cancellation, saying it was due to a "technical snag" in the aircraft at Chatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai.
22/07/07 Nida Unas/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

Man held at Sharjah airport as 'absconder'

Dubai: A 42-year-old businessman who was travelling with his family on a vacation was detained at Sharjah airport because his former company had declared him an absconder although it had issued him a release letter.
Gulf News learnt that Anil Sekharan, an Indian, was blacklisted a month ago by the company where he worked as a sales manager four years ago. The company had issued him a 'release' and a 'no-objection' letter in 2003.
A Sharjah immigration official at the airport told Gulf News that detainees are given the opportunity to tell their side of the story and rectify the situation.
Sekharan, who is currently running a furniture manufacturing business, said he got in touch with his previous company and had his name removed from the list. He said: "I still have the 'release' and the 'no-objection' letter with me and that bailed me out. It was utter carelessness on the part of the company to have blacklisted me." The incident took place on July 15. No one from his former company was available for comment.
This is the second such case in a week.
Gulf News had earlier reported that Ansel Thomas, an Indian, was also barred from travelling at Dubai airport recently for allegedly failing to repay a bank loan which he had settled in January.
21/07/07 Sunita Menon/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

Man held with 496 ‘good luck’ fishes

Chennai: An unemployed Indian national returning from Malaysia was held at Chennai Airport for smuggling in 496 ornamental fishes.
Customs officials asked Basheer Ahemad, 26, to open his two suitcases and found the fishes hidden in polythene containers.
Customs commissioner C. Rajan said a Malaysian in Kuala Lumpur paid Basheer to carry the suitcases to Chennai where another man would collect them at the airport.
Rajan said: "Basheer went to work in Malaysia recently but failed to get a job. So he decided to return to India but did not have money.
"He approached a Malaysian for help and was asked to carry the two suitcases to Chennai. He was told he would be paid 5,000 rupees (RM430) for each suitcase."
The species seized from Basheer were the Clown Loach, Arowana, Red Parrot and Tiger Barb. Each pair fetches 20,000 rupees in the market here .
Rajan said the fishes were meant for vasthu, an Indian version of feng shui.
22/07/07 Bernama/New Straits Times

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Cochin Airport may float budget carrier

Mumbai: Cochin International Airport (CIAL), India’s first international airport not controlled by the central government, may team up with some domestic airlines to launch a budget carrier for the Gulf destinations.
The new airline is likely to reserve 20 seats in each aircraft for poor NRIs who have been unable to come home for more than five years. They will be charged one-fourth of the fare.
“This may be the first venture in which an airport is partnering airlines to set up a budget airline. CIAL will talk to airlines that already have permission to fly overseas, including to the Gulf,” a source said.
Jet Airways and JetLite (formerly Air Sahara) have permission to fly to the Gulf, while Air Deccan is expected to get the go-ahead by next year.
The project in part revives the earlier proposed budget carrier, Air Kerala, which was shelved as only an airline with five years of domestic experience and a fleet of 20 aircraft can fly abroad.
21/07/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

More Chinese flights to India

Beijing: In view of increasing tourist exchange between China and India, Air China today said it will start operating daily flights between Beijing and New Delhi starting 31 October.
At present it has only four flights a week between the two cities.
The state flag carrier will be joined by another international carrier, China Southern, which is expected to start three flights a week to Delhi from Guangzhou (erstwhile Canton), a home to more than 3,500-strong Indian community and throbbing business hub in south China. “The flights will be seven a week on the first anniversary of our starting of Beijing-Delhi sector on same day last year,” Mr Zhao Quanzhen, Air China country manager (India), said.
The flag carrier had started with three flights a month. Noticing demand, it added another flight in March this year.
Mr Zhao said the expansion of operations in India was a part of Air China’s global expansion plan.
20/07/07 Press Trust of India/The Statesman

Mallya Pushing for 2010 F1 Race

New York: Vijay Mallya, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kingfisher Airlines, says he is passionate about bringing Formula One to India as soon as he can.
"Given the sheer size of India and its booming economy, it should be on the Formula One calendar.
"I am pushing all I can to make sure that if not in 2009, India can host a race in 2010," Mallya said in an interview with Formula One, in response to a question if India is ready for a Grand Prix in the country.
Asked about his plans to leverage his F1 involvement, Mallya said it is lifestyle.
"Look at the glamour around, the type of people who are involved in Formula One, the people who visit Formula One races and Formula One related events, the huge media turnout -- one could say it is the pinnacle of the fast life," he said.
"Those qualities fit perfectly with my philosophy of an airline. An Airline to me is not about cheap tickets but about enjoying flying. I want to go back to the days when travel was a luxury. I don't want to see it as a very basic transportation industry, ignoring completely the comfort of the passengers."
"That's why at Kingfisher Airlines we call all those who fly with us guests. We want them to enjoy the Kingfisher experience -- and that fits very well with the attitude of Formula One."
20/07/07 Suman Guha Mozumder, US/Rediff/Daijiworld.com

Consumer court orders British Airways to pay Rs 3-lakh compensation

A consumer court has asked British Airways (BA) to pay about Rs 3 lakh to five passengers for harassing them at Heathrow airport.
The complaint at State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission was filed by Animesh Chakraborty, a Kasba resident, and four relatives. They had bought return tickets on British Airways between Delhi and London and on Air Sahara between Calcutta and Delhi.
After completing their UK tour, the group reached Heathrow airport on July 19, 2003, to catch flight BA 143. They were issued boarding passes and subjected to security checks, after which an airline official informed them that the flight had been cancelled. “No reason was cited,” they said.
Left with little cash, Chakraborty and his relatives requested the airline to arrange for their stay and food in London. The airline allegedly did not pay any heed to the plea and, instead, threatened to throw them out of the airport if they did not leave on their own. The group could not trace its luggage, which was returned after several weeks. Six-and-a-half-year-old Anwesha Lahiri, one of the complainants, fell ill, but was reportedly left untreated at the airport.
Thanks to the cancellation of the BA flight, the Air Sahara tickets were wasted, resulting in a loss of Rs 21,000 for the group.
The complainants went to the airport the next day, but the airline could not provide them seats on the Delhi-bound flight. They finally contacted a travel agent, who booked tickets on Royal Jordanian Airlines for July 21.
21/07/07 The Telegraph

Bird sized airplane to fly like a swift

Nine Dutch Aerospace Engineering students at the Delft University of Technology, together with the Department of Experimental Zoology of Wageningen University, designed the RoboSwift. RoboSwift is a micro airplane fitted with shape shifting wings, inspired by the common swift, one of nature's most efficient flyers.
The RoboSwift team presented the design on the yearly Design Synthesis symposium at TU Delft. The team will build the high-tech micro airplane in the following months; it is expected to fly in January 2008. The student team will build three RoboSwifts to participate in March 2008 in the First American-Asian Micro Air Vehicle competition in India.
The micro airplane will have unprecedented wing characteristics; the wing geometry as well as the wing surface area can be adjusted continuously. This makes RoboSwift more maneuverable and efficient. Resembling the common swift, RoboSwift will be able to go undetected while using its three micro cameras to perform surveillance on vehicles and people on the ground. Furthermore, it can be employed to observe swifts in flight, thus enabling new biological research.
21/07/07 Delft University of Technology/Science Daily (press release), US

UPS Takes Delivery of First Boeing 747-400

UPS's first 747-400 arrived at the company's global air hub here yesterday for its public debut, ready to begin fulfilling the global mission emblazoned on its fuselage - "Synchronizing the world of commerce."
UPS will fly the jumbo freighter on its long-range international routes, primarily into the Asia-Pacific region. Regular destinations for UPS's first 747-400 will include Hong Kong; Incheon, South Korea; Sydney, Australia, and Shanghai, where the company is building its China air hub. Ultimately, the company will use the aircraft on its "around the world" flights with stops in Cologne, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mumbai, India.
"As we continue to see strong international growth, the 747-400 is a perfect fit for UPS," observed Mike Eskew, UPS's chairman and CEO. "It has tremendous range and payload capacity so we can satisfy the need of customers to move packages and freight to overseas markets. In addition, this is a plane that has a strong record in terms of safety, reliability and environmental friendliness."
UPS will take delivery of three new 747-400s in 2007 and five more in 2008.
20/07/07 Online-Magazin Business Traveler.eu, Germany

Kozhikode-Dubai flight develops snag

Kozhikode: A Dubai-bound Air India Express flight was grounded at Karipur airport near here after it developed a technical problem before taking off.
The flight, with a stop-over at Thiruvananthapuram, was scheduled to leave at 21:00 hrs yesterday.
Air India sources told PTI that the flight has been re-scheduled to leave at 19:00 hrs today.
Passengers who were to board the flight here have been accomodated in hotels in the city.
21/07/07 PTI/The Hindu

Premium manufacturers benefit from increase in Indian air travellers

Prestige cosmetic manufacturers are predicted to begin adjusting their travel retail product ranges in an attempt to capitalise on increasing Indian consumers holidaying abroad.
According to new Euromonitor data the number of tourists travelling from India will more than double by 2011 - creating an opportunity for premium travel retail brands to increase sales in the lucrative industry sector.
The skin-whitening trend is something Dodson expects to see more of in light of the increased number of Indian consumers travelling through airports.
With prestige brands being careful to target product ranges towards key consumer groups, trends prevalent within the Indian market at present could hold a stronger presence among products aimed at the travel retail market.
With businessmen set to constitute much of the volume of Indian travellers, fragrance is predicted to sell as well with male consumers as with females - with the male grooming trend therefore expected to benefit from the increased consumer traffic.
20/07/07 Louise Prance/CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com, France

Community grieves at untimely demise of Mahadevan Iyer

Los Angeles: The Indian American community has reacted with shock at the untimely demise of Mahadevan (Dave) Iyer, the popular District Sales Manager with Air India, on July 13. He was just 50.
Dave, who died in New York, had suffered a massive heart attack at the airport on July 12 and was admitted to a local hospital.
Mahadevan Iyer was associated with Air India office in Los Angles for more than a decade. He played a prominent role in the setting up of direct flights from Los Angeles to India. He was a very prominent member of the community.
Mahadevan Iyer is survived by his wife, Kalyani, and two sons, Varun and Eshan.
He was instrumental in promoting the airline first as an offline station until 2004 and later as an online station when the first flights commenced in June 2004. Dave had a tremendous rapport with the travel fraternity which helped Air India establish itself as a dominant airline in the market.
20/07/07 IndiaPost.com, US

Friday, July 20, 2007

Brussels airport pins hopes on Jet

Munich: With the imminent arrival of aircraft from Jet Airways, India's largest private airline, from Mumbai on August 5, low-key Brussels airport is hoping that the Indian carrier's daily Mumbai-Brussels-Newark service will bolster not only passenger but also cargo traffic with both India and the United States.
Brussels airport benefits from the huge presence of the Indian business community in and around Antwerp, the majority of whom are engaged in the diamond trade. Antwerp is an important diamond hub where billions of dollars in precious stones change hands in trade with India, Israel, South Africa and the United States. A large chunk of this diamond business passes through Brussels airport.
Brussels airport, which likes to portray itself as a "hub in the heart of Europe", is keen to come out of the shadow of its next door "big brother", Amsterdam's Sch-iphol airport, which has long dominated the Benelux region and has come close to challenging Frankfurt airport, Europe's leading cargo airport.
"We are also trying to get Jet Airways' freighters to fly to Brussels en route to the US, which is India's biggest market," Philippe Fierens, Brussels airport's cargo business development manager, told Cargonews Asia.
Jet Airways also has a co-operation deal with Lufthansa Cargo, the leading European carrier.
Brussels airport is upbeat about Jet Airways' ambitious plans to foray into North America from India via Brussels. The carrier will start a second service - Mumbai-Brussels-Toronto - from September 1. In 2008, Jet Airways plans to introduce three more routes from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai via Brussels to Chicago, JFK New York and Los Angeles.
20/07/07 Manik Mehta/Cargonews Asia, Hong Kong

New Flight Combos TM link expansive Tiger Airways route network

Low fare airline Tiger Airways yesterday launched four new Flight Combos TM linking its newly announced South Indian Cities of Kochi and Chennai to its two Australian destinations of Darwin and Perth.
The flights combos through Singapore, which facilitates convenient, value-for-money Flight CombosTM travel on Tiger Airways with the fuss-free accessibility of the Budget Terminal and its convenient immigration formalities.
Return fares start from AUD599 all-inclusive.
The Flight Combos TM to Chennai start from 28 October 2007 while the Flight Combos TM to Kochi start from 30 October 2007.
Flight CombosTM introduced by Tiger Airways have revolutionized low fare travel by allowing passengers to co-ordinate their flights on two legs of their journey with minimum downtime in between. Now passengers can enjoy reliable fuss free travel at affordable low fares throughout the Asia-Pacific region served by Tiger Airways.
Flight CombosTM allow passengers to book two sectors of their travel at one time online offering convenience in booking and flexibility in their travel plans.
20/07/07 e-Travel Blackboard (press release), Australia

Asian no-frills airlines woo fliers from south India

New Delhi: South-East Asian airlines are getting more aggressive. Value carriers, such as Nok Air, AirAsia, Tiger Airways and Lion Air, have either started betting big on destinations in south India or are planning to do so. The airlines are not only offering low fares, but also packages such as night stays in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to lure travellers.
In its bid to have a bigger slice of the pie, Singapore-based Tiger Airways plans to link the island nation with Chennai and Kochi from October. The airline would offer a return ticket on these routes for about Rs 10,000, about 50-70% less than the normal fares. Air Asia is also planning to start services between Kuala Lumpur and Kochi and Bangalore.
Nok Air passengers get as much as 70% discounts at retail outlets in Thailand.
An Indian delegation led by civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla recently signed an MoU with Malaysia to further increase air frequency between the two countries. According to the MoU, both the nations have agreed to designate any airlines they wish to operate on the India-Malaysia route.
20/07/07 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

AI Express to fly to Malaysia from Oct

Kuala Lumpur: Low-cost carrier Air India Express aims to begin flying from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur from October under a new agreement to liberalize air travel between the two countries, an airline official said on Thursday.
The carrier, which is a subsidiary of state-run Air India, is finalizing details of its entry to Malaysia following the signing of the pact earlier this month, said Saket Saran, country manager for Air India here.
"It is a landmark agreement. It will increase the number of direct flights to Indian cities, and make travel cheaper and more convenient for passengers," Saran told meida.
"Air India Express hopes to operate by October. We plan to start to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai in the first phase and expand later to Trichy in southern India and to other Indian destinations," he said.
Malaysia will be the carrier's second international destination after Singapore, he said. Air India Express is negotiating to fly to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, rather than to the low-cost terminal near the main airport, he added.
19/07/07 Times of India

Competition increases on India - US routes

Competition heats up in August from India to the USA. Air India will start to fly from Mumbai to New York on the 1st of August and Jet Airways will have their inguinal transatlantic flight on the 5th of August from Mumbai to New York. Then in October Continental Airlines will start their flight from Mumbai to New York. Kingfisher Airlines advised they will fly from India to the US early 2008.
Continental Airlines already operates flights from Delhi to New York and American Airlines operates direct flights from Mumbai to Chicago. Other cities American Airlines are looking at departing from are Delhi and Bangalore.
Jet Airways will also start flying to Toronto Canada on the 5th of September this year. Jet Airways will go via Brussels where they will base their European Hub. They will use a Boeing 777-300ER for their international flights. They also offer the only first class suite ex India to the US. Offering a true flat bed that converts to a private bedroom and has its own private wardrobe. They will operate three classes First Class, Premiere Class and Economy Class.
19/07/07 eTravelBlackboard - Asia Edition, Australia

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Competition increases on India - US routes

Competition heats up in August from India to the USA. Air India will start to fly from Mumbai to New York on the 1st of August and Jet Airways will have their inguinal transatlantic flight on the 5th of August from Mumbai to New York. Then in October Continental Airlines will start their flight from Mumbai to New York. Kingfisher Airlines advised they will fly from India to the US early 2008.
Continental Airlines already operates flights from Delhi to New York and American Airlines operates direct flights from Mumbai to Chicago. Other cities American Airlines are looking at departing from are Delhi and Bangalore.
Jet Airways will also start flying to Toronto Canada on the 5th of September this year. Jet Airways will go via Brussels where they will base their European Hub. They will use a Boeing 777-300ER for their international flights. They also offer the only first class suite ex India to the US. Offering a true flat bed that converts to a private bedroom and has its own private wardrobe. They will operate three classes First Class, Premiere Class and Economy Class.
19/07/07 eTravelBlackboard - Asia Edition, Australia

Fredericton flight training centre eyes Indian students too

Federiction, New Brunswick: A new flight training centre for international students has just opened in Fredericton, and already officials say it could be one of the largest in Canada by the end of the year. Read On >>

Laqshya Media bags Colombo' airport ad rights concessionaire

Outdoor media company Laqshya Media has taken over Vertigo Lanka, which has been the airport advertisement rights concessionaire for the Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport since 2002. Vertigo had renewed its contract for an additional five years in the year 2005, so as, Laqshya will function as the airport's advertisement rights concessionaire till 2010.
Bandaranaike International Airport is located in Katunayake, 35 km north of Colombo. It is administered by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd and is the hub of Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka.
Laqshya is the only Indian OOH company to have attracted private equity investment from UTI Venture funds for $10 million in 2006. Earlier, through its 100 per cent subsidiary Right Angle Media FZ LLC, Laqshya Media also won the contract of constructing 800 AC bus shelters in Dubai on a built operate transfer (BOT) basis.
18/07/07 Televisionpoint.com

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Air One too after Jat

Milan: Italy's Air One, whose owner AP Holding SpA is a leading candidate to acquire Alitalia SpA in a privatisation, is interested in acquiring Serbia's airline Jat, said Radiocor.
In a report, citing sources close to the Belgrade government, the news agency said Jat is being privatised and details on the sale should be decided by the end of July.
Air One was cited saying it is examining the file.
The Serb government is considering two options for the privatisation: a strategic alliance with another airline, and the sale of a significant Jat stake, Radiocor said.
Aeroflot Russian Airlines is seen as a contender for Jat, as is Air India, which already cooperates with Jat in training pilots, it said.
Recent studies by the World Bank found Jat made a 2006 profit of 3.8 mln eur, despite running up 54 mln usd in accumulated losses over 2004-2006 due to low productivity and capacity use, it said.
17/07/07 Forbes, US

Indian carriers can now make Malaysia a hub

New Delhi: Indian carriers designated to fly abroad now have the opportunity to set up an international hub. The government's recently-signed pact with Malaysia has won India the "beyond right" that allows airlines to use Kuala Lumpur as a hub in the east and connect other destinations like Australia and the west coast.
So far, Jet is the only Indian airline to have a base abroad, in Brussels, and now Air India is also trying to get a base in Europe.
"The beyond right is an important feature of this pact as any designated Indian carrier can fly beyond KL. The best part of the deal, signed by an Indian team led by aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, is that the excellent KL is also among the most economical ones in the southeast. It will be the ideal hub for an airline that's equipped to expand operations to the southeast and Australia," said a senior official.
The importance in terms of growing traffic to the southeast can be gauged from the fact that Jet recently strengthened its code share agreement with Qantas to provide seamless connectivity between India and Australia via Singapore.
18/07/07 Times of India

Pact with India a boon for Malaysia tourism

New Delhi: Malaysia has taken the lead in forging closer aviation links with India with a pact that envisages unlimited direct flights to as many as 18 big and small cities. This is more than any other country.
Return India-Malaysia fares starting from Rs18,000 (RM1,550) cheaper than, say, Hong Kong, is expected to boost tourist arrivals to Malaysia.
Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines have engaged in a high-profile campaign for the past two years.
The pact will allow designated airlines from both countries to operate any number of services to and from tourist destinations such as Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati, Gaya, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Goa, Jaipur, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Amritsar, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Tiruchirapalli — and closer to Malaysia, Port Blair.
The agreement came when the two sides resolved the deadlock over allowing AI Express and Air Sahara (now Jetlite) to fly to Malaysia.
18/07/07 Mahendra Ved/New Straits Times, Malaysia

Emirates flight makes emergency landing

Chennai: A Manila bound Dubai-Manila Emirates flight with 446 passengers and crew made an emergency landing at Anna International airport here today, as one of its passengers suffered severe chest pain.
Airport sources said, as the flight was approaching Chennai, the passenger Paraso Mathew (43), hailing from Philipines complained to the crew members that he was suffering from severe chest pain. The matter was informed to the pilots, who in turn contacted the Air Trafic control (ATC) for their permission for emergency landing.
The flight landed around 1710 hrs.
Soon after the flight landed, the airport medical team rushed to the passenger and gave first aid. As his condition was critical, the immigration authorities issued a temporary visa to the patient.Later, he was admitted to a private hospital at Guindy.
17/07/07 UNI/NewKerala.com

Poaching to intensify as aviation markets grow

Brussels: The pilot shortage is relatively recent. It is the result of extraordinary growth in air traffic in the Persian Gulf, China and India; the rise of lucrative low-cost carriers in Europe and Asia; and the sustained recovery of the US airlines from the industry recession caused by the 9/11 attacks. Read On >>

Fly with only foreigners in cockpit

New Delhi: In a move that could help airlines utilise their fleet optimally and not keep planes grounded due to shortage of pilots, government has decided to allow domestic flights even if both pilots in the cockpit are foreigners. Read On >>

Pilot shortage delaying expansion plans

New Delhi: DGCA had recently disallowed several foreign pilots from flying in India due to their poor understanding of English. Read On>>

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

India, Malaysia sign revised air service agreement

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation delegations of India and Malaysia met on 12-13th July, 2007 in Kuala Lumpur to discuss matters relating to air services between the two countries. The Indian delegation was led by Shri Ashok Chawla, Secretary (Civil Aviation). After extensive discussions, both sides reached an agreement culminating into the signing of an MOU.
As per this MOU, the provision of "Multiple designation" has been agreed to enabling the aeronautical authorities of both the sides to designate any number of airlines as they wish to operate on the India - Malaysia route. The capacity entitlement for the designated airlines of both sides has been significantly liberalized, which will lead to progressive enhancement of traffic rights over the next two years.
It is further decided that the designated airlines of both sides can operate any number of services to/from 18 tourist destinations in India viz. Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati, Gaya, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Khajuraho, Aurangabad, Goa, Jaipur, Port Blair, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Amritsar, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad and Tiruchirapalli. Also the designated airlines of India are now entitled to operate unlimited direct services from any point in India to Johor Bahru in Malaysia.
16/07/07 M.M.Khanna/indianewscalling.com/TravelVideo.tv (press release)

Flying to Malaysia to get cheaper

New Delhi: Flying to Malaysia could soon get cheaper for both small town Indians and people living in Metros. India has signed a pact with Kuala Lumpur that will allow designated airlines of both sides to operate any number of services to and from 18 tourist destinations here like Lucknow, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Jaipur and Port Blair.
Moreover, the pact will allow designated low cost carriers of both countries to operate on this route and Indian passengers can soon look forward to lower than the Rs 18,000-20,000 (with taxes) fare they pay on legacy carriers for a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur.
This agreement came when the two sides held talks last week in Kuala Lumpur to resolve the deadlock over allowing AI Express and Air Sahara (now Jetlite) to fly there. Led by aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, India signed an agreement for "multiple designations" that will enable the countries to "designate any number of airlines as they wish to operate on the India-Malaysia route."
17/07/07 Times of India

AI, Indian offer special fares for Indian amnesty seekers

Dubai: Air-India and Indian have started a special air fare scheme for Indian expatriates opting to return to India under the three-month amnesty scheme announced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government, airlines officials said Monday.
While Air India is offering the special fares covering six Indian destinations, officials of Indian said special rates would be applicable to 16 Indian destinations.
Indian amnesty-seekers can take Air India flights to Mumbai and New Delhi from different airports in the UAE at the cost of dirham 590 ($160), to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode at dirham 690 ($188), to Hyderabad (via Mumbai) at dirham 790 ($215) and Chennai (via Mumbai) at dirham 640 ($174), the Khaleej Times reported.
Abhay Pathak, regional manager of Indian, said that amnesty seekers who would like to fly to other destinations with a connecting flight would be charged only dirham 100 extra.
17/07/07 Times of India

Gulf-based airlines offer goodies to travel agents

Mumbai: Gulf-based airlines are fighting for a hefty market share in south Indian destinations like Kochi. To lure the 45 travel agents in Kochi alone, airlines like Etihad Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and Oman Airways are offering incentives to agents to pull maximum air travellers during the peak season of August-September.
More than 4 lakh passengers travel to the Gulf during the peak season in the south sector. On an average, 3,000 seats are on offer daily in the Gulf sector from Kochi.
Says a travel agent from a renowned agency, “Etihad Airways, which recently launched services in Kochi, has given expensive gifts to all the travel agents, including gold plated watches.” Officials from various Gulf-based airlines have been frequenting the top ten travel agencies in Kochi including Akbar Travels, Riya Travels, Al- Hind and Concord.
Gulf Air is offering higher commission to its agents if they sell maximum tickets' in 15 days.
16/07/07 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

Foreign flavour for desi flights?

New Delhi: Kingfisher Airlines’ application seeking regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA), permission to use expat cabin crew in international and domestic routes has sent many in the corridors of power into a tizzy. Read On >>

XA Subsidiary Produces the Jet Airways

New York: XA, Inc., a major national event marketing firm that serves many Fortune 500 companies, reports that its wholly owned subsidiary The Experiential Agency, Inc. was selected by Jet Airways in cooperation with The Boeing Company and GE Aviation, as the event production agency for their Gala Press Luncheon and Gala Reception marking the inauguration of their daily service from the USA to Mumbai. The Galas took place in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria on Wednesday, July 11, 2007.
As the production company, XA through its wholly owned subsidiary The Experiential Agency, Inc., designed, developed and managed all required elements of the galas to create a highly stylized and integrated program. The Gala Press Luncheon was a media event that took place in the Waldorf Astoria's Grand ballroom from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. It was followed by the Gala Reception for travel professionals that included a cocktail reception and dinner. Also, the Chairman of Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal, unveiled the world's most revolutionary interiors and luxurious airline seats -- designed exclusively for Jet Airways. The interiors consist of First Class Bedroom Suites, the largest Business Class Seat in the sky in Jet Airways Premiere Class and an entire new era in Economy Class seating.
16/07/07 PRNewswire-FirstCall/CNNMoney.com

Monday, July 16, 2007

All aboard, for studies abroad

This year, Dubai-based carrier, Emirates, has announced an additional baggage allowance of 20 kg for students travelling to the US, and various destinations in Europe, including UK, Germany, Russia, and Switzerland.
Jet Airways too will allow students travelling from India to Europe, UK or US, to carry one extra piece of baggage weighing up to 23 kg, between June 21, 2007 and October 31, 2007.
But student-specific services are not limited to the airlines, and travel solutions providers are eagerly catching up. Thomas Cook India (TCI) has launched a special 'one-stop-shop' product for Indians studying abroad, with services covering everything from ticketing and foreign exchange, to all sorts of insurance.
TCI's foreign exchange (forex) services will include remittance of tuition and living expenses through wire transfers or instant drafts in all major foreign currencies, along with convenient and safe carrying of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, travellers' cheques, and even a pin-protected Citibank prepaid card that can be reloaded whenever additional funds are needed.
Students going abroad to study are advised to check with their local airlines' offices or travel agents about any special offers.
16/07/07 Times of India

Lufthansa in talks with Taj, credit card firm

Mumbai: Identifying India as a potential market, German airline major Lufthansa is in talks with the Taj Group for integrating the airline's frequent-flyer programme, Miles and More. The air carrier, which currently operates 47 flights a week, is also planning to tie up with a credit card service provider to integrate the Miles and More programme.
An announcement in this regard is likely to take place in India next month (August).
Andreas Bierwirth, vice-president, marketing, Lufthansa, said the airline was in talks with Tata-controlled Taj Group to partner with its frequent-flyer programme.
The deal with a credit card service provider will mean that a Lufthansa passenger, who is a frequent flyer, can secure miles for the money he spends through that particular card.
In the case of Taj Hotels, passengers will earn more miles if they stay more in the group's hotels.
Lufthansa, which is looking at enhancing flights from Indian destinations to Europe, is also planning to increase the advertisement spend in India.
16/07/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

Thales, Hindustan Aeronautics pact for Mirage 2000 upgrade

With the Indian government set to ask for proposals to upgrade its fleet of Mirage 2000 fighters, French defence and aerospace company Thales will soon enter into a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to jointly bid for the project, top officials here said.
Thales has also committed itself to a 30 percent offsets clause for the upgrade, unlike some purchases in the past like Russia's Sukhoi-30s and MI-17 choppers in which upgrades were taken as part of the original deal, the officials added.
'I think, things are finally moving forward,' said Jean-Paul Perrier, executive vice president for the $17-billion French giant, referring to the government's intention since two years ago to upgrade its fleet of 51 Mirage 2000 fighters.
'We have the full knowledge and the solutions for a low-risk and cost-effective upgrade of Mirage 2000. Thales will also cooperate with Indian and other French industries for the project,' Perrier told a visiting IANS correspondent.
Apart from HAL, other Indian companies that are expected to partner with Thales in the upgrade project include the Department of Aviation Research and Bharat Electronics Ltd that has had a long association with the French company.
16/07/07 Arvind Padmanabhan/India eNews.com

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Indo-US air route hotting up

New Delhi: For international airlines in India, it’s time to go looking for America. Come August, and there’ll be two new options to fly to America. While Jet Airways will inaugurate its transatlantic services on August 5, 2007 with daily flights between New York and Mumbai, Air-India is geared up to start non-stop flights to New York from Mumbai from August 1. After that, Continental Airlines plans to launch a non-stop flight between Mumbai and New York in October 2007, while Kingfisher has announced that it will fly to the US by early next year.
The hotting up of the US-India route is obviously good news for both business and leisure travelers.
For some of the existing players, it’s time to add value through non-stop flights.
Continental already operates daily, non-stop flights between Delhi and its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, since 2005. And the daily, non-stop flights between Mumbai and New York Liberty will start on October 2. American Airlines, too, runs non-stop Delhi-Chicago-Delhi flights. While Jet is not looking at non-stop transatlantic flights right away, the airlines is hoping to offer international travellers arriving in India the advantage of its large domestic network.
15/07/07 Dheeraj Tiwari & Ishani Duttagupta/Economic Times

IA, AI to fly high on shared routes

New Delhi:In an attempt to grab more marketshare and make the life of the international air-traveller just that much easier, National Aviation Company Ltd, the new merged AI-IA entity, will use the hub-and-spoke concept to get more passenger footfalls and bring about greater synergy between themselves. What’s more, it will add to the revenue.
"The merger of AI and IA will give us an additional revenue of around Rs 800-1,200 crore, and includes what we gain from the hub-and-spoke concept too. This revenue, incidentally, is after taking into account various costs," says V Thulasidas, chairman, AI, and CMD of the merged entity.
This concept is due to start from August 1 when AI’s 777s start direct non-stop operations from Mumbai to New York, says V Trivedi, CMD, IA. "Initially, we’ll have three dedicated planes for this on three sectors daily — two A-320s of IA and one A-310 of AI. The first two will be from Mumbai to Chennai and Bangalore and the third from Mumbai to Hyderabad, respectively, making a total of 21 extra flights weekly," he says.
"Eventually," says Thulasidas, "IA’s entire network will be used to take/bring passengers from various cities to larger metros, from where they’ll be transported to their international destinations through AI’s network," says Thulasidas. IA will do this, he says, over and above the routes it’s flying presently.
15/07/07 Economic Times

No immunity, Nigerian diplomat will pay for 'crime'

New Delhi: Captain G A Ojedokun, defence advisor to the Nigerian envoy in India, has earned a dubious distinction: he will become the first diplomat in the country to be penalized for a crime.
Ojedokun was detained at the New Delhi international airport on May 21 after he was caught with $2.27 million (around Rs 10 crore) in his personal luggage while trying to board a flight for Lagos. He was detained but later released.
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Nigerian President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yaradua at the sidelines of G-8 summit at Berlin in June, Captain Ojedokun was asked to come to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) headquarters in Delhi last week and give a confessional statement.
CNN-IBN has now learnt how Captain Ojedokun collected the dollars illegally in India. Over a period of 10 days, starting from last week of April, he withdrew Indian currency from his account in the Bank of Tokyo. Then he purchased the dollars from several hawala operators in Delhi. Questions are now being raised why the Nigerian diplomat was buying US dollars through hawala channel.
Sources in the ED indicate that officials are investigating Ojedokun was carrying drug money or whether he part of an international money laundering operation.
15/07/07 Sumon K Chakrabarti/CNN-IBN

Pilots make pit stop in record attempt

A pair of Indian Air Force wing commanders took a detour through Prince George Friday while attempting to smash a world record for the fastest flight around the world in a pint-sized plane.
The microlight aircraft is piloted by Rahul Monga, 37, and his co-pilot Anil Kumar, 38, who left an airfield near Delhi, India, on June 1 as part of the IAF's 75th anniversary celebration.
The pilots had hoped to circumnavigate the world in 64 days, which would slice 34 days off the record held by British pilot Colin Bodill. The flight is in the 300-to-500-kilogram weight category for the aircraft.
The microlight plane weighs less than 500 kilograms, even with one pilot, fuel and baggage. The pressurized cabins are without heat or air conditioning.
The microlight reaches a top speed of 140 knots, which is about 250 km/h.
The pilots have the assistance of a tracking and communications device - provided by Flyht, a Calgary company - which enables controllers in India to provide exact directions to rescuers, in the event of a crash. Such technology has provided some piece of mind when traversing potentially dangerous areas such as the Bering Sea.
14/07/07 Scott Stanfield/Prince George Citizen, Canada

Medics fail to save doctor after plane's emergency landing

A distinguished doctor has died while on a flight to India. Dr Mahendra Prasad Jaiswal, 62, died onboard a Manchester-to-Delhi flight after suffering a heart attack in the skies above Iran.
The QR042 Qatar Airways flight made an emergency landing in Tehran, the Iranian capital, in an attempt to get Dr Jaiswal emergency aid.
However, the GP, who was a fitness devotee and had no previous medical problems, had already died while on board the plane.
The father-of-two was on his way to the marriage of a niece in Varanasi, India, when he fell ill. He was due to give away the bride and was said to be very excited at the prospect.
Dr Jaiswal, who had run his own practice on Corkland Road, Chorlton, for the past 22 years, leaves behind wife Mariamma, son Sujoy, 29, and daughter Sipra, 27, who is also training to become a GP. The veteran GP died on Wednesday, July 4. A post-mortem four days later confirmed he died of a heart attack.
His body was flown from Tehran to Manchester on Wednesday night.
12/07/07 South Manchester Reporter, UK

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Emirates opening up India to Kenyan fliers

Coastweek: Dubai based Emirates Airlines plans to increase the frequency of its flights to eight Indian cities from 71 to 85 a week in a bid to strengthen its Indian operations.
The airline announced that it would introduce a third-daily service to Mumbai, second-daily service to Chennai and a further three additional flights each to Cochin and Hyderabad beginning October this year.
"Customer demand for our services has been steadily building up and we are very pleased to offer greater capacity through frequency increases and aircraft upgrades.
"With the introduction of the third- and second-daily services to Mumbai and Chennai respectively, our schedules will be more consistent and our passengers will have greater flexibility in planning their journeys," said Nabil Sultan, Emirates' senior vice-president commercial operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean.
The additional frequencies will be operated with Emirates' modern, wide-bodied A330-200 and Boeing 777 aircraft in two- and three-class configurations.
13/07/07 Coastweek, Kenya

Friday, July 13, 2007

Foreign bound local carriers may hit AI

New Delhi: The road ahead seems to be turbulent for the public sector airlines Air India and Indian after their merger at the end of this month. The government’s proposal to allow private airlines such as Kingfisher, Air Deccan, IndiGo and GoAir to fly abroad may hit the two sister carriers.
The move comes at a time when the Indian and A-I are trying to synergise their operations and absorb nearly 100 aircraft over the next five years. Therefore, it is felt that increased competition at a time when they are going through merger pangs would be painful for the merged entity.
“Indian would be the worst-hit by the new move as the revenue from international routes have been the mainstay of the airlines and has contributed substantially to its topline. Entry of new carriers would take traffic away from India leading to huge revenue loss,” said the official.
It is felt that the focus would shift towards international operations during the initial stages of the merger and this would affect the airline’s leadership po]sition in the domestic market.
13/07/07 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times