Family Says They Were Unfairly Kicked Off Jet Blue Flight

An Arlington, Virginia, Indian American family was kicked off a Jet Blue flight the morning of July 27 for allegedly failing to keep their squirmy toddler son in his seat.
Prishant and Mona Doshi were flying from Boston, Mass., to Baltimore, Maryland, with their three-and-a-half year-old daughter and two-year-old son Milin. The Doshis have flown with their children before, but this was the first time Milin was required to have his own seat. Children under two are allowed to fly sitting on a parent’s lap, but children over two must sit in a seat, especially during take-off and landing, according to Federal Aviation Administration rules.
The Doshis had flown to Boston with Milin sitting in Mona’s lap. But flying home from their family vacation, an airline attendant told the Doshis that Milin must sit in his seat.
“As soon as they asked us to put him in his seat, we put him in his seat,” Prishant Doshi told WUSA.
Another attendant came by shortly after and again told Mona Doshi that Milin must remain in his seat. “I said, 'I got it.' She said, ‘What?’ I said, 'I got the lecture from the other stewardess.' That just set her off. She said, 'Do we have a problem here? I can turn this plane back to the gate.’ I said, 'No, I got the message,'” Mona Doshi told WUSA, adding that she thought that was the end of it.
But as Mona calmed Milin down, Prishant noticed the airplane was turning around. As it taxied back to the gate, the Doshis were escorted off the plane, where they were met by seven Jet Blue representatives. “We were treated like criminals. Ordered off the plane and ordered to collect our belongings as if we were terrorists,” Mona Doshi told WUSA.
30/07/15 India West

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MH370: Barnacles on wreckage analysed

Shellfish attached to the suspected wreckage of lost flight MH370 has been analysed by a local french-language newspaper on the island where the wreckage washed up.

Le Journal de l'ile de la Réunion says the academic Joseph Poupin of the Naval School of Brest, France, said the shellfish belonged to the Lepa Anatifera species, which live in warm and hot waters.

They grow at a rate of 1cm to 2cm per year, he said, and deemed the size of the shellfish shown to him by Le Journal de l'ile de la Réunion to have been growing on the debris for several months or a year.
31/07/15 Scott Yeoman/Sophie Ryan/NZHerald

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Indian Ocean debris almost certainly from Boeing 777

Plane debris washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean is almost certainly part of a Boeing 777, a Malaysian official and aviation experts said, potentially providing some answers for families of those aboard last year's vanished flight MH370.

Malaysian investigators are due in Reunion on Friday and the object, identified by numerous aviation experts as part of a wing, is then due to be sent to a French military laboratory near Toulouse for checks, French police sources said.

National carrier Malaysia Airlines was operating a Boeing 777 on the ill-fated flight, which disappeared in March last year en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in one of the most baffling mysteries in aviation history. It was carrying 239 passengers and crew.

The debris was found on Wednesday washed up on Reunion, a volcanic island of 850,000 people that is a full part of France known as an "overseas department", located in the Indian Ocean near Africa.
30/07/15 Joe Brock/Reuters

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Debris Shows MH370 Didn’t Nose-Dive

The piece recovered on Réunion would’ve been destroyed in a high-speed crash, a source close to the Boeing 777 program says. That means the plane was a ‘zombie’ when it finally went down.
With a solid chunk of an airplane to examine, the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has been re-energized.

There is a consensus among experts that the piece of wreckage washed up on a beach on island of Réunion is part of a Boeing 777’s wing, called a flaperon, and that it must be from the missing Malaysian 777.

The Daily Beast asked an expert familiar with the Boeing 777 what could be read from just one small but relatively intact control surface like the flaperon.
“It looks like the jet went into the water in a gliding/ditching attitude, because otherwise this wing component would have likely been completely destroyed.”

This is notably consistent with a scenario that Boeing engineers assigned to the Flight 370 investigation have replicated in their computers. They reverse-engineered the final six hours of the flight, creating the so-called Zombie Flight, surmising that some unknown incident incapacitated the pilots and left the 777 to continue at its cruise height and speed until it eventually ran out of fuel.

As the engines flamed out and died, according to the computer models, the 777 did not nose-dive but began a spiraling descent without power to the water and splashed down.
07/30/15 Clive Irving/The Daily Beast

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Freighter's wing flap falls off at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A major mishap was averted at the Delhi Airport after a part of the landing wing flap of a Cathay Pacific freighter, a Boeing 747-400, fell off at the runway while landing few days back.

There was, however, no emergency landing of the flight CX 2041 which had come from Hong Kong and it landed safely, Cathay Pacific said in a statement today.

"On the arrival of our freighter flight CX 2041 on 27 July 2015, from Hong Kong to Delhi, our Engineering team found parts of the left hand wing flap missing," the airline said.

The missing part was later found at the runway by Delhi airport staff, the airline said.

Delhi International Airport Limited staff also reported some flap like items found on the runway after the arrival of our aircraft, it said.

We are working closely with the relevant authorities and have launched an inquiry into the same, the statement said.
31/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Air India vows to provide better service to pilgrims

Hyderabad: Air India authorities on Thursday, assured to provide the best possible services to the pilgrims of Hajj 2015. A team of officials of Air India held a meeting with Special Officer Hajj Committee Prof. S A Shukoor at Hajj House.

Air India Station Manager A Ram Babu, Airport Manager B Kishore Kumar, Manager Security RU Shah, Assistant Manager security K Babu Rao, Manger S Ashok, Assistant General manger Raghu Babu, Asst. Manager Krishna Mohan, Manager Vivekanand, Asst. General Manager (IT), M A Moiz, Mohammed Qadeer, Mahesh Kumar and others attended the meeting.
31/07/15 Siasat.com

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This airline offers flight from Mumbai to New York at Rs 52,000

New Delhi: Air France on Friday rolled out 'special' economy fares to New York, offering its customers from Mumbai an all-inclusive fares as low as Rs 52,000 for a limited period.

The airline has offered a booking period of up to August 31 with a travel validity period from September 10 to December 15, a release by the airlines said.

The offer is valid for tickets issued in India for passengers traveling to or from Mumbai and valid only on Air France code share flights from the city, it said.
31/07/15 Zee News

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IAF pushes for 20 more Rafale fighters from France

NEW DELHI: India and France are now trying to swiftly finalize the government-to-government deal for direct acquisition of 36 Rafale fighters, even as the earlier $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project for 126 such jets stands scrapped.

The IAF is pushing for at least 20 additional Rafales over the 36 decided during the Modi-Hollande summit in Paris on April 10. But India is unlikely to buy more than 36 Rafales at this stage, less than one-third of the 126 jets envisaged under the MMRCA project.

"It will take another month or so to clinch the new G-to-G deal, which will entail better terms than what was conveyed by Rafale-manufacturer Dassault Aviation during the MMRCA negotiations. Once the deal is finalized, the deliveries of the 36 jets in a flyaway condition will begin in two years," said an official.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the Indian and French teams were negotiating the terms and conditions for the 36-jet deal and would recommend a draft agreement.
31/07/15 The Times Of India

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Boeing, Airbus Chase Potentially Huge Order from Indian Airline

One of India’s leading low-cost airlines, SpiceJet, has been talking with both The Boeing Co.  and rival Airbus regarding orders that could total more than 100 single-aisle passenger jets in a deal or deals that would be worth more $11 billion at list prices. SpiceJet’s fleet currently includes 18 Boeing 737s–16 of the 737-800 model and 2 of the 737-900 model. The company also has one Airbus A319-100 in its fleet and 14 De Havilland DHC-8 prop-jets.
The prospective order comes less than a year after SpiceJet nearly shut down before being bailed out by the airline’s founder and current chairman, Ajay Singh. According to a report at Bloomberg News, Singh said the order will depend on the “volume level we get a what price,” but the total number will exceed 100 planes. Singh also said that the airline will “bring in some investments at the time of the order” which could be signed by the end of March 2016, the end of SpiceJet’s current fiscal year.
There are a few issues to sort out. Even though Boeing is the current incumbent, Airbus is the sole provider for IndiGo, India’s largest low-cost carrier, as well as for the India-based unit of Singapore Airlines Ltd. and AirAsia India. Buying Airbus jets gives SpiceJet a set of viable customers for its planes if the airline should again fall on hard times.
29/07/15 Paul Ausick/24/7Wallst

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Discussion with Qatar Airways on marketing collaboration only: IndiGo

New Delhi: No-frills carrier IndiGo today said it is in preliminary discussions with Qatar Airways to explore a marketing collaboration but termed as "baseless" reports of the airline offloading stake to the Gulf carrier.

"IndiGo is in preliminary discussions with Qatar Airways to explore potential marketing arrangements based on mutual interests," the airline said in a statement here.

IndiGo's official confirmation that it was in discussions with Qatar Airways comes ahead of the no-frills carrier gearing up for an initial public offer worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore.
Interestingly, Qatar Airways had yesterday confirmed its talks with IndiGo and rejected reports that it was eyeing investment in the low-cost carrier SpiceJet.

News reports about any possibility of Qatar Airways acquiring a stake in IndiGo are completely baseless, IndiGo said, adding, "We wish to confirm that there is no discussion, leave alone negotiation about any potential equity or other financial investment by Qatar Airways in IndiGo."
29/07/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Number on Reunion Island debris corresponds to Boeing 777 component

Saint-Denis, Reunion Island: Boeing investigators are confident that debris found on a remote island in the Indian Ocean comes from a 777 aircraft, according to a source close to the investigation.

An international team of aviation experts is trying to determine if that airplane part comes from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board.

A match might help solve the mystery of what happened to that airplane since no other 777s in the world are unaccounted for, according to the Aviation Safety Network, an online database of flight incidents.

People cleaning a beach found the debris Wednesday on Reunion, a French overseas territory in the western Indian Ocean.

The source said Boeing investigators feel confident the piece comes from a 777 because of photos that have been analyzed and a stenciled number that corresponds to a 777 component. A component number is not the same as a part number, which is generally much longer.
Images of the debris also appear to match schematic drawings for the right wing flaperon from a Boeing 777. A flaperon helps the pilot control the aircraft. It is lightweight and has sealed chambers, making it buoyant.

Despite this confidence, no one is saying the part definitely comes from a 777, much less MH370.
30/07/15 Ralph Ellis, Robyn Kriel and Jethro Mullen/CNN

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Boeing ends contract with HAL over ‘poor quality’ of production

New Delhi: US defence major Boeing has terminated a contract with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) for component supplies to the former’s war and commercial planes being inducted into the Indian Navy.
Boeing’s decision came after repeated reminders to HAL about its “poor quality” of production, sources said, adding that the US company’s move underlined the need for better strategies by India’s policymakers in order to bolster the order books of defence PSUs.
Boeing has over the last few years shifted its component sourcing requirements in India to private companies — Tata Group, Dynamatic Technologies, Rossell Techsys and others.
Under a $4.7-million contract signed with Boeing in 2010, HAL was to provide weapons bay doors for eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft that the former would supply to the Indian Navy.
The contract with HAL for equipment for the P8I, through its avionics division in Hyderabad, was the first P-8I offset package that Boeing had directly executed with India’s largest aerospace company. In addition to its work on the P-8I programme, HAL was to also supply Boeing with gun bay doors and wire harnesses for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and uplock boxes for the 777 commercial airplane.
30/07/15 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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Government Withdraws Tender For 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft: Manohar Parrikar

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday (30 July) informed the Upper House that the Centre has withdrawn the multi-billion dollar tender for the 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), for which Rafale was shortlisted in 2012.    "The Request for Proposal (RFP) issued earlier for the procurement of 126 MMRCA has been withdrawn. In the multi-vendor procurement case, the Rafale aircraft met all the performance characteristics stipulated in the RFP during the evaluation conducted by the Indian Air Force," Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.    The move comes just months after the Defence Minister indicated that the over USD 20 billion MMRCA tender has virtually been scrapped after the government decided to purchase 36 Rafales under a government-to-government contract.    The talks for the 36 Rafales have already commenced, the Minister said.    Defence sources said that a letter was sent out to the six vendors shortlisted for the RFP, which was then the biggest aviation contract globally.
30/07/15 PTI/BusinessWorld

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Cebu Pacific Air flight makes emergency landing at Delhi airport

A Philippines-based Cebu Pacific Air flight between Dubai and Manila made an emergency landing at Delhi airport at 4.25 hours this morning due to an 'emotionally unstable passenger' on board.

The flight bearing no 5J 7945 was being operated by an Airbus 330-200 and departed from Delhi at 1545 hours.

Source said that the flight was flying over Gujarat when complains of an unruly passengers was informed and the flight was diverted to New Delhi.

Sources added that the lady passengers was unruly and was shouting even after the plane made an emergency landing in Delhi.
30/07/15 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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India may open skies to countries more than 5,000 km away

New Delhi: The government is considering a proposal to open up the skies in a limited way, by allowing unlimited civilian flights from countries that are more than 5,000 km or seven hours of flying time away. It will also insist on reciprocity from countries with which it agrees to have an open sky policy.

The proposal, if cleared, will prove to be a bonanza for European carriers such as Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It will also open up the market for airlines from Australia, Africa and South America.

An open-sky policy allows designated airlines of a country, with which an agreement has been signed, to operate any number of flights to India.

India will follow the existing system of signing bilaterals with other countries. Under this system, there is a stipulation either on the number of flights or seats that airlines from the two countries can operate to destinations in the other country. The Civil Aviation Ministry, which is working on a new aviation policy, will first have to accept the proposal before it becomes a part of the revised policy. The policy is expected to be put in the public domain by the end of this month or early next month, for consultation, before it is finalised.
28/07/15 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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A global alliance, but is it made in heaven?

A year after being a part of the international Star Alliance, which operate more than 18,500 daily departures and serves 193 countries around the globe, there are many who are not satisfied with what Air India has to offer — at least going by the tweets of passengers.

Take the case of Aravind Ganesh V who tweeted: “when compared to the kind of on board service other members of Star Alliance are offering Air India is a disgrace to the alliance” or MarC R F Delhem who tweeted: “customer service is either unknown or a blacklisted word with Air India. This is so not Star Alliance like.”

Consumers, though a significant focus area for any airline, are not the only ones who have problems with AI. At a recent conference, Mark Schwab, Chief Executive Officer of Star Alliance, praised the progress made by AI as a part of Star Alliance but said, “Many – not yet all – of the people in Air India have understood what it means to be a player in the global aviation arena.”

However, there is little denying that AI still remains the only Indian carrier to be part of a global airline alliance.

In AI’s case this is no mean achievement as it won membership to the international club after years of trying. In September 2002, British Airways’ CEO, Rod Eddington met the then Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain and discussed the possibility of Air India joining oneworld, an alliance of which British Airways is a member. A short while later, Skyteam invited Air India to join its alliance. The then Chairman of Air India, K Roy Paul was invited to Paris to meet with the Skyteam alliance members. But all these initiatives died a natural death.
29/07/15 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Indian flyers add to the Dubai airport growth story

Mumbai: India continued to play a major role in growth of Dubai International airport as it handled a total of 5.9 million passengers in June according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports today.

"Regionally, traditional markets such as the Indian subcontinent (+281,393 passengers) and the AGCC (+154,294 ) led the growth followed by Western Europe (+121,919), Africa (+71,065) and North America (+61,535 passengers)," said a press statement issued by Dubai International on Wednesday. "Passenger traffic during June increased 16.7 per cent to 5,914,671, compared to 5,067,726 during the same month in 2014. The year to date traffic surged 10.4 per cent to reach 38,299,291, compared to 34,676,090 during the first half of 2014," the release said. "The increase in traffic during June can be attributed to the runway refurbishment project between May and July last year during which the airport was reduced to a single runway operation. The surge in traffic was countered by a drop in number of passengers during the holy month of Ramadan which fell in June this year," it added.
29/07/15 Manju V/Times of India

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Jet Airways changes timing for Hong Kong-New Delhi flight

Jet Airways said it has rescheduled its daily flight from Hong Kong to New Delhi from October 25, 2015.

Jet Airways flight 9W 77 will depart Hong Kong at 1205 hrs. (Local Time), and arrive in Delhi at 1600 hrs. On the return, Jet Airways flight 9W 78 will depart Delhi at 0230 hrs, and arrive in Hong Kong at 0955 hrs. (Local Time).

“This day time arrival into Delhi will facilitate guests arriving from Hong Kong to seamlessly connect to several destinations within India such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai and Pune,” it said.
29/07/15 Deepti Rajan/RTN Asia

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Qatar Airways Says It Is in Talks to Buy Stake in IndiGo

Qatar Airways Ltd. is in talks to purchase a stake in IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier, according to an e-mailed statement from the Gulf carrier today.
The “only airline” it is talking to is IndiGo, the Doha-based company confirmed, without elaborating, denying local media reports it was negotiating with rival SpiceJet Ltd. InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., the owner of IndiGo last month filed a draft red herring prospectus to sell shares in an initial public offering.
“It could possibly be they take a minority stake,” Kapil Kaul, the South Asia chief executive officer for the CAPA Centre for Aviation, said in an interview on Bloomberg TV India. But beyond that, he said he didn’t see what “value addition” Qatar would bring to IndiGo.
Low fares and economic growth that boosted incomes over the past decade helped IndiGo find first-time fliers and become the biggest airline in the world’s second-most populous nation. The profitable carrier is a rare bright spot in India’s fiercely competitive aviation sector, where carriers have lost a combined $10 billion since 2009 and IPOs have fallen below sale prices.
IndiGo, which flies mostly within the country, operates a fleet of single-aisle planes from Airbus. The carrier started operations in August 2006 just as a rash of budget airlines entered the country, challenging full-service carriers like Jet Airways India Ltd. on expectations that rail passengers would trade up to flights.
28/07/15 Siddharth Vikram PhilipAnurag Kotoky/Bloomberg

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flydubai denies SpiceJet deal talk

Mumbai: Low cost airline flydubai has denied it is in talks with SpiceJet for a stake purchase in Indian carrier. The Dubai-based airline issued a statement following a media report, which said SpiceJet and flydubai are in discussions for a possible deal.

"Following recent press reports, flydubai confirms that it is not in talks with SpiceJet," an airline spokesperson said in an email response.

While SpiceJet has been attracting interest of investors, a senior company executive told this paper last week that the management was not in a hurry to conclude the deal. This reaction came following reports that Qatar Airways was eyeing stake in the airline.
27/07/15 Business Standard

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Flydubai in talks for SpiceJet stake

New Delhi: Dubai government-owned low-cost carrier (LCC) flydubai has re-entered the fray to pick up a stake in budget airline SpiceJet. The Gulf LCC's move comes at a time when its neighbour Qatar Airways is in initial talks with SpiceJet owner Ajay Singh for a possible investment.

Singh had told TOI in April, about two months after he had re-acquired SpiceJet from the Sun Group, that foreign airlines had approached him for investment. "Dubai-based flydubai was in talks with SpiceJet soon after Ajay Singh took control of the airline in February. However given the precarious state in which the previous owners had left SpiceJet, those talks did not materialize as SpiceJet was not offered a good deal then," said a source.

Now, with SpiceJet scripting a dramatic recovery under Singh and Qatar Airways pursuing him vigorously, flydubai has re-started talks with the Indian LCC. Singh will opt for the airline that offers a better deal in terms of pricing and future growth prospects of SpiceJet, which he launched in 2005.
27/07/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Tax break to airlines with London takeoff

Bengal will waive tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) if any airline operates direct flights from Calcutta to Europe, chief minister Mamata Banerjee promised on Sunday before taking off for London to scout for investment.

Mamata had held a meeting with senior airport officials and bureaucrats in her entourage before boarding Air India's Calcutta-Delhi-London flight. "She said if any airline operates direct flights from Calcutta to Europe, the state government would have no hesitation in waiving the tax on ATF," a senior official quoted her as saying.

"The first airline to confirm its acceptance will pay zero tax on fuel. Other airlines too would get significant tax relief if they fly directly to Europe," the official said.

The chief minister asked airport director Anil Sharma to start approaching airlines with the offer of a tax break so that Calcutta gets back a direct connection to Europe, sources said.

Officials of several international airlines said flights between Calcutta and Europe would be viable in the long term only if there was a steady flow of business fliers who weren't "price-sensitive" and travelled frequently.
27/07/15 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph

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Air India's Kochi-Sharjah route to get new aircraft

Air India has deployed a brand new A320 aircraft on Sharjah-Kochi route effective July 24.
Recurring complaints about technical snags on Air India's Sharjah-Kochi flights are likely to end as the airline has replaced the aged aircraft that used to fly on the route for several years.
"Air India has deployed a brand new A320 aircraft on Sharjah-Kochi route effective July 24," Prem Sagar, manager of Air India and Air India Express in Dubai and Sharjah, told Khaleej Times on Sunday.
Sagar said the new aircraft has a seating capacity of 180 - an increase of 40 seats. "This aircraft will have better schedule reliability," Sagar said.
"We operate three daily flights from Sharjah. The aircraft for Kochi route has already been replaced. We will also replace the aircraft for the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode routes shortly."
27/07/15 Khaleej Times

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21 Dubai-bound Nepali women held in India

New Delhi:  Twenty-one Nepali women who were trying to go to Dubai and other cities in the Gulf countries illegally have been caught from different hotels at Mahilpalpur in New Delhi , India.

Indian police raided the hotels as they were informed by seven Nepali women, who were being trafficked to Dubai by a human trafficking racket on Saturday. A majority of them were arrested from Shreeram Hotel and some from private apartments.

Police also detained Bishnu Tamang and Dayaram on the charge of human trafficking. They were taken into the custody of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and will be handed over to Nari Niketan Centre in New Delhi , police said.
27/07/15 Devendra Bhattarai/eKantipur.com

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Foreign Airlines Under Scanner for Alleged Service Tax Evasion: Report

New Delhi: Six foreign airlines have come under the lens of revenue authorities here for alleged underpayment of service tax believed to be worth several crores.

An inquiry has been initiated by Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) officials against these airlines for allegedly not paying service tax of 12.36 per cent (now 14 per cent) on fee charged by them from customers on excess baggage, additional fare difference, date change, reissue of ticket, no show and refunds, official sources said.

Instead, they were paying service tax of 4.94 per cent on these services by wrongfully claiming 60 per cent abatement given to them under a 1994 amendment which is "in relation to transport of passenger by air", they said.
26/07/15 PTI/NDTV

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Man arrested for verbal assault of Abu Dhabi airport security

Abu Dhabi: A British man of Indian origin has been arrested after verbally assaulting Abu Dhabi International Airport security and airline personnel and for making statements offensive to the UAE after he was unable to catch his flight.

Originally coming from Heathrow Airport and heading to India, the man arrived at the UAE capital one week ago,  Criminal Investigation Department officials said.

His first flight faced some delays, which resulted in his inability to board his next flight to India. This caused the man to become agitated and to reportedly swear at an airline employee.

Authorities said that the man also refused to allow other passengers to finish their procedures, insisting that he get on the airplane after doors were closed in preparation for take off.

Witnesses said that two security officials tried to placate the man, whom police said insisted on using offensive language and making derogatory remarks directed at the UAE. Police said he also behaved arrogantly by "showing off" and waving his British passport.
26/07/15 Nada Altaher/Gulf News

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Airlines need 558,000 new pilots over 20 years: Boeing

Commercial airlines will need to recruit and train 558,000 new pilots over the next 20 years to meet rising travel demand, according to a Boeing forecast released today.
About 40 per cent of the new commercial pilots, or 226,000, will be needed in the Asia Pacific region, according to the report.
The demand is similar for airplane maintenance technicians, where there will be a need for 609,000 new hires. Asia Pacific is again home to the biggest portion with 238,000, or 39 percent.
The additional staff will be needed to run a projected 38,000 new aircraft added to the global fleet over the next 20 years, the US aerospace giant said. Boeing has 17 training campuses worldwide.
“The challenge of meeting the global demand for airline professionals will not be solved by one company alone,” said Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services.
21/07/15 AFP/Financial Express

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Sri Lankan Airlines exhibits packages at IITM Bangalore 2015

SriLankan Airlines participated at the India International Travel Mart (IITM) 2015 to showcase the airline products, services and new packages to the Indian market, at the event held in Bangalore from 10 - 12 July.

They focused on beach package (3N/4D) in Bentota, Galle and Colombo; honeymoon special package (4N/5D) in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Bentota and Colombo; Ramayana Trail (5N/6D) in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Bandarawela and Colombo; sightseeing in Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Colombo; Exotic East (4N/5D); Maldives package (3N/4D) with accommodation at Paradise Island Resort & Spa, speed boat transfers and the offer is valid only from 1 – 30 September 2015. Passengers are eligible for a 30% discount on the airfare across all six packages. The packages include accommodation, sightseeing and airport transfers.
20/07/15 Voyagesworld.in

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India to get Rafale planes on IAF-approved configuration: Govt

New Delhi: The 36 Rafale combat planes and associated systems and weapons would be delivered in the same configuration as had been tested and approved by Indian Air Force, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said today.

As per the India-France Joint Statement issued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France earlier this year, the Indian government conveyed to France that in view of the critical operational necessity for multirole combat aircraft for IAF, it would like to acquire 36 Rafale jets in fly-away condition as quickly as possible.

The two leaders agreed to conclude an inter-governmental agreement for supply of the aircraft on terms that would be better than conveyed by Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of the combat plane, as part of a separate process underway and the delivery would be in time-frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of IAF, he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
21/07/15 Deccan Herald

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South African Woman Held After Ephedrine Haul Worth Rs 22 Crore

Kochi: Hardly a week after the Customs arrested an Irish man for trying to smuggle in 10 kg of gold into the state, the Customs officials on Monday arrested a 46-year-old South African woman for possessing 14 kilograms of white powder suspected to be Ephedrine at Cochin International Airport.

The woman has been identified as Dorcas Dolly, 46, native of South Africa. The Officers of Air Intelligence Unit, Air Customs, Cochin Airport, Nedumbassery, intercepted her when she was attempting to depart to Malawi via Doha by Jet Airways Flight No. 9W 556 on Sunday midnight.

Ephedrine, a precursor chemical to methamphetamine popularly known as ice or crystal,is a controlled substance under the NDPS Act 1985. The drug is valued approximately at `22 crore in the international market.

Though she feigned ignorance, a detailed examination on her baggage, resulted in the recovery of the contraband cleverly concealed in ladies vanity bags placed in two checked in baggage.
21/07/15 New Indian Express

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US' Boeing open to picking up stake in Indian aerospace company

Mumbai: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is open to picking up a stake in an Indian aerospace company, its India head said on Saturday. "We are open to it. The investment environment in India has improved," said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India.

Kumar added however that a strategic partnership in this space would entail a host of regulatory approvals. He didn't elaborate on whether Boeing was in talks with any aerospace company in India. A strategic partnership would considerably expand the manufacturer's role in India's aerospace industry, apart from developing Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative. Boeing primarily has sourcing or technology sharing relationships with companies in India.

The company currently has about 160 planes flying in India, including 21 787 Dreamliner planes with Air India. It has delivered 10 C-17 Globemaster strategic airlifters and seven P8I maritime surveillance and antisubmarine aircraft to India's defence forces.
20/07/15 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

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Hindus welcome “Yoga Room” launch at Sioux Falls Airport

Nevada: Hindus have applauded launching of “Yoga Room” at South Dakota’s largest Sioux Falls Regional Airport (SFRA), calling it a “step in the positive direction”.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Burlington International Airport Vermont and Chicago Midway International Airport —all in USA, and Helsinki Airport in Finland, already offer yoga facilities.

Recently opened “Yoga Room” at SFRA, in partnership with CPMFITness, carries yoga mats and a chart showing yoga poses which even the inexperienced passengers can follow and practice, reports suggest. SFRA Facebook post says: Passengers using Sioux Falls Regional Airport can now squeeze in some yoga.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged all US airports and top world airports—Singapore Changi, Incheon (South Korea) International, Amsterdam Schiphol, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International, Munich, Zurich, Vancouver International, Tokyo (Haneda) International, London Heathrow—to provide yoga facilities for the passengers if they wanted to help reduce their stress levels and be “world-class” airports.
20/07/15 Punjab Express

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Woman detained at airport

Kochi: Security personnel at Cochin International Airport detained a South African woman travelling from Kochi to South Africa with 16 kg of powdery substance, suspected to be drugs, late on Sunday night. The substance will be sent to lab to verify whether it is a narcotic drug.
20/07/15 Kaumudi Online

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Indian aviation going regional will help us: Patrick de Castelbajac

New Delhi: France-based aircraft manufacturer ATR has 30 aircraft in operation in India. ATR’s turnover stood at $ 1.8 billion in 2014 against $1.63 billion in 2013, and increased its aircraft deliveries to 83 aircraft globally from 74 in 2013. On his first visit to India, ATR Chief Executive Officer Patrick de Castelbajac tells Somesh Jha that the company is in talks with other airlines to provide regional connectivity. Edited excerpts:

How have been ATR’s relations with India so far?

ATR’s journey with India started in 1999, when Jet Airways took the first ATR aircraft. Two-three years later, Air India too started. Then, we had the Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan chapter, which started well but ended not on a good note as the company went down — nothing to do with ATR — but that’s what happened.

Our story with India is now resuming. We have two new operators over the past couple of months. We see interest from both existing operators and newcomers. It is clear to everyone in the industry that the next logical step is tapping the regional aviation. India has a competitive advantage compared to other places because of the strong demographics.

How do you see ATR’s revival in the Indian air space?

ATR will grow significantly in India in the next few years. The current government really wants to simplify things to facilitate business. When you compare the regional aviation in India to other countries, it is massively under-represented.

We have 30 aircraft flying here. When you look at Brazil and Indonesia, we have 80 or more aircraft. But when you see the growth of population in India, not only in terms of volume but more in terms of quality, the number of people who can afford to travel today is roughly 300 million, which is more than the size of Europe. In 10 years, these numbers will rise to 500 million. So, India has much more to offer than Europe.
18/07/15 Somesh Jha/Business Standard

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Boeing says it's open to picking up stake in Indian aerospace firm

Mumbai: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is open to picking up a stake in an Indian aerospace company, its India head said Saturday. "We are open to it. The investment environment in India has improved," said Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India.

Kumar added however that a strategic partnership in this space would entail a host of regulatory approvals. He didn't elaborate on whether Boeing is in talks with any aerospace company in India.

A strategic partnership would considerably expand the manufacturer's role and involvement in India's aerospace industry, apart from developing Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative. Boeing primarily has sourcing or technology sharing relationships with companies in India.
18/07/15 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

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Crackdown on expatriates smuggling gold to India

Dubai: There has been an increase in arrests this year of passengers from Dubai smuggling gold into India as airport customs officials clamp down hard on the practice, media reports in India show.

Incidents of smuggling gold on Dubai-India flights have been rising as India continues to enforce a record high 10 per cent import duty on gold as part of measures to offset a weakening rupee.

Traders say Dubai is possibly the world’s cheapest place to buy gold as there is no tax on the precious metal and “making charges” on jewellery are low. The arrangement makes it very profitable for smugglers to buy gold in Dubai and sell it in India at a handsome premium — if they don’t get caught.

Just last week it was revealed in the Indian Express that some employees at Kochi airport in India were allegedly working with passengers from Dubai trained as carriers of gold. Over the past few months, authorities have so far amassed evidence of 1.8 tonnes of gold collectively smuggled through the couriers, the report added.
18/07/15 Faisal Masudi/Gulf News

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Indian man arrested with 4 kg gold from airport in Kathmandu

Kathmandu: Nepal police today arrested an Indian national with four kg of gold from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu.

The accused has been identified as 57-year-old Ram Niwas Barma of India. He was arriving from Sarjaha, UAE to Kathmandu on the way to India.

According to the police, TIA security personnel nabbed him with gold bars during a security check. He had hidden the gold bars in his body and did not possess valid documents for carrying the yellow metal.
17/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Confusion over missing baggage

Trichy: Confusion prevailed at the Trichy International Airport on Wednesday night after a group of 11 passengers who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur by a Malindo Air aircraft on Monday and complained that one of their baggage was missing, failed to get it as assured by the airline.

After arriving in Trichy, one of the passengers found that a suitcase was missing, and informed the airline authorities, who told him that baggage has been tracked in Kuala Lumpur and it would arrive in two days. Following this, the group proceeded on a pilgrimage to Kerala and some parts of central Tamil Nadu.
When they went back to the Trichy airport on Wednesday night to claim the baggage, they found that the lock had been tampered with.
17/07/15 Times of India

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Hindus seek Temple at JFK Airport

Hindus are urging for a designated Hindu Prayer Room named as “Hindu Mandir” at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York, one of the world’s leading airports.
JFK Airport already has Our Lady of the Skies Roman Catholic Chapel, Christ for the World Protestant Chapel, International Synagogue and International Islamic Center on the Departure Level of its Terminal Four. JFK Airport is operated by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which reports to New York and New Jersey governors.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that as lot of Hindu passengers daily used JFK Airport and many Hindu employees worked for various agencies and businesses there; it would be nice if they had a quiet facility at the airport where they could pray/meditate/worship and perform religious services.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged governors Andrew M. Cuomo (New York) and Chris Christie (New Jersey), PANYNJ Board Chairman John J. Degnan and Executive Director Patrick J. Foye to work in this direction as an issue of fairness and equality in customer service. He or other Hindu scholars would be glad to help, if asked, regarding the structure of “Hindu Mandir”.
17/07/15 Hans India

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Foreigners throng Odisha after city airport goes international

Bhubaneswar: Foreign tourist inflow to Odisha is on a steady rise after Biju Patnaik International Airport here started handing international flight operations.
As per information provided by the Tourist Department, as much as 60 percent of the seats of the Air India flight from Dubai have been booked by foreign tourists. While more than 150 foreign tourists have travelled to the state in the six days since the operation started, it is expected to go up further during the Nabakalebara.

Apart from Air India, seats of five other flights operated by private carriers have also been filled. Overall 80 percent of the seats of all scheduled flights till Saturday to the airport have been filled.

The state government has stepped up preparations to address the needs of the tourists. It has pressed into service 30 taxis to ferry the passengers only to Puri. Information kiosks have also been set up at the airport to help the tourists.
17/07/15 Odisha Sun Times

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Afghan national held for smuggling gold at IGIA

An Afghan national has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle in gold worth Rs 40 lakh at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The officials recovered four pieces of gold bars, which were wrapped with black cello tape and concealed in the shoes worn by the passenger. The gold weighing 1.5 kgs is valued at Rs 40 lakh, a press release issued by the customs said today.
The passenger was intercepted by customs officials yesterday after his arrival here from Dubai.

The Afghanistan national has been arrested and the gold seized, it said.

Customs officials said international smuggling syndicates are using poor Afghan nationals for illegally ferrying gold to India.
16/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Man with boarding pass for Kuwait ends up in Colombo!

Visiting a new country may be exciting for most people but not for this man from Punjab, who ended up in the wrong country after the staffers of the airline he was travelling with failed to verify his boarding pass. The airline realised their goof-up and got the passenger back to Mumbai and sent him off to the correct destination.
The incident occurred with Kashmiri Lal, a 39-year-old resident of Ganna Pind, a village in Jalandhar, Punjab. Lal, a mason, was supposed to go to Kuwait for a job and arrived at Terminal 2 of the Mumbai international airport on July 14 from Delhi. Lal had travelled to the city by Jet Airways flight 9W 352 (Delhi-Mumbai), which arrived here at 5.05 pm. Lal was then supposed to take Jet Airways flight 9W 572 (Mumbai-Kuwait), which was scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 5.52 pm. But, instead of boarding the Kuwait-bound Boeing 727-800 aircraft, Lal ended up in flight 9W 252 (Mumbai-Colombo), which departs from the city at around 6.05 pm.
According to senior airport officials, the error occurred because both the aircraft were parked at the same aerobridge. An airport official said, “Each aerobridge has two boarding gates. Both the aircraft were parked in the same aerobridge (number 65), but at different boarding gates.
This led to the passenger entering the incorrect aircraft. It is the airline’s responsibility to check the passenger’s boarding pass before he enters the aircraft. If that had been done, this incident wouldn’t have happened. This is a lapse on the airline’s part.” The officer further asserted that such oversight could pose a security threat to the airport.
16/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Government gives nod to India-Canada civil aviation pact

New Delhi: The government today approved the signing of a pact between India and Canada to enhance technical knowledge in the field of civil aviation and deepen bilateral cooperation between them.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which also seeks to foster greater commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries.

 "An appropriate platform shall be formalised for exchange of views on the possibilities of fostering greater commercial/economic cooperation between the two countries in the areas of civil aviation," an official statement said while underlining the key features of the MoU.
16/07/15 PTI/Economic Times

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No Service Tax; International flight tickets likely to be cheaper

New Delhi, July 15: Global airlines body IATA today made an appeal to the government, among others, to exempt international air ticket from service tax, for ease of doing business here, even as the Civil Aviation Ministry said there were different laws and regulations in different countries. "The application of Service Tax should be aligned with a principle that it does not apply to services rendered outside of India including those for overflight charges, global distribution systems, extra baggage fees and international tickets," IATA Director General and CEO, Tony Tyler said.
He was delivering a keynote address at the Aviation Day conference organised by International Air Transport Association (IATA), business umbrella body Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation here. The conference was attended by a host of senior airlines executives, officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation, as well as aviation industry experts.
15/07/15 PTI/oneindia

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Malaysia Airlines cuts India flights

Malaysia Airlines, which suffered twin air disasters last year, is reducing capacity on its Indian routes as a part of its overall restructuring exercise.

The airline is withdrawing one of its two Kuala-Lumpur Delhi flights and will operate smaller Boeing 737 aircraft on its two Mumbai flights. The changes in schedule will come into effect from September 1

At present, the airline flies a mix of Boeing 777 and Boeing 737 on Kuala Lumpur- Mumbai route 12 times a week but now will serve the route with two Boeing 737 flights.

16/07/15 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Airbus Helicopters Eyes Big Indian Deals with New Joint Venture

Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence Systems will create a joint venture to respond to India’s large potential requirements for military helicopters. The new partners said this will be the first private Indian helicopter manufacturer under the “Make in India” initiative. They are eyeing three particular requirements that could amount to more than 600 helicopters, although in two of the three cases, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has already chosen alternative suppliers to meet part of the need.

Mahindra is a vehicle and tractor maker with a defense business that supplies armored vehicles, radars and surveillance equipment to India’s armed forces. Its subsidiary Mahindra Aerospace recently bought GippsAero in Australia, maker of the Airvan 8 utility aircraft. “We have extensive expertise in engineering, automotive and fixed-wing sectors and have made substantial investments in aero components manufacturing, while Airbus Helicopters offers best-in-class rotorcraft platforms,” said S. P. Shukla, chairman of Mahindra Defence Systems.

“We have an unparalleled track record of successful collaborations with local partners across the world,” said Guillaume Faury, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters. He said that the partners would develop “an indigenous industrial ecosystem” for helicopters based on his company’s “state-of-the-art, combat-proven platforms.”
15/07/15 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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Boeing, Tata sign agreement to manufacture aerospace parts in India

Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) said they signed a framework agreement to collaborate in aerospace and defense manufacturing and potential integrated systems development opportunities, including unmanned aerial vehicles.

The companies intend to market jointly the products and platforms developed together by Boeing and TASL.

The agreement was signed by Shelley Lavender, president of Boeing Military Aircraft and Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer of TASL.

TASL is already on contract to manufacture aerostructures for Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook and AH-6i helicopters.

“This agreement with TASL is significant because it demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to expanding its aerospace manufacturing footprint in India,” Lavender said.
15/07/15 TRN Asia

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Tory MP backtracks on claim CSIS knew about bomb on Air India plane

Ottawa: A Conservative MP is backtracking on her claim that Canada’s spy agency knew there was a bomb on an Air India plane that exploded in flight, killing 329 people.
In a late June speech at a Vancouver church, Tory MP Wai Young said the laws at the time prevented the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from telling the RCMP about the explosive device in 1985.
Young told the service at Harvest City Church that, as a result, the Mounties could not remove the bomb from Air India Flight 182.
She said the government’s recently enacted Bill C-51 remedied the problem by allowing greater information-sharing between agencies.
In a statement Tuesday night, Young said she “misspoke with regards to the investigation of the Air India bombing” in her speech at the service.
Young says she regrets the error.
A federal commission of inquiry into the Air India bombing did not conclude in its June 2010 report that CSIS knew there was a bomb on the plane.
14/07/15 Jim Bronskil/The Canadian Press/The Globe and Mail

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Etihad security manager held for smuggling 1.34 kg gold

Mumbai: After a recent spate of gold smuggling incidents involving Jet Airways staffers, this time it’s a senior Etihad employee who was caught working hand in glove with a gold smuggler. The fact that even a senior official, an airline security manager at that, was involved in smuggling has alarmed Customs officials, who have now begun to question the integrity of private airlines’ security.
On Monday morning, the Etihad flight EY 212 (Abu Dhabi-Mumbai) landed in the city at 8.25 am, and one of the passengers, Sunil Jagwani emerged from the plane carrying gold bars concealed in a cigarette packet. Around 8.50 am, Jagwani was spotted handing over the package to Etihad’s security manager, Deepak Golani, who is in charge of all Etihad flights operating out of Mumbai.
Golani was to clear the yellow metal out of the terminal, but the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs caught him and Jagwani at the arrival hall itself. The recovered foreign-marked gold bars and cut biscuits weighed over 1.34 kg and are valued at Rs 33.08 lakh. The flier, Jagwani also admitted to handing over gold to Golani on four earlier occasions.
At first, Golani denied any connection with the flier, but using WhatsApp messages, phone call records and CCTV footage, the AIU confirmed that the duo had worked together in the past. “Golani clearly denied they had any connection with each other. Only after thorough investigations was their connection confirmed. It was through call records that Golani was confirmed to be acting as a helper in the case,” explained a Customs official.
15/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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British Airways to operate Boeing 787-900 aircraft in the Delhi-London sector

British Airways today announced to operate Boeing 787-900 aircraft in the Delhi-London sector starting October 25, 2015, making it the first operator to launch Boeing 787-900 operations in India.

The second operator to launch operations through Boeing 787-900 is likely to be Air Canada, which will start operations in November.
13/07/15 Mihir Mishra/The Economic Times

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Ramadan Rush: Airline Fares from GCC Countries Go up

KOZHIKODE:In a bid to cash in on the Ramadan rush, the airlines operating from GCC countries to the state have increased their fares.
The one-way economy fare for private flights from Jeddah to Kozhikode falls between Rs 40,000 to Rs 44,000 up to July 18 while the fare for Air India Express services has gone upto Rs 25,000. The Air India Express charges Rs 27,000 from Dubai to Kozhikode while private airlines’ fares have gone up to Rs 35,000. Flights from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Damam, Muscat and Doha have also followed the suit. The fare ranges from Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 from these cities.Meanwhile, the fare has come down from here to GCC countries.According to travel agencies, the tickets are available at Rs 12,000, Rs 9,000 and Rs 7,000 to Riyadh, Muscat and Sharjah respectively.Meanwhile, various organisations are in protest mode citing the hike as unreasonable. Kerala Pravasi Sangham general secretary K V Abdul Khader MLA said fare hike was the result of ineffective policies of Civil Aviation Ministry.
13/07/15 Express News Service/The New Indian Express

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Migrant workers in a fix as airlines hike fares on Kerala-Gulf sector

Kochi: Airfares on the Gulf-Kerala sector have shot up in view next week’s Eid, leading to accusation that the airlines, including Air India, are fleecing migrant workers in the Gulf wanting to come home to celebrate the festival.

Gulf workers and their associations complain that over the past few years it has become common practice for airlines to jack up fares during the two Eids (Idul Fitr and Idul Azha). They also hiked the fares abnormally during Christmas and Onam too.

The Kerala government has sought the Centre’s intervention to get the increased fares rolled back. Non-Resident Kerala Affairs Minister KC Joseph, in a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, requested the government to intervene in the matter. He pointed out that the airlines were charging four to five times more than the normal fares. Air India, Air India Express, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air, Air Arabia, and Kuwait Airways are among the airlines that operate on the sector. Air India, Air India Express and Saudi Airlines carry bulk of the passengers from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, along with UAE, has the majority of Keralites working in the Gulf.

The fare hike for the three Kerala destinations — Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram — started in the first week of July as the Gulf workers started arriving to celebrate Idul Fitr (which will mostly fall on July 17 this year).
12/07/15 KPM Basheer/Business Line

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Air India celebrates one year of Star Alliance partnership

India’s national carrier Air India on Saturday announced a number of initiatives to mark the first anniversary of its partnership with global airline network Star Alliance.

Among the initiatives were a chef offering exclusive personalized in-flight experience to passengers on 10 select domestic metro flights while Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports marked the event with celebrations, Air India said in a statement.

Air India is the first Indian airline to obtain Star Alliance membership and joined as the global airline alliance’s 27th member last year.

The partnership opened 1,316 new destinations for Air India flyers offering 18,500 daily flights in 193 countries, the statement added.
11/07/15 Economy Lead

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Indian-American Astronaut Sunita Williams Selected in NASA's First Commercial Crew

Washington:  Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams is among four astronauts who have been selected by NASA for commercial flights to the International Space Station (ISS) from US soil.

They will work closely with company-led teams to understand their designs and operations as they finalise their Boeing CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and operational strategies.

Sunita Williams, Robert Behnken, Eric Boe and Douglas Hurley will be trained for commercial spaceflights that will return American launches to US soil and further open up low-Earth orbit transportation to the private sector, the US space agency said.
"These distinguished, veteran astronauts are blazing a new trail -- that will one day land them in the history books and Americans on the surface of Mars," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden.
13/07/15 IANS/NDTV

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6 groups keen on PPP airport bundles

The roster of interested bidders for a government-led auction of provincial airport operations and expansion contracts is growing, information posted on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center’s website showed on Friday.
The PPP Center, the agency tasked with coordinating big ticket infrastructure projects requiring private sector participation, said at least six groups have so far bought bid documents ahead of the submission of qualification documents on July 27, 2015—a deadline that has been moved several times.
The groups are the tandem between Megawide Construction Corp. and India’s GMR Infrastructure, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings, San Miguel Corp., Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Philippine Skylanders Inc. and Union Equities, the PPP Center said.

The project, which involves the auction of operations and maintenance (O&M), as well as the expansion of the Bacolod-Silay, Iloilo, Davao, Laguindingan, and New Bohol, is being implemented by the Department of Transportation and Communications. The projects have a total estimated cost of P108.19 billion, or $2.4 billion, the PPP Center said.
12/07/15 Inquirer.net

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Vajpayee’s office decided to release terrorists in Kandahar, I was against it: Sharad Yadav

New Delhi: JD (U) President Sharad Yadav firmly believes that the Vajpayee government’s decision to release terrorists in Kandahar in wake of the IC-814 hijack was absolutely wrong.

In an exclusive interview to indiatvnews.com, Sharad Yadav, who was civil aviation minister in Vajpayee cabinet at that time, said that he was totally against the release of terrorist and had conveyed his views to Prime Minister Vajpayee but the PMO took a different decision.

“I had suggested that let trolleys be placed on the runway at Amritsar airport so that the plane was not allowed to take-off. I had conveyed my suggestions to PM Vajpayee,” Yadav said.
11/07/15 Raj Singh/India TV News

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PM Modi to ask Tajikistan for lease of ex-Soviet airbase

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to ask Tajikistan for the lease of a former Soviet airbase that was refurbished by India in 2007.
Government sources told Mail Today that use of the Ayni airbase for the Indian Air Force, tops the agenda for discussion with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon when the prime minister arrives on a state visit on July 12.
Tajikistan marks the last leg of Prime Minister Modi's eight-day tour of the five Central Asian Republics and Russia. The Ayni airbase near Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe has long been key to expanding India's strategic footprint in Central Asia. India refurbished the base in 2007 but could not base fighters and helicopters there because of Russian pressure.
"Getting a foreign airbase, particularly in Central Asia is a significant development. But in this case, two other countries, Tajikistan and Russia, have to agree," former Air Chief Marshal PV Naik told Mail Today.
12/07/15 Sandeep Unnithan/India Today

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Man responsible for Jet Airways bomb scare arrested

A day after a Twitter user claiming to be from Ludhiana created a bomb scare in a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Dubai, Ludhiana Police claimed to have got him arrested by Jaipur Police after the accused contacted it. The accused has been identified as 26-year-old Surender Partap Singh of Banwaspur village from Haphras district of Uttar Pradesh. He works as an executive of a company in Jaipur and lives in Dehmi Kalan.

On Thursday, a Twitter user claiming to be from Ludhiana had created a bomb scare in a flight after he tweeted about the presence of bomb in the Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Dubai. This followed the flight to be grounded.

Surinder Partap tweeted: "Bomb spotted in # Jet Airways 9W-536 from Mumbai to Dubai. At 12:25 from CSIA # Operation Badla." The accused had later deleted the account in which he had 8 followers and 5 tweets including a tweet in which he had claimed that he is also responsible for Vypam scam in Madhya Pradesh.
10/07/15 Shariq Majeed/Times of India

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'Terror' tweet: It's not funny to spark a bomb scare, learns Jaipur youth

A day after a Mumbai-Dubai Jet flight was diverted to Muscat following a tweet claiming that there were explosives on the plane, the police have arrested the man behind the hoax. Apparently, he did it for fun.

According to the Punjab police, accused Surinder Partap is around 25 and a resident of Jaipur. The man, who was initially believed to be from Ludhiana based on the Twitter handle used to post the hoax, reportedly works as an HR executive in a multinational firm.

"We have traced the man to Jaipur and informed the local police," Ludhiana police commissioner Pramod Ban told PTI. Since the Mumbai police too are probing the case, they will be visiting Jaipur to seek Partap's custody.
Investigators claim that the message was taken seriously by security establishment as it was very specific and comprised hashtags like OperationBadla (which means operation revenge) and VyapamScam.

Partap, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is believed to have told the police that he posted the bomb tweet 'casually' for fun, completely unaware of the storm that it would raise.

The accused had lived in Ludhiana for a brief period about six months ago. "That is why he had mentioned Ludhiana as his profile location. He lives on the outskirts of Jaipur in an flat shared by seven others," said source.
11/07/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Sundaram Nataraj New Aviation Chair at Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington: Sundaram Nataraja was recently chosen as the new chair of the Department of Aviation, to which he brings an impressive international background and academic experience to Central Washington University.
“With his exceptional knowledge, skills and abilities, the aviation program will be able to meet the demands of a changing aviation industry,” Paul Ballard, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, stated in a CWU press release.
A strategic thinker and an accomplished administrator, the Indian American will relocate to Ellensburg after concluding his tenure as associate dean for quality and institutional development and professor in aviation management in the College of Business Administration at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nataraja has more than three decades of academic and administrative experience, and an outstanding record of scholarship, research, and teaching.
10/07/15 India West

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Maharashtra may seek Malaysian funds for Shirdi airport

Pune: A cash-strapped state government now plans to seek investment from Malaysia to operate the Rs 345-crore Shirdi airport, to coincide with the centenary celebration of Saibaba in 2017-18.
The government is currently facing a shortfall of Rs 100 crore and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has shown keen interest in the Malaysian government pitching in to manage the airport and operations.
A presentation by representatives from the Malaysian government has been scheduled on July 20, said an official.
While the CM is keen on Malaysia, there is one section of the bureaucracy that feel the Airports Authority of India should take over instead of a foreign government. However, a decision will be taken only after the presentation and taking the most feasible model into consideration, said the official.
The airport is to be built on 350 hectares in Kakdi village around 13 kms from Shirdi. Presently work on 207 sq metres has been completed along with the compound wall.
The runway is set to be 3.2 km-long and there are two taxiways which can have parking for bigger aircraft.
Clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation have been applied for, said the official.
11/07/15 Indian Express

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State seeks Centre's intervention to reduce air fare in Gulf sector

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government sought the intervention of the Centre to reduce the hike in the prices of air ticket from destinations in West Asia to Kerala during the festival season. Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Minister K C Joseph wrote to the Union Civil Aviation Minister following reports that airlines were charging five to seven times of the normal air fare in the sector in view of the heavy rush of passengers during the forthcoming Ramzan. He requested the minister to take steps to operate more flights in the sector by Air India. Stating that it was a cruel on Keralites who wanted to reach Kerala during the festival season, he urged the Centre to direct foreign airlines to reduce the fare.
11/07/15 Kaumudi Online

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‘Operation Badala’ tweet forces Jet Airways flight to make emergency landing in Muscat

New Delhi/Mumbai: A ‘specific’ bomb threat on Twitter led to a Mumbai-Dubai Jet Airways flight making an emergency landing in Muscat on Thursday. The threat was reported in flight number 9W 536, which had left Mumbai at 12.46pm. The threat to a Jet Airways plane comes two days after a Turkish Airlines plane to Istanbul from Bangkok landed at IGI Airport in the capital under emergency conditions following a bomb scare.
The flight with 54 passengers and 7 crew onboard landed at Muscat airport and Omani security agencies’ initial search found no bomb or explosive on the flight.
According to the Central Industry Security Force (CISF), around 1.31 pm, Mumbai International Airport private Limited (MIAL) general manager Balvir Singh received a message from Jet Airways staffer that her staff had come across a tweet on Twitter by one Surinder Pratap of Punjab Ludhiyana. The tweet read: “BOMB SPOTTED IN JET AIRWAYS 9W 536 FROM MUMBAI TO DUBAI DEP. AT 1225 FROM CSIA…..OPERATION Badala”.
At 1.45pm, a Bomb Threat Action Committee (BTAC) was formed at Mumbai airport and within six minutes, the committee unanimously decided the threat as a “specific threat message”. The Mumbai ATC then informed the Muscat ATC about the bomb threat at 1.55pm and the flight got diverted to Muscat and landed at 2.50pm.
10/07/15 Indian Express

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Bomb threat forces Jet Airways to make Muscat Airport emergency landing

Muscat: A Jet Airways flight (9W-536) made an emergency landing at Muscat International Airport on Thursday afternoon after a “bomb threat” was reported.

No explosive had been found on the aircraft at time of writing.

The plane, which was flying from Mumbai to Dubai, was diverted to Muscat International Airport after the pilot reportedly told the Air Traffic Controllers warned of the bomb threat.

The plane was then guided to the Muscat international airport and it landed safely at round 1.08 pm. “It was taken to an isolated bay and all the passengers were evacuated. The flight is right now grounded at Muscat International Airport and we are waiting for clearances from the concerned authorities to fly again,” Riyaz Kuttery, General Manager, Jet Airways, Oman, said.

The airport was closed for 5 to 10 minutes following the bomb scare.

Speaking to Times of Oman, a senior official of the Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), said that the airport was opened after officials inspected the aircraft and found nothing suspicious in the flight.
09/07/15 Rahul Das/Times of Oman

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Airfares from Gulf skyrocket

Scheduled airline and low-cost carriers have increased the fares of their flights from destinations in the West Asia to Kerala, upsetting the travel plans of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) during the forthcoming Ramzan.

The one-way economy fare from Riyadh, Dubai, Bahrain, Sharjah and other destinations to the three airports in the State is in the range of Rs. 36,249 to Rs. 71,005 up to July 18.

The hike has been effected by Air India, its budget airline Air India Express, Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Mihin Lanka, Sri Lankan, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Jet Airways, Fly Dubai, Oman Air and Indigo as there will be heavy demand for seats from this weekend to Kerala.

An economy seat from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram is in the range of Rs. 39,454 to Rs. 71,005 on July 15 and 16. Surprisingly, Air India is charging Rs.39,454 while the highest is charged by the low cost carrier Air Arabia.

Dubai is in the range of Rs.36, 249 to Rs.51, 771 on July 17 and 18 and an economy seat in both scheduled airline and budget carrier from Bahrain to the capital is in the range of Rs. 24,708 to Rs. 46,708.
09/07/15 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Boeing gives India 3 more months to seal defence chopper deal

US aviation major Boeing Company has accepted India’s request to maintain its quotation price for Apache and Chinook helicopters at $2.5 billion (Rs 15,000 crore) for another three months. The price quoted by the American major had expired on June 30, 2015.
Sources told FE: “A decision is expected soon, hence, the company was requested to extend the price deadline for at least three months. So far, the price deadline has been extended at least 10 times since 2013 for 22 Apache AH-64E Apache and 15 Chinook CH-47F.”
Boeing had extended the validity of the price quoted by them for another three months in April hoping to wrap up the deal soon. The MoD had in March sought extension of the validity period on its expiry on March 31.
09/07/15 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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Grounded Turkish Airlines plane leaves for Istanbul from Delhi

New Delhi: An Istanbul-bound Turkish Airlines flight from Bangkok which landed in emergency conditions in New Delhi on Tuesday following a bomb scare, departed early on Wednesday for its destination after being grounded for over 13 hours.
The flight took off at 0316 hrs from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, ATC sources said. The aircraft with 157 passengers and crew on board had landed at the Delhi airport at 1:34 pm yesterday.
The flight sought an emergency landing after its pilot was informed about a message scribbled on the mirror of a washroom with a lipstick warning about the presence of a bomb in the cargo hold. "When the aircraft was in Indian air space near Nagpur the crew noticed a note saying bomb in CGR (cargo). The crew informed the pilot who got in touch with the Nagpur Air Traffic Controller who advised that the aircraft land in Delhi," Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey had said.
08/07/15 PTI/Asian Age

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No bomb found on Turkish Airlines flight which made emergency landing in Delhi

New Delhi: A Turkish Airlines flight flying from Bangkok to Istanbul, which had made emergency landing at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon following a bomb scare, was in the evening cleared to take-off after nothing suspicious was found on the plane.
Addressing a press conference, Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey informed that the bomb threat turned out to be hoax as no explosive was found on the plane.

Choubey further said that the Turkish Airlines flight TK0065 has been cleared for take-off. The flight took-off for Istanbul a few hours later.

"Nothing was found... The aircraft has been cleared for take off," he told reporters.

“144 passengers and 13 crew members were offloaded. The Turkish aircraft was searched. Nothing suspicious was found,” the Aviation Secretary added.

While the Aviation Secretary put the number of passengers at 144, a Turkish Airlines official said there were 134 passengers onboard apart from the crew.

Previous reports had said that there were 148 passengers on the plane.
07/07/15 Ajith Vijay Kumar/Zee News

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Turkish Airlines flight makes emergency landing at Delhi Airport post bomb scare, passengers quizzed

New Delhi: Turkish Airlines Flight TK-65, flying from Bangkok to Istanbul, was forced to make an emergency landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGi) Airport following a bomb threat on Tuesday, according to television reports.

All 148 passengers (including 14 flight crew members) on the plane have been evacuated safely and the aircraft has been taken to an isolated bay for further checks.
The plane, an Airbus 330, landed safely at 1341 hours on Tuesday at IGI Airport and was taken to an isolation bay, sources said, adding that "it appears to be a hoax".
A suspected bomb was detected by the pilot of the aircraft and he informed the Air Traffic Control, CISF sources said.
According to airport sources, a message, written with lipstick, on the bathroom mirror of the plane warned of a bomb in the cargo hold of the plane.
Flight Crew saw message on bathroom mirror and contacted Nagpur ATC who guided them to Delhi ATC, reported Firstpost editor Sindhu Bhattacharya.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said NSG and bomb disposal squad were pressed into service.
"No explosive was found inside the cabin. The cargo portion is being checked," he said, adding the process may take about three hours. He said the entire area was cordoned off and the fire brigade was alerted.
As of now, the incident has not been declared as a hoax. Sources say cargo is being checked and passengers are being quizzed.
07/07/15 First Post

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"No explosive was found inside the cabin", says Minister

New Delhi: An Istanbul-bound Turkish Airlines flight from Bangkok with 134 passengers on board landed at the IGI Airport here in emergency conditions after a message on a washroom mirror about the presence of a bomb triggered a scare.

The Airbus 330 aircraft is being checked for explosives, by CISF and Bomb Disposal Squads.

"No explosive was found inside the cabin. The cargo portion is being checked," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said, adding the process may take about three hours.

CISF Director General Surender Singh has briefed Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the situation.

Flight TKO65 sought an emergency landing after its pilot was informed about a message scribbled on the mirror of a washroom with a lipstick warning about the presence of a bomb in the cargo hold.

Following this, the aircraft was diverted to Delhi where it landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport safely 1341 hours.

The entire area was cordoned off and fire brigade alerted before the plane was taken to the isolation bay for passengers to disembark and checks carried, sources said, adding the message appeared to be "hoax".
07/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Bomb threat on mirror of Turkish Airlines & 1972 Hollywood movie 'SkyJacked'

New Delhi: A Turkish airlines Bangkok-Istanbul TK65 flight with 148 passengers and crew on board has made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi after a bomb threat written on the mirror of one of the toilets discovered by an alert person on board.
After the flight made an emergency landing in New Delhi, all the passengers and the crew were evacuated. The security forces have taken control of the plane. A thorough and massive investigation is also underway.
In the movie, a passenger aboard Global Airways Flight 502, a Boeing 707, discovered a bomb threat written on the mirror of one of the first-class bathrooms. A second threat was soon found left on a napkin in a galley. "Bomb on plane divert to Anchorage Alaska. No Joke, No Tricks. Death".
The Captain of the plane Hank O'Hara (Charlton Heston) took the threats seriously and to avoid an explosive decompression if a bomb goes off, the plane was flown at lower altitude, increasing fuel consumption.
07/07/15 IBN Live

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Turkish Airlines emergency landing: Will be allowed to take off, says Gajapathi Raju

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday said that the Turkish Airlines plane, which made an emergency landing at the IGI airport here, will be allowed to take off.

"In the next few hours the plane (Turkish Airlines which made emergency landing) will be allowed to take off. This Turkish airline was overflying India on its way from Bangkok to Istanbul. The pilot noticed something scribbled on mirror," he said.
07/07/15 ANI News

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Shopping in Dubai and flying Air India? Now pay for hand baggage also

Mumbai: Air India and its budget airline, Air India Express, have started restricting the weight of hand baggage carried by passengers from Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi after finding many passengers breaching prescribed weight norms with their duty-free shopping.

The free allowance for hand luggage will be strictly restricted to 8 kg for Air India and 7 kg for Air India Express, inclusive of duty-free items. Baggage weighing over the free allowance will be levied a fee of 60 Dirhams (Rs 1,035) per excess kilo and recovered from the passenger at the boarding gate. Some add-ons that are exempted from carry-on baggage weighing include ladies' hand bags, overcoat or wrap, rug or blanket, camera or binoculars, reasonable amount of reading material, infant feeding items and carrying basket, collapsible wheelchair or a pair of crutches or braces for passengers dependent on them, walking stick, foldable umbrella, laptop and medicines required during the flight. Air India officials explained that passenger hand baggage is usually assumed as 7 or 8 kg, but people sometimes carry an excess of 10-15 kg without being noticed.

Niket Sharan, 37, was among passengers who ended up with a heavier bag on July 1. He was lucky his friends were more than willing to take his extra load in their bags.
06/07/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Priority sought for India to develop airports

Kathmandu:  A delegation of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday urged the Nepal government to give “preference” to the southern neighbour while developing the proposed Second international Airport (SIA) and expanding the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

The SIA scheme envisions building a modern airport in Nijgadh, Bara, which is 175km from Kathmandu , as an alternative to the saturated TIA, the country’s sole aerial gateway.

In a courtesy meeting with Suresh Man Shrestha, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the high-level Indian delegation expressed willingness to venture into Nepal claiming that they are highly experienced in terms of airport development and operations. The AAI operates more than 125 airports in India.

“As the SIA is being developed close to India’s territory, the delegation said that they expect the Nepal government to accord them priority in their plans,” said Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, joint-secretary at the ministry.
07/07/15 Sangam Prasain/eKantipur.com

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Air India to bring foreign destinations closer home

Bhubaneswar: International operation from the city airport is barely a week away.

Come July 10, Air India will not only use two of its flights to carry international passengers to Delhi but also complete all formalities, including immigration and customs check at the city airport itself. This will make flying to foreign shores easier for city residents.

"From Delhi, the passengers may have to change the airline. But after reaching Delhi, Air India will facilitate shifting of baggage and passengers can directly change the flight without further check-ins," said airport director Sharad Kumar, adding the AI 078 would depart at 2 pm and reach Delhi at 4 pm.
06/07/15 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Irish aviation firm Acumen teams up with India’s Air Works

Mumbai: Close on the heels of opening its new office in China to support existing and new clients within the aircraft and engine leasing industry in China and Asia, Ireland headquartered Acumen Aviation has teamed up with India’s aircraft engineering services, Air Works.

Acumen Aviation is a global provider of aircraft technical services, software and support. India’s Air Works provides maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services from 12 airports in India, for business and general aviation customers. An independent aviation services provider, Air Works is into aircraft engineering and management services.

Through a minority investment, Air Works has inked a strategic partnership with Acumen Aviation Europe. The deal would envisage Air Works entering the large and growing aircraft asset management business, and can build a greater presence in Europe, Asia and the US.

The partnership is aimed at focussing on providing customers a single source for best-in-class aviation services.
07/07/15 Amrita Nair-Ghaswalla/Business Line

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Air India mulls direct flights to San Francisco, Toronto

New Delhi: National carrier Air India is mulling to launch direct flight services from here to San Francisco and Toronto this winters following removal of restrictions on the domestic carriers to expand their operations in the US after safety upgrade by the FAA.
The state-run airline also plans to re-configure its Boeing 777-200 LR planes to cater to these proposed services, airline sources told PTI.
At present, Air India operates flights to New York and Chicago.
“We are planning to introduce direct flights services to San Francisco and Toronto from the Winter schedule this year. A firm plan, however, is still being worked out,” they said.
The airline proposed to fly three weekly flights each to San Francisco and Toronto from New Delhi with a B777-200 LR aircraft, which is likely to be reconfigured for more seating capacity, they said.
05/07/15 PTI/Financial Express

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Air India to Charge More for Extra Hand Baggage in UAE

National carrier Air India has restricted the weight of hand luggage carried by passengers from the UAE. Free hand baggage for Air India is 8 kg. Any hand baggage including duty free shopping weighing above 8 kg will be charged, the Air India said.

"With effect from July 1, 2015, Air India has decided to implement weighing of hand baggage at boarding gates across all airports in the UAE," Air India said.

Air India also laid out the specifications of the cabin luggage. The hand baggage (carry-on bag) should not exceed the dimensions of 55 cm (22 inch), 40 cm (16 inch) and 20 cm (8 inch), it said.
06/07/15 NDTV

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Are plastic planes the future of flight?

Battery-powered plastic aircraft without flight decks - could that be the clean, green future of flight?

The political furore over the Airports Commission's recommendation to expand Heathrow has obscured a more profound debate about aviation's weakest flank: the environment.

A third runway would increase flights at Europe's busiest airport from 1,300 to 2,000 a day. But the commission's final report acknowledges the high carbon cost of air travel. "Flying one passenger from London to New York and back generates roughly the same level of CO2 emissions as the average person in the EU does by heating their home for a whole year," it mentioned.
06/07/15 Simon Calder/The Times Of India

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‘Int’l airlines to decide visa on arrival at LBS Airport’

Varanasi: Union minister of state for civil aviation, culture and tourism Mahesh Sharma said that international airlines would take a decision on the proposal of beginning visa on arrival facility at LBS International Airport here.

Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's next visit to the city, he said that there was a possibility of the next visit on July 16. However, the programme would be finalized by the PMO.

The minister said the PMO and ministry of environment have started efforts to find out solution to the threat being posed to historical ghats along the Ganga in Varanasi due to tortoise sanctuary. He asked the state government to show sensitivity in improving the basic infrastructure and sanitary conditions in the cities of international importance like Varanasi and Agra.
05/07/15 Times of India

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IC-814 Hijack: PMO didn’t keep crisis group in loop, says Sharad Yadav

New Delhi: While maintaining that it was not fair on the part of an officer (former R&AW chief A S Dulat) to write on the IC-814 hijack over 15 years after it happened, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav Sunday admitted lack of coordination between the Crisis Management Group (CMG) and the PMO. He said the CMG was not kept informed about the deliberations at the PMO.
Yadav, who was the Civil Aviation Minister at the time of the hijack, was a member of the CMG headed by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani. He said although the CMG was set up to take decisions with regard to the hijacked plane, the decision-making was done at the PMO.
Yadav, who was the Civil Aviation Minister at the time of the hijack, was a member of the CMG headed by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani. He said although the CMG was set up to take decisions with regard to the hijacked plane, the decision-making was done at the PMO.
06/07/15 Indian Express

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KPS Gill backs RAW chief on IC-814 goof-up

Chandigarh: The former cabinet secretary had "frittered away opportunities to gun down terrorists" when the infamous Indian Airlines flight IC-814 had landed in Amritsar while on its way to Kandahar in 1999. This has been stated by former Punjab top cop KPS Gill who has come out in support of former RAW chief A S Dulat's disclosure of goof-ups in the handling of the hijacking.

"What Dulat is saying today is not misplaced," he told TOI. "What transpired in Amritsar was avoidable. I rang up the then cabinet secretary Prabhat Kumar twice to use my past experience at the same airport, but he didn't return my phone calls." Gill retired in 1995.

The 1989 Padma Shri award-winner further said that National Security Guards (NSG) should have been paratrooped from Manesar without waiting for a go-ahead from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for two hours while considering that early darkness on a wintry December would have made the take-off impossible.
At the same time Gill says the Punjab cops should not have allowed IC-814 to take off by switching off the runway lights and setting up blockades. The flight had taken off 7.44pm on December 24.
Gill had successfully handled two hijacking incidents at the same tarmac in Amritsar in 1993.
04/07/15 Rohan Dua/Times of India

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Kandahar hijack: Yashwant Sinha says 'passenger safety' was topmost concern

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha on Friday said that the safety of passengers who were onboard IC-814 was the top most concern from the moment the aircraft was hijacked in Kathmandu in 1999.

"I was the member of the Cabinet Committee on national security, which was the highest political body to take decisions in such matters and from whatever I can recall, from the moment the plane was hijacked in Kathmandu the most important consideration weighing with everyone was to save the lives of the passengers," Sinha told ANI.

"Now we can debate whether the plane could have been stopped or halted in Amritsar. We would have run the risk of the plane being blown up, the hostages being killed and then perhaps we would not have been sitting and discussing like we are doing today," he added.
03/07/15 ANI/Business Standard

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CPI wants L K Advani to throw light on Kandahar hijack incident

With new disclosures made by former Chief of the Research and Analysis wing (RAW) A.S. Dulat on the 1999 Kandahar hijack incident, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Thursday said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L K Advani, who was the deputy prime minister at that time, must throw light on the details of the episode.
“These are new revelations coming to the public domain. Even at that time there was a lot of criticism about the External Affairs Minister accompanying the terrorists to Kandahar and the way the whole crisis was handled,” said Raja.
Raja pointed out that there are many details coming into the public domain even with regard to Jammu and Kashmir.
“How Vajpayee and his party negotiated with the National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir headed by Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah,” he added.
03/07/15 ANI/Financial Express

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All are party to IC-814 decision: BJP

New Delhi: The decision to release three dreaded terrorists in exchange for passengers of IC-814 in 1999 was taken to secure the lives of passengers aboard the Indian Airlines aircraft, and all major political parties including the Congress had authorized the Vajpayee government to take an appropriate decision, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha said on Friday.

"It was an over-arching decision of the government, in consonance with the mood of the nation. We were not selling a book," Sinha said. As a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security during the hijack period, Sinha was privy to all crucial decisions linked to the hijack.

A S Dulat, chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) during the hijack and later advisor to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has claimed in his new book that the government goofed up in dealing with the hijack.

Sinha, however said all parties were involved in the decision to release the terrorists. "As far as I remember, there were all-party meetings, and also with individual leaders of parties. While the facts of the situation were shared with responsible leaders of opposition parties, everyone said the government is best placed to take a decision, and government was authorized to take the decision," Sinha said. "Dulat is not blaming the political leadership... No advice was given by the CMG in that short time," he added.
04/07/15 Times of India

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Making sense of former RAW chief AS Dulat's revelations

Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat's interview to India Today TV has kicked up a storm with the Opposition led by Congress cornering Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress said Dulat's interview revealed "disturbing facts" about the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999 and 2002 Gujarat riots.
Here is a cheat sheet of Dulat's expose:
1. NDA goofed-up IC-814 hijacking : Speaking to Karan Thapar during India Today TV's To The Point program, Dulat, whose book 'Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years' is slated to be released soon, claimed that the then NDA government "goofed up" the 1999 Air India IC-814 Kandahar hijack case as no one wanted to take a decision fearing loss of lives.

2. Vajpayee govt confused over IC-814 action: Dulat, who headed RAW till 2000 before he was appointed as Special Advisor on Kashmir in the PMO during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, said, "Let me say, we goofed up ... what was upper most in everybody's mind was security of the people." "So instead of giving out clear instruction to Punjab police, which was incharge on ground there... nobody was willing to say this plane should never be allowed to leave Amritsar."
3. 'Angry' Farooq Abdullah offered resignation: The former RAW chief also said that initially the terrorists wanted 105 terrorists to be freed. He also said two of the three terrorists were in Jammu and Kashmir and then chief minister Farooq Abdullah was angry about letting them go. Abdullah even contemplated resignation over the issue.
03/07/15 India Today

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Make in India: Mahindra to make helicopters

Mumbai: The auto to aerospace conglomerate Mahindra signed two joint ventures to enhance further its presence in India’s utility aircraft and aerostructure manufacturing sector. Through its joint venture with Airbus Helicopters, Mahindra Defence will become the “first private Indian helicopter manufacturer under the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” the companies said on Friday.
The JV will set up a unit to manufacture helicopters for the Indian Armed Forces to meet the country’s military requirements.
“Both companies will now get into discussions to finalise the formation of the joint venture which will act as the prime contractor for India’s military helicopter tenders including the reconnaissance and surveillance helicopter, the Naval utility helicopter and the Naval multi-role helicopter procurement programmes,” the firms said in a statement.
S. P. Shukla, Mahindra group president (aerospace and defence sector) and chairman, Mahindra Defence Systems, said the JV would produce “India’s next generation helicopters that will not only answer our country’s defence needs but will also have the potential for exports in the future.
04/07/15 Asian Age

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Manila-bound flight diverted to Mumbai, but passenger dies

A Philippines Airlines flight, PR 657 from Abu Dhabi to Manila, made an emergency detour to Mumbai in the wee hours of Friday, due to a medical emergency on board. This detour turned out to be a stopover of five hours, as a passenger required urgent medical attention. However, his life could not be saved.
Soon after the flight landed at Mumbai airport, the MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) medical team attended to the passenger. “The passenger was already receiving CPR on board without any signs of recovery and the MIAL medical team continued CPR and other lifesaving efforts for another 20 minutes. However, the passenger could not be revived, and was declared dead at 5 am on Friday,” said an MIAL official.
As the pilot readily took the responsibility of flying the body in the aircraft, the flight was able to push back at around 9.42 am along with the body of the deceased. An official from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), requesting anonymity, confirmed the same. -
04/07/15 Mid Day

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Zambian woman held with drugs at IGI airport

New Delhi: A Zambian woman has been arrested from Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle out narcotics worth Rs 21 lakh.

The incident occurred on July 1 when CISF sleuths detected suspicious movements of the women flier identified as Catherine Mulenga, 36, who arrived at 11 pm to board a flight to Addis Ababa from the airport.

"Frisking of the Zambian woman's baggage led to recovery of 58 packets weighing 21 kilograms of banned narcotics called Methaqualone. The drugs were cleverly hidden in her purse and some cricket gear the lady was carrying. She was later handed over to anti-narcotics sleuths," a senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said.
03/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Man who monitored 1999 'Kandahar hijack' admits 'goof-up'

New Delhi: The man who monitored the crisis arising from the 1999 hijack of IC-814, former RA&W chief A S Dulat, has admitted in an exclusive interview to TOI that the Crisis Management Group (CMG) had "goofed up" the operation.
While he didn't go into the details of the goof-up and what exactly transpired at the five-hour CMG meeting on December 24 while the plane was parked in Amritsar, Dulat said that "no one in Delhi or Punjab wanted to bell the cat". In the meantime, the plane flew away, and with it the opportunity to gain an upper hand over the hijackers. Later, Dulat says "everyone shifted the blame to each other".

Speaking ahead of the launch of his book, 'Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years', Dulat said that the then Punjab police chief Sarabjit Singh, who was in charge of the situation when the plane was on the ground in Amritsar, said Delhi never told him that IC-814 was not to be allowed to take off. Singh did tell Delhi that he had at his disposal Punjab commandos trained in anti-terrorism operations who could storm the aircraft but Delhi's response was that it did not want any casualties.

After the plane flew off to Lahore - the next stop was Dubai and eventually Kandahar - Dulat writes that the "CMG degenerated into a blame game...with the cabinet secretary being head of the CMG as one target and NSG chief Nikhil Kumar, another."
03/07/15 Neelam Raaj/Times of India

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