Cabin crew prevents mid-air disaster on Kochi -Colombo plane

Colombo: The cabin crew of a Sri Lankan-bound flight averted a possible mid-air disaster after the ignition of a mobile phone battery pack, airline officials said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL 166 from Kochi in India to Colombo with 202 passengers onboard midway through the trip on Sunday, an official from the airline said.

"The cabin crew had observed smoke from an overhead luggage bin on the flight and on inspection found that the ignition of a lithium battery pack had sparked off the smoke," the official said.

The crew members had carried away the bag and found that the intensity of the smoke was increasing, but they were able to follow the lithium fire-extinguishing procedure and control the situation, he said.

The country's main airport - Bandaranaike International Airport, at Katunayake, 23 kilometres north of the capital - was put on alert over the incident.

The owner of the baggage was found to be an Indian passenger.
31/07/17 DPA/Daily Sabah

Read More

After race row, Jet Airways phasing out expat pilots

New Delhi: Jet Airways has started phasing out its expatriate pilots. The airline will send back about 25 expatriate pilots by mid-September and the process will continue.
The action comes after one of it expat pilots allegedly made racial comments against two Indians, including a physically challenged passenger this April and cricketer Harbhajan Singh tweeted about it.
The union of Jet's Indian pilots, National Aviators' Guild, then asked members not to fly with the expat pilots. The decision was relaxed after the airline assured action against the wrongdoers.
Jet had recently asked 318 junior pilots to take 10 days off in a month — meaning at least 30% pay cut. While expats have higher salaries, Jet says the move is more than just cost cutting.
"Our chairman wants career progression for Indian pilots," said a senior official. Jet has close to 2,000 pilots of which about 100 are expats.
31/07/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Flying to Saudi Arabia gives jitters to crew of Indian airliners

New Delhi:  The crew of Indian carriers — Air India and Jet Airways — that operate to Saudi Arabia are a scared lot.
The country keeps the original passport of crew members on arrival and the personnel then have only photocopies of their travel documents during their stay in Saudi. While this practice has always worried pilots and flight attendants, their fears recently turned true when the crew of an AI flight was reportedly detained in Jeddah last Wednesday for this reason.
"We operated AI 931 on July 26, 2017. After landing in Jeddah ... (three crew members) went for dinner... Our taxi was stopped by Saudi police to check our permits.
On showing them our xerox from immigration and our valid AI ID, we were put in police vans and were told not to use cell phones. Luckily we made a call to (the) hotel and explained the situation and gave our location," said a message by one of the three AI crew members who were allegedly detained in Jeddah last week.
When asked why they were being detained, the crew says they were told that photocopies of passports won't do and that original documents should be shown for checking.
They were allowed to leave three hours later. The crew members' message said the local AI official told them that Saudi was organising a drive to send back illegal immigrants due to which checks have been intensified.
"Technically our xerox permits (passport copies) are invalid and going out is a big risk," the message says. An Air India spokesperson said the airline was "trying to confirm this from Jeddah administration."
A senior pilot of Jet Airways had on June 1 raised the issue of Saudi Arabia keeping passports of airline crew on arrival at immigration with the aviation and external affairs ministry.
31/07/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Delhi court to hear matter on 1981 Air India plane hijack today

A Delhi court on Monday will continue the hearing on the matter of hijacking on an Air India plane to Lahore, Pakistan in 1981.

In the earlier hearing, the court had granted bail to two Sikh militants, accused of the hijacking.


They were asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties of like amount each.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had directed the state's Legal Aid Team to extend help to the two Sikhs faced with possibilities of 'double jeopardy'.

The case dates back to September 29, 1981, when the accused allegedly hijacked an Air India plane from New Delhi en route to Srinagar via Amritsar and forced it to land in Lahore, Pakistan, where they were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.
31/07/17 ANI/Business Standard

Read More

Simply put: 36 years on, a hijack lands back in dock

On September 29, 1981, five radical Sikhs hijacked an Indian Airlines aircraft to Lahore, and were jailed in Pakistan until 1994. Two of them returned to India, and all five were subsequently charged with sedition. A Delhi court will hear the investigating officer today, setting the stage for a likely trial. Navjeeval Gopal recounts a fascinating story of twists, turns and long legal delays.

What happened in September 1981, and why are those events back in the news after 36 long years?
On September 29, 1981, five activists of the radical Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa hijacked a New Delhi-Srinagar Indian Airlines flight to Lahore. The hijackers — Satnam Singh, Tajinderpal Singh, Jasbir Singh Cheema, Gajinder Singh and Karan Singh — demanded the release of Sikh preacher Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had been arrested on September 19 that year for involvement in the September 9 murder of Lala Jagat Narain, editor of the Hind Samachar group of newspapers. The men also wanted the release of Sikh prisoners, and compensation for the deaths of Sikh protesters killed in police firing at Amritsar’s Mehta Chowk after the arrest of Bhindranwale.
The hijackers were arrested on September 30, 1981 after Pakistani commandos entered the plane. There were no deaths or injuries. The men spent three years in a military prison, and were put on trial for the hijack in 1984. They were sentenced to life imprisonment on January 20, 1986. In 1994, after they had spent 13 years and one month in prison, the men were released. Two of the hijackers who subsequently came back to India — Tajinderpal Singh and Satnam Singh — now face the prospect of being tried for sedition by a court in Delhi.

How did the situation of a new trial arise?
In September 2011, Delhi Police filed a supplementary chargesheet before a Delhi court, charging the men with sedition, waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India, and criminal conspiracy. The prosecution alleged the hijackers had raised slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad”, “Indira Gandhi Murdabad”, Sant Baba Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Zindabad, Bharat Sarkar Murdabad”, “Raj Karega Khalsa”, and other anti-India slogans during the hijacking. The Dal Khalsa, to which the men belonged, wanted an independent state for Sikhs, the prosecution said.
The court took cognizance of the charges in August 2012, and issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against all five hijackers. Tajinder and Satnam approached Delhi High Court in December that year, seeking the quashing of the supplementary chargesheet and cancellation of NBWs.
31/07/17 Navjeevan Gopal/Indian Express

Read More

African nationals held for drug smuggling

The Narcotics Control Bureau arrested two South African women and a Nigerian man for drug trafficking at Indira Gandhi International Airport, in two separate incidents.

In the first incident, the NCB sleuths got to know through a local intelligence report, which informed that a South African national will fly to Johannesburg from Delhi via Etihad Airlines and is suspected to smuggle Ephedrine.

A team was formed headed by Madho Singh, zonal director of NCB and the woman was intercepted. "The South African woman identified as Patraicia Sakhile Ncube and her Nigerian friend Johnson was intercepted at the departure area. She carried 10 kilogram of Ephedrine, which was concealed in the bag. She and her friend was subsequently nabbed," said Taj Hassan, Deputy Director General of NCB.

During interrogation, Patraicia stated that she was going to Johannesburg through Abu Dhabi and her friend Johnson had come to see her off. She came to India on July 25 and was received by Johnson and was staying at her friend's place in Delhi. "Both were nabbed immediately," Hassan said.
31/07/17 DNA

Read More

Operative spoke of CIA hand in 1966 crash: Report

Mumbai: Was the CIA responsible for the crash of Air-India's Boeing 707, which was carrying the head of India's nuclear establishment? Homi Bhabha was flying to Vienna to attend a meeting when the plane crashed+ into Mont Blanc in the Swiss Alps.
On July 11, 2008, an alleged conversation between a journalist Gregory Douglas and a CIA officer Robert T Crowley, which was reproduced by a relatively unknown news media TBRNews.org suggested that the US intelligence agency had a role in the crash.
The transcript of the conversation was sent to this correspondent by a top official in November 2008.
The CIA officer was quoted as saying: "We had trouble, you know, with India back in the 60's when they got uppity and started work on an atomic bomb...the thing is, they were getting into bed with the Russians.''
Referring to Homi Bhabha, he said, "that one was dangerous, believe me. He had an unfortunate accident. He was flying to Vienna to stir up more trouble when his Boeing 707 had a bomb go off in the cargo hold....''
In October 1965, Bhabha had announced over All India Radio that if he got the go-ahead, India had the capability to make a nuclear bomb in 18 months.
According to experts requesting anonymity, Bhabha was convinced that if India had to become a major force to reckon with, it had to launch a nuclear programme focussing on its peaceful role in areas like power, agriculture and medicine. But they said he also had a hidden agenda: developing an atomic bomb to defend the country.
30/07/17 Srinivas Laxman/Times of India

Read More

Mumbai boy with love for French flew Kanchenjunga

Mumbai: He was a "boy from Bandra" with a fascination for French language, but couldn't really pull off its airy and guttural sounds. That was enough fodder for Capt Joe D'Souza's Air India pilot buddies who mish-mashed the French word "pourquoi" (meaning, why) with his Goan accent to nickname him "Poorkey". In 1966, Poorkey's Boeing 707 crashed into Mont Blanc, along the French border, and he rests there forever.
"They never found his body," recalled Capt Ayodh Kapur (92), who joined Air India in 1944. He doesn't recollect much about the Air India 'Malabar Princess' that crashed into Mont Blanc in 1950, except that the captain was British. But he does remember the 1966 Air India Kanchenjunga crash as his friend Joe D'Souza was its captain. "In summer, when the snow melted, they did find a couple of bodies that had washed downstream,'' he said.
The bodies were beyond recognition. "I don't think the remains were flown to India... I think the bodies they had found were of some foreigners who were on board,'' he added. The aircraft was on a Bombay to London flight .
"I was at the Bombay airport to operate a Boeing 707 flight when I heard about the crash,'' he says. And when asked what did he do when he heard the news, he says: "Nothing. I got on the aircraft and flew to Hong Kong.'' There was grief for sure. "We had done our flying training together at the Bombay flying club, we played cricket for the Tata team,'' he says remembering the deceased pilot who "had a little hangup about the French language, but only spoke a few french words''. "I think he was just married when the crash took place," he says.
Those days pilots earned a salary of Rs 825, which Capt Kapur says was not a big sum as the rent for his Bandra flat on St Leo road itself cost Rs 400. In the later years, Capt Kapur, who was a qualified engineer and a pilot, went on to fly the jumbo jet. The Boeing 707 was the first jet airliner to fly out of Boeing's stable and the then prosperous Air India was one of the few airlines in the world to have these jets in its fleet. "We were proud pilots to fly the big jet (Boeing 707). Not many airlines had jets in those days,'' says Capt Kapur, who was appointed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation as an airsafety expert post retirement from AI. "I don't recall well, but I think he flew low and descended into the clouds," he says, speaking about the 1966 crash.
30/07/17 Times of India

Read More

Body parts found in Alps may be linked to long-ago Air India crashes

Body parts found in the French Alps may be the remains of passengers who died on one of two Air India plane crashes – both more than 50 years ago.

India’s NDTV reported that Daniel Roche, a longtime plane enthusiast and explorer of aviation accident sites, claims to have found a hand and the upper part of a leg in Mont Blanc, France, on Thursday.

“I had never found any significant human remains before,” Roche told Agence France-Presse.

Air India experienced two plane crashes near the French Alps -- one in 1950 and another in 1966. No one is believed to have survived either crash.

Roche, who said he also found an engine from the 1966 plane, believes the human remains he discovered might be from a female passenger of the 1966 crash.

However, local police officer Stephane Bozon said he believes the body parts might be from two separate people.

“These remains are probably not from the same person,” Bozon said. “They are probably from passengers, but between the two aircrafts, it’s difficult to say.”

The remains will now be examined by experts.
29/07/17 Fox News

Read More

Remains of passengers from a decades-old Air India crash found in the French Alps

A man with a peculiar hobby has claimed he found body parts of passengers who died in one of two Air India plane crashes from more than 50 years ago in the French Alps, AFP reported on Friday. Daniel Roche, who has spent years looking for remains in the Bossons Glacier on the Mont Blanc peak, made the discovery on Thursday.

Roche found a human hand and the upper part of a leg. “I had never found any significant human remains before,” he said.

In 1950, an Air India flight carrying 48 people had crashed in the French Alps. In January 1966, an Air India Boeing 707 heading to New York from Mumbai had crashed near Mont Blanc’s summit. All 117 people on board had died.

Roche said the remains could be of a female passenger from the 1966 crash. He also discovered one of the plane’s four jet engines (pictured above).

The aviation enthusiast contacted local emergency services in the Chamonix Valley on making the discoveries, which will now be examined by experts.

“These remains are probably not from the same person,” said Stephane Bozon, a local official. “They are probably from passengers, but between the two aircraft, it is difficult to say.”
29/07/17 Scroll.in

Read More

Air India Crew Members Detained In Saudi Arabia Over Permit

The crew members of the Air India flight from Mumbai to Jeddah flight were detained in Saudi Arabia for three hours due to a permit issue on June 26.
The incident took place on June 26 when the crew members of the national carrier landed in Jeddah.
The crew members of the Air India flight 931 were returning to their hotel after having dinner when their taxi was intercepted by Saudi police for a routine permit checking.
Despite showing a copy of immigration and valid Air India IDs, they were put in the police vans and were told not to use cell phones.
Subsequently, one of the crew members made a call to their hotel and explained the situation giving their location. Following which two hotel staff came for their release.
But despite showing  the immigration paper to the police, the crew members were taken to the police station.
Later, cell phones of the crew members were confiscated and all of them were locked inside a room.
Three hours later, an Arab hotel staffer came and explained the police official about their identity following which they were released.
The crew members and the air hostess were detained as copies of permits are not valid in Jeddah.
30/07/17 Outlook

Read More

Peruvian lady held for entering Delhi airport on fake ticket

New Delhi: A Peruvian woman has been apprehended for entering the Delhi airport terminal, allegedly using a fake ticket, a security official said today.
She was apprehended yesterday when the Central Industrial Security Force personnel, deployed for the airport’s security, found her roaming suspiciously inside the terminal building of the Delhi airport, the official said.
The woman has been identified as Peru national Sandra Veronica H Rios (27).
The woman told the CISF personnel that she had come to see off her brother and mother, who were traveling to Kuwait, he said.
Rios told officials that she allegedly used a canceled ticket and her valid passport to enter the airport terminal, the official said. She was handed over to the police who later released her after questioning.
29/07/17 PTI/India.vom

Read More

Indian body repatriation rules cause confusion again

Abu Dhabi: While the controversy on the repatriation procedures of mortal remains to India continues, two divergent positions have emerged on the issue from two different quarters of the Indian government.
As Gulf News reported on July 10, a circular issued by the airport health officer at Calicut Airport in Kerala recently tightened the repatriation procedures by asking for submission of all documents such as death certificates 48 hours before the arrival of the body.

This led to an uproar from Indian expatriates, mostly from the South Indian state of Kerala.
Social workers had said such conditions would cause at least two more days of delay in repatriation of the body and that had prompted the airport health officer later to reassure that the status quo would prevail.
Meanwhile, a senior parliamentarian told Gulf News on Thursday that the central government had assured him that the documents related to the repatriation could be submitted to the destination airport even 30 minutes prior to the departure of the aircraft carrying the body.
In a letter dated July 21, a copy of which is with Gulf News, issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to N.K. Premachandran, Member of Parliament (MP) of Kollam constituency in Kerala, it was stated that the matter was taken up with the airport director at Calicut International Airport.

The assistant solicitor-general representing the Indian Government told the court that new rules are being framed, which would stipulate getting approval of the airport health officer 12 hours before bringing the body to India.
28/07/17 Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

Read More

Air India to fetch a fair price if overseas airlines allowed to bid: Analysts

New Delhi: The government may not be averse to the prospect of allowing overseas carriers to bid for stakes in Air India, according to a senior government official.

“This (sale to foreign airlines) was one of the options suggested in the presentation made to the ministerial panel by the aviation secretary,” said the official. “The ministerial panel did not object to the idea of a foreign partner for the national carrier and foreign airlines could be allowed to bid for the national carrier.” < ..
The discussion took place last Friday at the first meeting of the panel led by finance minister Arun Jaitley that’s looking into possible options for Air India’s disinvestment. Others at the meeting included aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, power minister Piyush Goyal and railway minister Suresh Prabhu.
29/07/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Read More

Panel led by Arun Jaitley may allow foreign carriers to bid for Air India

Mumbai: The panel headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may take up a proposal that seeks participation of foreign airlines in Air India's stake sale. At present, the government is eying a lucrative deal to resuscitate the ailing Air India. The Union Cabinet has also given in-principle approval to privatisation of national carrier.

A report carried by The Economic Times website cited a senior government official who said that allowing foreign airlines to take part in Air India stake sale was not ruled out. “This (sale to foreign airlines) was one of the options suggested in the presentation made to the ministerial panel by the aviation secretary,” ET quoted the official as saying.

It may be noted that the group of ministers set up to oversee and implement Air India divestment did not nod in negative when the proposal was brought on its table. It also did not object to the idea of a foreign bidder for Air India, the report added.

While a foreign investor can own up to 100 per cent in an Indian airline, an overseas carrier can own only up to 49 per cent in an Indian carrier, according to FDI in aviation rules.
29/07/17 Deccan Chronicle

Read More

Jet Airways launches new offer, announces special fares to Amsterdam, Paris in first of its kind scheme

Jet Airways offer: Airline major Jet Airways has come up with an offer announcing special fares to Amsterdam and Paris. The airline has released a statement as well in this regard. According to Jet Airways, “Under this exclusive, first-of-its-kind offer, for travel effective September 15, 2017, guests can avail the special all-inclusive, one-stop ‘flat’ return fares at Rs 39,990 for economy and Rs 99,990 for premiere travel, from all domestic points across Jet Airways’ entire domestic network, for travel to Amsterdam and Paris.”
As per the release by the airline major, the offer is valid for its new and upcoming non-stop services between Chennai-Paris, Bengaluru-Amsterdam and Mumbai-London Heathrow routes.
29/07/17 Financial Express

Read More

Shortage of CISF men may hit Singapore flight plan

Shortage of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel is likely to affect night flight operations at Madurai international airport, particularly Air India's proposed flight to Singapore. In fact, representatives of industrial bodies in the city have warned that the shortage of security personnel may hit the development of the airport in the long run too.
Airport sources say that the present strength of CISF in Madurai airport is only around 140. At present, CISF, which is entrusted with the security of the airport, has two operational shifts with the second shift ending by 10 pm. However, there would be minimal strength providing security to the terminal. This was not adequate for night shifts which involve covering the operational area of the airport.
As the proposed Singapore flight is expected to arrive in Madurai from Delhi after 10 pm it will take another 45 minutes to depart. A reply from the CISF on increasing its strength is still pending. However, sources from the Airport Authority of India have expressed confidence that the nod will come soon.
28/07/17 Times of India

Read More

Scoot says no to expansion over failure of Indian carriers to fulfil quota

Hyderabad: Scoot, the low-cost long-haul carrier owned by Singapore Airlines, said on Friday it cannot increase the number of seats and destinations in India, since Indian carriers were yet to fulfil their quota of services as agreed upon in the bilateral agreement between the two countries.

The Singapore Airlines group, which includes Silk Air and Scoot, has exhausted its permissible quota, barring some not-so-viable tier-2 destinations in the country. Air India and the private Indian airlines, on the other hand, have utilised only 50 per cent of their entitlement, according to Bharath Mahadevan, country head, India at Scoot.

"There is nothing in our hands as the bilateral air services are a subject matter of the government-to-government agreement. Indian carriers currently operate only 50 per cent of their quota and until this reaches 80 per cent, it is not possible (for any quota revision)," added Mahadevan.


Scoot started operating as Singapore Airline's single low-cost carrier brand in India from July 25, 2017. At the initial stage, it added all five destinations that were hitherto operated by Tiger Air, besides launching operations for three other destinations last year. Singapore's national carrier had decided to keep Scoot as a single low-cost brand across the region, following the merger of Tiger Air and Scoot.

Mahadevan said India was on the threshold of an explosion in travel demand that has a lot of growth potential, given that there are 50 weekly flights being operated between the two countries by the Singapore Airlines Group. Given an opportunity, the company would like to add Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata to its list of destinations, he said.
28/07/17 Business Standard

Read More

Russia-bound man held with Euro 50,000 at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A Russia-bound man was today apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly carrying Euro 50,000 in an unauthorised manner, a senior official said.
The incident was reported early today when the passenger, identified as Rohit Kumar, flying to Moscow was intercepted by a CISF personnel after his baggage check revealed a suspicious packet at the terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
The bag contained five envelopes, with Euro 10,000 in each (about Rs 37.61 lakh), the official, who did not wish to be named, said.
28/07/17 PTI/India Today

Read More

Zambian woman nabbed at Delhi airport with 12 kgs of narcotics

New Delhi: A Zambian woman was apprehended at the Delhi airport today for allegedly trying to smuggle about 12 kgs of narcotics by concealing it in her baggage, an airport security official said.
He said the woman, who reached the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the wee hours to travel to Addis Ababa, was intercepted by the CISF personnel, based on a tip off.
The woman from Zambia has been identified as Doris Mwama I and has been handed over to the (NCB) Narcotics Control Bureau along with the 12 kgs of narcotics recovered from her bag.
29/07/17 PTI/India.com

Read More

No current proposal to start flights to Tel Aviv: govt

New Delhi: The government has no immediate proposal to start flight services to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, it told Parliament today.
The latest statement comes three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his visit to Israel that "direct air connectivity would soon be established between Delhi, Mumbai and Tel Aviv".
However, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha today said there was "no" proposal for flights to Tel Aviv.
The question posed to him in the Lok Sabha was "whether the government proposes to start flight services to Tel Aviv in Israel from airports in the country".
27/07/17 PTI/India Today

Read More

Low-cost carrier Scoot evinces interest in promoting tourism in Kerala

Kochi: Scoot, the low-cost, medium to long-haul airline operator, intends to work with the Kerala government for the promotion of tourist destinations in God's Own Country.

“We have successful models like Australia, which we have promoted as a tourist destination in other countries,” Bharat Mahadevan, Country Head – India, Scoot said.

Kerala Tourism is one of the aggressive tourism bodies in India and the company would like to explore opportunities in promoting destinations here, he told presspersons on the sidelines of the launch of Scoot flights in Kochi. The company is in discussions with the Rajasthan government for tourism promotion in the Pink City.

Referring to flight operations, he said the focus is on Tier-II cities as 85 per cent of the capacity utilisation is from South Indian cities. “We would look at all potential cities to commence operations in the medium term. Both Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode as well as the upcoming Kannur airport are on our radar,” he added.
27/07/17 V Sajeev Kumar/Business Line

Read More

Hit by lightning in air, UK plane grounded in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi:  Lightning strike has left a British Airways (BA) wide-body aircraft grounded in Chennai since July 23. According to sources, the London-Chennai flight (BA 35) was hit by a lightning soon after take off on Saturday afternoon.
"No malfunction was reported after the lightning strike which happened in London airspace. So the crew decided to continue the almost 10-hour flight to Chennai. The aircraft reached its destination and landed there safely.
But after landing when it was inspected, the plane was found to have suffered significant damage," said a highly placed aviation source.
The British carrier mostly uses the latest Dreamliner (Boeing 787) aircraft on London-Chennai route like many of its other India flights.
While BA did not comment on the lightning strike and the damage caused by it, it said in a statement: "We apologised to customers and rebooked them onto alternative services after our flight from Chennai to London was cancelled on Sunday following a technical issue.
The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority and the aircraft is being inspected by our highly qualified engineers before it returns to service."
28/07/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Flights to Mumbai on Singapore Airlines dip down to $794 return

Formally Bombay, the beautiful waterfront city of Mumbai commands attention. It's perhaps best known for being the home of Bollywood and right now you can get cheap all-inclusive flights into the city from $794 return.

It's all thanks to the latest Singapore Airlines sale, which sees prices to numerous Asian destinations including Delhi, Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai slashed to as little as $599 return.

For those who are India bound, Mumbai flights are available departing Melbourne from $794 return and departing Sydney or Brisbane from $799 return.

If you're searching for adventure in Delhi, you can also snap up flights for a steal in this sale. Sample fares include Melbourne to Delhi from $773 return, Sydney to Delhi from $788 return and Brisbane to Delhi from $789 return.

Flights to both cities are for travel between 18 February and 15 March 2018, which for Mumbai is the cool dry season, making it a pleasant journey with little rainfall.
27/07/17 finder.com.au

Read More

Jet Airways may virtually merge with KLM-Air France

Within 24 hours of KLM-Air France, Virgin Atlantic and Delta announcing a blockbuster global deal, ET NOW exclusively learns the Indian skies may also soon be a part of this grand alliance.

Sources tell ET Now that Jet Airways is in advanced talks with KLM-Air France for a strategic cooperation that could function as a virtual merger of the two airlines. Simultaneously, Jet is in talks with the US-based carrier Delta for an equity stake sale, and the talks are on to finalise the valuations.

The stake sale to Delta may follow the virtual merger with KLM-Air France

These two separate transactions will enable Jet to join the mega alliance announced on Thursday July 27 i.e. Delta buying a 10% stake in KLM-Air France, and KLM-Air France buying a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic.

Sources say Jet and KLM-Air France are hoping to sign a "metal neutrality" pact next month that would entail flight scheduling, pricing and revenue management. As per a metal neutrality pact, the airlines concerned are indifferent to whose planes are used to carry passengers.
28/07/17 Nayantara Rai/Economic Times

Read More

150 Haj pilgrims take off for Mecca

Gaya: The first batch of 150 (85 men and 65 women) Haj pilgrims from the state left for Mecca in Saudi Arabia on a six-week-long pilgrimage on Thursday evening amid tears and best wishes from friends and relatives.
Gaya DM Kumar Ravi, SSP Garima Malik and airport director Dilip Kumar, were also present on the occasion.
Most of the pilgrims who took off on Thursday were from Siwan, East Champaran and Gopalganj districts. Two of the pilgrims are from Gaya. Two special Haj flights of Air India would operate daily between Gaya and Jeddah. The last batch of pilgrims would be leaving Gaya on August 22.
According to the Haj coordinator AM Karimi alias Motibhai, about 7000 pilgrims from the state would be performing Haj in 2017. Last year, the number of Haj pilgrims from the state was 6,600. The state has got a quota of 10,000. But the Bihar quota is generally not fulfilled and subsequently transferred to other states like Karnataka and Kerala where the number of pilgrims is more. Each pilgrim has to spend about Rs 2.5 lakh on the pilgrimage.
Airport director Dilip Kumar said special arrangements have been made for the pilgrims on the airport premises. A 250-bed temporary dormitory with leak-proof cover has been set up for the purpose. About 20 temporary toilets have also been made in the pilgrim area of the airport. Arrangements have also been made for wazoo (pre-prayer wash) and namaz offering by the pilgrims.
28/07/17 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

Read More

US private equity firms suss out Air India

US-based private equity firms KKR & Co. and Warburg Pincus have expressed an interest in acquiring parts of Air India  which is currently slated for privatization.

India's LiveMint newspaper quotes sources familiar with the situation as saying the two firms have separately sought details on the privatization process. However, talks are currently at a very early stage with no firm commitments having yet been made.

Other firms that have already expressed an interest include Tata Group and low-cost carrier IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l).

New Delhi is expected to issue a Request For Proposals (RFP) for banks and financial institutions to handle the sale in the coming weeks.
25/07/17 ch-aviation

Read More

Ukranian held for entering Delhi airport on fake ticket

New Delhi: A Ukraine national has been apprehended for entering the Indira Gandhi International airport terminal allegedly using a fake ticket.

He was apprehended yesterday around 11 am when the Central Industrial Security Force personnel, deployed for the airport's security, found him roaming suspiciously inside the terminal building, a senior official in airport security said today.

The man was identified as Ukranie national S Podbolotnyy.

He told the CISF personnel that he had come to see off his woman friend, who was travelling to Almaty, the official said.

He told officials that he used a cancelled ticket to enter the airport terminal, he said.

The Ukranian was subsequently handed over to the police which filed an FIR against him under various sections of the IPC, he said.
26/07/17 PTI

Read More

Jet starts reciprocal codeshare services with Chinese carrier

Mumbai: Jet Airways customers can now fly seamlessly to Pu Dong and Kunming cities in China from India as the country's second largest airline by marketshare has commenced its reciprocal codeshare flights with China Eastern Airlines from today.

In turn, Chinese passengers will have a direct connectivity to Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai from New Delhi through the flights operated by the leading Indian private carrier.

As part of the codeshare partnership, China Eastern Airlines will operate Jet Airways' Delhi-Shanghai Pu Dong and Kolkata-Kuming routes whereas the Naresh Goyal-owned full service carrier will operate Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Kolkata and and Delhi-Mumbai routes of the Shanghai-based airline.

When contacted, a Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed the commencement of the reciprocal codeshare air services with the Chinese carrier.
24/07/17 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Kerala High Court stays order issued by Calicut airport health officer

Kochi: Kerala High Court has stayed the order issued by the health officer of Calicut International Airport who had insisted getting his approval 48 hours before human remains are brought to India from Gulf countries.

The court issued the interim order on the petition filed by Dr Hanil Sajjad, Manager, Abudabi Universal Hospital seeking to quash the circular mandating prior permission for bringing bodies.

The circular mandates four certificates - death certificate, embalming certificate, no objection certificate (NOC) from Indian high commission of the country concerned and cancelled copy of the passport of the deceased.

According to the circular these certificates should be provided 48 hours before the arrival of mortal remains, either online or in person at the Airport Health Office (APHO).The cause of death should be mentioned on the death certificate, to ensure death is not due to a contagious decease or other deceases notified by international health organisations.

According to the petitioner, the circular is inhumane and the same is akin to treating the dead body as a hazardous object. This is causing hardship to the relatives.
24/07/17 New Indian Express

Read More

Passengers safe, after Ethiopian Airlines’ flight makes emergency landing

New Delhi: All passengers travelling aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to New Delhi were safe after the aircraft made an emergency landing at IGI Airport here on Monday.
“At 08.40 a.m., ATC declared full emergency for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-686, ADD-DEL due to a landing gear indicator problem as informed by ATC,” airport sources said.
“Flight landed safely on runway 10 around 9.00 a.m.”
24/07/17 IANS/India.com

Read More

UAE expats, cargo agents crumble under new Indian tax

Abu Dhabi: Thousands of Indian expats and cargo agents have been hit on the knuckles by the newly introduced goods and service tax system on imports.

Previously an expat could send up to 20,000-rupee (Dh1,140) worth gifts and goods tax-free to India but with new notifications on July 31, the exemption is applicable on goods worth 2,000 rupees (Dh114) only. The new 41 per cent revised tax imposition has seen service rates almost double up resulting in up to 500 tonnes of goods being struck at various Indian airports for lack of clearance.

And expats, the worst-affected, are apprehensive about using cargo services in future.

Abu Dhabi-based Rashid Ali said his cargo hasn't been delivered even after three weeks.

"I had send gifts and goods worth Dh600 or so. It was about 20kgs and the cargo company charged me Dh220 or so but now there will be a double burden of taxes. The company has said they will get the goods delivered but what about services in future. The company will pass on the charges onto people like me," Ali said.

Thomas Chacko, another expat, had sent all wiring and cable works for his new home through cargo services. "We people used to benefit from the cargo services but now this tax system has ended that too. Government airlines like Air India Express allow only 30kg. The new tariff is a shocker for all low-paid workers."

Meanwhile, cargo agents from the UAE and GCC region are camping in New Delhi meeting federal ministers seeking rollback in the tax structure.
24/07/17 Ashwini Kumar/Khaleej Times

Read More

Ethiopian Airlines Plane Makes Emergency Landing at IGI Airport Due to Tech Glitch

New Delhi: An Ethiopian Airlines plane made emergency landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Monday due to technical glitch. According to initial reports, the Ethiopian Airlines plane from Addis Ababa made an emergency landing at IGI Airport due to landing gear fault. The plane was carrying 226 passengers.
There is no report whether a passenger or crew member sustain injury after the Ethiopian Airlines plane made emergency landing. More details are awaited.
24/07/17 India.com

Read More

IndiGo, Jet introduce additional flights to Doha, Mumbai

Kozhikode: IndiGo and Jet Airways have introduced additional flights to Doha and Mumbai on a daily  basis from Calicut International airport. According to a release from the Director of Calicut Airport on Monday, IndiGo Airlines’ flight would leave Calicut at 12.10 hrs to Doha while it would arrive at Calicut 10.35 hrs in the return direction each day. The new services were introduced from July 20.
Similarly, Jet Airways has introduced additional domestic flights to Mumbai with effect from July 15. It would arrive in Calicut from Mumbai at 12.10 hrs daily and in the return direction, leave Calicut at 13.50 hrs on all days, except Tuesday. On Tuesdays, the service would be operated at 14.30 hrs, it said.
24/07/17 PTI/Indian Express

Read More

Indonesian carrier Batik Air connects Chennai with Bali

Chennai: Batik Air, a subsidiary airline of Indonesia’s Lion Air, has linked Chennai with Bali, a major tourist destination in Indonesia, via Kuala Lumpur.

The full-service airline started its first flight to Chennai on July 23 with a daily flight schedule from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Bali, with a transit at Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. The flight will reach Chennai at 6.30 am and depart at 8.55 am.

From August 26, Batik Air will launch a second flight from Indonesia’s Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, to Chennai, said Ramdas Shivram, General Manager, Sales and Business Development, Batik Air.
24/07/17 Business Line

Read More

Women conceal 4 kg gold in undergarments, held by customs

Mumbai Customs' Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) arrested two foreign national female passengers for allegedly smuggling 4 kg gold worth Rs 1.20 crore in their undergarments to avoid customs. Officials also arrested a local who was waiting outside airport to receive the gold.

The passengers, Malaysian national Santaletchmi Superamaniam, 41, and Singaporean national Magisvary Jairaman, 59, arrived from Singapore on Saturday and were intercepted by officers over suspicious behaviour. A body search unearthed gold chains and bracelets hidden in their undergarments. Interrogations revealed that the duo were to receive 500 Singaporean dollars on successful delivery.

"Interrogation of the Mumbai-based receiver who was waiting for them at the airport revealed that he works for a jeweller in Zaveri Bazaar. His job is to receive passengers coming from abroad with smuggled gold and give it to the main handler/owner," an AIU official said. Officials believe that with the arrest of these three persons they have a lead to a major high profile gold smuggling racket being run from Mumbai.
24/07/17 Vallabh Ozarkar/DNA

Read More

Russia-India talks on buying new generation MiG-35s

Moscow: As the new generation Mig-35 fighter, touted as being superior to the US F-35, made its public debut at the MAKS Aerospace Exhibition, its Russian makers say talks are on with India for buying the jet.
In the partially cloudy sky at the Zhukovsky airport, the 4++ generation jet roared through its routine, keenly wathched for the first time by hundreds of spectators.

Ilya S. Tarasenko, Director General of JSC Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (JSC RAC "MiG") said on the sidelines of the airshow that the new jet is "better" than the 5th generation Lockheed-Martin F-35 which made its public debut at the recent Paris Airshow, adding it could easily take on its rival in a dogfight.

To a question on whether India has expressed interest in the jet, he said: "Of course they have."

"After having presented the MiG-35 in January we began to actively promote it in India and in the world. We are proposing supply of the aircraft for tenders in India and we will actively work with the air force in order to win the tender," Tarasenko said.
23/07/17 IANS/Business Standard

Read More

Cochin bound AirAsia flight AK37 returns to klia2 due to technical reasons

Putrajaya: The AirAsia flight AK37 bound for Cochin from Kuala Lumpur today returned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (klia2) due to technical reasons, said AirAsia in a statement here.

It said the flight left for India at 6.25am, and the aircraft has landed safely at klia2 after two hours into the flight.
Without elaborating further, AirAsia said the flight was re-scheduled for a 3.45pm departure time today.
22/07/17 Bernama/Astro Awani

Read More

No extra seats to Gulf carriers in festive season: Indian airlines to govt

New Delhi: Indian carriers have opposed the government’s decision to give excess bilateral to Dubai carriers in peak festive season. This comes around the time when both sides are negotiating over extra seats. According to a letter sent by Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) to the ministry of civil aviation, the airlines have opposed the ministry’s decision to extra 5,500 seats to carriers of Emirates and flydubai- the designated carriers of Dubai.
“ It is our earnest request that UAE carriers should not be allowed to operate extra flights in excess of their capacity entitlements as the existing capacity entitlements cater to the traffic demand between India and Dubai,” FIA wrote on 20 July. FIA is the lobby group representing major Indian private airlines- IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and Go Air. In between them, they have more than 80 percent of market share.
The lobby group has also said that due to the downturn in West Asia, Gulf carriers want to tap into the Indian traffic which is at its peak during August, September. “This will vitiate the level playing field between the airlines of both sides,” the letter said.
The seat allocation between India and Gulf countries have always been a contentious issue with Indian airlines often complaining that it is pitted against them. The federal auditor Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2011 report pointed out that the government is increasing the seat entitlement to Gulf even though Indian airlines were struggling for slots at Dubai airport.
22/07/17 Arindam Majumdar/Business Standard

Read More

Not just Kohinoor, Hyderabad's WW fighter plane now a relic in London museum

Hyderabad: The demand for the return of the only surviving aircraft of the now defunct Hyderabad Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF), UK, is getting louder. The Hyderabad Squadron 110 of the RAF that played a crucial role in two World Wars turns 100 on November 1. The aircraft, DH9A (De Havilland 9A), belonging to the Hyderabad Squadron 110, is now parked at the RAF Museum in London. The aircraft has been restored and it is in a working condition. City heritage activists have renewed the demand that DH9A aircraft be returned to Hyderabad for display in the city in a fitting tribute to the contribution of the princely state of Hyderabad to the victory of the Allied Forces in two World Wars.
That this year happens to be the centenary of the Hyderabad Squadron 110 calls for celebration. Hyderabad, which participated in two World Wars, does not have any memorabilia.All the war material deployed by the princely state were left on foreign soil. The only surviving memory is the DH9A aircraft.
The Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, had donated as many as 18 aircraft to the RAF during World War I and World War II.The aircraft were divided among three squadrons named after Hyderabad - 110, 152 and 253 squadrons. The surviving aircraft belongs to squadron 110. The aircraft of other two squadrons do not exist now. The RAF formed on November 1, 1917 was heavily funded by Mir Osman Ali Khan. The Nizam had donated 10 lakh dollars to the British air force between December 1914 and March 1917.Apart from purchasing aircraft, the British government used the money for ambulances, motor cars and animals like horses, mules and camels for use in war.
22/07/17 Syed Akbar/Times of India

Read More

19 UK students and staff deported at Chennai airport due to visa rules

Chennai: Sixteen students and three staff from the UK on a charity trip to tsunami-affected areas in Tamil Nadu were refused entry at Chennai airport by immigration staff pointing out the latest changes in visa rules by the Centre. Poynton High School head teacher David Waugh left the airport saddened on Tuesday morning after he was told that the passengers who enter India on tourist visa couldn’t do the work of a non-government organisation.

The students, mostly in their teens, had to wait for more than 10 hours before they could board a return flight. The immigration officials questioned the teacher, who accompanied the children, for hours. The teacher explained that this is the third time that the school was visiting Chennai in partnership with India Direct, an NGO based in the UK.

When immigration officials in Chennai contacted their seniors in Delhi, the officials asked their counterparts to just follow the latest visa rules and deport the passengers back to the UK in the next available flight. After being stranded for hours, UK students left Chennai through British Airways.
22/07/17 PA Jebraj/Deccan Chronicle

Read More

Not just Air India, KLM also serves veg food to economy flyers

New Delhi: Air India may have been roasted on social media for recently going all-vegetarian in economy class of its domestic flights, but it now emerges the Maharaja is not the only one doing so.
Royal Dutch Airlines KLM serves veg meals to economy class passengers on its India-Amsterdam flights. Unlike AI's short domestic flights that can at most be three hours long, the flying time between Delhi and Amsterdam is almost eight hours.
Nandini Guha, an associate professor at Delhi University, discovered this fact to her surprise while visiting Europe last winter. "I flew Delhi-Amsterdam-Copenhagen on the way out and flew back from Helsinki via Amsterdam. I was travelling economy class and KLM did not serve non-veg meals on its flights to and from Delhi.
We were given the option of choosing either Italian veg or Indian veg. Even alcohol was not served and we were given only juice," Guha, who is in DU's department of English, said.
22/07/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Amarinder Singh Extends Legal Help To Two 1981 Hijackers

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today directed the state's legal aid team to extend help to two Sikhs facing possibilities of 'double jeopardy' in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore 36 years ago.

While the hijacking was condemnable, any attempt to prosecute the two, who had already completed life terms in Pakistan for the crime, would amount to a serious travesty of justice, he said in a statement, adding that this could tantamount to "double jeopardy".

He said he has directed the legal aid team of the home department to extend legal help to the two, if required.

Saying he did not want to go into the merits of the case since it was sub-judice, Mr Singh pointed out that 36 years was a long time, especially considering that their life term would not have been more than 14 years.

The Srinagar-bound Indian Airlines plane with 107 passengers and six crew members was hijacked and taken to Lahore in September, 1981.
21/07/17 PTI/NDTV

Read More

SriLankan now flies to 41 cities including 14 destinations in India

SriLankan Airlines recorded an exciting milestone last Sunday as it launched a new four-times-a-week service to Coimbatore. This took SriLankan’s online destination count to 41, the highest ever in Sri Lanka’s aviation history.

With the recently launched routes to Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, as well as the seasonal flights to Gaya and Varanasi which will resume in August, SriLankan will soon be operating 126 scheduled flights a week to 14 destinations in India – serving more Indian points than any other international airline, according to a SriLankan media release.

“This regains SriLankan the title of the foreign airline with the largest reach into India – a solid and distinct advantage that will help SriLankan’s commercial efforts and its quest to become a regional carrier of note,” it said.

In addition to opening these new routes, SriLankan has also implemented several other network changes from 15th July in line with its strategy of adapting its route network to align with the current market realities.
19/07/17 Times Online

Read More

36 years on, Sikh hijackers face trial for sedition

Jalandhar: Thirty-six years after they hijacked an Indian Airlines Boeing-737 to Lahore, their arrest and imprisonment in Pakistan, two of the five Dal Khalsa hijackers are being tried for sedition.
They hijacked Flight IC-423 on September 29, 1981, after it took off from Delhi for Srinagar via Amritsar and made the pilot land at Lahore. Their demand was the release of then Damdami Taksal head Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was arrested nine days before in connection with murder of a Hindi daily editor.
He was released after nothing came out against him. They were also demanding the release of other Sikh prisoners and seeking compensation for the family of Sikhs who were killed in police firing on September 20, 1981, during a protest before Bhindranwale's arrest.Accompanied by their lawyers Mohit Mathur and Manisha Bhandari, the two hijackers, Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib, who headed the Dal Khalsa, and Tejinder Pal Singh, appeared before the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate Jyoti Kler on Tuesday and were granted two-day interim bail.While Tejinder Pal Singh lives in Jalandhar, Satnam Singh resides in Chandigarh.
The court has sought the investigating officer's report and fixed the matter for July 20. Both the lawyers argued before the court that the petitioners had already spent 35 years of their life in litigation and had already served one life sentence in Pakistan.
19/07/17 IP Singh/Times of India

Read More

When Indian MiG-29Ks 'Clashed' With US Super Hornets Over Bay Of Bengal

New Delhi: When Russia deployed its sole aircraft carrier, the Kuznetsov off the coast of Syria earlier this year, a newly-developed fighter jet onboard the ship had many Western powers operating in the region intrigued, if not concerned.

The jet in question was the MiG-29K, a brand new Navalised variant of one of the most successful Russian fighters ever built, the MiG-29, a jet that's been in service with the Indian Air Force since the mid-eighties.

But the MiG-29K is a very different beast. Equipped with a host of new weapons and sensors, the jet is considered among the most capable of its generation, a fighter that could potentially threaten several contemporary Western fighters including newer variants of the F-15 or F-16.
As it turns out, Russia was not the first Navy to deploy the MiG-29K. That honour had come to the Indian Navy a few years ago. Along with the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy had received the MiG-29K as part of a package deal. Which is why, the US would hardly give up any opportunity to exercise with the MiG-29K.
18/07/17 Vishnu Som/NDTV

Read More

India sought time to evaluate Russia's Su-30 upgrade offer: Rostec State Corporation

Moscow: India has sought time to "evaluate" Russia's offer of upgrading its Sukhoi-30 fleet to a near fifth-generation aircraft level, a top official of Russia's Rostec State Corporation has said.

Victor Nikolayevich Kladov, the head of the Department of International Cooperation and Regional Policy, Rostec State Corporation, said it was upto India whether it wants to pick up the entire upgrade package or opt for selective modernisation.

He said the pricing of the upgrade would also depend on that.

Talking to a select group of reporters ahead of Russia's MAKS air show, he said India was evaluating the offer for the upgrade of Sukhoi Su-30MKI.

"This question, as far as I know, was raised in St Petersburg between President (Vladimir) Putin and esteemed Prime Minister(Narendra) Modi (last month). The Indian Prime minister once again reiterated that the Indian side needs time to evaluate it's strategy of of development and how to spend money," Kladov said.
18/07/17 Economic Times

Read More

Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa Flies Rafale Jet In France

New Delhi: Chief of Air Staff BS Dhanoa on Tuesday flew a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from a French airbase to gain first-hand experience of the aircraft, 36 of which are being procured for the Indian Air Force.

Mr Dhanoa is a on a four-day visit to France to ramp up cooperation between the air forces of the two countries in a range of areas.

He flew the fighter at the Saint-Dizier airbase -- a prominent installation of the French air force, an IAF official said.

India is procuring the Rafale multi-role fighter jets from French aviation major Dassault under a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs. 59,000 crore) deal inked in September last year Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa will also take stock of progress in their supply.


The fighter jets are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and will be equipped with the latest missiles that will give the IAF greater "potency" over arch-rival Pakistan.

The Rafale combat aircraft will come with various India- specific modifications including Israeli helmet mounted displays, radar warning receivers and low band jammers, among others.
19/07/17 PTI/NDTV

Read More

Indo-Russian JV for Kamov choppers registered in India: Official

Moscow: An Indo-Russian joint venture to produce the Kamov military helicopters under a USD 1 billion deal has been registered in India and efforts are on to co- produce them, a senior official of the Russian defence major Rostec has said.

The joint venture was registered in May, said Victor Nikolayevich Kladov, the head of the Department of International Cooperation and Regional Policy, Rostec State Corp, Russia's umbrella organisation for 700 hi-tech civilian and military firms which was established in 2007.

In October last year, India and Russia finalised a broad agreement for the JV between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and two Russian defence majors.
India is procuring Kamov choppers to replace its ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

Sixty Kamov-226T helicopters will be supplied to India in fly-away condition, while 140 will be manufactured in India under a USD 1 billion deal inked in 2015.
18/07/17 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Avian Media bags PR mandate for Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney, a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units, has awarded its public relations mandate to Avian Media following a competitive multi-agency pitch.

Avian Media will be responsible for developing and managing strategic communications to amplify key messages and deliver successful campaigns for Pratt & Whitney (P&W) in India. The mandate includes reiterating P&W’s strengths and commitment to India, promoting technology leadership and innovation as well as building advocacy among relevant stakeholders.

Subir Moitra, head of Marketing and Communications for Pratt & Whitney in India, said: “We look forward to working with Avian Media in successfully driving the Pratt & Whitney story in India. We are especially focused on India as it is the world’s center of excellence for Pratt & Whitney’s revolutionary new propulsion system, the Geared TurboFan (GTF). Avian has a deep understanding of the aviation sector and will help us meet our business goals.”  Moitra recently re-joined Pratt & Whitney after serving as vice-president of Marketing and Communications for KPMG in India.
19/07/17 exchange4media

Read More

Abu Dhabi 'in talks to buy 49% stake in Indian airport'

Abu Dhabi is reportedly close to finalising the purchase of a 49 percent stake in one of India’s busiest airports.

The sovereign wealth fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is competing against Paris Aeroport to acquire the minority shareholding in Hyderabad International Airport, India’s The Economic Times reported. ADIA’s talks were more advanced than those of the Paris airport authority, the newspaper said.

ADIA declined to comment when contacted by Arabian Business, however it has previously said it was interested in greater investment in emerging markets.

One of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, ADIA already has direct and indirect investments in India and shares in airports globally, including Gatwick in the UK and Rome.

The highly indebted Bengaluru-based infrastructure developer GMR Group is selling the stake in the airport to help rebalance its books, The Economic Times said.
18/07/17 Arabian Business

Read More

Antonov appoints Flywell Aviation as GSA for India

Ukrainian heavylift freighter operator Antonov Airlines has appointed Flywell Aviation as its general sales agent (GSA) in India.

New Delhi-headquartered Flywell Aviation has offices in Mumbai and Bangalore, and provides services to the defence, aerospace, oil and gas, rail and construction sectors.

Four senior members of staff, with a combined logistics industry experience of 55 years, will support Antonov Airlines’ activities across Flywell Aviation’s Indian offices.

In June this year, Antonov Airlines — operator of the An-124, An-225 and An-22 freighter aircraft — appointed Air Cargo Partners Worldwide (ACP) as its general sales agent (GSA) in Australia.

In December 2016, Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr Airlines ended their Ruslan International joint venture after a ten year partnership flying An-124-100 freighters,

Michael Goodisman, business development director, at Antonov Airlines, said: “India is a very significant market for the AN-124-100s, and holds good potential for An-225 and An-22 flights across a number of sectors.”
17/07/17 aircargonews

Read More

It’s advantage India as Emirates and flydubai join forces

New Delhi: Emirates and flydubai on Monday unveiled a partnership which will see the two Dubai-based airlines join forces to offer customers more travel options. This will allow Indians to fly to more destinations globally.

Emirates is the largest foreign airline operating into India with 174 weekly flights to nine cities while flydubai operates 29 weekly services from eight cities. The two carriers offer Indian passengers a choice of 203 weekly flights.

The latest announcement by the airlines will, for instance, allow a passenger in Lucknow to board a flydubai flight till Dubai and then fly on Emirates to Seattle. Or a passenger from Hyderabad can take flydubai to Dubai and then fly Emirates to mainland Europe, America, Africa or South America. Earlier, with the two airlines not “talking to one another”, selling such tickets was not possible.

In a statement, the airlines said that both will continue to be managed independently, but will leverage each other’s networks to scale up their operations and accelerate growth.

Terming the tie-up as being on expected lines, Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, South Asia, said that the strategic and more intense cooperation is “good for customers as extensive networks of both (the airlines) can now be fully leveraged.” Kaul predicts that as demand continues to remain muted, new alignments are likely in West Asia.
17/07/17 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

Read More

AIE to launch 4 services from Kochi to Doha

Kochi: The Indian diaspora, especially Keralites, hit by travel woes following the diplomatic row in Qatar have reasons to cheer as the Kochi-headquartered Air India Express (AIE) has decided to start four services from Kochi to Doha from August 15.
This is the first time AIE is operating direct flight services to Doha from Kochi.

In the first stage, the airline will launch three direct flight services to Doha from Kochi from August 15 and one more will be launched by September 15. The airline is operating additional flights between Doha, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram from June 24 to cater to the increased demand on these sectors in the light of the Qatar crisis.

Currently, AIE operates 14 flights per week between India and Doha, of which seven connect Kerala to Doha. With four more services being added, there will be 11 AIE flights to Doha from Kerala and a total of 18 flights from the country in a week.
16/07/17 New Indian Express

Read More

Sri Lankan Airlines resumes operations from Cbe after 9 yr gap

Coimbatore: After a nine year gap, Sri Lankan Airlines today recommenced operations from this city to Colombo.

The Airline would operate the service four times a week to Coimbatore, connecting Tamil Nadu's second largest city to the World through its global network, Chief Commercial Officer Siva Ramachandran told reporters here.

He said the services were suspended in 2008 due to economic reasons and added that they decided to start operations to the city, their 14th destination in India, after evaluation and feasability.

The new destination would further strengthen ties between both countries,promoting two way travel for leisure, business, pilgrimages, health requirement and education, he said.

With this addition, SrLankan Airelines now operates 126 flights a week to 14 cities in India,with existing services to Chennai, Tiruchirappali, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai,New Delhi, Gaya, Madurai, Varanasi, kochi,Bengaluru and Kolkatta,he said.
16/07/16 PTI/DNA

Read More

No plans to expand, invest in India: Oman Air

Muscat: Oman Air will not expand its operations to India or buy a stake in Air India, under current circumstances, an official from Oman Air has confirmed.

It was reported that Oman Air was likely to invest in the Indian carrier if the open skies agreement was worked out between the two countries; however, with troubled times for the aviation industry, the plan has been put on hold, along with the scheme to increase operations to India.

“We have no plans to extend, unless entitlements are further increased for specific domestic airports,” Paul Gregorowitsch, chief executive officer (CEO) of Oman Air told the Times of Oman when asked about expanding operations to India.

He stated that there was “no appetite to invest in foreign airlines,” implying that there was no plan to invest in Air India.
16/07/17  Syed Haitham Hasan/Times of Oman

Read More

Netaji didn't die in air crash, says secret French report

Chennai: How did Subhas Chandra Bose die? To find the answer, the Indian government had appointed three commissions. The Shah Nawaz Committee (1956) and Khosla Commission (1970) said that Bose died in an air crash on August 18, 1945 at Taihoku airport in Japanese-occupied Taipei, while the Mukherjee Commission (1999) concluded that he did not die in an air-crash. The government, however, rejected the findings of the Mukherjee Commission. But that didn't stop scholars from dwelling deep to find the truth.
Paris-based historian J B P More, who recently stumbled upon a brief French secret service report dated December 11, 1947 at the National Archives of France, has come up with a finding that Bose didn't die in an air crash and was still alive in 1947.
"It is not stated in the document that Subhas Chandra Bose died in the air crash in Taiwan. Instead, it is reported that Bose's present whereabouts were unknown as late as December 1947, which again implies that the French did not buy the theory that Bose died in the air-crash on August 18, 1945,"  said More, quoting the report written for the "Haut Commisariat de France for Indochina "SDECE Indochinese Base BCRI No. 41283 csah Ex No. 616, under the title: "Archival Information on Subhas Chandra Bose." "In this report, it is clearly stated that he was the ex-chief of the Indian Independence League and a member of Hikari Kikan, a Japanese organisation. It is further stated clearly that he escaped from Indochina, though it does not state how," he said.
16/07/17 MT Saju/Times of India

Read More

Oman Air hopes Indian Govt to consider open sky pact

New Delhi: Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch on Thursday said that India has plans to have open sky agreements with countries within a radius of 5,000 kilometres.

An open sky air service agreement allows for airlines from the two countries to have an unlimited number of flights as well as seats to each other’s jurisdictions.

“If the current policy of the Indian Government to also consider an open sky (agreement) for those destinations which are within 5,000 kilometres materialises in the next two years, then it will automatically (provide us) a more level environment,” said Gregorowitsch.

The move could be implemented by 2020, the Oman Air CEO claimed.

“From (the) information I have received in Oman, Indian government has said it will consider it (open sky agreement) by 2020,” he said.

He also said that such a move would be a “win-win” for both India as well as the Oman carrier, as the latter is planning to add more aircraft and more destinations.

However, the move should be complemented with more airports being made available in the country by permitting military airports to be used for civil purposes, he added.

As per the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016, the government will enter into an open sky air service agreement on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and countries with territory located entirely beyond a 5,000-kilometre radius from New Delhi.
“For countries partly or fully within the 5,000-kilometre radius, where the designated carriers of India have not fully utilised 80 per cent of their capacity entitlements, but foreign carriers/countries have utilised their bilateral rights and are pressing for increase in capacity, a method will be recommended...,” according to the policy.

Oman Air has been able to add 5,067 seats in summer this year. In the winter schedule too, it will add 1,821 seats after the bilateral agreement between the two countries was revised to permit the carrier to operate additional seats.

14/07/17 Pioneer

Read More

Oman Air not to bid for Air India

New Delhi: Oman’s national airline Oman Air would rather invest in a profit-making airline in India rather than buying a stake in an ‘ailing’ carrier, its chief executive officer said on Thursday, making it clear that the company would not bid for Air India.

“As a businessman, you are far more eager to participate with a profit-making airline and not having the legacy of the state airline,” Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch told The Hindu. “If you look at what the neighbouring Gulf airlines have done with state airlines in Europe, you see that those investments have been a complete failure.”

He said that Oman Air had no plans to acquire a strategic stake in an Indian airline at the moment. “If it would come to it, we would team up with a promising proposition from a successful Indian airline than setting up our own or getting involved with an ailing Indian airline,” he said.

“Today we have no interest to make a bid for Air India or part of Air India,” he clarified. The Centre last month gave an in-principle nod for strategic disinvestment of Air India. So far, IndiGo has formally expressed formal interest in acquiring stake in the national carrier’s international operations.
14/07/17 Somesh Jha/The Hindu

Read More

UAE, India boost aviation cooperation

The UAE and India have explored ways to take bilateral relations to a higher level with special emphasis on the aviation sector.

This came in a meeting UAE Ambassador to India, Dr. Ahmed Allbanna, had with Shri. P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Hon’ble, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, on Wednesday, 12th July 2017, where the two sides discussed the possibility of signing a new agreement to utilise the high potential for travel growth between the two countries.

Dr. Ahmed Albanna said that the UAE-India air routes are considered among the most lucrative in the world. "Currently, the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah have one air service agreement and four MoUs with India," he said, explaining that carriers from India and the UAE can now fly a total of 131,741 aircraft seats a week, each way. These are divided between Dubai (62,500), Abu Dhabi (50,000), Sharjah (17,841) and Ras Al-Khaimah (1,400). In the existing MoUs, Dubai sector has exhausted their bilateral seat capacities and Sharjah has already surpassed the 80% load required to restart the negotiations, noted the ambassador.
14/07/17 Wam/Emirates24|7

Read More

India will consider an open sky agreement for flights within 5,000 km: Oman Air

India has plans to have an open sky agreement with the nations, which are within the radius of 5,000 km, said Oman Air Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Gregorowitsch on Thursday.

An open sky agreement refers to an agreement between two nations to allow each other airlines to have an unlimited number of flights, seats, etc between the two countries.
“If the current policy of the Indian Government is to also consider an open sky (agreement) for those destinations which are within 5,000 kilometres materialises, in the next two years, then it will automatically (provide us) a more level environment,” said Gregorowitsch, while briefing a media round table in New Delhi. He was confident that the measure could be put into place by 2020.

Gregorowitsch claimed that he had received information in Oman and that such a decision would be a ‘win-win’ for India as well as for Oman Air, as the airline is planning to include more aircraft and destinations.

However, the move will have to be supported by making available more airports in the country and by allowing military airports for civil use, he added.
According to India’s National Civil Aviation Policy 2016, the country can enter into an agreement for open sky on a mutual basis with the SAARC nations and countries beyond a radius of 5,000-kilometre from New Delhi.
14/07/17 Dollar Business

Read More

Essar signs deal to supply aviation fuel direct to Etihad Airways

New Delhi: Essar Oil (UK) Limited, which owns and operates the Stanlow Refinery at Ellesmere Port has confirmed a new agreement with Etihad Airways for the direct supply of aviation fuel at manchester Airport. Essar commenced supply to Etihad on Saturday 1st July 2017.

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and part of the Etihad Aviation Group (EAG). It operates two flights per day direct from Manchester Airport (MAN) to abu dhabi Airport (AUH). From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, australia and the Americas.

This deal strengthens Essar's aviation proposition in the UK, with the company now having direct jet fuel supply agreements in place with major airlines operating out of Manchester, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford airports.

Essar Stanlow produces 16 percent of the UK's road transport fuel demand and manufactures over two billion litres of jet fuel each year, playing a key role in the country's aviation industry. It currently supplies, on a wholesale basis, a significant proportion of Manchester Airport as well as Liverpool John Lennon and other regional airports' jet fuel demand.
13/07/17 Outlook

Read More

Plane to Dubai develops technical glitch, grounded

Ahmedabad: As many as 200 passengers were stranded at the city airport on Thursday when their flight to Dubai got cancelled. Passengers had to allegedly wait for hours before the airlines deplaned them and grounded the airplane due to technical issues. The airline later made alternative arrangements for the passengers. The Emirates flight was scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad at 4.25 am. While it went up to the runway as scheduled, it returned back to the parking bay.

Passengers complained that they were asked to wait inside the aircraft for hours before being asked to de-board. Nitish Shah, a 27-year-old businessman who was flying to Amsterdam said, "The flight was initially delayed for 50 minutes. We sat in the aircraft for about three hours, then the pilot announced that the flight has been cancelled. An airline official at the airport told Mirror, "There was some technical issue. After an engineering team checked the issue, they decided to ground the aircraft."

Shah said, "The airline offered us an alternative. Around 1.30 pm, they confimed they booked our journey to Amsterdam in Jet Airways. We lost a day of travelling and about Rs 25,000 worth of hotel booking." Passengers also complained that there was no seating arrangement at the airport. Those who chose to take another flight alleged that they had to go through immigration and customs process all over again. Passenger Rajan Choksi travelling to Dubai said, "It was a very tiring experience. We did not expect this from such a reputed airlines."
14/07/17 Ahmedabad Mirror

Read More

Coimbatore-Colombo flight service from Sunday

With four flights a week, SriLankan Airlines will commence Coimbatore - Colombo services from Sunday.

The services will be on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday with arrival and departure timings as 14:35 and 15:35 on the Coimbatore-Colombo sector. SriLankan Airlines is the third international airliner providing connectivity to the city.

R. Mahalingam, director of Coimbatore International Airport, said that all the formalities for the commencement of operation has been completed.

“Service to Sri Lanka commencing on Sunday will expand the airport's international flight list. Trade bodies are fighting for more international flights, especially to Dubai and Europe” said Mr. Mahalingam.

While finalising the four services in the current summer schedule, officials of Airport Authority of India had requested SriLankan Airlines management to consider operation of daily flights from winter schedule 2017-18.

Air Arabia and Silk Air are currently operating services to Sharjah and Singapore respectively from Coimbatore.
14/07/17 The Hindu

Read More

Kerala airports handle more international passengers than domestic

New Delhi: The growth in India's domestic air travel is among the key benchmarks the sellers of global commercial jets would keenly track.

But, curiously, some airports in the peninsula cater to more international than domestic passengers, illustrating the traffic potential from the Gulf and the ASEAN cities in the South.
Data from the state-run aviation property company Airports Authority of India (AAI) show that Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode, and Tiruchirappalli hosted more outbound passengers than those travelling within the country in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
"These international airports have more international flights. Look at the case of Tiruchirappalli airport, which is connected by five international destinations directly, but only one domestic destination," said Habeebullah Ubaidullah, a Trichy-based aviation analyst.
This airport, with flights to Colombo and connected domestically to Chennai by ATR aircraft, has 14 narrow-bodied international departures per day with 15,078 weekly seat capacities and more than 90% of load factor. There are only three ATR local departures to Chennai.
13/07/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Read More

IB raises red flag over allowing 100% FDI in domestic airlines

New Delhi: The Intelligence Bureau has raised serious concerns over the government's proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in local airlines citing security issues, a source said.
Concerns were raised during a meeting chaired by Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi which was attended by senior officials from the civil aviation ministry and the IB. The meeting, held last month, was convened to discuss issues related to proposed amendments to the Aircraft Rules, 1937.
The amendments are required to operationalise the framework for allowing foreign non-airline players to own up to 100 per cent stake in domestic carriers. While the liberalised FDI policy was announced last year, it can be implemented only after putting in place the relevant rules.
According to the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media, the IB is of the view that foreign players should not be allowed to have 100 per cent stake in domestic airlines as aviation is a "highly sensitive sector".
During the meeting, the IB also submitted that even developed countries like the US and Canada have permitted foreign entities to have only up to 25 per cent stake in their respective domestic carriers.
11/07/17 Times of India

Read More

Telugu couple killed in US plane crash

A Telugu couple, Umamaheshwar Rao Kalapathapu and Seethageetha Kalapathapu were killed in a plane crash in the United States. The couple hailed from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The incident occurred when the private plane which was on it's way from Cass County, Logansport, in Indiana, to an airport in Parkesbury, in West Virginia crashed in to a retention pond, at Beverly, in Ohio state.

The reason behind the crash is termed to be a technical snag. The plane went off the radar on Saturday evening and hours later, airport authorities recovered the wreckage of the plane from the pond. The couple were the only two passengers in the plane.
11/07/17 Hans India

Read More

48-hour notice to repatriate bodies to India 'impractical'

Abu Dhabi: he Indian Embassy and social activists have termed as 'impractical' a circular issued by an officer at the Calicut Airport seeking a 48-hour notice on repatriation of dead bodies from Gulf countries.

Confusion reigned at the Sharjah International Airport as Calicut International Airport health officer Dr Jalaludheen had shot a circular to airline operators asking them to follow standard operating procedures while repatriating bodies to the Kerala airport.

However, following the outcry, Jalaludheen has requested all airline firms not to block any dead bodies.

The procedure mentioned in the circular follow the International Health Rule 2005 and Indian Aircraft Public Health Rule 1954, which mandated producing death certificate, embalming certificate, NOC from the Indian High Commission of the concerned country and cancelling copy of passport, all of this to airport health officer 48 hours prior to arrival of dead body.

Embassy First Secretary (Community Affairs) Dinesh Kumar said there was no information on any recent rule change in the procedures to follow for repatriation from the Indian government.

"The 48-hour notice sought by Calicut Airport health officer is practically not possible," Kumar said.
11/07/17 Ashwani Kumar/Khaleej Times

Read More

Chandigarh-Bangkok flight 4 times in a week from Nov

Chandigarh: The cash-strapped public sector aviation giant, Air India, is all set to launch a direct flight from Chandigarh to Bangkok in the winter.
According to information provided by the airlines before the Punjab and Haryana high court during the resumed hearing of a petition regarding the delay in launching of international flights from the Chandigarh airport, Air India would launch the flight in November. It would operate for four days in a week.
The Chandigarh-Bangkok flight was first announced on September 15, 2016, by Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani during the launching of the first flight by Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, from Chandigarh to Sharjah.
Earlier, the flight was to start in April but was deferred for May because of delay in procuring new aircraft.
11/07/17 Times of India

Read More

8,000 expats hit hard by India’s new import rules

Abu Dhabi: Around 8,000 Indians in the UAE, mostly workers and low-income employees, are still waiting for gifts they sent last month through courier companies to be delivered to families and friends in India.
An overnight change in import rules made by the Government of India has resulted in a 41 per cent import duty being imposed on gifts and other goods for personal use since July 1, which has caused the delay, the head of a courier industry body told Gulf News on Monday.

“Around 250 tonnes of cargo has been held up at the Delhi and Mumbai airports since July 1. Cargo service operators were not in a position to clear about 200 tonnes of cargo at Delhi airport and 50 tonnes at Mumbai airport due to the 41 per cent tax imposed on June 30 without any prior notification,” Mohammad Ziad, president of Association of Courier Agents, told Gulf News on Monday.
The association represents 64 cargo businesses in the UAE, offering services to India.
As an average Indian customer sends 30kg to India, the situation has affected more than 8,000 people, Ziad said.
10/07/17 Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

Read More

Indian-origin man proposes $6-bn cheaper Heathrow runway plans

An Indian-origin 'wealthy' businessman in the UK has submitted plans for a new third runway at Heathrow airport, claiming to lower costs by five- billion pounds, a media report said today.

Surinder Arora, a hotel tycoon, has put his proposal to the government's public consultation on Heathrow.

Ministers have expressed a preference for the airport's plans for a new runway and terminal costing 17.5 billion pounds, BBC reported.

Heathrow said it was already considering some of the ideas, and wanted to lower the cost too, the report said.

Arora Group's proposals include changing the design of terminal buildings and taxiways, and reducing the amount of land it is built on, it said.

Arora said: "We want passengers to be at the heart of our plans and the current monopoly at Heathrow, which over-charges airlines and in turn raises fares for passengers, is not the right model for the future. Heathrow needs competition and innovation which puts passengers and airlines at the heart of the expansion project".

"One of the options we have proposed to the government includes a possible shift of the runway so that it does not impact on the M25 and M4, as we know the M25 junction being affected threatens the deliverability of the whole project.

"We appreciate this is a politically sensitive issue but it is merely an option with additional savings of 1.5 billion pounds, whereas the rest of our proposals save up to 5.2 billion pounds (USD 6.44 billion) without the need to amend the runway location," Arora said.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' owner IAG, welcomed the proposals and said: "The government should look closely at Arora's proposal as it would significantly reduce costs."
09/07/17 PTI/DNA

Read More

Indian in race to build Heathrow runway

London: Surinder Arora, one of Britain's most successful Indian entrepreneurs, has put in a bid to build a new runway and terminal at Heathrow which he has said will be £6.7 billion (Rs 55,600 crore) cheaper than the £17.5 billion (Rs 1.45 lakh crore) project envisaged by the company which owns the country's main airport.

Asked by The Telegraph whether he was confident of delivering on such an ambitious plan, Arora responded: "I am more than confident -I have taken on Bechtel (the largest construction and civil engineering company in the US) and an impressive array of advisers. I have spent tons of money on this project. If I was not confident of doing this, why would I take this on?"

Judging by his record in the hotel industry, Arora has to be considered a serious player, now that the government has more or less decided that extra capacity has to be built for the 21st century with a third runway at Heathrow.
Arora says he can do the job much better and cheaper than Heathrow Airport Limited, which he accuses of wanting a "monopoly". Arora's main argument is that competition is good for the passenger and for the airlines - and in drawing up his plans, he has consulted the world's top carriers.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways' owner IAG, welcomed Arora's proposals. "The government should look closely at Arora's proposal as it would significantly reduce costs," Walsh said. British Airways is Heathrow's biggest customer.

The department for transport has estimated a new runway at Heathrow would bring economic benefits to passengers and the wider economy worth up to £61bn, and create as many as 77,000 additional local jobs over the next 14 years.

The question is who gets to build the new runway and terminal? The BBC last night broke the story that Arora had put in a bid - and this was confirmed today by the man.

Arora, who was born on September 22, 1958, in Sultanpur near Jalandhar in Punjab, came to Britain in 1972 as a self-confessed unruly teenager and began his career by working as a waiter in a hotel that he subsequently bought. He is today the suave chairman of the Arora Group he founded in 1979.

The number of hotels he currently owns is 15, with a capacity of 6,000 bedrooms. "There are three more under construction," he said. "Once these open, we will have 7,000 bedrooms." "The Arora Group really has three main businesses - Arora Hotels are only third of our business," he explained. "Another third is real estate and the final third is development."

"We do a lot of our developments for ourselves and certainly after the three airport owners - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted - I guess we are probably the next largest landowner, (with) land, offices, car parks, buildings around the airports. So we have quite a decent size property portfolio."
09/07/17 Amit Roy/Telegraph 

Read More

Airport authorities modify demand after body blocked at Sharjah

Malappuram: The health officer at Calicut International Airport will convene a meeting of air carrier companies on Monday to clear the confusion over a recent circular from the airport mandating prior permissions for bringing dead bodies from GCC countries.
The decision follows protests from expatriate organisations in the state against government and airport authorities. They alleged a dead body was blocked at Sharjah International Airport after the circular was issued.

Demanding steps to clear the air, Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) functionaries P K Anwar Naha and Ashraf Thamarassery met airport authorities on Monday.
Airport health officer Dr Jalaludheen who issued the circular said he will notify flight companies not to block dead bodies in the airport and only relay information before carrying the body. He said the circular was issued by in late June as per the WHO’s International Health Regulations at points of entry.  
“The circular was aimed only at averting possible entry of infectious diseases to the state and was not intended to create difficulties,” said Jalaludheen.

“While the circular mentions information must be conveyed 48 hours before the body is brought to the airport, we are not making it mandatory. We need only a communication prior to a body being brought.”    
10/07/17 New Indian Express

Read More

CM steps in to bring body from Gulf

Thiruvananthapuram/Kozhikode: The body of a Malayali which got stranded in Saudi Arabia was finally given permission to be brought to Karipur after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan intervened in the issue.
The repatriation of Prakash Damodaran's body got delayed after Karipur airport officials issued a circular insisting on 48-hour advance intimation and prior approval for arrival of mortal remains.
The chief minister wrote to the Centre against the circular issued by the health officer of Karipur airport which had invoked severe criticism from various quarters. Subsequently, the deputy director general of Union health and family welfare department communicated with the health officer at the Karipur airport and urged him to take necessary steps for the immediate repatriation of the body.
The body will be brought in an Air India Express flight from Dammam, which will reach Karipur airport by 9.30am on Monday.
10/07/17 Times of India

Read More

Indian held with undeclared Indian bank notes from TIA

Kathmandu: An Indian National has been arrested in possession of undeclared Indian bank notes 2, 34,000 from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, on Sunday, police said.

According to police, 32-year-old Wanshwa Nongtdu was arrested from TIA’s International Hold Baggage area during a regular security check.
Police recovered 108 denominations of INRs 500 and 90 denominations of INRs 2000 from Nongtdu.

He was traveling to New Delhi via Jet Airways from Kathmandu.
09/07/17 Himalayan Times

Read More

This is how Guptas were allowed to land at Air Force Base Waterkloof – report

Permission was never granted for the Guptas’ wedding guests to land from SARS, the Civil Aviation Authority and defence force.

Instead, Bruce Koloane, then head of state protocol, sent the pilot who landed the Jet Airways flight highly sensitive information including maps and aviation charts over insecure email systems such as Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail in a bid to camouflage a paper trail that would directly link him to the Guptas.

According to the Sunday Times, Jet Airways advised Anil Gupta, father to Vega Gupta, that permission first had to be obtained from the CAA. A letter was then written to the Indian high commissioner, requesting his intervention.

“Landing at the airport will not only be highly convenient but will also ensure the comfort and safety of our high-profile guests,” the email read.

Koloane sent information to Ashu Chawla, CEO of Gupta-owned Sahara group, who then passed it on to the management of Jet Airways.

The information sent to the pilot consisted of military charts, official airforce markings,  information on radio and navigation frequencies and co-ordinates of buildings reserved for state officials and airline employees.
09/07/17 The Citizen

Read More

Norms on bringing back the dead unacceptable, says CM

Thiruvananthapuram/Malappuram : Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has termed the recent circular from the health officer at Calicut International Airport in Karipur mandating permission for bringing bodies from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ‘unacceptable’.

He has written to the Union Government seeking withdrawal of the norm.  The body of Jayaprakash from Wayanad, who died in Saudi Arabia, was held back at the Sharjah airport and could not be brought to the state after officers denied permission citing the norm.

The circular, issued by Airport Health Officer Jalaludheen last month, has evoked strong protests from Malayali expatriates working in West Asia. Citing directives by International Health Regulations’ Point of Entry provisions, the circular asked airline companies to pass on information to the health officer before the bodies are flown to the state.

The circular asks flight companies to pass on information 48 hours before the bodies are airlifted to Karipur. Terming the circular a disrespect to the dead, the office-bearers of various organisations said they will fight the move at any cost.

“It takes at least two or three days to bring home the dead after clearing all the GCC proceedings. The new circular will lead to further delay and it should be withdrawn,” said Kerala Pravasi League general secretary Haneefa Munniyur. Haneefa said the organisation will convene an urgent meeting on Sunday to decide the future course of action.
09/07/17 New Indian Express

Read More

Court lets off Tanzanian man held for drug trafficking

New Delhi: A Delhi court has let off an accused with a punishment of 21 months’ imprisonment already served during the trial after he pleaded guilty to his offences in a Narcotic Dugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case.

The Narcotic Control Bureau had arrested Ramadhan Ismail, a Tanzanian national, with 25 kg of ephedrine at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the Capital in 2015.

“The convict has no previous criminal antecedents and it does appear from the totality of the attendant circumstances and material on record that he is not a hardened criminal. He may be forced due to his economic condition to indulge in the illegal trafficking of controlled substance. No doubt poverty is not a justification for commission of crimes but in the considered opinion of this court, imposing a harsh sentence will also not sub-serve the interests of justice,’’ Additional Sessions Judge Sudesh Kumar said while giving him a lenient punishment.

“The convict has admitted his guilt stating that due to his financial hardship he agreed to become the carrier. He, being a foreign national, is unnecessarily putting liability on our jail, and he is required to be deported back to his country,’’ the Judge stated.
08/07/17 Nirnimesh Kumar/The Hindu

Read More

Indian singer slams United Airlines over baggage loss

Mumbai: Indian singer Monica Dogra on Saturday went on a social media rant targeting United Airlines for losing her luggage twice.
“I am APPALLED. You have lost my luggage AGAIN! Second time in a row. I travelled over 25 hours for a special event,” Monica tweeted on Saturday to the United Airlines official handle.
“United Airlines, you offer no compensation or customer service. I’ve been more than patient. Lost Luggage #FAIL atrocious”
“You might be the world’s worst airline! Cannot believe how horrific your service is,” she added in another post.
A response from the United Airlines official Twitter handle then read: “Hello Monica, we’re sorry your recent experiences with us have not been great. DM us your baggage claim ID number so we can trace it.”
Then Monica wrote: “I take flights at least once a week. Only when I make the mistake of flying United Airlines, my luggage has been consistently lost.
“Don’t apologize without rectifying the situation once and for all. TWO times in a row! Never using your airline again! I need my luggage NOW.”
08/07/17 IANS/India.com

Read More

Sky remains the limit for flight school

This Saturday, local flight school Falcon Aviation Academy will formalize an agreement with a regional airline to begin a coordinated program to train pilots at the same time it is moving its growing group of foreign students into customized housing.
The two initiatives are part of a response to the burgeoning international demand for personnel in the aviation industry.

According to the Boeing Company’s 2016 Pilot & Technician Outlook, there is a need for 617,000 new pilots worldwide over the next two decades, with Asia Pacific requiring the most — 248,000.

Falcon Aviation Academy’s ongoing partnership with China is helping meet that demand.

Falcon is one of about 3,000 flight schools certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, but only 10 percent are also certified by the Transportation Security Administration’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System to train foreigners.

Out of those, there are only 10 that are certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Falcon is the only one in Georgia.

In 2006, Falcon become an international flight school and received its first students from India. Once Falcon acquired its Chinese certification in December 2008, the first students arrived almost a year later, the following November.

While China’s demand for pilots remains high, training there is problematic for the students. Since the Chinese military controls the airspace, students can expect less than one hour of training per day, per plane.

And there aren’t a lot of good flying days because of the air pollution, according to Aaron Hollewell, Falcon’s manager of sales and marketing.

There are four certified flying schools in China and only 20 approved flight schools outside of China. The majority of training is done in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, France and New Zealand.

Since 2014, Falcon has seen its enrollment double. The academy currently hosts 220 international students and 180 domestic. It has 250 employees and is responsible for more than 5,000 flight hours a month, according to Hollewell.

With strong enrollment numbers that show no sign of waning, Falcon executives decided last fall to purchase the former Economy Inn located near Interstate 85 Exit 41, about a mile from the Newnan-Coweta County Airport.
07/07/17 Clay Neely/Newnan Times Herald

Read More