Star tortoises seized at airport

Chennai: Around 1,000 endangered star tortoises were seized from a Singapore-bound passenger at the airport here, three weeks after Malaysia returned to India hundreds of such smuggled animals.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials seized the tortoises from the passenger who had come to board a Chennai - Singapore Malaysian Airlines flight last night, airport sources said.
The passenger, whose identity was not revealed, was searched and arrested following a tip-off, they said.
The seized tortoises will be handed over to forest department officials.
Earlier this month, more than 300 star tortoises, seized by Malaysian authorities from a passenger from Chennai, were returned to India.
23/07/07 Chennai Online

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RBI liberalises import norms for aircraft, copters

Mumbai: Liberalising the procedure for import for the civil aviation sector, the Reserve Bank on Friday allowed airlines to make advance payment up to $ 50 million toward purchase of aircraft, helicopters and other aviation equipment.
The airlines operating scheduled air transport services can now make "advance remittance, without bank guarantee or an unconditional, irrevocable standby Letter of Credit, up to US$ 50 million, for direct import of each aircraft/helicopter/other aviation-related purchases," the RBI said in a notification here.
The central bank has also asked the authorised dealer banks to undertake the transactions after following the KYC (Know Your Customer) guidelines with respect to the Indian importer and the overseas manufacturer.
The notification further said the advance payments should be made as per the terms of the contract between the buyer and the seller, in the account of the manufacturer.
30/06/07 PTI/The Hindu

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India, Kuwait to continue talks

Dubai: India and Kuwait will continue their discussions for the third day on Saturday on resolving the row over air traffic rights following the gulf state's threat to stop Indian national carriers flying there from Sunday.
"The two days of talks were inconclusive and is to be extended to Saturday by which a definite picture will emerge," Indian Ambassador to Kuwait M Ganapathi, who also took part in the talks, said without mentioning the problems, which is hampering an agreement.
The spat began when Kuwait decided to stop Indian carriers from flying into the country from July 1.A bilateral agreement was signed between India and Kuwait last year allowing 5,200 seats per week for both.
Kuwait has urged to raise the limit and requested that its carriers be allowed to pick up passengers from third nations.
While Kuwait Airways and Al-Jazeera operate daily flights to India, Air India and Indian Airlines maintain a total of seven flights per week out of Kuwait.
The main concern of the Indian Civil Aviation ministry is Jazeera's low fares, as it offers fares ranging from Rs 4000-12,000 on the Mumbai-Dubai sector while fares of Air India Express start at around Rs 7000.
30/06/07 Agencies/Financial Express

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airblue keen to start operations to India

Dubai: airblue, Pakistan's largest private sector airline, has placed an order for six A320 aircraft and will start receiving deliveries from July 2009, a top official said yesterday.
"We are also in touch with Airbus and Boeing for long-haul aircraft to expand our services to North America and European destinations," said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chief Operating Officer of the airline.
In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, he said airblue has made tremendous gains in growth and revenue generation in first three years of operations.
"As an international carrier airblue is keen to start operations to India but all depends on the aviation policies of the two countries," he added.
Abbasi, who also served as Chairman and Chief Executive of Pakistan International Airlines during late 90s, said that currently the aircraft operated under wet lease arrangement were six to seven years old.
30/06/07 Muzaffar Rizvi/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Fiji - India flight routes in the pipeline

The interim Government plans to negotiate new flight routes which they hope will prove to be lucrative for the economy, says interim Transport Minister Manu Korovulavula.
He said plans were afoot to have flights from Fiji to Hawaii and the United States of America.
Several other destinations including India and China are being explored.
He said with India an agreement had already been in existence for the 30 years.
30/06/07 Fiji Times, Fiji

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Passengers on AI flight suffer delay

New Delhi: The passengers of an Air India Toronto-Amritsar-Delhi flight had to face a long delay on Friday morning after the plane skipped Amritsar and landed directly at Indira Gandhi International Airport. As a result, Delhi-bound passengers also got delayed at Amritsar airport.
The Air India flight (AI-188) with 167 passengers on board was supposed to land at Amritsar airport first but was landed directly at Delhi. Though airport sources said there was some technical problem in the aircraft, Air India said it was a routine check.
30/06/07 Sidhartha Roy, Hindustan Times

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Maharaja to board Star Alliance soon

Bangkok: With domestic public sector carrier Indian Airlines’ merger with Air India coming through, the 'Maharaja' will board the largest international airline group, Star Alliance in 2007.
Speaking to FE Star Alliance chief executive officer Jaan Albrecht said, "From the Star(Alliance) perspective, we wanted a partner in India, which have access to international routes traffic rights and also domestic network, not just to fit flights in Delhi and Mumbai. One pre-condition was the merger between Air India and Indian Airlines. It has been approved by the government. So the pre-condition has been met"
"We understand Air India had a board meeting these days with the (Star) Alliance participation on the agenda. We have not received any feed back from Air India so far," Albrecht said. "But the indications are that they are also keen on participation with Star Alliance. We are a few months away for announcement on a membership," he added.
Star Alliance has also appointed a project manager especially for India who is talking with different airlines and airports for co-allocation of the Star Alliance member airlines at a same terminal at the major airports across the country for providing a common platform and better service to all their customers.
28/06/07 Atreyee Dev Roy/Financial Express

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Aviation forum hails India, China air travel boom

Bangkok: Aviation industry figures and politicians yesterday hailed a boom in air traffic in India and China, with operators keen to cash in on growing numbers of passengers travelling to the regional giants.
Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told an aviation forum in Bangkok that the expansion of air traffic in China and India was contributing to the growth of the overall Asian economy.
"The expanding economic power of China and India is a key factor in Asia's dynamism ... (and) this has already impacted on the aviation industry," Surayud told the seminar, organised by airline network Star Alliance.
"It's clear that China and India's trade and traffic with the rest of Asia will help shape the future of aviation in the region," he added.
Air China and Shanghai Airlines will later this year become the newest members of Star Alliance, the largest global passenger airline network.
Jaan Albrecht, Star Alliance chief executive, said they hoped the new members would bring a 2-3 per cent increase on their existing 400 million yearly passengers.
"Like China, India is definitely a developing and growing market in Asia," he said.
29/06/07 AFP/The Brunei Times

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Aviation FDI hike to have riders

New Delhi: Even after the government hikes the foreign direct investment (FDI) cap in domestic airlines to 74% and allows foreign carriers equity in them, their role in management will be restricted.
According to a proposal by a section within the government, the voting rights of a foreign airline will be restricted and not in proportion to 26% they will be allowed to hold. Further, chairmen of the boards of Indian carriers and their chief executives must be resident Indian citizens.
These restrictions are to ensure that foreign airlines engage with Indian carriers just as investors. A foreign airline will also have no control over the running of a domestic carrier.
“The main worry is that the move will provide backdoor entries to foreign airlines. We are trying to address this concern,” said a government official.
Similarly, foreign carriers as equity partners will not have any say in scheduling the timetable of domestic carriers and ticket pricing.
29/06/07 Bipin Chandran/Financial Express

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Kuwait issue: Airlines may reserve 200 seats

New Delhi: State-owned carriers Air India and Indian have prepared a contingency plan whereby 200 seats per day will be reserved for their Kuwait-bound passengers on flights of Gulf Air to Bahrain from July 1, in case of failure of the ongoing civil aviation bilateral talks between India and Kuwait. Kuwait has already threatened to ban Air India and Indian from flying to Kuwait from July 1 due to a dispute over the bilateral civil aviation agreement. "The state-owned carriers had approached Gulf Air which has agreed to the request for allocating 200 seats per day on its flights to Bahrain.
This will be for passengers who are already booked on Air India and Indian flights to Kuwait from July1. This option will be exercised only if the bilateral talks with Kuwait fail," said a Civil aviation ministry official. Officials of Air India confirmed that the airline had made arrangements with Gulf Air for transporting its Kuwait-bound passengers from July 1 in case talks with Kuwait fail.
Gulf Air is the state-owned airline of two other Gulf countries-Bahrain and Oman.
28/06/07 Sridhar Kumaraswami/The Asian Age

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Kuwait hopeful of ending flight row with India

Dubai: Kuwait has expressed optimism that the row over a possible ban on landing of state-owned Indian airliners in its capital will be resolved amicably as the two countries prepare to hold talks on the issue.
A high-level Indian delegation comprising joint secretary of the Aviation Ministry, R K Singh and representatives of 'Air India' and 'Indian' will arrive in Kuwait later today for talks which will last until Friday.
The airline row comes at a time when thousands of passengers are preparing to fly to India for summer holidays.
Kuwait had issued a notice to 'Air India' and 'Indian' saying it will not receive flights of the airlines from July 1 in the capital, alleging that New Delhi was going back on commitments in the air bilateral agreement between both countries.
28/06/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Kerala CM seeks PM's intervention over ban on Indian flights

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to withdraw the Kuwait government's decision not to allow Indian flights to land in their country.
In a fax message to Prime Minister, he said as four lakh out of the six lakh Indians working in Kuwait were Keralites, the Kuwait government's decision would create difficulties to those who were preparing to fly to their native place for summer holidays, a release said.
Mr Achuthanandan said the government had received a lot of complaints from various Malayalee Organisations and individuals in this regard.
Kuwait had issued a notice to 'Air India' and 'Indian' saying it will not receive flights of the airlines from July 1 in the capital, alleging that New Delhi was going back on commitments in the air bilateral agreement between the two countries.
28/06/07 NewKerala.com

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We will fly to US soon: Jet chief

New Delhi: Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal has been in the news for alleged links with the underworld.
CNN-IBN spoke to Goel on the speculations about the mafia investing in Jet.
Said Goel, “Unfortunately this is completely wrong. I have spoken to Rajdeep Sardesai (Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN) and everybody else is saying that everything is false. We are going to start flying to the USA soon.”
So what about the Police Commissioner of Mumbai who was asked to submit a report of the case and also asked whether he and his team who probed the case would need the Central Bureau of Investigation’s help?
“There is no question of denying that. How would we be have been allowed to fly if there was any truth in the reports? We have been given clearance by the US state department and the government of India and are going to resume our flights to US from August 5," said Goel.
The Bombay High Court on June 21 had asked the Mumbai police to file a report on the alleged underworld link of Goel.
The court had listened to a public interest litigation that alleged the Intelligence Bureau and had found Goel’s links with gangster Dawood Ibrahim and got funds from the underworld.
28/06/07 CNN-IBN

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Govt mulls raising FDI cap in air cargo to 74 pc'

Mumbai: The government plans to raise the FDI cap in air cargo business to 74 per cent as part of efforts to further open up the sector for foreign investment, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Wednesday.
"The FDI investment in cargo sector is proposed to be raised to 74 per cent from the present 49 per cent. The FIPB and Commerce Ministry are likely to give their go ahead shortly," he told reporters here.
Patel, who flagged-off Air India's first dedicated freighter aircraft to Europe, also said Air India and Indian, the two state-owned carriers that are being merged, plan to ramp up their cargo operations to tap the growing segment.
Patel said owing to the upsurge in import-export demand combined with the open-sky policy and globalisation factors, Air India had decided to ramp-up its cargo operations.
27/06/07 PTI/Economic Times

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Indian team to visit Kuwait on Thursday

Dubai: With Kuwait threatening to disallow landing of India's state-owned carriers at its capital from Sunday, an Indian high-level delegation will visit the gulf country today to sort out the issue.
Kuwait's proposed action is likely to hit thousands of passengers planning to fly to India during summer holidays.
The crisis for passengers between India and Kuwait was aggravated after the latter issued a notice to 'Air India' and 'Indian' saying it will not receive flights of the airlines from July 1.
While civil aviation authorities of both the countries are engaged in a second round of negotiations in New Delhi, the team which will include representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Director-General Civil Aviation, Air India and Indian Airlines are arriving in Kuwait on Thursday, Indian officials told reporters over phone from Kuwait. The Indian ambassador to Kuwait, M Ganapathy will also take part in the talks.
The talks are part of an ongoing process which will discuss all the matters on the table, the official added.
27/06/07 Zee News

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Air India Starts Cargo Operations With Airbus Planes

Mumbai: Air India Ltd., the nation's biggest overseas carrier, started freighter operations with two Airbus SAS planes to tap rising demand for transporting goods in the world's second-fastest growing major economy.
Air India started flights to Europe with the freighters, converted from old A310 passenger planes at a cost of $16 million, it said in a statement released in Mumbai today.
Growing exports of gems and jewelry and imports of technology equipment have boosted demand for cargo flights in the South Asian country. India has one cargo airline, Blue Dart Express Ltd., and existing airlines plan to start cargo flights by buying new planes or converting passenger aircraft.
India should have 500 cargo planes within the next 15 years, Praful Patel, the country's civil aviation minister, said in Mumbai at a function in connection with the start of state-owned Air India's cargo operations.
The carrier will initially operate four flights a week to Frankfurt and Paris with the two A310s. The first cargo flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt will have stopovers in Bangalore and in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, it said.
27/06/07 Gautam Chakravorthy/Bloomberg

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JAT plays down linking possibility with Air India

Serbian flag carrier Jat Airways is seeking a strategic airline partner as it looks to privatise and join a global alliance.
Aeroflot and Air India have been cited as prospective suitors but Jat is playing down the possibility of linking with either. Serbia's new government intends to form closer ties with European Union countries and commercial vice-president Zoran Hudak says this is being reflected in its business policies. "There will be a strategy of privatisation of public enterprises - and one of these is Jat," he says.
Hudak adds that the mechanism for and extent of Jat's privatisation has yet to be determined. Jat Airways deputy commercial vice-president Ilija Todoric says: "We would definitely opt for an airline as a strategic partner because we speak the same language and have common interests."
The political changes in former Yugoslavia demand a different set-up and this, in turn, is linked to potential alliance membership. Jat has ruled out oneworld, opting to concentrate on Star Alliance and SkyTeam with which it has codeshare agreements.
26/06/07 David Kaminski-Morrow/Flight International

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Boeing eyes expanded links with Indian contractors

Washington: Indian companies could play a key role in Boeing Co.'s global supply chain for both commercial aircraft and military sales, Boeing's chief executive said on Wednesday.
Companies already supplying software and information technology to the commercial side "could become a significant part of the total Boeing enterprise, including our Integrated Defense Systems business," said Jim McNerney, Boeing's chairman, president and CEO.
"I hope they do," he added, while accepting an award from the U.S.-India Business Council.
As potential beneficiaries he singled out Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.; Wipro Technologies, a unit of Wipro Ltd. Infosys Technologies Ltd.; and HCL Technologies Ltd.
Chicago-based Boeing has been vying for position in India with rival U.S. contractors amid the two countries' post-Cold War push toward a "strategic partnership" that many analysts view as a potential counterweight to China's growing clout.
The Bush administration announced plans last month to sell India six C-130J cargo planes -- built by Boeing rival Lockheed Martin Corp. - in what would be the first major U.S. military aircraft deal with India.
28/06/07 Jim Wolf/Reuters

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Asia Pacific to become top airplane market

The Asia Pacific region is moving up to become the world's single largest aircraft market in the next two decades in terms of new plane purchase value, up from second place at present. At US$1,020 billion, the region, spanning from Japan to Afghanistan and including Australia and New Zealand, would account for more than one-third of the value of airplanes delivered between 2007 and 2026, according to the US manufacturer Boeing.
The region is also expected to take delivery of 8,350 planes in the period, second only to North America which is forecast to acquire 9,140 new planes.
China and India will together buy 4,000 planes in the next 20 years, says Randy Tinseth, vice-president for marketing of commercial planes at Boeing.
The region is also expected to take delivery of 8,350 planes in the period, second only to North America which is forecast to acquire 9,140 new planes.
Rapidly expanding no-frills carriers will give an extra push to new plane demand, expecting to account for more than a third of the market for new aircraft in the next two decades.
Driving up the Asia Pacific's plane demand in the next 20 years are China and India, the emerging vast air travel markets, which are expected acquire some 3,000 and 1,000 planes respectively in the period, said Mr Tinseth.
28/06/07 Boonsong Kositchotethana/Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Sri Lankan Dy. Minister detained at Nedumbaserry Airport

Kochi: Sri Lankan Deputy Minister for Higher Education Mohd. Mustafa was briefly detained at the Nedumbaserry International Airport, near here, today for arriving without a valid visa.
Mr Mustafa, who arrived in the city to attend an awards function of the Kerala Management Association this evening, was later issued a 'temporary landing permit' by the Port Registration Officer and allowed to leave the airport.
Senior immigration officials at the airport confirmed that the Sri Lankan minister arrived here at about 1130 hrs. by Sri Lankan Airlines flight 165 without a valid visa.
However, they denied that the minister was detained and said that he ''waited'' in the immigration office while the temporary landing permit was arranged for him.
27/06/07 UNI/NewKerala.com

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Boeing Receives Global Vision Award for Work in India

Washington: The Boeing Company announced today that the US-India Business Council (USIBC), the premier U.S.-India business advocacy organization, has presented the company with the USIBC Global Vision Award.
The award recognizes Boeing's deep and enduring commitment to India, its growing presence in the country, and its continuing efforts to create sustainable value through the development of strategic partnerships with government and industry.
Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney received the award earlier today at the USIBC's 32nd Anniversary Leadership Summit. "This award is a testament to the expanding partnership between India and Boeing. We are committed to responding to India's needs and contributing to its growing success through our product offerings, services, and industrial and academic partnerships which in turn will help Boeing become more productive and grow."
Boeing began its relationship with India sixty years ago when India joined the jet age on the wings of Boeing jetliners. Those airplanes continue to be the mainstay of the country's domestic and intercontinental commercial fleets.
27/06/07 PRNewswire-FirstCall/Earthtimes.org

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Global Vectra net rises 95.81% to Rs 12.50cr in FY07

Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd. part of the UK-based Vectra Group and a leading provider of helicopter services to India’s Oil and Gas sector, has posted a net profit of Rs. 2.86 crore in the fourth quarter ended March 2007 on a total income of Rs. 44.26 crore.
GVHL posted a net profit of Rs. 12.50 crore for the year ended March 31, 2007, a jump of 95.81 per cent as compared to Rs. 6.38 crore posted in the same period in FY 06. Income from operations rose by 66.67 per cent to Rs. 149.79 crore as against Rs 89.87 crore a year ago. Earnings per share for the full year (2006-07) stood at Rs. 10.03 as against 5.70 in FY 06, a jump of 75.96 per cent.
Global Vectra Helcorp Ltd. has maintained a steady growth since it’s IPO in the second half of 2006, and this growth is in line with the company’s expectations. Further, this growth reinforces its commitment to enhancing value for its shareholders and business associates. GVHL has inducted four new Bell Helicopters in the last quarter expanding its services and support infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the industry. GVHL’s fleet size as on March 31, 2007 stood at 18 helicopters.
26/06/07 Moneycontrol.com

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PM Surayud to be top speaker at "the Future of Aviation"

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um are among top speakers at Asia Forum 2007 on "the Future of Aviation" on Thursday.
They will be joined by aviation and tourism experts from around the world who are convening in Bangkok at the event organised as part of the celebration of Star Alliance's 10th anniversary.
Thai Airways International, a founding member of Star Alliance, and Asia News Network are co-hosts.
The forum, taking place at Shangri-la Hotel, will open with addresses by Jaan Albrecht, CEO of Star Alliance on the future of air travel; and Francesco Frangialli, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organisation, on future opportunities and threats to global tourism.
Sasern will deliver the keynote address on the aviation session. The speakers in this session will include Zhang Hexiang of China's Aviation Industry Development Research Centre, Pradeep Panicker of GMR Group from India, Dr Michael Kerkloh from Munich Airport and Andrew Herdman from Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Phornsiri Manoharn will make a special luncheon remark.
Prime Minister Gen Surayud, who had just returned from an official trip to India, will then deliver a keynote address on "Thailand and Asia's Economic Dynamism."
27/06/07 Nation Multimedia, Thailand

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FDI in domestic carriers unlikely to be increased beyond 74%

New Delhi: The government is considering two options to raise the cap on foreign direct investment in domestic airlines. The first option is to raise the cap to 74% from the present 49% and the second one is to cap it at a level below 74%.
Government officials said the FDI limit was likely to be increased anytime soon. A section of the industry sought 100% FDI in domestic carriers, but the idea was rejected at the recent UPA-Left co-ordination committee meeting, officials said. The government was expected to further deliberate on the FDI issue before finalising the cap, they said.
“The FDI policy review is on. We have given our inputs to the commerce and industry ministry for raising FDI in certain segments,” civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla told FE. But he did not discuss anything on the proposed increase in FDI in domestic carriers.
27/06/07 Sunny Verma & Arun S/Financial Express

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Indian CFM56 MRO base could be finalized before year end

Snecma Services Chairman and CEO Jean-Lin Fournereaux sees a big change for his organization when it comes to competing in the market for CFM56 maintenance, repair and overhaul.
"We are now more and more working as a network," he told ATWOnline at last week's Paris Air Show. As an example, he pointed out that last February, Sichuan Snecma Aero Engine Maintenance in Chengdu performed its first overhaul of a CFM56-3 belonging to a Western customer. Prior to that, the Chengdu JV handled engines only for Chinese customers.
Fournereaux is hopeful that an MOU signed between CFM International and Indian Airlines to create a CFM56 MRO base in India will be finalized before year end. Snecma will play a major role in the base. "I'm convinced it will be a success. . .The Indian market is booming," he said. "The next step will be Russia," he added. Snecma already has more than 40% of the CFM56 repair market in Russia.
As the engine MRO arm of Safran Group, Snecma Services claims to be the No. 2 provider of MRO services for CFM56 engines, with "20% of the accessible market."
27/06/07 Perry Flint/ATWOnline, US

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RAK Airways replaces CEO again

Dubai: RAK Airways has lost its new chief executive after only four months on the job, according to company sources.
Kishu Teckchandani is the second CEO to helm RAK Airways, which began charter flights to Turkey last week and has set its latest target for commercial launch in October.
RAK Airways is based in Ras Al Khaimah and is the fourth airline located in the UAE.
Teckchandani, a veteran civil aviation official from India, took the reins in late February from former chief executive Jack Romero, who was let go when it became clear the company's commercial operations would be delayed by several months.
No reasons were given to Gulf News for the sudden departure, but personnel executives said the company has since reorganised its management structure, with the chief operating officer now in charge of directing the company.
RAK Airways had originally planned a launch by late 2006.
But the airline was delayed by months in obtaining its air operator's certificate.
26/06/07 Ivan Gale/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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India-Kuwait Row: AI,Indian working on Plan B

Dubai: With Kuwait threatening to disallow landing of India's state-owned carriers - Air India and Indian - at its capital from July 1, both the carriers are exploring alternate arrangements.
Top regional managers of both Air India and Indian in Dubai said passengers wishing to cancel their bookings can do so without paying any cancellation charges.
Air-India operates 12 flights every week to Kuwait, while Indian operates six flights on the same sector from different destinations in India.
Abhay Pathak, Indian's regional director for Gulf, Middle East and North Africa, also said that the carrier was looking at alternative arrangements.
Passengers planning to fly to India during summer holidays are now pinning hopes on the crucial talks between both countries.
While civil aviation authorities of both the countries are engaged in a second round of negotiations in New Delhi, the Indian Ambassador in Kuwait and the civil aviation ministry joint secretary are expected to hold parleys with their counterparts before July 1 in Kuwait.
26/06/07 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Hawker Beechcraft Expands Presence In India

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation to expand its roughly 60 percent market share of turbine business in India has appointed (effective July 1) InterGlobe General Aviation Private Limited as its exclusive representative for Hawker products in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Myanmar, the company announced last week. Speaking for InterGlobe, Rahul Bhatia, the company's managing director said, "Our aim is to not only grow the general aviation market in this region, but also deliver a best-in-class service center for our valued customers." InterGlobe has 52 offices spread across 23 cities in India. Vice president of New Business Development for Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Ted Farid, added, "Their experience with several major international airlines and the fact that InterGlobe owns India's fastest growing low fares carrier IndiGo, makes them uniquely qualified to support our efforts to further expand our presence in the Indian subcontinent."
27/06/07 Glenn Pew/AVweb, US

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NewCo Is Lufthansa DHL Joint Venture

DHL and LH Cargo will be parent companies of a new cargo carrier code-named "NewCo", that stands for New Company.
The highly secret deal up to now with Deutsche Post's express pillar DHL and Lufthansa Cargo under discussion for quite a while will result in the forming of a new cargo carrier on equal terms (50/50).
Although a number of details still have to be ironed out, what is clear at this point is that from 2009 on "NewCo" shall be operational to deploy a freighter fleet on intercontinental routes on behalf of both parent companies to destinations in the USA, Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Fareast.
According to informal sources up to ten freighters will be either purchased or leased.
Top on the agenda stands the B777F, followed by the B747-400ERF.
A third likely option might be the B747-400F.
26/06/07 Luchtzak Aviation, Belgium

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Sturla Gunnarsson to Head Documentary on the Air India Tragedy

Twenty years ago last Saturday, Air-India Flight 182 exploded above the Atlantic Ocean, near Ireland. Everyone on board was killed -- 136 of them were children and 280 were Canadian citizens. It was the deadliest terrorist attack before September 11, and is the largest mass-murder in Canadian history. Now the CBC is commissioning a documentary to start filming next month that delves into the tragedy -- to be directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. His name might ring bells as the man who directed the great 2005 adaptation Beowulf & Grendel, which starred Gerard Butler as Beowulf to Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's Grendel. However, he also has an Oscar-nominated documentary under his belt -- 1982's After the Axe, which bodes well for this production.
The doc will be a collection of re-enactments, archival footage, information on the victims and a look into how intelligence agencies handled things. If things go as planned, the film should be aired early next year on the CBC.
26/06/07 Monika Bartyzel/Cinematical, US

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Druk Air Indian agent on trial

A ticketing sales agent for Druk Air Corporation, based in New Delhi, India, is on trial at the Paro district court for not having paid Nu.5.408 million accumulated from air ticket sales to the national airline.
Shiva Prasad Raychaudhuri, the chief executive officer (CEO) of M/s Raychaudhuri Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. (RCPL), Druk Air Corporation’s local passenger ticket sales agent in New Delhi, has been charged for criminal misappropriation of property, fraudulent cheque writing, criminal breach of trust and contact under the Penal Code of Bhutan.
A source told Kuensel that RCPL had issued about nine cheques, ranging between Nu. 0.5 million and Nu. 2.00 million to the Druk Air’s office in New Delhi, but all the cheques had bounced.
According to the agreement signed between the Druk Air and RCPL, the agent was required to clear all ticket sales done on behalf of Druk Air Corporation every fortnight. RCPL was supposed to provide sales 7th of the following month.
RCPL had stopped payment from October 2006 to January 2007 which had accumulated to Nu. 54,08,675.67.
27/06/07 Kuensel, Buhutan's National Newspaper, Bhutan

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Passengers pinning hope on talks with India and Kuwait

Dubai: With Kuwait threatening to disallow landing of India's state-owned carriers at its capital from Sunday, passengers planning to fly to India during summer holidays are now pinning hopes on the crucial talks between both countries.
While civil aviation authorities of both the countries are engaged in a second round of negotiations in New Delhi, the Indian Ambassador in Kuwait and Civil Aviation Ministry joint secretary are expected to hold parleys with their counterparts before July one in Kuwait.
"If the flights between the two countries are halted, the services of India's national carriers, Air India and Indian to Kuwait will be heavily disrupted," Kuwait Times report said.
Travel agents has said that they had not received any word from Air India or Indian Airlines regarding Kuwait DGCA's decision to stop their flights.
The crisis for passengers between India and Kuwait was aggravated after the latter issued a notice to 'Air India' and 'Indian' saying it will not receive flights of the airlines from July 1.
The row was sparked after Kuwait asked India to increase seat capacities of Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways to and from India, while the Indian Civil Aviation is reportedly unwilling to grant the request as it feels that its national carriers will face stiff competition.
26/06/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Kuwait decision to block flights unfair, says India

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Kuwait’s unilateral decision to ban all flights from India from July 1 is “unfair and uncalled for” and all issues must be mutually resolved, a spokesman for the Indian civil aviation ministry said yesterday.
“This action is harmful to the interests of the travellers of both countries,” the spokesman added, as the travel trade industry in Kerala said that pressure tactics of the Kuwait government would not yield any result.
Kuwait said two weeks ago that it would stop all flights to India with effect from July 1 since it says New Delhi was not honouring its commitment to allow more landing rights for the Gulf state’s carriers.
Three flag carriers, the state-run Air India, its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express and Indian Airlines, have been designated to fly to Kuwait, while the Gulf country has Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airlines as its carriers for India.
The two countries had concluded their bilateral agreement in March last year under which they allowed 5,200 seats per week for the carriers of either side. The Kuwaiti side wanted the limits raised to 6,800 seats per week.
26/06/07 IANS/Gulf Times, Qatar

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Flight ban: India, Kuwait to break ice

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has described Kuwait's decision to stop Indian flights to Kuwait as 'unfair and unwarranted' and assured the two national carriers that the issue will be settled in a couple of days.
The second round of bilateral talks between the two countries will take place before the end of this month. The joint secretary, civil aviation, and the Indian ambassador to Kuwait will take part in the meeting.
'Our ambassador to Kuwait has conveyed to its authorities that keeping in mind the bilateral agreement between the two countries, such unilateral action will be harmful to the interests of travellers,' said a civil aviation ministry spokesperson.
'India is ready for talks with the Kuwaiti authorities,' he added. Civil aviation officials had briefed the external affairs ministry on the issue last week.
Kuwait recently issued notices to national carriers Indian and Air-India threatening that they would have to stop their flights from July 1. It had alleged that New Delhi had gone back on its commitments under the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries in 2006.
26/06/07 Business Standard

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Govt likely to hike FDI cap in aviation

New Delhi: In a major policy review, the UPA government is likely to allow FDI in atomic energy and raise the foreign investment cap in the aviation sector by July end.
The government is encouraged to go in for a big liberalisation drive following a record FDI inflow of 15 billion dollars in 2006-07, official sources said.
The government has set an FDI target of 25 billion dollars for the current fiscal, they said.
At present, FDI in airlines is capped at 49 per cent while greenfield airport projects are allowed 100 per cent foreign participation.
25/06/07 Zee News

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Branson in talks for AirAsia X stake

Kuala Lumpur: The company operating AirAsia X, Malaysia's first long-haul budget airline, could sign a deal as early as next month to sell a 20 percent stake to Virgin Atlantic's chairman, Sir Richard Branson, for $6.9 million, industry officials said Monday.
Branson may buy the stake from Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranum, the founders of the company, Fly Asian Express.
The two men own a combined 60 percent of Fly Asian Express, which plans to launch low-cost flights from Malaysia to India, China and Europe later this year.
"We have been in talks and he may take a 20 percent stake," one official familiar with the issue told Dow Jones Newswires. "The talks are continuing though there still are things to iron out," he said.
The official declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
Another official said a possible deal could be signed as early as next month and could cost Branson $6.9 million.
25/06/07 AP/BusinessWeek

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DAALLO Airlines outsources accounting to Kale Consultants

DAALLO Airlines, a prominent airline operating between Middle East, Africa and Europe has selected Kale Consultants Ltd. (Kale) for providing passenger revenue accounting and cargo revenue accounting on an outsourced basis. Kale will provide revenue accounting processing services to Daallo from its Managed Process Services centre (Kale MPS) in Mumbai, India.
Kale will provide passenger & cargo revenue accounting services including the processing of sales and uplifts, claims to credit card companies and to other airlines for interline coupons, declaration of revenue with comprehensive account postings for the general ledger, management of deals, and a decision support business intelligence system.
25/06/07 Moneycontrol.com

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Finnair launches Flights to Mumbai

Finnair today launches its newest Indian route with flights to Mumbai. The city will be served non-stop from Helsinki five days a week with Airbus A340 aircraft. Moreover the airline's current three-weekly frequency for flights to the Indian capital Delhi will be increased to daily.
Mumbai is India's biggest business city and centre of business and logistics. India's most affluent population live in the area, so there is big potential for tourist traffic to Europe. The new route also opens numerous possibilities to tourist traffic from Europe to India: near Mumbai there are several interesting destinations for travellers, for example Goa, known for its magnificent beaches, and the culturally rich state of Kerala.
The flights to Mumbai are part of Finnair's Asian strategy. In response to strong demand of the Asian market, the number of weekly flights to India will increase from the current three to 12.
26/06/07 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand

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RAK Airways takes off

Dubai: RAK Airways, the Ras Al Khaimah-based airline, saw its first flight take off from the emirate last Saturday, 23 June, the CEO of RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA) and adviser to RAK's Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, Khater Massaad, said yesterday.
There will be regular charter flights between Turkey and RAK and perhaps other parts of the Mediterranean, to bring visitors to the emirate to stay for about one week, he said on the sidelines of an investor conference. Deals have been struck with tour operators in Turkey and the flights are to different parts of the country. For the next six months there will be five daily flights from the airport, he added.
From 1 October there will be scheduled flights to India, Pakistan, Egypt and Lebanon. "It will be a fully fledged airline with business class, etc," he stressed. He said he had no comment to make about projected passenger traffic for the airline.
26/06/07 Lucia Dore/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Arab nations snub Boeing in Paris

Dubai: Airbus SAS, the world's largest maker of commercial aircraft, won orders and commitments valued at US$32 billion from Arab customers at the 2007 Paris Air Show, as Middle Eastern carriers snubbed rival U.S. supplier Boeing Co.
Airbus got firm contracts from airlines or leasing companies based in Arab countries for aircraft valued at US$24.7 billion and commitments for planes with a value of US$7.3 billion at the show last week. Boeing's only Middle Eastern contract during the show was an agreement to advise Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, on developing their aerospace industries.
Persian Gulf airlines including Etihad, Qatar Airways and Emirates have been among the top customers for Toulouse, France- based Airbus and Boeing as the region's governments set up hubs for tourism and transit flights between Europe, Asia and Africa.
A redesign of the planned 250- to 350-seat A350 model helped Airbus beat Chicago-based Boeing in orders at the Paris show.
Arab airlines are expected to increase their combined fleet by almost two-thirds to 900 aircraft by 2015 from 550 planes in 2006, according to the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
25/06/07 Massoud A. Derhally/Bloomberg/China Post, Taiwan

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Qantas, Jet Airways expand code share

Qantas Airways Ltd will expand its code share arrangement with Indian carrier Jet Airways, as the low-cost airways of Asia increasingly target routes to and from Australia.
The deal enables Jet Airways customers to travel on Qantas flights between Australia and Singapore and then connect to India on a Jet Airways' flight, starting Monday.
"The Australia-India route, a key market for Qantas, continues to grow, reflecting strengthening trade links and increasing numbers of tourists and business people travelling between the two countries," said Qantas group general manager for sales and distribution Rob Gurney.
25/06/07 Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

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Kingfisher to buy 50 Airbus aircraft

Paris: Despite teething troubles with the Super Jumbo which cost the European consortium $5 billion in losses and forced it into massive job lay-offs, Airbus is back and to a large extent because of Vijay Mallya.
Mallya, who has a controlling stake in Air Deccan besides his own Kingfisher airlines, has decided to buy a staggering 50 Airbus jets for everything from short haul to ultra long range flights.
Mallya, with Kingfisher and Air Deccan, will now have a total of 176 aircraft on order from airbus, making it one of the largest airbus customers in the world.
Once the deal goes through, it's value would be $7 billion.
For the consumer in India, it's a win-win situation with more flight options abroad and more in India, not just from airlines such as Kingfisher but also from the national carrier Air India, which has already placed orders from both Boeing and Airbus.
Last year Boeing had wrested the title of biggest-selling plane maker from Airbus for the first time since 2000 with a record 1,044 firm orders against 790 for Airbus.
Now, after a stunning week at the Paris Air show, it's traditional home-turf, Airbus -which depends heavily on companies such as Kingfisher - is once again ahead of its American rival with more than 600 firm orders, nearly a 100 ahead of Boeing.
24/06/07 Noopur Tiwari/NDTV.com

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Shell likely to hawk aviation fuel in India

Mumbai: International oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell is all set to foray into distribution of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), the fuel for airplanes.
Royal Dutch Shell would be the first international major to enter into ATF marketing space. Besides national marketing companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL), Reliance Industries, ONGC and Essar are also planning to take a plunge in jet fuel distribution.
Royal Dutch Shell, which has made over $1 billion investment in the oil and gas sector, has already secured the marketing licence from the government. The company is looking at greenfield airports, including Navi Mumbai Airport and other new projects.
Deepak Mukherji, country head of corporate affairs of Shell India, said the group had secured the marketing licence, adding: "ATF distribution is an exciting segment that we are keen on." However, Mukherji declined to divulge the details.
25/06/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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Weather disrupts India flights

Dubai: A number of flights from India to the UAE and vice-versa were diverted or delayed yesterday because of the heavy rains in a few cities in India. Flights from Kerala and Mumbai were diverted or rescheduled as the aircraft were unable to land or take-off from these airports.
Indian, the Indian carrier that operates a flight from Mumbai to Sharjah via Calicut and Cochin, failed to land in Calicut after taking off from Mumbai airport on Saturday evening. Speaking to Khaleej Times, Abhay Pathak, Indian?s regional manager for the Gulf, said, "after the flight failed to land in Calicut due to bad weather, it was diverted to Cochin. The pilots again tried to land the aircraft in Calicut but had to go back to Cochin."
Pathak explained that because of the delay of the flight IC 595, the officials had to request the Sharjah airport authorities to extend the watch-hours. The carrier was given a 30-minute grace as special permission and the landing time was extended to 1.30am.
"However, the aircraft is grounded in Cochin because of a technical snag. The flight has not been able to pick up passengers from Cochin nor come back to Sharjah," Pathak said. The airline is trying to organise a shuttle between Calicut and Sharjah and there are 230 passengers on board.
Meanwhile, speaking to Khaleej Times, an official from the Department of Civil Aviation in Dubai said, "the Emirates airline flight, which was supposed to leave Mumbai yesterday morning should land in Dubai by 9 in the evening. All flights from Hyderabad are on schedule so far."
25/06/07 Khaleej Times/Daijiworld.com

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Kuwait threatens to stop India flights

Kuwait City: Kuwait has threatened to stop all its flights to India from July 1 in protest against New Delhi's alleged backtracking of its commitments in the bilateral aviation agreement between both countries, revealed the Kuwaiti Arabic daily, Al Watan.
This could disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers during this peak summer season. The decision could also affect the services of India's national carriers Air India and Indian to Kuwait.
According to Al Watan, the threat has been made by the civil aviation authorities in protest against the Airports Authority of India (AAI)'s denial of a Kuwaiti request to increase the weekly seat capacities of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) and Jazeera Airways between Kuwait and India.
24/06/07 Agencies/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Air India memorial unveiled in Toronto ceremony

Twenty-two years to the day after the tragic bombing of Air India Flight 182, a memorial was unveiled in Toronto on Saturday honouring the 329 who died when the flight went down off the coast of Ireland.
"It's very serene, very beautiful -- they couldn't have chosen a better place,'' said Jayashree Thampi, spokesperson for the Air India Victims' Families Association.
Thampi's daughter and husband were killed in the terrorist attack.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller all spoke at the ceremony, discussing the lessons learned and the importance of remembering the repercussions of violence.
Representatives of the families of the victims of the tragedy said the memorial helps bring closure and gives them a tangible place to grieve the loved ones lost on June 23, 1985, and in a related bombing at Japan's Narita airport on the same day.
Toronto Mayor David Miller said Canada's largest city grieved for those who were killed.
Only one man has ever been convicted in the attacks. Inderjit Singh Reyat was sentenced to five years in prison in 2003. He reached a plea deal with prosecutors and was convicted on lesser charges of manslaughter and with assisting in the construction of the bomb.
A public inquiry into the disaster, led by former Supreme Court justice John Major, will resume its work in the fall after taking a break for the summer.
The project was co-coordinated by Peter Klambauer for the City of Toronto. He told The Canadian Press the memorial is truly a national creation comprised of exquisite craftsmanship.
The City of Toronto donated the land for the memorial as well as expertise to help with the planning and management of the project. The federal and provincial government donated funding.
23/06/07 Roger Petersen/Canadian Press/CTV.ca

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Ticket fare of no-frill Air India Express shoots up

Doha: The ticket fare of no-frill Air India Express has touched almost 40 per cent higher with the start of holiday season.
As per the June 28, 2007 booking rate, one way travel ticket in the Doha-Mangalore sector, has touched QR1,100. This is against the off-season rate of QR600 plus tax.
Air India Manager Vijaya Sagalgile said that advance booking to Kerala has been closed till July 15, 2007. Booking is full to Mumbai and Mangalore till July 8, 2007.
In a bid to decongest the heavy traffic flow to Kerala during this summer holidays season, Air India Express had announced the operation of four additional flights from Doha.
Of this, the first flight took off from Doha on Friday with full occupancy. The second flight, scheduled to depart today, is also fully occupied. The third and fourth flights will depart on June 29 and July 1, respectively.
The Air India office forecasts a 90 per cent to 95 per cent load factor between June 24 and July 10 to Kerala and Mangalore. The Mumbai sector is also making a tremendous response.
24/06/07 Mangalorean.com

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India, US sign MoU to modernise civil aviation sector

New Delhi: India and the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an Aviation Cooperation Programme for modernisation of the civil aviation sector.
The agreement was signed between visiting Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Secretary, US Transportation Department, Mary Peters in Washington, a US Agency statement said.
Patel also called for tackling shortcomings in the Indian aviation sector, including, inadequate infrastructure and skilled manpower.
"We need more pilot training and engineering facilities as well as more technical people. The real challenge is to build infrastructure in the shortest possible time. Otherwise we cannot sustain this kind of growth," Patel said while attending a session of the US-India Business Council on Thursday.
India must allow private players to build new merchant airports and should promote regional airlines in tier two and tier three cities with one major hub in a region, if it aims to widen the sector, Patel added.
As per the MoU signed, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), Civil Aviation Ministry, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and public sector entities of both countries will cooperate to identify infrastructural lapses and support modernisation of the Indian civil aviation sector.
22/06/07 ANI/DailyIndia.com, US

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Air France may fly in superjumbo Airbus A380 to Delhi by '10

New Delhi: The modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports is attracting international carriers. Air France may become the first international airline to fly the superjumbo Airbus A380 connecting Delhi and Mumbai to Paris by early 2010. The only Indian carrier which has five A380s on order, Kingfisher Airlines, will start getting delivery by 2011.
Air France has placed orders for a dozen-odd A380 aircraft, with delivery schedules starting 2009. To start with, Air France plans to connect long-haul destinations such as New York, Montreal and Sau Paulo, to Paris which will serve as its hub. Its next stop would be Asian cities in India, China and South-East Asia.
“We hope to fly the Airbus A380 to Delhi and Mumbai by 2010,” said KLM executive vice-president commercial PSM Gregorowitsch. Air France and Dutch airline KLM merged globally in 2004 and run joint operation.
In India, the Air France KLM combo have 42 weekly flights out of major metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. There are plans to add Kolkata to its network by next year and add two additional flights by year end from Hyderabad and Chennai.
23/06/07 Sudipto Dey/Economic Times

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Cheap flights 'only months away'

The first of Asia's new budget airlines -- Viva Macau -- will have arrived on Australia's eastern seaboard, bringing with it a gamut of ultra-cheap international fares.
Diminutive and without fanfare, Viva Macau's introduction can only be viewed as the tip of the iceberg; a minor glimpse into the flood of cheap fares soon to inundate Australian passengers.
It started with Jetstar's bold leap into the South-East Asia market, a perfectly-timed ploy by bigger brother Qantas to get a jump on its rivals.
The plan worked, with Jetstar Asia offering never-seen-before prices to exotic destinations such as Bali, Phuket, Bangkok and Vietnam's bustling Ho Chi Minh City, with high yields to boot.
Now the real challenge for Jetstar Asia begins as the Asian low-budget carriers, boasting third-world operating costs and cheap labour, move in for the kill.
Viva Macau will be first and cashed-up Malaysian outfit AirAsia X will follow, while Singapore's Tiger Airways will hit the domestic market with 50 new Airbus A320s (announced yesterday).
Hong Kong budget carrier Oasis is also looking in and India's Jet Airways has expressed interest.
Rapidly expanding budget airlines Air Deccan (China), Adam Air (Indonesia), Spice Jet (India), Hong Kong Airways and Manadla Airlines (Indonesia) may follow suit.
23/06/07 Andrew Carswell/Courier Mail, Australia

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Rajasthan trader held at IGI Airport, 36 kg diamond powder seized

New Delhi: A 49-Year-Old Rajasthan-based trader was arrested at the IGI Airport on Wednesday with nearly 36 kilogram of diamond powder worth nearly Rs 10 lakh, customs officials said today.
The accused, DK Ramchandani (49), had concealed the high quality powder in his two check-in baggage, they added.
Ramchandani, who landed in the Capital by a Dubai-Delhi Indian Airlines flight on Wednesday evening, has confessed to involvement of Dubai-based dealers, at whose behest he had been carrying the consignment to India, senior customs officials said.
“He has given us names of some persons in Delhi and Dubai and we are investigating. More arrests are likely as we are carrying on raids,” said a senior Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) official.
Ramchandani has an Indian passport and visa which appears to have been facilitated by his suppliers. Customs officials, who said they were tipped-off about him, arrested Ramchandani as he stepped into the arrival hall of IGI Airport.
22/06/07 Aditya Kaul/Delhi Newsline

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Nude in-flight dancer detained after landing in India

New Delhi: A man travelling on a flight from Dubai to India's southern Chennai city shocked other passengers when he removed his clothes and danced nude inside the plane, it was reported Friday.
Thai Airways filed a complaint against Pannatta Mesuwan, 31, in Chennai soon after the plane landed from Dubai on Thursday, the Asian Age daily reported.
According to the complaint, Mesuwan, a non-resident Indian who works in Dubai, removed his clothes before anyone on board could figure out what he was up to.
"When co-passengers and airhostesses asked him to sit and behave, he responded by removing his dhoti. He was not wearing anything beneath," an unnamed official told the paper.
"Unabashed, he stood up and began to dance. Later, a few passengers and crew members overpowered him and forced him to sit quietly. They also threw some clothes over him," the official added.
The man was handed over to the police when the flight landed, which booked him for causing a "public nuisance."
22/06/07 Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Airline mulls mental checks after man's antics

Chennai: Thai Airways yesterday said it was considering an overhaul of the system of checking the antecedents of passengers, a day after a man stripped inside one of its flights en route to the city from Dubai.
According to Mike Panatta, general manager of the airline's Chennai office, the move followed several incidents involving passengers with undisclosed psychological maladies.
The passenger in question, who hailed from Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, took off his clothes as the plane was about to descend at Chennai airport on Thursday.
Police sources said that he had worked in the Middle East for the past 18 months and pleaded "a temporary memory blackout." He has been sent for medical examination after being detained.
"An incident like a hugely built person dancing nude inside the plane is something we wish to avoid at all cost," Panatta told IANS yesterday.
23/06/07 IANS/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Emergency landing by Emirates flight for sick Pakistani passenger

Kolkata: A Bangkok-Dubai Emirates flight made an unscheduled landing in Kolkata yesterday to save a Pakistani passenger’s life.
The pilot sought permission to land after a Pakistani woman in her 50s, flying with her son, complained of severe chest pain and respiratory problems raising fears that she had a cardiac arrest.
Because of the pilot’s SOS the plane was immediately given permission to land. Mohina Wahab was taken to a private hospital, where a thorough check-up revealed that she had not suffered any cardiac attack.
After preliminary treatment, she and her son plan to resume their journey today.
Inside the plane, Mohina was put on oxygen, but that hardly helped in easing her problems. The pilot then decided to land at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport where Mohina was examined by a doctor and advised hospitalisation.
23/06/07 Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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India buys flight simulators from Thales

Paris : European aerospace major Thales has been contracted to supply a range of flight simulators for a new aircrew training centre being established in Bangalore in India, it was announced here Friday.
Under the deal with India's Jupiter Aviation, Thales will initially provide two Full Flight Simulators (FFS), one configured to the Airbus A-320 and the second to the Boeing 737.
Lower level training devices, including Thales Formation Systems Trainers (TFST) and Thales Flight Management System Trainers (FMST), will also be provided.
Jupiter's new training centre will complement its existing network of facilities and will also act as a recurrent training and Type Rating facility for India's leading airlines.
The company will be obtaining a second tranche of training equipment, including two FFSs, as also TFSTs and FMSTs from Thales at a later date.
According to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, chairman and CEO of Jupiter Capital, the contract is part of a significant investment for setting up an MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility, and aviation training and knowledge centres.
23/06/07 Tarique/IANS/Indian Muslims, US

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Production begins on Air India documentary

Toronto: A documentary about the Air India tragedy is set to begin filming next month.
Flight 182 will be directed by Vancouver-raised Sturla Gunnarsson and produced by David York. The pair announced yesterday that they have signed a contract with CBC-TV, which is commissioning the piece.
The Air India disaster took place 22 years ago this Saturday. Various memorials are planned to honour the 329 victims of the terrorist bombing off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985.
"This is a critical film for our country," Gunnarsson, who also directed the epic film Beowulf & Grendel, said in a release.
"It was Canada's first devastating experience with international terrorism and we still haven't really come to terms with it.
The two-hour doc will include interviews with those directly involved in the events, re-enactments and archival footage, an examination of intelligence and profiles of the victims.
22/06/07 CP/London Free Press, Canada

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Air India memorial being unveiled in Toronto on 22nd anniversary of attack

Toronto: Twenty-two years to the day that a terrorist bomb blew apart Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland, families of the victims are getting a Canadian memorial for their loved ones in Toronto.
An official dedication ceremony will be held Saturday morning for the waterfront memorial. It comes one year to the day that ground was broken for the project.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller are among those expected to join family members of the victims at the service to salute the victims of Canada's worst terrorist act.
The memorial features a sundial, gardens and a granite wall, which is inscribed with the names of the 329 people who were aboard the plane when it blew up on June 23, 1985, and the names of the two baggage handlers who were killed by a terrorist bomb at Narita airport in Japan on the same day in a related attack.
About two-thirds of the Air India bombing victims live in Toronto.
A reception was held in Toronto Friday night for the family members to meet the hundreds of people who were involved with the design and construction of the memorial. The City of Toronto donated the land and the project management expertise, while the federal and Ontario governments donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the project.
22/06/07 CP/CJOB, Canada

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World Sikh Organization encourages witnesses to come forward

Ottawa: The World Sikh Organization (WSO) shares its disappointment with fellow Canadians, that potentially crucial testimony regarding the AI-182 disaster on June 23, 1985 cannot be heard due to fears for the safety of the witnesses.
The WSO has repeatedly called for a public Inquiry into this tragedy and has anxiously looked forward to the long-standing questions being finally answered. The Sikh community as a whole that has lived under a dark cloud of suspicion for 22 years also has great expectations for the truth to come to light at the Air India Inquiry.
WSO Director of Administration, Ajit Singh Sahota stated today, "It is unfortunate that witnesses do not feel secure enough to reveal their evidence. The authorities must take every reasonable step to ensure the safety of the witnesses so that their evidence can be recorded and the necessary information can be made public. After 22 years, the families and all Canadians deserve to know all the truth."
In the interest of justice and truth, WSO calls upon all Canadians with any information that may add value in our collective quest for truth, to come forward and further the cause of justice in our society.
22/06/07 CNW Telbec (Communiqués de presse), Canada

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Sukhoi to supply jets to Alliance Air

Paris/Mumbai: Alliance Air, the feeder subsidiary of Indian Airlines, may fly Russian defence aerospace major Sukhoi's new civilian jet to connect regional locations in the country.
Alliance Air, which will be positioned as domestic budget carrier after the merger of Air-India and Indian Airlines, is in talks with Sukhoi for the possible acquisition of Superjet 100, a 60-90 seater civilian jet, which will be introduced shortly in the market.
Speaking at the Paris International Air Show, Anatoly A Mezhevov, regional sales director, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, confirmed that the company was in talks with Indian Airlines for acquiring Sukhoi civilian jets for Alliance Air.
Post merger of Air-India and Indian Airlines, the new entity has contacted us for future talks for Superjet 100. The talks are in the advanced stage with the national carrier, he told Business Standard.
When contacted, senior Indian Airlines officials declined comment, adding, We are not aware of such development.
However, the airline sources added that Alliance Air would be positioned as a regional budget carrier under Air-India Express brand.
Sources said Sukhoi was offering a 25 per cent discount over the prices of entrenched small-jet competitors such as ATR, Bombardier and Embraer, and adding free pilot training and spares support as sweetener.
21/06/07 Bijoy Kumar Y & P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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India tests Airbus assembly line interest

Le Bourget, Paris: India caught planemaker Airbus off guard by trying to gauge its interest in building an assembly line on Indian soil on Wednesday, matching investment in China where Airbus plans to build jets from 2009.
The idea was floated in front of journalists by India's civil aviation minister at the Paris air show just as Kingfisher Airlines was signing on the dotted line for $7 billion in provisional new orders, highlighting fast Indian traffic growth.
Airbus agreed last year to set up an assembly line for the A320 family of jets in China from 2009 to meet strong demand. But India's aviation market is also spreading its wings rapidly.
"I would be very happy to see that," Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters, shortly after raising the idea of an Indian assembly line at a signing ceremony for the Kingfisher plane order, which includes 20 A320s.
"I mentioned it to them (Airbus) yesterday. India is one of the largest markets in the next 10 years," he said. He also said Indian companies would like to invest more in Europe.
20/06/07 Tim Hepher/Reuters

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Kingfisher places surprise Airbus order

New Delhi: Kingfisher Airlines Ltd placed a surprise order for 50 Airbus jets with a list price of up to $7.3 billion (Rs29,930 crore), more than double what the airline had been expected to order at this year’s Paris Air Show.
“It was a last-minute thing,”said A.Raghunathan, chief financial officer of the UB Group-owned airline. “Last Saturday night, the proposal came in and they were hardened as of today morning.”
But given the current market conditions and the financial troubles for Airbus SA, Kingfisher may have been able to negotiate a discount of up to 28% on the list price, said analysts who track Airbus’ parent, the European conglomerate EADS. Neither Airbus nor Kingfisher would discuss the discount estimates, which, if accurate, mean the deal could be worth a little over $5.25 billion, including up to $1 billion for Rolls-Royce engines on 25 of the jets.
“We got a good deal,” said Raghunathan. “We are Airbus’ biggest customer today. So, we were able to leverage a better deal from them.”
The Kingfisher purchase is a shot in the arm for Airbus, which has been struggling to keep up with its rival, US-based Boeing Co., in the wide-body jet market. Airbus will likely announce $45.7 billion worth of orders and memorandums of understanding this week in Paris, according to Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy.
21/06/07 Mehul Srivastava and Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Flap follows baggage booboos

The next time A.R. Rahman takes a British Airways flight, chances are his suitcases will reach London with him. The star composer became the latest victim of lost luggage on Tuesday, with the airlines misplacing two of his suitcases on the eve of the formal opening of Lord of the Rings.
With complaints pouring in, several airlines are busy putting in place measures to plug the holes and ensure smooth baggage flow. From special training of ground staff and random checks at conveyer belts to pitching for an exclusive terminal, big plans are being drawn up to curb the rising number of lost-baggage cases as international and domestic airlines struggle to cope with the pressure of far more flights and many more passengers.
“Every day, there are on an average 10 complaints from passengers not receiving their baggage, mostly at the international terminal,” said a senior official of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. “The problem is most acute on stopover flights,” he added.
Some airlines blame the ground-handling agencies —most airlines having outsourced the function — while others point a finger at the chaos in clogged terminals.
Shilpa Shetty — whose 10 suitcases were lost in British Airways transit on way to Yorkshire recently — can take heart from the fact that the airline has sought exclusive rights of operation from terminal 5 of Heathrow airport to avoid such baggage booboos.“The terminal is scheduled to be handed over for trial operations by the end of this year. Once operational, the pressure will be eased,” pointed out the British Airways official.
21/06/07 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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InterGlobe ties up with US firm to support jet market

New Delhi: InterGlobe General Aviation on Wednesday announced that it has entered into an agreement with US-based Hawker Beechcraft to provide sales and service support to the growing corporate jet market in India and its neighbourhood.
Under the agreement signed at the Paris Air Show, the Indian travel technology firm, which promotes low-cost IndiGo Airlines, would act as the exclusive representative of the Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Myanmar from July, a release said.
"We wanted to be partnered with the right people in India who share our customer-focused values and have the right presence, access and capital to help us expand our footprint and grow our market share," HBC Chairman and CEO Jim Schuster said after signing the accord in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
InterGlobe Group MD Rahul Bhatia said his company would deliver world class products and services for general aviation sector in India and its neighbouring countries.
20/06/07 PTI/Times of India

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Jet Airways to provide new service from Chicago to India

Chicago will get new daily round-trip service to India next year on Jet Airways, a full-service, business-oriented carrier based in New Delhi.
Using new Boeing 777 widebodies, Jet Airways plans to connect Chicago to several cities in India through its hub in Brussels, Belgium.
Chicago is third on his list for new U.S. routes after Newark, N.J., starting in August, and San Francisco, starting in September.
"A lot of Indians are living in the Chicago area. Plus, business is increasing between the Midwest and India," says Naresh Goyal, chairman and 80% owner of Jet Airways (India) Ltd., which he founded 15 years ago.
One of the airline's new 777 widebodies was on display at this week's Paris Air Show. It features a distinctive 312-seat, three-class interior with an eight-seat first-class section, designed by Mr. Goyal and his wife.
20/06/07 Paul Merrion/Crain's Chicago Business, US

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Amadeus appoints VP for Corporate Marketing & Comm for APAC

Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the travel and tourism industry, has appointed Mr Karun Budhraja as Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Communications for Asia Pacific.
Karun will be based in Bangkok and will take up this appointment in mid August 07. He will be responsible for all communication and marketing activities for the region, including media and public relations activities, events, internal communications, advertising, and marketing programs.
With more than 17 years experience in marketing and corporate communications, Karun started his career in the travel industry with the GSA of Thai Airways in India. He subsequently worked for Air France (India) for 10 years in various positions, including that of Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager.
Karun joined Amadeus India in 2001 as the Senior Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager Indian Subcontinent, based in Delhi.
20/06/07 Moneycontrol.com (press release), India

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Amnesty: More flights planned in September

Dubai: Officials of the two Indian carriers, Air-India and Indian, yesterday said they would run additional flights for amnesty-seekers in September, if the situation demands.
Talking to Khaleej Times, senior officials of both the airlines said discussions were on with Indian consulate officials regarding concessional fares, too.
Abhay Pathak, regional manager of Indian, said, “We had meetings with Indian consulate officials. Our calculation says that the crowd would come in from September.”
Air India officials, too, stated that the need of additional flights would be dealt with according to the situation. As Jayshree Ramachandran, AI regional manager, Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said, “Right now there are no amnesty-seekers coming in. After July, there would be plenty of capacity in the flights. We are discussing the possible decrease in fares and will take a decision by the end of this month.”
21/06/07 Joy Sengupta/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Air Arabia to boost Mumbai flights

Sharjah: Air Arabia yesterday announced it will shortly begin operating two additional flights per week to Mumbai, India.
The Sharjah-based carrier currently provides daily non-stop service to India's financial capital and between June 22 and September 15 the airline will operate additional flights Fridays and Saturdays.
Air Arabia currently operates 46 flights a week to seven cities in India, including Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.
21/06/07 Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

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Scared witnesses refuse to testify on Air India

The Air India inquiry has adjourned until September after a key mystery witness refused to testify and another secondary witness suffered a heart attack.
The inquiry has been probing what took place leading up to the deadly 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, that left 329 people dead.
Former Supreme Court justice John Major, who is heading the inquiry, met behind closed doors with the key witness and other secondary witnesses who all refused to testify out of fear for their safety.
However, the mystery witnesses wouldn't even discuss the matter in private, said CTV's Roger Smith.
"Word went out yesterday that there would be some very interesting testimony today at the inquiry but it appears that the secret witnesses got cold feet," Smith told CTV Newsnet.
"Commissioner John Major ... went in-camera with these witnesses early this morning trying to find a way that they could testify.
"But one of these witnesses had a heart attack and a key witness who they hoped would testify in-camera, and then again publicly, refused to testify even in camera, even in private," Smith said.
They refused to take the stand because the commissioner could not provide the safety and security that the witnesses felt they needed because of the explosive nature of their testimony, he added. Major said that even if the witnesses spoke in secret, it is still possible that their testimony could eventually get out. For example, journalists could file Access to Information requests or launch lawsuits to get at the information, putting the witnesses at risk of reprisals.
20/06/07 CTV.ca News with Canadian Press

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From July, flying to Kuwait uncertain

New Delhi: Barely had the Russian threat of not allowing Indian carriers to overfly its airspace died down, the government is now grappling with a similar warning from Kuwait. Sources said Indian ambassador to Kuwait has been told that airlines between the two countries may not fly from July 1. India is learnt to be offering a fresh round of bilateral talks so that the issue could be resolved without hitting air travel.
Kuwait Airways and Indian Airlines - and low cost carriers - AI Express and Jazeera Airways - fly between the two countries. Sources said the dispute stems from the fact that Kuwait wants to operate more flights to India. "One of its airline operates via Dubai. Now increasing those flights is in a way against the bilateral signed for flights between India and Kuwait. Giving more capacity for Dubai on its carrier will also hurt Indian carriers," said the source.
Jazeera Airways uses Dubai as its second base. The aviation ministry is preparing a report on this issue. The government will offer a fresh round of talks to sort out the issue. The government is "cautiously optimistic" about resolving the crisis otherwise flying between India and Kuwait would mean taking a stopover in some other Gulf state.
20/06/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Air India to operate 6 Canadian Regional Jets

New Delhi: The newly-merged Air India would operate six 70-seater Canadian Regional Jets (CRJs) from August after taking them on lease from four global players.
"The CRJs will be operated on thin routes in the domestic sector, which were being identified," the merged entity's Joint Managing Director Vishwapati Trivedi told the media here.
The first of these CRJ-700 aircraft would be inducted in August and the planes would operate as part of the joint fleet of the merged state-owned airline under the Air India banner.
These planes would be in an all-economy configuration and the passengers on the routes operated by them would be offered basic meal services, he said.
Trivedi said an exercise was going on to synergise the route network of the two public sector carriers, which would formally start functioning as Air India from mid-July.
19/06/07 PTI/Economic Times

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Lufthansa Unit Wins 10-Year Pact To Maintain Kingfisher's Aircraft

In a sign of India's growing importance as a market for the global aviation industry, German aircraft-maintenance giant Lufthansa Technik AG expects to announce today a contract with India's Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. valued at more than $100 million over 10 years.
Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance and repair subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa AG, will maintain Kingfisher's growing fleet of Airbus A320 single-aisle aircraft and their engines.
Kingfisher, a unit of Indian conglomerate UB Group, has grown rapidly since its first flight in May 2005. Recent deregulation of the airline market in India, the world's second-most populated nation, has spurred creation of many new airlines.
Yet India lacks much of the infrastructure needed to support a modern aviation industry, such as adequate airports and air traffic control systems. Most carriers must send planes to maintenance facilities in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.
With demand growing, Lufthansa Technik is looking to build operations with India. It is setting up an Indian unit with domestic infrastructure group GMR Group. The facility will offer basic maintenance services for single-aisle aircraft from Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., and U.S. rival Boeing Co.
19/06/07 Daniel Michaels/Wall Street Journal

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US Airways Announces Plans to Acquire 92 Airbus Aircraft

Tempe, Arizona: US Airways has agreed to terms with Airbus S.A.S. for 60 single-aisle A320-family aircraft and 32 widebody aircraft, including the next generation A350 XWB. The A320-family planes would replace 60 older aircraft in the airline's fleet.
The airline is also reaffirming its commitment to the A350 widebody program by increasing its previously announced order of 20 A350s by two to 22 A350 XWBs in both the -800 and larger -900 series configuration. This allows for modest international expansion or replacement of existing older technology aircraft should market conditions warrant.
The airline expects to take delivery of the first A350-800 in 2014, becoming the North American launch customer for the fleet type, featuring Rolls Royce engines. Purchase rights for additional planes are included, allowing for the eventual retirement of all other widebody jets and leaving the airline with a single intercontinental fleet type of A350 XWBs.
"..The A350 XWB will have significantly longer range and payload capabilities but much lower costs than the A330s and 767s they replace, opening up new profitable markets across the globe to Asia, the Middle East and India," US Airways President Scott Kirby said.
18/06/07 PRNewswire-FirstCall/American Digital Networks (press release), US

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Singapore Airlines 50th flight to India from June 24

Chennai: Singapore Airlines on Monday announced its 50th service to India with the commencement of a flight on the Singapore-Chennai-Singapore sector from June 24 and to commemorate the milestone the airline will offer upto 50 per cent discount on return economy fare to select destinations in South East Asia.
The airline manager for Southern India Bharat Mahadevan said that bookings for the special fares would be open for three days from June 19 on the internet only and for outbound travel from June 24.
The destinations for promotional fares were Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
18/06/07 PTI/Times of India

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EgyptAir plans more direct India-KL flights

Mumbai: Spurred by overwhelming response to its recently launched direct flights between Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur, EgyptAir plans to add more direct flights to Malaysia from major Indian cities.
EgyptAir’s Mumbai-based regional manager Ahmed Wasfy said the airline will operate direct flights from New Delhi and Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, to Malaysia from next year.
Due to strong demand from Egyptian and Indian passengers the airline will also increase its present twice-weekly services to thrice a week to Kuala Lumpur from July.
Ahmed said the number of people travelling from Malaysia to the Middle East is gradually on the rise while Malaysia is a favourite destination among Egyptians, hence the Cairo-Mumbai-KL route serves as a vital air link connecting these destinations.
EgyptAir targets about 12,800 passengers to fly the Mumbai-KL sector by year-end.
18/06/07 Bernama/Business Times, Malaysia

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India invited as partner to 2008 Berlin Air Show

Berlin: India has been invited to become the partner nation at the 2008 Berlin Air Show - one of the world's biggest - organizers said Monday.
A statement said the presence of India with its 'highly ambitious aerospace industry,' would increase the international dimension of the biennial aerospace trade show.
Known under its German acronym ILA, the Berlin exhibition includes sectors on commercial aviation, space flight, defence and security as well as conferences and seminars.
The 2008 show will take place from May 27 to June 1.
18/06/07 Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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Man dies on flight; heart failure suspected

New Delhi: A 33-year-old Gurgaon-based businessman died onboard an Indian (Airlines) flight bound for Singapore this morning.
An airlines spokesperson here said that he died of heart attack. He was found unconscious in the aircraft toilet just before landing at Singapore.
The passenger, Madhur Kharbanda, had boarded the Singapore-bound flight (IC-859) early this morning from Delhi. Kharbanda was the Managing Director of a Gurgaon-based IT firm, Icon Power Solutions. He was accompanied on the trip by a director from his firm, Madhusoodanan. The plane took off from Delhi just around midnight.
Kharbanda is survived by his wife Shivani and a year-old son, whose first birthday was celebrated at Kharbanda’s Gurgaon residence just four days back.
When contacted, an Indian official said, “It appears to be a case of cardiac arrest. His body will be brought back soon and handed over to his family.”
18/06/07 Delhi Newsline

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Airbus A-320 makes precautionary landing in Changi airport

New Delhi: An Airbus A-320 aircraft of state-owned airline Indian today returned to Singapore's Changi airport after take-off and made a precautionary landing after a problem relating to its avionics was detected.
The pilots of the aircraft detected the problem 30 minutes after take-off and sought permission for a precautionary landing from the Singaporean ATC, Indian sources here said.
The aircraft was taken to a remote bay after landing and was going through checks, the sources said.
18/06/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Oman Air-SpiceJet deal to boost crew

Oman Air has teamed up with India's SpiceJet low-cost airline in a bid to acquire more pilots and expand its air crew, the company announced today.Captain Hamed Al Jabry, senior manager of line operations at Oman Air, said that the airline was recently in India to look for a partner to provide Oman Air with ‘well-trained quality Boeing 737 pilots'. Read On >>

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Police failures resulted in Air India disaster: inquiry

The inability of police to uncover the Air India bombing plot before the loss of 331 lives is "the biggest and most disastrous civil intelligence failure that Canada has faced," former RCMP deputy commissioner Henry Jensen said Monday.
Testifying at the Ottawa inquiry into the deadly terrorist bombings, Jensen admitted that someone should have been able to put all the pieces together before B.C. Sikh militants placed bombs aboard aircraft out of Vancouver in June 1985.
"I firmly believe that," Jensen told inquiry head John Major.
"I for one feel that somehow somewhere there were some dots that could have been linked and should have been linked and had [that] been done, then who knows, it might have been prevented."
Jensen, who now chairs the Ottawa police services board, emotionally recounted events 22 years ago when he first got word of the terrorist bombs.
The inquiry has heard weeks of evidence on the spotty information sharing between CSIS and the RCMP in the early months and the fact that there were personally clashes, turf wars and confusion over the new role of each.
Jensen pointed to politicians and government officials at the time who rushed the process to implement the CSIS Act for political reasons and because of a looming election.
18/06/07 Kim Bolan, CanWest News Service/National Post, Canada

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Airbus bets on new orders from India, Emirates

Le Bourget (Near Paris): With the exception of Kingfisher Airlines, slated to buy more Airbus superjumbos, India was not the biggest or most sought after client at the world’s oldest and most important air show which opened here on Monday. Sever al Arab emirates, notably Quatar and Dubai, came here with open cheque books, hotting up the war between the European market leader Airbus and its arch rival, the American Boeing.
The helicopter, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year is to be given a special place at the show which attracts 400,000 visitors each year with its displays of supersonic fighter jets and aerial derring-do. This year visitors will be able to see a reconstruction of the prototype used by French bicycle maker and engineer Paul Cornu for the first vertical lift-off in 1907.
But the ongoing war between Airbus and Boeing is again expected to dominate the trade section. Immediately after the fair opened, Airbus announced fresh orders for its troubled A-380 super jumbo. Qatar Airways said it would buy three additional A380 superjumbos and confirmed a previous order for 80 mid-sized A350s for a hefty total of $18 billion. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum of the Dubai-based Emirates said his company planned to buy eight more A380s worth $2.5 billion. Although manufacturers are targeting Indian companies, few deals are expected as budget carriers struggle to manage costs and move to profitability.
19/06/07 Vaiju Naravane/The Hindu

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Embraer Sells 40 Planes to Lufthansa, Japan Airlines

Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, the world's third-biggest maker of commercial planes, won orders worth as much as $3.1 billion from Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Japan Airlines Corp.
Lufthansa, Europe's second-largest carrier, ordered 30 Embraer 190 E-Jets, the Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil-based planemaker said today at the Paris Air Show. Japan Airlines ordered 10 170 E-Jets with options on another five.
Embraer announced the E-Jet series of regional aircraft at the 1999 Paris Air Show and began producing the plane in 2002. Demand for E-Jets, which can seat 70 to 118 people, allowed the company to surpass Bombardier Inc. of Canada as the third- largest producer of commercial aircraft.
``The market is very hot for both commercial and corporate aircraft,'' Embraer Chief Executive Officer Frederico Curado said in an interview. The company is in talks with India's Paramount Airlines Pvt Ltd. and Iraq Airlines to sell E-Jets, he said.
Delivery of the E-Jets to Cologne, Germany-based Lufthansa will start in 2009 and the plane will be configured with 100 seats in a two-class cabin layout, Embraer said.
18/06/07 Emmet Oliver and Tracy Alloway/Bloomberg

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Bombardier, At Air Show, Sees Healthy Demand For Business Jets

Le Bourget, France: Tighter airport security and healthy corporate profits worldwide are driving demand for Bombardier's "flying boardrooms," Pierre Cote, head of Bombardier's business jet division, said in a Monday interview.
"We've seen an increase in demand since 9/11," said Cote, speaking on the sidelines of the international air show that runs on the outskirts of Paris through this week. He said that entrepreneurs in China, Russia and India are also waking up to the additional comfort and productivity that private jets can deliver.
Bombardier, which has long dominated the market for executive jets, has easily captured that increased demand via its range of aircraft, from the very light Lear Jets to the large, long-range Global family of aircraft.
Although Cote was mum on whether the Canadian jet maker has a new platform in the works, saying only that development is "very expensive and risky," he was keen in the interview with MarketWatch to emphasize the improvements Bombardier has made to the existing Lear Jet, Challenger and Global families.
While Bombardier is enjoying a strong backlog, it's concerned about the stress the current peak in the aviation cycle is putting on suppliers.
New entrants are another element of concern for the more established players.
18/06/07 CNNMoney.com

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Global majors eyeing India market at Airshow

Paris: The India market seems to be the focus at the Paris Air Show that opened here Monday with global majors eyeing its huge civil and military aviation potential and with the country itself seeking export orders for an indigenously developed advanced light helicopter (ALH).
Nearly 2,000 participants from around 80 countries are taking part in the prestigious biannual air show.
India's Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major, Defence Production Secretary K.P Singh, Coast Guard chief Vice Admiral Rusi Contractor and top army, navy, air force and coast guard officials are at the show to witness the displays and examine what can be useful for the Indian armed forces.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) that builds the ALH has brought three of these machines here and hopes to market them abroad.
One of the ALHs conducted an impressive aerobatic display Monday. HAL chairman and manging director Ashok Baweja is also present here.
Among the leading Indian companies taking part are HCL, Satyam Computers and Tata Consultancy Services.
18/06/07 Gulshan Luthra/India eNews.com

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Jet Airways displays new Boeing 777 at Paris show

Mumbai : India's largest private carrier Jet Airways will display its newly acquired Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at the Paris Air Show which opened Monday.
The airline, which will be the first Indian private carrier to operate service between India and the US from August this year with the Boeing craft, said new Jet Airways Boeing craft will offer eight first class, 30 premier class and 270 economy class seats in its flits to the US via its European hub in Brussels.
The carrier will launch daily services from Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad to New York, Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles as it takes the delivery of the additional B777 aircrafts, it said.
18/06/07 IANS/Indian Muslims, US

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India encore likely at Paris Air Show

Mumbai:India, the second fastest-growing aviation market in the world after China, will be among the most prominent countries at the 47th International Paris Air Show that begins tomorrow.
Besides IT companies exhibiting their strength, the Paris Air Show would witness the Indian government shopping for simulators to train pilots. The ministry of civil aviation may announce its international partner for the upcoming flying training institute.
"We are planning to buy some simulators for flying training schools. An announcement in this regard would be made during the Paris Air Show," said Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
The 47th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, between June 18 and 24, will welcome almost 2,000 exhibitors, prime contractors, equipment manufacturers and SMEs involved in state-of-the-art technology used in the manufacture and assembly of aircraft, satellites, aircraft engines, aerospace power plants and related equipment as well as mechanical engineering and metallurgy subcontracting, surface treatment and composite materials.
18/06/07 PR Sanjai/Business Standard

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Paris air show to see few Indian orders as budget carriers struggle - analysts

Mumbai: Airlines from India, among the fastest growing by passenger volume in the world, will be wooed by aircraft manufacturers at the Paris Air Show this week but are unlikely to be major buyers as budget carriers struggle to manage costs and move to profitability, analysts said.
India's airlines lost a total of 400 mln usd in the nine months ended December 2006 as high fuel and aircraft purchase costs hit carriers, experts told an aviation conference earlier this year.
But full-service Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines is expected to place orders as it prepares to expand into budget services in India and fly to international destinations as well, said Amar Kedia, aviation analyst with brokerage Mumbai-based ICICI-Securities.
'Kingfisher could look for Airbus planes, likely jumbo A340-600s, for non-stop connectivity (between India and the US),' said Gautam Roy, airline analyst with brokerage Edelweiss Capital.
The world's biggest civilian aircraft manufacturers, Boeing Co and Airbus, announced new business worth 48 bln usd at the last Paris show in 2005 with India a major buyer.
In 2005, budget carrier Indigo ordered 100 A320 planes from Airbus worth about 6 bln usd while full-service Jet Airways bought 10 A330 airliners for around 1.65 bln usd.
But new orders are not likely by many of the other carriers including state-owned domestic airline Indian and international flag-carrier Air India which have already made purchases since the last show.
More than 50 pct of the fleet in India is made up of Airbus planes, while Boeing commands a 25 pct presence.
17/06/07 XFN-ASIA/Forbes, US

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