Air India sale: Not just Tatas, foreign airlines should also be allowed to bid for the ailing aviation co

New Delhi: Air India’s disinvestment could become something of a farce if the government decides to restrict it to Indian buyers alone. There has been a view within some sections of the government that equity stake in the airline should be bought only by Indian entities and that foreign investors/airlines should be kept out. If that happens, then the sale process could be stymied.

A source close to development said that apart from Air India’s former owners, the Tatas, some Gulf airlines only seem to be interested in acquiring a stake. “If the foreign airlines/investors are kept out, then it will become almost like a closed sale, with only the Tatas as potential bidders,” this person said, adding at least one successful private domestic airline which many believed would also like to put in a bid has already said in “aviation circles” that it was not keen. And industrialist Anand Mahindra, who is a former independent director on Air India’s board, has also brushed off any talk of investing in the national carrier. As the list of possible suitors for Air India narrows, perhaps the government needs to expand its view on foreign investors.

Remember, India lifted restrictions on foreign airlines acquiring equity in Indian carriers in 2012 when it allowed up to 49 percent equity by foreign airlines. This prompted the Tatas to partner two entities and consequentially launch two separate airlines – Vistara with Singapore Airlines and AirAsia India with AirAsia BhD – from scratch in India. Also, Etihad Airways picked up 24 percent stake in Jet Airways. The restrictions were eased further last year and as of today, a foreign airline can pick up 100 percent in an Indian carrier, in association with a foreign investor.  Qatar Airways has been circling India for a possible airline venture for sometime now.
29/06/17 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Tata's JV partner Singapore Airlines keen to expand network in India

Singapore Airlines wants to expand its network in India to tap growth in international passenger traffic.

Singapore Airlines along with its group airlines - Silk Air, Scoot and Tigerair- operate 175 flights each week to 15 cities in the country. On a standalone basis, the carrier accounts for around 2.7 per cent of India's overseas traffic and is a dominant player in India-South East Asia and India-Australia markets.

"We would like to add more destinations," said David Lim, the airline's general manager for India on Friday. Lim did not share further details. Aviation consultants say the airline had been evaluating opening new routes from Singapore to Pune, Chandigarh and other cities.

Capacity expansion will also require a revision in India-Singapore air service agreements. Air services between two countries are negotiated by governments that control frequencies and the number of destinations.
30/06/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Indian American to embark on solo flight around the world

New York: On July 4, Ravinder K. Bansal, a retired entrepreneur of Indian origin, will embark on a solo flight around the world in a single-engine Cessna 400 to raise money for a hospital in Haryana. He hopes to raise $750,000 to purchase an MRI machine for a hospital in his hometown Ambala.

The 100-bed hospital Rotary Ambala Cancer and General Hospital has been built with donations from philanthropists both in the US and India. The contribution is also a tribute to his elder brother Subhash Bansal’s wife, Sneh Bansal, who died of cancer in India, in 2005.

“I am excited to start my round the world trip from Buffalo Niagara International Airport on July the 4th. This mission for me is very personal as it not only is an adventure that I have been dreaming about for a while, but will also get the hospital a needed piece of MRI equipment now and help bring awareness about cancer in rural community around Ambala. Above all, it will generate publicity for the hospital that will hopefully continue to bring donations/support from the local and international community and Rotarians to keep the hospital operating and growing in future”, Bansal wrote in his blog.
Ravi Bansal, a resident of Buffalo, New York, is the pilot/owner of Cessna 400.
30/06/17 Indian Panorama

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Indians flying abroad not to fill departure card from tomorrow

New Delhi: Indians flying abroad will not be required to fill departure cards from tomorrow.

However, those going out of the country via rail, seaport and land immigration checkposts will have to fill the embarkation card.

"It has been decided to discontinue the practice of filling up of departure card by Indians at all international airports with effect from July 1, 2017," an order issued by the Union home ministry said.

The move is aimed at ensuring hassle-free movement of Indians going abroad.
30/06/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Mumbai gets first A350 aircraft from Singapore Airlines

Mumbai: The Singapore Airlines group, which operates 175 weekly flights out of India, including 17 from the city, is replacing its ageing Boeing 777 fleet with the modern A350s in the Mumbai-Singapore sector from tomorrow.
The airline group, which way back in 1992 had tried to enter the country with the Tatas and has since then tied up with same group and operates Vistara, refused to speculate on whether it is interested in the national carrier Air India, which has been put on block for privatisation.
"As a policy we don't respond to market speculation," was all Singapore Airlines India general manager David Lim would say when sought his views on the government's move to disinvest the debt-ridden airline and whether his group will be interested in the same.
The aviation policy allows 49 per cent ownership by foreign carriers in domestic airlines. The details of the Air India divestment is not clear.
He also announced discount fares as part of Singapore Airlines' 70th anniversary, starting from Rs 22,070, to the city-state in the new aircraft beginning tomorrow.
Singapore Airlines, on its own, operates over 55 flights a week from India, while the group, that comprises Silk Air, Scoot and Tiger Air, operates the rest connecting 15 cities in the country.
30/06/17 PTI/Times of India

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Indian American Professor Claims He Was Racially Profiled by Delta Airlines

An Indian American professor at Iowa State University was accused of child trafficking June 20, as he and his toddler son – who is Caucasian – attempted to board a flight in Atlanta, Georgia.

Arriving from Des Moines, Iowa, at 6 a.m., Lakshman Rajagopal, an assistant professor in the Hospitality Management department at ISU, was stopped by Delta Airlines employees in Atlanta. He was then subjected to severe questioning, as reported by WHOTV News in Iowa.

Rajagopal told the news station he was asked: “Who’s this, who are you traveling with and where are you going? What’s your relationship with this child?”

The professor – who is a single father – told airline employees that the child was his adopted son.

He was told that a flight attendant aboard his flight from Des Moines had reported his behavior as suspicious to the pilot, who then called Delta Airlines at the airport in Atlanta, where employees were waiting for Rajagopal.
The academician’s allegedly suspicious activity consisted of asking for a different seat that would allow him more room for his son, and “looking nervous” as he made the request.

Rajagopal told WHO TV he was humiliated by the incident. "After my experience, I don’t know if I want to fly Delta,” he said, noting that he was scared to take his return flight on June 28.
29/06/17 Sunita Sohrabji/India West

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Strong case for direct route from Manchester to Mumbai or Dehli, says MIDAS CEO

Securing a direct flight between Manchester and one of India’s major cities such as Mumbai or Delhi would further strengthen developing economic ties between the two destinations according to Tim Newns, chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency.

Speaking at the India – UK Economic Relations Conference as part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) UK Conference in London, the investment boss said that as relationships between the UK and India develop, Indian businesses are increasingly seeing the benefits of choosing Manchester as a base of operations.

The CII UK conference brought senior business leaders from India to the UK for a three day agenda including meetings with UK government, business and university representatives.

Mr. Newns was joined by a delegation of Manchester business leaders, attending the event to promote the benefits of Manchester as a leading European business location, and communicate the long-term objectives of the Manchester-India agenda.

The Manchester delegation included representatives from BDP, Clyde & Co LLP, Deliotte, EV Group, Manchester Airports Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, PWC, Slater Heelis, University of Salford, and Vernacare.
30/06/17 IndiaGB News

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Indian man held with undeclared currencies worth Rs 6.4 lakh

Kathmandu: Police have arrested a 51-year-old Indian national with undeclared Indian currencies worth Rs 640,000 from the Tribhuvan International Airport in the Capital on Thursday.

Police arrested Sunil Shetty with 200 bank notes of 2,000 denomination during a body search at the airport.
He was prepared to fly to Delhi on Air India flight with the undeclared currencies, said police.
30/06/17 Himalayan Times

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Woman handed 200 hours' work for trying to smuggle sausages into NZ

Three pork sausages almost smuggled into the country from India could have brought New Zealand's meat exports to its knees.

And the government department responsible for protecting the border wanted the woman who tried to bring them in to pay a fine of more than $20,000.

Instead, Wellington District Court judge Peter Butler on Friday ordered Maria Benevita Suvira Lobo to do 200 hours' community work, noting she could not pay such a fine.
Lobo, 59, of Porirua, had pleaded guilty to attempting to possess unauthorised goods and making a false declaration.
Lobo was given the meat by her brother while she was visiting Mumbai, India, in January.  She packaged the meat and printed labels that said 'mixed vege pickle', 'pickled meat vege' and 'stuffed carrot pickle'.

Asked by a quarantine inspector at Auckland Airport why she had done it, she replied: "I wanted to see whether you would catch me. I was trying to smuggle the sausages in because we don't get this kind of sausage in New Zealand."

The meat weighed 1.3kg.

In submissions for the Ministry for Primary Industries, Vatau Sagaga asked for the penalty starting point to be $20,000.

"Such an outbreak [foot and mouth disease] would cripple New Zealand's farming industry and economy.
"The cost is measured in billions of dollars and would send the economy into recession," he submitted.

He said foot and mouth stood alone in presenting the worst possible economic and social consequences to New Zealand. It was highly contagious and endemic to India.

Sagaga said the importation of raw meat was considered the most likely route to foot and mouth arriving in New Zealand
30/06/17 Stuff

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Indian/Australian Airvan 10 receives FAA, CASA certification

Mahindra Aerospace — part of Indian conglomerate Mahindra — has announced that Australia's first 10-seat Single-Engine Turbine aircraft, the Airvan 10, has been awarded its FAR 23 Type Certificate from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), followed by the U.S. Type Certificate being issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Mahindra Aerospace leads the Mahindra Group’s interests in aerospace manufacturing and is a major partner for Airbus in India.
28/06/17 Duncan Macrae/Air & Cosmos International

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China and India boost Changi airport’s passenger traffic

Indian and Chinese nationals helped boost passenger traffic at Changi airport last month, and a total of 5 million travellers passed through its gates during that month.

The airport said in a statement last month’s figures were an increase of 4.6% compared to the same period last year, bringing total passenger traffic at the airport to 25.21 million so far this year, TODAY reported.

Traffic from South Asia saw a 17% growth, with India leading the tally, charting a 21% year-on-year growth, as passengers to and from Mumbai and Chennai rose by more than 20%.

China was the other major market. It registered double-digit growth -- 11% -- accounting for more than half a million passengers last month, or about one in every 10 passengers who passed through Changi.
28/06/17 Bangkok Post

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Air India disaster victims are remembered in Cork

Schoolchildren and representatives of the emergency services were among those who took part in the recent annual memorial service for the 1985 Air India flight disaster.

Organised by Finbarr Archer, the service took place at the grave of Annu and Rena Alexander, a mother and daughter killed in the crash.

Some 329 people died when the flight from Canada was blown up in midair and the wreckage crashed into the Atlantic off the southern coast.

The Alexanders were the only victims buried in Ireland.

Annu’s husband and son were also on the plane but their bodies were never found and there was no other family to bury Annu and Renu.

Mr Archer was involved in the recovery efforts in 1985 and has been caring for their graves, in St Michael’s cemetery in Mahon, ever since.

Children from Gaelscoil Mhachan sang and played music at the ceremony. Lieutenant Claire Murphy attended on behalf of the Naval Service and Sergeant Major Jerry Dinneen from the Army, while the Irish UN Veterans were represented by Patsy Dinneen.
28/06/17 Evening Echo

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Best budget airlines in world: AirAsia tops, Indigo 10th in new Skytrax list

Best budget airlines in world: Aviation rating agency Skytrax has said AirAsia is the best budget airline in the world. Air Asia has bagged this position consecutively for the ninth time. The airline was one of many presented the award at a ceremony during the 2017 Paris Airshow. According to BusinessInsider, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said in a statement, “We take the world champion title seriously and we will strive to continue to improve for both our guests and shareholders. Over the last 15 years we have created a great brand and over the next 15, we want to move towards One AirAsia, a truly (Southeast Asian) airline.”
This was result of the Skytrax survey which was formed from impressions of 19.87 million travelers from 105 different countries. It covers more than 325 airlines, based on 49 parameters ranging from boarding procedures to comfort of the seats and service quality. Fernandes and his team have worked hard for 15 years to turn a small, failed, state-owned airline in one a multi-national aviation juggernaut, according to BusinessInsider. A responsive customer service, friendly cabin crew, and efficient operation was what got Air Asia the spot.
The other nine airlines are Norwegian, Virgin America, Jetstar Airways, AirAsia X, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and IndiGo Airlines
27/06/16 Financial Express

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Changi Airport sees strong traffic to and from India and China; 5m passengers handled in May

Singapore: Changi Airport handled 5 million passengers in May, 4.6 per cent more than the same month a year ago.

Aircraft movements rose 3.2 per cent to 31,200 landings and takeoffs, while cargo shipments saw strong growth of 12.6 per cent to reach 177,340 tonnes.

The increase in passenger traffic was boosted by a strong 17 per cent growth in South Asia traffic, Changi Airport Group said.
Among the airport's top 10 country markets, India led the gainers with a 21 per cent year-on-year growth, with traffic to and from Mumbai and Chennai rising by more than 20 per cent.
Another major market, China, also registered double-digit growth of 11 per cent, with more than half a million passengers in May, or about one in ten passengers at Changi during the month.

Cargo shipments also increased with improvements across exports, imports and transhipments. With stable recovery of industrial activity in the United States, Germany and Japan, airfreight to and from these markets saw particularly strong growth.
27/06/17 Karamjit Kaur/Straits Times

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Kabul-Delhi air cargo corridor new round of Great Game

Seven years after Pakistan refused to allow Afghan trucks carrying Indian goods to return home from the Wagah border, in spite of the July 2010 Afghanistan Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement (APTTA), Kabul and Delhi have established an air freight corridor that will facilitate the movement of goods to each others’ markets.
The landmark Ariana flight, carrying 60 tonnes of asafoetida or heeng, was flagged off by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani from Kabul airport on June 19, and received in Delhi three hours later by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Afghan heeng has especially been valued by the north Indian palate since time immemorial, but it certainly wasn’t food that both leaderships have had on their minds these past several years. Make no mistake, the air freight corridor is a political message to Pakistan and the rest of the international community, that Delhi will not abandon Kabul despite the deteriorating security situation in the country.
27/06/17 Jyoti Malhotra/Indian Express

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Afghan air corridor shows India's stubbornness: Chinese daily

Beijing: The dedicated air corridor between India and Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan is an attempt by New Delhi to counterbalance China's ambitious economic corridor via PoK and shows its "stubborn geopolitical thinking", a leading Chinese daily commented today.
India and Afghanistan last week inaugurated a dedicated air freight corridor to give boost to bilateral trade and give the landlocked central Asian country greater access to Indian markets.
India has been closely working with Kabul to create alternate and reliable access routes. It is also working with Afghanistan and Iran for development of the Chabahar Port. A trilateral transport and transit agreement based on sea access through Chabahar was signed between the three countries in May 2016.
The article in the state-run Global Times said that the already launched and the proposed routes between India, Afghanistan and Iran "begs a question: Will India bypass Pakistan to develop trade with Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries?"
26/06/17 Times of India

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Kerala asks Centre to cap airfares to Gulf

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government today asked the Centre to put a cap on airfares to Gulf cities to prevent the 'unjustified' hike of fares by airlines during the festival and summer vacation seasons.
The state also wanted the Centre to introduce more Air India Express flights and persuade private airlines to operate additional flights to the Gulf region under the open sky policy.
In a letter to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, chief minister Pinarayi sought the Centre's intervention to control airfares.
The Chief Minister pointed out that airlines had hiked the fares five to six times for destinations in West Asia to the state, causing hardship to ordinary workers who planned to visit home town during the Ramzan festival.
24/06/17 PTI/Times of India

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Indian man's body kept in airport for five months as family refuse to take him away

The body of an Indian man who died in Saudi Arabia has been kept in South Asia's biggest airport for five months because his family refuse to claim it until they are given DNA results.

Jaswinder Singh burned to death in the Saudi province of Al-Kharj two years ago, but his remains are still lying in a morgue in the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Mr Singh's family are demanding DNA test results to prove he is their relative before claiming the body.

They said the diesel mechanic's phone was still active six months after his death in November 2015, and remained hopeful that he was still alive despite the fact that nobody answered their calls.

Saudi officials didn't release Mr Singh's body until his family members sent them DNA samples for an identity match in December 2016, according to India Times.
His cadaver was then flown to India, but authorities did not send the DNA test results with the body.
25/06/17 Greg Wilford/Independent

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GoAir plans to fly to Azerbaijan, Central Asia

India's low cost carrier, GoAir, plans to launch direct flights to nine countries, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Vietnam, Maldives, Qatar and Saudi Arabia until the yearend.

The company has received permissions from the Indian government to fly to these destinations, Indian media outlets reported June 24.

The airline had, however, sought approval to fly to 14 countries and was not been granted permission to fly to Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, Thailand and the UAE.

The airline is keen to begin flying international towards by the end of the current fiscal year, according to Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, managing director & CEO of GoAir.
23/06/17 AzerNews

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Air India 182: How much does Canada care about the worst mass murder in its history?

Until Sept. 11, 2001, the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 was the deadliest terrorist attack anywhere, ever. It remains the worst mass murder in Canadian history.

On June 23 of that year, 329 people were killed, including 280 Canadians and 86 children. The flight left Toronto, then Montreal bound for London, then India. It disappeared from radar off the coast of Ireland where the search for survivors and answers began. The attack was planned by a group of B.C. Sikh separatists led by a preacher named Talwinder Singh Parmar.

Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty, a professor of English and Cultural studies at McMaster University, says that when the bombing happened it was not considered by the Canadian government and the public as a Canadian tragedy.

When then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney placed a call to Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, he expressed condolences for India's loss.

Chakraborty is an editor of the newly published anthology, Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning. She spoke with the CBC's Conrad Collaco about the worst mass murder in Canadian history and how it is perceived today and in the years since the bombing.
23/06/17 CBC News

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Canadian Sikh Group Seeks Investigations into 1985 Air India Bombing

Toronto: In a press note issued on June 23, the Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar (SADA) Canada said that it favours the demand for a new Commission to inquire the 1985 Air India bombing.

“We stand in solidarity with the victims and families of the 1985 Air India bombing to demand a new Commission of Inquiry aiming to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Sukhminder Singh Hansra stated in the press note.

“While there were arrests and lengthy court drama, the authorities were never able to bring the people who funded and executed this horrific terrorist attack to justice,” said said Sukhminder Singh Hansra president of SADA Canada. “Previous investigations and inquiries by the federal government have sought to identify gaps in Canada’s security and intelligence system, but scarce little has been done to truly identify the killers.”

On June 23, 1985, 329 innocent people, most of them Canadians, lost their lives in the worst-ever terrorist attack in Canadian history. In 2006 the federal government called a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the bombing. The Commission’s final Report, Air India Flight 182: A Canadian Tragedy, is a damning indictment of actions taken before and after the tragedy. On the 25th anniversary, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians for the institutional failings and the treatment of the victims’ families thereafter.
24/06/17 Sikh24

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Families of Air India victims gather in Stanley Park, repeat calls for justice

Ram and Sudha Jalan were visiting Vancouver from Bangalore, India, Friday when they read a Postmedia News article about the Air India memorial service at Stanley Park.

Ram lost his brother, his sister-in-law and their two children in the June 23, 1985, terrorist bombing.


“This just happened to be a coincidence,” Ram said just before the evening service began. “I wouldn’t have known about this memorial if I hadn’t read the newspaper.”

The Jalans touched the sandstone memorial wall near Second Beach that bears the names of their lost loved ones — Krishan, Shila, Anita and Vinay, who lived in Toronto.

They met others whose family members died when Air India Flight 182 was blown up off the coast of Ireland by a B.C.-made bomb.

Ram said it was difficult because “these are bad memories.”

Former B.C. premier and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh greeted the Jalans on behalf of the people of the province and the country.

And he scolded politicians and the RCMP for not doing more to bring justice for the 331 people who lost their lives on the Air India flight and in the same-day bomb blast at Tokyo’s Narita Airport that killed two baggage handlers.

Police “should get off their backsides and conduct an investigation aggressively to ensure there is finally justice with respect to the victims’ families,” Dosanjh said.

“This was the largest aviation terror attack in the history of the world when it happened. And we didn’t give it the attention and the concern that it actually deserved from … the governments of Canada.”

Dosanjh said federal political parties of varying stripes have maintained connections to “the forces that actually brought down Air India.

“The ideological descendants and successors of those forces sit in the highest positions in all of the political parties today,” he said. “And politicians need to stand up and take notice that we are watching and that they should be careful.”
24/06/17 Kim Bolan/Vancouver Sun

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Russia’s fighter jet makers “not afraid” of US competition in India

Paris: Russian military aviation firm MiG said on Friday it was ready to deepen its cooperation with India, just days after U.S. arms maker Lockheed Martin Corp agreed with Tata Advanced Systems to build F-16 fighters there. India’s air force needs hundreds of aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said foreign suppliers must build the planes in India to boost the domestic industrial base and cut outright imports. MiG General Director Ilia Tarasenko told Reuters in a written interview that his company had been cooperating with India for more than 50 years, providing planes, service and training centres, and remained upbeat about further sales.
“We are not afraid of rivalry with the U.S. in this market,” he said. “On the contrary, we believe that attempts by other players to establish cooperation with this country help us to better understand their needs and better meet them.” At the same time, he conceded that Modi’s “Make in India” initiative required some changes in Moscow’s approach, and said his company was ready to respond. “Regarding improvements, we believe that it is necessary to further deepen cooperation within the framework of the ‘Make in India’ concept and are ready to take the necessary steps,” Tarasenko said. He did not elaborate.
24/06/17 Reuters/Financial Express

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Japanese firms keen on Tokyo-B'luru flight

Bengaluru: A direct flight may connect Bengaluru with Tokyo, a top Japanese diplomat has hinted, stating that discussions are underway on several fronts, involving the Far East nation’s two leading carriers — Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) — one of which could potentially serve the said circuit.

Talking to DH on the sidelines of the Invest Japan Seminar here on Friday, Consul-General of Japan Takayuki Kitagawa said, “The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Bengaluru is keen on linking Bengaluru to Tokyo by air, and has approached both JAL and ANA. Research and cost benefit analysis about the route are underway. The discussions at the moment are at the CEO level at both airlines, but in my personal opinion, I see it being realised.”

Bengaluru is home to 478 Japanese companies, including auto major Toyota, and with the former being the IT capital of India, a direct flight to global tech hub Japan is opportune.

“If the projection is that more Japanese companies would be based in Bengaluru in the future, the profitability of course will increase, calling more for a direct flight,” Kitagawa asserted.
24/06/17 Hrithik Kiran Bengaluru/Deccan Herald

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Aviation ministry directs two airlines to operate extra flights from Doha

THE MINISTRY OF Civil Aviation (MOCA) has directed Air India Express and Jet Airways to operate additional flights between Doha and Indian cities after some Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia cut ties with Qatar. The flights will help bring back Indian nationals unable to get bookings.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt banned Qatari planes from landing in their countries and had forbidden them from using their airspace. Subsequently, Etihad Airline suspended its operations to Doha from Mumbai.
The ministry further indicated that additional services will ensure timely movement of Indian passengers to Doha. “External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had spoken to Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju on June 19. They discussed operating additional flights to Doha for Indians unable to get bookings,” an official statement from MOCA said.
The Ministry has called to operate an additional flight on June 22 and June 23 by Jet Airways from Doha to Mumbai. The flight will also be directed back to Doha for Indian passengers.
23/06/17 The Indian Express

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Extra flights to Qatar are only being run to cater to Eid, vacation traffic, says aviation minister

Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the additional flights should not be seen as an ‘evacuation’.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday said that additional flights to and from Qatar had been arranged to cater to Eid and school vacation traffic. On Twitter, he said the flights should not be seen as an “evacuation as reported at some places”.

This comes a day after Raju had tweeted: “All steps necessary for timely movement of our citizens from Doha will be ensured. I and Sushma Swaraj ji are in touch on this issue”. Earlier this week, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had also taken up the matter of additional flights between India and Doha, weeks after Qatar was diplomatically isolated by several countries including Saudi Arabia.

Out of the 6.5 lakh Indians in Qatar, nearly three lakh are from Kerala. After Qatar was cut off by other Gulf nations – including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates – on June 5, flight operations in and out of Doha have been hampered. Swaraj had earlier said that the diplomatic stand-off of Qatar does not affect India.
22/06/17 Scroll.in

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Modi's US visit: India to get Guardian drones; F-16 jets on agenda too

The Indian armed forces will be getting 22 American-made Guardian drones after the US cleared their sale ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington for his maiden meeting with US President Donald Trump. The clearance comes just days after the announcement of the possibility of making American F-16 fighter jets in India under the Modi government's Make in India programme.

As reported earlier by news agency PTI, the news regarding the surveillance drones came from government sources on Thursday. The deal, which is estimated to be worth $2-3 billion, is being termed as a "game-changer" for bilateral ties between the two nations.

Modi's two-day visit to Washington begins on Sunday. Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in April and has also had face-time with the leaders of nations including Japan, Britain, and Vietnam since taking office in January, prompting anxiety in New Delhi that India is no longer a priority in Washington.

According to informed sources, the decision was communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department on Thursday.

However, why do these drones matter? After all, they are unarmed. According to reports, the Indian armed forces intend to use them to keep a watch over activities in the Indian Ocean, a region which has seen the increased presence of Chinese naval assets.
23/06/17 Business Standard

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Jet Airways expands codeshare pacts with Air France, KLM Royal Dutch and Delta

Budget carrier Jet Airways on Thursday announced expansion of its codeshare partnership with Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Under the expanded pact, the carriers will expand choice and connectivity options for guests flying between India and Europe, Jet Airways said in a release. It enables Jet Airways passengers convenient access to as many as 43 European destinations via the airline’s European hub Amsterdam and 27 via Paris besides 34 in North America.
The enhanced partnership will provide seamless connectivity to 12 news destinations in Europe including Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Lyon, Nice and Warsaw , among others through codeshare flights.
Similarly, passengers travelling from Europe or North America will gain unhindered air connectivity to 45 Indian cities on Jet Airways domestic network via Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, the release said.
According to Jet Airways, codeshares on key sectors such as Mumbai-Paris, Chennai-Paris, Bengaluru-Amsterdam, and Mumbai-London will offer greater choice and connectivity to its passengers.
“The expanded cooperation reaffirms our commitment to offer our guests choice and seamless connectivity. In fact, our guests travelling to Europe and North America can benefit immensely from our multi-gateway connectivity to all destinations on Air France, KLM and Delta’s networks,” said Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer Jayraj Shanmugam.
The partnership significantly expands Jet Airways reach in key markets and adds even more destinations to its already extensive international network, he added. At present, both Air France and Delta Air Lines are codesharing on Jet Airways’ current service between Mumbai and Paris.
22/06/17 PTI/The Indian Express

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Reliance Defence To Partner With France’s Daher For Aerospace Components

Reliance Defence Limited on Thursday said it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Daher Aerospace, France for manufacture of aerospace components.

According to the fully-owned subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, the MoU was signed at the Paris Air Show.

Daher Aerospace is tier-one manufacturer in aerostructures segment comprising fuselage sections and fairings made of composites as well as conventional metals for Dassault Aviation and other leading global aircraft manufacturers.

In India, Dassault has 50 per cent offset obligation for 36 Rafale aircraft, a contract valued close to 8 billion euros. Reliance Defence is a key partner with Dassault Aviation for the largest offset programme so far in India.

“This offers a great opportunity for both the companies to work together for aerospace composites parts manufacturer. There is an increasing demand in aerospace sector for the composite components,” the company said in a statement.
23/06/17 Defence Aviation Post

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Qatar Airways considers India, Italy plans

Qatar Airways is in talks with Bombardier concerning the possible use of CSeries jets for the Qatari carrier's proposed Indian venture, CEO Akbar al Baker has said.

"Instead of ATRs [from Avions de Transport Régional] or Q400s [from Bombardier], I could use the CSeries on short-runway destinations in India," he told Reuters during the 2017 Paris Airshow.

In March this year, al Baker revealed plans to take advantage of India's proposed relaxation of laws governing foreign investment in local carriers. Under the plan, though foreign carriers may not own more than 49% of an Indian airline, sovereign wealth funds are and have been permitted to own up to 51% of Indian scheduled passenger airlines.

As such, al Baker said the proposed venture would use the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and Qatar Airways' parent, as a likely vehicle to establish the carrier.

The future of the project, as well as the proposed finalization of Qatar Airways' acquisition of a 49% stake in Italy's Meridiana fly, will have an impact on what the carrier does with its LOI with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) for sixty B737 MAX 8s.
21/06/17 ch-aviation

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India's GMR, four others other bid for Belgrade airport

Four consortia and one company will proceed the next round of bidding for a 25-year concession to operate Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport, the biggest in the Balkan region, the company and a Serbian government commission said on Wednesday.

Serbia, which has an 83.1 percent stake in the airport, expects the deal to be worth around 400 million euros ($446 million).

The only company to have a non-binding bid accepted was France's Vinci Airports, according to a statement posted on Belgrade airport's website.

The consortia are France's Meridiam Eastern Europe Investments, Zurich Airport AG and France's Eiffage; India's GMR Infrastructure Limited and Greece's Terna; South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corp., Turkey's Yatirimlar ve isletme and Russia's VTB Capital Infrastructure; China's Hainan Air Travel Service, HNA and China National Aero Technology, the statement said.

The government repeatedly extended an initial March deadline to give bidders more time to complete their offers.
21/06/17 Reuters

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TCI to design galleys for India’s SpiceJet

Istanbul: Turkish Cabin Interiors (TCI), a global player in the aviation industry in design, certification and manufacturing of cabin interiors, has come to an agreement with India’s SpiceJet to manufacture galleys of its new 155 B737 MAX aircraft.

The deliveries of the program will start in August 2018 and continue until 2024.

SpiceJet is one of the largest airlines in India. With the new aircrafts equipped with TCI, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Turkish Aerospace Industries, being delivered, it will strengthen its market position with those deliveries including state of the art Turkish product galleys, a statement said.
22/06/17 TradeArabia

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Air Arabia plane grounded at Nagpur airport

Nagpur: An Air Arabia plane from Nagpur to Sharjah was grounded at the city airport since Wednesday morning after a technical snag was reported before take off. It has been reliably learnt that the Airbus plane developed a snag in the engine and there was suspected fuel leakage too. The flight did not take off till late evening. Officials at the airlines' Nagpur office did not respond to TOI's calls to seek a response.
For a long time the 58 passengers were kept seated in the aircraft itself after which some of them were shifted to private hotels, said sources. The aircraft which reaches Nagpur form Sharjah takes off again for Sharjah at around 4am in the morning. Air Arabia is the first international airlines to start services from the city.
22/06/17 Times of India

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Privatisation Of Air India: Tata Group, Singapore Airlines Emerge Possible Buyers

Rumours of the privatisation of national airlines Air India have been at an all-time high, and according to recent reports, Tata Group and Singapore Airlines may be the new buyers, with Tata holding a majority share.

Although Tata Group and Singapore Airlines already run a full-service carrier 'Vistara' they may enter another partnership to buy Air India, with the Tatas buying a 51 percent share, and the remaining being bought by Singapore Airlines.

The news of Tata and Singapore Airlines buying Air India together comes as the latest in a series of possible options to rescue the loss-making carrier.

Air India currently holds only a 14 percent market share in the nation's domestic air traffic, leading to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stating that "If 86 percent of flying can be handled by the private sector, so it can also handle 100 percent."

Niti Aayog also pitched for the full privatisation of Air India.
21/06/17 News World India

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Is Lockheed Martin pushing obsolete aircraft to India?

In what could be a big boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme, the defence arm of the Tata Group has signed an agreement with American firm Lockheed Martin to produce and export new generation F-16 fighter aircraft.

The deal, coming days ahead of PM Modi’s first meeting with US President Donald Trump, was signed at the Paris Air Show. It is subject to the condition that the F-16 Block 70 fighter jet emerges as the winner of an Indian Air Force competetion to procure more than 100 single-engine fighters.

The Tata Advanced Systems Limited-Lockheed Martin combine will compete with Sweden’s Saab, which will offer its Gripen fighter aircraft for the requirement.

But some defence experts think Lockheed is trying to sell obsolete aircraft to India. Defence expert Brahma Chellaney wrote on Twitter: “India a dumping ground for obsolete weapons system? Lockheed Martin signs F-16 deal with Tata. Why Tata? Because they make the noisiest car?”
21/06/17 Economic Times

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Air India, Jet Airways will operate additional flights to Doha during Eid

New Delhi: The government has asked Air India and Jet Airways to operate additional temporary flights to Doha to meet the massive demand ahead of Eid, due to a ban on Qatar carriers by some middle-eastern nations.

Jet Airways will operate a 168-seater aircraft on June 22 and June 23 between Mumbai and Doha.

Air India subsidiary Air India Express will be flying its 186-seater Boeing 737 on Thiruvananthapuram-Doha and Cochin- Doha routes from June 25 to July 8, a senior official of the ministry of civil aviation said.


The move comes after Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj discussed the matter with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju earlier this week.

"All steps necessary for timely movement of our citizens from Doha will be ensured. @SushmaSwaraj ji and I are in touch on this issue," Raju tweeted.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain had banned the use of their airspace for flights to and from Doha earlier this month and later revised the embargo saying it would apply only for Qatar operators.

The restrictions on the use of airspace came while nine countries - Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Mauritius, Mauritania, Yemen, Libya's eastern-based government and the Maldives -- severed diplomatic ties with Qatar.
21/06/17 PTI/Business Standard

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US welcomes India-Afghan direct air corridor

Washington: The US today welcomed the inauguration of a direct commercial air corridor between India and Afghanistan that bypasses Pakistan, describing the route as a new avenue for Afghan products to enter the international market.

"We welcome this new avenue for Afghan products...And India's contributions to Afghanistan's development and economic growth," a State Department spokesperson told PTI.
The maiden flight from Kabul taking the route landed in New Delhi yesterday. It carried 60 tonnes of cargo, mostly asafoetida (hing).

The new route is expected to boost bilatyeral trade ties and give landlocked Afghanistan a larger access to Indian markets. It should benefit the Afghan farmers, giving them a quick access to Indian markets for their perishable produce.
20/06/17 PTI/Business Standard

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GMR Hyderabad International Airport commences mango exports to South Korea

Envisioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to increase the income of Indian farmers, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad announced it has started exporting mangoes to South Korea. RGIA also plans to come up with a dedicated perishables handling facility at the airport.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad has exported an initial commercial consignment of 2.5 tonnes of Indian mangoes for the first time to South Korea through its cargo terminal, which is operated by Hyderabad Menzies Air Cargo Pvt Ltd (HMACPL). With this, RGIA becomes the first airport in India to facilitate export of mangoes to South Korea directly from a farm-based infrastructure.
GHIAL and HMACPL teams have worked with the farmer community at Vizianagaram facility for developing a pack-house, creating markets, commissioning this project with requisite approvals from the government and exporting Suvarnarekha variety of mangoes to South Korea. Mangoes being a seasonal fruit of high demand, export volume to South Korea is expected to grow up to 10 tonnes per day for the rest of the season.
Commenting on the development, SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL said, “Hyderabad being India’s Pharma capital, Pharmaceuticals have had the lion’s share of exports out of RGIA over the years. We have been on a constant lookout for increasing our perishables export base. The initiative of mango exports to South Korea will go a long way not only in expanding our perishable exports base but also in strengthening our global footprint. With the current demand and regular feedback from the traders, we are planning to come up with a dedicated perishables handling facility at the airport soon.”
19/06/17 Gopanjali Roy/Media India Group

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GMR to bid for expanison and modernisation of airports in Serbia, Jamaica

Mumbai: The GMR group is planning to bid for expansion and modernisation of existing airports in Serbia and Jamaica, as it aims to double airports to 10 under management over the next few years.

"We are looking for opportunities both in India and abroad. We have qualified to bid for Belgrade (Serbia) and Kingston (Jamaica) airports,"  said Sidharth  Kapur, president, GMR airports on Tuesday.

The group will be partnering with a major European construction firm for Belgrade airport. It is an operational airport with over five-million passenger capacity. The concession period will be for 25 years.


Within India, GMR plans to bid for new Bhogapuram airport near Visakhapatnam and privatisation of Nagpur airport.

GMR group runs airports in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mactan-Cebu in Philippines. It has won bids to construct a new airport in Goa and to develop and operate an existing airport in Heraklion in Greece.

"Our airport business is growing and now contributes around 55-60 per cent to the group's revenue," Kapur said.
21/06/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Mahindra Aerospace’s Airvan 10 achieves type certificate

Australia’s first 10 seat Single Engine Turbine aircraft, the AIRVAN 10, has been awarded its FAR 23 Type Certificate from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which was followed, by the US Type Certificate being issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.

S P Shukla, chairman, Mahindra Aerospace, and Group president-Aerospace & Defence, Mahindra Group, commented, “This (certification) comes as a cornerstone for civil aviation. This certification under stringent safety standards in place today, aligns with Mahindra Group’s focus on introducing world class products in fast changing general aviation world which will be dominated significantly by turboprobs in this class of aircraft. It enhances our global reach further with specific focus on large markets for regional connectivity such as India, USA and Africa.”

“This not only allows us to expand our existing markets but also provides much needed boost to regional low cost connectivity to those areas in the world where AvGas is a constraint. Our focus on engineering and in world class execution is the key to this milestone, said Arvind Mehra, executive director & CEO of Mahindra Aerospace.

Keith Douglas, CEO of GippsAero said, “For our Australia and India teams, this is a much deserved recognition. This now gives us an opportunity to progress into the next stage of the programme which will address customer and region specific enhancements to the aircraft. We expect delivery of the first aircraft to identified customers by the early 2018. There has been a significant demand for such aircraft in expanding general aviation turboprop market and we are confident we will fill the gap by providing this cost effective solution.”
19/06/17  STAT Trade Times

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Jet Airways to fly additional flights to Mumbai

Doha: Indian private full-service carrier, Jet Airways, has announced two additional flights to Mumbai, India on June 22 and 23 in response to the current scenarion in the region.

The additional flight 9W559 will depart Doha at 23:00 and will arrive in Mumbai
at 5:00.
The flight from Mumbai 9W560 will leave at 20:55 and arrive in Hamad International Airport at 21:55.

This will operate along with the existing daily flight from Doha to Mumbai.

After the Gulf crisis started, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has closed their skies to Qatar Airways flights and their national airlines have stopped flying to Qatar.

Many Indian expatriates depend on connection flights through other Gulf States for their journey during summer holidays or long eid vacations as direct airlines become more expensive during peak seasons.

After the “illegal siege” the options left to India are direct flights like Qatar Airways, Jet Airways, Air India express, Indigo and connection flights like Oman Air.
18/06/17 Peninsula 

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Air fares expected to rise to some destinations

Doha: Air fares are set to rise for key destinations mainly in the subcontinent as many residents prepare to fly out during their summer break from June-end.
Travel industry sources said the air fares will more than double to certain sectors by June-end as most schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Qatar have been scheduled to close for summer holidays by June 22.
The peak summer travel season normally starts in the last week of June and extends until September, depending on the Eid holidays’ schedule.
Travellers to certain destinations will have to open their wallets wide this summer, inquiries reveal.
For example, a return economy class fare to Thiruvananthapuram in the south Indian state of Kerala will be nearly QR5,000 for outbound travel on June 25 and inbound on September 1.
Until a few days ago, it was available for half this price, an industry source said.
Similarly, for Kochi in south India, economy class passengers will have to cough up nearly QR5,100 during the same time frame.
18/06/17 Gulf Times

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Afghanistan-India air corridor: President Ashraf Ghani inaugurates first direct-route between the countries that bypasses Pakistan

Kabul: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the first Afghanistan-India air corridor during a ceremony at the Kabul International Airport — a direct route that bypasses Pakistan and is meant to improve commerce.

Ghani says the aim of the route is to create more opportunities and make Afghanistan an exporter country. His adviser Sediqullah Mujadedi says Afghan agricultural products will for the first time head to India on cargo planes.

Mujadedi says the first India-bound flight on Monday included 60 tons of natural plants; a second flight will follow, with 40 tons of dry fruits to be sent form Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.
19/06/17 AP/First Post

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Singapore Airlines introduces special offers for loyalty card holders

New Delhi: Singapore Airlines on Monday announced an array of special offers on its website and SingaporeAir mobile app, including an opportunity to avail two complimentary flight tickets on Vistara Airlines.
Under the new terms of the offer, the new and existing KrisFlyer loyalty card members will be eligible for booking a Singapore Airlines or Silk Air (regional wing of Singapore Airlines) return ticket from June 16 – 30 June on its website.
This offer is valid for travel between July 1 and August 31 2017 on Suites, First, Business and Economy (Flexi and Flexi Saver) fares.
The destinations covered under this offer include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Except for Singapore Airlines Suites or First Class passengers who will be entitled to Vistara’s Business Class, customers will be allotted the same cabin class on their complimentary Vistara tickets with travel validity from July 21, 2017 to August 31, 2018.
19/06/17 ANI/India.com

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Lulu brings 65 tonnes of fruits and vegetables from India

Doha: To increase the availability of agriculture produce in local markets, Lulu Hypermarkets has imported 65 tonnes vegetables and banana of different varieties in a chartered flight from India, said Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group International.

Speaking with The Peninsula Althaf said: “Despite the consignments came in cargo flight, the products will not be expensive and new supplies will also help stabilize the prices.”
“Earlier, there was a transit cost attached as products from sourcing countries were coming to Qatar via Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Now everything is coming directly,” he added.

“We have started direct import because now the products are not coming via UAE and Saudi Arabia. So direct import volume from India has risen sharply. Earlier these things were coming in passenger flights and the amount used to be in the range of 500kg. Now we are not dependent on passenger planes because the quantity is enough to bring from charter cargo flights”.

“Our first charter cargo flight has arrived from Kochi Airport, India carrying 65 tonnes of banana and fresh vegetables including tomato, cucumber, capsicum, onion, potato, ginger, garlic and pumpkin among many others," said Althaf.
18/06/17 Peninsula

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India, Afghan all set to trade through air

Sky is the limit for friendship between India and Afghanistan, literally. Facing constant roadblocks from Pakistan to carry out their bilateral trade through land route, India and Afghanistan are all set to trade through air. They are opening a dedicated air freight corridor to supply their goods and make trade easier.

The decision to have an air freight corridor was taken in December in Amritsar ahead of the Heart of Asia Summit where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani announced the unique initiative. Two countries are forced to use air route following Pakistan’s trouble making attitude and preventing India-Afghanistan trade though land. The move will provide the private sector in Afghanistan a platform to increase their exports to India and help Indian goods reach Kabul in a time-bound manner.
The first batch of Indian commercial goods will take off from New Delhi for Kabul this weekend while another set of freight with Afghanistan’s agro-products is expected to return shortly. A warm reception has been planned by the Government at the Delhi airport to send off the first flight — by Ariana Airlines — that will take off for Kabul.

“In view of difficulties faced on the ground, an air freight corridor between India and Afghanistan has been activated. “The frequency of the flights under the project would be determined depending on commercial viability as it was a business venture which is supported greatly by the two Governments,” said Gopal Baglay, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson. He added the flights will fly over the Pakistan airspace as it is a civil plane.
17/06/17 Daily Pioneer

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Dassault Aviation interacts with aerospace industry players in India

New Delhi: Dassault Aviation, makers of the Rafale jet, along with Reliance Defence today interacted with players from the aerospace industry to promote Business-to-Business interactions between the French and Indian aerospace manufacturers. “The ambition is to develop a complete supply chain allowing the completion of the existing ambitious Rafale (50 per cent) offsets obligations,” a statement from Dassault Aviation said.
In September last year, India signed a 7.87 billion euros with France to acquire 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force. The 50 per cent offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over three billion Euros.
This B2B interface between the French and domestic entrepreneurs aims to deepen existing links, create new opportunities of collaboration and work towards establishing a defence manufacturing eco-system in India, the statement said.
5/06/17 PTI/Indian Express

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Singapore Airlines subsidiaries look to expand India presence

Tigerair and Scoot, the no-frills subsidiaries of Singapore Airlines that will merge by July-end, are looking at expanding its footprints in India by tapping international travellers from Tier-2 cities and secondary markets in the country.

The airlines, which will start functioning under a single brand 'Scoot' from July 25 after the merger, believes that the international connectivity from Tier-2 cities in India is "currently untapped" and is an area where it sees a "lot of growth opportunities".

"It is part of our strategy to tap into Tier-2 cities and secondary markets in India...We are definitely keen on expansion and are constantly exploring avenues to expand our footprint in India. We are already studying markets in India that we want to go to next. However, we will need to assess the market demand before we go ahead with any such plan," Scoot and Tigerair CEO Lee Lik Hsin told DH through email.

Tigerair, a short-haul airline, currently operates from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli and Lucknow while Scoot, a medium-haul operator, operates from Chennai, Amritsar and Jaipur to Singapore and to other destinations like Australia.

Hsin said South India has been their focus area since the commencement of operations in India and "still see a lot of demand from existing markets" there as well as from "several smaller markets in South India that we do not operate to at the moment".
16/06/17 Shemin Joy/Deccan Herald

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Chartered jet with veggies to leave for Doha on Friday

Kozhikode: Qatar, which is facing an economic embargo by its neighbours following a diplomatic row, is set to get a helping hand from Kerala to meet its vegetable demands.
A special cargo flight carrying 60 tonnes of fresh vegetables, chartered by a Kochi-based export firm with links to a super-market chain in the Gulf, is expected to take off for Qatari capital Doha from the Nedumbassery airport on Friday. The Airbus A330 belongs to the Qatar Airways.
Vegetable exporters from the state are also cashing in on the huge demand from Qatar by sending maximum capacity cargo of vegetables in all available passenger flights from the three airports in the state to Doha.
Qatar, which imports most of its food supplies, is looking for new vegetable markets following the imposition of a blockade on June 5.
Earlier, Emirates flights from Kochi to Dubai used to carry around 12 tonnes of vegetables destined for Qatar daily. This has stopped with the blockade now, said a senior official with the cargo service centre of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial).
16/06/17 KR Rajeev/Times of India

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Nepali national caught at Mumbai airport with Aadhaar card

Mumbai: Barely a month after three Pakistani nationals were caught in Bengaluru with Aadhaar cards, a 29-year-old Nepali woman, Jayalaxmi Gurung, was arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on June 11 after flashing the UID card as proof of identity. Aadhaar cards are issued only to Indian residents.
Gurung has been residing in Kalyan since 2009 and planned to visit her hometown in Pokhara, Nepal. On the morning of June 9, she reached the airport to board a flight and furnished an Aadhaar card bearing her name to the airport officials. After the authorities questioned her nationality, Gurung revealed that she had procured an Aadhaar card in 2009. A Sahar police official said she claimed that she didn't know that Aadhaar cards are only for Indian citizens.
The police official said since a passport is not mandatory for travel to Nepal (other authorised documents will do), she produced a valid flight ticket and her ID card. "That's when she revealed that she had ID cards from both Nepal and India. The authorities then called the police, and she was arrested."
16/06/17 Asif Rizvi/Mid Day

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Star Alliance vents Air India worries

Cancun: Star Alliance, the global group of 28 airlines, today said the privatisation of Air India, which is its member, should not affect its network or lead to the "backdoor entry" of an airline into the alliance.

Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh said, "If the ownership and effective control of Air India is within the Star Alliance family, we don't have a problem with that.

"If, however, the ownership and effective control is outside Star Alliance, we will need to review the situation to see whether it is still compatible with our strategy.

"Because if particularly it's an airline (which takes over Air India), we don't want the acquisition of one of our members becoming a backdoor entry into Star Alliance," Goh said.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief Alexandre de Juniac parried questions on the proposals to privatise Air India, while observing that this was the second time such an announcement had been made.
15/06/17 PTI/Telegraph

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Tiruchi-Bangkok flight service may take off soon

Tiruchi: The Thai AirAsia, a joint venture low-fare airline, has plans to operate flight services in the Tiruchi-Bangkok-Tiruchi sector in the coming months. If implemented, the Tiruchi airport would have direct connectivity to the Thai capital city in August. Bangkok would become the third major South East destination to have links with Tiruchi after Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Sources said that the overseas airline was in touch with the Tiruchi airport authorities seeking appropriate slots for operation of the new flight service. The Tiruchi authorities approved slots for arrival and departure of the proposed new service after midnight hours.

“We have expressed our readiness and keenness to the airline to operate the new service,” said the official. Given the constraints in the runway length, the airline might operate a Boeing type aircraft in the proposed new sector, say officials.

Bangkok, being one of the most favoured tourist destinations in the world, authorities here feel that operation of new service to Bangkok would scale up international aircraft movements, passenger and freight traffic from Tiruchi.
15/06/17 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

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Jet Airways, IndiGo resume using UAE airspace for Doha flights

New Delhi: Jet Airways and IndiGo have resumed using the UAE airspace for their flights to Doha, more than a week after they were forced to re-route their planes due to an embargo by several Gulf nations on flights to and from the Qatar capital.
The development came after UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority clarified today that the ban applied only to airlines, aircraft and companies registered in Qatar.
Bahrain and Saudi Arabia too issued identical statements explaining that the embargo did not apply to all airlines, according to local media reports.
The ban applies to "all Qatari aviation companies and aircraft registered in the state of Qatar", several media reports quoted the agencies of the three countries.
Both IndiGo and Jet Airways have returned to flying over the UAE to reach Doha, the capital of Qatar. Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, was yet to go back to its original route plan. The three Indian carriers operate flights to and from Doha.
Since the imposition of the ban by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, the Indian carriers had to alter their routes and fly over Karachi (Pakistan), Bandar Abbas (Iran) to Doha resulting in longer flying hours and additional operational costs due to higher fuel burn and deployment of additional human resources.
Full-service carrier Jet Airways today said in a statement that it had received permission to use the UAE airspace.
"The airline will start operating on its earlier routes via the UAE with immediate effect, helping it reduce guest inconvenience as well as additional flight time," the airline said.
15/06/17 PTI/Times of India

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Dassault Aviation and Reliance Defence rally Indian aerospace industry

New Delhi: Dassault Aviation and Reliance Defence, in cooperation with its partners, rally the Indian aerospace industry in New Delhi

Today, Dassault Aviation along with its key partner Reliance Defence hosted close to 200 delegates from the aerospace industry, from different parts in India representing over 60 Indian companies and 25 French companies in New Delhi.

This event in cooperation with Rafale Industrial Partners viz. Thales, Safran and MBDA was to promote Business to Business (B2B) interactions between the French and Indian aerospace manufacturers.

In keeping with the Skill India plan of the government, this B2B interface between the French and domestic Indian entrepreneurs aims to deepen existing links, create new opportunities of collaboration and work towards establishing a full-fledged defense manufacturing eco-system in India.

The ambition is to develop a complete supply chain allowing the completion of the existing ambitious Rafale offsets obligations under the Rafale contract signed in September 2016 (obligations representing 50 percent of the total amount of the acquisition contract of 36 Rafale) and build a strong base for the success of Rafale under the ?Make in India? initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
15/06/17 ANI/DNA

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Jet Airways, Aeromexico enter codeshare deal

Mumbai: India’s Jet Airways and Aeromexico, the flag carrier of Mexico, have signed an MoU outlining cooperation on codeshare flights and frequent flyer programmes.
 Both carriers will codeshare on each other’s services between India and Mexico via common gateways in Europe, e.g. London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle and Amsterdam.
 To begin with, Jet Airways will place its 9W marketing code on Aeromexico flights from London Heathrow to Mexico City. In turn, Aeromexico will place its marketing code on Jet Airways’ services from London Heathrow to Mumbai and Delhi.
12/06/17 TTGAsia

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Air Astana launches service from Astana to India’s capital city New Delhi

Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, will launch direct flights from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan to New Delhi, the capital of India on July 2, 2017. The service will be operated three times a week using Airbus A320 and Embraer 190 aircraft. Air Astana continues to operate daily flights between Almaty and New Delhi, launched back in September 2004.

The Kazakhstan award-winning carrier offers travellers from New Delhi a wide range of convenient flight connections in Astana, with services to international destinations including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Kiev, Baku and Tbilisi as well as to many cities across Kazakhstan. Together with other Air Astana international passengers travelling through Astana between 1st June and 10th September 2017, those using the new services to and from New Delhi will be entitled to free admission tickets for EXPO 2017 Astana - Future Energy.
12/06/17 Stat Times

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Doha flights as per schedule: Jet Airways, IndiGo

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen made no demands of Qatar, but their decision plunged the nation’s worldwide travel hub into chaos, igniting the biggest diplomatic crisis in the Gulf since the 1991 war against Iraq.

Several airlines from those countries earlier announced they would no longer fly to Qatar. All but Egypt, which has many thousands of people working there, ordered their citizens to leave the country.

Egypt and the UAE accused Qatar of supporting and funding Islamic State, al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

FILE – In this May 21, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, holds a bilateral meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
11/06/17 Madeline Patrick/Normangee Star

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Flight makes emergency landing in Chennai

Chennai: A city-bound Malaysian carrier flight with 141 passengers made an emergency landing at the airport here following a technical ‘snag’, airport officials said today.
The flight from Kuala Lumpur, also carrying five crew members, developed some issues related to cabin pressure and was given priority ahead of other flights to make the emergency landing late last night.
A medical team was put on alert to attend to any health issues for passengers but there was no complaints from any, the officials said.
Consequently, the return flight to Kuala Lumpur today has been cancelled and all passengers accommodated at a star hotel here, officials added.
11/06/17 PTI/India.com

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Vaiko says Sri Lanka behind his detention at Kuala Lumpur airport; will seek PM Modi's help

Chennai: MDMK General Secretary Vaiko said the Sri Lankan government is behind his detention at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Friday.

Vaiko, who has raised the Sri Lankan Tamils issue at the European Parliament in Brussels, felt that Sri Lankan government does not want issues relating to killing of innocent Tamils during its war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be raised in international forums.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Vaiko said he was shocked when immigration officials at Kuala Lumpur airport stopped him from entering Malaysia. He informed the officials that he was invited for the wedding reception of Penang Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy's daughter on Saturday.
10/06/17 Gladwin Emmanuel/Bangalore Mirror

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MDMK chief Vaiko detained at Kuala Lumpur airport, to be sent back

Chennai: MDMK chief Vaiko was on Friday stopped from entering Malaysia and detained at the Kuala Lumpur airport where officials questioned him over his alleged links to the LTTE. He will be sent back to Chennai by a Malaysian Airlines flight Friday night, the MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) said in a release here. He is expected to reach here by 10.45 pm.
The leader was scheduled to attend the wedding reception of the daughter of the Deputy Chief Minister of Malaysian state of Penang, P Ramasamy, on June 10.
The party said when Vaiko landed at the Kuala Lumpur airport this morning, immigration authorities told him that he had been banned from entering the country since his name figured “in the list of persons dangerous to Malaysia.”
Officials told him that “he belonged to the LTTE in Sri Lanka,” and quizzed him over the outfit, the party said.
09/06/17 Indian Express

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Jet Airways inks pact with Aeromexico to boost seamless travel

Jet Airways informed that the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aeromexico on Thursday. The two airlines will cooperate through codeshare flights and frequent flyer programmes.

The codeshare partnership with Aeromexico, a Mexican flag carrier, will provider Jet Airways's passengers with increased connectivity and seamless access to the combined networks of both the airlines.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting in Cancun (Mexico) by Jet Airways Chairman, Naresh Goyal and Aeromexico Chief Executive Officer, Andres Conesa.

“The new relationship between Jet Airways and Aeromexico illustrates our commitment as well as strategic efforts to continuously strengthen our network, connecting India with the rest of the world, as well as providing opportunity and convenience to our guests who can now connect to Mexico from India via our European gateways and vice-versa,” said Naresh Goyal.
08/06/17 India Infoline

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Qatar crisis forces Indians to call off travel plans

The ongoing crisis around Qatar is forcing Indian travelers to Europe to put their plans on hold. This is after major airlines in the middle east such as Etihad, Emirates, Air Arabia, and Flydubai suspended flights to Doha, a key hub in the Middle East for transit between Europe, America and Asia.  Qatar Airways has also suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.

Anxious customers are queuing up for cancellation and refunds, leading travel portals told the Economic Times.

A number of Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, UAE and Yemen have snapped diplomatic ties with Qatar for its alleged support to Islamist groups. These countries have even cut off land and sea access to Qatar.

For some travel portals like Cleartrip, calls from customers (mostly booked on Qatar Airways) seeking refunds or alternative flight options has increased by nearly 55 percent since June 5.

Etihad stated on its website that customers booked on its flights to and from Doha are being provided alternate options, full refund on unused tickets, and free re-booking to the other nearby Etihad Airways hubs.

However, Manheer Singh Sethi, Co-founder of Delhi-based travel website TravKart.com said the airlines are not particularly helpful in addressing customers concerns.
08/06/17 Moneycontrol

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GMR Wins Contract For Crete Airport With Partner

GMR Airports Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd, said it won the contract to develop, operate and manage the new international airport of Heraklion at Crete in partnership with a Greek company.

GMR Airports Limited will be the designated Airport Operator in the consortium for this project. Heraklion Airport, located in Crete, is the 2nd largest in Greece.

The existing Heraklion Airport is handling over 6 million passengers annually and is facing capacity constraint. The new Kastelli Airport, once completed, will replace Heraklion airport, the company said.

“The scope of the project involves Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, and Maintenance & Exploitation of the New Heraklion Crete International Airport,” it said.

The concession period for the Greenfield project will be 35 years including Phase 1 Construction of 5 years.

The company, which operates the Delhi and Hyderabad airports in India, has tied up with local infrastructure major TERNA, a unit of GEK TERNA Group, for the project.
07/06/17 Trisha Thomas/Ultra

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Flights from Kerala to be delayed as Qatar imbroglio takes to the skies

Kochi:  Passengers to Doha, get ready for more flight delays and air fare hikes. The diplomatic face-off between five GCC nations and Qatar has reached the skies, taking its toll on the timings of Doha-bound flights from Kerala.

Officers of various airlines told Express that flights to Doha from Kerala will experience a delay of up to one hour in the wake of restrictions on using the air space of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE after they severed diplomatic ties with Qatar.

Air India Express officers said flights to Doha may be delayed by 40 minutes as the aircraft have to use the airspace of Pakistan and Iran to reach their destination.  Air India Express operates a daily flight from Kozhikode to Doha and three weekly flights from Mangalore.

An attempt to strike a deal for using their air space is on as the curbs will hit passengers and create a ripple effect on the timing of some other flights as well. As more time means more fuel, airline companies operating flights to Doha from various destinations will be forced to pass on the burden to the passengers if there is no solution in sight, said an aviation expert.
07/06/17 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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‘Operating costs are pretty high in India’

Singapore Airlines surprised its investors by reporting a net loss in the March 2017 quarter, while full-year profit halved from its numbers in FY16. In an interview with BusinessLine, David Lim, General Manager – India, Singapore Airlines, speaks about Singapore’s national carrier’s commitment to the Indian market, despite the tough times that the parent company is facing, and the changes he’d like to see in the domestic aviation scene. Excerpts:

It’s been a difficult quarter for Singapore Airlines. Does this change strategy for markets like India?

With fares falling rapidly, yields are falling for airlines and all airlines are suffering. But we are prepared for competition and for yields to continue to be under pressure. We are working on managing costs better and in recent years, we have been helped by fuel prices coming down. But it’s a difficult time for the aviation business in general. But our East-bound market is continuing to grow. Also, if you look at our financial results, we have also mentioned that we’re going into the next phase. With our portfolio size, we are able to right-size our aircraft. We’re seeing some of this (in other markets). We (Singapore Airlines) used to fly to Hangzhou in China, and we were flying to Jeddah for Haj pilgrims; now we’ve passed on both to Scoot (the low-budget division of Singapore Airlines). Between the four airlines — Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair — we’re able to right-size the product.

Are you considering making further investments in India?

No further investments for now. We’ve increased, over the last 4-5 months, the number of services we offer, we’re flying more to Ahmedabad since that market has grown.

During peak periods, we are also increasing flights in sectors where there is demand. In September, during Durga Puja, we increase flights to Kolkata, and of course during Diwali.

For the group, it’s 150 services a week covering 15 destinations in India, that’s a lot. I think it’s the second biggest for us after China. We also have Vistara here, and they will expand their network.

Vistara is likely to start international flights next year. What synergies do you foresee?

Most of these synergies will be from Delhi and Mumbai, which we can use as a connecting hub. But first and foremost, Vistara wants to bring a new flying experience to Indian travellers. We will codeshare with Vistara but the rest is up to Vistara’s management. They will map out their strategy. But I think as an airline, Vistara recognises its heritage as being part of the Singapore Airlines and the Tata group.
06/06/17 Tanya Thomas/BusinessLine

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Ban on Qatar riyal at Kochi airport

Nedumbassery: Qatar currency Riyal was on Tuesday banned at Cochin International airport.
The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) informed the duty free shops at the airport not to accept riyal from Tuesday noon.
Director ACK Nair said that ban follows instruction from financial institutions.
From Qatar, there are 18 services to Kochi every week; Qatar Airways has 11 services and Jet Airways has seven services.
People flying from Qatar to Nedumbassery will be inconvenienced if duty free shops don’t accept Qatar riyal. Malayalis possessing riyal will also find it difficult if ban continues.
06/06/17 Kaumudi Online

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Kazakh envoy welcomes opening of direct flights between Delhi and Astana

Welcoming the opening of direct flights between New Delhi and Kazakhstan capital Astana from July 2, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India Bulat Sarsenbayev described it as a significant development in the 25th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In a statement given out the media, Ambassador Sarsenbayev said, "I am very glad to note that we managed to agree on the opening of direct flights between the capitals of the two countries during the significant year of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Kazakh-Indian diplomatic relations. Starting from 2nd July of this year, company "Air Astana" will operate three times a week direct flights on the route Astana-Delhi-Astana, which will harmoniously complement the already existing daily flights Almaty-Delhi-Almaty."

He revealed that the activities related to the establishment direct flights between the two capital cities was carried out in accordance with the "Plan of the Nation - 100 Concrete Steps to implement the Five Institutional Reforms" proposed by Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

He referred to specific sections of the plan such as "Point Number 67" wherein it is clearly mentioned that "Development of the air carrier "Air Astana" and the national company "Kazakhstan Temirzholy" as major international operators."
07/06/17 ANI/DNA

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Nigerian held at IGI with 'fake dollars'

New Delhi: A Nigerian national was arrested from Indira Gandhi International airport after bundles of 'suspicious' dollar-sized papers and a bottle of a chemical was detected during the security check. Police say the paper and chemical were being used to cheat gullible victims who were made to believe the chemical could be used to turn the paper notes into dollars. The accused also had a forged passport.
The incident came to light on June 2 when a Nigerian national, identified as Gabriel Blessing Efe, was intercepted by CISF officials. On suspicion, the passenger was brought to the police station at the IGI airport where the bundles were checked and upon passport verification, he admitted that the passport he was carrying was fake.
Police said that the Nigerian national had a friend in Kolkata who had asked him to bring dollar-sized bundles of paper which could be chemically washed to reveal 'dollars'. Each bundle had 100 notes in them to resemble a currency stack.
07/06/17 Times of India

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Flights to Qatar will operate, but may get longer, costlier

New Delhi: Qatar may be cut off from rest of the Gulf countries+ but flights between India and Doha will operate as usual for now. The travel time, however, will most likely increase with countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain closing their airspace for flights from Qatar.
"The UAE has told Indian carriers that their aircraft overflying or crossing its airspace on India-Doha route must take its permission before doing so. If they allow, it is okay. Otherwise flights from places other than north India like Mumbai and the south will have to take a much longer route: fly north over the Arabian Sea, enter Iran and then fly straight over the Persian Gulf to Doha. The same route will have to be taken on return if the UAE denies permission," said the operations head of an Indian airline.
Three Indian carriers - Jet Airways, AI Express and IndiGo - and Qatar Airways+ (QA) fly between India and Doha. All QA flights between India and Doha will also be affected. Only flights from Delhi will not be affected as they will fly over Pakistan and then enter Iran. Indian carriers fly only between India and Doha and do not fly beyond from there.
For long haul passengers on QA, direct routing of flights between Doha and Europe and North America - the two most popular destinations for Indians choosing the airline - may have to be changed that may lead to an increase in flying time. With UAE banning Qatari-registered planes from its airspace, flights between the West and Doha may have to take a longer route via Iran.
Pilots estimate flying time could increase by anywhere up to two hours for those going west and up to an hour for flights to and from west and south India. "Flying more will mean fuelling more, which in turn will lead to fares going up," said an official. Qatar Airways did not comment on this issue till the time of this report going to press.
The other big worry for Indian carriers is that Bahrain is the alternate airport for their aircraft headed to Doha. Now if an Indian aircraft has to divert for any reason, it will not be able to fly direct to Qatar from Bahrain. "We are making plans to fly to some nearby place in Iran and then approach Doha from there. Flying a diverted aircraft all the way back to India is not a viable option," said an Indian flight route planner.
QA is one of the most popular airlines for Indians travelling abroad. Last year, it was at the sixth spot in terms of standalone airlines flying people in and out of India. Over 21 lakh people to and from India flew QA in 2016, with almost 80% of them transiting via Doha.
The Doha route changes will impact Indian travellers in a big way, especially in the ongoing peak summer travel season. Among Indian carriers, Jet Airways has five daily flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. Air India Express has a daily flight between Doha and Calicut; four times a week from Mumbai and thrice weekly from Mangalore. IndiGo has a daily flight from Delhi and Mumbai and plans to start from Kozhikode in July. QA lists 13 Indian cities as destinations, including all the metros.
06/06/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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IATA opposes air travel restrictions imposed on Qatar

Global airlines' body IATA has opposed the restrictions on air travel imposed on Qatar by some Middle Eastern nations, who have cut off diplomatic ties with Doha, saying air connectivity needs to be restored immediately.

"We are not in favour of the ban. We would like connectivity to be restored as soon as possible," International Air Transport Association (IATA) CEO and Director General Alexandre de Juniac said in response to questions.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have severed diplomatic ties and cut off transport links with Qatar.

A large number of Indians, who travel to the US or Europe via Doha, would be impacted as the air travel links to Qatar, including overflights, have been severed by these nations.

Releasing the latest data on air traffic, de Juniac and other IATA officials said while the growth in air traffic demand from the Asia-Pacific region including India has been consistent in the past few weeks, its rate has been affected by the US-imposed ban on electronic devices from destinations in the Middle East to North America.
06/06/17 PTI/DNA

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Saudi-Qatar rift: Indian flights to Doha operating normally

Mumbai: Indian carriers continue to main regular schedule to Doha but there could be some flight delays due to restrictions in airspace in the Gulf region.

United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain today cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and have imposed restrictions on Qatar Airways. Flights to and from Doha and other Gulf cities too have been suspended.


While there are no restrictions on Indian carriers, UAE has issued a notice to airmen which states airlines not based in that country need to take prior approval when using its airspace for Qatar-bound flights. It is not clear whether the approvals need to be taken one time or before each flight.

At present Air India, IndiGo and Jet Airways operate daily flights to Doha. IndiGo launched its Doha flights "Flights to Doha operating as per schedule. We are closely monitoring situation," IndiGo said in a tweet. Air India and Jet Airways did not issue any statement.

Qatar Airways flies to 14 cities in India and would be impacted the most due to the restrictions. About 80 per cent of all its flights to South Asia, South East Asia and Australia operate through UAE airspace. A majority of these arrive into Doha early morning and connect to flights to Europe and US.
06/06/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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India’s airlines studying the Gulf fallout

Air India Express (AIE) is compiling a list of the weekly flights it operates to Doha to be sent to UAE (United Arab Emirates) authorities so that there is no disruption to the service.

This follows the decision of the UAE asking airlines not registered in the region but intending to use it airspace while flying to or from Qatar to get “prior approval” from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAAA). The UAE has banned airlines registered in Qatar from overflying its territory. A senior AIE official said that a clearer picture on whether flights to Doha will have to be diverted will emerge in the next day or two.

The airline operates a daily flight from Kozhikode to Doha apart from a four-times-a-week connection from Mumbai. It also connects Mangaluru with Doha thrice a week. The UAE shutting its airspace could also affect flights operated by Jet Airways and IndiGo. A question mark now hangs over the daily flights from Kozhikode and Chennai that IndiGo plans to launch to Doha from July 20.

There is fear among some operators that while flights out of Doha could enjoy heavy passenger load factors, those going to Doha would not have many takers.

A Jet Airways spokesperson told BusinessLine that as of now “there were no changes to its schedule.” Similarly, IndiGo tweeted that its flights to Doha were operating as per schedule. “Passengers will be informed of changes if any. We are closely monitoring the situation,” the tweet said.
05/06/17 Business Line

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Doha Flights As Per Schedule After Qatar Crisis: Jet Airways, Indigo

Jet Airways and IndiGo on Monday said their flights to Doha are operating as per schedule, amid some Arab states severing their diplomatic ties with Qatar -- a development that could also result in airspace restrictions over the Gulf region.

In a major diplomatic crisis in the Arab region, many countries today cut their ties with Qatar blaming the latter of extending support to extremists.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt, Yemen and Maldives also severed their relations with Qatar.

 While restrictions have been imposed on state-owned Qatar Airways, there are no curbs imposed by the countries on carriers from India and other nations.

Apart from Jet Airways and IndiGo, national airline Air India also has flight services to Doha -- the capital of Qatar.

Jet Airways, whose strategic partner is UAE-based Etihad Airways, said its flight operations to Doha are as per schedule.

"Our flights to and from Doha are operating as per schedule," Jet Airways said in a tweet.
06/06/17 PTI/NDTV

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India to operate ‘strategic air corridor’ to Kabul using Pak air space

India is planning to operate an “strategic air corridor” as of June 15, 2017 that will apparently facilitate Indian businessmen and traders but can also be used to overfly Indian military hardware.
India has long visualized to operate an air bridge to Afghanistan to cut short its long route for its cargo and materials via Iranian Sea port of Chahbahar.
The India-Afghanistan air corridor will be run using Pakistani air space and would seriously harm Pakistan’s business and strategic interests.
The Indo-Afghan corridor plan was finalized on May 31, 2017 and it was decided that the first flight would resume from June 15th 2017. It was not clear if Pakistani Government has issued permission to India and Afghanistan to overfly and use Pakistani air space for such flights.
The CEO of Ariana Airlines was recently urged by a senior advisor to Afghan President of Afghanistan to start operation at the earliest.
Although the air corridor is meant to improve trade and business transportations but security experts are alarmed as it can also be used to transport military hardware and special services men by India.
A Pakistan businessman in Karachi, Manazoor Kaka, told Pakistan Observer that once India and Afghanistan resume their trade and economic corridor over Pakistan the cost of Indian goods would be cut by 30-40 percent and Indian goods may capture the Afghan market from Pakistani traders.
Ariana CEO Captain Nadir Omar who has recently visited India was quoted as saying that for first flight will depart Kabul for New Delhi on June 15 while the second planned flight will depart from Kandahar on June 20, 2017.
05/06/17 Gauhar Zahid Malik/Pakistan Observer

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Soon, budget flights from India to North America

New Delhi: You may soon have the option of flying low cost all the way from India to North America. Norwegian, the world's seventh largest budget carrier which recently announced fares starting at $65 from Europe and US, says it is considering India as a destination. Its India-Oslo flights will provide connections on Norwegian's budget network to US and the Caribbean from the Norway hub.
A Norwegian spokesperson said: "As an ambitious airline with a huge aircraft order, Norwegian are always looking at potential new routes and while there are no immediate plans to serve India at this stage, it remains a market we are interested in, in the future." Norwegian website says it offers over 500 routes to more than 150 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Thailand, the Caribbean and the US. The LCC has 130 aircraft in its fleet with more than 260 on order.
International low cost carriers are eying India in a big way, even as among desi budget carriers only SpiceJetBSE 1.06 % is toying with the idea of flights to Europe. Singapore Airlines' (SIA) long-haul LCC Scoot wants to operate its Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Singapore-India-Europe/Gulf routes under "fifth freedom" of aviation which lets an airline can fly from its home country to a second nation and take passengers from there to a third country and same on return.
04/06/17 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Govt eyes help from Singapore for international airport in Purandar

Pune: Singapore could help the state government in developing the new international airport in Purandar taluka near Pune.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who met group chairman of the Singapore's Changi Airport Lieu Mum Leong in Mumbai on Friday late evening, discussed possibilities of collaboration with regards to the development of the new Pune Airport as well as expansion of the airports at Shirdi and Nagpur.
"The group chairman of the Changi Airport had come to Mumbai on Friday and a meeting took place between him and the Chief Minister, which was attended by senior officials of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) as well as other officials of the Changi Airport. Possibilities of collaboration were discussed and we are hopeful that things will move in a positive direction," an MADC official told TOI.
The Chief Minister in his tweet wrote, "Had a very good meeting with Mr Liew Mun Leong, group chairman of one of the finest airports in the world. We discussed ways to collaborate for Sambhaji Raje International Airport, Purandar, and expansion plans for Nagpur and Shirdi Airports."
04/06/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Indian Air Force probe identifies Chinese helicopters that intruded Indian airspace in Uttarakhand

New Delhi: Two helicopters of the People's Liberation Army of China hovered over Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on Saturday, triggering concern in India's security establishment about the fourth such incursion into Indian airspace since March this year.

Official sources said the choppers, which returned to the Chinese side after about five minutes, could have carried out aerial photography of Indian ground troops during what was possibly a reconnaissance mission.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is probing the incident, an IAF source said.

The choppers were identified as the Zhiba series of attack helicopters.

On previous occasions, Chinese helicopters had entered 4.5 kilometres into Indian territory, an area that China claims as its own and recognises as Wu-Je.

State and army officials have been reviewing the security along the 350-kilometre border with Tibet after China's incursions into these areas, generally referred as the middle sector.
04/06/17 PTI/First Post

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Russia overtakes India in domestic air travel growth: IATA

New Delhi: India is no longer the world’s fastest growing domestic air travel market. Russia overtook India by witnessing 16.7% growth in April 2017, over the same month last year, while India grew in this period at 15.3%, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). The global average domestic air travel growth rate this April (over the same month last year) was 7.7% and in the new pecking order, India is at number two followed by China at 12.7%, Japan at 6.7% and the US at 4.7% ..
India’s domestic air travel has been booming due to low crude prices, which in turn allowed airlines here to offer cheap airfares. But in the past two months as crude firmed up, airfares also rose and the domestic skies started becoming a tad less crowded in terms of growth slowing down.
Exactly two months ago, in March, IATA had said that India had been the world’s fastest growing domestic air market for 22 months in a row. This meant that till March, India saw the highest growth in domestic air travel over the same month in the previous year for almost two years.
03/06/17 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Human error to blame for BA chaos: Report

London: A maintenance worker who inadvertently switched off the power to a key supply unit led to the British Airways chaos that disrupted the travel plans of over 75,000 passengers from the UK airports last weekend, a media report said today.
An internal email sent by Bill Francis, Head of Group IT at British Airways (BA) owner International Airlines Group (IAG), confirms that the shut-down had not been caused by IT failure or software issues, as claimed by workers union which blamed BAs outsourcing of IT jobs to India for the crisis.
The email reveals that an investigation had found that an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to a core data centre at Heathrow Airport was over-ridden on Saturday morning.

This resulted in the total immediate loss of power to the facility, bypassing the backup generators and batteries. This in turn meant that the controlled contingency migration to other facilities could not be applied," he writes.
"After a few minutes of this shutdown of power, it was turned back on in an unplanned and uncontrolled fashion, which created physical damage to the system, and significantly exacerbated the problem. This was entirely a problem relating to the power supply. It was not an IT failure, and there were no software issues," he adds.
The human error resulted in the eventual systems failure, which was working perfectly until it was accidentally shut down, according to a report in The Times.
"We are conducting an urgent investigation and it would be premature to comment on details before its conclusion. As weve said before it was not an IT issue, it was a power issue. There was no data corruption or loss and IT outsourcing was not a factor," the statement said.
02/06/17 PTI/India Today

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