Showing posts with label Foreign Mar 2021. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Mar 2021. Show all posts

Thursday, April 01, 2021

Dubai-Delhi is third busiest air travel route worldwide in March

Dubai: The Dubai to Delhi route was the third busiest sector for the global airline industry during March, and just behind the Orlando-San Juan services and Hong Kong-Taipei, according to aviation data company OAG.

More than 146,000 seats were utilised in Delhi-Dubai flights, behind Orlando-San Juan’s 171,010 seats and Hong Kong-Taipei with 146,536 seats.

Typically, services from Dubai to Mumbai and to south Indian cities tend to be the most active on the UAE-India sector. But with Mumbai – and the state of Maharashtra - battling a torrid situation on COVID-19 infections, Delhi has filled the breach. As for the south India cities of Bengaluru and Kochi, the next few weeks could see more flights added – depending on the COVID-19 situation.

“There is anecdotal evidence to suggest the successful UAE vaccine programme has injected confidence in air travel across the region again,” said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.com. “We’ve seen flydubai and Emirates increase their network touchpoints over recent weeks.”

Most recently, Emirates said it was deploying the Airbus A380 and raising the number of flights to Amman from May 9. “The increase of capacity and frequencies are a testament to strengthened travel demand to and from Amman,” the airline said in a statement. The Dubai carrier plans to operate 12 flights a week to Jordan’s capital.

“The double-daily to Amman signals a return of demand - but what’s not clear yet is whether that demand is actually profitable,” said Ahmad. “Weaker pricing across the GCC has also helped entice would-be travellers to go flying again, though we’re still a long way off from anything normal.”

01/04/21 John Benny/Gulf News

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Maldivian to start flights from Maafaru to Mumbai

 Maldivian is set to commence direct flights from Maafaru, Maldives to Mumbai, India in April 2021. Flights on the new sector will be operational on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Currently, the flag carrier of Maldives operates three flights from Malé to Thiruvananthapuram and two flights from Malé to Cochin under its India network.

Maafaru International Airport located in Noonu atoll was opened in 2019 and is managed by Island Aviation Services.

“With three weekly direct flights from Maafaru, another international hub of the largest source market will be connected to the North Maldives from India,” reads an official release by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.

31/04/21  Business Traveller 


New cargo air route links China's Wuhan, India

A cargo plane loaded with 20 tonnes of goods on Tuesday departed from Wuhan in central China for Delhi, India, marking the launch of the 11th regular international cargo route for the Chinese city.

The route is operated by India's SpiceJet, with three weekly Boeing 737 flights.

The goods transported on the route are mainly electronic products, mobile phones and accessories, and cross-border e-commerce goods, with destinations covering a number of major cities in India.

Data show that in the first three months of 2021, Hubei Airport Group saw a total international cargo and mail throughput of nearly 30,000 tonnes, showing robust recovery from the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

31/03/21 Xinhua/Ecns.cn

Air India Express announces additional flights

Air India Express has announced flights from Dammam to multiple destinations in India. The sectors include Dammam-Mangalore (on Fridays); Dammam-Kozhikode (Wednesdays and Fridays); Dammam-Kochi (Tuesdays); Dammam-Trivandrum (Saturdays) and Dammam Hyderabad (Sundays).

The airline is also restarting its services on the Ras Al Khaimah-Kozhikode route from March 31, 2021, to October 29, 2021. The Al Ain-Kozhikode services will restart from July 1, 2021, to October 28, 2021.

In April, Air India Express will also fly from Kuwait to multiple destinations in India such as Vijaywada, Mangaluru, Trichy, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Kochi.

Air India Express has also announced flights from Mangalore to Bahrain; Bahrain to Bengaluru and on the Bahrain-Mangalore sector.

30/03/21 Business Traveller 

US stressed assets firm Avenue Capital partners SpiceJet over aircraft

SpiceJet, India’s second-largest airline by passengers, has announced a tie-up with US investor Avenue Capital for financing, acquisition, sale and lease‐back of up to 50 new aircraft. 

Avenue Capital, headquartered in New York, is a global asset manager focused on distressed debt besides having expertise in aircraft leasing. Founded in 1995 by senior principals Marc Lasry and Sonia Gardner, the firm manages assets estimated to be approximately $11.2 billion as of February 28. 

It has been making investments in India since 2005. Currently, the US investor holds around 27% stake in Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Ltd (Arcil). Avenue Capital previously picked up stakes in Punj Lloyd, GPI Textiles Ltd, Morepen Laboratories Ltd, SKIL Infrastructure Ltd, as per VCCEdge. 

The investor has identified new planes to be ordered by the airline as a unique opportunity for investment, SpiceJet said. 

Earlier this month, the homegrown budget carrier had announced the launch of 66 new domestic flights to augment connectivity between metro and non-metro cities. The new flights have commenced operations from March 28. 

Currently, the Gurugram-based airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737s, Bombardier Q-400s and freighters and is the country’s largest regional player operating 63 daily flights under UDAN or the regional connectivity scheme.  

31/03/21 Beena Parmar/VCCircle


Lufthansa Technik to maintain Vistara Dreamliners in Frankfurt

New Delhi: Lufthansa Technik (LT), a leading MRO service provider, has signed a contract with Vistara for maintenance support of their Boeing 787-9 in Frankfurt for two years. Vistara started flying to Frankfurt under the India-Germany air bubble from this February.

“Vistara is our latest CFM Leap-1A customer from the Asia Pacific region sending us an engine to Hamburg for a Quick Engine Change build up… We already have been supporting them with services for their whole fleet including components for the Boeing 787, single component services, ad hoc composites repairs, consumables supply and AOG support for their Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 fleets,” LT said in a social media post.

The post quotes Vistara senior VP (engineering) Sisira Kanta Dash as saying: “LT has been working with us for the past four years, and we trust their technical expertise, capabilities and quick response time. Vistara is committed to the highest standards of operational efficiency and our trusted partner has supported us in maintaining a continued focus on maximising customer satisfaction.”

31/03/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Mumbai couple, arrested for drug trafficking in Qatar during honeymoon, acquitted

Mumbai: The Indian couple sentenced to 10-year jail term in Qatar for allegedly smuggling drugs in 2019 will soon be returning back home. The couple has been acquitted of drug smuggling charges. 

Oniba and Sharique Qureshi went on their 'second honeymoon' to Qatar in 2019. They were arrested at the Hamad International Airport in Doha for allegedly carrying 4.1 kg of hashish. 

The couple had then pleaded innocence and claimed that the packet was handed over to them by their aunt to be delivered to a friend. 

However, they were arrested and convicted for the crime.  In Qatar, trial in drug cases are fast-tracked and the Supreme Judiciary Council of Qatar sentenced them to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. The couple were also fined 6,00,000 Riyals.

Oniba even gave birth to a baby girl in prison.  

The families of both Shareeq and Oniba then approached top authorities seeking help, however, they failed to get any desired results. 

On September 27, 2019, Oniba's father Shakeel Ahmed Qureshi wrote a letter to then NCB director general Rakesh Asthana, blaming son-in-law's aunt Tabassum Riyaz Qureshi and her associate Nizam Kar for the plotting drugs in their luggage.

He said that just as the couple was leaving, Tabassum gave Shareeq a bag and asked him to keep their clothes in that bag. On July 5, 2019, the couple left for Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, Tabassum's contact gave them one more bag. Shareeq was a little worried and so he called up Tabassum to enquire about the bag. She told him that there were some gutka and zarda in the bag and since these products were very costly in Qatar, he should take the bag with him and hand it to a contact she had given.

A detailed enquiry was initiated by NCB into the allegations levelled by Shakeel Ahmed Qureshi and it was learnt that a well-organized drug trafficking syndicate was being run by  Nizam Kara involving Tabussum and others.

31/03/21 Abhay Parashar/India TV

The disturbing Sydney airport CCTV footage that led to human trafficking conviction

The reality of human trafficking has been captured in disturbing CCTV footage taken at Sydney Airport as a woman clings to her child in fear.

The footage, released by Australian Federal Police to raise awareness of human trafficking crimes in Australia, shows a visibly distressed woman having an argument with a man in the departures area of Sydney International Airport.

The footage would go on to form part of the AFP’s Operation Eastwater, which was launched in 2017 and culminated in January in the first conviction for an exit human trafficking offence in Australia.

A Sydney man, a 29-year-old from Lidcombe, was sentenced to 21 months in prison when he faced the NSW District Court on January 21.

He was found guilty of using threats and deception to force the woman and child to return to India.

Operation Eastwater began when victim support and advocacy service Anti-Slavery Australia alerted the AFP that the woman had been forced to India against her will.

The man had purchased a one-way ticket for the woman to travel from Sydney to India in March 2017, police facts tendered in court revealed.

The woman told police she feared for her life and was threatened with murder if she did not comply with the man’s request.

After she had departed for India, the man contacted Australian immigration authorities, gave false information and adopted the identity of the woman in a bid to revoke her legal visa status to try and prevent her from returning to Australia.

However, the woman managed to get to Australia two months later and contacted Anti-Slavery Australia - a step police have described as incredibly brave.

The matter was referred to the AFP’s Human Trafficking team for further investigation.

The AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s Lidcombe home in September 2017 and served him with a court attendance notice.

Two months later, police arrested him at Sydney International Airport trying to board a flight to Bangkok, Thailand.

30/03/21 Pip Christmass/7News.com.au

Haunting footage reveals moment Sydney man trafficked wife and a baby to India

 



A Sydney man was convicted in January for trafficking his wife and a two-month-old baby daughter to India.

Haunting new vision shows the moment the man holds the woman’s shoulder while convincing her to board the plane.

He is flagged by his mother and a friend who corner his wife before ushering her toward the departure gates.

The 29-year-old man from Lidcombe in Sydney‘s west, was charged by the Australian Federal Police and sentenced to 21 months jail in January, becoming the first Australian convicted for an exit human trafficking offence.

Court documents revealed he purchased a one-way ticket for his Indian-born wife and Australian-born child to travel from Sydney to India in March 2017.

The woman told police she feared for her life and was threatened with murder if she did not agree to his demands.

Security footage captured in Sydney International Airport shows the visibly distressed woman having an argument with the man at the departures area before boarding the plane with her baby.

The man tried to withdraw his wife’s visa application, preventing her return to Australia. But she managed to return two months later and alerted authorities to the situation.

Federal police raided a home in Lidcombe in September 2017, slapping the man with a court attendance notice.

He was then arrested in November at Sydney Airport trying to board a flight to Bangkok.

He pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in persons (exit from Australia).

His wife issued a powerful victim statement to the court, saying the incident had a severe impact on her life.

“Because of his actions, I live in constant fear and stress knowing the lengths he will go to find us and harm us. This fear and stress impacts my physical, emotional and mental health,” she said.

“I have to be careful about who we talk to and where we go, to make sure that our private information is not shared with him. I am very careful when I leave the house. I avoid leaving the house unless absolutely necessary.

“Because of his actions and threats, I am constantly worried about my daughter. I worry about this every day. I am always thinking about how to keep my daughter safe. This is very stressful for me. Ordinary things like going out to the shops or to the park has become more difficult because I fear for our safety.”

AFP Commander Hilda Sirec said human trafficking is not often discussed or even considered an issue in Australia.

31/03/21 Erin Lyons/News.com.au

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Sixth Airplane-shaped Balloon With 'PIA' Written On It Seized In Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir police found another aircraft-shaped balloon with the letters 'PIA' written on it in the area of Mendhar in Poonch district. Yesterday, (March 29, 2021) a similar airplane-shaped ballon was spotted in the Kanachak area of Jammu. PIA stands for Pakistan International Airlines, and the balloon was painted to look like an airplane, complete with windows and doors. This is the sixth incident of its kind within a month's time. Also, it is the first time when the PIA airline-shaped balloon was found along the Line of Control (LoC). Earlier, (during five such instances) it was found along the International Border.

A PIA-shaped balloon was found in the Hiranagar area of Kathua district in J&K on March 9, 2021.

Another was found in Ghadsana, Rajasthan on March 11, 2021.

On March 16, it was recovered in the Balwal district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

On March 26 March, the aircraft-shaped balloon was spotted at Dera Baba Nanak, Batala Punjab.

On March 29, 2021, it was recovered in the Kanachak area of Jammu.

As the picture gained attention, social media users expressed their thoughts and opinions in the post's comments section. Many people responded to the post with amusing emoticons. One wrote, "They don't have funds to buy a real one, so they are flying balloons." Along with a laughing emoticon, one of the users wrote, "6th generation aircraft by Pak." Another Twitter user wrote, "When you can’t afford to fly an airbus, you fly balloons." One user added, "These are the only planes PIA can afford to fly these days." Social media users went on to post none-complimentary comments over a viral post. 

30/03/21 Srishti Goel/Republic World

Monday, March 29, 2021

Dubai flight misses summer schedule, Indore, Dehradun find space in the list

Mohali: The Dubai flight again misses the international sector connectivity from Chandigarh as the flight has not been announced in the summer schedule by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Sunday. The lone Sharjah flight will operate twice a week.

The Indore flight also figures in the summer schedule and another flight will connect Dehradun with the city according to the summer schedule. The Indigo flight will depart for Dehradun at 6.30 pm from Chandigarh to reach Dehradun at 7.30 pm and will depart from Dehradun at 8 pm to arrive Chandigarh at 9 pm. The flight will operate for six days.

Similarly, the Indigo flight will depart from Chandigarh at 6.25 pm to reach Indore at 8.15 pm. The same will depart from Indore at 8.45 pm to arrive Chandigarh at 10.40 pm. The flight will be operational for seven days.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of airport Ajay Bhardwaj said, “We are soon going to introduce two new destinations i.e. Jammu and Jodhpur. The Jammu flight will start from May 1, while the date for Jodhpur is yet to be decided.”

Indigo flight is yet to finalise the timings of Jodhpur and even Go Air, which operates to Jammu, is also finalising the timings.

However, the watch hours have been increased at the Chandigarh International Airport to attain the 24x7 flight operations. Towards this, the last flight to arrive at Chandigarh will be past midnight at 00.15 hours from Jaipur and will depart for Jaipur at 5.30 am. The seven days flight will be operated by Indigo, reads the summer schedule. The frequency of the flight operations have also been increased from 38 flights per day to 47 flights per day adding up the existing destinations.

29/03/21 Times of India

Sunday, March 28, 2021

UAE: RAK Government denies Air India bid reports

Dubai: The Ras Al Khaimah Government has clarified that it is not connected to any "potential transaction relating to Air India".

In a statement issued on Sunday, a government spokesperson said it was "aware of a story circulating in the international and local media of a potential transaction relating to Air India, the national air carrier of India"

The reports cite that one of the parties involved is a Ras Al Khaimah Government institution.

"Neither the Ras Al Khaimah Government nor any of its related entities or authorities are in any way connected to any such potential transaction relating to Air India,” the spokesperson added.

The denial came as reports said that the much-delayed sale of Air India is likely to complete within months, with the Indian government officially shortlisting Tata Group and a consortium.

The consortium led by SpiceJet boss Ajay Singh also includes Ankur Bhatia, promoter of Delhi-based Bird Group, a technology provider to the travel and aviation industry.

The final bidders will have access to key details about Air India for due diligence in the coming weeks before placing their final bids for the airline.

Under the privatisation bid, the Indian government is offloading its entire 100 per cent stake in the ailing carrier that has been in losses ever since its 2007 merger with domestic operator Indian Airlines.

The shortlisting of the final two contenders was announced following the rejection of an Expression of Interest proposed by the employees of Air India on ground they were not able to meet the eligibility requirements.

The salt-to-software conglomerate Tata group’s holding company Tata Sons has submitted an EoI. The Mumbai-based $113-billion Tata group is expected to bid through Air Asia India. However, the Tatas’ joint venture partner in Vistara, Singapore International Airlines, is not interested in becoming a partner for the bid.

Informed sources said the due diligence and bidding process will at least take another two to three months before completion. This means it is unlikely that a final bidder would emerge until at least late this summer or even the winter considering delays. The government hopes to wrap up the process by the second quarter of the fiscal year (July 1st -30th September).

27/03/21 Issac John/Khaleej Times

AI begins daily service to Sharjah

Tiruchi: Air India Express has started operating daily flight services in the Tiruchi - Sharjah sector with effect from Sunday. The daily service is being operated under the Vande Bharat mission. Airport sources said the airline had been operating two services in a week in the Tiruchi - Sharjah sector so far during the pandemic period.

However, the airline will operate daily services in this sector using a Boeing 737 aircraft. The Tiruchi-bound flight from Sharjah will arrive here at 6 p.m. The flight will leave for Sharjah from here at 9.45 p.m.

28/03/21 The Hindu

Friday, March 26, 2021

SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh poised to bid for Air India, partners with Ras Al Khaimah, Ankur Bhatia

New Delhi: Low-cost airline SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh has reportedly partnered with Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority and Ankur Bhatia, promoter of Delhi-based Bird Group, a technology provider to the travel and aviation industry, to take over the running of the ailing national carrier Air India. It has been reported that salt-to-software conglomerate Tata group and SpiceJet have been shortlisted for the bid to buy out cash-strapped Air India.

It is worth mentioning that the race to acquire Air India has been narrowed down to the Tata group and SpiceJet. Earlier, the proposal of the employees of Air India that had put in an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the privatisation of the airline was rejected because they were not able to meet the eligibility requirements. The Centre is offloading its entire 100 per cent stake in the beleaguered carrier that has been in losses ever since its 2007 merger with domestic operator Indian Airlines.

Citing unnamed sources, ET reported that both Singh and Bhatia have bid in their personal capacity. “They are likely to together hold a majority stake in Air India, if they get the airline,” a person familiar with the matter told the financial daily on the condition of anonymity. Several media reports earlier mentioned that Singh and two other investors had evinced interest in acquiring embattled Air India.

Tata Sons—the holding company of the $113-billion Tata group—has submitted an EoI, and the Mumbai-based conglomerate is expected to bid through Air Asia India. However, the Tatas’ joint venture partner in Vistara, Singapore International Airlines, is not interested to become a partner for the bid.

Kolkata-based businessman Pawan Ruia has not qualified for the second stage of the sale process for the ailing carrier.

26/03/21 ETNowNews.com


Where Has SpiceJet Been Flying Its Airbus A340 Leased From HiFly

Last August, SpiceJet leased a converted Airbus A340 from Hi Fly for cargo operations. Since then, the carrier has added four more widebodies to its fleet, including three A340s in total. But where does SpiceJet fly these converted freighters? Let’s find out.

SpiceJet’s cargo arm, SpiceXpress, exclusively flies one A340-300, registered 9H-JAI, and occasionally leases two more for additional flights, 9H-FOX and 9H-SUN. Data from Radarbox.com gives us details about where the low-cost airline has been flying these widebodies in the last eight months.

9H-JAI was SpiceXpress’s first A340 and is the only one to carry the airline’s livery. Outside its home bases of Delhi (180 flights) and Mumbai (60), the airline’s most visited destination is Frankfurt, Germany, another major cargo hub. SpiceJet has flown 37 services to the airport in eight months, more than one a week.

Hong Kong, a city SpiceXpress previously operated flights to as well, is a close second for the A340. The airline has flown 34 flights to the city, with flights ramping up in recent days. The only African destination to see substantial flights from SpiceXpress was Khartoum, Sudan, with 15 services.

SpiceXpress has grown dominant in the cargo market between Central Asia and India in recent months. The airline flew 22 services from Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by 19 flights from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and 11 from Moscow Domodedovo. Combined, Central Asia is clearly SpiceJet’s busiest cargo market.

To understand how busy the SpiceXpress A340-300 has been, it is important to study the aircraft utilization charts. Data clearly shows that both monthly flights and hours flown jumped considerably once SpiceXpress leased the aircraft at the end of August. In September, the aircraft flew 56 flights, nearly two a day, and 258 hours in total, with an average flight time of 4.5 hours.

However, after a strong September and October, traffic has slowed down. In February 2021, the aircraft only flew 26 flights, but these flights were slightly longer at five hours each on average. March is proving to be a stronger month for the A340, but nowhere close to the highs seen in the earlier months.

The drop in usage could be for several reasons. One could be that SpiceJet’s growing fleet of cargo aircraft has eased pressures from the single A340. The second could be that the global shortage of cargo of flights has decreased as more airlines resume services. However, there remains strong demand for cargo flights to and from India for now, a market SpiceJet has largely cornered.

26/03/21 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying

Fighter pilot remembered for his kindness and love for the skies

Durban: Colonel Ramalingam Ramanathan Iyer, a former MiG fighter pilot for the India Air Force (IAF) who later joined the South African Air Force (SAAF), will be remembered by his family for his kindness and love for the skies.

Iyer, 69, and Major General Desmond Barker, 71, both of Pretoria, who retired from the SAAF but were members of the reserve force and flew for the SAAF Museum’s historical flights, died last Wednesday.

The aircraft they were in, a single-engine Patchen Explorer, crashed.

According to a statement by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the incident occurred during a scheduled general flying day at the SAAF Museum in Valhalla, Pretoria. It said an investigation into the crash was underway to determine the cause.

In 1968 at age 16, Iyer, who was born in India, joined the IAF where he trained.

“Soon after my husband completed his schooling career, he joined the IAF. Rama always wanted to be a fighter pilot and he made his dream a reality," said his wife, Anitha, who lives in Centurion.

“He worked all over India and had flown many aircraft. However, in 1996, after serving 23 years in IAF, he decided to leave as he wanted to work as a pilot for an airline. He had his Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) licence from India and the USA.

“But in his heart, he still wanted to be a fighter pilot, so he sent his CV to the air forces in the different countries. In 1999, he received a call for an opportunity to work in the SAAF. He was very excited."

Iyer, his wife, and two children, Meenakshi, now 37, and Ankit, 34, relocated to South Africa later that year.

Iyer, who had a Master's in defence and strategic studies, headed up the airpower development centre of the SAAF.

“He was also the director of basic flying training until he retired at 60. But because of his expertise, they kept him on for another three years. In 2017, he joined the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).”

She said her husband's motto in life was, "tomorrow is another day, live for today".

“In 2016, when he was diagnosed with cancer, he did not let that set him back. He fought hard to overcome it and he did. He always said there was nothing he could not fight for."

Anitha said Iyer loved South Africa and considered it his home.

“For him, India was home, and not just a specific part of India. But South African was also his home. He always said that if anything happened to him, then this was where he wanted to rest.”

Luis Dancuart, his son-in-law, said Iyer was generous and aimed to uplift society.

“He was a man with a big heart. He took on any project that would help people. His aim was to make a difference in as many lives as he could and he motivated the children he met. He encouraged them to always do their best. His death has left a huge gap for both our family and his friends."

Iyer's funeral and cremation was held at the Pretoria West Crematorium on Saturday. His ashes were immersed in the Hennops River at the Shree Ayyappaa Kshetram Hindu Temple in Erasmia. He is survived by his wife, children, son and daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

26/03/21 Nadia Khan/IOL

Modi uses new VVIP 'Air India One' jet for 1st foreign trip

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday went from Delhi to Dhaka on a new custom-made VVIP aircraft, using it for the first time on a foreign journey.

The prime minister is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh are currently celebrating the golden jubilee of the 1971 war victory. India had defeated Pakistan in December 1971, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The Boeing-777 aircraft, which has registration number VT-ALW, was delivered by Boeing to the Indian government in October last year.

The aircraft, which has call sign AI-1 or Air India One, departed from Delhi around 8am and landed at the Dhaka airport around 10.30am on Friday, government officials said.

Another custom-made Boeing-777 aircraft, with registration number VT-ALV, was also delivered by the American aircraft giant to the Indian government in October last year. Both custom-made planes are to fly only the president, vice president and prime minister of the country.

These two aircraft were part of Air India's commercial fleet for a few months in 2018 before they were sent back to Boeing for retrofitting for VVIP travel. President Ram Nath Kovind flew on the Boeing-777 for the first time in November last year on a trip to Chennai.

The Boeing-777 planes have state-of-the-art missile defence systems called Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures and Self-Protection Suites.

26/03/21 PTI/The Week

Restrictions extended: India to allow 30 weekly flights to & from UK till April 15

New Delhi: India on Friday extended the restriction on number of flights allowed to and from UK till mid-April. Till then at least, Indian airlines — Air India and Vistara will operate 15 flights a week and British carriers — British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will also be allowed the same number.

India had suspended flights to and from UK from December 23, 2020, due to the new and more infectious strain of Coronavirus found there.

67 flights per week were being operated by British Airways (29), Air India (23), Virgin Atlantic (8) and Vistara (7) between London. While 10 Indian cities including Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Goa, Amritsar and Kochi were under the air bubble agreement.

Earlier, almost 2,000-2,500 passenger used to fly to India daily on these 67 weekly flights (66 from London Heathrow and one from Birmingham).

Then from January 8, 2021, India allowed partial resumption with Indian and British carriers asked to operate 30 flights weekly to a few metros here.

At that time, the resumption happened by stipulating that everyone flying in from the UK will require a Covid negative report to be allowed to board flights to India and also undergo testing on arrival here too.

26/03/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo signs pact with StaTwig for vaccine shipments

Mumbai: GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) on Thursday said it has signed an initial pact with Singapore-based startupStaTwigto roll out a new tech solution for tracking and monitoring vaccine shipments at the airport's cargo terminal.

The airport serves as a major pharma hub for air cargo and is one of the primary gateways for vaccine exports from India.

GHAC, a division ofGMRAir Cargo and Aerospace Engineering Limited, through this exclusive partnership will leverage the next-gen blockchain technology to deliver enhanced track-and-trace solution and real-time monitoring of vaccine shipments at the cargo terminal,the company said in a release.

The development assumes significance given Hyderabad's position as one of the biggest vaccine manufacturers globally, with the region set to produce over 3.5 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine over the next couple of years to aid the battle against the pandemic, it added.

We are glad to announce this partnership for launch of VaccineLedger, a first of its kind initiative in air cargo industry in India.This new technology product would enable us to deliver enhanced real-time visibility and status information on vaccine shipments to our customers, GMRHyderabad Air Cargo CEO Saurabh Kumar said.

The partnership brings together the domain expertise ofGMRCargo and its time-tested relationships with vaccine exporters and air cargo trade with StaTwig's proven blockchain platform to help this solution strengthen the supply chain of vaccine exports from India, said the release.

25/03/21 PTI/Business Standard

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Air India issues travel alert for passengers flying to Oman

New Delhi: Passengers flying to Oman from India need to make sure they have booked their hotel accommodation to spend their mandatory quarantine period, through the Sahala platform, Air India has said.

“Effective 10 am GMT on 29 March 2021, all passengers travelling to Oman must book accommodation in hotels for institutional isolation via www.covid19.emushrif.com,” said the country’s national carrier.

24/03/21 Times of Oman

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Incubation to Blame? Flyers With Negative Report Test Covid Positive Upon Arrival at Hyderabad Airport

Amid a rapid surge in Covid-19 across the country, Hyderabad airport authorities have revealed that several international passengers arriving in the city are often found positive for coronavirus when tested on arrival, despite carrying negative COVID-19 test reports.

Talking to the media, the airport sources said that those arriving from the Middle-East and UK are tested mandatorily, while passengers from countries like the US, Singapore, and the Maldives are allowed to go home provided they carry a negative RT-PCR report of 72 hours.

Union Health Ministry official has also confirmed that such cases have been reported where passengers carrying negative RTCPR reports have again tested positive on arrival. The official, however, said she does not have details immediately on the number of such passengers.

While there were conjectures that some passengers testing positive on arrival might be carrying fake reports in order to travel, the airport sources said that there is a possibility that these passengers might be testing positive due to the quick incubation of virus during the flight journey.

Some were of the opinion that a person might have tested negative before the journey despite them carrying the virus in reality.

Meanwhile, Telangana reported 394 cases during a 24-hour period, pushing the cumulative tally to 3.03 lakh. The cases spiked in Greater Hyderabad, surrounding districts, and other parts of the state. The state’s daily count reached near 400, the highest this year, on Sunday.

22/03/21 News18.com

Government extends international passenger flights suspension till April 30

The government announced on Tuesday that it has extended the suspension of international commercial passenger flights till April 30, 2021. International commercial passenger flights were suspended on March 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. International flights have remained suspended since then.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a circular noted, "However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis,"

The circular has clarified that the suspension is not applicable on international all-cargo flights and on those flight operations which were specifically approved by the DGCA. This means that the flights operating under the bilateral air bubble agreements with select countries will continue to run.

Earlier, the DGCA had notified that international passenger flight operations will resume on March 31 but now this date has been extended to April 30, 2021.

Currently, India has bilateral air bubble pacts with 27 countries. These include countries such as Japan, the US, the UK, France Germany, etc. The government also has been operating special repatriation flights under the 'Vande Bharat Mission' since May 2020 in order to bring stranded Indian back to the country.

All flight operations were suspended on March 23, 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Since, then domestic flight operations have resumed but International commercial passenger flights have remained suspended.

23/03/21 Business Today

Stranded B’desh aircraft seeks nine more months for removal from SVA

Raipur: The 183-seater aircraft of United Airways (Bangladesh) Limited, stranded here at Swami Vivekananda Airport (SVA) for the past 2,054 days, will not be airborne for another whole nine months or may be some time beyond this year. For reasonsof its own, the private carrier has sought the aforesaid timeframe for the purpose of selling the stranded aircraft and thereupon paying its parking fee of nearly Rs 1.63 crore to Airports Authority India (AAI). A communiqué regarding the offer of ‘aircraft for sale’ has been received by the authorities here. The stranded aircraft has been parked on a dedicated piece of land, just behind the Wind Indicator Station, situated on the north of main runway (06) here at Swami Vivekananda Airport (SVA) for over 5 years since mid 2015.

 The disclosure surfaced against the backdrop of an official communiqué sent by the aircraft operator United Airways (BD) Limited to AAI after the former was served eviction notice. A copy of the communiqué, which is available with ‘The Hitavada’, however, was received by the Raipur Airport’s Eviction Officer on January 5, 2021. Airport Director Rakesh Ranjan Sahay also happens to be the ex-officio Eviction Officer. The communication sent to SVA has been signed by Director Engineering of the United Airways (BD) Limited, Wing Commander (Engr) M Shahabuddin Ahmed. Sources, in the meantime, explained to ‘The Hitavada’ that multiple government agencies including Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Ministry of External Affairs (MeA) as well as private agencies have been involved in constant communication with the flight operator to evict the stranded plane from the Raipur Airport’s premises since the time it arrived here. “On August 7, 2015, the Muscat-bound United Bangladesh flight (321) with over 165 passengers and aircraft crew on-board was forced to make an emergency landing at SVA after one of its jet engines (MD-83 McDonnell Douglas) developed some major snag,” the sources recalled.

 The AAI authorities have been regularly pushing up the matter with the airlines operator through MoCA and MeA, to evict the aircraft after paying its long-due parking fee, which had been seeing a revised hike of 10 percent per annum, ever since it landed in Raipur. “The exact known amount of parking fee till 31st December, 2020, submitted by the SVA authorities to the Legal Department of AAI, is Rs 1.50 crore. The amount details along with other information were shared by SVA officials in response to AAI’s Legal Department queries which were necessitated after the United Airways (Bangladesh) Limited came up with their offer letter seeking more time to sell out their stranded aircraft and pay the requisite parking fee, which is over Rs 5,000 per day,” the sources disclosed. As per the communiqué, the airline mentioned that it is in the process of selling the aircraft to a suitable buyer and pay the due amount to AAI before the removal of the aircraft from SVA’s premises.

23/03/21 Hitavada

Panaji: Nearly 300 passengers left stranded after Dubai-Goa flight cancelled

Panaji: An Air India flight to Goa from Dubai International Airport that was abruptly cancelled left about 300 passengers stranded. The passengers, mostly Indians which included children and few senior citizens had to wait over 15 hours at the airport.

The stranded passengers complained that they were not provided with any assistance and were left to fend for themselves. The fliers said that Air India flight AI994, which was to arrive at Goa International Airport at 4.35 pm, was cancelled at the last minute. They were not provided with any food or given any accommodation by Air India, the passengers complained.

"Air India cancelled flight in Dubai has us waiting in the airport for over 13 hours. No intimation, no hotels, no food, no direction, no staff in sight, a planeload of passengers aimlessly waiting around," said Mumbai-based creative professional Tanishaa Cunha. Cunha said that no social distancing was maintained which put the passengers at risk of contracting Covid.

23/03/21 Daijiworld

Monday, March 22, 2021

Cancelled Dubai-Goa flight leaves 300 stranded

Panaji: Close to 300 passengers, most of them Indians, had to suffer an over 15-hour wait at Dubai International Airport after Air India abruptly cancelled a direct flight to Goa. The passengers, which included children and a few senior citizens, complained that they were not provided with any assistance and were left to fend for themselves.

The fliers said that Air India flight AI994, which was to arrive at Goa International Airport at 4.35pm, was cancelled at the last minute. The flight was then scheduled to fly to Mumbai.

“I think the flight had gone there yesterday and was supposed to come today,” said an AAI official.

Passengers complained that they were not provided with any food or given any accommodation by Air India.

“Air India cancelled flight in Dubai has us waiting in the airport for over 13 hours. No intimation, no hotels, no food, no direction, no staff in sight, plane load of passengers aimlessly waiting around,” said Mumbai-based creative professional Tanishaa Cunha.

Cunha said that no social distancing was maintained which put the passengers at risk of contracting Covid.

Nikita Shah, another flier who had a ticket to fly to Goa said that no representative from Air India came forward to help the passengers. “We’re not given any accommodation, nothing! What rubbish is this,” she said.

22/03/21 Times of India

Delhi-to-Toronto flights bringing most Covid cases to Canada

Toronti: Flights from New Delhi to Toronto are bringing in the largest number of international passengers testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to data issued by Health Canada.

There are two daily flights between the two cities, operated by Air India and Air Canada.

The period from March 3-19 shows that almost all the New Delhi-Toronto flights carried Covid-positive passengers. 

Passengers in the three-row range of each Covid-positive person on the flight are deemed as impacted.

As many as 30 Covid-infected flights from Delhi have landed in Canada since March 4 - nine in Vancouver and 21 in Toronto.

Among the 21 flights landing in Toronto, 14 flights showed a minimum of six infected rows. The remaining seven flights had an unknown number of impacted rows.

The two most-heavily infected flights from Delhi landed in Toronto on March 9 and 13.

The entire business-class and premium economy cabins on the Air Canada Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Delhi on March 9 were reported to be affected. 

Except for eight rows, the economy class was also infected.

20/03/21 Tribune

No institutional quarantine required for vaccinated international passengers: BMC

Mumbai: Passengers from Europe, UK, Middle East, South Africa and Brazil will no longer have to undergo the mandatory week-long institutional quarantine on arrival to Mumbai if they have received both doses of Covid vaccine, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in an order issued on Saturday night.

On request of senior citizens and medical professionals travelling to attend to critical patients among others, the BMC issued the updated quarantine guideline for international passengers.

In addition to those vaccinated, the BMC will also exempt international passengers from institutional quarantine under six other categories – medical professionals travelling to attend to critical patients aged over 65, women in the advanced stage of pregnancy, both parents accompanying children below 5 years of age, passengers with serious illnesses requiring immediate medical attention, extreme family distress condition i.e. immediate family member in critical condition and severe accident/death in the immediate family.

“Passengers from these categories may be considered for exemption from seven-day institutional quarantine, subject to providing required documents to the satisfaction of the officer-in-charge at the airport,” read the BMC guideline.

22/03/21 Sanjana Bhalerao/Indian Express


Sunday, March 21, 2021

Saviours in the sky

It was frightening not to see a soul in Wuhan. That was the first thought Air India Captain Kamal Mohan had when he landed his Boeing 747 there on January 31, 2020. As many as 68 Air India crew members, who were part of two special flights, evacuated 647 Indians from Wuhan in the early days of the pandemic; Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave them a letter of appreciation.

Air India repatriated more than 24 lakh people, till the end of February. It has been operating flights under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ and ‘Air Transport Bubbles’ since May 7, 2020. The Vande Bharat Mission recently concluded its ninth phase and has covered 24 countries, including Australia, the US and Japan. The highest number of repatriated Indians are from Kerala (9.62 lakh), followed by Delhi (8.35 lakh) and Maharashtra (3.80 lakh).

Recalling their first Vande Bharat flight in June, an Air India crew member said that it was an eerie experience as the once-crowded airports were nearly empty. Besides, there was also the fear of carrying back the virus. Another cabin crew member said that the risk of exposure to the virus was more as she and her colleagues had to interact with other crews, ground staff, hotel staff and passengers. They had to work in high-pressure cabins with hazmat suits for 13 to 15 hours, that too without food or water.

Meghna Nanda, chief cabin crew, Air India, said that every time she came back from a flight, the thought that she might have contracted the virus played heavily on her mind. “My small kids would be yearning to hug me and it was so difficult to stay away from them within the same house till the result of the second test came negative," said Nanda. "It was traumatic to be so close yet so far."

In a recent reply in the Lok Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that 1,995 Air India personnel, including the Vande Bharat crew, had tested positive for Covid-19 till February 1. Of these, 583 were hospitalised, but there were no fatalities among the flight crew. However, 19 ground staff died.

Air India also delivered medicine and other supplies to China and other places. “Those days were really terrible for my family; they would panic whenever I had to fly to China,” said a pilot who flew more than a dozen cargo flights during the pandemic. “But we did it, and I feel proud to be part of the mission.”

21/03/21 Pradip R Sagar/The Week

Sri Lanka flights to resume under air bubble arrangement

Coimbatore: There are reports of the country establishing air bubble with Sri Lanka. If this happens, passenger flights to Sri Lanka from Coimbatore, which were operated thrice a week, may restart within one month, SriLankan Airlines sources said.

With flights to both Sri Lanka and Singapore yet to resume, making short international trips from the city has become impossible.

SriLankan Airlines is expecting an air bubble arrangement to be signed by India and Sri Lanka by March-end, a senior official with the operator told TOI. “We are operating two cargo flights a week between Coimbatore and Colombo on Wednesday and Saturday. We are waiting for India to sign the air bubble pact with Sri Lanka, which we expect to happen within the next 10 days. We expect to start flight operation within a week of signing.”

The airline, which was operating three flights a week to and from Coimbatore, was carrying 900 passengers in and out of the city every week, with an occupancy rate of more than 70%.

21/03/21 Times of India

Arrested Chinese tough spies: Intel officials

Kolkata: The two Chinese nationals arrested earlier this week from the Bagdogra airport in West Bengal appear to be "tough spies on a specific mission", Indian intelligence officials said.

Until late Friday, the two have not broken up and coughed out anything despite persistent questioning, the officials said. "Both pretend not to understand our questions. We are under orders not to use third degree, so they are getting away, but we have to find a way to break them," one intelligence official said.

What worries Indian intelligence is the recovery of two forged Aadhaar cards with Uttar Pradesh addresses.

21/03/21 Free Press Journal

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Emirates cabin crew 'saves life' of flyer who fainted on Dubai-Chennai flight

New Delhi: Quick action by cabin crew of a Chennai-bound international flight on Friday (March 19) helped save the life of a passenger who fainted on board when the aircraft was in oceanic airspace. The crew on Emirates Dubai-Chennai flight, EK 544, gave the passenger timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency life-saving procedure that is done when someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. The passenger recovered and reached Chennai safely.

Naren Balasubramaniam, a passenger on this flight, said on SM,"Emirates EK544 crew saves passenger’s life, as I traveled to Chennai with a heavy heart having lost my dad to Covid, I was so heartened to witness the flight crew saving the life of a passenger who fell unconscious mid flight and stopped breathing."

"They (the crew) were remarkable, kept their calm, moved swiftly, had a clear chain of command with four crew members following a step by step protocol — provided oxygen support, performed CPR procedures mid flight and sent a family safe without losing a life. Here it is for the unnamed heroes, unassuming and humble two crew members from the team of four. Thank you for saving a life!" Balasubramaniam’s SM post said.

Airlines train their cabin crew members to handle inflight medical emergencies. If the situation of a passenger gets serious, inflight announcements to check if there is a doctor on board.

20/03/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India


Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Second in a Week: Aircraft-Shaped Balloon With Pakistan Airlines Logo Seized in Kashmir

Days after an aircraft-shaped balloon bearing the Pakistan International Airlines logo (PIA) landed in the Sotra Chak village, another such balloon has been recovered by Jammu and Kashmir Police, officials said on Tuesday.

​Speaking to Sputnik, a senior police official said such incidents are raising suspicions that neighbouring Pakistan is possibly trying to spy on its enemy, India.

Last Sunday, a Pakistani drone entered India's territory but it was forced to turn back. India’s paramilitary force spotted it in Punjab's Pathankot district and opened fire. 

Officials in the armed forces have also been warned about Pakistani drones entering Indian territory with the alleged intention of delivering consignments of arms, ammunition and even drugs.

"We have observed that Pakistan has increased its activity along the border in Jammu as it is unable to create any impact in Kashmir, where there is a heavy presence of army and central armed police forces," he said.

Pakistan hasn't commented on the speculation so far.

These suspicious acts have occurred at a time when Pakistan and India have been strictly adhering to all agreements regarding Jammu and Kashmir, including the ceasefire along the border.

16/03/21 Advitya Bahl/Sputnik

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

No valuables stolen from check-in bags; SpiceJet denies allegations in viral video

A shocking incident came to light on Tuesday wherein a viral video alleged that several SpiceJet passengers on a Dubai-Delhi flight on March 11 had their valuables stolen after locks on their check-in bags were broken. SpiceJet has said that it is investigating the allegations concerning one of its flights, SG178 from Dubai to Delhi, but the allegations are baseless and not true.

The incident came to light after a video was making the rounds on the internet, wherein a person shooting the video is showing passengers checking their checked-in bags near Delhi Airport's luggage carousel. The person in the video can be heard asking passengers to check their bags and even asked two passengers if the locks on the bags were broken. The passengers replied saying the locks were broken, but nothing about stolen valuables was confessed on camera.

SpiceJet, however, responded to the allegations saying not a single passenger on the SG178 flight has filed a complaint of theft. Nevertheless, it has committed to carry out a full investigation and even warned of legal action against anyone trying to malign the low-cost airline.

"This is with regards to a video on social media regarding alleged pilferage and broken baggage locks on SpiceJet flight SG178 from Dubai to Delhi on March 11. While SpiceJet takes this matter very seriously and is investigating it thoroughly, we want to clarify that not even a single passenger travelling on the said flight has filed a complaint of theft. SpiceJet reserves the right to take appropriate legal action against anyone trying to deliberately tarnish its image and mislead the public through fake videos/news on social media or on other platforms," SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement to IBTimes.

While the video has gone viral on social media and netizens are criticising the airlines for the lax security, there are a few red flags. Firstly, the incident happened on March 11 and the video was shared after 6 days. In fact, SpiceJet said not a single complaint of theft was filed in the last 6 days, which is usually the common practice when an item, especially a valuable one, goes missing from the luggage during flight transit. Our sources also confirmed that the person shooting the video was not on SG178 flight.

It is worth noting that Dubai Airport and Delhi Airport are under CCTV surveillance and any mischief or tampering with the luggage during transit is captured by the cameras. The airport authorities, not the airlines, is responsible for the check-in luggage during transit.

16/03/21  Sami Khan/International Business Times

2 ‘Chinese’ nationals held at Bagdogra Airport with fake Aadhaar cards

Gangtok: Two suspected Chinese nationals, who were allegedly in possession of fake documents, were detained at West Bengal’s Bagdogra Airport on Tuesday.

CISF sources confirmed that the duo were detained at the Bangdogra Airport and they were scheduled to travel to Tirupati on Tuesday. Sources told EastMojo that all identification documents produced by the duo, including their Aadhaar cards, appeared to be fake on first review.

“They have been handed over to the local police for further investigation,” an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.

According to sources, the two individuals came from Kathmandu, Nepal, and had entered India by road through the Nepal border at Panitanki in North Bengal. They stayed at a Bagdogra hotel in Siliguri on Monday night.

They were scheduled to travel to Tirupati pilgrimage site in Andhra Pradesh when security personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stopped them for questioning before entering the airport

While their real identity is yet to be ascertained, sources say they are suspected of being Chinese because of the language they spoke in. “The Aadhaar cards presented say they are residents of UP. Investigation is on,” an official said.

16/03/21 Pankaj Dhungel/EastMojo

Monday, March 15, 2021

Government to expand air bubble option with more countries: Jaishankar

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday told the Rajya Sabha that the government wanted to expand the “air bubble” arrangement with more countries and the priority would be Saudi Arabia, Kuwait in the west and Japan, China and Singapore in the east.

“These are the countries where bubbles have not worked so well,” Mr. Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha.

Under the air bubble scheme, commercial airlines from specific countries are allowed to travel to and from India on a limited basis — an arrangement that was solely reserved for the Air India under the Vande Bharat mission — as full scale international commercial air operations are yet to resume after COVID-19 restrictions were implemented last year.

The Minister made these remarks while informing both Houses of Parliament about the Narendra Modi government’s efforts in repatriating Indians, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) during the corona pandemic.

Calling it as the world’s biggest repatriation exercise that saw over 4.5 million people return home under the Vande Bharat Mission, Mr. Jaishankar said the focus has now shifted to Indians going back to their usual places of work, study and domicile and restoring employment opportunities abroad with the help of partner countries.

He said so far, air transport bubble arrangements have been concluded with 27 countries.

15/03/21 The Hindu

After a year, Air India Express to resume Surat-Sharjah flight

Surat: After a gap of almost a year, international flight will start operating again from Diamond City. From Saturday, Air India Express started booking for Surat-Sharjah flight which will run twice in a week.The flight will operate on Monday and Thursday from the city. The operations of the flight were discontinued in March last year after Covid-19 outbreak.

It was in high demand, especially among diamond and jewellery business community in the city, due to Sharjah's proximity to Dubai.

“The flight will come from Sharjah on March 28 and return to Sharjah on the next day. It is the only international flight the city has and people were desperately waiting for it,” said Sanjay Jain, a member of We Work for a Working Airport at Surat (WWWAS).

The flight was also used by many travellers from other parts of the country.

“It is good news for the city's business and industry that the Sharjah flight will resume operations again. Those travelling to Dubai and other destinations in the world will get easy connectivity,” said Dinesh Navadiya, president of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Going to Mumbai and then catching an international flight is time-consuming. We need direct flights to Dubai and Hong Kong as well,” Navadiya added.

15/03/21 Times of India

Sydney’s Second Airport’s CEO Eyes Nonstop Flights To India

Sydney’s second airport is still five years from completion, and many consider the ambitious infrastructure project a potential white elephant. But the airport’s CEO refutes that suggestion. He thinks Sydney’s second airport has enormous potential, and he’s already eyeing potential destinations, including India.

Western Sydney Airport is a multi-billion dollar project underway 45 kilometers west of Sydney’s downtown. The airport is due to receive its first flights in 2026, however, the grand vision sees work continuing until mid-century.

The second airport, which has been decades in the making, has long courted controversy, especially among the harbor and beach hugging Sydney residents who prefer the convenience of Sydney’s existing airport.

But Western Sydney Airport CEO, Simon Hickey, reckons his new airport will lure plenty of people. He says within a 60-minute drive of Western Sydney Airport is the third largest population catchment in Australia. And not just any population catchment. Speaking to Tourism Australia’s Phillipa Harrison last week, Mr Hickey said western Sydney was home to over 200 nationalities, and that gave his new airport a serious competitive edge.

Roughly 2.5 million people live in western Sydney, of which nearly half were born overseas. Mr Hickey thinks this market will be key to Western Sydney Airport’s initial success.

“In terms of tourism, 25% of all international traffic is the VFR (visiting friends and relatives) market. But some of those markets, like India, are 55%.

“I think that will be one of the significant drivers of our airport in the early days.

“India is a good example. There’s a very large Indian community in here in western Sydney, and I can’t imagine that we won’t be flying direct traffic there in the future.”

It’s not just India Simon Hickey is eyeing. With so many nationalities living within the airport’s catchment area and so many markets unserved from Sydney’s existing airport, he sees a lot of scope for international operations out of Western Sydney Airport.

“What we’ll see is the opening up of new opportunities and new markets,” he says.

15/03/21 Andrew Curran/Simple Flying

British Airways trials vaccine certification for travel on Indian routes

British Airways is moving ahead with vaccine certification for travel, though challenges remain over the coordination of uploading proof of vaccination and/or tests and the online check-in process.

The trial of the new process is now taking place for passengers eligible to travel to India. They are now able to upload their negative Covid-19 test results and other travel declaration forms directly into their booking at ba.com, in advance of travel.

The new initiative is being trialled as part of BA’s efforts to simplify the departure process, as it prepares for the return of international travel. 

The trial, which is running on all flights from London to India, will certify that passengers have the correct documentation needed for their flight before they arrive at the airport, allowing them to check-in online and avoid queuing in the terminal. 

Three days before they are due to depart, passengers will receive an email directing them to the ‘Manage My Booking’ function on ba.com where they can find the relevant entry requirements, including a negative Covid-19 test result and a digital declaration form.

They then upload the required documents, which will be certified by the airline within six hours to ensure they meet the entry requirements.

British Airways aims to roll this trial out to more destinations over the coming weeks and is also working to add this functionality for those destinations to its British Airways app.

15/03/21 Tom Otley/Business Traveller

Maldivian to begin Maafaru-Mumbai direct flights next month

Maldivian have announced that they will be initiating direct flights between Maafaru International Airport and Mumbai, India, next month.

Island Aviation hosted a press conference on Sunday confirming the news, and have stated that direct flights between Maafaru International Airport and Mumbai, India will begin on 13 April 2021.

Maafaru International Airport is a hotspot for tourist travel, with a high degree of traffic reported for private jets as well.

Island Aviation's Managing Director Mohamed Mihad said that the direct travel route to India is expected to boost tourism in Noonu, Raa, Baa and Lhaviyani atolls. He added that coordination efforts were now underway with Indian travel agents and resorts and guesthouses in the region to best utilize the opportunity.

14/03/21 Aishath Hanaan Hussain Rasheed/Raajje.mv

Passengers on BA flights to India can upload Covid test results

British Airways customers eligible to travel to India under the current restrictions are now able to upload negative Covid-19 test results and other travel declaration forms via the airline’s website before travel.

The initiative, running separately to BA’s partnership with the VeriFly app, is being trialled as part of the national flag carrier’s efforts to simplify the departure process as it prepares for the return of international travel when non-essential is allowed again.

British Airways said the trial is due to expanded to other destinations in the coming weeks and hopes to add the functionality to its app, allowing passengers to upload documents directly from their smart phones.

Documents that could be uploaded include negative Covid test results and/or proof of a vaccination if it is required by the government of the destination.

On all flights currently operating from London to India, BA will be able to certify that passengers have the correct documentation needed for their flight before they arrive at the airport, allowing them to check-in online and avoid queuing in the terminal.

Customers will receive an email directing them to the ‘Manage My Booking’ function on ba.com three days before they are due to depart. There, they can find the relevant entry requirements, including a negative Covid-19 test result and a digital declaration form. Customers will then upload each document via ‘Manage My Booking’ which will be certified by the airline within six hours to ensure they meet the entry requirements.

15/03/21 Ben Ireland/Travel Weekly

Baggage pilferage allegations: SpiceJet investigating incident on Dubai-Delhi flight

Low-cost airline SpiceJet has said it's investigating allegations of pilferage and broken baggage locks of passengers on its March 11 flight SG178 from Dubai to Delhi.

The move comes after a video started making the rounds of social media platforms, showing passengers standing by the luggage carousel at Delhi airport to collect their checked-in baggage, and complaining of contents of their bags missing.

Many of them alleged that their belongings have been stolen.

In a response to Moneycontrol's query, a SpiceJet spokesperson said: “This is with regards to a video on social media regarding alleged pilferage and broken baggage locks on SpiceJet flight SG178 from Dubai to Delhi on March 11. While SpiceJet takes this matter very seriously and is investigating it thoroughly, we want to clarify that not even a single passenger travelling on the said flight has filed a complaint of theft. SpiceJet reserves the right to take appropriate legal action against anyone trying to deliberately tarnish its image and mislead the public through fake videos/news on social media or on other platforms.”

Industry observers have often advised against keeping valuables in check-in baggage. Customers should instead use the hand baggage for keeping valuables like jewellery, passport and laptops.

While that doesn't mean these incidents shouldn't be investigated, the chances of getting back the stolen items are slim. "It is mainly because one can't monitor when luggage is loaded or dropped," said a senior industry executive.

13/03/21 Moneycontrol.com

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Mamata offered to be exchanged for IC 814 hostages during Kandhar crisis, claims Yashwant Sinha

Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who has joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, on Saturday claimed that Mamata Banerjee had offered herself to be taken as hostage in exchange for passengers of the hijacked IC 814 plane in Kandahar in 1999.

Indian Airlines Flight 814, or IC 814 was hijacked and taken to Afghanistan's Kandahar by Pakistan-backed hijackers in 1999.

Recalling his days with her as a colleague, the former senior BJP leader said the Trinamool chief has been a 'fighter' right from the beginning.

Addressing a press conference after joining the TMC, Yashwant Sinha said, "Mamata Banerjee wanted to offer herself as a hostage in exchange for passengers of the hijacked plane in Kandahar incident for the country."

India had to release three terrorists, including Masood Azhar to ensure the hostages' release. Sinha was the union finance minister at the time under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The 83-year-old further said that the recent attack on Banerjee in Nandigram served as the 'tipping point' behind his decision to join the TMC.

13/03/21 ANI/DNA

Air India Dubai-Chennai morning flight delayed and ‘rescheduled’ close to midnight

Dubai: An Air India flight from Dubai to Chennai, India, originally scheduled for around 6am on Saturday, was delayed for almost 18 hours and ‘rescheduled’ to 11.45pm the same day.

An Air India official told Gulf News the one-off rescheduling on Saturday of flight AI906 was due to “crew duty time limitation”. The official added passengers were offered hotel stay. Those who chose to return to their Dubai residence to wait for departure were offered taxi fare reimbursement, the official said.

A passenger said travellers were offered refreshments when the flight was first “delayed”. She added: “We were verbally told there was an issue with the crew. We later heard the flight would leave at around 9pm. Then we got an email saying the departure would be at 11.45pm. I came back from the airport to my residence and will be going back again to catch the flight.”

13/03/21 Faisal Masudi/Gulf News

Friday, March 12, 2021

Why a Bangladesh plane that made emergency landing in 2015 is still stuck in Raipur

New Delhi: Around 7 pm on 7 August 2015, an aircraft of United Airways, a now-defunct Bangladeshi airline, made an emergency landing at Raipur’s Swami Vivekanand airport after an engine failure on its way from Dhaka to Muscat. 

Over five and a half years later, the McDonnell Douglas MD 83 continues to occupy one of the eight parking bays at the Raipur airport. It has notched up parking dues to the tune of Rs 1.25 crore, but no one from the company has arrived to fly it back home despite repeated communications from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

After years of back and forth with United Airways, the AAI in January began the legal process for the aircraft’s eviction, which will involve selling the plane to recover its dues. 

“The airline responded to our legal notice on 18 January asking for nine months to sell their aircraft. We are deliberating if we should accept this offer because they have repeatedly broken their promises,” said Raipur Airport Director Rakesh Sahay. “We will come to a decision in a week.”

Three weeks after the emergency landing, a team from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh landed in Raipur for an inspection of the aircraft. A few months later, another team arrived and replaced the faulty engine. However, owing to the absence of a ‘Certificate of Airworthiness’ from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh — a mandatory requirement — the plane could not take off. 

Senior officials of the AAI at Raipur say they have contacted the airline through roughly 50 letters and emails since 2015, but to no avail. “We send the company monthly reminders. Every time their reply would remain the same, that they are awaiting approval from the Bangladesh aviation authority,” Sahay added.

12/03/21 Taran Deol/Print

Transit flyer told airline won’t fly to next stop, sues port

Imagine landing at an airport to catch a connecting flight to a foreign destination only to find out that the concerned airline does not operate flights from there anymore? Hiral Patel, 22, is yet to recover from the shock she received at Delhi airport in October last year when she was told that Turkish Airlines had stopped flights to Istanbul owing to Covid outbreak.

Hiral was supposed to fly to Atlanta in the US via Istanbul to take up her dream job at an architecture firm. But here she was at Delhi airport in the dead of the night, clueless and alone. Forced to return to Ahmedabad, she has now sued yatra.com in the consumer court and sought Rs 1 crore as ticket refund and compensation for mental distress.

The portal had issued her the Ahmedabad-Delhi- Istanbul-Atlanta travel ticket online on September 9. She flew from Ahmedabad to Delhi on the night of September 30. Her flight to Istanbul was scheduled for 6 am on October 1.

However, she could not find the Turkish Airlines counter at the airport. Besides, no official at the airport was aware of the Delhi-Istanbul- Atlanta flight and neither did the flight detail show up on the flight information display.

Hiral told Mirror, “My family members and friends came to Ahmedabad airport to bid goodbye because I was going to settle down in the US. As I am a frequent flyer, I decided to travel to Atlanta alone and booked tickets on yatra.com. Since my Istanbul- Atlanta flight was at 6 am on October 1, I landed at Delhi airport at 11 am the previous night. But to my surprise, I did not find anyone from Turkish Airlines there.”

“I was horrified. I ran around looking for the Turkish Airlines counter but it was nowhere to be found. I received a jolt when I was told that the airlines had stopped operations in India after the Covid outbreak. I still did not believe it because Air India had charged Rs 18,600 for the excess baggage till Atlanta. So, I had every reason to believe that my flight was scheduled,” she said.

Hiral ultimately called up her family at 2 am for help. Her father Haresh Patel recalled, “I was shocked. I tried my best to guide her thinking it must have been an oversight on her part. She said she searched for the ticketing counter all over the place but there wasn’t any. I then tried to approach yatra.com and the officials at Delhi airport, but in vain. We realised that we had been cheated.”

Her ordeal did not end here. She struggled to get her luggage back from Air India. “I don’t understand that if Turkish Airlines had stopped operations, why was she charged for the excess baggage till Atlanta? I thought if Air India took in her baggage then the flight must have been scheduled and on time. But that was a myth. She had to wait for six hours to retrieve her luggage from the airport’s warehouse. At first, they handed over somebody else’s luggage to her,” said Patel.

12/03/21 Nikunj Soni/Ahmedabad Mirror

Flights from India approved to land in U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya Int’l Airport

Thai Cabinet has agreed to allow flights from India to land in Surat Thani’s Samui Island, Krabi Airport and U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport in addition to the current set up in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul said this is part of a collaboration between Thailand and India, adding that the transport ministries on both sides have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) related to aviation.

The MoU will increase the quota of tourists from India by 6,150 a week based on an estimate of 23,609 arrivals weekly.

11/03/21 Pattaya Mail

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Empire Aviation Group is a double award winner

Empire Aviation Group was a double winner at the Middle East Aviation Achievement Awards 2021, where the company picked up the ‘Business Aviation Operator of the Year’ and ‘Aircraft Management Service Provider’ awards.

Paras P. Dhamecha, founder and managing director of Empire Aviation Group, said: “The Empire Aviation team is thrilled with the double award at the Aviation Achievement Awards 2021 and to be recognised for our commitment to aircraft owners and customers through a very challenging year for aviation." 

The event was held virtually on March 2nd and organised by MEA Business Magazine and the Aviation Annual Gala Evening 2021. Since launching in Dubai in 2007, Empire Aviation has extended operations around the world and today operates one of the largest managed fleets of private jets in the region.

Through the pandemic, Empire Aviation Group has continued to fly private jet missions including emergency medical or repatriation flights to various destinations from different countries. Empire Aviation also arranged charters for 150+ passengers on larger aircraft sub-chartered through airline partners. In 2020, the team flew several charter flights operating from Dubai to different cities in India, and from India back to Dubai, after the easing of some restrictions.

11/03/21 Arabian Aerospace

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Are Gupta brothers backing Jalans in Jet Airways deal too?

As part of this investigative series, Zee News had earlier revealed how the Gupta brothers of South Africa are secretly preparing to purchase India's Jet Airways with the help of Murari Lal Jalan. Zee News had also revealed the family and business links between Gupta Brothers and Murari Lal Jalan. These are the same Gupta brothers against whom many cases of corruption, bribery are going on in South Africa, and any business deal with them is banned in the United States.

Read more on the findings >>

Indian customs officers smash Dh200k watch, says traveller from Dubai

Dubai: Muhammad Ismail just got back to India from a visit to Dubai when he experienced a horrific ordeal at the Karipur International Airport.

He was travelling with a Dh200,000 watch on his wrist — but next thing he knew, his Audemars Piguet was already on a plate, ‘smashed’ in six pieces.

Ismail was then returning home to Bhatkal in Karnataka via Kozhikode after meeting with his brother in Dubai. He was on his way out of the Karipur airport when customs officers allegedly stopped him and asked him to take the watch off.

“They suspected I was trying to smuggle gold by hiding it in the watch,” Ismail said, recalling the ordeal which happened last week after he disembarked from an Air India Express flight.

“Officials took the watch in a room, where they smashed it into pieces using a hammer. When nothing was found, the broken pieces of watch were placed on a plate and returned to me,” he said.

When a shell-shocked Ismail asked officials to return his watch in its original condition, they took it from him and offered a compensation of Dh50,000. Khaleej Times has reached out to India’s Karipur Airport for comment, and a response is awaited.

A case in this regard has also been filed at a police station in Kozhikode and has been escalated to senior customs officials.

10/01/21 Dhanusha Gokulan/Khaleej Times

Tuesday, March 09, 2021

Five years after emergency landing, Bangladesh plane still taking up space at Raipur airport

Raipur: It’s been over five years for a Bangladesh-based United Airways plane that made an emergency landing at Raipur and the airport authorities apparently seems perplexed as they await feedback to their series of communication sent to officials of the private carrier and the neighbouring country for its take-off from the Chhattisgarh capital.

Besides the letters and the sequence of e-mails to civil aviation authorities of the neighbouring country Bangladesh, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) Regional Headquarter (RHQ) contacted Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata on September 2 last year.

“But so far we haven’t received any concrete response or information from them as the Bangladesh aircraft remains parked since August 2015 and yet to be attended for its take-off. Though, we have been consistent in our communication”, said Rakesh Sahay, the Raipur Airport Director.

The United Airways flight with 173 passengers on board on its way from Dhaka to Muscat made an emergency landing at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur following a technical snag and failure of one of its engines. Even after the aircraft engineering team from Bangladesh fixed the problem some three years ago, there still is no message from Bangladesh regarding the stranded plane take off from Raipur.

The aviation authorities told the New Indian Express that they were yet to see any definite action initiated to expedite the process by the officials contacted in Bangladesh for the aircraft to be flown back to Dhaka.

The parking charges to be paid by the private carrier keep piling up. “The parking fee is Rs 320 per hour. We are pursuing with the operator for payment and for taking away the aircraft,” Sahay said. The parking charges already crossed Rs 1.54 crore.

With the United Airways aircraft lying solitarily in the allotted parking space and apparently ignored for so long, the Raipur airport had equally faced a space dilemma and had to shift the plane to other locations within the premises.

09/03/21 Ejaz Kaiser/New Indian Express

Monday, March 08, 2021

Special flight to bring over 200 Indians stuck in Israel to Delhi

Kochi:Following an SOS from Indians stuck in Israel, after that country suspended international flights from January 25 to slow the spread of Covid-19, the two governments have agreed to arrange a special flight from Tel Aviv to New Delhi on Monday.

Around 250 Indians, including several from Kerala working as care-givers, were left stranded in Israel after the flight ban. “The flight has been approved as a very special case for sector Tel Aviv to Delhi only,” read a message from Air India Israel to passengers.

The travellers were required to register with the Indian embassy there, besides registering their names with the Israel Ministry of Health website within 24 hours from departure. “We have been told that our tickets are confirmed. We are all set to return to India,” said Jaison Varghese, a Keralite who was stuck in Israel for the past two months after he lost his job.

The Israeli government, which initially banned flights by foreign airlines till January 31, later extended the ban to February 21, and then to March 6.  The Indians feared that the ban would go on till the Passover, which falls on April 4. “A large number of Malayali men and women lost their jobs in Israel as care-givers, and many of them are stuck there,” said Bessy Siby, a native of Changanassery, who reached Kerala via Frankfurt on Friday. “The Frankfurt route was very expensive and we had to take a transit visa too,” said Bessy, whose job contract in Israel ended on January 15.  Jaison said, though the Indian embassy had told them that flight tickets are confirmed, he is keeping his fingers crossed.

08/03/21 New Indian Express

Air India announces additional flights to Italy, Japan, and Toronto.

Air India is set to operate additional flights between India and Italy from March 31, 2021, to May 27, 2021. The carrier will fly on the Delhi-Amritsar-Rome sector every Wednesday and Rome-Amritsar-Delhi every Thursday during this period.

Air India has also announced flights between India and Japan from March 30, 2021, to October 29, 2021. Flights on the Delhi-Narita route will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and that on Narita-Delhi sector will operate on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

All passengers travelling to Japan have to follow the new guidelines issued by the governments.

Additionally, the carrier has announced flights between New Delhi and Toronto from March 29 to October 27, 2021, on Monday and Wednesday; and flights between New Delhi and San Francisco from April 1, 2021 to October 28, 2021.

08/03/21 Business Traveller

‘Hindu jaag gaya hai’: Air France flight makes emergency landing after Indian misbehaves

New Delhi: An Air France flight en route New Delhi from Paris made an emergency landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria after an Indian passenger onboard started misbehaving and making threatening comments, reports said.

The Indian passenger had begun to act up as soon as the flight took off in Paris. He quarreled with other passengers, assaulted a flight attendant and even pummelled the cockpit’s door, an official of the National Investigation Agency told Reuters. The incident took place took place on Friday. 

A video of the alleged incident shared by Congress leader Gaurav Pandhi shows the man dressed in white mouthing serious profanities at another passenger. He took slogans like “Jai Hind” “Hindu jaag gaya hai” (the Hindu has awakened), “Modi Modi” and “Udta Punjab”, while also making some lewd, threatening comments about Jesus Christ.

The passenger was later was taken off the aircraft and has been charged with endangering flight safety. He was detained for 72 hours at Sofia. If proven, he might face up to ten years in prison.

The Air France flight then resumed its journey to New Delhi.

Earlier, a group of four young Sikh men was attacked after leaving a restaurant at night on February 28 in Sydney, Australia by a group of men allegedly affiliated to RSS-VHP. On Sunday, Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) State Senator David Shoebridge called for a ban on Vishwa Hindu Parishad and RSS referring to the attack.

 “How did Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), right-wing Hindu organisation that is considered a military extremist religious organisation by the CIA, find themselves in New South Wales public schools?” Shoebridge asked in New South Wales’ state assembly.

08/03/21 Sruthi Vibhavari/Siasat Daily

Saturday, March 06, 2021

Canadian plane maker De Havilland wins $43 mn claim against SpiceJet

Mumbai: A UK high court has ruled in favour of Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland in a contractual dispute with SpiceJet, saying that it is entitled to recover $42.9 million in liquidated damages from the airline.

The court gave this ruling after De Havilland sued SpiceJet for its failure to make pre-delivery payments for 14 Q-400 aircraft on order.

The aircraft manufacturer had served notice for termination of the purchase agreement and claimed $ 42.9 million in liquidated damages.

In a recent judgment, the High Court of Justice in the UK upheld the aircraft manufacturer’s claim that SpiceJet did not abide by terms of contract. The court also said De Havilland is entitled to claim $ 42.9 million in liquidated damages from the airline.

Under the Indian law a separate application has to be filed in a court for execution of judgment in a civil or commercial suit.

SpiceJet said is appealing against the order. “ The same court allowed appeal against the order and we shall be doing the same within the timeframe provided by the court,” an airline spokesperson said today.

SpiceJet operates passenger and freight versions of Q-400 aircraft manufactured by De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. In 2017 it signed a purchase agreement for 25 Q-400 aircraft. It took delivery of five aircraft but failed to make pre-delivery payments (PDPs) for fifteen aircraft in the order.. It also did not take delivery of three of those planes ( number 6-8) resulting in a commercial dispute.

The bone of contention between the two sides relates to changes in the purchase terms. Under the amended terms scheduled delivery dates for aircraft 9- 25 were suspended. De Havilland said only delivery dates were suspended and there was no agreement to suspend the dates for pre-delivery payments in respect to those planes. SpiceJet countered by stating that liability to make those payments got automatically suspended upon suspension of delivery dates.

“It would not make business sense for the Defendant to be obliged to pay the PDPs if the deliveries were suspended,” the airline argued. SpiceJet also made a counter claim for damages against the plane maker and said it had failed to arrange financing for the aircraft.

This breach by De Havilland resulted in non payment of PDPs for three aircraft, it contended. However the court did not upheld the airline’s plea.

06/03/21 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

140 Indian nationals repatriated on special flight

The High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam, in coordination with the Indian Associations and regional partner organisations in the Sultanate, arranged the 11th repatriation flight with 140 passengers yesterday. The flight from Brunei Darussalam to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India was operated by Royal Brunei Airlines.

The high commission has so far assisted in the repatriation of 1,525 passengers by special flights, an initiative that began on July 3, 2020.

High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam Ajaneesh Kumar and officials from the high commission were present to see off the departing passengers.

06/03/21 Borneo Bulletin

Uzbekistan Airlines Announces Direct Flights Between Delhi and Tashkent Under Air Bubble Pact

India recently signed air bubble arrangement with Uzbekistan, increasing the number of countries under air bubble agreement to 27. Under the pact, International flights from both the sides will fly between the two countries and following the same, Uzbekistan Airlines has announced direct flight to and from India starting today, March 5. Uzbekistan Airlines has announced bi-weekly flights connecting Tashkent to Delhi.

The flight from Tashkent to Delhi will fly on Tuesday and Friday, every week, starting at 2.35 AM and landing at 6.05 AM. Similarly, the flights will fly back on same days, i.e. Tuesday and Friday starting from Delhi at 9 AM and will reach Tashkent 11.30 AM (All local time).

India has now formalized air bubble arrangements with a total of 27 countries adding places like Russia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Oman on the list along side earlier done agreements with countries like USA, Canada, France, Germany, among others.

Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri earlier mentioned that Government is in discussion with more countries for similar arrangements. Air Bubble agreement is a bilateral air corridor being established between various countries to ease travel restrictions amidst travel ban imposed by various countries due to coronavirus.

Despite the ban, India was among the first few nations to start repatriation drive as early as May to bring back stranded Indians. Soon after, Air Bubbles were established to further ease the travel. Till now, govt has facilitated the repatriation and international travel of over 6 million people through different means since 6th May 2020.

06/03/21 News18.com

Friday, March 05, 2021

India allots 68% of repatriation flights to GCC in new schedule

New Delhi: The biggest slice of the ongoing phase of repatriation flights for Indians affected by coronavirus disruptions worldwide has been set apart for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Anurag Srivastava, the spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Friday.

The latest phase of these repatriation flights, known as the "Vande Bharat Mission," (VBM) began on March 1 and will last till March 28. Slightly more than 1,350 international flights are scheduled to be operated from 28 countries in this phase, enabling an estimated 260,000 Indians to travel home.

Of these, nearly 920 flights accounting for 68 percent of the total are from GCC countries, Srivastava said. Until yesterday, about 6.15 million Indians from all over the world have been repatriated, a large bulk of them owing to coronavirus disruptions since the VBM flights began on 7th May last year.

Repatriation under the VBM is made up of Indian government-owned carriers, Indian private airlines, foreign carriers, chartered flights, naval ships, and land border crossings. Srivastava said India presently has bilateral air bubble arrangements with 27 countries including five GCC states.

05/03/21 Saudi Gazette

Sri Lanka Air Force gets first-hand feel of India's Tejas

Sri Lanka Air Force got first hand feel of India's indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas as Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy participate in their 70th anniversary in Colombo.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria also visited Colombo on Thursday to take part in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) 70th anniversary and also to strengthen bilateral relationship and open up newer avenues of mutual interest.

IAF and Indian Navy participated in the Aerobatic Display by Sarang (Advance Light Helicopter), Surya Kiran (Hawks), Tejas Fighter Aircraft, Tejas Trainer and the Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

A total of 23 aircraft of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy are participating in the event.

The detachment for the Aerobatic Display arrived in Colombo on February 27, 2021, with the support of C17 Globe Master and C130J transport aircrafts of Indian Air Force.

The deployment of such wide variety and huge inventory of aircrafts and helicopters of IAF and Indian Navy is testimony to the strong bonds of friendship and close interoperability shared between the corresponding forces of India and Sri Lanka services," the Indian government said.

05/03/21 IANS/Economic Times


New Zealand resident left with no choice but to fly to 'Covid-19 ridden India' after his wife refused entry after a year of marriage

A New Zealand resident has had to abandon his work to join his wife in “Covid-19 ridden” India to prove their relationship is genuine.

Ketan Barhate​ married Kalindi Chaudhari​ through an arranged marriage in India in November 2019, but had to return to work in Hawke's Bay as a manager of Clearview Estate – his place of work for six years – shortly after.

Originally from India, Barhate has lived in New Zealand for nine years and had residency since 2016.

The pair applied for a partnership visa once married, but it was declined, as they had not been together long enough – which the couple accepted.

Chaudhari was instead offered a general visitor’s visa by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) on March 5, but not a Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa (CAMV visa).

Lawyer Mark Luscombe, who began assisting the couple last August, said they were given 24 hours to accept the visitor’s visa, which they did.

On March 19, 2020​, she was halted at Mumbai airport as New Zealand closed its borders due to Covid-19.

“No one knew Covid-19 was coming and so an unintended consequence of this error on their part, and of INZ not granting a culturally arranged marriage visa as an alternative (which was an option) is the awful situation they have now,” Luscombe said.”

“It was open to INZ to grant the culturally arranged marriage visa being more appropriate to their circumstances but did not offer that at all – hence Kalindi being left stranded at the departure gate,” Luscombe said.

Applications for a CAMV visa could be made within three months of marriage, but the couple’s realisation came too late.

They were separated for a year due to the pandemic and continued attempts to gain Chaudhari entry.

But after multiple failures, Barhate finally boarded a plane in January this year to be with his wife. The pair have now been living together in his parents’ home for two months, with another partnership visa application made.

05/03/21 Georgia-May Gilbertson/Stuff

Thursday, March 04, 2021

US-based Indian stuck in Dubai airport on way to attend father’s funeral in India gets help

Dubai: An Indian American, flying home from the US following his father’s death, found himself stuck while in transit in Dubai on Tuesday morning as he was not carrying his old passport that is linked to his OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card.

The Indian Consulate in Dubai then came to his rescue and helped him continue his journey by instantly issuing him an entry visa to India to attend his father’s funeral.

Hari Sukumaran, who was heading to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to perform his father’s last rites, made a plea through Twitter seeking help with his onward journey after he failed to show the proper documents for entry in India.

As a US passport holder, Sukumaran received a visa on arrival in the UAE. The OCI card is issued to Indian-origin people holding passports from other countries, to facilitate their visits to India.

Addressing his plea to Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, he stated: “Honourable Minister, I am unable to travel to Trivandrum to perform my father’s last rites because my OCI card has my old passport number. I am stuck in Dubai after travelling all the way from US. I am praying for your kind attention to my plight.”

A consulate employee, Amit Raghave, spotted the tweet and advised him to contact the mission or the help centre Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) working under its aegis with his details.

“CGI Dubai sprang into action based on his Twitter request and immediately contacted the affected Indian passenger and requested him to visit the consulate,” Siddhartha Kumar Baraily, consul, Press, Information and Culture at the consulate, told Gulf News.

He said the passenger “was stopped at Dubai Airport while transiting as he was not carrying his old passport, the number of which was mentioned in his OCI card. He was then issued an entry visa on the basis of his Indian origin to attend his father’s funeral in India,” he added.

By Tuesday evening, Hari posted a series of updates about how he was instantly supported by the mission and thanked them profusely for the gesture. “Indian Consulate in Dubai went out of their way today to help me get through a very difficult challenge that I had to face in Dubai soon after suffering a sad personal loss. I live in the US and had to reach Trivandrum urgently to perform my father’s last rites,” he tweeted.

“A tech issue was discovered at the last minute with my documents that prevented me from being allowed to board the flight from Dubai to Trivandrum. The issue was finally resolved thanks to the fine folks at Indian consulate Dubai. They were all extremely helpful and professional (sic).”

04/03/21 Sajila Saseendran/Gulf News

Six of Groupe ADP’s international airports ranked among world’s best

Groupe ADP has once again been recognised by the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) ranking established by Airports Council International (ACI) for the year 2020. This ranking is made by passenger votes and recognises the quality of service offered by the airports in different regions of the world.

Six international airports operated by Groupe ADP, or its subsidiary TAV Airports and GMR Airports, were highly placed in the ranking:

Skopje International Airport, North Macedonia, is one of the best European airports welcoming between 2 and 5 million passengers per year. Within this category, the airport also wins the title of best European airport for the sanitary device set up.

Franjo-Tuđman International Airport in Zagreb, Croatia, also belongs to the best European airports handling between 2 and 5 million passengers per year.

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius, is renowned for the best hygiene measures in Africa.

Indira Gandhi Delhi International Airport, India, is ranked Asia-Pacific’s best airport welcoming over 40 million passengers per year. By 2014, it had already been captured into the top position among airports between 25 to 40 million passengers per year.

Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport, India, is awarded Asia-Pacific best airport welcoming 15 to 25 million passengers per year. The airport has consistently featured among the top ranked global airports in the ASQ/ACI survey for the past nine consecutive years.

Finally, Amman Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan, is Middle East best airport in the category of airports welcoming between 5 and 15 million passengers per year. The airport wins this title for the third consecutive year.

04/02/31 Airport Business

Why Covid jab got cold reception at airport

The 1.02 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine arrived in the country on Tuesday night.

First, despite the vaccines being intended for Kenyans, the country's own airline could not fly them in. While receiving the vaccines at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said Kenya Airways had not been cleared to transport the life-saving shipment.

"As you know, we had to convert one of our 787 passenger plane to become a freighter. Now, we have gone through an audit with Unicef; we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Unicef so I believe going forward we can see KQ delivering these vaccines in the future,” Mr Macharia said.

The vaccines arrived on board a Qatar Airways Boeing Dreamliner at 11.50 pm. After being offloaded, the precious cargo received police escort from JKIA to a storage facility in Kitengela. Two trucks and their escorts kept an average speed of 40km/h and arrived at their destination at 2.04 am.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine requires refrigerator storage temperatures of between two and eight degrees Celsius. The labels on the packages warned as much: ‘Time and temperature-sensitive product' and ‘Life-saving highly perishable medicines'.

They were also branded Serum Institute of India, who are the manufacturers of the vaccine.

Overseeing the exercise was a team led by National Vaccines and Immunisation Programme head Collins Tabu and acting Director of Medical Services Pacifica Onyancha, who were up as late as 3am on Wednesday to ensure nothing went wrong.

The biggest fear was breaking the cold chain, which could compromise the integrity of the vaccines and reduce their effectiveness. Dr Tabu said the doses were triple-packed and layered with frozen icepacks, and the outermost package was insulated.

"Insulation makes sure there is no exchange of temperatures,” he said. "Each package also comes with a temperature monitor. Once the package is opened, the temperature is recorded."

The instructions on the outermost packaging indicated that it should not be stored in temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius or above 25 degrees Celsius.

To maintain the temperature range, Dr Tabu said it was important for the vaccines to be transported in refrigerator trucks similar to those that move perishable goods from the farm to the airport for export.

The Standard witnessed the unpacking of the vaccines at the Kitengela stores. There were two layers of ice packs at the top and several more surrounding the primary packaging. Workers removed the ice packs to reveal smaller boxes said to contain 3,000 doses each.

Dr Tabu explained that this was necessary because the huge packages could not fit inside the cold rooms.

So what will happen when distribution starts, we asked.

“We will go through the same process. We will align ice packs around the primary packaging and we will also use refrigerator trucks,” he said.

Dr Onyancha said she will be among the healthcare workers who will receive the vaccine once the exercise starts. "Forget about the news you have heard. Serum Institute of India manufactures most of the vaccines we give our children so the vaccine is safe."

A clearer plan on the role counties will play in the rollout of the vaccines will be outlined by the government. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe is expected to update the country on distribution today.

"These vaccines will not be a Nairobi affair. Starting tomorrow, we will be moving into the counties,” said Kagwe at JKIA.

In the first round of vaccinations, Kenya will distribute 459,000 doses. Level Six hospitals will get 33,000 doses while military hospitals will get 21,000 doses.

The WHO recommends giving two doses intramuscularly with an interval of eight to 12 weeks. The rest of the vaccines will be administered to the first recipients after this period.

While the vaccine is a literal shot in the arm in the fight against Covid-19, Kagwe said it should not mean that Kenyans can now lower their guard. "We have been fighting the virus with rubber bullets. These vaccines are equal to acquiring bazookas or machine guns."

04/02/21 Graham Kajilwa/Standard