MDLR resolves row with Trident Jet

New Delhi: Gurgaon-based MDLR Airlines has said it has resolved a dispute with aircraft leasing company Trident Jet (Dublin) for buying three airplanes owned by the latter. It has asked the country's aviation sector regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to register the jets in its name so that the airline could start regional air transportation service under brand name Jet Sapphire.
The DGCA had last year cancelled aircraft registration of three jets of MDLR following a United Kingdom (UK) court order. Subsequently the government permission to the airline to start regional air connectivity also expired.
“The cause for action of de-registering the aircraft no longer exists since the dispute with the lessors have been resolved and the company has now purchased all three aircraft,” MDLR chairman and managing director Gopal Goyal has written to the DGCA.
09/05/11 Nirbhay Kumar/Financial Express

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Air India suffers latest plane malfunction in Oman

A runway at Muscat International Airport was temporarily closed this week, following a rejected takeoff by an Air India plane.
The troubled airline’s Airbus A320-200, which was scheduled to fly from the Oman capital to Kozhikode in India, had 132 passengers onboard when one of the engine's Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) indication went beyond limits.
A number of tyres deflated during deceleration and the aircraft came to a safe stop on the runway, according to a report in the Aviation Herald.
A maintenance check later detected that major repair work was required on the brakes and the flight was therefore postponed.
31/05/10 Robeel Haq/arabain Supply Chain

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flydubai strengthens network in the Indian sub-continent with flights to Sri Lanka

Adding yet another destination to its fast expanding network, Dubai's first low cost airline, flydubai, has announced flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka, the island jewel of the Indian Ocean, from 23 June.
This announcement is the ninth new route announcement in just over a month, bringing flydubai's rapidly expanding network to an impressive 21 destinations. Close on the heels of the announcement of flights to Lucknow-India and Karachi-Pakistan, flydubai has strengthened its presence in the region with the announcement of flights Colombo.
The four times a week service will begin on 23 June. A one-way fare including all taxes and one piece of hand luggage is priced at Rs. 13,000. With booking open, travellers will be able to purchase flights on flydubai's website (flydubai.com), through the local call centre (+ 94 11 473 2485) and from travel agents.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said: "Colombo is a vital point connecting the Middle-East to South-East Asia. We see huge potential in the region and are pleased to bring our simple, uncomplicated low fares to the people of Sri Lanka. This is our third flight announcement in the Indian sub-continent and we are committed to offering the flydubai traveller an increasing network of destinations in this important region.
"Our inaugural flight to Colombo on 23 June, will be perfect timing for Sri Lankans wanting to return home to celebrate the Vel festival in July.
31/05/10 Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka

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Kingfisher, Finnair voted among best carriers

London: Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines has been voted the best Indian carrier and Finnair the best in north Europe in a global survey by an independent research agency -- often called the Oscars of airline industry.
Kingfisher got the honours under three categories -- best airline in India and Central Asia, best economy class seats and excellent staff service, while the Nordic carrier was awarded for its overall performance as a "four-star" airline.
London-based Skytrax announced the results after a survey among 18 million air passengers from some 100 different countries that was carried out between July 2009 and April 2010.
Kingfisher Airlines is one of just six airlines worldwide that currently meet the rigorous quality criteria which Skytrax set for this prestigious, top tier 5-Star airline ranking.
Among the other honours: Oneworld has been named best interline pact, Cathay Pacific the best transpacific airline, Dragonair the best regional carrier and Qantas for best premium economy class and seat.
While Finnair, which flies to India six times a week, is a founder-member of Oneworld, Kingfisher is due to become its member soon, having signed a pact for membership in February.
30/05/10 Economic Times

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Flight delay triggers protest at Kochi airport

Nedumbassery: The passengers at the Kochi international airport turned restive when Abu Dhabi bound Air India Express flight was delayed for 17 hours on Saturday.
The flight, scheduled to leave for Abu Dhabi at 9.25 p.m. on Friday, reached the airport at 11.45 p.m. on Saturday.
The service was temporarily suspended owing to some technical snag.
Around 160 passengers who had completed all travel formalities were accommodated in the nearby hotels, as the flight was rescheduled to resume service on Saturday morning.
30/05/10 ExpressBuzz

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'Air India violated Fair Trade Act'

Seoul/New Delhi: South Korean regulator Fair Trade Commission has warned Air India and Scandinavian Airlines against indulging in unfair trade practices, and slapped a fine of nearly USD 100 million on 19 other international carriers.
"The Commission found that the 21 airlines had conspired to introduce fuel surcharges and continue to raise surcharge rates for air cargo to-and-from Korea between 1999 and 2007," the regulator said in a statement today.
FTC has imposed a total fine of 119,544 million won (nearly USD 100 million) on 19 airlines and told two others, including Air India, for violating the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.
Air India officials were unavailable for comments.
Air France, Air France-KLM, Air Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Asianan Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, KLM and Japan Airlines International, were among the 19 airlines fined by the FTC.
28/05/10 Express India

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Dublin Airport woos Air India

Dublin Airport is in advanced talks with Air India in a bid to become the airline’s European hub, which could see more transatlantic flights from Ireland.
It is believed that talks are ongoing between the two parties, but an announcement is likely to be around a month away.
Air India is considering Dublin as a hub for US-bound flights. Other European airports are also in contention, however, such as Copenhagen, Denmark and Vienna, Birmingham and Barcelona.
Air India would likely use the new Terminal 2 which is due to open in November. This would enable Air India’s passengers to clear US immigration and customs in Dublin. A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) declined to comment.
Bloxham stockbroker Joe Gill said any new business at Dublin Airport would be a welcome boost, given the decline in capacity and traffic over the past two years.
"The new terminal and pre-clearance for US immigration are attractive to Air India," he said.
Air India is believed to be looking for an airport in Europe that’s cheaper to operate than its current hub in Frankfurt.
A civil aviation ministry official has been quoted as saying the airline’s chairman and managing director, Arvind Jadhav, and senior civil aviation ministry officials have already inspected Dublin Airport.
Dublin has a key advantage over other airports as it is the only European airport where passengers can clear immigration for the US.
29/05/10 Niamh Hennessy/Irish Examiner

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Capt Gustav Baldauf, COO, Air India to join office on June 1, 2010

Mumbai: According to a PTI report, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently informed that Capt Gustav Baldauf, the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air India who was appointed last month, will join office on June 1, 2010. He will be the first expatriate in the management team of the country's flag carrier.
Baldauf, whose appointment was approved by the Air India Board last month, will report to Arvind Jadhav, CMD, Air India and both will be responsible for all steps taken to turn around the ailing national carrier. He was selected from a list of over 100 applicants.
Jadhav informed that the terms of his contract and salary package will be finalised by this month-end. “He has made some proposals; we have also given him some proposals. We will finalise everything by the month-end,” added Jadhav.
Baldauf, who was earlier working as Executive Vice-President (Flight Operations) in Austrian Airlines, has also worked as Vice President (Operations) in Jet Airways and Air Canada.
28/05/10 TravelBizMonitor

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Delhi flights diverted to Jaipur airport

Mumbai: Cancer patient Razia Yusuf was cramped inside a Mumbai-bound Air India flight for about six hours without food, water and air-conditioning at the Delhi airport on Thursday.
The 62-year-old, who underwent a surgery two months ago, was among 250 city-bound fliers stuck inside the aircraft because the flight developed a technical snag.
“It was inhuman treatment by the airline,” said Yusuf Iqbal Yusuf, her son.
The nightmare began when the Jeddah-Mumbai flight was diverted to Delhi at around 10 am. “We wanted to clear the backlog of passengers stranded because of the strike,” said the airline spokesperson.
A flash strike by the two Air India unions had grounded hundreds of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The situation turned chaotic for many of the passengers including women and children. Rabia Vaid, another passenger had run out of milk for her three-year-old son.
“The crew told me that I could leave the flight to feed my child,” she said.
After landing in Delhi, passengers were deplaned and asked to board again at 2 pm. Boarding was completed as per schedule but the flight did not move for about six hours. “The crew refused to give any information and was rude,” said Yusuf.
The ordeal was worse for 150 passengers out of 250 who had boarded the same aircraft on Wednesday from Jeddah. The Mumbai-bound flight originally scheduled to leave Jeddah at 1.55 am on Wednesday finally took off for Mumbai about 24 hours later.
28/05/10 Soubhik Mitra/Hindustan Times

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‘Maldivian’ flies to the rescue of stranded passengers

Male: ‘Maldivian’, owned by Island Aviation Services, has brought back Maldivian passengers stranded in Bangalore and Trivandrum due to a nation-wide strike by a section of Air India employees on Wednesday.
An official of the state-owned aviation company said on Thursday that the airline operated an additional flight Wednesday evening to fly the stranded passengers. He did not say how many people took the flight.
“We also decided to arrange another flight tonight [Thursday night]. But we called it off as the strike came to an end and the airline [Air India] resumed its flights,” the official said.
Haveeru was not able to get a comment from Air India, as the Country Manager to Maldives Jay Dheef was not available on phone. ‘The Hindu’ website reported Air India arranged accommodation for passengers travelling to Maldives.
27/05/10 Haveeru Online

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DHL to set up logistics facility near chennai, to invest $10 million

Chennai: Global logistics market leader, DHL is setting up a logistics and warehousing facility with an initial investment of $10 million at the upcoming free trade warehousing zone ( FTWZ) at Sriperambadur near Chennai. Expected to be ready by November, it will facilitate ease of trade for businesses across different industries.
DHL’s site at the zone spread over a total area of 2.6 lakh sq ft will have a ware housing facility on 1.3 lakh sq ft. It will provide consolidated operations for distribution management and trading, both into and out of India, with inventories held in India on the accounts of foreign or Indian entities.
DHL will be the first global logistics company to set up a facility within a notified FTWZ. The zone is being developed on 250 acres by infrastructure developer Sunil Rallan. His venture is also investing $10 million to create the basic infrastructure for DHL, its anchor client.
DHL Global forwarding, South Asia Pacific, chief executive officer Amadou Diallo said the company decided to create its first logistics hub in India inspired by the successful operation of its facilities in Dubai (Jebel Ali) and Singapore. He said with the growing trade volume in the region and a number of global players setting up their facilities in India, the Indian logistics market, witnessing a CAGR of 9.9%, is expected to touch $120.42 billion by 2014.
28/05/10 Economic Times

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Visa free travel for Chinese, Indian airline staff

Beijing: The airline staff of India and China will henceforth enjoy visa free travel between their countries following an agreement signed during the visit of Indian President Pratibha Patil.
On the second day of President Patil's six-day visit, the two countries inked an agreement on streamlining the visa system for airline staff and two Memorandums of Understanding (MoS) for extending cooperation in the areas of sports and civil administration.
The agreement on streamlining airline staff visas was signed by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue.
27/05/10 Economic Times

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Bullets in vacated hotel room, Italians in custody

Pune: Three Italians were detained at Pune and Mumbai airports on Thursday after bullets and pistol parts were found concealed in the room of a five-star hotel they had checked out of earlier in the week.
Delhi Police officials said Giovanni Cecconella (42), Gulio Pomelto (46) and Donato D' Angelo (43) had arrived in the Capital from Italy on May 24 and checked into Radisson Hotel near Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1 am. They stayed separately in room numbers 448, 474 and 349 and checked out at 9 am.
The Vasant Kunj police in Delhi scanned hotel records to ascertain who stayed in the room last. When they found the names of the Italians, they checked the CCTV and X-ray baggage scan footage. Police sources who examined the X-ray baggage footages said the ammunition and pistol parts were visible in the laptop bag of the Italians.
The accused had given their passport copies as identity proofs at the hotel. Based on this, the police issued a Look Out Notice on Wednesday night. At 7.15 am on Thursday, Customs officals at Mumbai International airport detained Pomelto as he was about to board a flight back to Italy.
28/05/10 Sahim Salim/ExpressIndia

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Travel agents knock on DGCA doors over fees

Mumbai: The two-year old tussle between travel agents and foreign airlines over the issue of zero commission shows no signs of abatement.
In a new development, travel agents have knocked at the door of the directorate general civil aviation (DGCA) once again, complaining about the foreign carriers not responding to DGCA’s communication on the zero commission issue.
Talking to FE , Rajinder Rai, president of the Travel Agents Association of India, said, “We have approached the DGCA saying that foreign airlines have not responded to us. The DGCA has said it will take up the issue with them. Foreign airlines have maintained their indifferent attitude and defied the ruling of DGCA.”
The status quo over the issue continues and has not just caused inconvenience to customers, but also affected the business of many small to medium travel agents in the country. However, when contacted, a British Airways spokesperson, without divulging finer details on the issue said, “We will continue to comply with the DGCA ruling.”
The DGCA, in its March order, had said that all airlines that had gone in for zero commission should move back to the commission-based regime.
24/05/10 Shaheen Mansuri, Shweta Bhanot/Finacial Express

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AirAsia launches flight to Bangalore

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia launched its inaugural flight to India’s Bangalore city, carrying 15 children with congenital heart disease who need open heart surgery.
The children will undergo surgery at the Narayana Hrudayalaya Heart Institute in Bangalore, whose chief Devi Shetty is a familiar name here as he regularly performs surgeries, The Star reported Friday.
AirAsia group commercial regional head Kathleen Tan said the airline was excited about the launch, adding that the service was expected to promote medical tourism in India.
Headed by ethnic Indian Tony Fernandes, AirAsia sees a huge demand from the health sector with patients seeking medical assistance from institutions based in Bangalore.
21/05/10 IANS/Thaindian.com

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Emirates Airlines awaits report on Kochi emergency landing

Chennai: Emirates Airline is awaiting reports of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and its own team on the emergency landing of one of its flights in Kochi last month.
“The DGCA is carrying out the investigation. The official report will come from us and DGCA,” Orhan Abbas, the Dubai-based airline’s vice president (India and Nepal), told reporters here Thursday.
Last month a Kochi-bound Emirates flight carrying 350 passengers and 14 crew suddenly lost height due to turbulence while flying over Bangalore at a height of 35,000 ft. The airline had put the height loss to just 200 feet. Around 23 people were injured in the incident.
20/05/10 IANS/Thaindian.com

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CAM woos Indian carriers with rebates to fly to Macau

Mumbai: With an aim to woo Indian carriers flying internationally to initiate operations in Macau, Macau International Airport Company Limited (CAM) has decided to offer special rebates to the airline which first launches connectivity between India and Macau. The rebates include 50 per cent discount on landing fees and 50 per cent passenger rebates on the first two years of operations to the airline. CAM has done its research on the potential of the connectivity and is currently presenting the same to the Indian carriers.
In 2009, Macau received 1, 07,513 travellers from India. Of this almost 90 per cent of tourist stayed overnight in Macau. According to the data held by CAM, Macau accounts to about 1/3rd of the total passengers travelling from India to Hong Kong. After arriving in Hong Kong, these passengers further travel to Macau, most of them being MICE or leisure travellers. “There is no seasonality for Indians travelling to Macau and Indians travelling to Macau are from all the major metros. According to our research, the potential is such that this route demands about 22 weekly flights to Macau from India, connecting the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderbad,” stated Patricia Au, Manager, Marketing Department, CAM.
21/05/10 Dheera Majumder/TravelBizMonitor

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Ash-delayed travellers ask for claims from insurance firms

Mumbai: Insurance companies have received plenty of claims from passengers who were stuck at airports over the last month because of the flight disruptions resulting from the volcanic ash from Iceland. These passengers are being compensated if their travel insurance policy covers ‘trip cancellation and trip delay’.
Travellers from India to the 15 ‘schengen’ countries have to compulsorily buy travel insurance to satisfy visa norms. Travel agents say that even otherwise, travellers to the US and the UK purchase travel insurance with at least medical cover. In this case of flight cancellations, the insurance company pays passengers a fixed amount for the losses they may have incurred due to the ‘trip cancellation’.
21/05/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express

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Woman charged with cheating stopped from taking India flight

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian Indian woman executive charged with cheating was stopped from boarding a flight to India by officials who fear she could abscond.
Former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) CEO P Chithirakala had been charged last week with three counts of cheating involving a total of RM 4million ($1.22 million) by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Chithirakala, 39, was about to board the 6.50 pm flight on Wednesday before she was told by an immigration official that she was not allowed to leave the country.
Upon questioning, she was told that an MACC officer had informed the department not to let her board the plane and that her passport had been withheld.
Relating her experience at KL International Airport to the media, Chithirakala claimed that she had informed the MACC about her plans to travel to India and details of her trip before she was charged last week in the Sessions Court.
She learnt that the MACC had filed an application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court to withhold her passport, "claiming that she had an intention to abscond", The Star quoted her as saying.
Chithirakala also claimed that MACC officer Fikri had told her that she could go overseas as long as she informed them a week before her departure.
20/05/10 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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Lufthansa's plans to fly Airbus A380 to India may take time

German air carrier Lufthansa's plans to fly the world's biggest aircraft, Airbus A380, to India may take time as Indian airports are not fully equipped to handle it, aviation sources said Thursday.
'It is heartening to learn about Lufthansa's ambitious plans to include India on its Airbus A380 service routes. However, New Delhi airport's Terminal 3 is still under construction and it may be at least another six or nine months or more before it is ready to receive A380,' an aviation source told IANS here.
On Wednesday, during a media interaction in Mumbai, Lufthansa's South Asia director Axel Hilgers expressed the airline's desire to deploy the gigantic 526-seater, double-decker A380 on the India sector, possibly starting with New Delhi.
'We shall be ready whenever India is ready to receive the Airbus A-380 aircraft,' Hilgers said.
20/05/10 IANS/Sify.com

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Saudi cargo flight to land today

Thiruvananthapuram: After Emirates Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines is introducing a weekly freighter aircraft service to Thiruvananthapuram from Thursday onwards. It is for the first time that Saudi Airlines is operating an exclusive freighter service to the city. The Dubai-based Emirates Airlines had introduced weekly cargo services in the Dubai - Thiruvananthapuram - Hong Kong sector from April 27. Emirates is operating a Boeing 777 wide-bodied aircraft.
According to sources, Saudi Airlines would be operating a Boeing 747 jumbo aircraft in the Dammam - Thiruvananthapuram - Hong Kong sector. The scheduled arrival time of the aircraft at Thiruvananthapuram from Dammam is 4.50 p.m. From here, the aircraft would go to Hong Kong as a ferry aircraft. The scheduled departure time is 6.50 p.m. In the initial service, as the Thiruvananthapuram - Hong Kong segment is being operated as a ferry service, no cargo would be uploaded from here.
The introduction of jumbo freighter services would give a fillip to the imports and exports from the State capital, as well as the neighbouring districts in Tamil Nadu. Emirates had initially commenced the services as a non-scheduled cargo service on April 27. But the service is being operated regularly in all weeks since then.
20/05/10 Arjun Raghunath/ExpressBuzz

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Etihad launches online tourist visa service

Dubai: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has started an online tourist visa service for its passengers, a move that could attract more tourists, including from India, who are not automatically granted visas on arrival.
The airline launched the service with the Indian-based TT Services, which has already been contracted as a visa outsourcing service provider in India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Sweden and Russia.
The initiative is part of wider efforts by GCC states to boost the number of tourists arriving in the region.
As per the new facility, transit passengers travelling on Etihad's global network through its Abu Dhabi centre will now find it easier to change travel plans and stay for a few days in the UAE.
19/05/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Asian airlines cash in on Europe's ash

Bangalore: While the Western carriers continue to remain grounded due to Iceland’s volcanic ash problem, airlines in Asia are doling out freebies and out-of-this-world travel offerings to boost their profits.
They are trying to draw air passengers by giving free tickets to kids, open bus tours, plush cabin interiors, view from Burj Khalifa, complimentary stay at Dubai’s Armani Hotel, online visa and a host of other value-adds that don’t come during the off-seasons.
The UAE carrier Emirates, for instance, has come out with Kids Go Free, where children up to 16 years can not only travel free, but even their cost of tourists visa, stay at three orfive star hotel, meals, rides on Dubai Metro and airport transfers would be waived when accompanied by two paying adults. This package of three nights and four days is priced at just Rs32,105.
The West Asian airline has something for the first and business class Passengers too.
20/05/10 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

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Foreign airlines fly faster to breakeven

Bangalore: Now that India’s international air travel demand has picked up, foreign carriers are aggressively introducing new routes and adding frequencies.
Chin Yau Seng, chief executive of SilkAir, the wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, said one of the reasons overseas carriers were feeling more confident about launching new flights was shorter breakeven period.
He said owing to the robust demand on many Indian routes it is taking less than half the time it used to take earlier to become profitable.
“Generally, it takes 2-3 years for a new route (in India) to break even ( at the current levels of fares) but looking at the strong demand we expect to break even in less than 12-18 months on our new routes (Bangalore and Chennai),” he said.
And Seng hopes to recover his investment on new routes at yields - net revenue per seat — not very different from last year.
The regional airline of Singapore Airlines on Monday announced the launch of daily services between Bangalore and Singapore at Rs 14,000 per passenger - including taxes. Next month, it will start daily flights from Chennai.
This will take its weekly frequency in India from the current 20 flights to 34 flights, a 70% jump in just one month. At present, it flies to four destinations -Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Hyderabad and Coimbatore.
20/05/10 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

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Lufthansa to operate Airbus 380 on India route from winter

Mumbai: Germany-based full service carrier Lufthansa Airlines plans to operate an Airbus 380 on India route from winter this year, a senior airlines official said.
Lufthansa received its first Airbus 380 (out of the total 15 on order) which it plans to operate on its Johannesberg route.
"We are looking forward to operating the aircraft into India during the winter schedule," Lufthansa German Airlines' Director, South Asia, Axel Hilgers, told reporters here today.
The airline's winter schedule in India starts from October 29 and lasts up to March every year.
19/05/10 Press Trust of India/Economic Times

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Vandals Deface Air India Memorial In Etobicoke

Toronto police are searching for vandals who defaced a monument to victims of the Air India terrorist bombing just shy of the event’s 25th anniversary.
Earlier this month, someone spray-painted graffiti on the memorial’s sundial and stole the stainless steel gnomon, which casts a shadow on its circular face.
The monument, located in Humber Bay Park East, also features a wall naming the 329 people who were killed when a bomb exploded on Flight 182 as it travelled off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985. Two baggage handlers killed by an associated bomb at Narita Airport in Japan are honoured on the wall as well. Cleaners have removed the graffiti and officials are hoping to have a newly-built gnomon installed in time for the anniversary.
19/05/10 City News, Canada

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AI crew refused to serve liquor, pilot intervened; now he receives union’s threats

New Delhi: An Air India commander is facing the wrath of the cabin crew union for insisting that passengers must get every service that they have paid for, including drinks on board. The pilot has alleged he has been getting threatening calls; the union has denied this, but has said it will “take up” the matter with the pilots’ association, and boycott the commander.
Cabin crew on Air India flight IC 895 from Delhi to Dubai on May 15 refused to serve liquor to passengers saying there were too few of them. Their union, the Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU), had issued a directive last month saying no alcohol should be served unless there were at least six crew on board.
There were five crew on board IC 895. Most airlines have cut cabin crew to tide over difficult times and massive losses.
The pilot, Commander Sandeep Marwaha, tried to reason with the crew and, finally, offered to become the sixth member of the team and serve the passengers himself. In the end, the cabin crew came around.
19/05/10 Smita Aggarwal/Indian Express

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Srinagar-Dubai flight grounded, permanently

Srinagar: The much-hyped Srinagar-Dubai flight seems to have lost its wings, once and for all.
The flight, which was withdrawn from January this year in the wake of poor passenger response, is unlikely to be restored despite the state government’s repeated requests to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to get it restored in the public interest. Sources said the Ministry had recently asked the Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air-India, to explain why the service, which had brought Srinagar on the international aviation map, was withdrawn and why it can’t be restored.
In response, the airline authorities categorically refused to resume the service in near future on the pretext that it was not a “commercially viable venture.” The Ministry move followed the outcry by a couple of Parliament Members from Jammu and Kashmir that the airliner should immediately restore the service, which was launched with much fanfare by the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi in Srinagar on February 14, 2009.
The Air India Express has also written that it had made some “alterations” in the flight route-plan to make it more viable, but failed. “The airliner also responded in the same parlance to representations made by the state MPs on restoration of the service,” the sources said. When contacted, a top Air India Express officer ruled out resumption of Dubai-Srinagar flight.
18/05/10 Faheem Aslam/Greater Kashmir

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Jet to strengthen route network before tapping global alliances

New Delhi: The country’s largest private carrier by market share, Jet Airways, has decided to build its bargaining power by expanding its global footprint before joining one of the world’s leading airline groupings like Star Alliance and OneWorld.
As part of this strategy, the airline plans to widen its partnership with existing code-share partners such as Etihad, Brussels Airlines and Malaysian Airlines to expand its network.
“The strong global network would enable us to bargain with foreign airlines when we join any of the major alliances. If we are weak, we will end up paying more as fees to other airlines for each passenger that takes connecting flights on our network,” a Jet official not wishing to be named told FE.
Stronger airlines stand to gain more in a code-share agreement as they pay less interline service charge and commission to the alliance partner that has a smaller presence.
The Naresh Goyal-owned carrier has, therefore, sought government permission to partner with Etihad for offering an alternate route for its customers flying to Paris, Munich and Frankfurt. This is part of a dozen applications which also include permission for tie-ups with Brussels Airlines and Kenya Airways besides additional seats on its Dubai , Oman, Kuwait and Colombo routes. It also plans to fly to Manila .
19/05/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Financial Express

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Edmonton International Airport Selects Searidge ATC-Grade Video for Tower Blind Spot

Gatineau, Quebec: Searidge Technologies, provider of intelligent video solutions to air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airports, announced its Air Traffic Control (ATC) – grade Video solution has been selected by Edmonton International Airport (EIA) to enhance tower visibility.
As part of EIA’s Expansion 2012 project, the airport is building a new air traffic control tower and office building which will allow the most modern and efficient new air traffic control technologies to be installed on site. The construction equipment and final structure will block Controllers’ line of sight to taxiway alpha (a high speed run-off/exit taxiway) and the area adjacent to the taxiway.
Expansion 2012 is a four year, $1-billion project which will add up to 13 new aircraft bridges in a larger terminal that will create efficiencies for business partners and add more options for customer service. “We selected Searidge's ATC Grade video solution because it met both our functional and safety needs today, and had the scalability and flexibility to grow as the needs of our airport evolve. We also valued the company’s track record of successfully deploying video systems for both airports and NAV CANADA,” says Paul Garbiar, vice president, Infrastructure and Technology, EIA.
EIA has been one of North America’s fastest-growing major airports from 2006 to 2008, with significant and sustained growth in passenger traffic. Due to this growth, the current terminal is almost one million passengers per year over capacity. Even in the economic climate of 2009, US-bound passenger traffic increased 6.3 per cent over 2008.
The Searidge system continuously monitors and presents real-time video feeds from digital camera sensors to a one-look display - giving Controllers a real-time view of the obstructed area. Full visual confirmation of the situation helps controllers effectively manage the ground traffic with a high degree of confidence. Providing surveillance through ATC-grade video is a cost-effective approach to handling ground traffic whether as a primary system or in conjunction with other surface management systems.
“Using technology to manage the airport surface can help an airport improve safety and in some cases maintain or increase capacity. As traffic grows, surface management will play an increasing role in everything from reducing fuel emissions, to reducing passenger delays; the investment EIA has made will solve an important problem today and will provide value over the long term” explains Alex Sauriol, vice president, ATM products, Searidge Technologies.
19/05/10 PRESS RELEASE/Searidge Technologies

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Flying Planes with Coal?

Airplanes powered by coal -- at first blush it sounds about as attractive as the toddler chainsaw. But Accelergy in Houston says it has come up with a way to convert the ubiquitous rock into an economical, clear, and arguably clean form of jet fuel.
The company will initially try to sell fuel to the U.S. military -- the Air Force has already begun initial testing -- and has also started to field inquiries from China and some commercial aircraft and engine manufacturers. Biomass can also be substituted for coal, or at least part of it, in the recipe, depending on the desired characteristics of the final fuel.
The Department of Defense will likely set its standards for synthetic jet fuels in 2013, and CEO Tim Vail claims that Accelergy's fuel will be able to meet those standards.
The key is a process fine-tuned at ExxonMobil in the mid-1990s that turns coal or plant matter directly into a liquid, according to Vail. Unlike the often-criticized Fischer-Tropsch process devised in the 1920s, Accelergy's process does not get convert coal into a synthetic gas before transforming it into a liquid. Eliminating gasification greatly reduces carbon dioxide emissions, as well as the total amount of coal (or biomass) consumed to produce liquids, he said. And it's cost-effective.
"You can be profitable in the $50-to-$60-a-barrel range," extrapolating from the mathematical models devised by Exxon in the '90s, Vail said.
So what makes this environmentally friendly? It depends on how you look at the problem. While coal is a relatively dirty form of fuel, it's also one of the most pervasive.
The world has an estimated 998 billion tons of proven coal reserves, with the largest reserves located in the U.S., China, India and Russia.
While the U.S. and Europe have begun to reduce coal consumption, emerging nations will invariably use large portions of theirs. Converting it into liquid jet fuel reduces carbon dioxide and particulate matter that would get released by burning it, Vail argues.
17/05/10 Michael Kanellos/Greentech media, USA

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Volcanic ash holds up flights for 6 hours

Mumbai: After a six-hour disruption due to restrictions over Heathrow and Gatwick in UK, most airlines were able to operate flights to London on Monday. Early morning today, Air India had to cancel its 2.20 am flight to London because of volcanic ash over European airspace.
Kingfisher Airlines also cancelled its London-bound flights on Monday. Airport sources said that on Sunday, Emirates airline AK 503 had asked a few London bound passengers to deplane because of the European air space closure.
An Air India source said that on Monday, the airline had cancelled its Amritsar-London-Toronto flight. However, the Delhi¿London and Mumbai-London flights on Tuesday morning would be on time, he added.
“We are using a B-777 jumbo jet aircraft on the Mumbai-London route to accommodate the stranded passengers,” said an airline spokesperson.
18/05/10 Indian Express

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UK airports reopen; tourists continue to suffer

There was some respite for air travellers in the United Kingdom after two of its major international airports-Heathrow and Gatwick-reopened on Monday following which all flight restrictions were lifted.
Flights resumed landing and taking off from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
The authorities warned travellers that it would take time for the airlines to clear the backlog of delayed flights. They have advised passengers to contact their airlines before leaving for the airport.
Airports across the country were slowly recovering from the sporadic shutdowns. All British and Irish airspace were open now except for smaller airports.
Meanwhile, aviation officials came under fire over their decision to impose the no-fly zone. A no-fly zone had been imposed across several countries in northern Europe due to dense volcanic ash drifting down from Iceland.
Some airlines officials called it a gross over-reaction to a very minor risk.
With summer holidays started in schools, it is also the time for annual holiday for many Indian families. But the ash cloud could not have appeared at a worse time. Several families' well-laid plans for foreign visits went for a toss with flight disruptions in Europe.
Air India flights from Kolkata to London were terminated at Delhi causing major inconvenience to passengers. Adding to their woes, the authorities at Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport were unable in giving precise information about when the operations would get back to normal.
18/05/10 Headlines Today/India Today

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Now, US-bound flyers look east

New Delhi: Eyjafjallajokul, the Icelandic volcano, has reared its head again, hitting London, and Amsterdam-bound flights from India. However, the Amritsar-London-Toronto flight operated on Monday as per schedule.
“As of now, we intend to operate all our flights on Tuesday and will be employing a Boeing 747 on the Mumbai route to take care of extra passengers,’’ an AI official told TOI. Kingfisher, too, while resuming services, said passengers must watch out for changing conditions.
With flyers avoiding all but essential travel in view of the disruptions, the holiday traffic from India is expected be hit. ‘‘It is too early to assess but there is no doubt that airline cancellations will impact travel plans badly,’’ said Rajinder Rai, president of Travel Agents Association of India.
Indian flyers who were expected to use London as a transit or a final destination on a Europe holiday are now looking at alternatives.
‘‘The situation has become so unpredictable that tourists are choosing stopovers in the Far East rather than Europe, for travel to the US. But London is a very popular destination and this will affect travel there,’’ says Sharat Dhall, managing director of TripAdvisor India. As a fallout, demand might go up for domestic travel or destinations like Malaysia, he said.
18/05/10 Economic Times

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Heathrow shuts down for seven hours, flights to London hit

New Delhi: Air services from India to London were impacted today, as Heathrow airport in London was closed for seven hours. Kingfisher Airlines and Air India cancelled their flights to the region. Air India resumed operations later during the day. Jet, however, operated all its flights to the region.
The latest cancellations came as black clouds shut other major airports in Europe, including Schipol and Rottredam in Holland, and Gatwick and London as well as flights to and from Ireland and Scotland.
Kingfisher cancelled its flights to and from London Heathrow today. The national carrier, however, after cancelling one flight each from Delhi and Mumbai to London earlier during the day resumed operations and will operate flights to the region tomorrow.
“We operated our Amritsar-London-Toronto flight later during the day and will operate with a bigger aircraft from Mumbai to ferry the stranded passengers,” said an Air India spokesperson.
Kingfisher has also decided to operate flights tomorrow. “The cancellation was for today and as of now flights scheduled will operate,” said an airline spokesperson.
Around 1,000 out of 28,000 flights, which operate in Europe every day, were disrupted.
18/05/10 Business Standard

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Air freight at new high on rising volumes, ash cloud

Chennai: Air freight rates to Europe have reached a new high even as the ash from an Icelandic volcano continues to disrupt flights across the UK and into Europe.
The rates are 25-30 per cent more than the base price, according to Mr N. Sivasubramaniam of Air Connection Pvt Ltd. For cargo of over 500 kg to Europe, the base price was Rs 140 a kg while some of the premium European freighters charge ‘express' and ‘flash' rates for cargo that need to be sent urgently with the increased rate, he said.
The rates are usually based on demand and supply. Last year, airlines were charging at a discount when the volume was poor. Currently, there is a huge demand for space due to export growth. Added to this problem is the ash that has created backlog in the last few days, he said.
According to an industry source, freighters to Europe are going ‘choc-a-bloc' even as the rate has been fluctuating in the last one month. The ‘ash fear' has aggravated the situation.
“We are getting 20-30 per cent higher rates from some of the premium airlines to Europe,” the source said. There is no major disruption to other sectors such as the US, he said.
17/05/10 T E Raja Simhan/Business Line

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AI seeks more time to remove expat pilots

Mumbai: Air India has written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it would not be able to meet the deadline of July 2011 to phase out its expatriate pilots as it needs them to fly the new aircraft the ailing airline is acquiring.
It was only last month that the DGCA agreed to extend the deadline for the phasing out of expatriate pilots from June 2010 to July 2011. Air India said it was seeking an extension because it was expecting delivery of its Boeing 787s in 2011. “The delivery schedule of B787s will have an impact on requirement of pilots including expatriate pilots, which is being evaluated,” said an Air India spokesperson.
“In view of fleet expansion and shortage of type rated pilots, the company is not able to phase out all the expatriate pilots and has therefore requested DGCA for extension of deadline,” he said.The airline has placed orders for 27 B-787s which are expected in 2011.
Over the last three years, Indian pilots associations have been lobbying for the phasing out of foreign pilots. The bone of contention is that foreign pilots typically earn 15-20 per cent more than their Indian counterparts. Also, presence of expatriate pilots in commander positions reduces career progression for Indian pilots. For a pilot who has been flying a B-737 for a few years, a career progression would be learning to fly a B-777.
18/05/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express

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Travel agents move court against airlines

Mumbai: Travel agents have once again moved court against 16 foreign airlines that are not paying them commissions due on ticket sales, and have asked India’s civil aviation regulator to intervene on their behalf.
The Iata Agents Association of India, or IAAI, a lobby group of 600 travel agents from across the country, recently filed a contempt case in the Kerala high court against the 16 carriers for failing to pay them a 5% commission, as ordered by the court in July 2009.
The court had then asked the ministry of civil aviation and regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure that the payment was made.
Following the order, DGCA directed the airlines in March to pay the commission, saying it was rightful remuneration. But the airlines are yet to comply, said IAAI.
“In stark defiance, the 16 airlines have not cared to follow the (DGCA) directive,” IAAI president Biji Eapen wrote in a letter dated 13 May to S.N.A. Zaidi, the director-general of civil aviation. Mint has reviewed this letter.
The association now wants DGCA to apprise the court about the situation.
“The high court will reopen next week after the annual vacation and it is expected that the contempt of court case will be disposed (of) as soon as the DGCA compliance report is submitted,” Eapen said.
18/05/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

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SilkAir starts flights to Bangalore

Singapore: The regional wing of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, will be flying daily between Singapore and Bangalore, India, starting Monday.
The first flight, MI 428, will be taking off at 2250 hours on Monday from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 and will land in Bengaluru International Airport early Tuesday morning, at 0045 hours.
Silk Air said in a statement that the turnaround flight will depart from Bangalore at 0130 hours and reach Singapore at 0835 hours on Tuesday.
Customers on the first flights out of Singapore and Bangalore will be given special inaugural flight souvenirs to mark the special occasion, it added.
These newly introduced flights to Bangalore will complement Singapore Airlines' existing daily flights to the city.
17/05/10 Channel News Asia

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Virgin Atlantic celebrate 10 years in India

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, this month unveils a media campaign to celebrate 10 years of flying to India.
The extensive campaign is spread out to Print, Outdoor & Digital. To celebrate 10 years of spectacular service and fantastic fares a brand advertisement will be seen across various publications in Delhi/NCR through May & June. This generic brand message will also be seen across various outdoor locations in Delhi/NCR. Supporting print and outdoor is a digital campaign going live through May & June.
Unlike previous years, also in focus is Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin. The Upper Class campaign will be seen across various Lifestyle & Business media as well as selective digital outlets through May & June. A pioneer in customer service and value for money, through this campaign Virgin Atlantic declares ‘Your Airline’s Either Got It or It Hasn’t’. True to Virgin Atlantic’s style of innovative and smart advertising the campaign focuses on what ‘it’ is about Upper Class that sets it apart.
17/05/10 India Infoline

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Emirates flight delayed after passenger dispute

An Emirates Airline flight from India was delayed after a dispute between passengers resulted in one person being evicted from the aircraft.
The drama happened on the EK51 flight from Delhi to Dubai, an Emirates spokesperson confirmed to news agency WAM.
The spokesperson said: "Emirates confirms that its flight EK511 was delayed for 1 hour and 15 minutes after a passenger filed a complaint with the captain against a co-passenger.
"The captain alerted airport authorities who offloaded the baggage of the passenger in question. Full security procedures were activated and the detained passenger was taken into custody by the CISF."
Emirates said that it cooperated with all local security procedures during the incident on May 12, adding that it regretted any inconvenience caused by the delay.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is paramount and will not be compromised," the spokesperson said.
17/05/10 arabain BUSINESS.COM

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Volcanic ash forces closure of UK airports; AI cancels flights

London/New Delhi: Air passengers across the world travelling to and from Europe suffered once again after a dense cloud of volcanic ash drifting from Iceland forced closure of airports in northern England, Scotland and northern Ireland. Flights between India and the United Kingdom were also affected.
Though British and Irish aviation authorities tried hard to keep busy airports like Heathrow in operation for as late as possible, it had to be shut down on Sunday along with other major airports like Gatwick and London City. Several other airports now face similar fate.
Manchester airport spokesperson Russell Craig said, "I guess the main thing that people can take some reassurance from is what happened in Scotland last week where rather than airports being closed for many days by this ash they were only closed for a few hours and flights were able to operate from other airports."
German Aerospace Centre sent up a test flight on Sunday to measure the ash concentration in the area.
Meanwhile, the national carrier of India announced cancellation of all its flights to London from Delhi and Mumbai on Monday citing the closure of Heathrow airport as the reason.
Not just Air India, other private airlines have also been affected and forced to cancel flights to London. According to reports, AI was likely to hold a review meet later in the day to take stock of the situation.
17/05/10 India Today

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Kingfisher cancels flights to London due to volcanic ash

Mumbai: With drifting volcanic ash from Iceland forcing closure of two European airports, Kingfisher Airlines on Monday cancelled all its flights to London while Air India rescheduled its Mumbai-London flight.
"Having assessed the current information received from Eurocontrol, and the trends indicating anticipated closure of the airspace over London’s Heathrow airport due to fresh contamination of volcanic ash, Kingfisher airlines has cancelled its flights to and from London airport," its spokesperson said today.
Air India has rescheduled its Mumbai-London flight AI-131, which was to take off at 2.20 this morning. "We will take a call on the issue at 1130 hours," its spokesperson said.
However, Jet Airways said that all its flights to London were on schedule.
17/05/10 PTI/Times of India

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GMR group preparing to bid for Maldives airport project

India's GMR group, which successfully completed an airport modernisation project in Istanbul last year, is now looking at developing an airport in Maldives as part of its plan to expand international business.
The company has already done the due diligence of the project to upgrade the Hanimaadhoo airport at Upper North Province of Maldives which is nearly 300 kilometres from the national capital Male.
"GMR would like to expand its international profile and currently, we are looking at opportunities at the airport in Maldives," P S Nair, CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR-led joint venture company, told PTI in an interview here in southern Hainan province.
DIAL is currently working towards the modernisation and restructuring of the Delhi Airport. Nair was here to receive an award given to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi by Airport Council International, the apex body of airports across the world.
"We have already carried out the preliminary survey of the project and now we are preparing to participate in the bidding process," he said.
In October last year, a consortium led by GMR Group had completed building the new terminal of the Istanbul Sabia Gokcen International airport at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore.
16/05/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Tiger Airways to introduce new services

Tiruchi: The city is to get a slew of new air services over the next few months, bringing some good tidings for the travel industry here.
Singapore-based low cost carrier Tiger Airways has already notified the launch of its services on the Singapore-Tiruchi-Singapore sector from November 1, 2010 along with its other service on the Singapore-Thiruvananthapuram-Singapore sector from November 2. While the service to Tiruchi would be operated four days a week, it would be a thrice-a-week service to Thiruvananthapuram, according to the airlines website. Air India Express is expected to operate a direct service to Singapore from here ahead of the entry of Tiger Airways. The airline, which is already operating services on the Singapore-Tiruchi-Chennai-Singapore sector, has planned to make it a direct service between Tiruchi and Singapore, reliable source told The Hindu.
The airline has also planned to make its Chennai-Tiruchi-Dubai flight a direct service from Tiruchi to Dubai.
Air India Express was also planning to introduce a new service to Kuala Lumpur. While the Tiruchi-Singapore would be a daily service, the Tiruchi-Dubai flights would be operated six days a week, except Tuesdays.
17/05/10 S.Ganesan/The Hindu

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Fly to KL for a low Rs 5,567 on Malaysia Airlines

New Delhi: The Malaysia Airlines today announced a nearly 50 per cent discount for Kuala Lumpur-bound travellers from the country.
A one-way ticket to Kuala Lumpur from Chennai would cost as low as Rs 5,567 under this scheme. The all-inclusive summer airfare is offered from five gateways of the airline, which operates 29 weekly flights from New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
For a one-way flight to Kuala Lumpur, the fare ranges between Rs 5,567 from Chennai and Rs 7,367 from Delhi during June-December period, while the return fare is kept in the range of Rs 11,344 for Chennai to Rs 13,644 for New Delhi.
16/05/10 PTI/Economic Times

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Air India to join Star Alliance by March 2011

Sao Paulo: Air India has set March 2011 as the outer deadline to join the Star Alliance, the world's largest commercial pact among carriers, chairman Arvind Jadhav said in SAO PAULO late on Friday.
This is the first time since an invitation was extended in Beijing in late 2007 that the Indian carrier has set a specific time frame to become a member of Star Alliance, which now has has 27 members with Brazil's TAM Airlines formally joining it Friday.
"We are targeting December internally, but will officially join in the first quarter of 2011," Jadhav said on the margins of an event to induct TAM into the Star Alliance network, even as he acknowledged that Jet Airways was in talks to join the pact.
"India is a growing market. So it can have more than one member. The market is bound to grow. But we have made it clear to Star Alliance that Jet Airways should join after us as we would like to have the first mover advantage."
The strength of Star Alliance is apparent. Its now counts 27 member carriers, offering more than 21,050 daily flights to 1,167 destinations in 181 countries. It also offers passengers a seamless network and 990 lounges across the globe.
Air India was invited by Lufthansa, the driving force of the pact, to join the alliance in late 2007 in Beijing. But a delayed software integration after the merger of Indian Airlines into Air India pushed the carrier's plans to join the pact earlier.
A common airline code within Air India is essential for merging it with the systems of the member carriers of Star Alliance to ensure seamless integration of frequent flyer programmes, ticketing and on-through connections, among other issues.
15/05/10 IANS/Economic Times

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Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a gyrocopter

New Delhi: On May 24, during the course of his world tour, American pilot Mathew Hayduk will make a pit-stop at Ahmedabad, on his way back to Italy. Apart from refuelling his tank, Hayduk will also be displaying the machine he’s flown the 18,000 kms in — a gyrocopter.
A hybrid between helicopters and gliders, gyrocopters are set to make their debut in India in the next couple of months. This smaller, lighter and quieter version of the chopper will perhaps be the answer to the country’s traffic problems. And it doesn’t cost a bomb. Priced Rs 30 lakh onward, it is about the same as a luxury car.
Rishabh Mehta, managing director of Sector 6, the company that’s bringing gyrocopters to India believes that the flying machine has great business prospects.
So what makes a gyrocopter so exciting? For starters, they can fly very low, only a few metres above the ground at a very low speed, about 30 kmph unlike a helicopter which cannot fly low and slow at the same time. Gyrocopters are also much less expensive and need very little landing space unlike a glider.
15/05/10 Shalini Singh/Hindustan Times

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Air Canada, Garuda, Thai and Air Austral could sublease Air India’s 777s

Air Canada, Thai Airways International, Garuda Indonesia and Reunion Island-based Austral have expressed interest in subleasing Boeing 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs from Air India.
Earlier this year Air India announced plans to lease out a large portion of its new 777 fleet as part of a cost cutting programme. Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav says the carrier has so far received responses from Air Canada, Thai, Garuda and Air Austral.
"There are four responses. We are evaluating them," Jadhav told ATI during a Star Alliance event in Sao Paulo.
Air India is in the process of joining Star while Air Canada and Thai are already in the alliance.
Air India initially indicated it was seeking to lease out nine 777s. But Jadhav says the carrier is now negotiating subleases on six aircraft - a mix of 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs.
15/05/10 Air Transport Intelligence news/Flight Global

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Forum to protest against Indian airport authorities

Sharjah: All India Airport Users’ Forum (AIAUF) based in the UAE is planning to start an intensive campaign against the proposed move for introducing users’ fee at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the south Indian state of Kerala.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority in India last week permitted Airport Authority of India to ?collect, for a period of 10 years, an ad-hoc user development fee of ?Rs 755 (more than Dhs60) from ?every international passenger flying out of the new airport to be opened shortly in Kerala’s capital.
President of AIAUF in Sharjah, K M Basheer, condemned the move to charge users, most of whom are Gulf-based Keralites.
He noted that users’ development fee at Kozhikode and Kochi airports was scrapped after prolonged legal fight and protests from expatriate Indian organisations spearheaded by AIAUF, which highlights the fact that the users’ fee could be unaffordable to hundreds of expatriate workers.
Basheer said AIAUF had already started gathering support from the Gulf expatriates and more protests would be held in the coming days.
15/05/10 Khaleej Times

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SpiceJet gets nod to fly to 3 foreign destinations

New Delhi: Indian discount carrier SpiceJet Ltd has been cleared to fly overseas in June, starting with Dhaka, Kathmandu and the Maldives, after the airline completes five years of domestic service later this month.
The aviation ministry has, however, turned down its request to start flights to Sri Lanka for now, said two officials with knowledge of the matter.
The Gurgaon-based low-cost airline had shortlisted four overseas destinations for the first phase of its international operations, Mint reported on 18 January. The government requires that airlines complete a minimum five years of service before being eligible to fly abroad.
One of the civil aviation ministry officials cited above said the carrier has been granted rights for daily flights to Dhaka and Kathmandu starting 1 June. The Mumbai-Maldives service will start in the winter, he said.
13/05/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Indian Customs Seizes Ketamine Bound For Malaysia

Chennai: Another trick to smuggle drugs to Malaysia -- by concealing them in ice-cream vending machines -- was exposed at Chennai airport with the arrest of an unemployed Indian national this week.
Based on tip-off, the Chennai Customs Air intelligence unit, which kept vigil on passengers bound for Malaysia, noticed a man lugging a bulky package, which officials later found to be an ice-cream vending machine, inside the airport.
Sleuths stopped the 32-year-old man who was preparing to board a flight to Malaysia on Wednesday night for questioning and during interrogation the nervous suspect divulged that he was carrying narcotics to Malaysia.
Officers dismantled the vending machine and discovered 14.79kg of ketamine hidden inside.
14/05/10 P. Vijian/Bernama, Malaysia

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Air India to hire consulting firm for image makeover

New Delhi: State-owned carrier Air India plans to hire an international consulting firm to give it a branding makeover for the October Commonwealth Games and help promote it together with the soon-to-be opened international terminal at the Delhi airport, two airline officials said.
The carrier, operated by National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, has shortlisted Australian brand consultant Cato Purnell Partners to help it in the exercise, said one of the two officials, neither of whom wanted to be named.
ir India, the official airline partner of the Commonwealth Games, will ferry athletes, officials and tourists to the biggest sporting event hosted by India in almost three decades, but is yet to start a visible campaign to push its brand in any of the participating nations.
“We have lost out. It was high time we attained mileage out of it. Our intention is to get a firm which has experience in sports, airlines and airports branding globally,” the airline official quoted above said.
The proposal is still under consideration. The hiring of the agency, which may cost as much as $1.6 million (Rs7.25 crore), has to be greenlighted by the newly constituted board of the national carrier, said the second Air India official. The board is trying to turn around an airline burdened by losses and debt.
If hired, the consultant would be charged with preparing a broad strategy on how to leverage the airline’s brand identity, put up signages and outdoor billboards and design the uniform of flight crew, among other tasks.
12/05/10 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Air India Kanishka bomber faces fresh trial next month

Vancouver: Air India Kanishka bombing convict Inderjit Singh Reyat, who was released last year after spending 15 years in jail, will face a fresh perjury trial starting June 22 coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the bombing which killed all 329 passengers.
Reyat was the only person jailed in the 1985 Air India bombing by Khalistani extremists to avenge the Indian army action at the Golden Temple to flush out militants in 1984.
The Kanishka flight 182 from Montreal to Delhi was blown off mid-air near the Irish coast June 23, 1985. All 329 passengers, mostly Indian Canadians, were killed, making it the worst aviation attack in history till 9/11 happened.
Another bomb, meant for another Air India flight, also went off at Tokyo airport the same day, killing two baggage handlers. As the trial court said, Sikh militants had planted both the bombs at Vancouver airport in two unaccompanied suitcases which were transferred to the connecting Air India flight and Tokyo-bound flight at Toronto airport.
13/05/10 IANS/Economic Times

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Ukraine national held in Delhi for largest credit card fraud

New Delhi: A Ukraine national wanted by the US in the largest credit card fraud ever was arrested by CBI at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Saturday. Sergey Storchak hacked into accounts and sold information of over 40 million credit and debit card numbers.
Storchak and 10 other cyber criminals, belonging to various nationalities, have been accused of carrying out what the US department of justice calls the “single largest and most complex identity theft case ever”. The international fraud involves 3 Americans, 2 Ukrainians, 2 Chinese, 1 Estonian, 1 Belarusian and an unidentified suspect known only by his online nickname “Delpiero”.
“Storchak, facing a Red Corner Notice, was taken into custody the moment he arrived from Goa on Saturday night,” a CBI official said. Airport security personnel identified him and handed him over to the CBI Interpol team.
13/05/10 Aditya Kaul/Daily News & Analysis

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Indian man on Interpol list arrested in US

Chicago: An Indian man, who is on an Interpol list and is wanted for smuggling cigarettes in UK, has been arrested at the city’s O’Hare International Airport as he was about to board a flight to India.
Anis Gulamras Vohora, 39, was on an “Interpol lookout” list and was stopped by Chicago Customs and Border Protection officers as he was boarding a flight to India over the weekend.
He was arrested by CBP officers pending confirmation of extradition to the United Kingdom, where he faces a four year sentence for smuggling cigarettes, the CBP said in a statement here.
Vohora was turned over by CBP to the US Marshal’s Service on Monday for extradition to UK.
It is unknown at this time if Vohora will be facing additional charges upon return to England.
13/05/10 PTI/The Hindu

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Negotiation is on with Jet Airways to start Durban - Mumbai direct flight

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) and the government will focus on markets in the East to attract more international traffic to Durban's newly-opened King Shaka International Airport.
Acsa managing director Monhla Hlahla at the weekend said the company was prioritising the East as studies showed that this was where future growth would come from.
Hlahla said Acsa would use the World Cup as an opportunity to market the new airport to secure as many new routes as possible. Last week, Acsa met the Beijing Airport Authority and SAA about routes between South Africa and China.
The KwaZulu-Natal government is negotiating with Jet Airways because it wants the airline to launch a direct flight between Durban and Mumbai. The Indian airline already flies from OR Tambo International Airport to Mumbai.
Emirates is the only international airline that is currently using the King Shaka airport. The R7.2 billion facility, which is housed together with the Dube Tradeport 35km outside Durban, can accommodate 7.5 million passengers a year.
Since it started operating at the beginning of the month, King Shaka has seen more than 15 000 passengers come through its gates on more than 700 flights.
11/05/10 Slindle Khanyile/Business Report, South Africa

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Tharoor attacks Kerala airport user’s fee

Thiruvananthapuram: Shashi Tharoor, the former junior foreign minister and the current MP for the Kerala state capital, has attacked the decision to impose a user development fee (UDF) at a new international airport terminal, to be opened here later this month.
The Trivandrum International Airport (TIA) is the sixth airport in India to levy a user charge to bridge a capital deficit after Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai airports.
“They say the fee is being imposed on the users because of the cost overrun. But this is not a private airport,” Tharoor told reporters after visiting the state-of-the-art terminal on Tuesday.
The airport terminal was to be completed at a cost of 2.5 billion rupees a year back as per the original schedule.
But its commissioning was delayed by a labor dispute, scarcity of construction sand and a delay in providing road connectivity. The cost of the project then escalated by 17.5 percent to 2.9 billion rupees.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), India’s airport regulator, last week approved the UDF of 775 rupees on international passengers departing from the state-owned airport for a period of 10 years.
11/05/10 Ashraf Padanna/Arab News

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Trivandrum airport to charge user-fee on foreign fliers

New Delhi: The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has permitted an ad-hoc user development fee (UDF) of Rs 755 on every international passenger flying out of the Trivandrum International Airport for a period of 10 years.
"The UDF will be applicable with effect from the date of commissioning of new international terminal building," AERA said in an order issued last week.
However, the Authority has rejected the AAI demand to levy UDF on domestic passengers.
11/05/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Move to impose user fee at T'puram airport draws flak

Thiruvananthapuram: A move to levy user fee from foreign-bound passengers at the international airport here has sparked strong protests from different sections, including travel and tourism industry here.
They were reacting to reports of the Airport Economic Regulatory Autority accepting the request of Airport Authority of India for levying User Development Fee at the rate of Rs 775 per outbound foreign passenger to make up the cost overrun of the construction of the new terminal.
Kerala Association of Travel Agents (KATA) said it was a great injustice to impose such a heavy burden on foregin passengers from here as more than 70 per cent of them constituted people working in the Gulf countries.
Resenting the proposal, local MP and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor said this could not be justified as the airport was in public sector and not a private or joint sector one.
11/05/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Ministry keeps norm on overseas flights at five years of service

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry won’t shorten the minimum norm of five years of service for domestic carriers seeking to fly overseas as the group of ministers (GoM) discussing this has been disbanded, said two officials with knowledge of the matter.
The 12-member GoM had been formed in 2007 to take a view on a proposed civil aviation policy, of which the rule change on overseas operations was a part.
The move means that overseas services will be limited to carriers with five years of domestic experience and 20 aircraft.
“Private domestic airlines have been permitted to fly on overseas routes subject to specified guidelines,” civil aviation minister Praful Patel had said, referring to SpiceJet Ltd and Kingfisher, which had been granted international flying approval as they had completed five years.
InterGlobe Aviation Pvt. Ltd-run IndiGo has already sought approval to fly abroad next year when it turns five. Turning five this year are GoAir (India) Pvt. Ltd and Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd, but they fall short on the fleet requirement front, with eight and two aircraft, respectively.
11/05/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Flydubai adds Lucknow service to network

After nearly a year of speculations and operational issues, low-cost carrier flydubai finally announced flights to India, with the Lucknow route launching from June 2. The CEO has also confirmed with Emirates Business that the airline is looking to further strengthen its links in India.
Lucknow's addition to flydubai's network sees the carrier gain a stronger foothold in the Indian Subcontinent ever since it announced flights to Karachi earlier this month.
"The Indian Subcontinent is a very important market and we are excited about bringing our low-cost service to this region," said CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
Talking about the airline's choice in Lucknow as the start city for flydubai's India operations, Ghaith stated: "Lucknow is the second largest city in one of the most heavily populated areas of India and we anticipate that this will be a very successful route for us. The city, which has a population of around five million people, is underserved by direct air links to the UAE and one of our key commitments is to start flights to this type of destination."
The flight will operate thrice weekly to the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, flydubai's 20th destination, using the carrier's new Boeing 737-800NGs.
12/05/10 Bindu Suresh Rai/Emirates Business 24-7

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To avoid Europe, passengers look for Far East routes to US

Mumbai: Uncertainty in the European airspace has forced many passengers to opt for alternative routes through the Far East to fly to the United States.
“Passengers to the US are asking us to book tickets via the Far East. They want to avoid travel via Europe,” said Rajendra Rateria, president of the Travel Agents Association of India, western region.
“In April, flight cancellations and delays had resulted in many passengers losing out on hotel bookings. Commuters may miss their connecting flights owing to delays,” he said.
On Tuesday, volcanic ash over the middle-Atlantic forced many flights to take deviated routes and caused flight delays, said Air India spokesperson.
12/05/10 Indian Express

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Hopes crashland: 2 foreign pilots leave India

Chennai: Carrying bitter memories of India, two foreign pilots left Chennai on Monday for their respective countries. While Capt Juan Carlos Vesga from Colombia had relocated to this city along with his wife and two daughters in 2008, Capt Leonardo Reichlin had chucked a job with Copa Airlines in his home country, Panama, and come down to Chennai in February this year.
Last week, eight other pilots from Colombia and Panama, left Chennai - some of them with their families - after waging a losing battle with their management, which terminated their contracts suddenly. All the expat pilots, trained in flying Embraer aircraft, accused their employer of not paying salaries and other dues for the last couple of months, though the airline spokesman categorically said they had no business staying in India as their contracts had expired.
For their part, the pilots argued that their contracts were signed in 2008 and beyond and were valid for three years. Though there is a clause that the contract was renewable every year with mutual consent, the pilots claimed that their consent was not taken before terminating it. If the company was to terminate the contract unilaterally, it would have to pay the salary for the two-month notice period, which was not done, the pilots said.
Even after their names were taken off the roster, the pilots stayed back in Chennai in a bid to get their dues from the company. Two weeks ago, they barged into the airline office with their families. But the company called in the police. They wrote to their respective embassies seeking their intervention. Colombian Ambassador Juan Alfredo Pinto Saveedra wrote to the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner in Chennai, V J Mathew, urging him to sort out the matter, and marked a copy of the letter to the International Labour Office for South Asia.
The pilots, as a group, met some members of the media and poured out their grief. Vesga said he had to sell the furniture at home to make both ends meet. Some of them claimed that since the management did not pay their house rent, they were under tremendous pressure from the landlords. Capt Hector Pachon claimed that he had to pay rent from his pocket for four months to keep the landlord at bay.
11/05/10 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Mahindra's GippsAero Airvan set to create history

On May 8, 2010, the GA8-TC Airvan from GippsAero, one of Australia’s most reputed aircraft producers which was recently acquired by India’s $6.3 billion Mahindra Group, began its attempt to create history by becoming the first Australian designed and manufactured aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.
Mahindra, GippsAero’s new parent company, is supporting pilots Ken Evers and Tim Pryse in their bid to raise $ 1,000,000 for malaria awareness. Ken and Tim will undertake a historic round the world flight towards this goal and have chosen Bendigo, Australia as their starting point. This is also part of Mahindra’s efforts to help promote stronger ties between both countries.
The aircraft took off from Bendigo Aerodrome in Bendigo, Victoria Australia, after an official take-off ceremony, attended by government representatives from the State of Victoria. The citizens of Bendigo were also present on this historic occasion. Ken and Tim are currently headed to Norfolk Island - the first leg of their Pacific crossing.
Mr. Arvind Mehra said that the Mahindra Group was delighted to extend its support on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Australian aviation. The Group is especially proud that Ken and Tim have chosen to fly the GippsAero Airvan on its maiden flight across the globe, which speaks highly of the strength and endurance of the aircraft. He went on to say that the flight would provide the company with valuable feedback which could be used to improve the product’s competitiveness further. He concluded by stating that both Mahindra and GippsAero commended Ken and Tim on this initiative and said he looked forward to welcoming the GA8-TC Airvan to Bangalore, India in June, where Gippsland’s parent, Mahindra Aerospace is based. The flight will be formally commemorated there as a symbolic gesture to foster Indo-Australian friendship.
10/05/10 India Infoline

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Ash cloud likely to delay more flights

Mumbai: Several international flights may continue to be delayed as they will have to take longer routes to India owing to the cloud of ash hovering over the North Atlantic, according to airlines.
An Air India spokesperson said the airline’s flight arrivals were delayed by 1.5 to three hours on Tuesday. “Our flights from the US and Canada are expected to be delayed because of ash clouds.”
International flights of Jet Airways that operates three flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to/from Brussels, would also be late, said a spokesperson for Jet Airways.
11/05/10 Indian Express

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Solar panel firm to locate at Windsor Airport

One of the world's leaders in the manufacture of solar panels is announcing a major Windsor investment today that could see 120 jobs created before the end of the year and an estimated 200 by the end of 2011, The Star has learned.
A $30-million factory will be built on city-owned lands at Windsor Airport by a joint venture between a recently created Canadian company and HHV Solar, a multinational based in India with manufacturing facilities there and in the United States and Australia.
The announcement comes on the heels of news that German manufacturer Schletter Inc. is quietly opening a Windsor facility this spring that will build support racks for solar panels.
The city, which owns the airport, could become a corporate landlord in the deal, with the airport possibly building the plant, expected to be about 45,000 square feet, and then leasing it back to Solar Source Ontario Corp., a Solar Bancorp company that is teaming up with India's HHV.
The facility would cost $4 million to $5 million to build, which the airport would recoup in lease payments.
11/05/10 Doug Schmidt/The Windosr Star, Canada

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Airport satellite phone seizure: Ultra deported

New Delhi: An alleged terrorist wanted in connection with the 2005 seizure of communication equipment at IGI was deported from Dubai on Sunday. The man owing allegiance to terror outfit Al Badr has been identified as Sheikh Sajjad (35). He had been detained at Dubai on an alert issued by Indian agencies.
On June 16, 2005, Delhi Police had seized a large consignment of hi-tech communication equipment, including satellite phones, at the international airport. It was allegedly meant for militant operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The police arrested a businessman from Jangpura and another militant in connection with the case. However, the cops couldn’t lay their hand on Sajjad, who had allegedly supplied the equipment.
Sajjad was flown to Delhi on Sunday and taken on remand by the special cell of Delhi Police. His name had cropped up during the interrogation of the two suspects who had been arrested. In that case, one person has already been convicted while another man was acquitted. It was revealed then that it was Sajjad who had sent the consignment meant for terrorists in J&K. "We need to question him in detail about the procurement of this equipment," said a senior police officer.
11/05/10 Rahul Tripathi/Times of India

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Man held with Rs 60 lakh at Sanganer airport

Jaipur: The directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) on Monday arrested a man for trying to smuggle Rs 60 lakh cash to Sharjah through Sanganer international airport in Jaipur. Officials also seized foreign currency worth Rs 10-lakh from the accused, identified as Gauri Shankar.
The man was about to board an Air Arabia flight when he was detained. The accused managed to enter the airport terminal with such a huge amount without being noticed by the authorities.
According to sources, the DRI sleuths were acting on a tip-off. "Gauri Shankar, who hails from Navalgarh in Jhunjhunu district, was smuggling the currency to Sharjah," said an officer at the airport. Indian currency is in demand in UAE and many Indians living there exchange Indian currencies for foreign currency, he said."When they are back, they exchange the currency. The profits in such exchanges can be 250-350 dhirhams per Rs one lakh," he added. The officer also did not rule out the possibility of the currency being smuggled for hawala transactions.
11/05/10 Times of India

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Hong Kong firm landscaping, beautifying Delhi's newest airport terminal

New Delhi: If you drive to or from the soon-to-be-opened Terminal-3 (T-3) of the international airport here, you are bound to notice the sidewalks and causeways fast sprouting with exotic flowers, palms, manicured shrubs and lush lawns.
A Hong Kong landscaping architecture firm is beautifying the surroundings around Delhi's newest terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, billed as one of the largest in the world, ahead of the October Commonwealth Games in October.
Exotic varieties of orchids from Thailand and Dioon Spinosa palms imported from Mexico will be among the key highlights of the landscaping initiative, according to officials at Delhi International Airport Ltd, which is carrying out the new development.
EDAW, the Hong Kong-based firm, is working with Beyond Built of Bangalore for delivering the project from concept to commissioning in the landscaping project, which is spread over 70 acres outside the terminal and 10,000 sq mt inside the building.
As many as 39 varieties of trees, 26 kinds of plants, 39 types of ground covers and six types of cacti and succulents will blend with 30,000 sq mt of lush green lawns along the terminal and its causeways.
10/05/10 IANS/Economic Times

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EmQuest signs agreement with Akbar Gulf Travels

Akbar Gulf Travels, one of the largest travel management companies in the region and India, has signed a travel technology agreement with EmQuest, the distribution arm of the Emirates Airline Group. The agreement will see the Akbar Travel conglomerate adopt the Sabre global distribution system (GDS) throughout its entire network of agencies within the UAE, and see a range of advanced Sabre products implemented within its rapidly growing corporate division.
With more than $600 million in turnover annually, Akbar Travels has experienced formidable growth across its 65 IATA branches in the GCC and India.
10/05/10 Breaking travel news

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With terms not settled, fate of Air India’s COO is uncertain

New Delhi: Air India has a new hands-on operations head, but his terms are not yet set, putting a big if on whether he is in or not.

A month after the formal announcement that he would be the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air India, Gustav Baldauf has arrived in India to negotiate his remuneration package and other details with the company’s top brass.

Baldauf was at the Air India (AI) headquarters at Nariman Point in Mumbai last week where he met senior airline officials including some board members. “.. he met the company’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Arvind Jadhav, who will be negotiating with Baldauf his package,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Both sides are expected to bargain hard with Baldauf retaining the right to turn down the offer if it doesn’t suit him. Air India’s board will call the shots on the three-year contract extendable by another two years based on performance.

Sources connected with the development said Baldauf could be offered anywhere between 3 to 4 lakh euros (Rs. 1.74 – 2.32 crore) per annum. “This would be his cost-to-company, which would include perks such as a house and a car. Expat pilots flying our Boeing 777’s are paid between $ 10,000 – 11,000 (Rs 4.5 – 5 lakh) per month,” the official said.

Senior officials said it would be a setback for the airline if Baldauf turned down the offer.

09/05/10 Tushar Srivastava/Hindustan Times

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Airlines Restoring Capacity on International Sectors: IATA

New Delhi: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Sunday said airlines worldwide have begun restoring capacity on international sectors which was drastically affected during the global recession.

"Airlines are bringing capacity back into international air travel and air freight markets. But at a much slower pace than the expansion in demand," the IATA said in its latest publication on the aviation industry.

This, it said, was despite the damage caused to the industry by the volcanic ash crisis recently in Europe. The airline shares, it said, were still 15 percent higher in 2010.

"The passenger capacity available in the international sectors grew by two percent, compared to a travel expansion of over 10 percent since March last year," it stated.

International air travel volumes grew annually at nine percent, while air freight expanded at 26 percent.

10/05/10 IANS/Daijiworld.com

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Man arrested at IGI with 5.1 kg of heroin

New Delhi: A Mali national was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International airport here allegedly with 5.1 kg of heroin with a street value of around Rs 5.2 crore, officials said today.

Abdoulaye Coulibaly was apprehended by Narcotics Control Bureau with help from CISF and Delhi International Airport Limited officials while he was about to board a Spicejet flight to Hyderabad from the capital. Officials recovered 5.160 kg of heroin of south-west Asian origin from his possession.

09/05/10 Press Trust of India

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India won't be a different market, says AirAsia chief

Mumbai: India will be no different a market, says the AirAsia Chief Executive, Mr Tony Fernandes, having balanced the act of flying people at low fares and yet making profits.

For him, the definition of low cost is a “one rupee fare”, not once in a while, but constantly. Mr Fernandes' plans here, however, are not limited to just aviation.

It extends to budget hotels and may be even hospitals, at a later date, says Mr Fernandes, an Indian by origin, with memories of his first cricket century in Eden Gardens, and playing football for Mohun Bagan.

“Tune Hotels”, as the low-cost chain is called, envisages 20 hotels in India, over the next couple of years, at an investment of about Rs 90 crore.

Often challenged that the “low cost airline model will not work in India…it's different!” – the unfazed Mr Fernandes responds: “it's not”.

“There are a billion people here. My country (Malaysia) has 24 million people. One million people use your trains everyday…I cannot believe a low cost business cannot work here,” Mr Fernandes told Business Line.

09/05/10 Shubhra Tandon/Business Line

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Indian carriers set to connect more UK cities

New Delhi: India and Britain are set to amend a bilateral pact to allow airlines from the two countries to expand their reach to smaller cities, two civil aviation ministry officials said on condition of anonymity.

The move will set the stage for Air India and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd to enter so-called domestic code-sharing agreements with British Midland Airways (BMI) and British Airways Plc. (BA), respectively, as sought by the Indian carriers earlier this year.

Code sharing allows an airline to include a connecting flight operated by another carrier on its own ticket. The practice is followed mainly for international flights. The expected amendment will make Britain the sixth country in which Indian carriers can have domestic code-sharing pacts, after the US, France, China, Japan and the Netherlands.

The amendment will also put the two Indian carriers on their way to joining global airline alliances, or networks of airlines that have code-sharing agreements with each other.

09/05/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Airlines fight ash effect by changing routes

Mumbai: Ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjoell volcano, which began erupting on April 14, is back to haunt international travellers.

Scores of flights in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France were cancelled on Sunday as some airspace was closed because of the ash cloud drifting over from Iceland.

Airlines flying to and from India over European airspace have changed their routes leading to marginal delays. They said taking a longer route was better than cancelling flights.

“The arrival of our long-haul flights like the Toronto-London-Amritsar and the one from New York (John F Kennedy airport) to Mumbai is delayed by two hours,” said an Air India spokesperson.

“This is because our aircraft flying from the transatlantic region (which is closed) have taken alternate routes. This is more time- and fuel-consuming.”

A Jet Airways spokesperson said six of their transatlantic flights — from Brussels to North America and back — are running late. “This is because we have taken a different path through the polar route leading to marginal delays. But there are no flight cancellations,” he said.

Airlines have been carrying extra fuel since May 4 when the volcanic ash resurfaced and sent a new plume of 5.5km in the air.

09/05/10 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Jet Airways plane makes emergency landing

Vadodara: A Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight carrying 143 passengers landed in emergency conditions here tonight soon after take-off as the pilot noticed fault in the aircraft's engine, airport sources said.
They said the plane took off at around 2120 hours and returned after about ten minutes when the fault in the engine was noticed.
07/05/10 Press Trust of India

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Shell Aviation wins regional best aviation fuel provider award

Shell Aviation has been named the best aviation fuel provider at the first annual Emerging Markets Aviation Awards after they received 400 votes from the customers
Shell Aviation has been named the best aviation fuel provider at the first annual Emerging Markets Aviation Awards’ (EMAA) ceremony, a prestigious event held during the Airport Show, which recently took place at the Dubai Airport Expo.
The awards recognise the achievements of companies in emerging markets of the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Russia and the CIS countries. Frost & Sullivan, the business research and consulting firm, audited the awards. A panel of jury members from the aviation and airports industry selected the winning entries in 23 service categories. Shell Aviation received over 400 votes from customers for the best fuel provider category.
07/05/10 AddPR.com

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SriLankan Airlines rewards fliers to five Asian cities from India

SriLankan Airlines is offering amazing rewards for on-line bookings out of India to Sri Lanka's capital city Colombo, plus four other exotic Asian cities - Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Male.
This exciting offer is open to members of its frequent flyer programme FlySmiLes, with up to 50% Bonus Miles on offer. Becoming a member is as easy as filling out a membership form or logging on to our web site www.flysmiles.com.
The offer is available from all six cities in India that are served by SriLankan, which flies twice daily to Chennai; nine times a week to Trichy; six times a week to Bangalore; and daily to Mumbai, New Delhi, and Trivandrum.
SriLankan's Acting Regional Manager Indian Subcontinent, Lal Perera, said: "SriLankan Airlines has vowed to 'Change the Way We Fly and the Way You Experience Air Travel', and we are delighted to provide our Indian customers with more rewards."
This offer is valid for tickets purchased on SriLankan's website up to 30th June 2010. For more information log on to www.srilankan.aero/earnbonusmiles.
08/05/10 Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka

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AirAsia looks to triple India share of passenger mix

Mumbai: Malaysia-based AirAsia, one of Asia’s best-kn­own low-cost airline brands, expects to fly around two million passengers to and from India in the next three years, more than triple the six lakh Indians it currently flies.
“Mumbai is our sixth destination city in India, after Trivandrum, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi and Tiru­chirapalli. We will be add­ing Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi too this year,” said Tony Fernandes, group CEO, founder of AirAsia.
Fernandes said the airline is also interested in mounting flights to Pune, Amritsar and Coimbatore at a later stage. The airline flew over 23 million passengers in 2009 globally.
On Thursday, AirAsia inaugurated its flight to Mumbai from Kuala Lumpur signifying its foray into the western India market. The airline will operate four direct flights per week through its long haul, low-fare affiliate, AirAsia X, Fernandes said.
The firm has deployed Airbus A330 aircraft on the Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur route. As a special offer it will make available Mumbai-to-Malaysia tickets for Rs 1,193 (excluding airport tax) on Friday (May 7).
06/05/10 Rupesh Subhash Janve/mydigitalfc.com

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Russian consulate may lodge protest

Kolkata: The Russian consulate is weighing the option of sending a note of dissent to the Indian government to ensure that its citizens are not harassed without reason.
The planned move comes just a day after a Russian couple Albi Evoasle Onara and her husband Asal Becov Artur was detained and grilled at Kolkata airport for hours after a panicky flight crew suspected them to be terrorists on board a Delhi-Kolkata flight. The chief point of suspicion was the fact that the woman was wearing a burqa and had her face covered throughout the journey.
The Russian authorities feel this problem could easily have been solved had the consulate been contacted. A translator would have been sent and the confusion would have been cleared up within minutes.
A Russian diplomat said they would write to the Indian government as such harassment was not expected in India, with which Russia shares friendly ties. He contended that the Russians were unnecessarily held and the consulate was not kept in the loop about their detention.
07/05/10 Times of India

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