MH370: Plane part arrives at France laboratory

Paris: A piece of Boeing 777 wreckage washed up on an Indian Ocean island and suspected to belong to missing flight MH370 arrived Saturday at a French laboratory for analysis.

If confirmed as being from the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight, the discovery would mark the first breakthrough in a case that has baffled aviation experts for 16 months.

The convoy containing the two-metre (six-and-a-half-foot) wing part was escorted by police overland from Paris to the defence ministry laboratory near the southwestern city of Toulouse, encased in a wooden crate.

The part, identified as a flaperon, was flown overnight to the mainland from the French island of La Reunion, where it was found on a beach in the town of Saint Andre earlier this week.

From Paris’ Orly airport, it was driven south by road, arriving at the laboratory at about 5.30pm (1530 GMT).

MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Malaysian and French experts will begin their analysis of the part on Wednesday, as well as fragments of a suitcase discovered nearby, according to an informed source.
02/08/15 The Star

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Carriers will need region-specific approvals to fly overseas: DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will withdraw permissions given to all air operators’ permit (AOP) holders to fly worldwide from July 1, 2015. All scheduled airlines and charter operators, henceforth, will have to submit requisite proposals and demonstrate operational capability to fly to different geographic regions across the world barring which their operations will be restricted to within India.
Experts have said the new norm will particularly hit hard non-scheduled operators (engaged in charter operations) as they have non-planned operations and it would be difficult for them to know before-hand what regions they need to have permits for. Besides, both scheduled airlines and non-scheduled operators may lose flexibility and find it difficult to schedule flight crew, given that they may require specific training to fly to different geographic areas.
22/05/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/The New Indian Express

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Top US airlines are exiting India and the reason can seriously dent the Indian aviation market

Even though New Delhi and Washington share strong bilateral and trade relationship, especially in IT and agriculture sector, the US is not happy with the aviation trade between the two nations.

As per a top airlines executive, Government subsidies have forced major US airlines out of the Indian market.
19/05/15 BI Indian Bureau/Business Insider

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Budget carrier flydubai targets more routes to India

Flydubai plans a huge expansion in India and the subcontinent as it targets emerging under-served commuter routes in the world’s second-most populous nation.

But it will first have to overcome strict capacity limits imposed on foreign carriers in the country.

“Our best bet is that the government of India decides there are certain routes that can be opened up to encourage people to commute more easily,” said the flydubai chief executive Ghaith al Ghaith.
16/05/15 Sean Cronin/The National Business

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UAS opens regional office in India

UAS International Trip Support is strengthening its presence in India through its new office in New Delhi, which opened last month at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Offering services like groundhandling, catering and landing permits to commercial airlines looking to operate on new international routes, UAS currently has a 15 per cent market share in India’s outbound corporate jet market.
15/05/15 Rohit Kaul/TTG Asia

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India to Look at Enhancing Air Connectivity to China

NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a three-day visit to China from tomorrow, India may look at enhancing air connectivity between the two nations.

"We will certainly look at increasing air services to China," a Civil Aviation Ministry source said here today.

At present, only Air India connects India with China flies to Shanghai from New Delhi four-times a week.

Private carries, Jet Airways and SpiceJet, had commenced services to Shanghai and Guangzhou respectively but later they opted out due to commercial considerations.
14/05/15 PTI/The Indian Express

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Air links, tourism on PM Modi’s China agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sign an agreement to boost tourism on his maiden visit to China.
Top sources in the government informed that the Cabinet today discussed an agreement to boost tourism with China.
14/04/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/The Indian Express

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Sydney Airport welcomes Air India’s non-stop Sydney-Delhi service

Air India is now offering four weekly non-stop flights from Sydney to Delhi, providing a convenient connection to India, according to Sydney Airport.

“India is one of Sydney Airport’s fastest growing markets so we’re pleased that this non-stop Sydney-India service will improve convenience for a growing number of passengers,” Sydney Airport managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Mather said.

“Sydney has Australia’s highest number of residents with Indian ancestry so there’s strong demand for a non-stop service between India and Sydney.
08/05/15 News Editor/Travel Biz News

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DGCA to issue licences to 2,000-odd Air Traffic Controllers

NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA faces the uphill task of issuing licences to 2,000-odd Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) and over 60 aerodromes ahead of the audit by UN aviation body, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), later this year, sources said. The ICAO audit, the third in last nine years, would take place in November this year and cover issues such as aerodrome operations, air traffic control, airports, and air navigation mechanism.
"As far as licensing to ATCOs is concerned, while the first stage — collecting data about the each ATC personnel — was completed long back, the second stage, which involves comprehensive health check-ups, has just began. "Licences would be issued by the DGCA to ATCOs only after this exercise gets completed," sources told PTI here.
04/05/15 PTI/The Economic Times

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Air India tweaks Australia service to cut losses

Air India has restructured its daily service to Australia to cut losses. Instead of a daily triangular flight between Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne, Air India will now fly four times a week to Sydney and thrice a week to Melbourne.

The change in schedule will come into effect from May 16. Also the airline is exploring new service to Madrid- Barcelona and Copenhagen-Stockholm from its Delhi hub, sources said.
03/05/15 Aneesh Phandis/Business Standard.

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India-Nepal flights fully booked: Officials

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS): Flights to Nepal from India are fully booked and operating under normal conditions, officials said on Saturday.

Air India is operating three connecting flights to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport from Mumbai and Varanasi.

Connecting flights originating from Mumbai, AI 101 and AI 888, will depart for Kathmandu via Delhi through AI 213 and Jet Airways flight 9W 264.
02/05/15 IANS/daijiworld

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Jet Airways transports 2,600 kg relief material to Nepal

NEW DELHI: Private carrier Jet AirwaysBSE 0.33 % today operated three flights to Kathmandu, two from Delhi and one from Mumbai while transporting 2,600 kg of relief material to the earthquake-devastated Nepalese capital Kathmandu.
The airline also said that it has flown over 1,500 stranded people back to India since April 25, when a high intensity earthquake, measuring 7.9 on Richter scale flattened buildings in Nepal.
30/05/15 PTI/The Economic Times

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