What is the cost of flying back Mehul Choksi from Antigua?

The Bombardier Global 5000 jet that has reportedly been hired to bring back fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi from the Caribbean nation of Antigua costs about Rs 8.46 lakh an hour of flying for charters, private aircraft charter companies say. The Antigua Prime Minister was quoted as saying that the jet has already been sent to get Choksi, who is wanted by India to be tried in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, back.

Given that the flight to Antigua is about 16 to 17 hours from India, the charter would have cost Rs 1.35 to Rs 1.43 crore for the aircraft for a one-way journey. The charter cost for the aircraft alone for a return trip will cost between Rs 2.7 crore to 2.86 crore.

The charges will rise further by accounting for goods and services tax (GST).

In addition, the agency hiring the aircraft will have to pay $7,000, or about Rs 5,11,000 per country, that the aircraft flies as over flying charges.  The aircraft will have to pay for the fuel stop in Madrid which will increase the cost of the charter as handling charges at that airport will also have to be paid. Lastly, there will also be a daily halting, or parking, charges of about Rs 100,000.

Private aircraft charter operators say that normally it takes between four to five days to get all the permissions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to allow a foreign private jet to land in and leave India. The general perception among private aircraft charter operators is that the Bombardier Global 5000 hired from Qatar Executive, a unit of Gulf carrier Qatar Airways, has not been hired by the government but by some agency familiar with air travel.

Moneycontrol contacted Qatar Airways for comment. The article will be updated with its responses.

Choksi, who was born in India, was captured in Dominica earlier this week after his family reported him missing from Antigua.

Indian authorities have filed charges against Choksi, founder of the Gitanjali empire, and nephew, Nirav Modi, and others in connection with their suspected involvement in fraudulent transactions that caused losses of about Rs 14,000 crore in PNB in 2018.

Both Choksi and Modi, who was arrested in London in 2019 and is resisting extradition to India in Uk courts, have said they did no wrong.

31/05/21 Ashwini Phadnis/Moneycontrol.com

Read More

India-UAE flights: Emirates plane flies to Dubai with just 2 families on board

Amidst the travel ban due to rising Covid-19 cases in India, two families from the southern Indian state of Kerala arrived in Dubai from Kochi on an Emirates flight on Sunday.

According to Kerala-based Madhyamam, only two families arrived on the 360-passenger plane. The flight took off at 4am Indian time on Sunday and arrived in Dubai at 6am UAE time.

Although, UAE has placed a ban on passengers arriving from India, Indians with a Golden Visa are exempted from the suspension. Younus Hassan, chairman and managing director of Al Irshad Computers, a computer sales company, has a Golden Visa that allowed his family to travel.

Yunus’ wife Hafsa and his children Nihla Yunus, Nujum Yunus, Mohammad Hilal and Mohammad Hani Hamdan received the Golden Visa under his sponsorship and were on board. They spent Rs180,000 (Dh9,000) on tickets.

Nihla said the Emirates staff gave them a warm welcome. They travelled in economy class but were allowed to sit in any seat, including business class.

"We each had an air hostess to handle our affairs. They accompanied us up to the terminal and helped us take the Covid test as well. Normally, you should stand in the queue at the emigration counter. However, after asking us to sit down, the air hostess took our passports and completed the emigration process,” Nihla told Madhyamam.

31/05/21 Khaleej Times

Read More

Next India repatriation flight lands in Darwin as Howard Springs exceeds 1,000 in quarantine

A Qantas plane evacuating Australians from India has touched down in Darwin — the third to arrive in the Top End capital since repatriation flights from the COVID-ravaged country resumed a fortnight ago.

Flight QF112 from New Delhi landed at Darwin airport at around 9:45am local time carrying 150 people

The passengers will soon be transported by bus to the Howard Springs quarantine facility, about 20 kilometres south-east of the airport.

Around 80 passengers who arrived in Darwin from India on May 15, on the first flight after the temporary suspension, completed their two-week quarantine period on Saturday.

Another 165 who arrived on a May 23 flight are still at the facility, along with almost 1,000 other international and domestic arrivals.

NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles  said she did not know whether any passengers who were meant to be on today’s flight had tested positive to COVID-19 prior to departure.

About 70 passengers scheduled to board the May 15 flight were bumped off it after either testing positive to COVID-19 or being close contacts of those who did.

Following the introduction of the more rigorous testing regime, only two passengers have tested positive to COVID-19 after arriving in Darwin.

“The measures that DFAT put in place prior to departure clearly have worked when you compare that to the flight before when we had over 50 people (test positive)," Ms Fyles said.

“So, we will continue to evaluate what was done and how we see those numbers coming through.”

Ms Fyles said more international repatriation flights were expected to arrive in Darwin this week.

“[International arrivals] will be kept very separate from those domestic quarantine people," she said.

31/05/21 Jano Gibson/ABC.net

Read More

Mehul Choksi repatriation: Private jet at Dominica airport from India, confirms Antigua PM

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has corroborated the news that a private jet from India has landed at Douglas-Charles Airport in Dominica as fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi continues to be in detention of Dominica Police.

Speaking to a radio show in his country, Browne confirmed that India had sent a private jet to Dominica along with documents pertaining to the deportation of Mehul Choksi. Tweeting a picture of the jet, Antigua Newsroom posted, "PM confirms Private Jet in Dominica is from India."

Meanwhile, no immediate official confirmation came from the Indian authorities about it. A Qatar Airways private jet landed at the Dominican airport on Saturday, Antigua News Room reported, which led to conjectures about the deportation of Choksi, who was detained in the Caribbean island nation after his mysterious disappearance from neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda.

Browne told the radio show that the jet came from India carrying necessary documentation needed for the deportation of the businessman, the media outlet reported.

Publicly available data of Qatar Executive flight A7CEE shows that it left the Delhi airport at 3.44 pm on May 28 and reached Dominica at 13.16 local time on the same day, via Madrid.

The Dominica High Court has stayed the removal of Choksi from its soil and placed a gag order on the developments until the matter is heard in an open court on June 2

Choksi has alleged that he was abducted from Jolly Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda by policemen looking like Antiguan and Indian and taken to Dominica.

Purported pictures of 62-year-old Choksi that have surfaced in Dominica show him with a red swollen eye and bruises on his hands.

30/05/21 Business Today

Read More

Bengaluru teen sues IndiGo for missing trip to Nasa, wins Rs 1.6 lakh relief

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru teenager who missed a dream trip to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) in the US due to ticketing issues has sued IndiGo airline in a city consumer court. The court recently ordered the airline to pay the youngster a compensation of Rs 1.6 lakh and a refund of his ticket with interest for ruining his chance of visiting the international space station.

August 10, 2019 was a big day for Munnekolala resident Kevin Martin, who reached Chennai airport to board an IndiGo flight to Delhi scheduled to take off at 6.30am. But much to the shock of the 18-year-old boy, IndiGo ground staff refused to let him board despite him holding a confirmed ticket, saying the flight was overbooked.

Martin, who was the 2019 Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) topper in Karnataka and stood second nationally, had bagged the trip to Nasa after winning the technothlon contest held at IIT-Guwahati. He was scheduled to fly out from Delhi on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

In Chennai, IndiGo staffers issued him a boarding pass with ‘zero’ printed in place of seat number and told him the flight was overbooked. Martin attempted to convince the staff and showed them the invitation papers from Nasa. He informed them that his scheduled flight to Baltimore in the US was to take off the same afternoon and he had to reach New Delhi on time in his pre-booked flight from Chennai. However, the staff offered him an alternative flight in the afternoon or evening, but that would have meant Martin missing his onward journey to the US. Sadly, the teenager was not allowed to board the flight.

He returned to Bengaluru and lodged a compliant with IndiGo. With the airline unable to come up with a convincing reply, Martin finally approached the Bangalore 1st Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on December 17, 2019 with a complaint against Inter Globe Aviation Limited, operators of IndiGo.

The Bengaluru teen presented the case through his lawyer, while the airline’s attorney claimed that the Bengaluru court didn’t have the jurisdiction to take up the case and that the complainant had suppressed material facts, including the fact that a boarding pass had been issued to him, but he failed to report at the gate. However, the lawyer admitted that the airline was fully booked and no passenger was willing to sacrifice a seat for the teenager, who also had a valid ticket. He was given a seat on another flight without any extra cost, but refused the offer and as per rules he was offered full refund for his ticket (Rs 8,605) and a compensation of Rs 20,000.

In court proceedings that lasted close to 16 months, the judges of the consumer forum slammed IndiGo for shattering the boy’s lifetime dream of visiting Nasa because of the ticketing chaos. The teen, it said, was a state topper and one of India’s best, who excelled at an IIT tech event and earned a trip to the celebrated US space agency. The forum observed that the airline had overbooked in this case and was expecting another passenger to sacrifice his seat, resulting in injustice to the boy, who was all set to take the connecting flight to the US, for which he arrived on time with a confirmed ticket.

30/05/21 Petlee Peter/Times of India

Read More

Vistara receives first purchased A320neo aircraft from Airbus' production facility in France

New Delhi: Vistara on Saturday received its first purchased A320neo aircraft, powered by CFM International's LEAP engines, in Delhi from Airbus' production facility in Toulouse, France.

This will be the 46th aircraft to be added to its fleet. Out of 46, 43 are on lease while the rest have been purchased.

"It (the aircraft delivered today) is one of the 13 Airbus A320neo that Vistara had purchased in 2018 as part of a larger order totalling 50 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family, including the Airbus A321neo aircraft as well," the airline's press release noted.

Vistara has seven A320ceo, 29 A320neo, two Boeing B787-9 and six Boeing 737-800NG aircraft in its fleet. Out of these, two B787-9 and one A320neo aircraft have been purchased and the rest are on lease.

"The new set of A320neo aircraft that Vistara has been adding to its fleet come with higher range capability (77 tonnes of maximum take-off weight), enabling the airline to fly longer regional international routes without payload restrictions," the statement noted.

The delivery is happening at a time when India and its aviation sector has been badly hit by the second wave of coronavirus infection.

29/05/21 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Indian national not infected with COVID-19 at Changi Airport in Singapore: Health ministry

Singapore: A 32-year-old Indian national who arrived here on April 25 from Nepal could not have been infected with COVID-19 at the Changi airport as there is no phylogenetic link between her case and those infected in the airport’s Terminal 3 cluster, officials said.

Singapore’s health ministry said on Friday that its investigations have confirmed that there is no phylogenetic link between the Sonal Wadde case and those in the Changi Airport Terminal 3 cluster.

Phylogenetic testing helps to determine if infections are related.

Wadde, who arrived here as a dependant’s pass holder, had said that she felt safer in India, according to a report by The Straits Times.

The matter came to the fore after a screenshot of her response to a question on Facebook that she was infected “most probably” at Changi Airport circulated online.

“This was because two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests I took before boarding the flight to Singapore and upon arrival had been negative,” she wrote in the comment section, which was picked up by several online news websites.

It is unclear when she posted the comment, or what question she was responding to, said the Singapore English daily.

“A negative pre-departure test or on-arrival test does not necessarily mean that a person is free from COVID-19, as one could be incubating the virus from an exposure prior to taking the tests,” the newspaper quoted the health ministry as saying.

The Changi Airport cluster is currently the largest active cluster with 108 cases linked to it as on Thursday.

Wadde is an imported case who was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on May 2, the ministry said, adding that she tested positive during her stay-home notice at a dedicated facility.

30/05/21 Daily Excelsior

Read More

Emirates airline flights from India to UAE suspended until June 30

Emirates airline has extended its suspension on passenger flights from India until June 30.

Also, passengers who have transited through India in the past 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE.

UAE citizens, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions are exempt from the restrictions but must comply with revised Covid-19 protocols.

The suspension will last two months at least and the decision is subject to review.

A number of Indians, however, have managed to enter Dubai on charter flights, despite the ban.

But last week the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority threatened to prohibit private jet operators from pooling charter flights between passengers, although family groups would still be allowed to hire jets.

Flights from India to the UAE were initially stopped on April 24 after a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in the subcontinent and the rise of the new B1617.2 variant.

30/05/21 National

Read More

Could something like the Ryanair incident of May 16 occur in Indian airspace?

On May 16, a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was forcibly diverted to the Belarus capital Minsk. While the civil aircraft was flying through Belarus airspace, a fighter jet was sent to intercept it, claiming that there was a bomb threat on the aircraft. Once the plane landed in Minsk, all the bags onboard were checked but no bomb was found. All passengers except two - Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend - were allowed to board the aircraft which continued its journey to Lithuania.

The Ryanair case is unprecedented, but it does raise some concerns for countries across the globe, including India. See how >>

Read More

DGCA extends ban on scheduled international commercial passenger flights until June 30

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday extended the ban on international commercial passenger flights by one month till June 30, 2021. The ban has been in place since March 2020.

"In a partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 IST of 30th June 2021," the fresh order reads.

However, this restriction will not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the aviation regulator.

All scheduled international flights were restricted on March 23 last year in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and continue to be banned. However, various international flights were operationalised under bilateral air bubble agreements that India signed with several nations for the unhindered movement of passengers.  

India has formed air bubble pacts with 27 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories. However, a few countries like the US.

28/05/21 Aparna Deb/ETNowNews.com

Read More

Bat forces Air India flight to return to Delhi after take off

Mumbai: A bat decided to hitch a free ride onboard an Air India flight to Newark, which had the pilots return to land back into Delhi about two hours after take off on Thursday.

The decision to carry out an 'air return due to sighting of bat' was taken about 30 minutes after flight AI-105 departed at 2.20 am, said a source. The aircraft then circled over for about two hours before it landed back into Delhi.

An Air India source said that the mammal was removed and the same aircraft departed at 6.37 am and landed in Newark at 11.30. (local time).

28/05/21 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Charter flight mix shifts from 70% domestic and 30% international to 50:50 for both during pandemic

New Delhi: The ongoing catastrophic Covid wave has seen a sharp rise in the number of private jets and charters being handled at Delhi Airport’s separate general aviation (GA) terminal that opened last September. Till the onset of the second wave, it used to handle over 20 flights a day but now this number is almost 50% higher at 35.

The reason: air ambulance movement, suspension of schedule commercial flights by some countries and the super rich preferring the safety and enhanced hygiene of leaving on their own jet plane instead of taking regular flights to places where this option is still available.

This is in sharp contrast to the massive fall in both domestic and international travellers that’s forced Delhi and Mumbai airports to handle all their passengers from one terminal only and mothball the others.

“India’s first exclusive GA terminal for private jets was opened last September. On an average it witnessed daily 35 aircraft movement (ATM) per day during April, 2021, as compared to 24 ATMs daily at the time of opening of the terminal. It saw about 1,000 aircraft movement last month,” said Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) in a statement. The airport operators added its GA terminal has handled over 100 air ambulance flights since last month, “contributing to the surge in demand.”

Rajan Mehra, CEO of Club One Air and former India head of Qatar Airways, said India has seen a significant growth in charter travel from last October 2020. While earlier charter business used to be 70% domestic and 30% international, the restrictions on foreign flights has changed that ratio to 50:50 now.

“The exclusive GA terminals at Delhi and Mumbai (airports) have incentivised several first time travellers to choose (charters). Passengers now want to avoid the crowds of terminal buildings and prefer the spaces available to them in private terminals. The new GA terminal at IGI Airport has been a game changer in these pandemic times.There are no queues, minimum interface with others and a very short distance to cover before they reach the aircraft,” Mehra said.

27/05/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Stranded Indian frontline workers request entry into UAE

Dubai: Indian frontline workers, who have contributed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and are currently stranded due to the ongoing flight ban, have urged authorities for their return to the Gulf nation, a media report said on Thursday.

Currently, a number of UAE residents hailing from the Indian subcontinent are stranded in their home countries due to flight bans while they were on vacations, said The Khaleej Times report.

Residents, including healthcare workers, were on vacations in their home country when the UAE announced a travel ban on passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

"I'm an employee, a frontline nurse in Dubai, working for a reputed hospital and serving people. I went to India on vacation on April 1 after successfully fighting the second wave of Covid-19 in Dubai. But I'm unable to fly back to Dubai," Sandhya, a registered nurse, told Khaleej Times.

Sandhya added that said she might lose her job if she doesn't return to the UAE on time.

Sanjeev Kumar, another UAE resident who works for a medical centre, is also stuck in India due to the flight ban.

27/05/21 Daijiworld

Read More

Cathay Pacific Cargo airlifts three lakh COVID-19 testing kits from Portland to Mumbai

Cathay Pacific Cargo on Friday said it airlifted 3 lakh COVID-19 testing kits from Portland in Oregon to Mumbai in India for free. The shipment's BinaxNOW rapid COVID-19 test kits will be delivered to the Desai Foundation, an organisation that serves rural communities with health and livelihood programmes focussed on women and children in several states in India, the statement said.

"The Foundation will distribute the testing kits, which produce results in 15 minutes, to COVID care and isolation centres, hospitals and local health workers," it noted.

Cathay Pacific Cargo and logistics company Davis Trucking -- which partnered with the Oregon Health Authority and Department of Administrative Services -- offered their services free of charge for this shipment, it said.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus infection during the last couple of weeks. However, the situation is becoming better in most parts of the country as daily test positivity rate is falling.

The single day rise in coronavirus cases in India fell below the 2-lakh mark for the second time this month, while the recoveries continue to outnumber daily cases for the 15th consecutive day, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

28/05/21 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

2,000 passengers travelled between UK and India in April – the month it was added to red list

Tens of thousands of people flew from India to the UK in April – the month it was put on the Government’s travel red list, according to new figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

A total of 42,406 passengers travelled to and from the UK and India last month, figures published today by the CAA show.

The CAA does not provide a breakdown of how many travelled each way but it is understood a majority of the journeys were people heading back to the UK because of India’s devastating second wave of coronavirus and the fact the country was put on the red list on 23 April.

One air industry source told i that at least two thirds of those passengers were likely to be people arriving into the UK which would be a figure of around 28,000.

The number is slightly down on March where the total figure was 54,994, but that is unsurprising as India was red-listed in April and less flights were scheduled.

In April 2020, at the height of the pandemic just 11,453 passengers flew to and from India however in April 2019 – in pre-pandemic times – 191,907 passengers went between the two countries.

A total of 824,712 people flew into and out of the UK in April, the CAA figures show.

Spring time is traditionally a busy time for travel to India as it is before the monsoon season starts in June, although a deadly second wave of coronavirus has ravaged the country in recent weeks making it the epicentre of the global pandemic.

28/05/21 Hugo Daniel/iNews

Read More

Booked tickets for international flights? Air India offers charge waivers, rebookings

For passengers affected by International travel bans imposed by various countries on travellers from India, Air India has offered waivers to passengers. For passengers holding tickets for countries like US, UK, UAE, Singapore and other countries that imposed travel bans, the airline is offering waiver facilities.

“Due to continued impact of COVID-19 across the globe bringing uncertainty in travel plans,  Air India is offering various Waivers/flexibility to passengers who are holding tickets for international travel,” it tweeted on Thursday.

Among waivers and flexibility options offered by the airline include: Flexibility of Routing Change, Flexibility of Sector Change, Enhance Travel Validity, Waiver for Fare Difference and Change penalty, Flexibility of Cabin Change and Enhanced Refund Validity.

The waivers are applicable for tickets purchased for travel after May 4, 2021, till the time the entry requirements are relaxed. However, for passengers whose scheduled flights were cancelled, date of issue of tickets is impertinent, the airline said.

28/05/21 ETNowNews.com

Read More

Travelling abroad? You may need a COVID vaccine passport

As nations prepare to open borders to international travellers, anticipating deeper global vaccination reach and a subsiding virus, the idea of COVID vaccine passport is gaining ground.

Governments are expecting travellers to provide proof of vaccination or a COVID negative report, before letting them in. The question is what will that proof be and how can technology assist or not assist in easing the process.

The world, especially the US, has been on the forefront of opening up economic and social activities after nearly 50% of its population received at least one COVID vaccine dose. The European Union (EU) too has decided it will allow vaccinated people to travel inside member countries. As a result, not just travel, but other economic activities like eating out, recreation, sporting events too have restarted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) of US has gone to the extent of saying that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks and can venture out with ease.

The threat of COVID reappearing is palpable though, which has made the authorities in these countries to put a mechanism in place to check people for their vaccination and infection status.

As a step in this direction, US Federal officials have made it mandatory for US-bound international travelers to show proof of a negative COVID test result to board flights.

The US Department of Homeland Security stated that it does not want passengers’ COVID test results, but would expect airlines to bring up a check-up mechanism.

With the responsibility of checking passengers’ health records passed on to them, airlines companies, in turn, are asking passengers to upload health documents online.

Most governments the world over are issuing certificates to vaccinated people. Airlines won’t expect their staffers to have another traveler document to check. Therefore, such digitized health documents, which can be scanned easily, would come in handy.

28/05/21 The Federal

Read More

Singapore Airlines not to go for M&A, Vistara investments to continue

New Delhi: In a further indication that Singapore Airlines will not join Tata Sons for the bidding of Air India, the company has said that it is not going to go for any merger & acquisition with the fund it has raised and instead will use it to shore up liquidity of the company. This comes as the process for financial bidding of Air India has started. Tata Sons with whom SIA owns and operates Vistara is one of the frontrunners to acquire the state-owned carrier.

The company however will continue to invest in Vistara and said that the airline’s fleet will grow to 70 by mid of 2023. Vistara currently has 47 planes with a mix of Airbus A320 family and Boeing 787.

“The reason we are proceeding with the Mandatory Convertible Bond programme (MCB) now is that the recovery forecast is still uncertain. It will be prudent for us to bolster our equity base. The other perspective we took in thinking around issuing the MCBs now is a multi-year view. How to build ourselves, what we need to do, what we need to invest in our core capabilities in order to emerge stronger from Covid-19 and take advantage of all the opportunities. There is no mention of use of proceeds for M&A,” Tan Kai Ping, Executive Vice President for Finance and Strategy at Singapore Airlines said.

He was replying to a question on whether the airline intends to use the proceeds from the fund raise to participate in the bidding for Air India.

SIA recently announced to raise $6.2 billion through a convertible bond issue. The offering constitutes the second tranche of its MCB programme, originally approved by shareholders on 30 April 2020, says SIA.

The fund raising follows $13.3 billion of liquidity raised during the FY 2020-21, during which the group suffered a record net loss of S$4.3 billion amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has crushed the aviation and hospitality industry across the world. SIA, which primarily depends on international traffic is impacted further as the Singapore government has been cautious about opening up borders in order to counter the pandemic.

27/05/21 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

Read More

Flight from India lands in Victoria hours before lockdown begins

The first repatriation flight from India to Melbourne touched down early on Thursday evening, several hours before the Victorian government’s seven-day snap lockdown begins.

About 150 people on Qantas QF112 flight from Delhi to Melbourne via Darwin landed at Melbourne Airport around 5pm, following an 18-hour journey.

Some of the travellers had been bumped off the first repatriation flight after returning a positive COVID-19 test from a laboratory that has since had its accreditation suspended following complaints about inaccurate tests.

Victoria had moved to shut its borders to international travellers during previous lockdowns, but acting Premier James Merlino said the scheduled repatriation flights from the COVID-ravaged country would not be cancelled. Nor would flights from other countries, with Victoria continuing to take 1000 people a week.

“We’ve got a responsibility and an agreement at a national level to support the repatriation of Australian citizens and residents,” Mr Merlino said. “They’ll be going straight through to hotel quarantine.”

The expat Australians arriving in Melbourne from India were required to return a negative result to a COVID-19 test administered once daily over three days in a quarantine hotel in Delhi. On arrival, they will enter hotel quarantine for 14 days.

27/05/21  Timna Jacks/The Age

Read More

Sri Lanka lifts travel ban but restrictions on those who've been to India remain

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced the lifting of its temporary travel ban on inbound travellers from June 1, except for passengers who spent time in India during the last 14 days.

All incoming flights, however, will be limited to a maximum of 75 passengers and they will be subjected to a 14 day quarantine period.

"Any passenger with a travel history to India including transit in the past 14 days will not be permitted to arrive," the civil aviation office said in a statement.

Foreign nationals, seafarers, businessmen, investors and others are required to obtain approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter the island along with the entry visa.

A negative PCR test must be taken by all categories of travellers before departure point of origin as per airline or country requirements. And all passengers must adhere to the paid quarantine procedure. The Colombo airport was acting as a transit hub for Indians travelling to West Asia, but the facility was withdrawn in early May due to the current surge in the pandemic.

Before the current wave, Sri Lanka and India were making arrangements for a tourism travel bubble.

India remained Sri Lanka's top inbound travel market before the onset of the pandemic.

27/05/21 PTI/WION

Read More

‘Monitor situation’: DGCA to airlines on Belarus airspace

New Delhi: The country’s aviation safety regulator has cautioned Indian airline operators of the incident in Belarus, where a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was made to force land in Minsk, allegedly to arrest a dissident journalist on board. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has told airlines to “monitor the situation” as a number of airlines have started re-routing their flights to avoid Belarusian airspace.

Several European airlines including Lufthansa, KLM, Finnair and AirBaltic have started skirting Belarusian airspace. Vistara and Air India fly over Belarus for their flights to Europe. As per Flightradar24, Vistara flies over Belarus on its flights from Delhi to London, while Air India uses the airspace to fly to London, Frankfurt, etc. “Please ensure fuel planning, (and) take into account a last moment re-route in case overflying Belarus airspace,” DGCA is learnt to have told airlines.

As per Flightradar24: “Most flights that use Belarus’ airspace are just passing through. Since downing of MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014, airlines have avoided airspace there, moving flights that would transit Ukraine if on an optimal routing north to Belarus. Most flights transiting Belarus are flying between western Europe and either Russia or Southeast Asia”.

The arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich has resulted in international bodies reprimanding Belarus. He had taken a Ryanair flight for the 3-hour long journey. However, when the plane approached the border between Lithuania and Belarus, a MiG-29 fighter intercepted it, and made it land in Minsk. Ryanair said its crew was “notified by Belarus (Air Traffic Control) of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to Minsk”.

27/05/21 Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

Read More

Airline goes out of way to help lone passenger board flight

Mumbai: The two-and-a-half-hour flight that connects Mumbai to Dubai was once popular as the busiest international route out of India. These days though it has acquired a new identity as the flight on which the probability of being the solo passenger aboard is the highest. Three days after an Emirates passenger had an entire Boeing 777 aircraft to himself, an Air India passenger flew solo on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on May 22. After landing in Dubai, the entire crew, including the pilots, walked him right up to the passenger coach bus to see him off.

Speaking to TOI from his Dubai office, Oswald Rodrigues, a senior partner at Skybridge Freight Solutions, said, “I felt like a maharaja on that Dreamliner flight,” referring to Air India’s ‘Fly like a Maharaja’ slogan.

But this ‘maharaja’ had a few battles to win before he could board his ‘personal’ 256-seater Dreamliner. A negative RT-PCR report along with a QR-code linked to the original report is mandatory for international travel and the code on his report didn’t work. It was 1.15 pm and the flight was scheduled for takeoff at 3.30 pm. As Rodrigues stood feeling helpless at the Air India check-in counter at Mumbai airport, AI supervisor Melvin Saldanha told him ‘We want to help you’. Saldanha deputed an AI ground staffer, Ketan Deolekar, to rush Rodrigues to a rapid PCR test counter. “It provides a report in 13 minutes or so. As soon as I received my negative PCR report, Deolekar began scanning my passport, visa, report and sent it to the AI desk,” he said. By 2.15 pm, all the documents were re-verified and Saldanha again deputed Deolekar to rush the passenger to the boarding gate. “The flight was surreal. The Dreamliner felt huge. Captain Rayomand Mucadum personalised all inflight announcements. ‘Mr Rodrigues, we have a crew of 8 to serve you today’, ‘Thank you for flying with Air India, Mr Rodrigues’,” he said.

27/05/21 Times of India

Read More

Blade India launches air ambulance services

US-based helicopter transport services provider Blade's Indian subsidiary on Wednesday announced the launch of medical emergency services across the country, amid an increasing demand for air ambulance services in the wake of the pandemic.

The new services, Blade Care, are also open for regular air travel for people who want to travel inter-state, return to their hometowns or any other place they feel the safest, Blade India said in a statement.

For a seamless, medical evacuation and bed-to-bed transfer, the company has partnered with 'MyHealthcare', a speciality healthcare ecosystem, to manage all the medical requirements for patients on ground and with Blade being the air carrier service network.

This enables immediate medical assistance and makes for a hassle-free experience for families going through difficult times, the company said.

The new services offer a complete medevac (medical evacuation) ecosystem, using a network of ground ambulances for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. They aims to bridge the accessibility concerns for those who are looking for such flight services, the company said.

The brand will arrange aero-medical charters for such patients with a team of certified doctors, paramedics and clinicians onboard, it said.

Considering the current situation, Blade will act as the one-stop shop for all charter needs by ensuring people do not spend a lot of time connecting with multiple parties for travel plans.

Every flier will also be assigned a dedicated relationship manager, providing assistance throughout, from booking their flight to ensuring they reach their destination safely, it stated.

26/05/21 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Sri Lanka to end travel ban on inbound travellers; restrictions on India arrivals remain

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced the lifting of its temporary travel ban on inbound travellers from June 1, except for passengers who spent time in India during the last 14 days.

All incoming flights, however, will be limited to a maximum of 75 passengers and they will be subjected to a 14 day quarantine period.

"Any passenger with a travel history to India including transit in the past 14 days will not be permitted to arrive," the civil aviation office said in a statement.

Foreign nationals, seafarers, businessmen, investors and others are required to obtain approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter the island along with the entry visa.

A negative PCR test must be taken by all categories of travellers before departure point of origin as per airline or country requirements. And all passengers must adhere to the paid quarantine procedure.

The Colombo airport was acting as a transit hub for Indians travelling to West Asia, but the facility was withdrawn in early May due to the current surge in the pandemic.

Before the current wave, Sri Lanka and India were making arrangements for a tourism travel bubble.

26/05/21 PTI/New Indian Express

Read More

The Brave New Airlines Starting Up In A Pandemic

While some might say that launching a new airline in the middle of a pandemic is crazy person territory, there’s no doubt that there’s a small segment of entrepreneurs that don’t subscribe to that school of thought. New airlines are announcing launches with surprising regularity, but what makes these businesses think they can succeed where so many others are struggling?

Speaking at today’s Future Travel Experience/APEX Virtual Expo, four of the industry’s ambitious startup airline CEOs got together to discuss just this. Nino (Navdip) Singh Judge, CEO of flypop, Matteo Bonecchi, CEO of Ego Airways, Birgir Jonsson, CEO of PLAY and Olivier Arrindell, CEO of Ava Airways, explained how they believe they are not only in a good position to succeed, but are actually entering the market with a competitive advantage over their peers.

A mark of the pandemic has been the high levels of debt accrued by legacy airlines. While support from governments and financial institutions has inevitably prevented bankruptcies, it has left aviation with a bloated level of debt. IATA estimates the industry now owes some $651 billion, up $220 billion in the last year alone.

The airline startups believe this fact puts them at a competitive advantage. Nino Judge, flypop’s CEO, is looking to connect secondary cities in the UK with similar locations in India. He likened it to arriving at a battle fresh, while the enemy was tired and worn. He said, “It’s in these crises you always have opportunities. And I think the opportunity there is to start afresh. Can you imagine going into battle – and let’s be honest, aviation is a war – imagine going in with fresh troops and the best equipment all while undercutting your opposition, who have travelled for a year and a half, incurring losses, all the way to your battlefield.

“It’s just never been done before. So that’s what we’re doing; we’re getting to the battleground with fresh feet.”

25/05/21 Joanna Bailey/Simple Flying

Read More

For Rs 18,000, man flies solo to UAE on 360-seat plane

New Delhi: Implausible though it may seem, but under certain unusual circumstances, a piddly sum of Rs 18,000 can transmogrify in value to fetch you a 360-seater Boeing 777 aircraft for an exclusive two-and-a-half-hour flight. Ask Bhavesh Javeri, the 40-year old who flew as the lone passenger onboard Emirates flight from Mumbai to Dubai on May 19.

“I stepped into the aircraft and the airhostesses all clapped to welcome me aboard,” said Javeri, CEO of Stargems Group, speaking to TOI from his Dubai office about his “money can’t buy experience”. Javeri, a frequent flyer, has boarded over 240 flights between Mumbai and Dubai in the past two decades, but this is the first time that he recorded a clip while boarding a flight.

“I have flown so much, but this is the best flight ever,” he told the air hostesses as he walked in. The commander waved at him from the cockpit. An air hostess quipped: “I thought you would be scared to travel alone”.

The commander then came over from the cockpit to join in the conversation. “Should I give you a tour of the entire plane,” he joked. The novelty didn’t wear off after he buckled into seat 18A (18 is my lucky number, I asked for that seat, he said). It kept on coming through the flight in the form of the familiar inflight public address, delivered with a personal touch. “Mr Javeri, please fasten your seat belt”... “Mr Javeri, we are preparing to land”. “After we landed, I walked out leisurely and picked up my bag, the only one lying next to a conveyor belt,” said Javeri, a Dubai resident for the past 20 years.

Before Delhi upstaged it, Mumbai-Dubai was the busiest international routes out of India. So why did the airline have a 180-odd tonne Boeing 777, world’s largest twin-engine jet, burn about 17 tonnes of fuel worth Rs 8 lakh to fly a lone economy-class passenger on this two-and-a- half- hour long much popular route?

Under the current travel restrictions put in place by UAE, only UAE nationals, holders of Golden visa and members of diplomatic mission can fly from India to UAE. Javeri, a Golden visa holder, bought an economy class ticket, a week in advance as it had suspended regular flights. “I normally book a business class ticket, but I thought, why not book an economy seat, the flight would have only a few passengers,” said Javeri, whose parents live in Breach Candy. He learnt how wrong he was when he reached the airport in the wee hours to board the 4.30 flight. His ticket didn’t carry a date and so he was denied entry into the terminal building.

Standing outside the entrance, he called up Emirates, only to learn that the entire staff of flight EK501 was waiting for him. “I was elated. I had flown a charter flight from Dubai to Mumbai last June with nine passengers on a 14-seater aircraft. But it was no where close to this money-can’t-buy experience,” he said.

26/05/21 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Avoid overflying Belarus airspace, India ‘cautions’ its airlines

New Delhi: India on Wednesday “cautioned” its airlines to avoid overflying Belarus while operating to and from Europe, UK and North America.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also asked airlines to carry extra fuel on these flights to factor in any “last-minute re-routing” in case their routings involve flying through Belarus airspace.

Indian aviation regulator’s ‘caution' came on the heels of its European counterpart advising both EU and non-EU airlines to avoid Belarus airspace except in emergencies.

A senior DGCA official said: “Yes, we have also cautioned them (Indian carriers).”

The regulator has asked scheduled Indian airlines to “monitor the situation, as some (foreign) airlines have started re-routing their flights to avoid the (Belarus) airspace. Please ensure fuel planning should take into account a last moment re-route, in case overflying Belarus airspace.”

Air India and Vistara have regular passenger flights to the west.

A spokesperson of Vistara, which flies to UK and Europe, said: “We don’t use Belarus route for our flights to London and Frankfurt. Vistara had not been using that route.”

Comments were sought from AI, which operates to and from Europe, UK and North America, on whether it is now avoiding Belarus airspace, and awaited till the time of going to press.

AI pilots say the airline started “closely monitoring (the Belarus situation) from Tuesday” but as of now is not avoiding overflying that country’s airspace.

26/05/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

These countries are still open to Indian travellers

The second wave has led many countries to pull up the drawbridge for travellers from India. However, there are still a handful of countries that have left their doors open to visitors from the country. The travel is largely restricted, the frequency of flights is low, and the cost of tickets has skyrocketed. 

Here’s the list >>

Read More

IBS Software and LATAM Airlines Group reach agreement to transform loyalty program

IBS Software, a leading SaaS technology provider for the travel industry, announces that it has reached an agreement with LATAM Airlines Group to implement its iFly Loyalty platform, enabling the airline to manage its loyalty programs from a single modern platform.

iFly Loyalty will also allow LATAM to move away from a traditional, outdated and costly data center infrastructure. Upon completion of the transformation, IBS Software’s cloud-native iFly Loyalty platform will power the entire technology stack that drives LATAM’s loyalty business.

This new platform will enable LATAM Pass to easily service the frequent flyer’s demand for innovation across multiple channels. Not only will it allow flexibility, so the program features can be easily adjusted according to changing customer needs and industry fluctuations, but it will also support innovative partnerships, faster problem solving and deeper integration with other channels and airline systems.

This agreement with LATAM is another example of IBS Software’s expanding reach across the aviation sector, enabling its customers to transform and digitally lead the industry.

iFly Loyalty powers a frequent flyer base of 80 million members who can earn and burn their miles and points across thousands of program partners across the globe. The platform is designed to help airline customers anticipate traveler behavior by giving airlines the ability to turn data into actionable insights. It can help loyalty programs capitalize on changing patterns of behavior by delivering the power to quickly reconfigure and adjust their offerings as needs change, rather than rely on time intensive and resource intensive customization.

26/05/21 Hotelier India

Read More

Cairn Energy lawsuit in US against Air India may stumble over precedent

A lawsuit filed in New York by Cairn Energy Plc seeking to declare national carrier Air India as an alter ego of the government to pressurise India to pay the $1.2 billion arbitration award the British oil and gas firm won in a retrospective tax dispute, could stumble if the court takes a recent similar case as a precedent.

The precedent relates to a case brought by Lithuanian creditors against Tajik Air, the national airline of Tajikistan, to enforce a $20 million award.

“We were able to get the lawsuit dismissed because the US courts found that Tajik Air was not an alter ego of the Tajik Republic,” Sudhanshu Roy, International Associate at Washington-based law firm Foley Hoag LLP, which represented Tajik Air in the case, told BusinessLine.

The key issue, according to Roy, in the enforcement case brought by Cairn Energy against Air India would be whether Air India is an alter ego of the Government of India.

“Normally, international arbitral awards against States cannot be enforced against state-owned entities because the presumption is that state-owned entities operate independently and are separate from a sovereign. This presumption can, however, be rebutted if it can be shown the Government exercises control over the commercial and day-to-day affairs of the company. It remains to be seen if these requirements are met in the case of Air India,” Roy added.

25/05/21 P Manoj/Business Line

Read More

Air India: SITA Breach Hit 4.5M Passengers Globally

A cyberattack on airline technology provider SITA has affected the data of about 4.5 million passengers around the world, Air India reported.

The attack, which affected multiple airlines and was reported by SITA earlier this year, compromised data including passenger names, credit card details, dates of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information and frequent-flyer data, according to Air India. Password data was not stolen, and credit card data did not include CVV/CVC numbers, as those are not held by SITA, according to Air India. The breach involved data registered over nearly a 10-year period, between Aug. 26, 2011, and Feb. 3, 2021.

Air India had made an announcement regarding the breach on March 19 but recently issued an update, as it did not receive the identities of affected passengers until SITA gave subsequent updates on March 25 and April 5.

24/05/21 Michael B. Baker/Business Travel News

Read More

Which Gulf countries allow travel from India now?

According to government statistics provided in the Lok Sabha last year, the vast majority of NRIs live in the Gulf nations: The UAE accounted for nearly 3.5 million Indians nationals, while Saudi Arabia was home to about 2.5 million Indians. Kuwait was home to over 1 million Indians, while Qatar and Oman had over 700,000 NRIs. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions, NRIs in the Middle East have been adversely affected: Both those living in their homeland and those at their workplaces.

Here is the status of current travel restrictions in the various Gulf states >>

Read More

Private jet demand for UAE-India routes hit after aviation regulator sets tough conditions

Dubai: Private jet demand between UAE and India has taken a big hit after the UAE placed severe restrictions on chartered flights using these services.

It was last week that the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) warned operators selling seats individually on UAE-bound chartered flights from COVID-19 hotspots will be banned from flying in the country. "When business aircraft are used to transport passengers from restricted destinations, they shall not be pooled or sold per seat,” said the regulator in the circular. “Operators hired for pooling or ‘per seat offer’ may be banned from operation in the UAE”

This means that individual passengers will now have to splurge $30,000 to $50,000 to book a whole aircraft, while in the past they could get a seat only for $4,000. This will definitely affect demand for private jets, said the head of an India-based operator, who said her company’s private jet movements fell to a third of levels seen the recent past.

“Earlier, we were getting 20-25 inquiries a day, and we were probably performing four to five flights – now, the queries are 4-5, and we've been doing maybe one flight,” said Kanika Tekriwal, CEO of JetSetGo Aviation.

Although flight operators are responsible for taking passengers from point A to point B, flight tickets are sold by travel agents who often act in their own best interests. “When we get a booking, we don't know if it's a travel agent selling seats - or if it's a family booking through a travel agent,” said Tekriwal. “Ultimately, we are the end operator.”

To follow the latest UAE requirements, JetSetGo is making sure passengers on board a private jet either belong to the same family or company. “We also take a letter in that regards from the passenger confirming the same - there's only so much you can do, people who still want to lie will continue lying,” said Tekriwal.

24/05/21 John Benny/Gulf News

Read More

Family that sparked Changi Airport COVID cluster unlikely to have arrived from India

The family thought to have sparked the Changi Airport COVID-19 cluster, which now numbers more than 100 cases, is unlikely to have arrived on a flight from India.

This is because India has banned all international commercial services to and from Singapore since last March.

According to a joint statement on Sunday (23 May) from the transport, foreign affairs and manpower ministries, Singapore Airlines is only allowed to operate cargo flights to India for now. 

Meanwhile, Vande Bharat flights, operating out of Terminal 1, are the only passenger flights between the two countries. Vande Bharat is a repatriation exercise by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indian nationals during the pandemic. 

According to the ministries, some 25 passengers arrive from India every day, with the "vast majority" being returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents. An average of 180 passengers fly in the opposite direction each day. 

These flights are operated only by Indian carriers designated by the Indian government, with the approval of Singapore.

All arriving passengers at Changi Airport are subject to an Antigen Rapid Tests and a Polymerase Chain Reaction test on arrival, the ministries said. They are escorted from disembarkation through to their dedicated transport to go to the Stay Home Notice facilities for 21 days. 

On Friday, the Changi Airport Group said the initial transmission may have occurred through an airport worker who was helping the South Asian family, who arrived in Singapore on 29 April and were subsequently found to be infected. 

Phylogenetic testing results for an initial batch of infected airport workers indicated that they originated from a common source, as they were found to be similar and of the India variant, or B.1617. 

24/05/21 Yahoo! News

Read More

SpiceJet gets relief on aircraft lease default case in British court

New Delhi: A UK court has asked Irish aircraft lessor Goshawk and Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet to mutually mediate, despite recognising that the airline has defaulted on payment of lease.

Goshawk and its trustees had sued SpiceJet for $16.2 million, which the airline has been unable to pay.

In a summary judgment, the court, despite ruling that Goshawk is right to claim the amount, refused to take any action against SpiceJet on the grounds that forcing the airline to pay at this stage could result in its insolvency.

This clearly isn’t in Goshawk's best interest. It has instead asked the airline and the lessor to opt for an alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

The judgment, said airline executives, is a relief for airlines such as SpiceJet, which have been unable to pay lease rentals due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But executives of leasing firms termed it “disappointing”, saying it weakened the ‘hell or high water’ clause which is part of the lease agreement. Such a clause compels airlines to pay lease rentals, irrespective of a force majeure.

“Normally, lease agreements are covered under the ‘hell or high water’ clause, which implies that lessees ( in this case, airlines) should continue paying lease rentals, irrespective of any issues like financial losses. This judgment casts a doubt on that protection and gives a breather to airlines,” said an executive of a leasing firm.

24/05/21 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

Read More

Bahrain bans travellers from Pakistan, India

The Civil Aviation Affairs of Bahrain has placed Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka on its red list. Entry of travellers from these countries has been banned from Monday, May 24.

The suspension is not eligible for residents and residency visa holders of Bahrain. They will, however, have to show a PCR test report on the airport and quarantine for 10 days.

A precautionary 10-day quarantine is mandatory for all travellers, both vaccinated and non-vaccinated. They will either isolate themselves at their houses or the government authorities centres.

24/05/21 Samaa

Read More

India challenges $1.2 billion Cairn arbitration award, says never agreed to arbitrate tax dispute

New Delhi: India has challenged an international arbitration tribunal asking it to return $1.2 billion to UK's Cairn Energy Plc on grounds that it had never agreed to arbitrate over a "national tax dispute", the finance ministry said on Sunday.

While the government appointed a judge on the three-member arbitration panel and fully participated in the proceedings against India seeking Rs 10,247 crore in back taxes from Cairn, the ministry said the tribunal "improperly exercised jurisdiction over a national tax dispute that the Republic of India never offered and/or agreed to arbitrate."

India had seized and sold shares of Cairn in its erstwhile India unit, confiscated dividend due and withheld tax refunds to recover the tax demand it had levied two years after passing a law in 2012 that gave it powers to levy tax retrospectively.

Cairn invoked arbitration under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty.

In December last year, Cairn won an award that held the levy of taxes using the 2012 law unfair on the company and the tribunal asked the Indian government to return USD 1.2 billion plus cost and interest.

In a statement, the finance ministry called the 2006 reorganisation of Cairn's India business for listing on the local bourses as "abusive tax avoidance scheme that were a gross violation of Indian tax laws, thereby depriving Cairn's alleged investments of any protection under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty."

23/05/21 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Three months after air transport data giant SITA reported a data breach, we are still learning about the damage.

Air India said this week that personal data of about 4.5 million passengers had been compromised following the incident at SITA, Indian flag carrier airline’s data processor. The stolen information included passengers’ names, credit card details, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, Star Alliance and Air India frequent flyer data, Air India said in a statement (PDF).

CVV/CVC data of credit cards were not held by SITA, said Air India as it urged passengers to change passwords “wherever applicable to ensure safety of their personal data.”

The attack compromised data of passengers who had registered with the Indian airline over the past decade, between August 26, 2011 and February 3, 2021, Air India said in a statement.

The revelation comes months after SITA said it had suffered a data breach that involved passenger data. At the time, SITA said it had notified several airlines — Malaysia Airlines, Finnair, Singapore Airlines, Jeju Air, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, and Lufthansa — of the breach.

The Geneva, Switzerland-headquartered firm — which is said to serve 90% of the world’s airlines — had declined to reveal the specific data that had been compromised at the time of disclosure in early March, citing an investigation — which is still ongoing.

Air India said that it was first notified about the cyberattack by SITA on February 25, but the nature of the data was only provided to it on March 25 and April 5.

The struggling Indian airline, which has been surviving on taxpayer money, claimed that it had investigated the security incident, secured the compromised servers, engaged with unnamed external specialists, notified the credit card issuers, and had reset passwords of its frequent flyer program.

23/05/21 Manish Singh/Tech Crunch

Read More

India-UAE flights: Operators face GCAA ban for pooling seats on charter jets

Dubai: After becoming aware of pooling and per seat selling on chartered jets from India to the UAE, the GCAA issue a circular on Friday, saying operators hired for pooling or ‘per seat offer’ will be banned from operating in the UAE.

The GCAA is collecting all the information required from local authorities to verify flight and passenger information.

Passenger entry from India to the UAE, one of the world’s busiest air corridors, was suspended on April 25 as Covid-19 cases in India reached record highs. The only exemptions were UAE citizens, diplomats, official delegations, golden residency visa holders, and flights of businessmen.

Since then, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka have been added to the list, in addition to Nigeria and South Africa.

“When business and charter aircraft are used for all above states, requirement No.0 of safety decision 2021-22 shall be adhered to and shall include aircraft passenger configuration with number of passengers on board,” the GCAA said in the circular, a copy of which Khaleej Times has seen.

“When business aircraft are used to transport passengers from restricted destinations, they shall not be pooled or sold per seat. Operators hired for pooling or ‘per seat offer’ may be banned from operation in the UAE. GCAA is collecting all information required from local authorities to verify flight and passenger information,” the circular added.

In a previous circular issued earlier this month, the GCAA had clarified that no more than eight passengers will be allowed onboard these charter jets.

“Depending on the size of the aircraft, business jets can accommodate anything between six to 35 passengers. However, irrespective of the size of the charter, the requirements for business aircraft or small-body private jets clearly state that the number of passengers on board a flight cannot be more than eight passengers,” the GCAA had said in the circular.

Only crew (including flight and ground crew), UAE citizens; UAE long-term residence visa holders (also named golden visa) holding a valid PCR test, diplomatic personnel holding a valid PCR test; any official delegations’ personnel holding a valid PCR test; and any person holding a valid PCR test and transported on a business aircraft are allowed to enter the UAE.

Passengers who have been in India in the 14 days preceding their flight to UAE and are intending to arrive in the UAE via direct or indirect flight will not be allowed to enter UAE, the GCAA had stated.

22/05/21 James Jose/Khaleej Times

Read More

QR Code With RT-PCR Tests Mandatory for Those Flying out of India

From May 22, all passengers flying out from India will need a negative RT-PCR test report with a QR code. This was announced by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation as part of a release last week.

This is being done to make sure the test reports are authentic. There have been incidents where passengers have produced fake reports. 

This step will also ensure minimum physical contact, said the ministry.

"The airline operators are advised to accept only those passengers who are carrying a negative RT-PCR test report with QR code for boarding international flights departing from India after 0001 hours on 22nd May 2021," the ministry said in a release.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had announced on April 30 that India is extending the ban on international commercial flights (scheduled to and from India) till May 31, 2021. 

Many countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Maldives, and Canada, have banned flights from India because of the highly contagious COVID-19 strain found here.

On May 12, the European Commission had called on its 27 member-states to temporarily stop non-essential travel from India to help curb the spread of a COVID-19 variant. 

Meanwhile, flights under travel bubbles and those involved with repatriation will continue to operate. 

Starting 16 June, Vistara will operate special weekly flights to Tokyo under India’s travel bubble agreement with Japan. Air India is all set to operate flights to London.

23/05/21 Outlook

Read More

Lessors start flying out ex-Jet Boeing 737 Max from India; 2 returned home Saturday

New Delhi: The process of lessors flying out the five Boeing 737 Max that once flew for now-defunct Jet Airways, from India has started. Two companies, GECAS and SMBC, flew out a Max each from Hyderabad and Kochi this Saturday (May 22).

As part of the simultaneous global grounding, India had barred the B737 Max from flying to/from/over it on March 13, 2019. In all 18 Max — five ex-Jet and 13 of SpiceJet — were in India at that time. From late last year aviation regulators of places like the US, UK and UAE started allowing this plane to fly again after Boeing carried out required hardware and software modifications in them.

India had on April 20, 2021, paved the way for the Boeing 737 Max to overfly its airspace and also for foreign lessors of this aircraft to fly it out of here by taking permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Those overflying and those being readied for return to service and belonging to lessors have been exempted and can be flown away from India,” said a senior official for the B737 Max.

A Boeing team has been in India for the past few months to carry out required modifications for the ex-Jet’s Max “return to service” to enable lessors to fly them out of here. After DGCA’s last month order, the lessors first carried out some test flights on the two aircraft and then flew them out with DGCA clearance on Saturday.

“Two ex-Jet B737 Max did leave India on Saturday on ferry flights (without passengers and only crew). A few weeks back these same aircraft did test flights in Hyderabad and Kochi where they had been parked since the grounding,” said a person in the know.

23/05/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Only repatriation flights by Indian carriers operate between India and Singapore; 'about 25' passengers arrive each day

Singapore: Singapore receives about 25 arrivals from India each day, with the vast majority of passengers Singapore citizens and permanent residents, three ministries said in a joint statement on Sunday (May 23). 

"Currently the only passenger flights between Singapore and India are Vande Bharat flights chartered by the Indian government to bring back their citizens," said the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

"The Indian government also allows those who need to return to Singapore to take the outbound flight because these are the only available passenger flights into Singapore."

All such flights currently operate out of Terminal 1. 

Vande Bharat is a programme by the Indian government to repatriate Indian nationals from around the world.

"These flights are operated only by Indian carriers designated by the Indian government, with the approval of the Singapore Government," said the ministries. 

Air India and Air India Express are among the airlines that operate these repatriation flights. 

"There is an average of about 180 departing passengers on these flights back to India and about 25 arrivals to Singapore each day. 

"The vast majority of passenger arrivals to Singapore are returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents," said MOT, MFA and MOM. 

23/05/21 Vanessa Paige Chelvan/Channel News Asia

Read More

British Airways flight carrying 18 tonnes of medical aid flies to India as humanitarian assistance continues

A British Airways relief flight has touched down in India for the second time in two weeks as the crisis continues to grip India.  The cargo-only flight (BA257F) departed London Heathrow at 17:00 on Friday 21 May and landed in Delhi at 05:45 (local time) this morning.

The total weight of the medical aid was 18 tonnes, made up of five thousand pieces.  Amongst the medical equipment were hundreds of oxygen concentrators from charities including Oxfam, Khalsa Aid, Christian Aid and LPSUK.  Fuel partner, Air bp supported the flight and British Airways has ensured the flight is carbon offset.

Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, said: “We’re hugely grateful to British Airways for providing this free cargo space to transport vital aid like PPE and oxygen concentrators to India, where Oxfam and partners are delivering urgent medical supplies to hospitals and health centres in some of the worst-hit areas.

“This emergency kit could mean the difference between life and death for people in India facing a deadly second wave of coronavirus.

“Oxfam is able to respond in India thanks to the generous support of partners such as British Airways and all those who have donated to our emergency appeal.”

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive, said: “Earlier this week, we welcomed customers back on board as international travel starts to open up, but we are mindful that the fight against Covid-19 is not over yet.

22/05/21 André Orban/Aviation24.be

Read More

Emirates says flights from India will remain suspended until June 14, 2021

Dubai: Emirates airways on Sunday said passenger flights from India will remain suspended until June 14, 2021. The carrier added that travelers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE.

UAE Nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the revised published COVID-19 protocols will be exempt for travel, said Emirates on its website.

Passengers can choose to keep their ticket for future flights and can contact their booking office when they are ready to travel. They could also rebook their flights through their travel agent or a booking office.

Earlier this month, General Authority of Civil Aviation and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority said that the suspension of entry for travellers from India would be extended. The departments said the suspension applied to travellers from India on all flights on national and foreign carriers, as well as for transit passengers coming from India, with the exception of transit flights travelling to the UAE and bound for India.

23/05/21 John Benny/Gulf Times

Read More

Clearance confusion: Aircraft with Mary Kom, 30 other boxers onboard declares fuel emergency in Dubai, lands safely

New Delhi: A SpiceJet aircraft flying 31 members of Indian boxing contingent — including Mary Kom — to Dubai on Saturday morning had to land at the destination after declaring a fuel emergency.

The reason: the airline says it had taken special permission to operate this flight but an alleged delay in finding this authorisation by Dubai airport authorities forced the aircraft hover for about an hour.

Finally, the pilot of SG 142 had to declare a fuel emergency and then the Boeing 737 was finally allowed to land in Dubai.

The aircraft (VT-SGX) with 31 passengers and six crew members took off from Delhi at 2.19 am Saturday. It initially did not get clearance to land in Dubai and was asked to hover.

“When the pilots of this flight requested for diversion to Ras Al Khaimah, they were informed that their aircraft is not permitted to land at any airport in UAE. Clearance to land was given when the ATC was informed about the fuel condition on board. Aircraft declared fuel emergency and landed safely with two tonnes of fuel remaining on arrival,” said senior Indian aviation officials probing this case.

A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said, “We will conduct an inquiry and based on the outcome, take appropriate action.”

A SpiceJet spokesman said the aircraft carrying Indian boxing contingent on Saturday morning “reached Dubai safely and all passengers have cleared the immigration. The flight and passengers carried proper documentation. The flight was not filed/categorised as a cargo flight. It was a regular passenger flight under the air bubble agreement and the same aircraft is bringing 140 passengers to India from Dubai on its return leg.”

The aircraft was to fly back to India at 6.30 am (local time Dubai) Saturday as a quick turnaround flight. Since it took longer to reach Dubai, the airline says the crew exhausted their maximum flight time for the day. “Due to this, the aircraft will now operate to India at 7.30 am on Sunday,” said the spokesman.

22/05/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Why India Simply Refuses To Retire Its Soviet-Era MiG-21 Fighter Jets?

There is a growing outcry for replacing the MiG-21 jets, which have been the backbone of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force force has operated about 872 MiG-21 fighters since the time they were first inducted in the 1960s.

India’s indigenous platform Tejas, which was supposed the replace the Russian jets as IAF’s mainstay combat aircraft, took decades in development, forcing the government to continue to operate the MiG-21 aircraft.

India is now fast-tracking the procurement process for its homegrown LCA, although the deadline to meet the required squadron strength of 42 is unlikely to be met until 2030.

Although the two French Rafale squadrons are being inducted, with about 21 more MiG-29s and 12 Sukhoi-30MKIs being procured from Russia, IAF still needs the MiG-21 Bisons to hold the fort for now.

21/05/21 EurAsian Times 

Read More

British Airways flight carrying 18 tonnes of aid arrives in India

New Delhi: British Airways on Saturday said that another one of its relief flight has touched down in India for the second time in two weeks as the crisis continues to grip the country.

“The cargo only flight (BA257F) departed London at 5 p.m. on Friday 21 May and landed in Delhi at 5.45 a.m. this morning.”

According to the airline, the total weight of the medical aid was 18 tonnes, made up of five thousand pieces.

Amongst the medical equipment the airline cited were hundreds of oxygen concentrators from charities including Oxfam, Khalsa Aid, Christian Aid and LPSUK.

Besides, it said the flight was supported by fuel partner, Air bp and British Airways ensured the flight was carbon offset.

“Earlier this week, we welcomed customers back on board as international travel starts to open up, but we are mindful that the fight against Covid-19 is not over yet,” said British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Doyle.

“Our business has a deep connection with India, it is only right that we continue to support by joining our travel and charity partners to transport much needed medical equipment to India.”

22/05/21 IANS/Telangana Today

Read More

Pilot thrilled to fly 75 pregnant women, unborn babies safely on a Dubai-Kerala repatriation flight

Dubai: As a pilot with the Indian Navy for 21 years, Captain Yatan Mahlawat had taken part in several emergency missions and rescue operations. However, a passenger flight that he piloted from Dubai to Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala last May remains the riskiest mission of his life so far.

Captain Mahlawat, who had joined Air India Express (AIE) after his premature retirement from the Navy in 2016, flew Flight IX434 — a COVID-19 repatriation flight that had a record 75 pregnant women on board among 181 passengers — on May 16, 2020. It was his second flight as part of the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM), India’s COVID-19 repatriation drive. His first flight was the first VBM flight from Kuwait to Kochi on May 9, 2020.

When he was called in for his first VBM flight from the UAE within a week, Captain Mahlawat did not expect that it would be a more daunting task than just flying stranded expats in a PPE suit amid concerns about COVID-19 infection in the early months of the pandemic.

“But I was thrilled when I got to know the unusual number of pregnant women boarding the flight,” Captain Mahlawat recalled in an interview with Gulf News.

“I was just the lucky one assigned [to pilot that flight]. It was a pleasure that it came on my duty,” said the 49-year-old father of two.

“In the Navy also we do various missions for different types of contingencies. But we don’t carry passengers like this over there. It becomes far more interesting due to the human aspect coming into the picture in civilian flights.”

Various thoughts and concerns crossed his mind as he was preparing for the flight. “We [the crew] had to be very careful. We had to ensure they [pregnant passengers] were all at ease and we had to ensure we avoided turbulence. The biggest concern was — what if someone goes into labour.”

When you fly domestic, you have airfields all around and you can land somewhere quickly. But that’s not the case with international flights. In this case, once you cross Oman after about 20 minutes, you are flying over the sea for the next couple of hours. If you have a situation [medical emergency] over the sea, it will take at least one to one-and-a-half-hour to hit Kochi or else we have to return.”

He said he told the cabin crew members to update him about the scene behind the cockpit every ten minutes, instead of every 20-30 minutes, which is the protocol. “Luckily, three of my four cabin crew members were female.” He said his co-pilot, First Officer Arjun Divakaran, was also of great support on that special flight.

While Captain Mahlawat still clearly remembers the pressure that was on him and his co-pilot to safely transport all the mums-to-be and their unborn babies, along with the other passengers, what he was not aware of at that point of time was the presence of two doctors and nurses among the passengers.

That was part of the extra preparations made by the Indian Consulate, the diplomats said.

From among the people who had registered for repatriation, these medics who wanted to fly home urgently, were chosen to fly on the special flight.

“We sounded them [about the speciality of the high number of pregnant women on board] and also asked the airline to carry some additional medical aid in case they needed. We were worried that someone might go into labour mid-air,” revealed Agrawal.

While coordinating the special repatriation flight, he said, ambulances were also alerted to be on standby at the Cochin International Airport.

“Luckily all passengers landed safely. And the entire team breathed a sigh of relief ... thanks to the support of all the volunteers, health authorities at Dubai airport, Air India Express and Cochin Airport.”

20/05/21 Sajila Saseendran/Gulf News

Read More

AI Express to resume Vande Bharat flights to Kuala Lumpur from Trichy

Trichy: Air India Express will resume flight services to Kuala Lumpur under Vande Bharat Mission from Trichy international airport from Monday onwards. Flight services will be resuming a month after the Malaysian government suspended flight services from India.

While the bookings are expected to start in a day or two, the flight service has come as relief to many stranded Indians, especially from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who have been waiting for flight operations to resume. Many countries had suspended flight services from India since the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19.

Till a month back, Air India Express was operating eight services to middle eastern countries like UAE, Kuwait, Oman, besides Malaysia and Singapore from Trichy.

Trichy airport airport director S Dharmaraj confirmed that Air India Express has sought slot allocation for daily flight service to Kuala Lumpur from May 24. Sources from Trichy airport say that the diplomatic clearance on operating Vande Bharat Mission flights was obtained from the Malaysian government on strict norms.

Indian passengers cannot travel to Kuala Lumpur, however Malaysian nationals are given exception provided they undergo quarantine for 14 days.

21/05/21 Sampath Kumar/Times of India

Read More

Heathrow red list flights: Virgin Atlantic and Air India defend ‘essential’ travel

Three major airlines are continuing to run passenger services between London and India and two of them have defended doing so.

Air India, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are all running near-daily passenger flights from Mumbai and Delhi, despite them being on the government’s red list.

There is no direct flight ban from India, but Number 10 has already come under fire for failing to restrict travel to the country sooner, following the rapid spread of the Indian-variant of COVID-19 .

Gatwick currently has no flights from any red zone countries. But airlines at Heathrow are still offering flights for trips deemed essential.

There is no overall definition for what qualifies as ‘essential’ and no proof is required to demonstrate a trip can be classified in this way.

The government website says: “Whether travel is essential or not is your own decision. You may have urgent family or business commitments which you need to attend to. Only you can make an informed decision based on your own individual circumstances and the risks.”

20/05/21 Zak Garner-Purkis/My London

Read More

Air Canada flight transports ventilators, oxygen cylinders to India

Mumbai: An Air Canada flight carrying 40 tonne of essential supplies, including oxygen generators, cylinders and ventilators landed in New Delhi from Toronto on Thursday.

The shipment was facilitated by one of Toronto''s premier startup incubators Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC).

As many as 3,000 ventilators and other medical supplies donated by the Ontario government to the Indian Red Cross have reached New Delhi, TBDC said in a statement.

TBDC said it is supporting COVID relief efforts in collaboration with Air Canada and Government of Ontario by providing urgent medical supplies.

“An Air Canada Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operated a cargo-only flight today (Thursday) with 40 tonne of essential supplies from Toronto Pearson Airport to New Delhi. The freight included critical medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, oxygen generators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)," it said.  

Vikram Khurana, Chairman of TBDC said: "India is the world''s largest vaccine manufacturer and has so far shipped over 66 million doses around the globe. We invite the global community to help India fight the pandemic because unless everyone is safe, no one is safe."

Air Canada also carried 100 ventilators donated recently by the Saskatchewan government, it said.

20/05/21 PTI/Outlook

Read More

Guidelines for travellers returning to India

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, the Government of India has come up with several precautionary measures for people returning to India. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has reviewed the situation concerning point-of-entry actions required to minimise the risk of importation of mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2. For international travellers, except travellers coming from flights from the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East have to follow certain protocols.

Here is the list of guidelines to be followed by travellers on arrival >>

Read More

Egypt bans entry of 7 Indian passengers after testing positive for COVID-19 despite negative PCR

Egypt has banned on Thursday the entry of seven Indian passengers after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival despite of a presented negative PCR test.

Informed sources told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that health authorities at the airport tested seven Indian passengers arriving from Oman for the virus using the newly used rapid molecular test, known as ID NOW, that only takes 15 minutes to detect coronavirus infections.

The passengers have been isolated at an airport hall, before boarding the same flight back to Muscat.

The sources said that the airport’s health authorities have asked all airline operators arriving at Cairo airport to provide the names of passengers arriving from countries where the Indian COVID-19 variant has been detected.

Egypt said earlier in May that it will conduct a rapid coronavirus test for visitors from countries where coronavirus variants emerged upon their arrival in the country.

Health officials said Egypt did not detect any case of the Indian COVID-19 variant to date.

Egyptians and non-Egyptians coming from countries with coronavirus variants are required to undergo the test, and they will also be subjected to medical examination.

PCR test results are also required, which the visitors have to submit before entering the country.

20/05/21 Ahram Online

Read More

Passengers take note: several flights to India cancelled, others merged

Muscat: A number of flights to India have been cancelled and others have been merged, requiring passengers to adjust their travel plans accordingly.

"This is to bring to your kind attention that due to operational reasons, the following combinations, cancellations, and changes in routes have been decided,” said a statement from the airline.

Air India Express has cancelled six flights that were scheduled to travel to a number of Indian cities over the coming days. These include IX 917 from Hyderabad to Muscat, which was expected to take off on 20 May, and IX 443 from Cochin to Muscat (21 May), IX 337/IX 350, operating a return flight from Kozhikode to Muscat and back.

Flight number IX 443/IX 442, which was due to fly to Kochi on 22 May, has also been scrapped, as have IX 713 from Kannur to Muscat on Saturday, 22 May, and the return flight, IX 714, on 23 May.

Furthermore, the flight scheduled to depart for Hyderabad on 21 May (IX 714), and the one expected to return to Muscat from Kannur, will now operate as one: IX 713 will depart from Kannur at 23:55 on 20 May, land in Muscat at 2:25, take off at 3:35, and arrive at 9:10 in Hyderabad. It will then depart Hyderabad at 9:55, before landing in Kannur at 11:25.

Similarly, the flights travelling to Kochi (IX 442) and Trivandrum (IX 554) will also be clubbed together. IX 549 will now depart from Trivandrum at 7:50 in the morning, arrive in Muscat at 10:05, leave at 11:20 am for Kochi, before arriving at 16:30 that evening. It will then take off at 17:15 from Kochi before finishing its route at Trivandrum 45 minutes later.

“All concerned are requested to make a note of the above changes and take necessary actions at your end,” added Air India Express. “Please disseminate this information to all concerned.”

19/05/21 Times of Oman

Read More

Cairn makes damaging remarks on India’s handling of Air India

New Delhi:  If Air India was run as a truly independent juridical entity, it would have gone out of business well over a decade ago, but it is kept in existence only to further India’s interests —Cairn Energy Plc has made some damaging remarks like this on Air India and the way the government had run its day-to-day operations in its submission to the US court.

The UK-based energy giant sued Air India in a US court to recover the $1.2 billion arbitration award that it won against India in the retrospective tax dispute case.  Cairn has made a submission in the court that Air India is the alter ego of India and that it should be held jointly and severally responsible for India’s debts.

In the court filing, a copy of which is with The New Indian Express, Cairn has said that India does not observe corporate formalities but rather stacks the board of Air India with politicians and civil servants, all the while India dictates the airline’s everyday policy decisions at every level. It went on to add that government revenue including the revenue taken from Cairn Energy is funneled into Air India to keep “this unprofitable enterprise running”.

In its court submission, Cairn Energy has given five reasons as to why Air India should be held liable for the outstanding dues of the Indian government. Cairn argued that only does India support Air  India financially through grants, capital contribution, guarantees, loans, and special tax treatments, but India essentially controls Air India’s access to other sources of funding, including private bank loans, Air India’s earnings from air service operations, including by regulating fares and routes, as well as Air India’s spending. It added that Indian government officials manage the airline and control its day-to-day operations. “India appoints Air India’s leadership, sets their pay, and has the power to remove them from their position.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to an Air India Board of Directors dominated by government officials, and to the prompt removal of Directors or managers who criticize India’s micromanagement of the airline,” it stated in its filing. The third reason it gives is that all of Air India’s profits and losses are borne by India, the government even guarantees loans of Air India. In  return, says Cairn, Air India provides India with valuable services by upgrading government employees’ tickets  for free, delaying collection of outstanding payments, and purchasing specially made  aircraft exclusively for government VIP service. 

Fourthly, India forces Air India to undertake uneconomic transactions to accomplish foreign policy goals, to fly routes that generate more losses than revenues for its own political and diplomatic purposes, and to give government officials perks on its airlines. And lastly, it noted that the distinction between Air India and India is illusory, and respecting those differences would inequitably allow India to shield its assets from creditors.

19/05/21 Dipak Mondal/New Indian Express

Read More

Indian residents of UAE spend thousands of dollars to charter private jets to Dubai amid travel restrictions

A number of Indians spent thousands of dollars on charter flights to Dubai to reunite with family and return to work amid commercial travel restrictions.

Doctors and businessmen who are UAE residents paid up to $5,400 (Dh20,000) each for seats on jets from Delhi and Mumbai.

The UAE announced the suspension of travel from April 24 for travellers and transit passengers from India after a deadly surge in Covid-19 cases there. The General Civil Aviation Authority has not said when normal services will resume.

Exempted passengers include UAE citizens, diplomats, those travelling on business planes and golden card residence visa holders.

Dr Pawan Agrawal, 41, was in Varanasi, northern India, for his father’s funeral and was distressed when the flight ban was extended beyond May 14.

“It has been very emotional. My dad died after three days of fever. I was consoling my mother and family, and had to keep checking if flights were opening up,” said the critical care specialist.

When he discovered a Facebook group was planning to book a business charter flight, the doctor dipped into his savings.

The cost for such a flight rose from about $3,300 (Dh12,000) to $5,400 after a new GCAA safety rule limiting passenger numbers aboard a business aircraft to eight from 13.

“Everyone had a common motto, they want to come to the UAE for their job and family,” he said.

“It’s a lot of money and many people cannot afford it because they have jobs that pay less. I was worried in case the flights don’t start for a few months and then my leave will be over and I would have to go on leave without pay."

Last year, people spent upwards of $37,000 to charter 13-seater private jets when incoming passenger flights to the Emirates were shut for more than three months.

Chartering a flight from India typically costs $6,500 to $9,000 per flying hour, depending on the aircraft type. The flight from Delhi to Dubai takes a little over four hours.

19/05/21 Ramola Talwar Badam/Coronavirus

Read More

Saudi family infected with COVID-19 evacuated from India

Jeddah:  Authorities airlifted a Saudi family from India after it tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

After a 15-hour journey, the family returned to the Kingdom safely and is now receiving medical care.

Following directives from King Salman for the immediate evacuation of the Saudi citizens, the Air Medical Evacuation Department of Health Services at the Saudi Defense Ministry made arrangements for their transfer from the crisis-hit country.

India is worst hit by the pandemic and last week, the country broke a world record after recording 416,000 cases.

Critical coronavirus cases in the Kingdom are continuing to rise at an alarming rate despite a growing number of recoveries.

On Tuesday, seven patients were admitted into intensive care units, raising the total number of patients in critical care to 1,384.

Authorities also recorded 1,047 new coronavirus cases, with the Riyadh region leading with 326 cases, Makkah with 250 and the Eastern Province with 122.

In total, there have been 435,027 coronavirus infections in the Kingdom since the beginning of the pandemic. There are now 8,078 active infections across Saudi Arabia.

Tuesday saw 847 new recoveries, raising the total number of recoveries over the course of the pandemic to 419,761. The Kingdom’s recovery rate is holding steady at 96.49 percent.

18/05/21 Rawan Radwan/Arab News

Read More

Kenyan Seeking Treatment in India Killed Over Ksh737 Fare

A Kenyan national who had travelled to India for treatment was found murdered near the Indira Gandhi International airport (IGI), which serves as the international aviation hub of the Indian capital of New Delhi.

According to detectives in India, the 50-year-old man was allegedly killed after an argument over the travel fare of Rs 500 (Ksh737) with a taxi driver.

Three men including the driver were arrested over the incident as investigations are being carried out.

 He added that upon contacting the daughter of the man, they discovered that he had been in the country for two weeks for treatment of his heart disease.

"But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his treatment was postponed by the hospital and he was coming back to his country via Somalia," he told reporters.

The police added that the Kenyan was denied immigration clearance at IGI Airport as he did not have a visa for Somalia and could not travel.

After leaving the airport, he boarded a taxi where the driver along with two of his friends had dropped off another passenger. He requested to be dropped off at a nearby hotel.

"On the way, they had a heated argument with the deceased over the fare and they started beating him after stopping their car. After physically assaulting him, they dumped him near another hotel and managed to escape along with his luggage and other valuable items," the police revealed.

Their investigations included using footage from a CCTV camera which helped identify the vehicle leading to the arrest of the three men.

The accused were produced before a Delhi Court and sent to 14-days judicial custody.

In April 2021, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced the government's decision to suspend flights to and from India for 14 days following a spike in Covid-19 infections in the country. 

19/05/21 Michael Musyoka/Kenyans.co.ke

Read More

Indian digital clocks to replace Swiss timers in Mi-17 cockpits

Chandigarh: The Swiss-origin aviation clock installed in the cockpit of Russian Mi-17 V5 utility helicopters in service with the IAF are being replaced with an indigenously developed digital clock.

The project has been entrusted to No.3 Base Repair Depot (BRD) here, which is responsible for the maintenance of Mi-series helicopters.

The digital clock, at times referred to as chronometer in aviation parlance, will be developed in collaboration with public or private commercial entities while adhering to military specifications and operational requirements, IAF sources said.

The digital clock keeps track of flying time that has elapsed. It also has the option for providing specific information or a particular type of display.

The quartz aviation clock presently installed in the helicopter was developed by Revue, a Swiss luxury watch maker.

18/05/21 Vijay Mohan/Tribune

Read More

NAC allowed to conduct seven flights to transport Indian nationals to Saudi Arabia

Kathmandu: The national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is to drop Indian nationals currently stuck in Nepal to Saudi Arabia.

The NAC has, on the recommendation of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, scheduled seven flights to Saudi Arabia targeting those Indian citizens who arrived here en route to the largest country in the Middle East with the Indian Government decision to suspend the international flights there in a bid to stem the spread of the second wave of COVID-19. They are stranded in Nepal following the suspension of international flights from Nepal also since May 6. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has permitted the operation of 10 flights to take Indians to their destinations. The NAC and Himalaya Airlines are each sharing seven and three flights. 

NAC Spokesperson Karishma Shrestha said seven flights have been arranged for those Indians desperate to go to Saudi Arabia and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is coordinating toward that end.  Earlier, the NAC had also got directions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the same. Five flights are for Riyadh and two for Dammam. 

According to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, the NAC was assigned to make seven flights to Saudi Arabia due to its noticeable performance during the COVID-19 crisis.

The NAC is also engaged in operating cargo flights to transport most essential supplies which also includes medical goods from several countries at a time when the country is battling with the second wave of COVID-19. 

19/05/21 My Republica

Read More

Delhi CM cannot decide on civil aviation policy, foreign variants: India to Singapore

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's push to ban flights from Singapore has led to a diplomatic incident with the Singapore government, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) squarely taking the latter's side.

India has clarified to Singapore that the government stands with Singapore's assessment of it's own COVID-19 situation, stressing on the fact that the Delhi CM does not speak for central policies.

"Singapore Government called in our High Commissioner today to convey strong objection to Delhi CM's tweet on "Singapore variant". High Commissioner clarified that Delhi CM had no competence to pronounce on Covid variants or civil aviation policy," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on May 19.

A day before, Kejriwal had appealed to the Centre to ban air services with Singapore owing to a deadly new variant emerging in Singapore.

"The new form of coronavirus in Singapore is said to be very dangerous for children. It could reach Delhi in the form of a third wave. I appeal to the centre that : 1. Cancel all air services with Singapore with immediate effect 2. Work on vaccine alternatives for children on a priority basis," the Delhi chief minister had said in a tweet in Hindi on 18 May.

But, Kejriwal's call has now been criticised by the government with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar tweeting out a rebuke. "Irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships. So, let me clarify- Delhi CM does not speak for India," he said.

The minister added that Singapore and India have been solid partners in the fight against COVID-19 and appreciated Singapore's role as a logistics hub and oxygen supplier.

"Their gesture of deploying military aircraft to help us speaks of our exceptional relationship," Jaishankar said.

He was hinting at Singapore marshalling military aircraft to quickly transport critical oxygen supplies to Indian companies.

19/05/21 Subhayan Chakraborty/Moneycontrol

Read More

Covid relief poured in from 20 countries: Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Over 387 tonnes of Covid relief supplies from about 20 destinations arrived into India through the Mumbai airport in the past three weeks on 110 flights, said a Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson on Wednesday.

"The first shipment arrived on April 26 and till now, the Mumbai airport has registered the arrival of approximately 110 flights originating from 20 destinations across the globe," siad the spokesperson. That included over 17,700 oxygen concentrators, 3,19,800 vials of Remdesivir injections and 1,13,900 vials of Tocilizumab injections approximately in the period between April 26 and May 14 to cater to the increase in demand of these goods for the treatment of patients in India.

The airport has achieved an overall processing time of 15 minutes, including offloading and storage, for essential medical supplies, the official said. Aid has poured in from 20 destinations including Singapore, Mauritius, Netherlands, Indonesia, China, Scotland, South Korea, Malaysia, England, France, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Poland, Turkey, Germany, Dubai, South Africa, Thailand, California, and Hong Kong.

19/05/21 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Airport chaos as passengers stand next to UK arrivals 'from red list' for hours amid variant concerns

British arrivals faced chaotic scenes as they were stuck waiting next to passengers from countries on the red list for three hours.

Passengers at Heathrow Airport said that the crammed conditions left them with the fear of catching COVID-19.

Some said that they were left queuing next to arrivals from India which is currently being devastated by the coronavirus, according to the Mirror.

It comes after England and most of Scotland eased lockdown restrictions including reopening foreign holiday travel to certain countries.

They have been placed on a traffic light system with red being the highest risk and green being the lowest risk.

India, which has seen COVID-19 rampage through the population, is on the red list, meaning a hotel quarantine and multiple tests are needed when traveling.

The Mail Online reports that passengers had taken advantage of at least 340 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick believed to be destinations in the medium-risk amber category.

These were said to have included nine flights to Rome, 21 to Paris and 26 to New York - on what is likely to be one of the busiest days of the year for British airports.

One traveller stuck in the queue in Terminal 2 at 10:40am said: "I arrived back in the country from South Africa - one of the red listed countries. I was more terrified catching Covid while going through border control than walking around South Africa.

"While queuing there was no social distancing we had a plane from India arrive straight after ours and we queued for over three hours and when their plane arrived it was out the door."

Heathrow said the limited reopening meant that it had 11,000 people flying out on Monday, up from 7,000 a day last week but well below the 120,000 typical at this time of year pre-pandemic.

18/05/21 William Walker/Naina Bhardwaj/Daily Record

Read More