Fire grounds Dreamliner test flights

US aerospace giant Boeing's delay-plagued 787 Dreamliner program suffered a fresh setback on Wednesday as the company halted all test flights following a fire aboard a test plane.
"We have decided to focus on ground testing and not fly the airplanes until we better understand the incident on ZA002," Loretta Gunter, a Boeing spokeswoman, told AFP.
Smoke filled the cabin of the ZA002, one of Boeing's six test 787s, on Tuesday, forcing an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas. The plane had departed from Yuma in Arizona.
The ZA002 test plane was painted in the livery of Japanese launch customer All Nippon Airways, and equipped with a Rolls-Royce engine.
"Right now, we don't see any connection with the engine," Ms Gunter said.
The British firm has been in the spotlight after a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 blew out in mid-air, forcing a Qantas Airbus A380 superjumbo to make an emergency landing earlier this month.
Boeing's 787s are equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
The 787 delivery schedule had been pushed back in August from a target of early 2011 due to a delay in the availability of a Rolls-Royce engine.
Ms Gunter said a Rolls-Royce engine had exploded during ground tests in September.
It is the second time Boeing has halted 787 test flights, suspending them for "a couple of days" in June, she said, without explaining the reason.
At the time, US media reported it was because of problems with the plane's tail stabilisers.
Last week, Aviation Week reported that Boeing has warned some 787 Asian customers of delays of up to 10 months, citing industry sources.
The airlines affected were Korean Air, Air India and Japan Airlines, the industry publication said.
11/11/10 ABC News

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Invision Air plans to fly VLJs for air taxi service

Mumbai: Air taxis operated with small aircraft called very light jets or VLJs — a phenomenon that has captured the imagination of the North American market — will soon make an entry into India.
Invision Air, a Mumbai-based telecom antenna company getting into the general aviation business beginning next year, is planning to launch an air taxi by 2010. The company has recently ordered 20 such aircraft (Phenom 100), worth about $70 million, from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
Seeding the market before the arrival of the Phenom VLJs, the company plans to start charter aircraft operation early next year with Cessna Citation CJ-1 aircraft. Speaking to ET, the company’s promoter Vinit Phatak said, “There is a huge gap in the market between the club/first class passenger and the executive jet owner.”
The first phase of operations will be with leased Cessna planes for charter flights. Invision Air will invest close to $15 million in the operations in the initial phase, Mr Phatak said. The company will subsequently scale up to air taxi operations, offering flights on demand at airports across the country.
VLJs have operating costs similar to turboprops and piston-engined planes, which have historically dominated the small aircraft market. The new breed of aircraft have attracted much attention for being lighter and more economical than the older-generation planes.
30/11/07 Economic Times

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Jet Airways looks at flying in Europe

Jet Airways is likely to spread out its wings in Europe. The airline was given sanction by the government to fly to Barcelona, Paris, Manchester and Vienna, which will be under a code-share agreement with Brussels Airlines, reports Economic Times.
The request of the airline for code-sharing with American Airlines is, at present being considered by the government. The airways had recently designated traffic rights for Birmingham, Madrid and Geneva.
Jet Airways set up its hub in Brussels in order to strengthen its international operations. The company is operating flights to New York, Toronto and London via its European hub.
30/11/07 Myiris.com

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Jet to suspend flights from Ahmedabad to London

Mumbai: Facing poor passenger response, Jet Airways is planning to suspend international flights to London’s Heathrow airport from Ahmedabad after mid-January.
Malaysia Airlines has recently pulled out flights to Kuala Lumpur from Ahmedabad because of the same ­reason.
Jet is operating three flights a week from Ahmedabad. The airlines opened this route in March, targeting the Gujarati and non-resident Indian community staying in the UK.
“We will withdraw Ahmedabad-London flights from 15 January and will deploy this capacity into Amritsar-London route,” said Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, chief executive officer of Jet. “The passenger load factor of Amritsar is comparatively better than Ahmedabad,” he added.
Prock-Schauer said the airline will route passengers for the UK from Ahmedabad through Mumbai as it is the closest airport for them.
30/11/07 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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India's GMR to bid for Prague airport privatisation in H2 2008 -

Mumbai: GMR Infrastructure Ltd is looking to enter a bid for the planned privatisation of the Prague airport, one of the more profitable state-run enterprises in eastern Europe, in the second-half of 2008, Business Standard reported.
The report cited the company, whose consortium previously won the rights to run Istanbul's Sabiha Gokeen International Airport with a 1.9 bln eur bid, as saying it is too early to speak about the Prague development but confirmed that preparations are on.
30/11/07 Thomson Financial/AFX News Limited/Forbes, US

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SIA plans more flights from 8 Indian cities

Kolkata: Singapore Airlines is planning to increase the frequency of its service from all the eight cities it currently operates in India, apart from another three serviced by its subsidiary airline Silk Air.
"Frequency of flights we are daily flying from those destinations in India will be doubled subject to government approval," Subhas Menon, Regional vice-president, West Asia and Africa told newspersons here.
"We want to double the flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore," he said.
"Hyderabad and Kolkata, from where we operate four times a week, will be made daily services, while we also have plans to increase the frequency from Amritsar and Ahmedabad," he said.
The airline has already applied for permission to the Singapore government so that it could pursue it with the Indian government, Menon said.
30/11/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Flight a day to Singapore

Calcutta: Singapore Airlines is set to start its daily service from the city. Now, it operates four times a week.
“We will start daily services from Calcutta as soon as the Indian government grants us permission,” Subhas Menon, the regional vice-president (West Asia and Africa) of Singapore Airlines, said on Thursday.
“We hope the formalities will be over by next summer,” added Chai Woo Foo, the airline general manager (India).
The airline announced an advance promotional offer, a 40 per cent discount, for Calcuttans willing to fly to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in February. The Calcutta-Singapore-Calcutta fare will be Rs 8,000, plus taxes and surcharges, against the normal fare of Rs 14,500.
The Calcutta/Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-Calcutta package will be available at Rs 9,500, plus taxes and surcharges. The normal fare is Rs 14,500.
Tickets will have to be purchased from December 1 to 10.
30/11/07 The Telegraph

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Software error results in hundreds of bags left off planes

Singapore: Several hundred bags left off departing aircraft at Changi Airport have been reunited with their owners, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) spokesman said Friday.
A software error affected an electronic component of the baggage sorting system in Terminal 2, forcing airport staff to manually sort bags.
SIA, the terminal's main tenant, said that more than 500 of its bags were grounded Wednesday.
Fourteen flights were delayed to cities in India, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
Affected passengers discovered they were without clean clothing, toiletries and other essentials when they arrived at their destinations.
Spokesman Stephen Forshaw told The Straits Times that the bags were cleared by security and sent off to be delivered to owners.
30/11/07 Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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Shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers worldwide

Cyberjaya: There is a need to overcome the worldwide shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers (AME).Department of Civil Aviation director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said the number of aircrafts has quadrupled in the past 20 years. Read On >>

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Singapore Airlines to screen Tamil blockbuster in air

Chennai: For the first time in its history, Singapore Airlines has bought the airborne rights of an Indian movie for its in-flight entertainment. The Tamil blockbuster 'Sivaji' will now be shown on its flights.
The airline has acquired exclusive rights for the Tamil blockbuster movie 'Sivaji' for an undisclosed sum, Bharath Mahadevan, manager, southern India, Singapore Airlines, told reporters here Wednesday.
'We paid three times more than what we used to pay even for Hollywood titles,' he said.
The airline acquired the airborne rights from London-based Ayngaram International, which bought the overseas rights from AVM Productions, the movie production house.
'This is the first time 'Sivaji' is being shown in a media other than movie theatres. Even before the DVD rights got commercialised, Singapore Airlines has bagged the rights,' said S.C. Babu, CEO, AVM Productions.
He said the DVD rights will be operational in three months and the television rights two years from now.
As per the deal, Singapore Airlines gets to enjoy three months exclusivity to show its passengers the Tamil movie.
28/11/07 IANS/Earthtimes, UK

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Kingfisher to fly abroad on Deccan's ticket

Bangalore/Mumbai: Vijay Mallya, the new leader in domestic skies, will fly international routes under Kingfisher and Deccan brands from the next calendar year.
Putting to rest speculation whether he will be able operate Kingfisher brand internationally, UB Group chairman Mallya said: “There has been confusion around this, and I would like to clarify that Deccan Aviation will also do businesses as Kingfisher Airlines by 2008. The government rules says the operator or the company has to complete five years, but it does not talk about logo, or aircraft livery or brand.”
In fact, Kingfisher is finalising parking bays and time slots for itself at New York and San Francisco airports. The airline is also booking space for operating exclusive lounges in these international hubs, Mr Mallya told ET.
He was categorical that UB Holdings Ltd’s 46% stake in Deccan Aviation would allow him to use the latter’s entitlement to fly overseas with Kingfisher brand.
Accenture which has been entrusted to work on ways to unlock synergies between the Deccan and Kingfisher, including a possible merger, will also look into mapping of potential international routes for both the airlines.
Deccan completes five years of domestic service in July-August 2008, meeting the requirement to start international operations.
29/11/07 Economic Times

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DFS wins duty-free retail deal at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), has terminated its contract for duty-free retail with the IPCL-Aldeasa combine and awarded it to DFS, a LVMH Möet Hennessy Louis Vuitton group company.
DFS, one of the largest airport retailers in the world, has won the deal paying a minimum guarantee of Rs 260 crore, about 60% lower than the original bidders, the ITDC-Aldeasa consortium.
Apart from the guaranteed amount, DFS also has a revenue share deal with MIAL, that is triggered if turnover crosses a certain amount, sources close to the deal said.DFS will be responsible for designing and building the shopping environment, sourcing a wide range of international luxury brands and developing a promotion strategy for duty free shopping at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
With the new agreement in place, duty-free operations, in India’s largest international airport, are now expected to start from January 2008. They have been held up since June, as the earlier consortium failed to formalise the joint venture.
29/11/07 Economic Times

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ThyssenKrupp Services purchases Apollo Metals Group

Duesseldorf-based ThyssenKrupp Services AG is expanding its aerospace materials services activities by acquiring a 100-percent stake in the UK-based company Apollo Metals Group, which includes Aviation Metals for an undisclosed fee from Murray International Holdings, UK. Apollo provides high-grade products such as aluminium, stainless steel and non ferrous metals with value-adding processing services predominantly for aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains.
The acquisition is subject to the approval of the Supervisory Boards and the Competition Authorities. It is anticipated that the transaction will be completed before the end of this year.
The acquisition will combine Apollo's largely European and Far Eastern businesses with ThyssenKrupp Services' largely USA based operations to form a global enterprise with 30 locations in 13 countries and a turnover in excess of $700m. Apollo's CEO Stuart Wilkins is appointed President of the new division, which will be called ThyssenKrupp Aerospace.
Apollo was a public company from 1988 until 2000. It was acquired by the Murray Group in 2004 since when its growth has been dynamic. In the last 3 years it has opened facilities in China and India and expanded its operations in the UK, Australia and continental Europe.
28/11/07 Epicos.com (press release), Switzerland

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Air India too targeting South Africa's pilots

South Africa's best pilots are being lured by promises of lucrative packages and better prospects from big international airlines. Read On >>

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SriLankan scores a century in India

SriLankan Airlines is proud to become the first foreign airline to operate one hundred flights per week to India.
The airline is celebrating this achievement by offering 1,100 return tickets between Colombo and its 11 Indian destinations at an incredible rate of 100 rupees each. This offer is exclusively for travellers in India and Sri Lanka who book through the airline’s website.
Sri Lanka’s National Carrier reached the important milestone when it added another weekly flight to its existing services to Trichy on 27 November.
Coimbatore became SriLankan’s 11th destination in India on 22 October 2007. It operates two flights a day to Chennai and Mumbai, and daily or more frequent flights to New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trichy, Trivandrum, Kochi, and Calicut. There are four flights to Coimbatore and three to Goa.
28/11/07 Forimmediaterelease.net (Press Release), Hi, US

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Tav Signs Preliminary Contract With Two Indian Companies

Istanbul: Turkish TAV Airports Holding has signed preliminary contracts with two Indian companies for the Greater Noida Airport project, it was reported.
In a press release issued to the Stock Exchange, TAV noted that it signed preliminary contracts with Indian IL&FS Transport Network Ltd. and Parsvnath Developers Ltd. and will submit a bid for the "Greater Noida Airport" project.
27/11/07 Turkish Press

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Boeing India chief inducted as USIBC director

Washington: The US-India Business Council, an advocacy group of 250 of the largest US companies investing in India, has announced the appointment of Ian Thomas, president of Boeing India, to its Board of Directors.
I am honoured to accept this appointment on behalf of The Boeing Company - and to help represent our interests as well as those of US industry on the USIBC Board,' said Thomas, who was appointed president of Boeing India in January 2007.
Thomas holds a master's degree in international relations and a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge, a graduate degree in social sciences from the University of Stockholm, and a bachelor's degree (cum laude) in history from Amherst College. Prior to joining Boeing he served in the office of the US Secretary of Defence.
The Boeing Company is a Chairman's Circle member of the USIBC, the highest level of membership. The company is very active in USIBC activities and chairs its Aviation and Defence Committees.
27/11/07 Arun Kumar/Earthtimes, UK

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Cabinet decision to benefit airlines opting for Exim financing

New Delhi: The Cabinet decision to accede to the Cape Town Convention could see not only Air India save as much Rs 264 crore on the 68 Boeing aircraft deal but also benefit other Indian airlines going for Exim financing to cut their aircraft acquisition costs.
The Cape Town Convention offers a host of benefits to lessors and those into the business of mortgage of aircraft, including providing additional security for repossession of aircraft in case of default especially when payment obligations have not been met.
Official sources told Business Line that after India signs the Convention and the document is filed with a United Nations agency in Rome, the US Exim would be in a position to lower its exposure fee on the Boeing aircraft being purchased by the Air India from three per cent to two per cent. “The total exposure for the 68 aircraft is to the tune of $6 billion. The savings due to the one per cent decrease would work out to around $66 million or about Rs 264 crore,” sources said.
27/11/07 Business Line

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Soon, more senior citizen pilots in Indian skies

New Delhi: The skies are expected to get greyer. We’re not talking about weather conditions, but the increase in the number of pilots above the age of 60 in Indian skies. Read On >>

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Bird-hit, fog delay flights

New Delhi: Indira Gandhi International Airport here was crammed with passengers on Monday morning because of a series of delays and diversion of a flight to Delhi owing to fog in another city.
Passengers of a Dubai-bound Air India flight scheduled to depart on Sunday night had to wait for almost 24 hours at the airport because of a bird-hit. As a result, passengers scheduled to go to Frankfurt in the same aircraft (AI 137) on Monday morning got delayed by several hours.
The Dubai-bound flight AI 747 was to take off at 8-30 p.m. on Sunday, but the aircraft that was coming from Dhaka was grounded because of a bird-hit.
Since the same Delhi-Dubai flight was affected on Saturday as well causing backlog, another aircraft carrying the rest of the Dubai-bound passengers will be flown on Tuesday morning, another airline official said.
There were also reports that some passengers had a heated argument with the Air India officials over the delays and inconvenience caused to them.
27/11/07 The Hindu

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AI services to Dubai, Frankfurt-Los Angeles sectors disrupted

New Delhi: Two services of Air India to Dubai and Frankfurt-Los Angeles were disrupted as a Boeing aircraft, coming here from Dhaka, suffered bird-hit while landing at the IGI Airport here leading to protests by irate passengers.
One of the four engines of the Boeing 747-400 plane was severely damaged in the incident when it landed here on Saturday evening.
The aircraft, which was to operate to Dubai yesterday morning, return and then fly off to Frankfurt and onwards to Los Angeles the same evening, had to be grounded, an Air India official told the media here, adding that as a consequence, the services on these two sectors were disrupted.
Though the official asserted that the passengers were accommodated in hotels yesterday, the passengers complained of lack of efforts on part of Air India to take care of them.
The official said there was a crunch in the number of aircraft as some have been deployed for the Haj operations.
However the airline managed to spare a Boeing 747 and sent it to the Frankfurt-Los Angeles this afternoon, while another aircraft took the stranded passengers to Dubai late this evening.
26/11/07 Economic Times

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AI service to Dubai delayed for 24 hrs

New Delhi: Air India has done it again. 300 passengers bound for Dubai spent nearly 24 hours at Delhi airport. The flight took off on Monday evening.
Passengers booked on Air India need to take this advice very seriously.
“They are the worst airline. Please don't fly air India,” says one passenger.
Three hundred passengers were booked on an Air India flight from Delhi to Dubai, leaving Sunday.
The flight was delayed over 20 hours. 200 transiting Bangladeshi passengers couldn't even leave the airport.
27/11/07 Karma Paljor / CNN-IBN

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Sri Lanka IOC unit eyes aviation fuel at new airport

Lanka IOC, a unit of Indian Oil Corporation, had applied to supply aviation fuel at a proposed new airport in southern Sri Lanka, a top official said.
"We have applied to the government to provide aviation fuel at the new Weerawila airport," Lanka IOC managing director K Ramakrishan told LBO.
"The airport needs infrastructure for fuel."
Sri Lanka has announced that it is building a new airport at Weerawila in the southern Hambantota district of the island.
Fuel at the existing Bandaranaike airport in Colombo is provided by the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).
Aviation fuel supply is a profitable business as it is not under price control from the government.
Infrastructure at the Katunayake airport was not included in the jointly owned common user facility that Lanka IOC shares with the CPC.
It had been eying the aviation business at Katunayake for several years, but the government has so far not allowed competition at the country's only international airport.
27/11/07 Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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Mortal Remains of Kenya Air Crash Victim Arrive

Beltangady: The mortal remains of Ruby Paul, who had died in a Kenyan plane crash , were brought to her native place, Bangady in Indabettu village on Monday, November 26 evening.
Ruby Paul, daughter of Paul and Mary, died in plane crash at Cameroon on Saturday, May 5. She was on her return flight to India after vacationing for 2 months in Cameroon.
However, it took a long time to identify her body, because it had been charred in the air crash.
Finally, the remains were identified by means of a DNA test, which was done in United Kingdom. Her mortal remains were brought to Mumbai on Sunday and to Mangalore airport on Monday, November 26. Ruby?s parents and relatives were present at the airport to receive the mortal remains. Later they were brought to Bangady at about 4 p m.
26/11/07 Daijiworld.com

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AI may join global Star Alliance, hints Swiss International Airlines

New Delhi: Air India’s bid to join Star Alliance, the global alliance of international airlines, seems to be gathering strength. Swiss International Airlines CEO Christoph Franz, in the Capital to flag off daily flights between Delhi and Zurich, re-affirmed his company’s close ties with Air India and the need for a ‘strong Indian partner’ in the global alliance.
Swiss Airlines is already part of Star Alliance, which also includes Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA (Japanese airlines), Asiana Airlines (Korean airlines), Austrian airlines, BMI (UK), LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair,Tap Portugal, Thai and US Airways. While Franz did not say it in so many words, he indicated that AI might find a place in the alliance.
27/11/07 Anubhuti Vishnoi/Indian Express

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Swiss Airlines starts new Delhi-Zurich service

New Delhi: Swiss International Airlines said it has launched new weekly flights between Zurich and Delhi and plans to enhance its capacity by 15 per cent in 2009.
"The non-stop services from Delhi to Zurich, in addition to seven flights from Mumbai, showcases that India is not just a key trade partner for Switzerland, it is also becoming increasingly popular as a Swiss tourist destination," its CEO Christoph Franz said. The new services would double the Swiss flights to 14.
The Swiss flag carrier is operating the route to Delhi with an Airbus A330 aircraft offering 228 seats - 48 in business class and 180 in Economy class, he said, adding that the size of the aircraft would be enhanced by 2009 to hike passenger carrying capacity by 15 per cent. The airline commenced the daily service between the two countries, providing passengers with better connectivity and flexibility.
26/11/07 Agencies/Financial Express

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The growth in India's aviation likely to serve as an opportunity for NSW companies

New Delhi: Australian companies from New South Wales (NSW) can benefit from the booming USD 150 billion development of the aviation industry in India, according to John O' Neill, Executive Director and General Manager, Tourism NSW. He said that the opportunities presented by this important trading partner for NSW were very real, and on a scale unlike no other. As per a Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) report, opportunities for NSW companies due to the growth of Indian aviation were discussed between Morris Iemma, Premier, NWS and Praful Patel, Minister for Civil Aviation, India, recently in New Delhi. Patel briefed Iemma on the plans for developing new airports across the country and the subsequent need for more skilled manpower in the industry. He added that these requirements will present an excellent opportunity for NSW-based educational institutes.
Discussions also included considering more direct flights from Indian cities to Sydney, which is currently NSW' fastest growing tourism market.
26/11/07 TravelBizMonitor

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"Airlines other than AI to operate from Kozhikode"

Kannur: Amidst complaints from passengers about national-carrier Air India's services at Kozhikode, the Centre was taking steps to invite other international airlines to operate from the airport, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, E Ahmed, said Sunday.
"I am given to understand that the Civil Aviation ministry, considering the people's anguish over unsatisfactory performance of Air India flights, unfortunate delay and change of schedule, which may sometimes become inevitable, will take steps in the first week of next month and hold consultations with other international airlines," he told PTI.
"It might take one or two months for allowing more flights from Kozhikode after completion of formal talks with other international airline operators," he said.
25/11/07 PTI/The Hindu

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CAE expected to cash in on new international pilot training licences

Montreal: A new international rule that allows commercial airline co-pilots to gain licences with minimal actual flying experience could be money in the bank for simulator manufacturers and pilot training firms like Canada's CAE Inc. Read On >>

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Bahrain Air to fly soon

Bahrain Air, the first privately owned low priced airline in Bahrain, announced that its flights will be open for bookings on 16 December, 2007.
Passengers can book their flights to Dubai, Beirut, Mashhad and Alexandria through Bahrain Air Web Booking Engine, Bahrain Air Call Centre or through appointed travel agents.
The announcement was made at the Bahrain Air press conference which was held at the Movenpick Hotel and chaired by Shaikh Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Chairman of Bahrain Air.
Bahrain Air will use a fleet of all modern Airbus A320 aircraft and has ambitious plans to expand its operation within GCC, Middle East, Africa and the Indian Sub Continent regions.
26/11/07 AME Info (press release), United Arab Emirates

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Fliers survive mid-air scare at IGI

New Delhi: The aviation ministry’s delay in earmarking separate runways for take-off and landing at IGI are bringing fliers closer to a disaster.
The most recent close call was on Friday when two aircraft narrowly missed colliding into each other - they were both cleared for take-off almost simultaneously even though there has to be a gap of three minutes between each departing plane.
Since the planes were to take off towards Dwarka - where the runways almost merge - the aircraft could have been involved in a mid-air collision.
The lives of hundreds of passengers were saved as the air traffic control realised its mistake in time and asked one of the taxiing planes to stop before it could get airborne.
The incident happened around 11.30 am when an Uzbekistan Airways plane was just lifting off from the main runway of the airport and a SpiceJet aircraft (SG 253 to Goa with 200 passengers on board) was cleared to begin taxiing for take off on the secondary one.
‘‘An aircraft reaches take-off speed in 37 to 42 seconds. In this case, the plane had initiated rolling and did that for seven seconds when the pilot was asked to abort take-off,’’ Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Kanu Gohain said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is now conducting an inquiry as the air traffic control, prima facie, was found to have committed a mistake.
24/11/07 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Accident averted at Delhi airport

New Delhi: An accident was averted at the Delhi Airport on Friday when a Goa bound SpiceJet flight was asked to abort take-off by Air Traffic Controller (ATC) after spotting another flight using the same runway.
Official sources said that twin runways are being used at the Delhi Airport and the SpiceJet flight was immediately asked to abort take-off after an Uzbek Airline plane was found using the same runway. As many as 200 passengers were on board the SpiceJet aircraft.
SpiceJet flight, which was scheduled to take-off at 1145 hrs, finally departed Delhi at 1300 hrs.
When contacted, a SpiceJet official said: "The cause of the incident will be known once a complete DGCA enquiry is done."
23/11/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Mumbai cancels duty free operators` contract

New Delhi: Duty-free operations in Delhi and Mumbai appear to be in disarray with contractors in both airports accusing the joint venture airport developers of overcharging them.
Meanwhile, after a spate of arguments, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a consortium of India’s GVK Airports Company and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), terminated the contract with ITDC/Aldeasa yesterday.
ITDC/Aldeasa, a joint venture between state-owned Indian Tourism Development Corporation and Spanish company Aldeasa, had bagged the contract for duty-free operations at Mumbai airport for Rs 571 crore in February.
Operations were to start in June. Instead, two weeks ago, Aldeasa wrote to MIAL saying that the contract value should be reduced to Rs 250 crore.The latest contract bid was almost eight times ITDC’s previous duty-free contract with the Mumbai airport authorities.
ITDC/Aldeasa said that going by the infrastructural constraints they would not be able to break even before two years.
The sources said MIAL refused to concede on the grounds that reducing the contract value would make several other players who had bid eligible for the contract.
24/11/07 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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AWAS delivers A321-200 to Kingfisher

AWAS, one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors, has announced it has delivered an A321-200 to Kingfisher Airlines Limited. The India based airline has taken delivery of the new aircraft (MSN 3302) on a nine year lease. AWAS will also deliver another new-build A321-200 to Kingfisher before the end of the month.
Once the second delivery is complete, Kingfisher will have a total of five AWAS aircraft on lease.
23/11/07 Newsdesk (pressmeddelande), Sweden

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Cessna considering India too for plane building facility

Cessna Aircraft Co. plans to announce next week where its new light sport aircraft will be manufactured.
One place it likely won't be is the United States. To offer the new plane, called the Model 162 SkyCatcher, at a competitive price, "a major part of that content has to be built someplace else," said Jack Pelton, Cessna's chief executive.
Cessna spokesman Bob Stangarone said company officials traveled to Argentina, Australia, China, the Czech Republic, India and Poland to search for a place to build the plane.
"We have looked literally everywhere in the world," Pelton said.
Cessna has taken more than 850 orders for the SkyCatcher since formally launching the program in July. The first 1,000 will sell for $109,500 before the price rises to $111,500.
The plane's first flight is scheduled for the first half of 2008 with deliveries to begin in the second half of 2009.
At full production, expected by 2011, Cessna plans to produce up to 700 of the aluminum planes a year.
Demand for Citation business jets is prompting Cessna to add about 1,500 jobs in 2008, about 1,200 of them in Wichita, officials told The Eagle earlier this week.
24/11/07 Molly McMillin/The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com, US

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BA, TCS to develop onboard cabin crew service directory

Chennai: British Airways is talking with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to jointly develop an ‘on-board cabin crew service directory’ to enable the cabin crew access the right kind of information, including passenger preferences, according to the airline’s Chief Information Officer, Mr Paul Coby.
The new solution will be in addition to the cabin crew software management solution that TCS is building for British Airways to help the airline monitor its 15,000 plus cabin crew located at Heathrow and Gatwick in the UK, and at international locations such as Buenos Aires, Delhi and Bahrain.
TCS and British Airways will jointly work on both these two solutions to be developed at the TCS Travel and Hospitality Innovation Lab in Chennai.
The new solution will be first deployed on new aircraft that British Airways plans to buy in the next couple of years.
23/11/07 T.E. Raja Simhan/Business Line

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Indian aviation bodies accused of neglecting Karippur airport

Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) should remain vigilant against the “divide and rule” policy of Indian national airlines, according to a representative of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce which is spearheading an agitation against the “neglect” of Karippur International Airport in Malappuram.
M P M Mubasheer, an executive committee member of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce, was speaking to Gulf Times yesterday.
Mubasheer is visiting Qatar on an invitation from Gulf-Calicut Passengers Association (Gapac), a Doha-based forum of expatriates from northern Kerala, which was formed recently to protest against what it called “the indifferent and stepmotherly attitude” of the National Airport Authority of India (NAAI) and Indian Civil Aviation Department towards Karippur International Airport.
The Malabar Chamber of Commerce official said NAAI and the Civil Aviation Department has treated “no other airport in India as badly as the way they neglected Karippur”.
Karippur is one of the busiest airports in India, handling an average of 78,000 international and 20,000 domestic passengers every month, said Mubasheer.
“Despite this, when it comes to the issue of granting foreign airlines landing rights there, the Indian aviation officials are deliberately turning a blind eye towards the airport even as they allow them at airports such as Nagpur and Coimbatore. The records released by the civil aviation officials themselves have confirmed that the two airports have very little international traffic compared to Karippur,” he said.
24/11/07 Gulf Times, Qatar

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Egypt Air plans daily operations on Mumbai-Cairo route by 2008-end

Mumbai: Egypt Air, which enhanced operations on the Mumbai-Cairo route from two-flights-a-week to three-flights-a-week earlier this year in June, is now planning to elevate the frequency to daily flights. The airline is also looking to add New Delhi and Bangalore on its route map by operating thrice a week to both the cities. "We have acquired the traffic rights to start more flights to India since last year. However, since we do not have additional aircraft in our fleet at this point of time, we have not been able to enhance operations to India. We are planning to deploy A330 aircraft on all the new flights, which are likely to be launched by 2008-end", said Ahmed Wasfy, Regional Manager- India, Egypt Air. Apart from connecting Mumbai with Cairo, the airline also flies thrice a week on the Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur route. It operates an A330 aircraft on both the routes.
23/11/07 Krupa Vora/TravelBizMonitor

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Ethihad proposes to add eight new destinations

Kochi: Ethihad Airlines proposes to operate to eight new destinations in India, including Chennai, Hyderabad and Kozhikode, by next year.
The airlines has sought permission to fly to destinations including Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Amritsar and all the planned operations were subject to bilateral regulations, Ethihad Airways Acting Country Manager Neerja Bhatia told a press meet here.
Ethihad is presently operating seven flights a week to the UAE from Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It has plans to introduce one more flight from Kochi from January next.
The airline is also planning to introduce A320 aircraft for Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram after which daily two flights would be operated from the two cities to UAE.
23/11/07 PTI/Economic Times

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Obese passenger wins case against Air France

Paris: A Frenchman who weighs 170 kilograms has won a court case against Air France after it made him buy a second seat on a flight from New Delhi to Paris, he told AFP.
Jean-Jacques Jauffret, a 43-year-old screen-writer, said he was deeply humiliated when airline staff measured his girth with wrapping tape in front of other passengers at New Delhi airport.
Air France was ordered to pay 8,000 eur in damages and to reimburse the cost of his second seat, in a ruling delivered last Friday.
Returning to France from a holiday in India in August 2005, Jauffret was told that as the plane was full he could not be assured a free seat next to him. Instead he was told to buy the extra ticket.
22/11/07 Thomson Financial/Forbes, US

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Nadine Coyle misses plane to India to meet Jesse Metcalfe

Nadine Coyle is reportedly reconciled with Jesse Metcalfe.
The couple split in April after the hunk, 28, went into rehab but Jesse is said to have wooed the Irish singer back.
He arranged a luxurious holiday for them both in Mumbai but the dopey actor forgot to sort out Nadine's Indian visa.
The Girls Aloud star, 22, was turned away from Heathrow airport last week.
'She was in floods of tears - she was desperate to join Jesse and spend some quality time with him,' a source tells the Daily Mirror.
'It was such a romantic gesture, she'd told all her pals and was clearly very excited. She pleaded with airport staff but was told that rules were rules and they couldn't make an exception.
'She cried her heart out before phoning Jesse and telling him she couldn't come. He told her not to worry and he would see her very soon.'
22/11/07 Now Magazine Online, UK

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"Breach of standard separation; Not near air collision"

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) investigating into the near air collision of the special aircraft carrying UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and a Virgin Atlantic flight has revealed that the incident took place due to breach of standard separation and was not a near air collision.
The civil aviation minister, Mr Praful Patel, told the Lok Sabha today that the DGCA had issued civil aviation requirements making it mandatory for aircraft to install Airborne Collision Avoidance system (ACAS) from January 2003, which enables the pilot to have a position picture of all aircraft in his vicinity and their reference height and distance from his aircraft.
Mr Patel said it also guides the pilot to take evasive action whenever any aircraft comes in proximity to his aircraft.
Non-RVSM aircraft have been restricted to flying in RVSM airspace above 29,000 feet. Flexible use of airspace to reduce traffic congestion has also been implemented. Apart from these, several new measures are also being initiated.
22/11/07 The Statesman

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SACL in talks with Kingfisher to start direct flights to Sydney

Mumbai: Sydney Airport Corporation Ltd. (SACL) is in talks with Kingfisher Airlines to start direct flights to Sydney. The airline is keen to start four flights per week, eventually looking at a daily frequency. "We are planning to start operations from the winter of 2008, since the peak season to Australia starts from the last week of October," said Hans Mitterlechner, Head - Traffic and Route Development, SACL.
SACL refused to divulge details about the incentives offered to Kingfisher Airlines. However, Mitterlechner said that it will comprise aero charges, other expenditure and revenue enhancing tools.
22/11/07 Krupa Vora/TravelBizMonitor

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Lost baggage: Airlines blame travellers

Last month, an international air traveller touched Delhi from Toronto via Paris, but his check-in baggage didn’t. “Upon enquiring about its status, an official told me it would be delivered at my residence the next day,’’ he said. In the meantime, he was asked to fill a form listing luggage details. While the luggage did arrive as stated, “Its zipper was damaged and a laptop, which I had mentioned in the list, was also missing”.
Consumer organisations say such cases of pilferage, lost and damaged baggage have only increased alongwith air traffic, especially in transit flights on international routes.
Although both airlines and consumer groups advise against carrying valuables in check-in baggage, a traveller may have genuine reasons for doing so. A 60-year-old Jaipur resident always checks in his laptop since he suffers from arthritis. Says Mumbai consumer activist Jehangir Gai, “They are supposed to make a special declaration (of checked-in valuables) for which they must pay a charge. One must not try to economize on that.’’
The Delhi traveller says he wasn’t given any declaration form to fill.
at Air Passengers’ Association of India. Reddy says the traveller must approach the airline’s help desk, and claim compensation after filling a baggage details form.
The Delhi traveller, however, was not offered any compensation, although he did receive a letter of regret. “When you are paying Rs 80,000 for a ticket, and this happens, it only shows that there is a clear lapse in service, and I am really disappointed.’’
Locally, says Kirti Bhatt of Ahmedabad’s Consumer Education & Research Centre (CERC), according to the Carriage by Air Act, 1972, domestic airlines must offer Rs 450 per kilo for lost or damaged baggage.
23/11/07 Rucha Biju Chitrodia/Times of India

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804 foreign pilots to fly in India

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has cleared 804 foreign pilots to fly in India, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, told Parliament on Thursday. Read On >>

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Club One Air to set up light jet repair centre

New Delhi: Air charter operator Club One Air is in talks with US-based business aircraft manufacturer Eclipse and another American aircraft manufacturer to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services centre for very light jets (VLJs) in India.
"We are in advanced talks with Eclipse Aviation to bring the very first VLJ, the Eclipse 500 to India soon. We plan to tie-up with them to put up an MRO service centre in India. While Eclipse will provide the aircraft and maintenance technology, we will fund the entire project and provide the crew and charter services for the aircraft," said Manav Singh, promoter and managing director, Club One Air.
Singh had held talks with Eclipse and other manufacturers at the Dubai Air Show last week. Eclipse Aviation has Microsoft chairman Bill Gates as one of the key shareholders in the company.
For the MRO centre, which would incur an investment of below Rs 500 crore, Club One Air is in talks with state governments in Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh for land for the project.
The first VLJ will be inducted into Club One?s charter services by March next year. The carrier plans to add at least 10 aircraft between March 2008 and March 2009.
22/11/07 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Kingfisher asks for early A380 deliveries

In a bid to get a headstart on international operations, which it will be eligible to commence in 2008, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd is asking Airbus SAS to advance delivery of the five A380s it has ordered.
Kingfisher has placed five firm orders for the A380, the world’s largest commercial airliner, with deliveries scheduled for 2011-12.
“We have requested Airbus to advance the deliveries of these planes to 2009-end,” said a Kingfisher executive familiar with the development, who did not wish to be identified.
The executive added that the A380s would be used for non-stop flights between India and the US, and on other long-haul routes.
Vijay Mallya, CEO of Kingfisher, confirmed that the company was “trying” to advance the deliveries. Airbus SAS executive vice-president (marketing & contracts, customer affairs) Kiran Rao said he couldn’t comment on the issue at this stage. It is unclear if Airbus could advance deliveries of the A380.
Until October, the aircraft manufacturer had received firm orders for 165 A380s.
21/11/07 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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Confident Group places orders for five aircraft

Bangalore: Confident Group, a city-based conglomerate, placed firm orders for five aircraft and one helicopter in different categories at the just-concluded Dubai Air Show 2007. This purchase bag, which includes three jets, two piston aircraft and a helicopter, makes the group the largest buyer from the Indian chartered airlines industry. The total purchase value was over 72 million dirhams.
Diversifying into the chartered space, the Confident Group plans to promote the concept of fractional ownership of aircraft and helicopters in India. “The group is creating unique opportunities for high net worth individuals and large organisations to own personal jets and helicopters,” said a company press release.
21/11/07 The Hindu

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Snags ground 3 more AI flights

New Delhi: Air India's spell of bad luck just doesn't seem to end. A short while after the airline saw several delays spread over four days, on Wednesday, the airline had three planes on ground - all stranded due to technical snags. Consequently, about 500 passengers were stuck in different parts of the world, even as A-I tried to get them to their respective destinations.
According to sources, AI 520 in Dhaka was scheduled to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday night, after an over 28-hour delay. The flight from Mumbai to Dhaka via Delhi that was to reach Dhaka on Tuesday morning and return to Delhi at 6.25 pm the same day, was stranded in Mumbai due to a technical snag. Eventually, after much delay, the Tuesday flight was cancelled.
In the second case, AI 307, Tokyo-Bangkok-Delhi, arrived in the Capital on Wednesday after it was grounded in Tokyo on Sunday due to a technical snag.However, the aircraft developed more problems and had to be grounded in Delhi as well.
In third case, AI 856, Kuwait-Kochi-Chennai, that was to leave from Kuwait at 2.40 am (local time) and reach Chennai at 12.20 pm on Wednesday, was stuck there.
22/11/07 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Inaugural Haj flight takes off from Karipur

Malappuram: The first Haj flight under the State Haj Committee took off from Calicut International Airport at Karipur on Wednesday afternoon carrying 215 pilgrims to Jeddah. Minister in charge of Haj Affairs Paloli Mohammed Kutty flagged off the inaugural flight AI 2451 at 12 midday, which took off 35 minutes later.
Air India operated A300-B4 aircraft, the first twin-engine wide-body aircraft in the world produced by Airbus in 1976, for the inaugural Haj flight from Karipur. Air India will fly six more A300-B4 to carry Haj pilgrims from Karipur.
The second flight will leave Karipur at 12.45 p.m. on Thursday. There will be three flights each on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. There will be 31 Haj flights till December 6 to carry 8,243 pilgrims under the State Haj Committee.
22/11/07 The Hindu

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Forum backs initiative on Kerala airport

Expatriate forum Kannur United Welfare Association Qatar (Kuwaq) has extended support to initiatives by Gulf Calicut Passengers Association (Gapac) to highlight grievances of passengers at Kerala’s Karippur airport. This was decided at a executive committee meeting of Kuwaq held recently.
Kuwaq stressed that the indifferent attitude of Indian airlines had cost a number of passengers their jobs. Demanding early clearance for foreign airliners at Karippur, Kuwaq also appealed to Indian carriers to improve service.
The Kuwaq executive committee said it conduct a trip for members to Al Shamal Garden on the second day of Bakrid. Those interested can register with office-bearers, latest by November 30.
22/11/07 Gulf Times, Qatar

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Warnings over Sikh extremists ignored, Dosanjh tells Air India inquiry

Politicians and police did not appreciate the danger Sikh extremists in Canada presented at the time of the Air India bombing and did not take warnings seriously, Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh told the Air India inquiry Wednesday.
Dosanjh, who represents the Vancouver South riding, spoke out publicly against Sikh extremism in Canada while a lawyer and activist in the early and mid-1980s. He was hospitalized in 1985 after being beaten by a Sikh extremist wielding an iron bar.
"If you have two brown guys arguing, it becomes a tribal issue," Dosanjh told the inquiry in Ottawa, which is examining the investigation into the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 that killed 329 people, including 82 children.
"Those assaults and those threats, people in power and people out of power felt they weren't happening to Canadians."
Dosanjh, a former NDP premier of British Columbia and a former Liberal federal cabinet minister, recalled that he never got an answer from then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney when he wrote to warn him of the gravity of the problem in 1985.
The letter was sent just two months before a bomb destroyed the plane as it was en route from Canada to India. Among the victims were 280 Canadian citizens, mostly born in India or of Indian descent.
Dosanjh also told the inquiry he shared a perception with many members of the Indo-Canadian community that the Air India investigation would be treated differently had it been an Air Canada flight that was attacked instead.
"Without really accusing anyone, I would ask the question: 'Were police as alert and aggressive in pursuing the issue?' " Dosanjh said. "I think that's a legitimate question."
"It took some time for people to really wake up to the fact that this was a Canadian tragedy."
21/11/07 CBC New Brunswick

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Taiwan pilots may 'jump' to foreign airlines

Taipei, Taiwan: While most Taiwanese enterprises have relocated their production abroad, it is now time for domestic airplane pilots to jump on the exodus bandwagon to pursue higher pay and fringe benefits, an official with the Taiwan Airline Pilots Association said. Read On >>

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Global pilot shortage a looming crisis in Canada

The shortage of commercial pilots flying the skies above Canada and the world over is so serious that the International Civil Aviation Organization predicts at least 15,000 new pilots will be needed every year in the next two decades. Canada and the U.S. will need at least 60,000 new pilots by 2020. Read On >>

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Talk of reverse merger lifts Deccan Aviation

The Deccan Aviation stock rose over 23.23 per cent on Tuesday to Rs 191.5 on rumours that the company might go for a reverse merger with UB Group’s Kingfisher Airlines after delisting itself from the stock exchange. In its place, Kingfisher Airlines would list itself on the stock exchange.
The rumours rose from the news that Deccan Aviation which runs ‘Simplify’ Deccan might get clearance to launch its international operations as it completes the mandatory five years before it is allowed to fly foreign routes. As the UB group owns nearly 46 per cent stake in Deccan Aviation and is all dressed up to operate international routes, it wants to piggyback on the Bangalore-based airline to start its operations.
Kingfisher Airlines is positioned as a premium brand and hence the group believes that it is the right choice to fly international routes. While Deccan Aviation officials dismissed talk of reverse merger as speculative, a UB Group spokesperson declined to make any comments.
21/11/07 K. Giriprakash/K.S. Badri Narayanan/The Hindu

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More AI flights on the Kozhikode-Gulf sector in offing

Kochi: National carrier Air India plans to introduce more flights on the Gulf-Kozhikode sector after completion of the Haj pilgrimage.
The AI has introduced 20 per cent more flights on the sector in its winter schedule, which came into effect from October, Airlines Chairman and Managing Director, V Thulasidas told reporters here.
From Kozhikode, the airlines was operating maximum number of flights and there was a demand for more. After Haj pilgrimage was over, 10 to 13 additional flights would be introduced, Thulasidas said.
At present over 71 flights are being operated by the Air India to the Gulf from Kozhikode. Air India Express (AIE) was operating 47 flights a week, while AI has 14 weekly flights. Some flights of erstwhile Indian Airlines were also operating on the route, he said.
20/11/07 PTI/Economic Times

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Cial has foreign airports on radar

New Delhi: Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial), the company that built the new international airport at Kochi, India’s first to be built by a private sector firm, is looking to build airports in India and in other countries in an effort to tap growing demand for airline infrastructure in many parts of the world.
Cial plans to participate in the modernization programme of 35 non-metro airports in the country and also wants to build airports in Sri Lanka, Ghana, Angola and Papua New Guinea, according to S. Bharat, managing director, Cial.
Bharat added that Cial is in talks with an international finance company and a technical partner to promote a new company that will handle these projects.
“The government of Sri Lanka has invited us to study the possibilities of building an airport there. We have got offers from Ghana, Angola and Papua New Guinea. Cial’s team will shortly visit those countries,” he said.
Cial plans to take up overseas airport projects on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) or build-own-operate (BOO) basis.
He declined to name the international partners citing confidentiality agreements.
“We are also looking at bidding for the ongoing airport projects within India as we can make airports at lower cost,” Bharat added.
21/11/07 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint

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Singapore Airlines wants more flights to India

Bangkok: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has asked the Indian government to give it more slots to fly to the country as the international carrier is already facing up to 20 percent overbooking on the sector ahead of winter vacations.
'India is in favour of deregulation,' said Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of SIA, expressing optimism that the Singapore-based international carrier will get more slots to meet the demand for international travel in India.
Between January and August this year, passenger traffic between Singapore and India grew 17.5 percent compared to the same eight months of the previous year.
Presently, SIA has 55 flights to India a week and is hoping to get double dailies to Delhi from its present seven flights a week by summer 2008, subject to clearance from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The last bilateral air services agreement with India was inked in January this year but SIA hopes more slots will be allowed before the next one is negotiated between the two countries.
21/11/07 Neelam Mathews/Earthtimes, UK

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Raytheon Completes GPS Testing In India

Raytheon Co. has completed the final system acceptance test to augment standard GPS signals over India, the company announced Nov. 20. The test of the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) Technology Demonstration System is an important milestone in the transition to satellite-based navigation for civil aviation, the company said.
When completed, the system, which monitors GPS signals for errors and generates correction messages to improve positioning accuracy, will join other space-based augmentation systems in providing precise navigation, boosting safety, efficiency and capacity across India and the surrounding region.
The Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India will embark on the next phase of the program, which will expand the existing ground network, add redundancy and produce the certification analysis and documentation for safety-of-flight commissioning.
20/11/07 Satellite Today, USA

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Air India recruiting pilots from abroad

Kochi: Facing flak following frequent flight disruptions over the past three days, national carrier Air India said it was facing shortage of pilots and was trying to overcome the situation by recruiting them from abroad. Read On >>

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Indian student's death: Faulty fuel filter suspected in US plane crash

Boynton Beach: Federal investigators found an improperly assembled fuel filter on the single-engine plane that crashed on a golf course west of the city last month, killing a flight instructor and an Indian pilot student and critically injuring another Indian student. Read On >>

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Air India trial spectators brought weapons to court

Sheriffs routinely seized weapons at the Air India trial from spectators trying to enter the high-security Vancouver courtroom, according to evidence entered at the Ottawa inquiry into the June, 1985 bomb plot.
Special security measures implemented at the Vancouver Law Courts for the terrorism trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were largely successful, a report prepared for the inquiry said.
"Nonetheless, the Air India Sheriffs Service Department routinely confiscated knives, bludgeoning weapons and even bullets at its security checkpoints," said the report, titled The Management of Terrorist Mega-Trials.
"Occasional disputes arose between a victim's family members and a supporter of the accused, but these never escalated beyond verbal attacks."
The trial, which resulted in acquittals for both Messrs. Malik and Bagri in 2005, was held in a specially constructed multimillion-dollar courtroom.
Special security costs for the trial were $2.8-million between 2002 and 2005, the report said.
An operational plan for the trial included emergency provisions for bomb threats and "nearly every security-related event."
Supporters of the accused during the 19-month trial routinely attended, including admitted drug dealers and gangsters who were subsequently convicted in other criminal cases.
Some family members of victims complained that attempts were made to intimidate them in the public gallery.
The Air India inquiry, headed by Commissioner John Major, is now looking at the unique challenges of so-called "mega-trials" which can last months or years.
20/11/07 Kim Bolan/CanWest News Service/National Post, Canada

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Special judicial panels for terror cases a bad idea, Air India inquiry told

Ottawa: Appointing special three-judge panels to oversee high-profile terrorist cases could raise the spectre of politically motivated "show trials" in Canada, the Air India inquiry has been told.
Bruce MacFarlane, a University of Manitoba law professor, acknowledged Tuesday that the present court system has trouble coping with lengthy and complex mega-trials of terror suspects.
But he cautioned against radical reforms such as adopting a three-judge system to replace the traditional single jurist. Such a drastic move could undermine the credibility of the whole process, he told the inquiry headed by former Supreme Court justice John Major.
"I don't think we should place Canadians in a position of saying in essence: 'Oh, this is going to be a lengthy terrorist trial, we have special courts for that.' I think that raises huge legitimacy issues, would not serve Canada well and would lead to criticism based on political agendas, show trials and arguments of that sort."
The use of multi-judge panels to preside at terrorist prosecutions is a key reform suggested by the families of victims of the 1985 Air India bombing that took 329 lives.
They were outraged by the 2005 acquittal of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, two of the men accused of the attack, following a 19-month trial in Vancouver that was heard by one judge without a jury.
Major has been directed, in the terms of reference handed to him by the Conservative government, to consider three-judge panels as a possible alternative in future cases.
20/11/07 The Canadian Press

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Govt cracks the whip on Air India

New Delhi: After a streak of flight delays and cancellations by Air India, the government has come down hard on the airline and threatened strict action. Six international flight of Air India were delayed and cancelled in the past two days after technical glitches and flight duty time restrictions (FDTR) of the crew forced massive delays and several international circuits — London, New York, Birmingham, Toronto, Dubai, Bangkok and Muscat — were affected.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel took stock of the situation on Monday and threatened strict action against those found responsible for the lapses.
“There have been complaints of slack service in the past and now with such frequent delays ‘strong corrective action’ would be taken. Responsibilities will be fixed on all AI staffers who were on duty during that period and other technical issues will also be examined,” said a senior official of the ministry of civil aviation.
20/11/07 Economic Times

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AI flights delay: Govt warns of action

New Delhi: Government has taken a strong view of the delay in several Air India flights during the past two days, with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel warning of action against those found responsible for the lapses.
At least six flights out of Delhi's IGI Airport were delayed due to technical and other reasons in the past two days, causing hardships to passengers. Air India has already ordered a probe into the circumstances which caused the delay. Official sources said the Minister has warned that "strong corrective action" would be taken against those found responsible.
Responsibilities would be fixed on all those Air India staffers who were on duty during the period when these flights were delayed, they added.
19/11/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Patel hints at strong action after delays ground Air India

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has taken a strong view of the unprecedented delays of Air India’s flights on Saturday. In fact, civil aviation minister Praful Patel has promised strong corrective action against those who were responsible for delays. At least five aircraft, scheduled for midnight, for destinations such as London, New York, Birmingham, Toronto, Dubai, Bangkok and Muscat were delayed by reportedly as much as 32 hours.
Air India has already ordered a probe into the circumstances that caused the delay.
Responsibilities would be fixed on Air India staffers who were on duty during the period when these flights were delayed, an Air India spokesperson said.
“The worst affected were AI-111 Delhi-London-New York flight and AI-841 Delhi-Abu Dhabi-Muscat flight. The New York-bound flight, scheduled to take off at 7:20 am on Saturday, was rescheduled for 12:40 pm on Sunday. Similarly, the flight headed for Muscat was to take off at 12:35 pm on Saturday left around 16 hours later,” the spokesperson added.
19/11/07 Financial Express

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Network congestion caused midair scare on PM's flight

New Delhi: The Air India One carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his entourage back from Moscow to Delhi on his foreign trip had some anxious moments midair as the pilot had to avoid flying over Afghanistan because of last minute developments.
And congestion on the airwaves meant he could not get in touch with Pakistan ATS to notify a route change immediately.
When all attempts failed, he used the plane's satellite phone to speak to Delhi ATS who got in touch with their Pakistan counterparts and got the rerouting cleared. And the Air India Boeing 747-400 made its way back to Delhi late on Monday night last week.
Air India One was facing a problem many aircraft flying to Delhi from Moscow or other European countries usually encounter — flying over Afghanistan that is fraught with last-minute changes. They are often forced to take the alternate, but circuitous routes, instead to take care of exigencies like bad weather or other disturbances.
20/11/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Keralite bodies join hands to address woes at Calicut airport

Doha: About a dozen expatriate organisations, representing the southern Indian state of Kerala, have launched a joint campaign to address the problems faced by passengers at the Calicut Airport, one of the three international airports in the state.
The airport has been lately in the news in the Gulf as well as in Kerala, following frequent complaints and even strikes by Gulf-based passengers due to delayed flights, cancellation of flights and the alleged mistreatment of passengers by airline crew.
Several Keralite organisations in Qatar have now come under a common platform to fight against the alleged injustices meted out to the passengers by the two Indian carriers.
The forum, named the Gulf Calicut Air Passengers Action Committee (GAPAC), comprises leading community organisations like the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC), Indian Cultural and Arts Society (Incas), Sanskriti, Indian Islamic Association, Qatar Indian Islahi Center, Qatar Muslim Islahi Center, Thrissur Jilla Souhrida Vedi, among others.
Several small organisations representing the Malabar region of the state, where the Calicut airport is located, are also members of the forum.
20/11/07 Peninsula On-line, Qatar

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American Airlines To Codeshare With Jet Airways

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines has applied for U.S. Department of Transportation authorization to begin codeshare cooperation with Jet Airways ( India) Ltd.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said under the proposal, American would place its AA designator code on Jet Airways flights to certain cities in India beyond the Jet Airways Delhi hub. In turn, Jet Airways would place its 9W designator code on certain American domestic flights out of New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
In addition, American and Jet Airways would codeshare and cooperate on traffic between the U.S. and India that connects at Brussels Airport. The application proposes that codesharing operations begin Jan. 16.
19/11/07 Jennifer Tershak/Dow Jones Newswires/CNNMoney.com

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Low-cost airlines force Avalon to upgrade

Avalon airport executives are heading overseas this week to drum up business for a new $30 million international terminal designed to attract low-cost carriers to the former aircraft testing field near Geelong.
Owner Linfox is hoping at least to triple annual passenger numbers at the airport over the next three to five years as a result of the move and expected domestic expansion.
Linfox Airports managing director David Fox said yesterday: "We're about to go on a bit of a tour to have discussions with several different parties."
Linfox is hoping the new terminal will be an attractive alternative for long-haul, low-cost carriers emerging in the Asia-Pacific region and eyeing Australia.
Avalon is the home of the Australian International Airshow and has aircraft from around the world visiting for the binennial event. It has a 3000m runway capable of handling wide-bodied aircraft and has Boeing 747 aircraft landing at a Qantas maintenance facility there.
Its owners have spent $13million since 2004 to establish the airport, about 55km southwest of Melbourne, as a low-cost domestic airport and annual passengers numbers have grown to about one million on 70 weekly interstate services. The airport is already strongly favoured as a destination by Malaysian-based AirAsiaX, which began flying from Kuala Lumpur to the Gold Coast last month.
Mr Fox cited India's Kingfisher Airlines and carriers in Macau as other possibilities.
20/11/07 Steve Creedy/The Australian/NEWS.com.au, Australia

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Air India fuels passenger fury

New Delhi: Another Air India flight has failed to take off, leaving passengers stranded for several hours in the capital. Delhi airport witnessed scenes of chaos after passengers of Air India flight AI 307 were informed that their flight's take off had been cancelled.
The AI flight coming in from Tokyo to Delhi was scheduled to leave for Mumbai at around 7 pm last evening (November 18) when the 120-odd passengers were informed that their flight had become "unoperational".
To add to their miseries, passengers claim none of the airport authorities were forthcoming with regard to information about their flight resulting in major scuffle that broke out between Air India employees and passengers and many including women and children were reportedly detained by authorities.
Relatives who had returned to collect their families also complained that AI authorities had refused to release their luggage.
The passengers also allege that despite the flight situation, no arrangements were made for their stay till at least 2 am.
19/11/07 Times Now.tv

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Flights late, airline ‘hides’

New Delhi: Hundreds of passengers including diabetics spent up to 18 hours without food or sleep at Delhi airport as Air India officials “hid” from them after announcing massive delays.
Security officials called in an airport doctor to attend to the aged and ailing among those abandoned in the security area, where no food is available.
Overall, nearly 1,000 passengers were stranded without help — or even information — after Air India flights to Dubai, Muscat, Qatar, New York, Shanghai and Toronto were delayed.
At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, Mohammed Aftab said: “I have been here since last evening. I still don’t know when my flight to Dubai will leave. It is almost 24 hours.”
“Only a few junior officials are present (and they) have no information or authority,” said passenger Jagdish Sharma. The Air India assistance booth at the departure lounge was deserted.
“There was no airline official to address passenger complaints,” an airport official confirmed.He said the crew of the Qatar-bound flight “went into hiding” after announcing a delay to passengers who were already seated in the aircraft.
An Air India spokesperson claimed the delays were between one and five hours. He blamed them on “technical reasons, congestion at the check-in counters and unavailability of the bay”.
19/11/07 The Telegraph

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Passengers from Delhi reach Abu Dhabi after 16-hour ordeal

Dubai: About 150 Air India passengers finally landed in Abu Dhabi after being stranded for over 16 hours at New Delhi.
Leaving terminal two of the Abu Dhabi airport, they looked peeved but at the same time relieved to have finally reached their destination.
Their flight AI-841, which was supposed to take off on Saturday at 12.45pm, was delayed and the stranded passengers were given accommodation at the Grand Hyatt.
They were asked to report to the airport as early as 3am, but could only board the aircraft at 5.15am.
What got the passengers infuriated was when they were told that they would have to put up with further delay as the pilot and the cabin crew had to take their mandatory rest.
The passengers' plan to block the runway was thwarted after security personnel and airline officials intervened. The plane finally took off for Abu Dhabi at 1.30pm local time yesterday and arrived in the UAE at 4.30pm local time.
Mumtaz Ahmad, who spoke to Gulf News soon after he arrived at Abu Dhabi, said the passengers had a tough time getting in touch with Air India officials at New Delhi airport.
Air India spokesperson Ashok Sharma said the flights that failed to take off in time were to Dubai, Muscat, Toronto and New York.
18/11/07 Indo-Asian News Service/Sunita Menon/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Agitated passengers protest at Kozhikode airport

Kozhikode: Agitated over the inordinate delay in flight services caused by fog over the airport at Dubai, passengers staged a protest at the International airport here on Sunday after the Air India Express flight arrived 24 hours behind schedule.
Passengers of the delayed flight included former Kerala Minister and Muslim League leader M K Muneer who led the protest before the Airport's Emigration Counter for a while.
The agitated passengers complained that the airline authorities did not even bother to treat them properly despite the severe inconveniences they had to face, due to the delay.
The flight, scheduled to arrive early here in the morning, reached here at 4 am on Sunday.
A visibly agitated Muneer told the media that the issue would be brought to the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's notice.
Meanwhile, the Air India Express Dubai-Kochi flight, which was scheduled to arrive on Saturday at 5.10 am landed at Kochi international airport only at 4.20 am on Sunday. The passengers initially refused to disembark, protesting the delay.
18/11/07 PTI/The Hindu

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SriLankan plans to sell Indian Railways' inventory at Colombo

New Delhi: SriLankan Airlines plans to sell Indian Railways' inventory to India-bound passengers at Colombo Airport, initially for routes out of Delhi and subsequently for most or all of the 11 destinations that the airline flies to in India, with a current total of 99 flights. The airline, which has check-in counters for its flights at railway stations in Belgium, is currently in discussion with Indian Railways for having a precisely opposite arrangement whereby it will offer passengers the facility to book Indian Railways' tickets, according to Dimuthu Tennakoon, Manager - Maharashtra and Gujarat, SriLankan Airlines. He added, "Delhi is the first destination for which this arrangement will be implemented but a similar arrangement for South Indian destinations is also very likely since a lot of our India-bound passengers flying in from Colombo opt for flights to Chennai and Hyderabad and then travel up north by train."
While international airlines have interline agreements with most Indian domestic carriers for onward connections and feeder services to and from destinations that the former don't fly to, SriLankan Airlines' arrangement with Indian Railways, when it materialises, will be an undeniable precedent and may open the avenue for similar tie-ups between Indian Railways and other carriers.
19/11/07 Bhisham Mansukhani/TravelBizMonitor

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Virgin eyes India's domestic aviation market

New Delhi: Britain's Virgin group will soon enter India's mobile phone market and make animated films, even as it awaits government nod to fly the domestic aviation space, its founder Sir Richard Branson said here Monday.
'In time, India will have to open its aviation market,' Sir Richard told a press conference here, referring to the present policy where only domestic companies enjoy ninth freedom rights - that is permission to fly the domestic sector.
Branson also said Virgin was keen to expand its operations between Britain and India. 'We are trying to get permission to expand our international market. We fly daily to Delhi and Mumbai. More people are coming to India now,' he said.
He said Virgin was also keen to fly the Airbus A-380 aircraft to India - six of which are expected to join its fleet in 2009. But for that to happen the Delhi and Mumbai airports must be upgraded, he added.
19/11/07 IANS/Earthtimes, UK

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Air Hostess Academy to mark its international debut

New Delhi: Air Hostess Academy (AHA), the New Delhi-based institute that grooms aspirants for the aviation and hospitality sectors, plans to mark its international debut soon. Read On >>

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AI passengers stranded

New Delhi: Some 150 passengers of Air India flight AI 841 scheduled to leave for Dubai on Saturday morning are still stranded at Delhi airport.
They were first put on an Abu Dhabi flight later on Saturday afternoon but some two hours after the scheduled time it was also cancelled without an explanation.
The passengers were then lodged at the Grand Hyatt hotel only to be woken up at 2:30 am Sunday morning by a call informing that their flight would take off at 6:30 am.
Passengers boarded the flight at 8:30 am but then were told by the pilot that the crew couldn't fly since it had exceeded its duty hours.
18/11/07 NDTV.com

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Fog forces 98 flight diversions

Dubai: Scores of flights were delayed and hundreds of passengers left waiting when thick fog enveloped the UAE on Saturday morning.
The disruption lasted till evening at airports as staff worked to clear the backlog caused by the morning blanket of fog, which cut visibility to as little as 100 metres.
Most of the country was hit by the fog yesterday and there is likely to be more fog this morning.
A total of 98 inbound flights to Dubai were diverted to Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain and Fujairah after the fog developed from about 3am. Many outbound services were delayed.
Abu Dhabi International Airport was closed from about midnight to around 2.30am, and then again from 7.45am to 10.45am.
Four inbound flights to Abu Dhabi from other airlines were diverted to other airports, while two outgoing flights - a Gulf Air service to Bahrain and an Etihad flight to Bahrain -were cancelled.
The duty manager at Sharjah International Airport said between 10 and 15 inbound services were diverted to Muscat and Dubai during the morning.
He said that the delays to inbound services were causing many outbound flights to be delayed, with passengers suffering delays of "three to four hours, something like that".
17/11/07 Daniel Bardsley/Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Thai Airways to increase frequency to India

Bangkok: With demand soaring and seats overbooked between the Thai capital and New Delhi, Thai International Airways is increasing its frequency to 10 flights a week from the summer of 2008, advancing the timeline by six months.
The carrier has applied to India's Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for additional frequencies and, if approved, it will be seeking temporary permission to expedite its case, said the airline's vice president Pridi Boonsue.
Boonsue told IANS, that his airline is also looking at more flights to Mumbai, India's commercial capital.
This apart, the present frequency of four-times-a week to Chennai will also soon be increased to a daily schedule, since the leisure and ethnic market heading to Malaysia is growing, the airline executive said.
Thai also now hopes to tap into its budget carrier Nok Air's slot, which became vacant after it failed in the past to position itself as the favoured carrier for shoppers.
18/11/07 Neelam Mathews/Indo-Asian News Service/Hinduatan times

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Air India passengers taken for a ride

It's a shocking story as passengers of an Air India flight from Dubai to Kozhikode were in for a rude shock when the airline asked passengers to disembark at the Thiruvananthapuram airport and make their own way to Kozhikode.
TIMES NOW has visuals of the passengers that have been shot on a mobile phone camera. It was clearly see that passengers protesting with the Air India crew. The passengers refused to disembark from the plane before they reached the destination they had purchased their tickets for.
This led to a standoff on board, the flight itself with the passengers sticking to their decision not to disembark.
Following this, the Air India crew left the plane, leaving about 20 passengers stranded in the flight itself. In no time, the plane was shut down, and the air conditioning switched off adding to the passengers discomfort.
The passengers finally disembarked after getting a letter from Air India authorities that the matter will be looked into. But when TIMES NOW tried to speak with the Air India officials about the incident, they refused to comment.
17/11/07 Times Now.tv

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Europe tourers may have to pay carbon tax

New Delhi: By 2010, Indian travellers to Europe could end up paying a bit more if EU's proposal to put a carbon tax on all flights landing within European countries comes through.
EU's parliament has cleared a proposal that would bring the aviation industry under its European Emission Trading Scheme, demanding that any airplane landing anywhere in Europe pay for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they throw up during the travel.
Though this is not the final step in the proposal becoming a law it has a reached a worrisome level of maturity for Indian carriers.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the aviation industry produces 1.6% of total global emissions and with a growth in the aviation sector, its contribution to climate change is bound to rise in the years to come. But under the internationally negotiated Kyoto Protocol to cap emissions from different sectors and countries, aviation industry has been left out till 2012 when it will be renegotiated.
17/11/07 Nitin Sethi/Times of India

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Air Deccan’s overseas service from August 2008

Mangalore: Deccan Aviation, a private civil airline operator, will start its international flight operation from August, 2008. Its first international flight will be launched from Mangalore to a destination in West Asia, its executive chairman G.R. Gopinath said here on Friday.
Addressing a gathering at the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), he said that West Asia had immense potential for aircraft operations as it had a number of Non-resident Indians (NRIs).
To a query if the compamy could consider Mangalore as one of its bases, he said “We will look into it”. He said that he could not commit on that for the time being as the company needed to address issues such as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities.
Mr. Gopinath did not disclose the international destinations they were planning to add.
17/11/07 The Hindu/Bellevision

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Big dreams take flight in small planes in Nogales

The airstrip at Nogales International Airport is a place of small planes and big dreams, where students from all over the world take to the sky. Here at Tiffin Aviation Services (TAS) Flight School, a student can earn a commercial pilot's license in six months to a year, said owner Larry Tiffin. Read On >>

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Protected Air India witnesses say they feel safer

Most of those in the federal witness protection program are satisfied with the security they have received despite the enormous emotional upheaval of losing their identity and life, the Air India inquiry heard Friday.
The first-ever survey of protected witnesses in Canada was entered as an exhibit at the Ottawa inquiry into the June 1985 bombing plot that killed 331.
While most of the 21 people surveyed said they "fear future threats or retaliation," they also said they feel safer being in the RCMP program.
Inquiry lawyer Louis Seveno admitted that the survey may not be representative given that there are about 1,000 people in the witness protection program.
But he said the results provide a glimpse into the difficult lives of people who have been forced to take the dramatic step of changing their identity and community to stay safe.
Seveno told Commissioner John Major that among the respondents is the former B.C. woman who became the star witness at the Air India trial.
During her testimony, the woman, whose identity is protected by court order, described the toll on her from months of death threats, followed by the social isolation of entering the protection program and leaving some family members behind.
Several protected witnesses offered suggestions about improving the program, including a longer period of financial assistance, more help finding employment and speeding up the process of transferring personal documents into the new name.
Most said they got some kind of RCMP allowance for a period of between six and 12 months, which they said should be longer. Some complained it was hard to maintain employment because they had to take time off to return to testify.
One respondent said, "I think the witness protection program is a credit to this country and I appreciate what they did for me and my family."
The respondents also said more could be done to provide information to people considering entering the program.
16/11/07 Kim Bolan/CanWest News Service/Canada.com, Canada

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Ministry shuts skies on extra foreign flights

New Delhi: Those flying abroad this winter may face a shortage of seats with a government directive today ruling that foreign carriers can use larger aircraft on existing routes but cannot add more flights during the peak winter season.
Leading foreign airlines like Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines reacted strongly to the move saying they had already deployed wide-bodied aircraft for Indian operations and won't be able to increase capacity during the coming peak season. Earlier, the government used to allow foreign carriers to increase the number of flights during the peak season.
The directive is part of the 'limited open skies' policy for foreign carriers announced by the civil aviation ministry under which the carriers will be allowed to increase capacity by deploying bigger aircraft on existing flight schedules between December 1, 2007, and January 31, 2008. They will not be able to increase the number of flights.
Demand for seats during this time of the year usually goes up by 30-40 per cent, or even more.
16/11/07 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Intl flights: Case-by-case nod likely

New Delhi: In the debate over a three-year vs five-year operation criterion for domestic carriers to be eligible to fly abroad, the civil aviation ministry favours a case-by-case approach.
Senior officials are of the opinion that instead of deciding the fate of carriers on the basis of how long they have serviced the domestic market, the emphasis should be on their fleet strength and financial health.
“Internationally, the eligibility of any domestic airline to fly overseas is decided on a case-by-case basis and this is what should happen here too. Any airline should not be allowed to fly overseas merely because it has serviced the domestic market for some years. Fleet strength and financial health should also be looked into,” said an official.
A group of ministers is currently studying the issue of allowing domestic carriers to fly abroad.
As per current guidelines, only airlines with five years of domestic operations behind them are eligible to fly abroad. So, if the ministry were to have its way, Kingfisher and Spice Jet would be allowed to fly abroad much sooner than anticipated.
16/11/07 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

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Jet Airways set to fly in the Middle East sector

Mumbai: Beginning 2008, Jet Airways plans to include the Middle East in the list of destinations it flies to. The carrier has geared up to start operations into this lucrative sector starting January 1.
Initially, it will open eight routes from Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin and Calicut to Kuwait, Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar) and Bahrain in the first week of January. The airline will offer a superior product with competitive pricing for the flyers, it said.
Two more routes, which have been allocated to Jet Airways, will be added soon after. The Indian government is yet to allow the airline to fly into Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In the past two months, the airline has inducted key personnel having considerable experience in the gulf region in its top management team. They include Abdul Khaliq Saeed, Captain Hameed Ali (both from Bahrain), Abdulrahman Albusaidy, from Oman and Sudhir Raghaban, from Singapore. Aircraft will be positioned in Mumbai and Delhi and will be deployed as per need.
For the eight routes, Jet Airways is expecting to fly 650,000 passengers on annualised basis.
15/11/07 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

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Deccan seeks govt nod to fly to Gulf

New Delhi: Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines seems to be gearing up to take rival Jet Airways head on by pitting its sister-carrier Simplifly Deccan on all major international routes connecting India.
The budget carrier in which the UB Group holds 46%, has sought the ‘in-principle’ approval from the government to operate on almost all the routes in the Gulf for which Jet has obtained permission recently.
The UB Group’s move comes at a time when the government policy on overseas flying rights is hanging fire, with a group of ministers (GoM) looking into various aspects of the policy.
While Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) would be completing five years of continuous operation in the domestic skies only in August 2008, the airline has put in an application ahead of the eligibility date in the hope of getting government approval earlier in case the policy is liberalised.
The letter indicates clearly that UB Group is aware of the impending policy changes and the possibility of Simplify Deccan flying overseas earlier than scheduled.
16/11/07 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic times

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Dubai airshow seals orders in excess of $100 billion

Dubai: The Dubai Airshow 2007 closed yesterday with declared on-site orders exceeding Dh365 billion ($100 billion) — a phenomenal five-fold increase compared to the 2005 edition.
The on-site order sales tally at the previous show was $21.3 billion, which was the highest in the event's history.
Yesterday, as the curtain came down on what is described as the bumper 10th edition of the world's third largest airshow, European aircraft-maker Airbus emerged as a clear winner, outpacing its transatlantic rival Boeing by a huge margin by snapping up 292 aircraft orders.
As a parting shot, Emirates airline, which along with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise accounted for bulk of the orders at the show, placed one of the world's largest ever orders valued at $8.8 million for a Cabin Service Trainer installation. The Dubai-based airline, which has gone into the record books by placing the largest single-day aircraft orders valued at $35 billion, ordered 120 Airbus A350s, 11 A380s and 12 Boeing 777-300ERs on the opening day. The following days witnessed two landmark deals valued at more than $27 billion placed by DAE Capital, the aircraft leasing subsidiary of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, for 100 Boeing and 100 Airbus aircraft.
Other Gulf carriers that have placed orders at the show include Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air Arabia.
By the close of the final day of Dubai 2007, the total value of firm orders and letters of intent received by Airbus was $43.1 billion in comparison with Boeing's 55 firm orders valued at $10.6 billion and a letter of intent from DAE Capital to buy 100 aircraft valued at $13.7 billion, including 70 medium-haul 737s, taking Boeing's orders to $24.3 billion.
Organisers of the show claimed that the record $100 billion orders, achieved across a vast array of aerospace products, was highest ever for any global aviation event.
16/11/07 Issac John/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Police seek deportation of 2 Pak convicts after end of prison term

Mumbai: Following an appeal by the Pakistani embassy, the Mumbai Police have sought an order from the court to deport two Pakistan nationals who complete their eight-year prison term next month in a 1999 case of dacoity and possession of arms.
Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Rafiq Haji, both Pakistan nationals, were convicted in the 1999 robbery case. Their co-accused—Abdul Latif and Bhopal Mal—are accused in the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 hijacking case and presently facing trial in a Patiala court.
After waiting for about eight years for the trial to begin, Asif and Haji made applications under the plea bargaining chapter of the Criminal Procedure Code and pleaded guilty.
According to the prosecution, two months before the IC-814 hijack the four accused stole a Maruti van at Orlem in Malad on October 6, 1999 and later used it to rob over Rs 7 lakh from the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank in Borivali. According to the chargesheet, the Crime Branch also found them in possession of two AK-56 rifles, seven grenades and four rocket launchers which were intended “to endanger life of the persons or to cause injury to property in India”.
16/11/07 Menaka Rao/Expressindia.com

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Dreams make a smooth landing for these tribal families

Pune: Bhudi Parshu Thorad (40) is happy that she could at last gift her sons and daughters in-law a brick wall home. Chandra Valku Bhalla (21) and her family no longer will have to replace the reeds and cowdung on the walls of their home
EIGHT tribal families, all engaged in growing vegetables and grains at their respective farms in village Nagewadi, now have pucca houses to live in. Thanks to the forty employees of Delta Airlines of USA who, in association with NGO — Habitat for Humanity, have come and invested their time and funds in helping build homes in this village. This was part of the company’s initiative, Delta Force for Global Good (DFGG). The house warming ceremony of one of the villagers was conducted yesterday in traditional style in the presence of US Consul General Michael S. Owen and his wife Annerieke Owen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity India Peter Selvaraj, Director (DFGG) Scarlet Pressley Brown and the company’s employees and six Delta Sky Miles customers.
The dedication and teamwork involved was evident from the neatly built homes. The volunteers toiled for eight hours a day, often in scorching heat, to make this project a success. They were given certificates of appreciation and a T-shirt each.
15/11/07 Deepa Venkatraman/Pune Newsline

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