GMR takes Maldives airport contract scrap to Singapore High Court

Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) GMR Group has filed an injunction at the Singapore High Court against the Maldives government decision to annul the contract to run the airport and to stop the government from evicting them within seven days.
During the first hearing of the case, GMR had applied for a temporary order preventing the Maldives government from taking any action against the Indian infrastructure giant in violation of the existing contract.
"GMR had requested for an immediate interim measure. But our lawyers told the court that there were no grounds to issue an temporary stay order today. The hearing ended after the court refused an interim measure in favor of GMR today," an official of the Attorney General's office told Haveeru.
According to the official, the next hearing on the case would be held on Monday.
Meanwhile, after the Civil Court had ruled that GMR cannot charge USD27 from passengers as Airport Development Charge (ADC) and insurance surcharge, the Indian infrastructure giant had taken the case to Singapore arbitration which is still ongoing.
Maldives cabinet had passed to annul the agreement made with GMR Group to operate the INIA for 25 years on Tuesday citing that the contract was "void ab initio" (invalid from the outset).
GMR had been given a notice of seven days by the Maldives government to handover the airport, but the company will receive a 30 day period to remove its assets.
30/11/12 Niumathullah Idhurees/Haveeru Online

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Maldives Airports Company files police complaint against leasing of airport to GMR

Male: The Maldives Airports Company has filed a complaint with the police here over what it terms as "unlawful leasing" of Male International Airport to Indian infrastructure major GMR.
"The Maldives Airports Company Limited has submitted a complaint to the Maldives Police Service requesting to investigate the unlawful leasing of Male International Airport on June 28, 2010 by the senior officials of the former government and former board members of the Company," the government owned firm said in a statement today.
It said that issues raised for investigation include the "unlawful proceedings" in awarding the airport to GMR; "the changing of some of the criteria of the original agreement in a manner that would bring about great losses to the state; amendments made to the agreement that decreases state fuel revenue; allowing GMR to levy USD 25 as an Airport Development Charge; not obtaining the necessary legal counsel before handing over the airport to GMR," among others.
30/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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India worst performing domestic air travel market globally: IATA

New Delhi: From being the fastest growing aviation market in the world, India is now the "worst performing" domestic air traffic country globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has termed the 12.4% plunge in domestic air travel recorded here in October 2012 over same month a year ago — highest fall anywhere — as a reflection of "the weakening economy and struggles" within the domestic airline industry . "Weakness in India, Japan and the US, stands in stark contrast to the strong growth experienced in China and Brazil ," IATA's report on global traffic results for October says.
Senior officials of Indian carriers warned that unless the government does something fast on rationalizing jet fuel prices and lowering landing and parking-charges and steep airport user fees on passengers, especially in Delhi, the cost of flying would get prohibitively high and kill the fabled Indian aviation story. Domestic air travel in November 2012 has fallen by 15.7% over same month last year, IATA said.
30/11/12 Times of India

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Assocham seeks government intervention against GMR project termination

New Delhi: Industry body Assocham today sought immediate government intervention against unilateral decision of Maldives to terminate GMR airport project there, to protect the interest of the company and Indian banks.
The move violates the spirit of International Concession Agreement which was signed after biding global tender by the GMR Group, the chamber said.
In a communication to the Maldives Embassy in New Delhi, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said their government must provide the opportunity to GMR Group to have discussion and find an amicable solution.
This will certainly further strengthen the spirit of economic relations amongst the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, Rawat said.
The chamber has also urged upon the government to take immediate steps as may be necessary to protect the interests of GMR, its people working in Male as well as the Indian banks against such irrational moves,
30/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Aurangabad airport hopes to make a Dubai connection

Aurangabad:  A Dubai-based airline has shown interest in starting direct flights to Aurangabad, provided the airport gets its customs office upgraded, said a highly placed source at the Aurangabad International Airport. According to sources, flyDubai has sent a proposal to the authority here showing interest to start three flights a week.
The ball now lies in the aviation ministry's court to expedite the matter. According to the proposal made by the Dubai airline, once the requirement is fulfilled of setting a customs team in place, the airline will start its services in six weeks after its approval.
"More than three lakh tourists, including foreign tourists visit Ajanta caves and another six lakh make it to the Ellora caves each year," said Jagdish Patil, regional head of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation ( MTDC). And the footfall is increasing by each passing year, he said.
30/11/12 Himanshu Nitnaware/Times of India

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Jet Airways to start Mangalore-Dubai flights

Mangalore:  The six year long monopoly of Air India express to the Middle East sector from Mangalore now faces a threat.
The second largest Indian airline based in Mumbai, Jet Airways, is expected to start its Dubai services from December 14, which should see competitive fares and better services kick in for the passengers in the Mangalore-Dubai sector. Sources in the travel industry said Jet will offer business class travel from day one, giving relief to passengers who can afford, but could not avail it on Air India Express.
Bajpe airport director GT Radhakrishna said "We have not got the dates as yet from the operator. As far as Airports Authority of India is concerned all necessary infrastructures is in place. There are some minor hitches regarding security and staff shortage in some departments, which should be addressed soon. Consultations are going on to this effect".
30/11/12 Stanley Pinto/Times of India

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Cathay Pacific to launch Hyderabad-Hong Kong flights from Dec 4

Hyderabad: The non-stop four-time weekly service will not only connect Hyderabad to Hong Kong but would also provide onward connectivity to several destinations in the US and the Asia Pacific, said an official of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.
D. P. Hemanth, chief operating officer, hub development, cargo, free trade zone, GHIAL, said this while addressing a conference of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
On concerns raised by representatives from information technology over low international connectivity, Hemanth said one of the constraints was the bilaterals. "We don't get as many bilaterals as we would like to because bilaterals are negotiations between two countries," he explained.
On Lufthansa pulling out of Hyderabad, the official said it took the decision for a very odd reason.
30/11/12 Business Standard

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Maldives issues seven-day ultimatum to GMR to pack bags

Male/New Delhi:Tightening the noose around GMR, the Maldives’ Immigration department  announced on Thursday that no further visa renewal requests from employees of the Bangalore-based infrastructure giant would be entertained from now till further notice. A seven-day ‘ultimatum’ was  also given to the foreign employees of GMR to leave the island nation.
 In a separate notification, CAA(Civil Aviation Authority), the country’s aviation regulator has also decided to cancel the aerodrome certificate of GMIAL by December 7, a date coinciding with the seven-day deadline given by the immigration department.
 While the original contract signed with former president Nasheed gave GMR a 30-day notice period, Immigration department announced that GMR should pack its bags within seven days as older contract stood no good now.
 The moves come a day after the Indian government threatened to terminate the generous aid package, which include the defense aid as well, to President’s Waheed regime if it didn’t take back its decision to cancel the contract awarded to GMR.
  In another strikingly related development, the government-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) issued a circular on Thursday “opening opportunities for GMIAL staff who were keen to join the MACL team.” But ,there was no unequivocal reply from the Maldivian authorities on the fate of those workers who were not interested in joining MACL, or those whose visa would not expire in near future.
30/11/12 Dailybhaskar.com

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GMR seeking legal remedy to stay on in Male

Mumbai: The GMR group, which is being evicted from the Maldives over the cancellation of its airport development contract, is seeking legal remedy to enable them to remain in the archipelago and to protect its investment and employees.
“We are seeking legal remedy and are hopeful of getting legal protection to continue our airport operations at the Maldives,” said GMR group spokesperson Arun Bhagat.
Several senior GMR officials are in the Maldives, trying to find a solution to the imbroglio.
The Maldives government has issued a notice to GMR, asking it to move out of the airport within seven days and threatened to cancel the visas of GMR employees seven days hence.
Mr. Bhagat, who flew down to the Maldives after trouble broke out and returned on Thursday, said although the airport was operating normally, the situation was very intimidating.
30/11/12 The Hindu

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‘GMR deal row will hurt India, Maldives ties’

New Delhi: Two days after Maldives took a decision to terminate GMR’s airport contract in Male, India continued to seethe below the surface with South Block making it clear that it’s “inevitable” for the move to “affect bilateral relations”.
It’s learnt that this sentiment was also reflected in Indian High Commissioner D M Mulay’s first meeting with Maldives Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdullah after the crisis. Mulay, who has been facing flak from all quarters in Maldives and some in Delhi for not handling the situation properly, discussed the recent development with Abdullah.
According to top government officials, South Block is extremely “concerned” that the current climate of agitation has taken a political colour in Maldives, using the GMR issue as a “lever”.
Mulay has come under the shadow following rapid deterioration in the ties. Insiders revealed that a decision has been taken to move him out of Maldives to New York as Consul General by February. He has, incidentally, already completed his term in Male.
30/11/12 Shubhajit Roy/Indian Express

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Anti-India sentiments behind Maldives' termination of GMR contract?

New Delhi: While India's relations with the Maldives are about to take a nosedive as a result of the Waheed government's decision against Indian infrastructure major GMR, New Delhi is concerned that "many other interests" may be at work in the Indian Ocean nation that could have prompted such a decision.
Sources here said the "climate" created in the Maldives, which prompted a "victory rally" after the termination notice was announced was of immediate concern. It showed a deliberate fanning of anti-India sentiments that could have other more disturbing implications. It appears to be accompanied by a rise in radical Islamist sentiments, and seems to be directed against India.
Instead, China seems to have established itself as an attractive alternative to India. The radical Islamic party Adhaalath tweeted on Thursday, "We would rather give the airport contract to our friends in China, who now make the majority of our tourist population." The tweets went on to say that Maldives as a tourist destination was beyond the reach of Indians but affordable for the Chinese.
29/11/12 Times of India

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Air Canada expands Asia-Pacific flights to boost revenue

Air Canada unveiled a major expansion in its flights to Asia, a high-growth area for Canada's biggest airline in recent years, as it seeks to boost revenue in an attempt to become profitable.
In what it described as its "most far-reaching international expansion of its schedule in its 75-year history," Air Canada said on Thursday it would add flights from Canada to Asian cities including Beijing, Seoul and Narita, Japan. Subject to government approval, the airline will also start flying to Istanbul.
Until now, Air Canada, which has only made a profit one year out of the past six, has tended to emphasize cutting costs as a way to return it to profit. On the revenue front, it is facing a challenge at home from its biggest domestic rival, WestJet Airlines Ltd, which plans to launch a new regional carrier next year to fly between small towns in Canada.
30/11/12 Reuters/Economicn Times

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Jet Air-Etihad deal to be signed in three months: Sources

The much talked about Jet-Airways-Etihad  deal may be structured in two tranches and will be signed within three months, exclusive sources told CNBC-TV18.  The deal is still at a due diligence stage, it is learnt.
Jet Air and Etihad have not confirmed the stake sale news but sources say, the deal may be a combination of fresh issue and secondary sale of shares.
Promoter Naresh Goyal is likely to sell 15% directly in first tranche and Etihad will increase its stake further via a fresh issue. . Etihad is likely to hold up 23-24% stake post the completion of the deal since the Middle East-based carrier is not eyeing a majority stake in company.
Proceeds of the stake sale will be used to retire Rs 12,000 crore debt, Jet has on its books.
29/11/12 moneycontrol.com

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GMR may approach Singapore court against Maldives Govt

New Delhi: The GMR Group is considering legally challenging in a Singapore court the Maldives Government decision to terminate its contract for modernising the Male airport.
The decision to approach courts in Singapore was taken as the contract for modernisation of the Male airport states that arbitration can take place either under Singaporean or British laws, sources said.
A GMR team is in Singapore and the legal process could begin in the next seven days, sources said. Late on Tuesday, the Maldives Cabinet recommended termination of the contract awarded to the GMR Group to develop the Male airport.
In 2010, GMR Male International Airport Private Limited (GMIAL) won the right to build and operate the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport for 25 years, extendable by 10 years. GMR Infrastructure holds majority stake in GMIAL.
Sources claimed the Maldivian Government’s letter terminating the contract was a “weak one”. The bone of contention is GMR’s decision to levy a departure fee of $25 per passenger on those using the airport.
28/11/12 Business Line

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Maldives` move to terminate airport contract unlawful: GMR

Maldives announced on Tuesday Maldives' cabinet has recommended termination of a contract given by the previous regime to GMR Group for developing Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) at Male.
GMR Group said the Maldivian government's decision to scrap the airport development contract awarded to it as 'irrational and unlawful'.
Reacting to the decision, GMR said, ''In a unilateral and completely irrational move the Government of Maldives has issued a notice to the GMR Male International Airport (GMIAL) intending to take over the possession and control of the Ibrahim Nassir International Airport (INIA) under the pretext that the agreement is void.''
The company said that this unlawful and premature notice on the pretext that the Concession Agreement is void is completely devoid of any locus standi and is therefore being challenged by the company before the competent forums.
''We would also like to inform all that this action by the GoM is in complete disregard of and has been done during the pendency of arbitration proceedings in the designated tribunal in Singapore,'' GMR said.
29/11/12 MyIris

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GMR Infra seeks legal options against Maldives govt

New Delhi: GMR Infrastructure is exploring legal options against Maldives Government for terminating its USD 500-million airport development contract for running the Male airport.
"We are seeking legal opinion (against the termination notice) and we will formalise our strategy shortly," a GMR spokesperson said, adding that operations at the Male airport are functioning "normally".
Meanwhile, Maldives has denied a report from local Sun Online that work permits and visas of GMR officials working in Maldives will be cancelled within seven days.
Maldivian President's Press Secretary Masood Imad said that GMR has been given more time than what is stipulated in the contract. Visas to GMR officials will continue as per the normal procedures, he added.
29/11/12 ZeeNews

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Won't quit Maldives, says GMR

Male: Indian infrastructure giant GMR has described as ''illegitimate'' an order by the Maldives government to hand over the Male airport within seven days after its contract was annulled, and insisted the company will not leave the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.
On the cabinet's decision to annul the agreement, GMR head of communication Arun Baghad told Haveeru Online he refused to accept that the government can terminate the agreement after just two years into the 25-year contract. Despite the seven-day notice given by the government to hand over the airport, GMR would look to honour the agreement and stay in the Maldives till the end of the 25-year contract, Baghad said."We are going nowhere. A solution to the matter will be sought out," he was quoted as saying.
28/11/12 moneycontrol.com

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GMR airport ops revenue to slide 20% on Male loss

New Delhi: New Delhi: With the Maldives government terminating the GMR Group’s contract to operate the Male airport, the company stands to lose around 20% of revenues coming from its airport operation business. What would hit the company hard is that the revenues from Male were showing robust growth as it is the gateway to Maldives, a major tourist centre.
During the July-September quarter, GMR’s total revenues from the airport segment stood at R1,469 crore, of which around R300 crore came from the Male airport operations. This was a 35% growth over the revenues booked during the same period last fiscal. The period also saw strong operational performance with a 10% y-o-y growth in traffic. Ebitda grew y-o-y to R71 crore and net profit was up 193% at R57 crore.
Apart from losing a growing business, the fate of the company’s investment of $150 million, apart from the acquisition fee of $78 million, has become uncertain.
29/11/12 Financial Express

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Plan for new Aircraft Acquisition Committee put on hold

Mumbai: The proposal of Ajit Singh, Minister for Civil Aviation, Government of India to constitute a new Aircraft Acquisition Committee headed by him to recommend the import of aircraft, has been put on hold by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO),  as per a report by The Indian Express. The Ministry already has such a committee headed by an additional secretary, who is the final authority to recommend as well as approve aircraft procurement.
In a communication sent on October 30, 2012 the PMO directed the Civil Aviation Ministry to put the move, which would have given Singh discretionary powers by making him the final sanctioning authority — “in abeyance”. The PMO directed that status quo be maintained until “a final view is taken in the matter”. A two-page note sent along with the communication suggested that having such a committee would “delay” the process and promote “licence raj”.
“Somebody had complained to the PMO, that is why they wrote to us. Where is the question of licence raj, delaying proposals? I clear it much faster, within two to four days,” Singh said.
29/11/12 TravelBizmonitor

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SpiceJet launches two new international flights from Kochi, Kerala

Kochi:  SpiceJet Ltd, one of the leading low cost airlines, has announced the launch of two new international flights from Kerala.
The airline has launched daily flight from Kochi to the Maldivian capital Male from Thursday. In the second week of December the airline will introduce daily flight from Kochi to Dubai.
At present, SpiceJet is operating international flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Madurai.
29/11/12 S Sanandakumar/Economic Times

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Man held for carrying drugs worth Rs90 lakh to Malaysia

Mumbai: The customs officials at Mumbai airport have held a 54-year-old man from Chennai who was trying to smuggle 6.5kg of ketamine, a banned party drug, worth around Rs90 lakh to Malaysia.
The accused has been identified as Jaffer Ullah Khan, who works as a driver in Chennai.
Khan was caught by a team of customs officials lead by assistant commissioner of customs (air intelligence unit), Sameer Wankhede. Khan was on his way to Kuala Lumpur in a Malaysian Airways flight at around 11pm on Tuesday when he was stopped for the checking of his baggage by the officers near the immigration counter.
The accused had hidden the drugs in photo frames, managing to conceal packets of 700gms of ketamine each inside every photo frame. The frames had been sealed back neatly, so as to avoid suspicion.
29/11/12 Daily News & Analysis

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India’s Jet, SpiceJet in stake talks with Etihad, AirAsia

New Delhi: Struggling Indian carriers Jet Airways and SpiceJet are in talks with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways and Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd to sell minority stakes, a senior government official with direct knowledge of the talks said.
Jet shares rose about 14.3 per cent and SpiceJet jumped as much as 19.2 per cent on Monday, continuing their rallies from last week amid speculation that they may become the first Indian carriers to secure foreign investment.
India changed its rules in September to allow foreign carriers to buy stakes of up to 49 per cent in local airlines, which have been battered by fierce competition and high operating costs.
The Jet-Etihad tie-up would be the biggest of the two deals, with a possible value of up to nearly $440 million (Dh1.62 billion), but the government official provided no details on the stakes involved or costs.
Talks between Etihad and Jet, which has 100 planes and is India’s largest airline by total passengers carried, have been the subject of recent media reports citing unnamed sources.
“The talks are on. This is more or less final. It may take around a month and half,” the government source told reporters, referring to the Jet-Etihad negotiations.
26/11/12 Reuters/Gulf News

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Jet Airways, Etihad deal will be deep strategic alliance: Aviation experts

Mumbai: The buzz on the street is getting louder on a possible deal between Naresh Goyal's Jet Airways and Middle-Eastern carrier Etihad Airways.
Jet's chief commercial officer Sudheer Raghavan, COO Hamid Ali, and key officials, including K G Vishwanath, senior general manager -MIS and Investor relations, have camped themselves at Abu Dhabi to sew the final contours of the deal with Etihad. Ali, sources say, has been stationed in Abu Dhabi for almost a month.
ET had reported of a possible deal between Jet and Etihad on September 19.
The stock markets got a whiff of the deal, propelling the shares of Jet Airways by 15.9% to end the week, at Rs 505.75, a share. "The due diligence process was underway and there is lot of activity on that front. But when a final deal will be struck cannot be said," said a person familiar with the development who did not want to be identified.
26/11/12 Times of India

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AirAsia denies India plans

AirAsia has denied reports that it is planning to invest in Indian low-cost carrier, SpiceJet.
Citing unnamed Indian government officials, Reuters yesterday reported that Malaysian budget airlines group was planning to purchase Delhi-based SpiceJet. But AirAsia’s Group CEO, Tony Fernandes later issued a statement flatly denying the report.
“AirAsia rejects the speculation surrounding our possible expansion in India. These reports are completely incorrect. AirAsia has not submitted a bid for the Indian budget carrier, and has no intention of doing so,” Fernandes stated.
26/11/12 Mark Elliott/Travel Daily Media

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Revised Air India flight schedule affects NRKs

Kochi: The departure of the Air India Express flight IX 412 from Sharjah in the revised winter schedule to around 9 am local time, to arrive at 2.05 pm at Cochin International Airport has come as an inconvenience to a section of NRKs working there.
They say that they could board the same flight at around 3 pm without upsetting their work to land at around 6.25 pm, whereas now they are forced to take a day’s leave just because of the revised schedule.
The rescheduling of the two daily Air India and Air India Express flights leaving Kochi airport from evening, to morning, has also been cited as an inconvenience by another section which complains that this revised timing leaves the airport without any flights of the national carrier to Sharjah in the evenings.
26/11/12 Deccan Chronicle

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4 chartered flights arrive in Kochi

Kochi: Giving a fillip to the tourism sector in the state, four chartered flights arrived in Kochi on Monday with over 1,400 tourists, coinciding with the arrival of luxury cruise liner AIDA DIVA which docked at Kochi port on Sunday.
These flights, which came from Germany through Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Bahrain and Sharjah sectors, were operated by Condor Airlines, Air Berlin and TUIfly. The Cochin International Airport saw a flurry of activity as around 950 tourists who had arrived in Kochi on Sunday in AIDA DIVA went back by these chartered flights.
26/11/12 Times of India

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Dubai-bound Monday Night AI Express Flight Cancelled

Mangalore: The Dubai-bound Air India Express flight from Mangalore, scheduled to depart on Monday November 26 night has been cancelled.
The flight was scheduled to take off at 10.30 pm from Mangalore International Airport.
Sources at the airport informed Daijiworld that the flight was cancelled due to 'operational reasons'.
However, it is said that the passengers were intimated about the cancellation only at around 7.30 pm, when most of them had already arrived at the airport.
26/11/12 Daijiworld.com

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Aircraft's tyre bursts while taxiing

Chennai:  Around 125 passengers on board a Muscat-Chennai Oman Air flight had an escape after nose wheel of the aircraft burst while taxiing after landing at Chennai airport on Monday. Nobody was injured in the incident. The aircraft was later towed to the parking bay.
Airport sources said that the flight landed at 6.30am and was taxiing near cargo terminal when a tyre burst and the aircraft was halted. The pilot informed the air traffic control about the incident. Controllers closed the taxi way and alerted the apron from where a pushback vehicle was brought and the aircraft was towed to the parking bay.
26/11/12 Times of India

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Boeing team to inspect snags in Dreamliner fleet: Air India official

New Delhi: A team of Boeing engineers will be here next week to inspect snags in the swanky Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft which Air India is planning to deploy on Delhi-London route from December 2.
"The Boeing team is coming to inspect and certify the Dreamliner planes as we have planned to deploy it on Delhi- London-Delhi route from December 2," an Air India official said.
Air India has so far received three Dreamliners, out of 27 ordered, but one or the other aircraft is reported to be grounded at a time due to some technical snag.
Though airline officials were concerned about the snags, they said these were "teething problems" which occur in new aircraft. Even All Nippon Airlines, which was the first airline to take the delivery of the carbon-composite material-made Dreamliner aircraft, faced some problems, they said.
25/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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AI cancels flight, takes passengers to Trichy by bus

Chennai: Around 74 passengers who arrived from Kuala Lumpur by an Air India Express flight kicked up a ruckus at the Chennai airport on Saturday , after the airline staff told them that they will have to travel by bus from Chennai to Trichy .
The passengers' ticket was from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy , via Chennai . They refused to travel by bus initially and staged a protest claiming that they were not informed at Kuala Lumpur that the Chennai-Trichy leg of the flight would be cancelled .
Airline and airport officials intervened and pacified the passengers who had turned livid and argued with the staff . An airport official said that the passengers finally left by a bus arranged by the airline from the airport at 2.30 pm.
25/11/12 Times of India

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Sultanate & India Regulate Air Transport Services

Muscat: The official talks session between the Civil Aviation Authorities in the Sultanate and the friendly Republic of India will start at the premises of the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) tomorrow (Sunday). The talks' session related to regulating the air transport services between the two countries.
During the talks, the Omani side will be chaired by Eng. Salim bin Nasser bin Said al-Oufi, CEO of PACA whilst the Indian side will be chaired by Dr. P. Kumar, Assistant Undersecretary at the Civil Aviation Ministry in the Republic of India who will arrive in Sultanate later today.
The talks will discuss what is related to increasing the number of flights between the two friendly countries and other technical and operation matters in the field of air transport and civil aviation to cope with the latest developments in this field.
24/11/12 Oman News

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Jet airways may get permission to join Star Alliance along with Air India

New Delhi: Naresh Goyal promoted Jet airways has reason to cheer as the civil aviation ministry might give them permission to join Star Alliance simultaneously with state owned Air India . Prior to this, the government wanted the Star Alliance, comprising 27 airlines across the globe, to decide positively on Air India’s membership first.
Last year, Star Alliance had snubbed Air India. Despite the process of admission being in the final stages, the airline’s membership was put on hold because it did not meet certain conditions and all members of Star Alliance had not approved of Air India’s entry.
About Jet’s entry in Star Alliance, Ajit Singh, civil aviation minister, said in an interview with Business Standard, “We may consider about Jet’s entry in Star Alliance simultaneously with Air India. We will also be working on Air India’s entry in Star Alliance.”
Aviation experts believe that for AI’s entry in Star Alliance, the government can arm-twist German carrier, Lufthansa, one of the founding members of Star Alliance.
24/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Etihad said to be close to $400m India deal

Etihad Airways is close to buying a 24 percent stake in India's Jet Airways in a deal worth $400m, it was reported on Saturday.
The possible deal for India’s second largest carrier would give Jet Airways a valuation of around $1.7bn, investment website VCCircle.com said.
Jet Airways shares touched a 52-week high on the bourses on Friday on the stake sale speculation.
“We do not have adequate information at this stage to comment on this issue,” a Jet Airways spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
In October, Etihad, Abu Dhabi's flag carrier which has expanded globally through stake purchases in firms like Air Berlin and Virgin Australia, said it was looking to extend its geographical reach to India and other Asian markets.
24/11/12 Andy Sambidge/Arabian Business.com

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‘Star Alliance needs a member from India’

Chicago: The absence of an Indian carrier in the largest airline alliance globally, Star, is becoming a cause for concern for the world's biggest carrier United-Continental. Hershel Kamen, United's senior VP (alliances), has described India as a "white spot" for Star Alliance, of which the US airline is one of the biggest members.
"Star Alliance has been trying to get a member in India for some years. We look at India, a very important market for Star, and we need a member from there whether it is Air India or Jet. India is clearly a white spot for Star," said Kamen.
AI was to be the first Indian airline to become a member of a global alliance but its unpreparedness led to the induction being deferred indefinitely. Jet was then supposed to have become the second Star member. But with AI not making it, Jet has not been allowed too.
24/11/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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New research from Hawker Beechcraft suggests demand for aviation finance in Asia

New research from Hawker Beechcraft and Corporate Jet Investor suggests that there may be strong growth in demand for business aviation finance across Asia throughout the next five years.
Research amongst business aviation experts reveals that 24.1 percent anticipate demand for business aviation finance in Asia outside of India and China to increase dramatically between now and 2017. Overall, 82.7 percent expect demand to increase over the five-year period.
Demand is expected to grow the most in China, where 63.6% of experts anticipant a dramatic increase in demand, followed by Brazil and India, where the corresponding figures are 46.9 percent and 26.7 percent respectively. In Western Europe, demand is expected to remain relatively flat.
23/11/12 Corporate Jet Investor

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Aircraft door get jammed on flight from Dhaka to Kolkata

Kolkata: Nearly a hundred passengers of a United Airway flight from Dhaka to Kolkata had to stay inside as the doors of the plane was not opening at NSC Bose International airport here today.
The engineers later found that the doors were not opening as an engine was running in the plane that landed at about 10.30 am, airport sources said.
23/11/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Dubai Airport woos business class travellers with special boarding

New Delhi: Come early next year, business and first class travellers will be able to board the A380 aircraft direct from special lounges at Dubai Airport.
Dubai Airport is developing a new dedicated concourse ‘A’ within the existing structure. This will be a dedicated one for Airbus 380 and Boeing 777 types of aircraft. This will be used by Emirates and after some time by Australian airline Qantas. This new facility is part of its expansion project at the cost of $ 7.8 billion.
Giving details about the project, Dubai Airport’s Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication Lorne Riley told Business Line, “The new concourse will have 18 out of 20 gates with twin aerobridges. Twin Aerobridges will allow two different entry points to the aircraft, at upper deck for premium passengers and lower deck for economy passengers.” This new facility will enhance the capacity from 60 million to 75 million by first quarter of next year.
22/11/12 Business Line

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Emirates launches promotional fares on economy

Kolkata: Emirates is reviving up for a global sales push. The airline is offering unbeatable prices on economy fares over a 10-day period.
The special network-wide promotion starting from November 23, 2012, for travel between January 22, till June 10, 2013, will close on December 2, 2012.
"Emirates is already known for providing superb value for money. This global initiative pushes the value bar a notch higher, making it even more attractive to embark on that trip of a lifetime, visit a relative or friend, or explore a new market for business," said Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, vice president, India & Nepal, Emirates Airline.
Elaborating further, Ahmad said passengers can fly from Kolkata to Dubai for Rs 26,152. Prices to Americas start at Rs 60,668, whereas fares to Africa begin at Rs 42,524. Europe can be visited for Rs 38,083.
23/11/12 Anuradha Himatsingka/Times of India

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Air India postpones plan to put new long-haul aircraft on Australia route

New Delhi: State-owned Air India has postponed deploying its new Dreamliner aircraft on the Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne route , one of the largest unserved ones, till the first quarter of 2013. The earlier plan was to start from October, a month after Boeing began delivering the much-awaited planes.
Instead AI is flying these to Frankfurt, Dubai and and some domestic destinations. The India-Australia route doesn’t have even a single non-stop flight from either an Indian or Australian carrier, despite the Air Service Agreement between the two countries permitting 6,500 seats a week and access to 10 cities.
The delay is another boost to foreign carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines , which dominate this route. AI operated between India and Sydney until 1991.
It had filed for landing and take-off slots to operate Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne from October with the new planes, confirmed an executive. About the delay, the executive said, “With Australia being a tourist destination, the bookings for December were already over.
22/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Women’s World Cup trophy detained at Mumbai airport

New Delhi: In a surprising incident, the 2013 Women’s World Cup trophy replica has been detained by the customs officials at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. The trophy was brought for a promotional event as the cricket tournament is scheduled in the city early next year.
 According to the customs officials, the trophy arrived via baggage from Dubai while the rules suggest that it can only be brought into the country through cargo.
 The officials also revealed that one needs to seek prior permissions in order to bring the trophy via baggage. As per the regulation, the authorities will have to pay a duty on it.
 Also, the BCCI had sent a letter to the customs officials requesting an exemption from taxes. But, the officials said that without documents signifying the approval of the central government, the trophy will not be released.
21/11/12 dailybhaskar.com

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Shock as casket goes 'missing'

A man who thought he was accompanying the body of his dead brother-in-law home to India got a shock when he landed in Trivandrum and was told the casket was nowhere to be found.
The remains of 48-year-old Swaminathan Tulasi were supposed to be repatriated to India on a Bahrain Air flight to Trivandrum International Airport on Monday.
His brother-in-law, identified only as Mr Tyagarajan, thought he was travelling with the body when the plane took off from Bahrain International Airport.
He reportedly didn't know that the casket had been stopped because it had not been properly sealed and sent back to the Salmaniya Medical Complex mortuary.
An Indian Embassy official confirmed there was a problem with the container and the body had to be repackaged before being flown out the following day.
22/11/12  Ahmed Al Omari/Gulf Today

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6.84 million air travellers from India using Dubai airports

New Delhi:  Dubai Airports (DA), which owns and manages the operations and development of the two airports in Dubai, considers India its topmost market as it accounted for 6.84 million air travellers last year.
Seven airlines, including five from India, were operating into the two airports in Dubai -- Dubai International and Dubai World Central (DWC), from as many as 17 Indian cities, Lorne Riley, Head of Corporate Communications of DA, told reporters here.
He said the maximum number of people travelled on the Mumbai-Dubai route, followed by those from Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Estimating a major growth in overall passenger traffic, Riley said traffic to Dubai International reached "a historic 50.9 million in 2011 and is projected to cross 56.5 million by this year end, making it the world's fourth busiest airport for international passengers."
22/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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IBS ties up with Lufthansa for handling air cargo

Thiruvananthapuram: Technopark-based IT solutions provider IBS has entered into a contract with Lufthansa Cargo AG -- the airline cargo service Lufthansa Group for the implementation of its iCargo solution.
The solution would manage the airlines' entire air cargo movement worldwide, Executive Chairman of IBS V K Mathews told reporters here last evening.
The company billed the contract as one of the largest IT system deals by Lufthansa Group.
IBS' new generation iCargo system would replace the legacy Unisys-based MOSAIK application which Lufthansa has been using for past 30 years.
22/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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M'sian carriers urged to take up stake in Indian airlines

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian carriers should consider acquiring stakes in ailing Indian airlines, to tap into the strong domestic demand offered by the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people.
Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Vijay K. Gokhale said the potential for growth was vast for an airline from Malaysia or Asean investing in the once-vibrant Indian civil aviation industry.
He said the industry, which was previously closed to foreign ownership in India, has very few players, thus opening more space for competition and connectivity.
"These are commercial decisions. The Indian market is of course very huge. It will be a very interesting business proposition for any airline from Malaysia.
22/11/12 Daily Express

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Lankan caught with heroin acquitted

Chennai: A special court for NDPS cases on Tuesday freed a 26-year-old Sri Lankan national who was caught carrying more than 1.5 kg of heroin, saying his guilt could not be established by the prosecution.
According to the prosecution, the accused was caught by a customs officer at Chennai airport on January 23, 2009. After a check revealed the narcotic in a keyboard in his bag, he was arrested. The accused told officials the keyboard belonged to a man named Sudha who had asked him to give the keyboard and two photo albums to his (Sudha's) wife in Sri Lanka.
22/11/12 Times of India

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High aviation costs in India hit British Airways

Hyderabad: High aviation costs in India have impacted British Airways by cutting into its profitability, said a senior official of the airline.
"India is very significantly costly place to run an airline. We have seen significant rise in fuel cost, airport fee and some other costs included in aviation sector, which make very difficult for some carriers particularly when they are not able to charge any premium," said Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager, South Asia, British Airways.
He said the British Airways was less impacted than its competitors because of its premium customer services and plane structure. "But we are also impacted," he said.
21/11/12 IANS/Daily News & Analysis

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More direct flights likely for destinations in India

Muscat: More Indian destinations are likely to be connected soon by direct flights from Oman as the Indian government has decided to review the bilateral agreement with Omani for enhancement of air traffic rights between the two countries.
This will increase the seat entitlements to both sides, thereby enabling an increase in the number of flights.
Currently, the existing traffic entitlements are 11,550 seats per week(S/W) between India and the Sultanate of Oman. While Oman Air is exhausting its quota, all the Indian carriers combined together are using between 80 and 90 per cent of traffic entitlements.
While Oman Air flights can land in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, Indian carriers can land only at Muscat and Salalah airports.
Speaking to Times of Oman, a senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, said that the ministry is all set to hold fresh talks to explore the possibilities of getting additional quota with countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Macao and Afghanistan, as the existing traffic entitlements with them have got exhausted. The official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation also said that the government has granted permission to Indian carriers to launch more flights from the country.
"During the last summer schedule, Indian airlines were allowed to operate 1,074 services per week and the number of services has been increased to 1,526 for the next summer and 1,695 for the next winter all over the world," the official said.
21/11/12 Rahul Das/Times of Oman

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Mitre seals India partnership pact

The MITRE Corporation has formalised its partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 12th Air Navigation Conference in Montreal.
Since 2006, The MITRE Corporation has been working closely with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide solutions to meet India’s significant aviation growth. That relationship was further strengthened in April, when MITRE and AAI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for developing a long-term partnership in which MITRE agreed to provide technical support to AAI for establishing an in-house research and development capability to improve the aviation infrastructure and to meet air traffic management challenges in India. On November 20, leaders of the two organisations formally exchanged signed agreements.
“MITRE has been a trusted partner in the Air Traffic Management (ATM) developmental programme in India since 2006. Technology and knowledge transfer are key elements of cooperation,” said V.P. Agrawal, Chairman, Airports Authority of India.
“India is the major Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in the Asia Pacific Region;  AAI having proven its capability to lead regional implementation activities has taken a strategic move to develop a long-term partnership with MITRE for technical support in the areas of Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) and ATM system planning and implementation strategy, specialized competence-based management training, technology transfer activities and adopting industry best practices, and software development.  These efforts will help place AAI in a leading role for facilitating global harmonization and seamless ATM across the regions,” said V. Somasundaram, Member (ANS), Airports Authority of India.
21/11/12 Aimee Turner/Air Traffic Management

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British Airways to increase frequency from Hyd, Chennai

Hyderabad: British Airways is planning to add one more flight each from Hyderabad and Chennai to London from March. It currently operates five flights a week each from these two cities.
The expansion in the route network will translate into an additional 200 seats per week each from Hyderabad and Chennai, said Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager (South Asia), British Airways, while addressing the media here.
With this, the total number of flights being operated by the airline from India will go up to 47 per week. Currently, BA operates from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
"We are looking at expanding our operation in the growth markets with major focus on giving better customer experience, increasing technology and adopting new menus in the flight," he said.
21/11/12 Itishree Samal/Business Standard

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Air India's Mumbai-London Dreamliner flight from next week

New Delhi: Now, you can fly to London on a Dreamliner. For all those who are planning to go to London, there is a new brand Dreamliner set to be introduced from next week. Air India is about to start a Mumbai-London flight with B-787.It has already deployed Dreamliner on Frankfurt and Dubai route.
Dreamliner is a 256 seater plane with 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats.
Otherwise, AI has deployed long-haul aircraft Boeing 777 on middle haul routes which include flying to London, Frankfurt,Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai. As the delivery of Dreamliner was delayed by 3 years, Air India didn’t have any middle-haul aircraft and instead had to push into service 20 new 777s.
21/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Maldivian Airlines inks pact with Apollo Hospitals

Male: Maldivian Airlines has signed a pact with the Chennai-headquartered Apollo Hospitals to give discounts to each others’ clients. For example, Apollo Hospitals will give a discount on its service charges for those who fly the airline, and the airline will give similar discounts to the hospital’s patients on the airfare.
The airlines’ Managing Director, Abdul Haris, said it is keen on signing similar pacts with other healthcare service providers in India. He said the Indian healthcare industry attracts the bulk of Maldivian tourists every year. Every day, at least 200 Maldivians visit India, and a big chunk of them go there for medical care. Besides, quoting some statistics, he said, on an average, every Maldivian spends $600 in India.
He also pointed out that the number can be much more provided the Indian Government scraps the mandatory 60-day waiting period between every two visits. Though there is no need for a visa for Maldivians, the government has imposed the 60-day waiting period. “To that extent you lose forex revenue,” he said.
21/11/12 R Ravikumar/Business Line

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GMR Infra gets breather in tussle over Male airport

Bangalore: GMR Infrastructure , developing the Male International Airport , has won a breather in its ongoing legal tussle with Maldives Airport Company Limited ( MACL ). According to a statement from GMR, the High Court of Singapore on Monday dismissed the application by MACL seeking vacation of the injunctive order granted in favour of GMR Male International Airport Limited ( GMIAL ) on July 23 and made absolute the injunctive relief granted in favour of GMIAL.
GMIAL is a joint venture of GMR Infrastructure (77 per cent) and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (23 per cent). In 2010, GMIAL won the right to build and operate the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), commonly known as Malé International Airport, for 25 years, extendable by another 10 years. GMR plans to develop a 0.6 million square feet integrated passenger terminal, increase the terminal capacity to handle 5.5 mn passengers pa and develop a 20,000-sq-ft VIP terminal, apart from doing landside development and improving existing terminal. Situated on Hulhule Island in the Maldives on the south western tip of India, INIA is one of the fastest-rowing airports in the region. GMR has plans for a project cost of up to $350 million.
21/11/12 Business Standard

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Malaysia urges airlines to grab stake in India carriers

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian airline carriers should consider acquiring stakes in ailing Indian airlines, to tap into the strong domestic demand offered by the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia said on Wednesday.
Vijay K. Gokhale said the potential for growth was vast for an airline from Malaysia or Asean investing in the once-vibrant Indian civil aviation industry.
He said the industry, which was previously closed to foreign ownership in India, has very few players, thus opening more space for competition and connectivity.
“These are commercial decisions. The Indian market is of course very huge. It will be a very interesting business proposition for any airline from Malaysia.
“What needs to be realized is that Indian airlines have very strong routes connectivity, and the acquirer will also benefit tremendously from the foreign travel rights, adding to the strong domestic demand,” Gokhale told Bernama.
21/11/12 Bikya Masr

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Research dogs shipped to India under airline’s radar

Animal activists have known for some time that beagle puppies bred in China are regularly shipped to Indian contract research organizations like Bangalore-based Advinus, which uses them for drug toxicity studies, after which the animals are euthanized.
What they didn’t know was how the animals were getting into India. Most major airline carriers now refuse to transport animals bound for research labs, as Nature recently reported (see ‘Lab Animal Flights Squeezed‘).
It emerged last month that in at least one case, the shipper has gotten around this problem by identifying beagles as “pets.” The discovery was made after an activist snapped the above photo of the crates of 70 beagle puppies in Chennai, India, after they landed on 19 October on a Cathay Pacific flight from China. The puppies were being sent to Advinus from Beijing Marshall Biotechnology, a China-based branch of Marshall BioResources of North Rose, New York, a major research beagle breeder. Cathay Pacific has very publicly refused to transport research animals.
21/11/12 Nature News Blog

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Dubai Indian who missed wedding flies home to take over husband duties from own sister

An Indian carpenter working in Dubai who was unable to fly home to Kerala, India, for his wedding six months ago, finally did so on Monday evening.
Kamalesh Chandran, 26, had to miss his wedding that was scheduled for May 2, 2012 and in a strange turn of events, his sister took his marriage vow on his behalf, fulfilling the religious requirements in his absence.
Chandran technically returns to India believing he is already married, although he was not part of any marriage rituals himself.
Chandran was employed as a carpenter in Dubai had to resign from his job after his employer had failed to grant him leave for the wedding.
After the resignation, the employer, however, promised to relieve him of his responsibilities and send him home.
Chandran waited at the airport on the day before the wedding and the employer never showed up.
21/11/12 Joseph George/Emiraters 24|7

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Spain is eyeing a slot in IT City’s aerospace park

One of the biggies in the aerospace industry, Spain, is looking at setting up a base in the IT city. It is eyeing the upcoming aerospace park next to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli.
 The state-of-the-art 985-acre facility is being developed by the state industries and commerce department. It also has a 252-acre Special Economic Zone in its premises.
 The aerospace park has already got investors and project proposals from HAL, Jupiter Aviation, Dynamic Technologies, Centum Electronics, AMADA, BEML, Wipro, Tyco and Aero Electronics Private Limited.
 With Bangalore being a hub for research and development  in aerospace technology in India, Spain is keen on a presence and had initiated talks when its ambassador visited the city recently.
 Surbhi Sharma, honorary consul of Spain, told Bangalore Mirror, “With Bangalore being the centre of R&D in aerospace, Spanish companies’ priority would be to set up a base here. Spain is in the forefront in aerospace industry and its first choice of investment in aerospace sector would be Bangalore.’’
20/11/12 S Kushala/Bangalore Mirror

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NRI attempts suicide in airport washroom

Chennai: A 26-year-old software engineer who returned from the US on Wednesday morning attempted suicide at the international airport in the city.
Police said Eswaran Ramani, originally from Dharmapuri, had arrived from the US via Bahrain. He cleared immigration and went to the washroom, where he tried to strangle himself. Other passengers heard unusual sounds and broke open the door of the toilet cubicle. He was admitted in a private hospital and is out of danger.
Police said they were looking into the possible reasons why Ramani attempted to commit suicide. One possibility was that the company he worked for in the US had laid him off and he was upset.
22/11/12 Times of India

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SriLankan Airlines increases flights to Trivandrum

Colombo: Sri Lanka's national carrier, SriLankan Airlines is adding three more flights between Colombo and Trivandrum in India bringing the total to 10 flights a week.
As more people are travelling between Sri Lanka and India and Trivandrum being the commercial hub of Kerala, the airline has decided to increase the frequency of flights to the Indian city.
Accordingly twice daily flights to Trivandrum will commence from November 22.
The increase in Sri Lankan flight frequency to Trivandrum is expected to enhance connectivity across the airline?s global network, and particularly for its South Indian customers from the state of Kerala, the airline said in a statement.
20/11/12 Colombo Page

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Govt may tweak FDI norms in aviation:Chidambaram

New Delhi: Government may be open to tweaking FDI norms in the aviation sector to attract investment, for which there has to be "willing buyer and a willing seller", Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today.
"What is there to tweak, we have allowed 49%. Let us see whether there are potential investors. These are executive decisions, they can always be tweaked," he told PTI in an interview.
"See, merely because you raise it (the 49% limit) to 51% does not mean somebody is going to come. There may be a willing buyer, there has to be a willing seller also. The Indian company must be willing to yield control. And (there is) no evidence of that. There are only half a dozen players in the sector," Chidambaram said.
He was asked whether there was a possibility of tweaking the FDI norms for the aviation sector due to the lack of response so far.
Under the changes brought about by the government in the FDI norms in September, foreign carriers were allowed to pick up stake of up to 49% of paid-up capital in domestic airlines.
18/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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EU gambles with aviation levy

When the European Commission launched its controversial levy on airlines, by including aviation emissions in its emissions trading scheme from January this year, opposition was vociferous and surprisingly united.
Airlines and governments from the US to India to China joined forces to rail against what they labelled as a breach of sovereignty, even warning that the consequence could be a trade war.
At first the Commission stood firm, warning that threats of a trade war should not be made lightly. “It is not right that by threatening us they think they can make a democratic system change democratically made laws,” Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s Commissioner for Climate Action, told this paper in an interview back in March, insisting even if there were retaliatory action, the Commission would not back down.
Eight months later, however, things have taken a surprising turn: last week Hedegaard announced that — subject to agreement by the EU’s 27 member states and the European Parliament — the Commission planned to “stop the clock” on enforcing the inclusion of aviation in the ETS for flights in and out of Europe until after the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) general assembly meeting next autumn.
18/11/12 Vidya Ram/Business Line

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Air traffic talks likely with neighbours

New Delhi:With the civil aviation ministry granting 60 per cent more traffic rights to Indian air carriers on international skies, it is likely to engage in fresh bilateral negotiations with the governments of Oman, Macau and Afghanistan for enhancement of traffic rights. Bilateral traffic rights define the number of weekly flights or seats a country’s designated airlines are allowed to operate in another country’s specified points. Both countries can seek more numbers of services or seats in a week or more places to fly to, through enhancement of traffic rights.
In an interview with Business Standard, Ajit Singh, the minister, had said, “We would explore possibilities of enhancing additional traffic rights with those countries with whom existing rights have almost got exhausted from both sides.” The government had imposed a freeze on private carriers expanding abroad in March last year.
According to ministry data, this winter season will see Indian carriers utilising 42 per cent of the quota of seats allowed under bilateral traffic rights with various countries or 377,724 seats per week, compared with about 20 per cent utilisation in the year-ago season.
19/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Ready to talk to Maldives govt within agreement framework: GMR

Male: With its 500 million-dollar airport development project here becoming a target of political football, Indian infrastructure major GMR has said it is flexible about discussing with the Maldives government all the issues within the framework of the concession agreement.
The project, inked between GMR and former President Mohammed Nasheed's government to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, is facing protests from political groups here who term this agreement as "illegal" alleging that it was signed despite objections from the Parliament.
Even current President Waheed Hassan has termed the agreement a "bad contract" signed "conceivably under dubious conditions" by previous government.
However, Nasheed and GMR both refute these allegations.
18/11/12 ZeeNews

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Govt may tweak FDI norms in aviation:Chidambaram

New Delhi: Government may be open to tweaking FDI norms in the aviation sector to attract investment, for which there has to be "willing buyer and a willing seller", Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today.
"What is there to tweak, we have allowed 49%. Let us see whether there are potential investors. These are executive decisions, they can always be tweaked," he told PTI in an interview.
"See, merely because you raise it (the 49% limit) to 51% does not mean somebody is going to come. There may be a willing buyer, there has to be a willing seller also. The Indian company must be willing to yield control. And (there is) no evidence of that. There are only half a dozen players in the sector," Chidambaram said.
He was asked whether there was a possibility of tweaking the FDI norms for the aviation sector due to the lack of response so far.
18/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Ready to talk to Maldives govt within agreement framework: GMR

Male: With its 500 million-dollar airport development project here becoming a target of political football, Indian infrastructure major GMR has said it is flexible about discussing with the Maldives government all the issues within the framework of the concession agreement.
The project, inked between GMR and former President Mohammed Nasheed's government to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, is facing protests from political groups here who term this agreement as "illegal" alleging that it was signed despite objections from the Parliament.
Even current President Waheed Hassan has termed the agreement a "bad contract" signed "conceivably under dubious conditions" by previous government.
However, Nasheed and GMR both refute these allegations.
The political parties, which formed the government after the ouster of Nasheed in February this year, are demanding scrapping of the present agreement.
18/11/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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Nine flights to bring back Haj pilgrims

Two flights carrying 230 Haj pilgrims each landed at Raja Bhoj International Airport on Saturday morning at 3.30, about 2.30 hours behind its scheduled arrival time of 1.00 am and at 8.30 pm, also over 4 hours behind schedule. The third flight would be on Sunday followed by two flights each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
A total of nine flights will bring back 1,869 pilgrims of the State capital. The return flights for the pilgrims of Bhopal that started from Saturday will end on Wednesday.
Of the 230 pilgrims that returned in the first flight on Saturday morning 228 are from the State capital while there was one pilgrim each from Sehore and Ujjain.
18/11/12 The Pioneer

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Ultimatum extended to annul GMR agreement

Civil Coalition leading the efforts to reclaim the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) from its operator GMR, India, has extended the ultimatum given to the Maldivian government to annul the agreement with GMR till the end of this month.
Speaking at the coalition gathering held at the artificial beach on Friday night, leading figure in the anti-GMR activities, Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla said that the President had informed him that arrangements are being made to annul the GMR agreement.
“Maldivian President has heard our plea. (He) has said that he heeds and respects it. (He) needs some time to arrange a few things. Hence to give (him) some time even if the previously issued ultimatum is up. The work is being done in this manner. Hence to give some space and stay put,” Imran said.
17/11/12 Abdullah Jameel/Haveeru Online

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GMR’s Male airport woes: Coalition member writes to PMO

GMR 's troubles with the Male airport continues. CNBC-TV18 has exclusive access to a letter written to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by a coalition member. The letter raises suspicions against both GMR and world bank body, IFC which was appointed by the Maldivian Govt to manage and run the bidding process before it was awarded to GMR, reports CNBC-TV18's Sunanda Jayaseelan.
The letter was written on the 19 September to the Prime Ministers Office's (PMO) office alleging several things both against GMR and against IFC. IFC is a World Bank’s arm, which has been appointed by the previous Maldivian government to manage and run the bidding process. No response has gone out yet from the PMO.
Here are the allegations that are being raised.
First and foremost against GMR. That GMR was allowed to charge fees and other charges at the airport which were not inline with what was agreed upon making the Male Airport therefore more expensive even then London's Heathrow Airport. It also says that the ADC which was being charged was unconstitutional and that airport acquisition cost was about USD 105 million. However, GMR on its part had paid upfront only USD 78 million and questions are being raised as to what has happened to the balance of USD 27 million.
16/11/12 CNBC-TV18/Moneycontrol.com

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MPs to raise 'neglect' of NRI Keralites by Air India

Thiruvananthapuram: Cutting across party lines, MPs from Kerala will raise in Parliament their strong protest against the "neglect" of the state by Air India, especially its failure to serve properly the NRI travellers.
This was decided at a meeting of state MPs held here to discuss the issues of common interests to be raised in the coming winter session of Parliament.
Briefing reporters on the deliberations, state information minister KC Joseph said chief minister Oommen Chandy had urged the MPs to bring this issue to the attention of Parliament.
The MPs also expressed concern over the failure of public sector banks in providing education loans. Some of the MPs alleged that the banks had been ignoring the guidelines of the Centre and the RBI in this regard.
16/11/12 PTI/Times of India

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Southall Travel is Jet Airways best overall agent once gain

Southall Travel, a leading UK travel agency, received the Jet Airways' 'Best Overall Agent Award for 2011-12' This is a phenomenal fifth consecutive time the agency has been awarded the accolade by the India based full service airline.
Southall Travel's Sales Director, Jaymin Borkhatria represented the agency at the award ceremony. He was presented with the prestigious award by Jet Airways' General Manager UK & Ireland, Lydia Nazareth and Jet Airways' Executive Vice President, Anita Goyal. The gala event was attended by prominent names in the UK travel industry and compered by comic actor and Dame Edna Everage look-alike Simon Whitehouse.
Mr. Borkhatria was thrilled with the achievement and said, "It is a huge honour that has been conferred upon us for the fifth time running. Southall Travel would like to thank Jet Airways, one of the biggest Indian names in the global aviation, for trusting us as a valued partner and for acknowledging our efforts."
16/11/12 Melodika.net

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Two Lankans with 3kg gold detained at airport

Lucknow: The customs department at Amausi airport detained two Sri Lankan youths after 3 kg gold was recovered from them. The two had got off the Sharjah - Lucknow - Delhi flight that landed here and were getting the customs clearance, when the precious metal was recovered from their luggage. The two were being grilled by the customs officials till late on Friday night to establish the source of the precious metal.Reports said the incident was detected when passengers who have got off the Sharjah flight (AI970) at Lucknow on early Friday, went for the custom clearance.
17/11/12 Times of India

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Indian carriers beat foreign rivals in seat utilisation

New Delhi: Indian airlines are set to witness over 42% utilisation of seats allowed for overseas destinations, government data shows, surpassing for the first time in eight years the capacity used by foreign carriers flying into the country.
According to data provided by the civil aviation ministry, the current winter season will see Indian carriers utilising 42.56% of the quota of seats allowed under bilateral traffic rights, or 377,724 seats per week, compared with about 20% utilisation in the year-ago season.
On the other hand, foreign airlines flying into India are expected to clock 39.78% this season, compared with over 40% utilisation a year ago.
Although domestic carriers were granted permission to fly to overseas destinations in 2004, they were, until now, unable to match the capacity utilisation of foreign airlines flying into India largely due to policy constraints.
According to officials, the improvement in capacity utilisation follows the civil aviation ministry's move to give in advance traffic rights up to three seasons to all airlines.
16/11/12 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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GMR project signed under dubious conditions: Maldives President

Terming the controversial GMR airport project here in Maldives as a "bad contract", President Mohammed Waheed on Thursday said it was signed "conceivably under dubious conditions" by his predecessor Mohammed Nasheed.
He also reacted strongly to India's concerns about developments in his country saying, "there is no reason to be concerned, since the country is fully functional and operational".
The President said, "what is irresponsible is for Mr Nasheed to sign a contract against the wishes of the parliament. The demand to reclaim the airport is stemming from the fact that the agreement was not a responsible business agreement where both parties benefit.
"This agreement was signed during the previous government conceivably under dubious conditions. So it's not an issue with GMR, it's an issue of a bad contract."
He was responding to a question whether the demands of his coalition parties to reclaim the project were irresponsible as alleged by his predecessor Nasheed.
Hassan also said that under the current agreement Government has to pay $1.5 million to GMR each month which is "not affordable to the Government of Maldives".
15/11/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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India open to tweaking FDI in aviation policy: Govt source

New Delhi: India is open to further reforms to lure overseas investors into its airlines, a government source said, after a dearth of interest following changes to investment rules left Kingfisher and others still short of much-needed funds.
The aviation ministry will meet local carriers soon to ask what changes were needed in the policy, added the source, with direct knowledge of policy developments.
India changed its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in September to allow foreign carriers to buy stakes of up to 49 per cent in domestic airlines, a move seen as a potential boon especially for debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.
All three listed Indian carriers - Jet Airways and SpiceJet as well as Kingfisher - are said by some analysts to be on the lookout for investment from a foreign carrier, providing a new source of funding for the industry.
15/11/12 Reuters/IBN Live

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International airlines renew India connection

New Delhi: After a lull, international carriers have renewed their interest in the Indian market and are launching flights, adding new destinations and increasing frequencies from some destinations.
The airlines, who have added or plan to add new destinations in India, are Richard Branson-promoted Virgin Atlantic and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific.
Virgin Atlantic in October added Mumbai as a new destination. The airline restarted operations apart from New Delhi.
Cathay Pacific has announced Hyderabad as its new destination from December. The airline operates from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Dragonair flies to Kolkata and Bangalore. The new airline on the block is Maldivian Airline that has announced flights connecting Mumbai and Chennai to Male.
15/11/12 Indian Express

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International airlines renew India connection

New Delhi: After a lull, international carriers have renewed their interest in the Indian market and are launching flights, adding new destinations and increasing frequencies from some destinations.
The airlines, who have added or plan to add new destinations in India, are Richard Branson-promoted Virgin Atlantic and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific.
Virgin Atlantic in October added Mumbai as a new destination. The airline restarted operations apart from New Delhi.
Cathay Pacific has announced Hyderabad as its new destination from December. The airline operates from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Dragonair flies to Kolkata and Bangalore. The new airline on the block is Maldivian Airline that has announced flights connecting Mumbai and Chennai to Male.
Existing player Air Asia has plans to increase frequencies from a large number of destinations they currently operate from. The airline is planning to increase its flights from Delhi, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli and Chennai.
15/11/12 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Maldivian Airlines starts Male-to-Chennai service

Chennai: Maldivian Airlines, the national carrier of the Maldives, has launched its first commercial flight from Male to Chennai, for which it will be using an Airbus A320 plane. The airline is a new operator of Airbus single aisle aircraft, which will be operated under a leasing agreement.
The aircraft, which is powered by CFM56 engines, was previously handed over at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Maldives, in October 2012. Its interior has been specifically modified to accommodate a three-class configuration: 14 business, 18 premium and 120 economy seats, according to company's release.
This entry into service of our first A320 signifies will be increasing the expansion of Maldivian in the region, commented Abdul Haris, Managing Director of Maldivian. “We will start our A320 operations with direct flights to Mumbai, Chennai and Dhaka, much-anticipated routes for our customers.”
15/11/12 T E Narasimhan/Business Standard

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Passenger got medical aid: AAI

Thiruvananthapuram: Immediate medical attention was provided to Abdul Rahman Siaudeen, who arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from Dammam at 3.25 a.m. on Wednesday, after he was found unconscious on the airport premises, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has said. (The passenger passed away subsequently).
In a press release issued in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, the AAI said the Kollam native arrived by Jet Airways flight 9W-565.
After collecting his baggage and completing Customs formalities, the passenger left the baggage-claim area of the New International Terminal Building.
 The Airport Terminal Manager received a message at 4.12 a.m. that a passenger was found unconscious.
15/11/12 The Hindu

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Anti-GMR armada heads to Ibrahim Nasir International Airport for seaborne rally

The anti-GMR campaign took to the seas on Monday afternoon in an effort to increase pressure on the government to “reclaim” Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) from Indian infrastructure giant GMR.
A seaborne armada of about 15 dhonis carrying flags and banners circled the airport as part of an ongoing campaign to annul the contract signed between the former government and GMR to manage and develop a new terminal at INIA.
State Home Minister Abdulla Mohamed told Haveeru that 50,000 people have signed the petition put together by a group of NGOs seeking to annul the agreement and nationalise the airport.
In response to the large number of boats circling the airport, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) increased its seaborne presence to counter the rally, using coastguard vessels to block the entrance to the airport harbour.
Last week Sheikh Imran gave the government a six-day ultimatum to annul the GMR agreement (by November 15).
Former Minister of Economic Development Mahmood Razee said recent actions protesting the GMR agreement, such as Monday’s rally, risked putting off future foreign investors.
13/11/12 Luke Powell/Minivan News

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AI takes local cuisine route to placate miffed Malayalis

Trivandrum: Air India (AI) Express, which has been facing the wrath of Malayalis over poor service, is trying to woo them by offering their favorite dishes, most of them free, in its flights.
The new dishes, which include puttu (steamed cylinders of ground rice) and  idiyappam (string hoppers) along with kadala (chickpeas), thattu dosa with chutney, chicken biryani and rice with chicken curry, will be available to the passengers in the flights in the Kerala-Gulf sector from next month. AIE, which is the low cost arm of the national carrier, Air India, is now operating nearly 121 flights a week from three international airports in the state and nearby Mangalore airport to various Gulf destinations.
A decision to embellish the complimentary pre-set snack box the airline is currently offering to the passengers was taken at meeting of the airlines catering committee held at Cochin recently. The meeting was convened under the initiative of Federal Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal.
14/11/12 Khaleej Times

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India wants more UAE airline slots

India is planning to negotiate with Dubai and Abu Dhabi to open up rights for more flights into the UAE.
India's civil aviation ministry said it would hold fresh bilateral negotiations to "explore enhancing additional traffic rights" with destinations where "existing traffic rights have almost got exhausted". Other destinations it is targeting include Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and Afghanistan.
This follows criticism that erupted last year surrounding a report by government auditors that claimed that the ministry had allowed Arabian Gulf airlines additional traffic rights to the detriment of Air India as they gained market share.
13/11/12 Rebecca Bundhun/The National

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EU freezes carbon tax on aviation

New Delhi: The European Union (EU) announced on Monday deferring plans to charge a carbon tax on passengers flying to and from its 27 member countries.
European Commissioner for EU, Connie Hedegaard, said, "In order to create a positive atmosphere around these very important negotiations, I have just recommended in a telephone conference with the 27 member states that the European Union stops the clock when it comes to enforcement of the inclusion of aviation in the EU ETS to and from non-European countries, until after the ICAO general assembly next Autumn."
India, China and several other countries had strongly opposed the carbon tax, sparking a heated trade war that was hurtling towards a diplomatic crisis. TOI had earlier reported on International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) proposal to create an international market-based mechanism for taxing international flights which would apply to flights between developing countries at a later date, and initially covering only the developed countries.
13/11/12 Nitin Sethi/Times of India

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India to buy nearly 130 Su-30 fighter jets from Russia

India plans to buy nearly 130 Su-30 fighter jets from Russia until 2012.
The total number of the Su-30 fighter jets in the Indian air forces will reach 270, one of the chiefs of the Rosoboronexport Agency, Sergei Kornev, said.
Kornev will lead the Rosoboronexport delegation at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China -2012 that will open in Zhuhai on November 13th.
12/11/12 The Voice of Russia

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UAE Indian expat alert: NRI minister 'kills' Air India, 'opens' Sharjah cemetery

The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs is in the UAE and this year again he has promised Indians here that a regional Indian diaspora event will be held in Dubai next year. Last year, too, the minister had promised the same but the venue was shifted to Maldives. Next year’s event, he reiterated, could be held in Dubai.
Commenting on issues related to Air India Vayalar Ravi said, he had taken up the issue with the aviation minister in India but also wondered what the new minister could do what he himself had failed to achieve as the Minister of Aviation. Ravi was in charge of the ministry of aviation in 2011 following the resignation of Praful Patel.
Problems of NRIs aside the minister also promised that work on the free crematorium being built by the Indian Association in Sharjah is nearing completion.
Ravi washed his hands off the Air India crisis. “I have tried my best. Many times in the past when I was incharge of the ministry and even now as someone who is concerned about the plight of Indians living abroad. But there is nothing much I can do. The problems are within the airline,” said Ravi.
 Indian expats living in the Gulf have launched a series of campaigns against Air India’s attitude with regard to its operations to and from the region. Keralites travelling to India from the Gulf had live with almost 200 odd cancelled flights during the past four months alone. In a recent incident an Air India Express pilot even accused irritated passengers from Abu Dhabi of threatening to hijack the flight that had landed at the wrong airport and delayed by over fifteen hours.
13/11/12 Joseph George/Emirates 24|7

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Centre for rise in air fare for Haj travel under govt quota

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the cost of air travel for Haj pilgrims under the government quota was not high and also indicated a rise in air fare in a bid to reduce air travel subsidy. Last year, the Centre had given a subsidy of Rs 55,000 per air ticket, which increased the total subsidy to Rs 690 crore.
In a response to the apex court’s query on whether the government could find a better economic choice for Haj travel, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the fare charged by the Haj Committee of India was much lower than those charged by private operators. “Despite higher costs as a result of these special arrangements (extra baggage, extra meal), even today pilgrims travelling through the Haj quota pay much less than general passengers or Haj pilgrims travelling through private operators. The contention that air travel through Haj panel quota is more expensive is erroneous,” said the affidavit filed through advocate Haris Beeran.
13/11/12 Utkarsh Anand/Indian Express

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Lufthansa to use IBS solution for air cargo management

Kochi: Technopark-based IBS Software Services (IBS) has won a major contract from European cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo AG to implement iCargo, an air cargo management solution developed by IBS.
The deal, supposed to be one of the largest in the air cargo industry, is also viewed as a significant achievement for the Indian IT industry. "We can confirm having signed the contracts with IBS," Matthias Eberle, director of communications of Lufthansa Cargo, replied to an email query of The Times of India. The company is planning a press conference with IBS in Thiruvananthapuram on November 25 to announce the deal.
IBS developed iCargo in collaboration with major airlines like South African Airways Cargo, Gulf Air, Air New Zealand Cargo, Qantas Freight and Australian Air Express. The solution helps airlines to improve cargo revenues and volumes, along with profitability and customer service, while cutting down operational costs.
13/11/12 Shenoy Karun/Times of India

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Indian arrested at Katunayaka International Airport for smuggling attempt

An Indian attempting to smuggle 2.2 kilos of Sri Lankan Armadillo (Kabllewa) scales was nabbed by Officials of the Customs Bio Diversity Unit at the Katunayaka International Airport (BIA) yesterday evening (November 12).
The bulk of scales were found hidden in his bag and the suspect had claimed that the scales were given to him by a resident in Colombo who said that they were sea shells.
Reports from the Customs say that the suspect is a 35 year old textile businessman who has traveled between India and Sri Lanka for about a hundred times between the past 2 years.
13/11/12 Sunday Times, Sri Lanka

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GMR airport faces the heat in Maldives

Colombo: The largest Indian private investment in South Asia, the $700-million GMR-operated Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Male, is in the middle of an ugly bickering between political parties in the Maldives.
Even as arbitration is under way over a few issues between GMR and Maldivian government, Adhaalath Party — a political party in the new ruling coalition — has given a November 15 deadline to take back the airport from GMR. It has also threatened an agitation at the airport on Monday. At least two other coalition partners are also against allowing GMR to operate the airport.
Earlier, at a rally on November 9 organised by the Adhaalath party, a senior staffer in the Maldivian President’s office questioned the integrity of the Indian High Commissioner in Male, Dnyaneshwar Mulay.
Spokesperson of the President’s Office Abbas Adil Riza, speaking at the rally, accused the High Commissioner of catering to the interests of a private entity and declared that such diplomats should not be stationed in the country.
11/11/12 RK Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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AI staffer acquitted in carpet scam

Mumbai: A special trial court has exonerated a former Air India employee, M L Thatte, accused of being involved in a carpet scam that hit the national carrier 18 years ago and caused it a loss of $550,000 (over Rs 3 crore at the current rate). The case, a major scam in the mid 90s, revolved around purchase orders and advance payments made to a US-based company for supply of nearly 48,000 sq m of carpet in 1994-95, which were never received.
Thatte, then posted in New York as regional stores and purchase manager of AI, was accused of changing terms of payment and conspiring with a US-based carpet company to cheat AI by paying in advance for 15,000 sq m of carpet on behalf of the airline and not waiting for delivery. But the court said Thatte was "made a scapegoat" by senior AI officers "who were to be blamed for the scam". CBI special judge M V Kulkarni slammed the investigation agency for "poor" probe and failing to "find the real culprits".
12/11/12 Times of India

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Flyers take to more satisfactory middle

New Delhi: The Cathay Pacific airline’s introduction of a premium economy class on its Delhi-Hong Kong route is the latest instance of the segment, comprising service-and-cost-conscious travellers, making their presence felt in the Indian market.
Positioned between the economy and business class in terms of pricing and comfort, it is becoming a preference on routes of more than five hours, for both business and leisure travellers. Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France and Turkish Airlines are among those offer premium economy on long-haul routes.
Says Tom Wright, general manager -- South Asia, Middle East & Africa-- for Cathay Pacific, “We have introduced premium economy in India for the first time; the product is also new to us and we’re introducing it on the Delhi-Hong Kong route on A-330 aircraft, with 28 out of 242 seats. We see a big opportunity here. Eventually, we will introduce it on other routes. We expect to address a niche market of frequent flyers who want better service than economy, yet can’t afford as high as business class.”
12/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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German, Dutch Canadian gadgets keep Amritsar airport bird-hit free

Amritsar: It has been three months since Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at Amritsar reported any bird-hits. And the airport hopes to keep the slate clean in the coming months too.
The hope is based on a six-shot launcher imported from Germany, a laser gun-cum-torch brought in from Canada and a cylinder fired zone gun bought from a company in Netherlands. The airport may be struggling to attract new international airlines or to retain the already operating ones, but technologically speaking the airport has taken a hi-tech flight.
Ever since the gadgets were put in action mid-August, no bird hit has been reported despite the fact that the airport area is home to a large number of birds. Prior to their installation, the airport had reported four bird hits this year.
12/11/12 Navjeevan Gopal/Indian Express

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European Union panel puts carbon emissions law for airlines on hold

The European Union will put on hold its rule that all airlines must pay for their emissions on flights to and from Europe, but will resume enforcement if a UN airline body fails to deliver a global deal, Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said.
The European Union has come under intense international pressure to tear up its law making all airlines using EU airports buy carbon allowances on its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). "To create a positive atmosphere, we have agreed to stop the clock," Hedegaard told a news briefing on Monday.
12/11/12 Reuters/Daily News & Analysis

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GMR Male airport project: Diplomatic row erupts between India, Maldives

Male: India and Maldives were involved in a diplomatic row over intemperate remarks made against the Indian High Commissioner by the spokesperson to the Maldivian President which was described by the envoy as against diplomatic protocol.
In a damage-control exercise later, a statement posted on the official Web site of Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed said the government of Maldives disassociates itself from the remarks made by Abbas Adil Riza and some other government officials, saying they did not reflect the views of the government.
The remarks were made by Adil Riza at a rally where he called Dnyaneshwar Mulay a “traitor” and “an enemy of Maldives“.
The rally was organised by the “23rd December alliance” on Friday night to protest against the leasing of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport to Indian infrastructure major GMR by the Government of former President Mohamed Nasheed. The alliance was born out of opposition by some parties to Nasheed.
11/11/12 PTI/Business Line

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Maldives apologise for anti-India remark

Male: After a scathing anti-India remark by a government spokesperson over an airport project by an Indian company, Maldives has officially dissociated itself from the comment and apologized.
Maldives president Mohamed Waheed as well as pro-government Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) have condemned the remarks made against the Indian High Commissioner D M Mulay by government Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza.
At a rally organized by the Civil Coalition against Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) operator GMR (an Indian company) on Friday night, Abbas had said that Mulay had taken bribe from the Indian company and said that "the Indian High Commissioner would have to leave the country the same day GMR is ousted."
Abbas also purportedly called Mulay anti-Maldives and that he is not wanted on their soil.
11/11/12 IBNS/India Blooms

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Ex-minister slams 'mafia-style' lease extension of Maamingili airport

Former transport minister Adil Saleem has today described as "a mafia-style action" the lease extension of privately owned Maamingili airport to 99 years.
Speaking at a ceremony held this morning to open a photo exhibition showing former President Mohamed Nasheed's work, Saleem said a few influential people were "taking over" the people's assets under a "well-organised" plan.
"The post [of transport minister] was given to an employee of [Maamingili MP] Gasim Ibrahim. After he signed the lease extension as Gasim wanted, he was dismissed from his post claiming that it wasn't a decision made by them [the government]. This is how mafia works," he said.
Saleem, however, said the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had no problem in extending the lease to 99 years as long as Gasim Ibrahim agreed to carry out corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects required by the government.
Saleem, who served under Nasheed, also condemned the "dangerous" comments made recently by government officials against India, saying that it would weaken diplomatic relations between the two countries and hurt the Maldives' economy.
"We rely on India's help to even pay our salaries. But those in power are criticising India and other neighbouring countries," he said.
11/11/12 Ali Naafiz/Haveeru Online

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UFOs over India-China border could be Chinese lanterns: Probe

The mystery over the unidentified luminous objects seen on the horizon over a lake in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir appears to have been cracked with security agencies believing it to be "Chinese lanterns".
Earlier last month, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) wrote to the government about sighting of some Orange-Yellow luminous flying objects on the horizon over Pangong lake, located 160km from Leh township.
The Leh-based 14-Corps was alerted by the ITBP which also reported sighting of the light-emitting body to its Udhampur-based Northern Command prompting an intensive monitoring of the flying object, official sources said.
Scientists from various organisations were brought to Himalayan township of Leh and a thorough study was conducted in consultation with experts of the Indian Air Force, whose radars were also unable to pick up any signal due to the flying of the unidentified objects on the horizon of the lake, 45km of which is in India while the remaining 90 km lies in under control of China's People Liberation Army.
Intelligence agencies, with their sparse presence in this region, however, opined that this could be a psychological operation of the Chinese army and a possibility of launching "Chinese lanterns" during day break and in night was looked into by various astronomers, scientists and experts who have studied glaciers for years together, the sources said.
11/11/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Premium economy class becoming popular on international flights

With Hong Kong based airlines Cathay Pacific introducing Premium Economy class on its Delhi-Hong Kong route, the potential of the Premium Economy segment, comprising of service-and-cost-conscious travelers, is making its presence felt to the Indian market.
Positioned perfectly between economy and business class in terms of pricing and comfort, it is becoming a preferred product type on long haul routes of more than 5 hours, for both business and leisure travelers.
Among other international carriers, Virgin Atlantic, British airways, Turkish airlines, Air France, etc also offer premium economy on long haul routes.
Addressing this segment of the market, Tom Wright, GM - South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Cathay Pacific said, “We are introducing new product on Delhi-Hong Kong route on A-330 aircraft. With 28 premium economy seats out of 242 seats, we have introduced premium economy in India for the first time. The product is new to us as a company also. We see a big opportunity here. Eventually, we will introduce it on other routes also.”
11/11/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Passengers stranded at Chennai airport for over four hours

Chennai: Over 100 Kuala Lumpur bound passengers were stranded at the airport here for over four hours due to a delay in the arrival of the Air Asia flight from that country, airport sources said today.
The flight was to have left at around 8:15 AM today, but there was a delay in its arrival, they said
10/11/12 Times of India

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Kingfisher Airlines' troubles continue as Mallya won't use Diageo deal money for revival

New Delhi/Mumbai: In one of the biggest stake sales by a domestic firm to a foreign company, UK-based Diageo Plc will buy a 53.4 per cent stake in Vijay Mallya-led United Spirits Ltd (USL) for Rs 11,166.5 crore in a multi-structured deal.
The development comes at a time when Mallya is trying to overcome financial problems in his grounded Kingfisher Airlines.
"This is not a sellout; it's my appreciation of needs... I have recognised the consolidation needs (of Diageo) and wholeheartedly appreciate it... I have not sold any family jewel but embellished it," Mallya said after announcing the deal.
Mallya stressed that the money received from Diageo will not be used to bail out the beleaguered airline.
Following the completion of the stake acquisition, which took six years to materialise, India will become the second-largest market for Diageo after the US.
10/11/12 Business Today

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