AI to train pilots for Boeing 787 in Singapore

Mumbai: Air India will train its pilots in Singapore for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, due for delivery from December. The move is sparking a protest from one of its pilots’ unions, on promotion issues.
Beginning this week, about 30 pilots (drawn equally from AI and the erstwhile Indian Airlines) go to Singapore for training on simulators. The government carrier is going ahead with this although acquisition of the planes is formally still awaiting a government okay.
"The training will take 15-30 days. Those selected are senior captains and first officers from Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 fleets. The training slots have kept in mind the delivery schedule. Following the simulator training, the pilots will take a check flight with pilots from Boeing,'' an airline source said. Initially, about 70 AI pilots would be trained. "Boeing is also providing a simulator to Air India. It’s a part of the aircraft acquisition deal,'' he added. However the decision to hand over the simulator hinges on the airline's decision to take the deliveries.
While the airline management has approved the cockpit crew training and has also inducted about 150 cabin crew on three-year contracts, it has to battle a new controversy ahead of the induction of the planes. Members of the Indian Pilots Guild , the union representing AI pilots before the merger with Indian Airlines, are opposing the management's decision to also select erstwhile IA pilots for the Boeing 787. It may file a peition in the courts and is also threatening a strike.
"There is a lot of heartburn among our pilots. We feel our promotions and career progression will get affected if erstwhile IA pilots are selected for the training. The Boeing 787 was being selected for AI before its merger and IA opted for 43 Airbus A320 planes. Only ex-IA pilots fly these Airbus planes and their career progression was not affected. We feel we are being discriminated against,'' said an IPG member. The airline management is expected to meet the union in the next few days on the issue.
31/10/11 Business Standard

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Air India cuts Sharjah, Dubai flights to Kerala

Air India, the national carrier of India, has cancelled flights on its busy Dubai and Sharjah routes, a decision not likely to be welcomed by the Indian community in the UAE.
“Air India has cancelled five services from Kerala to the Gulf region as part of the winter schedules,” an airline source told this website.
Two daily flights, Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), IX 540 and IX 539 are cancelled.
“There will be only five Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram flights now, as against seven flights per week, earlier.
“Similarly, Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram flights have been reduced from five per week to three per week,” the source said .
IX 536 and IX 535, are the Sharjah flights cancelled.
These route cancellations coincide with the starting a new Thiruvananthapuram-Sharjah service by Jet Airways from October 30, 2011.
All India Airport Users Forum, a representative body of passengers in collaboration with the Malabar Pradesh Coordination Committee (MPCC) has registered their protest against the cancellation of the flights.
30/10/11 VM Sathish/Emirates 24-7

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Air India cuts Sharjah, Dubai flights to Kerala

Air India, the national carrier of India, has cancelled flights on its busy Dubai and Sharjah routes, a decision not likely to be welcomed by the Indian community in the UAE.
“Air India has cancelled five services from Kerala to the Gulf region as part of the winter schedules,” an airline source told this website.
Two daily flights, Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), IX 540 and IX 539 are cancelled.
“There will be only five Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram flights now, as against seven flights per week, earlier.
“Similarly, Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram flights have been reduced from five per week to three per week,” the source said .
IX 536 and IX 535, are the Sharjah flights cancelled.
These route cancellations coincide with the starting a new Thiruvananthapuram-Sharjah service by Jet Airways from October 30, 2011.
All India Airport Users Forum, a representative body of passengers in collaboration with the Malabar Pradesh Coordination Committee (MPCC) has registered their protest against the cancellation of the flights.
30/10/11 VM Sathish/Emirates 24-7

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Jet Airways commences non-stop flights from Sharjah to Kerala capital

Dubai: Jet Airways commenced daily non-stop flights from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
A traditional ribbon cutting ceremony marked the launch of the new service. Abdulwahab Al Roomi, director general – Department of Civil Aviation and Ali Salim Al Midfa, director of Sharjah Airport Authority, were among the dignitaries attending ?the ceremony.
Ratan Ratnakar, vice president – Market Development and Pricing, Gulf and Middle East Africa of Jet Airways and Shakir Kantawala, general manager for Dubai and Northern Emirates, Jet Airways, were ?also present.
The inbound flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Sharjah International Airport was welcomed to the traditional water-cannon salute in the company of VIP’s, airport officials ?and media.
Jet Airways has deployed a Boeing 737-800 aircraft on this new route, offering 16 Première (business vlass) and 138 rconomy seats. “Guests will be offered best-in-its-class product, which boasts of warm service, award winning in-flight entertainment, as well as delectable cuisine,” an airlines ?statement said.
With this additional flight between Sharjah and India, guests will now take advantage of convenient day and night daily departures from Sharjah International Airport to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
31/10/11 Issac John/Khaleej Times

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Air carbon permit fight escalates

London: The battle against the European Union’s plans to charge the world’s biggest airlines for their carbon pollution is poised to escalate this week as the US, China and two dozen other countries take their case to the international body that sets global air standards
The 26 countries, including Russia, India and Japan, will tell the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) that the EU measure “violates the cardinal principle of state sovereignty” enshrined by international air agreements since the second world war.
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Their ?action paves the way for a rare formal dispute to be launched in Icao, United Nations agency headquartered in Montreal.
The EU’s inclusion of aviation in its six-year-old emissions trading scheme from January will “curb the sustainable growth of international aviation”, the 26 countries claim, in a paper prepared for a meeting of Icao’s governing council that starts on Monday.
That could also prompt other countries to introduce “competing schemes”, the countries say, “bringing about a chaotic situation adversely affecting the sustainability of air transport”.
One of the last big disputes before Icao was also over an EU environmental measure: a 1999 decision to clamp down on aircraft noise that the US said unfairly favoured European-built Airbus aircraft over older US Boeing jets.
While Icao cannot force the EU to ditch its plans, it can be used in order to apply further pressure to Brussels in regard to its boldest move to date to force countries outside Europe to abide by its carbon pollution rules.
30/10/11 Pilita Clark/Financial Times

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IndiGo starts Kathmandu flight from Friday

Kathmandu:The healthy growth of Indian tourists to Nepal has attracted more Indian airlines to Nepal.
With seven flights daily yet another Indian private airlines Indigo Airlines has started New-Delhi-Kathmandu flight from Friday making it the sixth Indian private airliner.
Speaking on the inaugural fligth, Aditya Ghosh, president IndiGo said that Kathmandu is a key market and holds a lot of promise.
“IndiGo will continue to keep its promise of providing low fares on the New Delhi-Kathmandu-New Delhi routes as well,” he said, adding that the airlines hopes to provide the much needed avenue for countless Indians to explore wider horizons and at the same time open up the doors to more and more overseas travellers to experience India. Currently, Air India, Jet Airlines, Jet lite, Spice Jet, Kingfisher and Indigo fly on New-Delhi-Kathmandu route with a total of 78 flights a week.
“Private Indian airlines have explored Nepal as new destination,” said director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Ram Prasad Neupane. “The increase in the number of Indian airlines flying to Kathmandu has also encouraged the sector,” he added.
According to him, India and China has large market access and they have strong economy. “Increase in the number of airlines from these countries can bring a large number of quality tourist to Nepal,” he said, adding that the movement of Indian tourist has always been in an increasing trend.
30/10/11 The Himalayan Times

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Abhishek Bachchan in a runway shoot

Abhishek Bachchan who very recently, injured his finger while shooting for Bol Bachchan, is at it once again. This time, it was while shooting in New Zealand for the upcoming Abbas-Mustan thriller Players.
Junior Bachchan apparently got so carried away by the stunts that he even requested the airport officials at Wellington airport to let him race on the actual runway.
Since there were several aircrafts scheduled to take off and land on the runway, the officials were understandably reluctant, but were eventually persuaded.
Giving Abhishek company during the stunts were co-actors Zayed Khan and Sikandar Kher. “It was a thrilling experience,” gushes Zayed.
The actor says that the idea of the race wasn’t to check who was the fastest, but rather to experience the thrill of running alongside real life aircrafts on an actual runway.
31/10/11 Reena Kapoor/Deccan Chronicle

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Police probe source of bullets found on Israeli student

Mumbai: The Sahar police, investigating the recovery of two live cartridges in possession of an Israeli student, are now trying to figure out how she wasn’t caught during her journey to India last week.
Nurit Tokar, 23, the accused is on a tourist visa to India and was about to fly in a Jet Airways flight number 9W 266 to Kathmandu in Nepal when she was nabbed by the CISF personnel for carrying live cartridges. The cartridges bore the print MMTZZN and 0-5 IMI.
She was handed over to the Sahar police for further investigation. A court has granted her police custody for three days.
Initial investigations reveal that the accused had arrived in India last week following her military training in Israel.
Sources said that intelligence agencies have been alerted and if required, will question her.
30/10/11 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Israeli woman nabbed with cartridges remanded in police custody

Mumbai: An Israeli national who was caught with two live cartridges in her possession before boarding a flight to Kathmandu has been remanded in police custody until October 30. The woman identified as Noorit Tokar (23) was nabbed by security agencies at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Friday.
Police officers said Tokar revealed that the bullets in her possession were part of her father’s legacy. “She told us that the bullets reminded her of her father’s service in the Israeli Army. ...We have booked her and further investigations are on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 8) Satyanarayan Chaudhary.
30/10/11 Indian Express

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Airlines drag feet on goods stolen in transit at airport

New Delhi: Heritage activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed claims he found goods worth over $4,598 missing from his checked-in baggage at IGI Airport on October 19. With no receipts or declared list of goods given before commencing travel, there is little chance that he will recover the entire amount.
Ahmed, who teaches at a prominent public school, was returning to the capital on a Continental Airlines flight from Newark. He had accompanied three students to the US for an exchange programme and had to miss his original flight since a student was not allowed on board. The two took a flight next day but their baggage had been sent a day earlier.
"My student had an open ticket and the Continental staff did not permit her to board the flight on October 17. The airline told us our baggage had been offloaded and we could collect it from their counter next day before the second flight. However, when we asked for it, we were told it had already been sent to Delhi on some other airline," said Bakht.
Bakht was in for a shock at IGI. "I was carrying two bags. The first was a duffle bag that was completely torn from one side and practically empty. The airline staff told me to fill up a form and send them the details later. However, I made a list of all the items that were missing and submitted it immediately. The bag contained gifts I had purchased for family and friends worth $3,288. When I reached home, I realized that my second bag had also been tampered with and clothes and other goods worth $1,310 were missing from it. The airline has so far sent just an acknowledgement of my complaint and said it will take 45-odd days for them to sort it out," claimed Bakht.
30/10/11 Times of India

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Indo-Canadian Trucker Who Was A Doctor In India Deliver Baby In Plane

Toronto: For 25 years in his native India, Balvinder Singh Ahuja worked as a pediatrician, treating thousands of children, saving many lives.
For the past six months in Toronto, however, Ahuja has been learning to drive a truck, convinced it was too difficult a process to practise as a foreign-trained doctor in Canada, reported the Toronto Star.
But his experience as a veteran physician kicked into high gear Saturday when he performed an emergency delivery on an Air India flight from New Delhi to Toronto, turning a passenger cabin into a birthing room within minutes and improvising with makeshift instruments.
The baby, a girl, was born 45 minutes later.
On board the plane, Ahuja had settled into his seat and was almost asleep when a call went out on the loudspeaker asking if there was a doctor or nurse aboard.
He went to the back and saw Kuljit Kaur, about 37 weeks pregnant, on the floor obviously in labour and in pain. Her husband, Ranjodh Gill, was sitting next to her.
The couple and their 7-year-old daughter were flying to Canada as landed immigrants.
There was also an oncologist on board. “She had never attended a delivery,” Ahuja said, quickly realizing it was all up to him.
He had seen hundreds of births and though he hadn’t assisted with any he knew exactly what needed to be done.
Ahuja quickly gathered what he thought he would need. And then improvised.
Empty food cartons were used to lift Kaur’s legs. Scissors were sterilized in Scotch. Pieces of thread tied the umbilical cord. The microwave warmed a blanket for the baby.
The baby was born after 45 minutes of intense labour but no one freaked out, said Ahuja.
“I’ve attended all sorts of emergencies in the past years but this was such a different experience,” he said.
“I was anxious but not scared. There was no alternative, too.”
Aakash Leen Kaur was born about 11,000 metres over Kazakhstan. Aakash means “sky” in Hindi.
Ahuja became an instant hero.
Passengers gave him a standing ovation, the Air India crew gave him a bottle of Scotch and the new father visited him at his home and gave him a box of sweets.
“I was so grateful there was a doctor there,” said Gill, 37, a lawyer who immigrated to Alberta under the provincial nominee program.
But the family wanted to spend some days in Brampton with his wife’s sister before flying to Calgary this weekend.
“My wife was due on Nov. 7,” said Gill. “We don’t know what happened, why the baby came early.”
He said her labour pains started an hour after the plane took off.
“We first thought it was gas but soon realized … it wasn’t,” said Gill, admitting he panicked a bit until Ahuja, calm and composed, showed up.
His wife, he said, is still tired but she and the baby are doing well.
Ahuja, meanwhile, is reliving his days as a physician through the mid-air delivery. “It was the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in Canada,” said Ahuja, who lives in Brampton with his wife and children.
What’s next?
“It was very exciting … I’m glad I was able to help,” Ahuja said in a phone interview en route to Collingwood in a tractor-trailer. “But I doubt I’ll use my skills again.”
At least, he doesn’t expect to use them here. Like most foreign-trained doctors, Ahuja must be recertified before he can practise.
But with thousands of foreign-trained doctors in the country and few opportunities for residency, Ahuja says he knows it will be almost impossible.
“I don’t want to get frustrated,” he says.
“I’m not closing that door completely but as of now I’m focusing on trucking because I have a family and I need money.”
Ahuja said he immigrated to give his three children a better future.
There are at least 7,500 internationally trained doctors in Ontario but fewer than 200 can get residency spots because they have to compete with young Canadians who are more familiar with the language and the system.
29/10/11 The Link

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Woman delivers baby on Air India flight

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Foreign carriers eye premium passengers

Mumbai: At a time when Air India is considering reducing the seats or doing away with the first class section in its long-haul flights, international carriers are wooing premium passengers from India.
Cathay Pacific will introduce first class service on its Mumbai-Hong Kong route later this month. Earlier this week, Lufthansa also announced upgrading its first class seats on the Frankfurt-Mumbai and Delhi routes. It said India was among the first countries in Asia where the new first class seats are being introduced.
"This is the first time we will introduce first class on our direct Mumbai-Hong Kong flight. We will operate a Boeing 747-400 plane, which has nine first class seats,'' said Cathay Pacific's sales and marketing manager (India) Rakesh Raicar. Till now, the airline operated an Airbus A330 plane, which has economy and business class configurations.
On the Mumbai-Hong Kong sector, Cathay Pacific's India office earns 23 per cent revenue from business class products. There has seen a growth of nine per cent this year, he said. Raicar did not share the total revenue as bookings are made world over.
"We see potential in introducing first class seats on the Mumbai-Hong Kong route and we are expecting 50-60 per cent loads,'' he said. On an average, first class fares are six-seven times higher than economy fares.
29/10/11 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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GCAA concludes successful participation at ICAN

The delegation of UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has successfully concluded its participation the International Civil Aviation Negotiation Conference (ICAN) which took place in Mumbai, India from 16 until 22 October 2011. Delegations from sixty-four States were present to negotiate and sign agreements related to civil aviation.
UAE's delegation was headed by H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, Mr. Omar Bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General, and Mrs. Laila Bin Hareb, Executive Director of Strategy and International Affairs. UAE's delegation was also composed of other representatives of the GCAA, Department of Transport of Abu Dhabi, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Department of Civil Aviation of Sharjah, Department of Civil Aviation of Ras Al Khaimah, Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Air Arabia, RAK Airways and flydubai.
ICAN is primarily designed to provide States with a central meeting place to conduct air services negotiations or consultations with their partners. Instead of having to travel to each individual bilateral partner State to conduct negotiations. Aviation negotiators attending this event are able to hold multiple negotiations with their counterparts at the same location, thus greatly improving the efficiency of the bilateral negotiation process and resulting in substantial savings of time and resources. The event also provides a forum for participants to learn about current trends and discuss topical issues and offers excellent networking opportunities as well. It is worth mentioning that Dubai hosted the first ICAN conference back in 2008.
29/10/11 AMEinfo.com

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Iraq earmarks USD 50 billion for airport projects

Iraq government earmarked an estimated USD 50 billion for airport development projects in Iraq over the next few years. Iraqi Airways is scheduled to add new 55 Boeing and Bombardier aircrafts in to its fleet soon.
Mr Kifah Hasan Jabbar DG of Iraq Civil Aviation Authority and Iraqi Airways is expected to shed lights on the projects in the upcoming Emerging Markets Airport Suppliers Conference on December 11th to 12th 2011 in Dubai. The emerging markets of China, Russia, India, the Middle East and Africa are forecast to be among the growth leaders in airport infrastructure development spending over the next few years.
Following the director general's presentation, Mr Abdulmunaim M Ismail and Mr Ghaml Darweesh Al Isuozah special advisors to Benkin Regane Iraq's Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs with Ministry of Transport will make a presentation on Iraqi government's plan to spend USD 150 billion for the infrastructure program related to airports, sea ports and railways. Special focus will be on ongoing and new transportation projects in Baghdad, Basra, Dohuk, Karbala, Salhaddin province etc. The Umm Qasr seaport expansion and country wide railway network projects will also be under the focus.
29/10/11 Steel Guru.com

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IAF selects Boeing's Apache Longbow combat helicopter for chopper tender

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has selected Boeing's Apache Longbow advanced attack helicopter for its combat chopper tender.
RIA Novosti news agency reported from Moscow Tuesday that the other competitor, Russia's Mi-28N Night Hunter, had lost the competition.
It quoted an unnamed Indian defence ministry source as saying that the US helicopter "showed better performance" while the Russian machine did not meet the tender requirements.
There was no confirmation here but well placed sources told India Strategic defence magazine that IAF's assessment report had been accepted. No details were given.
IAF has a tender for 22 combat helicopters with no options. But more would be required and should be ordered once the first few machines are delivered.
26/10/11 IANS/Economic Times

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Helicopter Symposium Offers Unique Global Perspective

Aviation authorities from more than a dozen countries from across the globe will offer their perspectives on safety at the Fifth Annual International Helicopter Safety Symposium, taking place in Fort Worth, Texas from Nov. 8-9, 2011. The theme of the symposium will be Human Factors: our Collective Challenge – Our Individual Responsibility.
The event is a gathering of helicopter operators, manufacturers, service providers, trade associations, academia, government regulators, pilots, mechanics, instructors, and other industry participants from across the globe aimed at finding ways to drive the helicopter accident rate lower. Organizations involved in the symposium also are members of the International Helicopter Safety Team, which was created in 2005 with a mission of reducing the worldwide civil helicopter accident rate by 80 percent by 2016.
This two-day event will include discussions about helicopter safety and operations in numerous countries and regions, including: Europe, the Persian Gulf, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
26/10/11 Rotor.com

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The highest (and lowest) airports in the world

Skyscanner, the portal that compares low-cost flights, presents the ranking of the world's highest airports.
These airports, built at incredible heights, are commercial airports from which both freight and passenger flights are operated and some of them were formerly used for military purposes, known as Advanced Landing Ground. Nowadays some routes are served by charter flights or private companies, which manage to provide links at these heights.
South America has by far the highest concentration of 'Above 3,000m' runways, and, to be more specific, Peru and Bolivia, are at the top. The airport with the highest altitude from Earth is the Peruvian 'San Rafael' in the Puno region, south-east of the country, whose asphalt strip that allows aircraft to takeoff and land is 4,396 metres high.
However, on the other side of the Earth, the Chinese authorities announced that from 2014, the title of highest airport will go the Tibetan airport Nagqu, which when when completed, will reach the amazing height of 4,436 metres. Meanwhile, Tibet is satisfied with the second place achieved thanks to the airport of Chamdo at 4,334 metres of altitude. The third highest one is located in India at Fukche, and in this case the height is of an impressive 4,176 metres.
There are those lands who almost touch the sky when landing and there are those who land under the sea level. If you want to venture in locations which are totally opposite to those mentioned above, then you might consider to fly to Bar Yehuda Airfield, south of the Judean desert in Israel, where the runway is 378 metres below sea level. However, there is no need to go so far, just get on a flight to Amsterdam, whose airport is 5 metres below sea level. Even Venice retains its eternal relationship with water, in fact, its airport is accessible by ferry directly from the city.
27/10/11 AvioNews

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Air India to cut Dreamliner order by half

New Delhi: The Air India board has recommended that the ailing state-run carrier purchase only 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes compared with the original order of 27 aircraft placed in 2005, said a senior civil aviation ministry official familiar with the matter.
The board has proposed to the aviation ministry that the planes must be bought in phases over three years, said the official who didn't want to be named. The first plane is due for delivery in December.
A group of ministers led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet on Thursday to decide on the aircraft purchase order from US aircraft maker Boeing Co. The group is also expected to decide on additional equity infusion into Air India and approve a plan to turn around the carrier. Civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi had told reporters in September that the airline, long reeling under losses, was incapable of buying all the 27 aircraft worth nearly 20,000 crore.
26/10/11 Binoy Prabhakar/Economic Times

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Air India to cut Dreamliner order by half

New Delhi: The Air India board has recommended that the ailing state-run carrier purchase only 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes compared with the original order of 27 aircraft placed in 2005, said a senior civil aviation ministry official familiar with the matter.
The board has proposed to the aviation ministry that the planes must be bought in phases over three years, said the official who didn't want to be named. The first plane is due for delivery in December.
A group of ministers led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will meet on Thursday to decide on the aircraft purchase order from US aircraft maker Boeing Co. The group is also expected to decide on additional equity infusion into Air India and approve a plan to turn around the carrier. Civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi had told reporters in September that the airline, long reeling under losses, was incapable of buying all the 27 aircraft worth nearly 20,000 crore.
26/10/11 Binoy Prabhakar/Economic Times

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India Likely To Open MMRCA Bids On Nov. 4

New Delhi: ndia is likely to open the commercial bids of the two shortlisted vendors for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) in the first week of November.
A Defense Ministry official said the vendors – French Rafale International and European consortium Cassidian Eurofighter – will be invited to witness the opening of their bids on Nov. 4.
Meanwhile, reports quoting industry sources said the shortlisted vendors have received a letter from the ministry and told the date on which the commercial bids for procuring 126 fighter jets will be opened.
The lowest bid in the tender may become the winner. However, the associated costs in terms of spares and support over two years, as well as for maintaining the aircraft over a lifetime of 6,000 hr. of flying or 40 years, will also be considered.
25/10/11 Aviation Week

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Drug mule’s 20-year sentence

A Durban drug mule, who smuggled more than R10 million worth of heroin into the country from India, was given a 20-year sentence this week.
Zanele Rahim, 32, was convicted in the Verulam Regional Court of being in possession of drugs.
In May last year, Rahim’s luggage was searched at King Shaka International Airport and she was found in possession of 1.635kg of heroin.
During the trial it emerged that Rahim had returned from a trip to India. During a routine luggage search at the airport, a secret compartment was found in one of her suitcases. Customs officials found the heroin concealed in plastic packets.
She was detained and remained in custody throughout the trial.
25/10/11 Yogas Nair/IOL News

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Rising deportations clip wings of over 10 Ahmedabad airport officials

Ahmedabad: Immigration officials at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) are under fire for the rise in number of deportation involving passengers, who were cleared by the immigration wing at the airport. In the last six months alone, over ten officials have been removed from the immigration desk either for ‘inefficiency’ or for being ‘hand-in-glove’ with travel agents involved in illegal immigration.
A recent case of a couple, who were deported from Dubai last week, is another example of how easy it is to dupe immigration officials at SVPI airport. It was not sophisticated technology but simple interrogation that helped the Dubai immigration officials blow the cover of Mehul Gotecha, 31, a resident of Satellite and his girl friend Mital Panchal, 26.
The same couple, however, had easily managed to hoodwink the immigration officials at SVPI. Earlier in July, three people from Tamil Nadu who flew from SVPI airport were deported from Dubai after the trio were busted because of their accent. Two of them were originally from Sri Lanka but were traveling as Indians. In Dubai they were caught because their Tamil accent gave them away. Their accent was different from the Tamil ascent of Indians. However, the same trio had managed to escape detection at Ahmedabad immigration counter.
25/10/11 Daily News & Analysis

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British Airways Extends Outsourcing Contract with WNS

London/Mumbai: WNS (Holdings) Limited, a leading provider of global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services, today announced a 20-month extension in the outsourcing contract with its founder company, British Airways (BA), U.K.’s largest flag carrier airline. Under the renewed service agreement, WNS will focus on further strengthening the back-office operations center of excellence that delivers a range of airline operations, including customer relations, fares and PNR servicing requests, passenger and cargo revenue accounting, finance and accounting, research and analytics, revenue and yield management and HR shared services.
“This is an extremely proud moment for us; we are delighted to take this fifteen-year-old relationship with BA to the next level of growth. BA continues to be one of our most important and exciting clients and with the new service agreement we aim to provide strategic benefits to both parties, and drive further innovation for BA,” said Keshav R. Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS Global Services.
The contract extension through to January 2014 will align the BA-WNS relationship with modern BPO practices that provide strategic benefits to both partners, with increased focus on process improvement and driving a cultural change en route to innovation and partnership. Under the renewed contract, WNS will introduce enhanced deliverables and a new service quality scheme, along with best practice sharing programs from other WNS clients and sectors. The engagement will embark on newer investments in technology, process improvement, Lean, Kaizen and Six Sigma reviews to provide greater access to functional leadership with a consultancy lead approach and increased operational efficiency.
25/10/11 Business Wire

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No extra fee on second check-in bag for US-bound passengers, says DGCA

New Delhi: In a first action of its kind, the government has cracked the whip on foreign airlines charging obscenely high amounts from US-bound passengers for checking in more than one bag.

Till recently, US-bound economy class passengers were allowed to check in two bags of up to 23kg each. But last year, US airlines started charging for the second bag, a practice picked up by European carriers as well, as a result of which passengers ended up paying anywhere from Rs 4,000 to Rs 20,000 extra for a one-way passage.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the US and European airlines to revert to the old practice of allowing two bags with weight limit and the latter have to reply by month-end. "This anti-passenger policy of some airlines will not be allowed to continue. The matter is being taken up under the existing air service agreements India has with countries (whose airlines have started levying the fee)," DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan said. Indian carriers flying to North America still allow two check-in bags.

The DGCA has received several complaints on this front due to the enormity of the fee. For instance, a leading European airline allows economy passengers to check-in one bag of up to 23kg. It charges 150 euros for the second bag for each flight. Which means, a person travelling from Delhi to New York has to pay 300 euros (Rs 19,500) for checking in a second bag to NY. A return trip with two check-in bags will cost double the amount - almost the price of the ticket itself.

25/10/11 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Pak airlines asked to pay Rs 1 lakh to Indian passenger

New Delhi: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been directed by an apex consumer forum to pay Rs one lakh compensation to an Indian passenger who claimed to have lost his job after the airlines failed to provide him seat despite his confirmed ticket. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) rejected PIA's plea that since the passenger was on a transit halt at Karachi, Indian courts had no jurisdiction to deal with the issue. Rajasthan resident Bhagwan Dutt who was working in Riyadh at Saudi Arabia in 1998 had sought the compensation on the ground that he lost his job due to the airlines' failure to to ferry him so that he could report back for duty in time. "It is also clear that the action of the appellant (PIA) closed other options for the complainant (Dutt). Had he been given refund at Delhi, instead of assurance to provide a seat at Karachi, he could have tried other airlines. We agree with the State Commission that this constituted a deficiency in service," NCDRC bench headed by Justice V R Kingaonkar said.

25/10/11 PTI/IBN Live

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Air Arabia starts using aerobridge at Nagpur airport

Nagpur: Taking cognisance of recent TOI reports that aerobridges at the airport have been reduced to mere showpieces, Mihan India Limited (MIL), the company operating the city airport, finally got Air Arabia to start using the facility from Monday morning without any formal inauguration.

All domestic airlines operating flights from the city have been reluctant to use the aerobridge. This has deprived passengers, especially the elderly, the facility to board and leave aircraft directly into the terminal building.

Finally, international airline Air Arabia started using the facility for its passengers from Monday. Air Arabia operates the lone international flight from city to Sharjah thrice a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Six airlines; Air India, Jet, Spice Jet, Kingfisher Red, Indigo and Go Air, operate flights to various destinations from Nagpur. Two airlines, Air India and Indigo, already have operators and their own equipment like pushback tractors, toe bar etc for aerobridge operations. However, the airlines are still reluctant to use the services provided by MIL, for reasons best known to them, sources at the airport said.

25/10/11 Sachin Dravekar/Times of India

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Aviation FDI may soon take wing

New Delhi: The proposal to allow foreign airlines to pick up stakes in domestic carriers may become a reality soon. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the commerce ministry has floated a draft cabinet note for inter-ministerial discussions on foreign direct investment (FDI) in aviation. It has received the civil aviation ministry’s nod to go ahead with the proposal.

After consultations within the ministries concerned, DIPP will put up the note for consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). Domestic airlines have not seen any fresh investment coming into the sector for a long time due to strict FDI rules.

DIPP has argued foreign airlines may be allowed to pick up 26 per cent stake. The civil aviation ministry asked for the cap to be 24 per cent or below. “Foreign airlines will not come if the cap is below 26 per cent as they will not be able to have their say in management matters. Private equity players are not interested anyway, as it is too uncertain a sector. The cap should be 26-49 per cent,” a senior DIPP official told Business Standard. The official said the note could be forwarded to the CCEA within a fortnight.

According to the present norms, 49 per cent FDI is allowed in airport infrastructure-related projects but there are restrictions on foreign investment in domestic airlines.

24/10/11 Nayanima Basu/Business Standard

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Air India to fly smaller, older planes to Gulf

Air India plans to withdraw the more modern Airbus 321 aircraft from the Dubai and Sharjah routes and replace it with the older Airbus 320 with effect from October 28.

According to Air India sources, the engineering wing of the airline has already issued a circular to the effect that with effect from October 28, the A 321 planes will be withdrawn from Dubai and Sharjah routes. The airline is justifying this decision by saying that the number of passengers in these routes does not justify a bigger aircraft.

Abhay Pathak, Air India's regional manager for Gulf, Middle East and Africa, said he is not sure of the replacement. “I am not sure about this, but it could be part of our winter scheduling,” he told Emirates 24|7. He said he will have to confirm the news from higher authorities.

Passengers are not happy about Air India’s decision to switch aircraft on these routes. “During our last meeting with Air India officials, they agreed to introduce the A321 temporarily. It has more passenger capacity, good facilities and is more fuel efficient than the A320. They are withdrawing these aircraft from the Gulf sector, which is a cash cow for the airline, and deploying them in the US and European sectors. Ideally, the airline should be using the A321 in the Gulf sector because it is 40 per cent more fuel efficient than the A320 and can solve the problem of luggage offloading,” said KM Basheer, president of the All India Airport Users Forum.

24/10/11 VM Sathish/Emirates 24-7

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Emirates to connect Hyderabad with new destinations in US, Russia

Hyderabad: Airline operator Emirates plans to add new destinations in the US and Russia from Hyderabad via Dubai in the next few months, anticipating a pick up in demand growth after a brief period of sluggish market in the last few weeks. Immediately on its radar are daily services from Hyderabad to Dallas and Seattle via Dubai.

“We have finalised plans to launch the Dallas service on February 2, 2012 and the Seattle service on March 1,” Mr K.P. Venugopal, Emirates Sales Manager, Andhra Pradesh, told Business Line.

For both the services, the airline will deploy different versions of Boeing 777 aircraft, including the model that has a seating capacity of 428.

“Our market estimates are that there are about 1,500 passengers flying to Dubai and Seattle each every month from Hyderabad. The passengers mostly include corporate travellers and visiting friends and family members,” he said.

The inaugural offer in the economy class has been fixed at Rs 52,900 (return fare) to Dallas, and Rs 56,550 to Seattle. Also included in its plans are to connect Hyderabad to St Petersburg and Baghdad in November this year and Buenos Aires and Rio in January next year.

24/10/11 Amit Mishra/Business Line

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Super jumbo makes emergency landing

Hyderabad: An Emirates Airbus A380, the largest passenger airliner in the world, flying from Bangkok to Dubai, made an emergency landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, after pilots detected a technical snag, during the early hours of Sunday.

The aircraft EK385, with 481 people on board, including passengers and crew, touched down at 0345 hours at RGIA. A full contingent of fire tenders, ambulances and support staff was on standby to provide emergency assistance. The aircraft, which was flying over central India, was diverted and permitted to land in RGIA.

The aircraft initially approached the Chennai airport but did not get clearance for landing as the runway was busy. The pilot then contacted Air Traffic Control at Shamshabad, 20 kms from here and got the clearance to land.

“All the passengers, mostly foreign nationals, were got off from the aircraft immediately,” RGIA spokesperson said, adding that the reasons for the emergency landing are also being looked into. Responding to the emergency landing, the Airport Rescue Fire Fighters upgraded themselves from CAT-9 to CAT-10 category to ensure safe landing of the aircraft.

The aircraft was then towed to the parking bay and passengers have been sent to Dubai on another aircraft.

23/10/11 Deccan Herald.com

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Lufthansa Technik scouting for Indian partner

Hamburg: Lufthanza Technik, the world's leading provider of technical support services for aircraft, is scouting for a local partner in India.

"We are working. Our strategy is to find a local partner in India. We are in negotiations," Julia Michaelis, the Spokesperson for Luthansa Technik, told a group of visiting journalists from London.

Lufthansa Technik, whose sister concern Lufthansa Airlines has code-sharing arrangement with Air India, has a unit in Delhi where its components are pooled.

It provides a full range of services from routine maintenance to a complete overhaul, and from the repair of a single defective component to managing the entire spare parts logistics chain.

According to Julia, Lufthanza Technik no longer relies exclusively on the experience it gains from maintaining the Lufthansa fleet to uphold its reputation for professional excellence.

23/10/11 ZeeNews.com

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Govt refuses additional traffic rights to Gulf carriers

Mumbai: Under criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for liberally gifting bilateral air traffic rights to foreign carriers, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has turned down requests from Gulf states to increase frequencies and access to more airports in India.

Civil aviation ministry officials led by joint secretary Prakash Sukul and Director Shubha Thakur held negotiations with 35 countries at the International Civil Aviation Negotiation Conference which concluded in Mumbai on Saturday. India signed air services agreements with 22 countries. Several of these relate to technical or air fare issues or revision to existing pacts.

On Saturday, ministry officials met delegates from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and UAE. "The Gulf states want access to more airports. We have not agreed to it,'' the official said.

23/10/11 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Indian Army Chopper Strays Into Pak Airspace, Released

Islamabad/New Delhi: An Indian Army helicopter strayed into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) today and was forced by Pakistani military to land and four onboard Army personnel taken into custody but the crisis was quickly defused and the chopper allowed to return to India.

Military and diplomatic channels of the two countries were activated and the Army Aviation Corp’s Cheetah helicoper with three middle-level officers and a JCO on board was released and returned safely back to Kargil just before sunset less than five hours after it inadvertently crossed the Line of Control(LoC) due to “inclement” weather.

A relieved India said it greatly appreciated the manner in which Pakistan worked with it in “resolving” the matter.

“We are relieved that our officers and helicopter are back in India. We greatly appreciate the manner in which Pakistan worked with us in resolving the matter,” Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

Pakistani Army said the chopper was “forced to land” in Olding sector near Skardu, about 20 km from the LoC, once it “violated” the airspace over their country and the four personnel were taken into “military custody” and questioned. They were later released.

Pakistan’s chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas alleged that the Indian helicopter had intruded “deep” into Pakistani airspace but did not say how it was forced to land.

An Indian Army statement said the helicopter “inadvertently” crossed over into PoK in the Gultari sector, due to “inclement” weather.

The statement said the chopper was on a routine administration and maintenance flight moving from Leh to Bimbat in Drass sector to rectify another Cheetah helicopter which had landed there due to tehnical snag.

23/10/11 PTI/Indiatvnews.com

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Woman delivers baby on Air India flight

New Delhi: A woman delivered a baby girl onboard a Toronto-bound Air India plane when it was flying 34,000 feet over Kazakhstan today without causing any disruption to the flight. Eight-month-old pregnant Kuljeet Kaur from Amritsar boarded Air India's Delhi-Toronto flight along with her husband from IGI airport at midnight. The flight took off at around 1.45 AM. When the plane was flying over Kazakhstan at around 3.30 AM, Kaur experienced labour pain, a senior Air India official said. The cabin crew was immediately informed, who alerted the Captain about the situation. A lady doctor travelling on the plane assisted the woman in the delivery. Though the pilot announced that if needed, he can land the aircraft at the nearest airport, a normal delivery took place, the official said. "
21/10/11 PTI/News24Online

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Solar farm pitched for airport land

In the empty fields south of Nantucket Memorial Airport, the island’s next big renewable-energy project is being designed to power the second-busiest airport in Massachusetts.

A contract for a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation, covering eight to 10 acres of vacant land along the southern airport fence near Maddequecham Valley Road, will soon land on the Airport Commission’s table.

With the Nantucket High School wind turbine up and running for the past year, and the town forging ahead with a plan for an even larger turbine at the Madaket landfill, the airport is considering jumping into the renewable-energy game with an India-based company, Lanco Solar International, a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech Limited.

Lanco was one of three companies to respond to the airport’s request for proposals for a solar-energy project, and the company’s bid was recommended by consultant Robert Patterson as the most competitive and advantageous. The Airport Commission voted unanimously last week to have Patterson develop a contract with Lanco that will be considered at a future meeting.

While Lanco is a large global company involved in both traditional and renewable-energy developments, infrastructure projects and coal-mining, it has not completed a solar project similar to the one proposed on Nantucket elsewhere in the United States, Patterson said, although there are a few others in the works in New Jersey.

The 1-megawatt project would be constructed at Lanco’s expense, using its own solar panels manufactured in India, and will be designed to operate “behind the meter” to directly offset the airport’s electricity demand, but produce no more than is needed at the facility due to energy-distributor National Grid’s restrictive rules for net-metering (the amount of renewable energy allowed to be produced) on Nantucket. The savings could top $300,000 per year, according to airport manager Al Peterson.

20/10/11 Jason Graziadei/The Inquirer and Mirror

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India takes up turban issue with France

New Delhi: India on Thursday again took up the issue of ban on Sikh turban in France with foreign minister S M Krishna insisting before his French counterpart Alain Juppe that the turban was a symbol of dignity for Sikhs. While Juppe said that the ban was not discriminatory, he proposed a dialogue over the issue of implementation of the French law which prohibits public display of religious symbols.

Krishna said he had taken up the matter with Italy and also written to EU over the issue. "I have also written a letter to Italy's foreign minister on problems faced by the Sikhs at airports. We are pursuing the matter with the EU as well," Krishna replied when asked about the French ban on wearing turbans in that country.

"We look forward to finding a mutually acceptable resolution of this sensitive issue," he added.

Juppe said that there was no discrimination against the Sikh community in his country, but stressed that the ban was in accordance with France's policy of secular state.

21/10/11 Times of India

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Saab India Technology Centre opens in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: A technology centre to undertake research and development in aerospace, defence and urban innovation, including civil security, set up by Saab India Technologies Pvt. Ltd. in partnership with Mahindra Satyam was inaugurated in this growing IT hub Friday.

“The Saab India Technology Centre (SITC) will form a bridge between India and Sweden. The aim of the centre is to support the internal operational excellence and optimization initiatives within Saab, while also supporting Saab to expand in the Indian market,” a statement from the Swedish major said.

An initial base of 100 skilled Indian engineers to be inducted by the close of 2012 will form the backbone of the centre. The SITC is expected to increase its headcount to at least 300 over the next three years.

The primary areas of development will include software engineering, electronic engineering and mechanical engineering. The SITC envisages future development in the areas of signal processing and systems engineering, the statement said.

21/10/11 nvonews.com

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Solar farm pitched for airport land

In the empty fields south of Nantucket Memorial Airport, the island’s next big renewable-energy project is being designed to power the second-busiest airport in Massachusetts.

A contract for a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation, covering eight to 10 acres of vacant land along the southern airport fence near Maddequecham Valley Road, will soon land on the Airport Commission’s table.

With the Nantucket High School wind turbine up and running for the past year, and the town forging ahead with a plan for an even larger turbine at the Madaket landfill, the airport is considering jumping into the renewable-energy game with an India-based company, Lanco Solar International, a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech Limited.

Lanco was one of three companies to respond to the airport’s request for proposals for a solar-energy project, and the company’s bid was recommended by consultant Robert Patterson as the most competitive and advantageous. The Airport Commission voted unanimously last week to have Patterson develop a contract with Lanco that will be considered at a future meeting.

While Lanco is a large global company involved in both traditional and renewable-energy developments, infrastructure projects and coal-mining, it has not completed a solar project similar to the one proposed on Nantucket elsewhere in the United States, Patterson said, although there are a few others in the works in New Jersey.

20/10/11 Jason Graziadei/The Inquirer and Mirror

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Travel advisories make airlines, hotels see red

Mumbai: Travel advisories issued by the US, the UK, New Zealand, Canada and Australia late Tuesday night have dampened spirits in the Indian hotel and airline industries, which were expecting things would look up in the festive season.

The local consulates of these five countries have issued travel alerts to their citizens, cautioning them about terror strikes during Indian festivals and other peak holiday periods.

These alerts are not expected to be lifted before January. “The Department of State reminds US citizens of the continued possibility of terrorist attacks throughout India and urges citizens to pay particular attention to their personal security during the Indian holiday season, which includes Hindu, Islamic, and other religious and secular holidays between October and January,”said a statement from the US consulate.

The five countries together account for over 35 per cent of annual foreign tourist arrivals to India, of which the US share is over 16 per cent.

The Australian government advisory said “terrorist attacks could occur at any time anywhere in India with little or no warning". The cautious approach stems from the fact that India has been subjected to two high-intensity terror strikes already this year, where at least 37 people lost their lives. Further, Indian security agencies have issued terror warnings to busy airports, railway stations and tourist spots frequented by foreigners.

Observers said the development might lead to cancellations in the hotel and tourism industry.

20/10/11 Swaraj Baggonkar & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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India may drag EU to WTO over carbon tax on airlines

New Delhi: India may consider dragging European Union to the World Trade Organisation if the 27-nation bloc goes ahead with its contentious plan to impose carbon tax on non-EU airlines, sources said.

According to the EU plan, non-European airlines will have to pay a price for emission of carbon dioxide. From January 2012, airlines flying into or out of EU airports will have pay a tax to cover the Co2 emission they emit during the entire flights.

"We have opposed this. The move is against EU's international commitment in WTO. It will distort trade in goods. If the EU will not defer its plan, we may consider dragging them to WTO," an official said.

However, efforts will be made to resolve the issue by talking bilaterally to each of the EU members, he said.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also strongly opposed the EU plan while he was in Paris last week for the G20 meeting.

20/10/11 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Pune-Singapore flight service on cards

Pune: The city may soon get another international flight to operate from the Lohegaon airport.

A two-member team of SilkAir, a wholly owned subsidiary and full service regional carrier of the Singapore Airlines, has finished a final survey to examine air traffic potential and other viability factors for Pune-Singapore flight service.

The team, led by Jagdish Ram Bhojwani, who is the Coimbatore-based official of SilkAir, met Lohegaon airport director P S R K Sudhakar and other senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials at the airport on Monday. "They were keen on knowing the potential for Pune-Singapore direct flight service and the options for further connectivity from Singapore," Sudhakar told TOI.

On Tuesday, the SilkAir team met representatives of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), which has been leading the city's quest for more international flights and an independent airport project. Sudhakar was also present at this meeting that stretched for over three hours. Yogesh Dossa, Singapore Airlines general sales agent (GSA) in Pune was the other member of the SilkAir team.

S K Jain, MCCIA's civil aviation committee chief, confirmed the SilkAir-MCCIA deliberations. "We have been pursuing with them (SilkAir) for the past two-and-a-half years to visit Pune and see for themselves the potential the city has to offer in terms of the proposed flight service," said Jain.

19/11/10 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Airlines press govt for using untapped bilateral rights

New Delhi: Indian airlines have urged the government to allow them to fly to several foreign cities by tapping unutilised bilateral rights, as they held discussions on the issue with their counterparts from 35 nations in Mumbai.

Top officials of Indian carriers recently made a strong plea for allowing them to use the slots in several overseas destinations which were not being operated by Air India.

However, rejecting the contention that private carriers were not being allowed to use such unutilised slots or flying rights, official sources here said while Air India itself may not be able to utilise the entire quota of bilateral air services rights, private carriers too were Indian carriers and there was no reason why they would not be allowed.

The sources said officials of the Indian airlines met Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi last week and briefed him on their concerns which also included high rates of taxation on jet fuel and other financial issues.

Meanwhile, officials of Indian carriers are holding discussions with their counterparts from 65 nations who are participating in the ongoing Fourth Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN/2011) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Mumbai.

A separate session is being held at this major event on bilateral air services negotiations between Indian and African carriers.

18/11/10 ZeeNews

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Muscat International Airport welcomes IndiGo's inaugural flight

IndiGo, India's fast growing low fare airline, was welcomed on its inaugural flight at Muscat International Airport on 10 October at 2245 hours from Mumbai with a water cannon salute. On board was the IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh.

A welcome ceremony under the auspices of His Excellency Said bin Ali bin Nafal Al Mashali, Undersecretary for Civil Aviation Affairs was organised at the Diwan of Royal Court, VIP Lounge, adjacent to Muscat International Airport.

After receiving the Airbus 320, the Chief Guest HE Mashali and Aditya Ghosh cut a cake with a traditional Omani sword that was served along with snacks and drinks to officials from Oman Airport Management Company (OMAC), Civil Aviation Authority, Ground Handling Agencies who were present on the occasion along with MIS (GSA for IndiGo) and IndiGo officials from the local as well as India office.

Aditya Ghosh left by the same flight at 0005 hours on 11 October.

"This is a landmark moment for us and we hope more customers will take advantage of our competitive rates, high quality service and matchless on-time performance," said an MIS spokesperson. The initial airfare on IndiGo is at OMR88 for a return ticket to Mumbai that is operating four times a week. The carrier has ambitious plans to connect to more destinations in India by the end of the year.

18/10/11 AME Info.com

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Airlines press govt for using untapped bilateral rights

New Delhi: Indian airlines have urged the government to allow them to fly to several foreign cities by tapping unutilised bilateral rights, as they held discussions on the issue with their counterparts from 35 nations in Mumbai.
Top officials of Indian carriers recently made a strong plea for allowing them to use the slots in several overseas destinations which were not being operated by Air India.
However, rejecting the contention that private carriers were not being allowed to use such unutilised slots or flying rights, official sources here said while Air India itself may not be able to utilise the entire quota of bilateral air services rights, private carriers too were Indian carriers and there was no reason why they would not be allowed.
The sources said officials of the Indian airlines met Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi last week and briefed him on their concerns which also included high rates of taxation on jet fuel and other financial issues.
Meanwhile, officials of Indian carriers are holding discussions with their counterparts from 65 nations who are participating in the ongoing Fourth Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN/2011) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Mumbai.
A separate session is being held at this major event on bilateral air services negotiations between Indian and African carriers.
The prime contention in these negotiations is on the grant of Fifth Freedom Rights to designated African and Indian carriers. Fifth Freedom means the right of an airline to fly to a second country and then onwards to a third one, carrying passengers from the second.
18/10/11 PTI/ZeeNews.com

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FDI in aviation under consideration: Ravi

Mumbai: Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi today said it is considering the recommendation of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) to allow foreign carriers to pick up stake in domestic airlines.
“Yes. It is true that we have not rejected DIPP’s recommendation (on allowing foreign airlines to invest in
domestic carriers). It is under our consideration,” Ravi told reporters on the sidelines of the fourth International Civil Aviation Negotiation Conference 2011 (ICAN 2011) here.
However, the minister added that his ministry has not finalised its view on the DIPP proposal.
On the ailing national carrier, which is sitting on a debt pile of close to Rs 64,000 crore including accumulated losses, Ravi said that his first priority is to increase the cash flow of Air India which is struggling with interest payments and high aviation turbine fuel cost.
17/10/11 Firstpost.com

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Turkish Airlines to expand India ops

New Delhi: After adding 11 new destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa, Turkish Airlines is now working towards expanding operations in India in 2012 by doubling weekly flights to 28 and adding Hyderabad as its third Indian destination . "We are looking at Chennai and Kolkata after Hyderabad. India is a very important market for us and we need to fly to at least five cities there," Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil said, adding that attempts were being made to start flights from Hyderabad in the beginning of next year.
While the airline is operating seven flights from Mumbai and Delhi, it is gearing up to compete with their Asian and American counterparts by extending its code share with Air India, India's national carrier, to get more passengers from India to fly to or through Turkey to other places. The Airlines, which recently won the Skytrax award for 'Best Airline Europe' , launched its 'New Business Class' offering various facilities to its passengers. Turkish Airlines' 170 aircraft cover 74 European cities through 144 routes, making it the 17th largest carrier in terms of fleet. It uses its Airbus 330-200 and Airbus 330-300 aircraft for its India operations, registering average load factors of 70-75 %. The CEO said the airline aims to make Istanbul , Turkey's capital, the preferred transit point between Asia and Europe, as it takes only three to four hours to fly to any European city from there.
18/10/11 Smriti Singh/Times of India

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MAS aerospace engineering’s India JV ready to take off

Kuala Lumpur: MAS-GMR Aero-space Engineering (MGAE) Co Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between Malay-sian Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Sdn Bhd and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, is to be launched soon.
MAE is a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) while GMR Hyderabad International is a subsidiary of India-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd.
MAS said the joint venture was a third party Airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, the first of its kind for its scale, is located in the Special Economic Zone at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
“The MGAE has one wide-body hangar, one narrow body hangar with three bays and another paint-cum-narrow body hangar with associated workshops.
“It has the capability to provide base maintenance services, starting with narrow-bodied aircraft like Airbus A320, ATR 42/72 and Boeing 737-NG and subsequently wide-body aircraft like A330 and Boeing 777,” said MAS in a statement yesterday.
18/10/11 Bernama/The Star.com

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Fall in biz confidence affects air travel in India: IATA

Fall in business confidence has affected air travel around the globe, including in India and China, which indicates further slowdown in passenger traffic in the months ahead, IATA said today.
Maintaining that the decline in business confidence has been "widespread" including in these two countries, the global airlines' body said "lower levels are consistent with the decline in international trade and business confidence" as seen in recent months which was now generating a fall in business travel.
"This weakness in a key driver of business travel is widespread, affecting even the Chinese and Indian economies" where the confidence has "fallen sharply in recent months", the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its latest analysis of premium air traffic for August.
It said the major source of weakness appeared to be Europe, where economic conditions and business confidence have "deteriorated sharply".
Aviation markets within Europe and the North Atlantic saw the sharpest falls in premium traffic in August, it said, adding there was "a sharp fall" in the number of passengers travelling on premium seats after an "unexpectedly robust growth" in the second quarter this year.
17/10/11 Moneycontrol.com

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Birmingham flights to Indian city of Amritsar are increased

Birmingham flights to the Indian holy city of Amritsar are being increased – as hundreds of West Midland families flock to the world-renowned Golden Temple.
A new route to India, launched from Birmingham Airport less than a fortnight ago, has had so much interest the airline now plans to increase the number of weekly services.
Comtel Air began flights to Amritsar from Birmingham on October 1 and planned to operate two weekly services each Saturday and Sunday.
But the airline says it has had such an overwhelming response from the region’s Indian community it will be increasing the flights from Birmingham, taking an aircraft from another European base to accommodate demand in the Midlands.
Thomas Kopetzky, Director Ground Operations for Comtel Air, said: “We knew there was demand for more flights to India from Birmingham due to the large Asian community living in the Midlands and we thought that we’d eventually have to put on more flights but we never imagined we’d have to make this decision so soon after launching the first service.
17/10/11 Jon Griffin/Birmingham Mail

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Man drops dead at airport just before flight

An Indian who was unwell and was about to return to India for further treatment, died minutes before he could board the flight from Sharjah airport yesterday.
Dileep PK, 48 years old from Trissur in Kerala, was at the Sharjah airport on Monday afternoon when he suddenly went blank and giddy.
After initial first aid he went into the terminal but fainted again after which he was rushed to Al Qassimia Hospital in Sharjah. He died soon after reaching the hospital.
Gafoor T, former president of Talikulam Pravasi, a group of Indians from Talikulam, in which Dileep was a member told Emirates 24|7 that the former could have been suffering from Pneumonia.
“He first went for treatment in a private hospital but had to discontinue the medication because he did not have the health card. Finally he decided to return to India for further treatment and it is quite shocking that he died just before he could board the flight,” said Gafoor.
Even more shocked are his family members, his wife Sheeja and daughter Jishnu and the seven-year-old son Jiji. The family members had arrived at the Nedumbasherry International Airport in Kochi and were waiting to receive Dileep when they were informed about his death.
18/10/11 Joseph George/Emirates 24-7

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President Pratibha Patil for expansion of aviation sector to further trade

Mumbai: Underlining the importance of aviation in economic development of countries, President Pratibha Patil on Monday sought "flexible business modules" for expansion of the aviation industry.
"Innovative and flexible business modules may be evolved, enabling greater connectivity between countries to promote people-to-people contacts, as well as trade and business.
"To achieve this, governments must continually negotiate new bilateral treaties, to allow for and expand access to new and emerging markets for their carriers," Patil said inaugurating the fourth International Civil Aviation Negotiation (ICAN) conference in Mumbai.
She said airlines could act as "goodwill ambassadors" to connect people across the globe.
"Flying is no longer the prerogative of a few privileged, but an option for an increasingly broader section of society. Airlines could be goodwill ambassadors to bring nations and peoples together," the President, who is on a two-day visit of Mumbai, said.
The rapidly expanding aviation sector handles 2.5 billion passengers across the world in a year; moves 45 million tonnes of cargo through 920 airlines, using 4,200 airports and deploying 27,000 aircraft.
"Such a large scale global operation requires that experts of Member States of International Civil Aviation Organisation must gather frequently, to evolve consensus and co-ordination on various issues to ensure a universally safe and secure international aviation sector," she said.
17/10/11 PTI/Economic Times

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‘India to be among top 5 aviation nations in 10 years’

Mumbai: Highlighting the huge potential for growth of civil aviation in India, the President, Ms Pratibha Patil, urged the world aviation industry to partner with India for the expansion of the industry.
“Recent estimates suggest that domestic air traffic will touch 160 to 180 million passengers per annum, in the next 10 years and international traffic will exceed 80 million passengers per annum. India is poised to be among top five aviation nations in the world in 10 years. At present, India is the ninth largest civil aviation market,” she said inaugurating the fourth International Civil Aviation Negotiation (ICAN) conference in Mumbai.
“Flying is no longer the prerogative of a few privileged, but an option for an increasingly broader section of society,” observed Ms Patil.
She said deregulation of the domestic sector and liberalisation of bilateral traffic rights in the past decade has brought choices of carriers, choices of timings and fares. There is a sea-change from 500 departures per week in the country in 1994 before deregulation, to nearly 15,000 departures daily - a 30 times jump.
Today 87 foreign airlines fly to and from India and 5 Indian carriers fly to and from 40 countries. In the last decade, domestic air traffic has quadrupled from 13 million to 52 million and international traffic more than tripled to 38 million. A similar trend is observed in the cargo sector, she added. The rapidly expanding aviation sector handles 2.5 billion passengers across the world in a year; moves 45 million tonnes of cargo through 920 airlines, using 4,200 airports and deploying 27,000 aircraft.
17/10/11 Nivedita Ganguly/Business Line

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More bilateral air traffic pacts to open up Indian sky further

Mumbai: India will negotiate bilateral air traffic rights with 35 nations in its bid to start additional foreign flights from the country.
The negotiations will be held here tomorrow at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations Conference which will be inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil. Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi and two former ministers —Praful Patel and Rajiv Pratap Rudy — will be present along with top officials from airlines and airports.
The conclave comes close on the heels of the Comptroller and Auditor General criticising the government for “liberally granting” traffic rights to foreign carriers from the Gulf. The CAG report also flayed the authorities for failing to protect the interests of Air India. Simultaneously, private Indian carriers want approval to expand international operations — and airports like Delhi too are pushing the government to allow more foreign flights.
A bilateral agreement grants airlines reciprocal flying rights from respective countries. However as the CAG noted, foreign airlines were utilising almost two-third per cent of entitlements, while the Indian carriers were utilising only one-fourth. Foreign carriers were granted permission to several airports in India, penetrating the domestic market. CAG had recommended that government freeze or, if possible, roll back some of the entitlements.
“We will uphold India’s interests,”' civil aviation secretary Dr Nasim Zaidi stated. The talks are being held after three rounds of inter-ministerial meetings that include secretaries from external affairs, tourism and economic affairs department. Zaidi, though, was tightlipped on whether India would extend seat entitlements with other countries.
17/10/11 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Emirates flight turns back after losing pressure

Dubai: Emirates airline says one of its planes turned back to Dubai after experiencing a loss in cabin pressure while on its way to India.
The Dubai-based carrier says flight EK 572 to Kolkata, India, was carrying 184 passengers and 14 crew when it lost pressure Monday afternoon.
No injuries were reported. A replacement flight on a different plane was scheduled to leave later Monday.
17/10/11 AP/msnbc.com

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Cheap Flight Tickets Scam in India

If you are looking to travel in India this time of the year, and plan to book flights online, be aware that there are many scammers trying to make quick money out of you. The scammers promise cheapest flight tickets to potential customers and have duped several naïve travelers in cities like Hyderabad and Chennai in India. The Travel Agents Association India (TAAI) and police have warned people to be careful while booking tickets online.
Even a senior Hyderabad city official was not spared when he was duped by scammers through their online ticket portal. The method of operation is quite simple: the” fake “site is registered on information websites like Justdial.com with fake address and information. These fake sites claim to work for prominent travel agents (like Arzoo.com and Hermes, a travel solutions company) on the internet. The fake agents also register with these travel agencies, which often fail to verify their credentials. They give them the authority to get the login and other information from passengers. When a prospective customer goes online to Just dial and books tickets through such ‘agents’ they get a call a few days prior to travel date that the flight has been cancelled. The refunded money is taken by the fake agents leaving passengers with the realization of having been duped.
16/10/11 Dipashri Mutsaddi/Wikipeers

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Diverted passengers stranded at Gatwick for almost nine hours

Almost 200 passengers on board an Air India flight were stranded on the tarmac at Gatwick Airport for more than eight hours, after fog prevented the plane from touching down at London’s Heathrow.
Despite the airports being just 44 miles apart, passengers on the flight from Ahmedabad via Mumbai to Heathrow were kept on board the aircraft and complained they received no food, refreshments or information from the crew.
The flight had been due to land at Heathrow at 7.30am, but was diverted to Gatwick in Sussex because of heavy morning fog.
It is believed the crew then departed the flight and the aircraft was unable to take off again until a new team had been sent from Heathrow.
Rahul Joglekar, a BBC producer, who was on the flight used Twitter to communicate the mounting frustration on board.
He wrote: “Too much fog at Heathrow … why not let us deplane at Gatwick?”
At one point officers from Sussex Constabulary attended the scene to calm rising tension amongst those passengers who were angry at the lack of information.
Some of those on board are understood to have offered to leave the flight at Gatwick and make their own way to their final destination, but were refused permission to disembark by the airline.
Eventually after eight and a half hours on the tarmac, the new crew arrived and the flight was able to take off and make the short journey across London to Heathrow where it landed shortly before 5.20pm.
16/10/11 Martin Evans/The Telehraph, UK

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Air India passengers stranded on plane at Gatwick Airport

Passengers were stranded on a plane on the Tarmac at Gatwick Airport for more than eight hours after fog caused their flight to be diverted.
The Air India flight was on its way from Mumbai to Heathrow Airport when the weather conditions forced it to divert to Gatwick at about 08:00 BST.
A spokesman for the Sussex airport said the airline had to wait for a crew before it could complete its journey.
The flight was due to take off and resume its journey at 17:00 BST.
Sussex Police were called to the flight to prevent a breach of the peace as tempers among passengers flared.
A BBC World Service reporter on board said the mood on the plane became heated.
Rahul Joglekar said he did not know why the passengers were prevented from disembarking the aircraft.
16/10/11 BBC.co.uk

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Carbon tax cannot be source of climate finance: Pranab Mukherjee

Paris: India Saturday strongly opposed imposition of carbon tax as an additional source of funding to fight climate change.
"India believes that some of the measures like carbon export optimisation tax and levy on CDM/offsets violate the principles of the Convention (UNFCCC) as their incidence falls entirely on developing countries and these cannot be recognised as a source of new and additional finance for climate change," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Paris.
He was making an intervention at the G20 Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' meeting on Development, Climate and Innovative Financing.
He said global levies on carbon emissions from shipping and aviation should be raised only if a mechanism for refund of revenues collected from developing countries in put in place.
The refund should not be treated as climate change finance flow or a contribution of developing countries to global revenue mobilisation envisaged under the UNFCCC, he said.
"We also feel that the flow of finance leveraged by international finance institutions (IFIs) or the multilateral development banks (MDBs) should be counted towards the overall target only if there is a net additional infusion of capital by the developed countries to the capital base of the MDBs/IFIs," he said.
15/10/11 Chandra Shekhar/PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Oman to attend ICAO meet in Mumbai

Muscat: The Sultanate, represented by the Transport and Communications Ministry will take part in the 4th conference of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for air negotiations related air services, which will be held in Mumbai, India and lasts for several days.

The Sultanate's delegation will be led by Said bin Ali bin Nafal al Mas'hali, Transport and Communications Ministry's Under-Secretary for Civil Aviation Affairs and membership of a number of officials from the Air Transport Department at the Civil Aviation Affairs, the national carrier of the Sultanate (Oman Air) and Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC).

ICAO conference will provide countries a central place to meet to conduct negotiations or bilateral or multi consultations to discuss topics related to air services.

It is expected that the Sultanate's participant delegation will negotiate with a number of countries of the world regularising air transport services between the Sultanate and these countries.

15/10/11 Oman Daliy Observer

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JK CM emphasises on direct Haj flights from Srinagar Airport

Srinagar: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Saturday announced free of cost influenza vaccination for Haj pilgrims of the State made mandatory by the Government of Saudi Arabia for Haj-2011. The cost of per dose of the vaccine is reportedly over Rs. 600 and it would be available to all Haj pilgrims travelling on Government quota or privately. The Haj pilgrims are also receiving free of cost vaccination for meningitis.

The Chief Minister gave this direction to the Health Department at a high level meeting he chaired here this morning to review the arrangements put in place by the State Government and the Haj Committee for Haj-2011.

Emphasizing the need for operationalzing Srinagar International Airport for Haj flights, the Chief Minister said that Civil Aviation Ministry should remove all bottlenecks in this regard and ensure that the status of the Airport as an International one is restored.

15/10/11 ground report

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Teacher's Origin debuts in Indian duty-free segment

Global spirits company Beam has launched a new expression of its blended Scotch whiskey brand Teachers, known as Teacher's Origin, in Bangalore, India, making it available in the country's duty free segment.

The duty-free launch of the whiskey happened in partnership with The Nuance Group at Bangalore International airport, DFNI online reported.

Teacher's Origin will be launched at other airport locations in the country including Delhi, Hyderabad and Cochin, as well as Colombo Bandaranaike airport in Sri Lanka in November.

14/10/11 Spiritworks.com

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bmi begins direct London-Amritsar flight

Mumbai: British Midland International, popularly known as bmi, today began direct flights between Amritsar and London. The inaugural flight from London to Amritsar arrived at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport at about 3 am today. The maiden flight had on-board bmi Chief Executive Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, a company release said.

The airline is using a wide-body Airbus A330 for this 12-hr flight. The flight has 36 Business seats and 196 Economy seats. It will be a tri-weekly flight.

14/10/11 IBN Live

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DHL enhances connectivity between South India and Europe

DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, today announced the launch of a Boeing 777F freighter service between Bangalore and Leipzig, in response to the growing air cargo demand into and out of South India.

Originating from Bangkok and Singapore, the new service will operate five times a week between Bangalore and DHL’s European hub in Leipzig, Germany. The new freighter will be operated by AeroLogic, a joint venture cargo airline of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo.

India continues to be a high growth market for DHL Express and there is specific focus on investing in infrastructure, network and people in India to augment growth. This includes investments to enhance service facilities and upgrade air connectivity from and into the country. These investments will more than double the dedicated air network capacity of DHL into and out of India. South India is an important region in the country’s economy and the launch of the freighter at Bangalore is a key step towards facilitating growth in this region. DHL Express also has in-house customs clearance facility at Bangalore for faster clearances into and from South India.

The B777 freighter, which offers more than 100-tonne capacity, will boost transit times on key trade routes between Europe and Asia. With direct connectivity to and from South India locations, this new freighter service will provide enhanced flexibility in cut-off times for shipment pick-up in South India.

14/10/11 Business Standard

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Nagpur fails to lure foreign airlines to its airport

Nagpur: The Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur has remained a?Internationala only in name. Air Arabia operates the lone international flight from city to Sharjah. Passengers and even airport officials have started asking when new international flights announced by Mihan India Ltd (MIL), the airport operator company, will start from Nagpur airport.
MIL officials have many times announced that Nagpur may soon have flights to Singapore, Bangkok, Malaysia and Dubai. Nagpur airport was accorded international airport status three years ago.
It saw operations of flights to four international destinations including Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Air India Express to Dubai, Air India Bangkok and Air Arabia to Sharjah. Initially, the flights received good response as flyers from neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh preferring to board from Nagpur. It was convenient for them to travel to Nagpur by road and take low-cost flight to international destinations.
However, when recession hit, international flights were rapidly withdrawn with Qatar Airways first to go. Then Air India suspended operations and Air India Express too followed.
13/10/11 Sachin Dravekar/Times of India

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Jet Airways signs MOU with Vietnam Airlines

Mumbai/New Delhi: Marking the state visit of Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang's to India, Jet Airways and Vietnam Airlines have signed a memorandum of understanding which covers the areas of commercial services, technical and training, a Jet Airways official said.

This agreement was signed in the presence of Truong, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president B. Muthuraman and members of the Vietnamese delegation in New Delhi Wednesday, the official said here.

"This agreement with Vietnam Airlines is an integral part of our strategy for increased international growth and providing seamless service for travellers between India and Vietnam. We look forward to the future of cooperation and collaboration with Vietnam Airlines, bringing greater benefits to our distinguished passengers," said Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways.

Truong said he believes the agreement will be translated into a fruitful cooperation between the two airlines. He also stressed that the development of the relationship between the two countries needs such partnerships.

12/10/11 IANS/Economic Times

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World’s first low carbon fuel to be developed in India

New Delhi: British carrier Virgin Atlantic on Tuesday announced a strategic tieup with energy firm LanzaTech to develop in India a low carbon aviation fuel from steel that, the airline claims, will have just "half the carbon footprint of the standard fossil fuel alternative".

According to Virgin Atlantic, the "breakthrough aviation fuel technology" will see waste gases from industrial steel production being captured, fermented and chemically converted using Swedish Biofuels technology for use as a jet fuel.

India, which is among the world's largest steel producers, will be one of the first countries where the fuel will be produced as Lanzatech and partners develop facilities there and with three years and Virgin Atlantic hopes to fly Delhi to London Heathrow on the new fuel sometime in 2014.

The "revolutionary fuel production" will enable airlines to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint by reusing gases that would otherwise have been emitted directly into the atmosphere and promote sustainable industrial growth, as the process enables manufacturing plants to recycle their waste carbon emissions, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said.

Virgin President Richard Branson has termed the partnership with LanzaTech a breakthrough in aviation fuel technology and a major step toward radically reducing our carbon footprint. The technology is currently being piloted in New Zealand and following successful implementation, a wider roll-out could include operations in the UK and the rest of the world.

11/10/11 Vibha Sharma/Tribune India

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Boeing Flies First P-8I Ordered by India

The first of eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft that Boeing is building for the Indian navy made its initial flight September 28. The 737 derivative flew for two hours and 31 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet during the test flight from Renton Municipal Airport to Boeing Field in Seattle.
India is thus far the only international customer for the aircraft, a variant of the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon. Boeing has estimated an international market for the P-8 of 75 or more aircraft, and named Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Italy as potential customers. The company’s January 2009 contract with India’s Ministry of Defence, worth $2.1 billion, includes an option for four additional P-8Is. Boeing said it remains on track to deliver the first aircraft to the Indian navy in 2013.
Boeing also is developing a supply chain in India. The company said it has opened a research and technology center in Bengaluru for aero structures, materials and network systems. It also maintains an analysis and experimentation center there, in partnership with Bharat Electronics, to provide modeling, analysis capability and “defense experimentation” in support of the Indian armed forces.
10/10/11 Bill Carey/AIN Online

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IndiGo ready to soar

As Thailand becomes a hot destination for Indian tourists, Indian airlines are looking at the country in ways they have never done before. Some plan to use the country as their regional hub while also plotting routes now dominated by Thai Airways International.

The latest to enter the skies in Thailand is IndiGo Airlines, India's best-known low-cost airline, which started operations to Bangkok last month after five years of domestic success.

The inaugural flight to New Delhi from Bangkok on Sept 8 had the president of the airline onboard to welcome his first guests from Thailand.

The airline will start flights from Bangkok to Mumbai this month, followed by new routes from India to Singapore, Kathmandu and Muscat.

“We're looking 100% at the Asian market,” said president Aditya Ghosh in an interview at his office in Gurgaon, New Delhi. Excerpts follow:Why is the Asian market so important to your airline?

That's where the business market is, as also the passenger capacity, and the growth in the airline business. There are not too many low-cost, high-quality airline in the Asian region.

10/10/11 Bangkokpost.com

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Aussies embrace Jet Airways

Jet Airways, India’s international carrier, has reported a massive 188 per cent year on year increase in passenger ticketed bookings from Australia.

While the airline does not operate its own aircraft to Australia, it has a daily code share service with Qantas, between Sydney to Singapore.

From there, Jet operates its own flights to the Indian international gateway cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

The latest sales figures, for the first half of 2011, reflect the continued surge in traffic between Australia and India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Jet Airways flies to 76 destinations – 52 within India and 24 internationally.

10/10/11 Flightcentric.com

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Bombardier Business Aircraft Strengthens Asia-Pacific Sales Team

Montreal, Quebec: Bombardier Aerospace today announced that it has strengthened its Business Aircraft sales team in China and Asia-Pacific to increase its focus on the growing activity and volume in the region. The territory is now overseen by a Vice-President and two Regional Vice-Presidents.

"Bombardier is forecasting tremendous growth for China and Asia-Pacific over the next 20 years with industry-wide business jet deliveries forecast at approximately 3,350 units for the region, including 2,360 aircraft for China alone," said Bob Horner, Senior Vice-President, Sales, Bombardier Business Aircraft. "The vast size and strategic importance of this territory warrants special attention in order to harness the full sales potential of our Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft. To this end, we have strengthened the sales organization, dividing the territory into two distinct regions, China and Asia-Pacific/Australia, each represented by a Regional Vice-President and reporting directly to a Vice-President," he added.

Christophe Degoumois has been promoted to the position of Vice-President responsible for China, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Christophe has been with Bombardier Business Aircraft for over seven years and has had great success as Regional Vice-President Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS countries over the past five years. One of his key strengths is managing and developing successful sales campaigns in emerging markets, a key component of his achievements in Russia and CIS countries.

10/10/11 India PRwire

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Air India to get USD 1.3 bln loan guarantees from American bank

New Delhi: Ahead of a GoM meeting to finalise Air India's financial restructuring plan, the US Exim Bank has decided to give loan guarantees of USD 1.3 billion to support the airline's fleet acquisition from aerospace company Boeing.
A decision to this effect was taken last week in Washington by the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the US.
The bank approved USD 1.3 billion in loan guarantees supporting Boeing commercial aircraft sales to Air India, a statement said after the Board meeting.
In addition to these final commitments, the Board also approved a USD 2.1 billion preliminary commitment to support future deliveries of Boeing aircraft to Air India, it said.
"Upon approval of the conversion of the preliminary commitment into a final commitment, the transactions in total will support the export of 30 Boeing aircraft to the state- owned, national flag carrier of India," it added.
09/10/11 PTI/Economic Times

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Business jet deliveries forecast to rise in 2012

Las Vegas: A leading business aviation forecast predicts business jet deliveries will increase in 2012, but won't return to pre-recession levels until the end of the decade.
This year marks the bottom of a down cycle that began in late 2008, when the recession hit the general aviation industry, the outlook said.
Near term, demand will be tempered by the continued slow economic recovery.
But after 2012, the industry appears positioned to begin another expansion, although at a moderate pace.
Honeywell Aerospace's just-released forecast predicts sales and deliveries of 10,000 business jets worth $230 billion over the 10-year period from 2011 through 2021.
Half of the deliveries — 5,000 — are projected for the five years from 2012 to 2016.
"Overall, I think it's a solid outlook," said Rob Wilson, president of Honeywell Aerospace's business aviation and general aviation unit.
Honeywell, a components and systems manufacturer, released its 20th annual outlook at a meeting Saturday evening at the Palms hotel in Las Vegas before the start of the National Business Aviation Association meeting and convention. The show opens Monday and runs through Wednesday.
Honeywell surveyed more than 1,500 corporate flight departments around the world to compile its forecast.
Honeywell's outlook also found:
* Significant international demand with 45 percent of the shipments outside North America, with a continuing global shift in demand.
* The world's highest percentage of purchase plans expected from Brazil, Russia, India and China.
* An increase in the number of planned purchases from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
* Flat buying expectations from North American customers.
09/10/11 Molly McMillin/Wichita Eagle

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Kingfisher increases flights to Sri Lanka

India's Kingfisher Airlines has launched three new international routes from key south Indian cities to Colombo over the last weekend. The new routes are: Tiruchirapalli - Colombo - Tiruchirapalli
Kingfisher Airlines is the only Indian carrier to offer flights from the three cities of Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruchirapalli to the Sri Lankan capital.
Guests flying with Kingfisher Airlines from Tiruchirapalli can now enjoy the benefit of an early arrival into Colombo seven-days a week.
Besides this, the convenient timing of this flight also provides excellent connectivity options to guests flying to destinations beyond Colombo with adequate transit time starting from 100 minutes onwards.
09/10/11 Sunday Observer

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India Inc snaps up expats, hiring jumps 20 %

Mumbai: As the Western economies continue to remain in deep freeze, more and more foreigners, mostly from the US and Europe are looking at India for jobs, a trend that has seen up to 20 per cent spurt this year,according to head-hunters.
According industry estimates, there are as many as 40,000 expats working in various industries in the country today.
"Hiring of expats has picked up by 15-20 per cent at all levels since last year, mainly on account of India being one of the fastest growing economies offering huge job opportunities," recruitment process outsourcing firm Elixir Consulting Manager for International Practices Ratnesh Kumar told media here.
Increasing number of expats are seeking jobs in the country on account of job cuts in their home countries,coupled with rising outsourcing and high taxes, he said, adding that this is happening more in the US and Europe.
According to TeamLease Vice-president Rituparna Chakraborty, the country is seeing an increased demand in expats across various industries, especially post the 2008 recession in the developed economies.
"Professionals from Europe, Southeast Asia and the US mostly are being hired mainly by sectors like travel and tourism, retail, aviation, education and sports, where we see maximum traction," she said.
09/10/11 PTI/Economic Times

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