Showing posts with label Foreign Oct 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Oct 2014. Show all posts

Saturday, November 08, 2014

Lufthansa starts super jumbo flights between Delhi, Frankfurt

New Delhi: After Singapore Airlines and Emirates, German carrier Lufthansa today launched daily services of its super jumbo Airbus A-380s between Delhi and Frankfurt.

The first A-380 of the premier European carrier landed at the IGI Airport here in the wee hours and was given a traditional welcome by water cannons. Delhi also became the first Indian city to welcome Lufthansa's flagship aircraft.

It has 520 seats (8 in First Class, 92 in Business Class and 420 in Economy Class).
"It's a milestone event for us and we are very pleased to welcome the world's largest commercial passenger jet which offers the finest in terms of flying comfort, luxury and efficiency.

"With the new A380, Lufthansa customers will be able to experience Lufthansa's latest in-flight products and services including the latest business class and state-of-the art First Class," said Lufthansa's Director of South Asia Wolfgang Will.
08/11/14 PTI/Economic Times

Friday, October 31, 2014

GMR takes control of airport in Philippines

Bangalore: GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) a joint venture between GMR Group and Megawide Construction Corporation, a construction firm in Philippines, has taken full operational control of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu, Philippines.

MCIA is the country's first airport to be privatised under the administration's ambitious PPP programme aimed at modernising key infrastructure assets.

GMR-Megawide Consortium had emerged as the highest bidder in the international competitive bidding process after offering a bid premium of 14.4 billion Philippine Pesos. The formal award of the project in April was followed by a six-month transition period to complete project formalities leading to the transfer of operations to GMCAC.

As part of the overall master plan, GMCAC will build a brand new terminal building within three years to cater to the growing traffic. At the same time, the immediate priority will be to upgrade the existing terminal and enhance operating systems and processes to improve service quality and efficiency.
31/10/14 Business Standard

Air Arabia flight suffers bird hit at Coimbatore airport

Coimbatore: An Air Arabia flight from Sharjah suffered a bird hit when it was landing at the Coimbatore international airport in the wee hours of Friday.

The Air Arabia flight carrying 171 passengers landed safely at the airport at 3.40am. No one was injured in the incident.

"On inspections done later, they realized that one of the wings of the aircraft suffered a damage as a result of the bird hit," said D Paul Manickam, director, Coimbatore airport.
31/10/14 Times of India

Safran, Max Aero To Provide Military Aircraft Engine Services In India

Snecma (Safran) and Max Aerospace have partnered to offer military aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in India, the companies said in a joint statement Tuesday.
The joint venture Max Aero Engines Private Ltd (MAEPL) will provide complete engine support solutions, in particular shop-level maintenance and flight line services. More specifically, its main role will be providing maintenance services for the Snecma M53 engines powering the Mirage 2000H "Vajra" fighters, on behalf of the Indian Air Force (IAF), starting in 2015.
31/10/14 Defenseworld.net

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Low- fare carrier Flydubai seeks more seat entitlements

Mumbai:  Flydubai, a stateowned low-fare carrier of the UAE, wants more seat entitlements to fly to India's smaller airports which have nascent demand for travel to west Asian countries, said its senior executives.

"We have very few seats to India. India is a place that demands more flights. The enhance of bilateral rights by 11,000 seats was highly appreciated, but we need more," the airline's CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith told ET. Earlier in the day, the carrier announced the commencement of flights to Mumbai.
It will fly five times a week to India's financial capital, taking its total weekly frequency to the country to 25. It also flies to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow and Trivandrum. Earlier this year, India and the UAE enhanced bilateral air traffic rights to allow weekly carriers additional entitlements of 11,000 seats.
30/10/14 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

Amid sniping by rivals, France aims to close Rafale deal by early 2015

New Delhi: The geopolitical wrangling and heartburn over India's mother of all defence deals, the lucrative $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project, is still not over. First, it was the Americans, then the Europeans and now, the Russians.

Even as India and France inch forward to stitch up the contract for acquisition of 126 Rafale fighters for the IAF, Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin last week publicly questioned New Delhi's decision to go in for the French jets. The Rafales can be "swatted like mosquitoes on an August night" by the Russian-origin Sukhoi-27s, now being inducted by China, said Kadakin.

On Wednesday, it was French ambassador Francois Richier's turn to hit back. He criticized "grumpy competitors", who had lost out in the MMRCA competition after extensive technical and commercial evaluation, for using "bad language" against the French fighter's combat capabilities. Rafale's "long-range strike capabilities" have been amply demonstrated in conflicts ranging from Afghanistan to Iraq, said Richier.
30/10/14 Rajat Pandit/Economic Times

Etihad Boosts India Network With Additional Flights To Mumbai, Delhi

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways announced that it is launching triple daily services to the Indian cities of Mumbai and New Delhi, to keep up with increased demand.

Both cities will be upgraded from their current double-daily frequencies, with the third daily flight to Mumbai starting on February 15, 2015 and to New Delhi on May 1, 2015, a statement said.

The airline said that the move will provide business and leisure travellers with more options between the UAE and India.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad said: “India is expected to become the world’s third largest air passenger market within the next 20 years, and we are focused on providing travellers with the best possible offering into and out of the country.

“Already in the first half of 2014, more than 620,000 passengers flew on our India services, a substantial increase of 51 per cent year-on-year. The launch of triple-daily services to Mumbai and New Delhi, our most popular routes in India, will allow us to meet growing market demand.”
30/10/14 Gulf Business

Jet Airways to fly from Abu Dhabi to Goa

Panaji:  Goa tourism can now hope to increase free independent travellers (FIT) segment of tourists to Goa as another direct flight from the Middle East starts from next month. From November 14 onwards, Jet Airways is starting a direct Abu Dhabi-Goa flight.

Currently, direct flights to Goa from four destinations from the Middle East such as Dubai, Kuwait, Sharjah and Doha are available.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) director at Dabolim airport, K Srinivasa Rao, confirmed the starting of a direct flight from Abu Dhabi.

Francisco de Braganca, president of travel and tourism association of Goa (TTAG), said this will certainly boost tourism in Goa, and it is "good news" in view of predictions of a likely fall in the charter arrivals to Goa for this season.
30/10/14 Times of India

Hajis’ airport ordeal ends

Jeddah: Some Hajis from the Indian state of Assam, who had been stranded at Jeddah’s airport for the last four days because of a technical snag in their flight, finally flew out Wednesday night.
Their flight was originally scheduled to depart from Jeddah on Sunday.
Earlier, the distraught pilgrims spoke to Arab News narrating their ordeal.
“We just need to know when we can fly so we can inform our families to receive us at the airport back home,” said Abdul Aleem Choudary, a pilgrim from Assam.
“We performed Haj without any hassle but this delayed departure due to technical issues is really frustrating,” said another pilgrim. He added that pilgrims’ luggage had already been sent to the cargo hold and they had no change of clothes.
The snag-hit flight, scheduled to arrive in Jeddah on Saturday, was grounded in Fujairah resulting in the delay, official sources told Arab News. The aircraft is part of the Air Asia fleet, an outsourcing agency of Air India for Haj flights.
“This is our third journey to the airport to board the flight to Goa,” said Mohammed Sabir before boarding the bus to the airport in Jeddah on Tuesday. He was due to travel last Saturday.
30/10/14 Arab News

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Indian Haj pilgrims stranded for 80 hours as plane held up in Fujairah

Jeddah Indian Haj Mission’s flawless and excellent services for the pilgrims got tainted with the 11th hour mess caused by the country’s national carrier Air India that resulted in pilgrims being stranded for nearly 80 hours in Jeddah.

Indian Haj committee pilgrims bound for Goa and Guwahati on board the last two departure flights from the Haj terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport are stuck in the city for three days due to ‘non-availability of flight.’ According to reliable sources, the mess ensued following Air India’s act of subcontracting flight service to a Fujairah-based company, which does not possess adequate number of aircraft and crew. After a long wait of 80 hours, 235 pilgrims bound for Goa on Air India Flight AI 5086, which had been scheduled for Oct. 25, finally took off at around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The plane for Guwahati, scheduled for Oct. 26, will leave on Wednesday evening after the return of the AI 5086, according to Firoz Khan, manager of \Air India, Saudi Gazette reported.
29/10/14 Two Circles.net

Indian national dies at Bandaranaike International Airport

A 51-year-old Indian national died while being admitted to the Negombo Hospital after he collapsed due to a sudden illness at the Bandaranaike International Airport today.
Police said the deceased was on his way to Trichy, India from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
 “The deceased had fell on the airport corridor and died while being admitted to the Negombo Hospital,” the Police said.
29/10/14 Daily Mirror

Indian Haj pilgrims stranded for 80 hours as plane held up in Fujairah

Jeddah Indian Haj Mission’s flawless and excellent services for the pilgrims got tainted with the 11th hour mess caused by the country’s national carrier Air India that resulted in pilgrims being stranded for nearly 80 hours in Jeddah.

Indian Haj committee pilgrims bound for Goa and Guwahati on board the last two departure flights from the Haj terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport are stuck in the city for three days due to ‘non-availability of flight.’ According to reliable sources, the mess ensued following Air India’s act of subcontracting flight service to a Fujairah-based company, which does not possess adequate number of aircraft and crew. After a long wait of 80 hours, 235 pilgrims bound for Goa on Air India Flight AI 5086, which had been scheduled for Oct. 25, finally took off at around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The plane for Guwahati, scheduled for Oct. 26, will leave on Wednesday evening after the return of the AI 5086, according to Firoz Khan, manager of \Air India, Saudi Gazette reported.
29/10/14 Two Circles.net

Tigerair increases connectivity on Chennai-Singapore route

Chennai: Singapore-based budget air carrier Tigerair has announced two more weekly flights between Chennai and the city state from December.

"The airline has added two additional weekly flights on this route that will ensure more convenience for travellers from and to the city", a company statement said today.

Tigerair currently operates seven weekly flights between Chennai and Singapore. The two additional weekly flights will come into effect from December 4, 2014, it added.

"The decision to increase frequencies to Chennai is in line with the upsurge in travel demand. The increased flights will give travellers from India a greater option and opportunity to visit Singapore," said Robert Yang, Commercial Director, Tigerair.
29/10/14 PTI/Business Standard

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

India, Vietnam agree to improve air connectivity

New Delhi: India and Vietnam have agreed to work towards improving connectivity between the two countries, via both air and maritime. In a joint statement issued by the two nations after a meeting between the respective Premiers at New Delhi, India and Vietnam have resolved to encourage more airline companies to commence operations between the two. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam, is on a two-day visit to India.

During their meeting, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tan Dung emphasised the importance of connectivity between India and Vietnam, and welcomed the code-share agreement between Jet Airways (India) Ltd. and Vietnam Airlines, leading to the decision by the Indian carrier to commence flights to Ho Chi Minh City from November 5, 2014. The two Ministers expressed hope that Vietnam Airlines would also commence flight services to India shortly. They also urged airlines of both countries to further operate flights between Indian and Vietnam. They agreed to promote maritime connectivity between the two countries and ship-building cooperation.
28/10/14 TYravelBizMonitor

Indian Hajis stranded for 80 hours as aircraft held up in Fujairah

Jeddah: Indian Haj Mission’s flawless and excellent services for the pilgrims got tainted with the 11th hour mess caused by the country’s national carrier Air India that resulted in pilgrims being stranded for nearly 80 hours in Jeddah.

Indian Haj committee pilgrims bound for Goa and Guwahati on board the last two departure flights from the Haj terminal of Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport are stuck in the city for three days due to ‘non-availability of flight.’

Saudi Gazette came to know from reliable sources that the mess ensued following Air India’s act of subcontracting flight service to a Fujairah-based company, which does not possess adequate number of aircraft and crew.

After a long wait of 80 hours, 235 pilgrims bound for Goa on Air India Flight AI 5086, which had been scheduled for Oct. 25, finally took off at around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The plane for Guwahati, scheduled for Oct. 26, will leave on Wednesday evening after the return of the AI 5086, according to Firoz Khan, manager of Air India.
28/10/14 Hassan Cheruppa/Saudi Gazette

Air India signs code-share pact with Air Astana

Air India, which is a part of the Star Alliance, officially announced here today that it has entered into a 'free flow' code-share pact with Kazakhstan's national carrier Air Astana to expand its presence in the fast growing CIS aviation market. A 'free flow' code-share arrangement gives marketing access to the operating carrier's inventory and allows it to market seats independently of the operating carrier. The agreement, which is subject to regulatory approvals, was signed by Air India Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan and Air Astana Vice President for Sales Worldwide Richard Ledgerin New Delhi yesterday, according to an Air India release issued today. "As a state-run airline and Star Alliance member carrier Air India feels honoured to enter into this code-share agreement with Air Astana. This agreement has enabled Air India to reach out to the CIS and eastern European market," the release quoted Air India CMD as saying about the tie-up.
29/10/14 PTI/moneycontrol.com

Air Costa signs MoU with VietJet on tapping biz opportunities

Mumbai: Regional carrier Air Costa today said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Vietnamese largest budget airline VietJet to initiate discussions on exploring future business opportunities including a possible code-share arrangement with the latter.

The signing of MoU took place during the "India-Vietnam Trade & Investment forum", which was organised by the three prime industry bodies- CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM- in New Delhi and it coincided with the ongoing visit of the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung to India, Air Costa said in a release.

"The agreement targets exploring opportunities such as code sharing, partnership and financial collaboration," Air Costa chairman Lingamaneni Ramesh said.

VietJet flies between Vietnam's major cities -- Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Hai Phong, and Da Nang besides key Asian destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, and Busan.
28/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Flydubai Set For Mumbai Launch

Low-cost-turned-premium carrier flydubai marks one of the most significant route launches in its five-year history this evening when it starts five-times weekly flights to Mumbai.

Tonight’s inaugural flight is scheduled to depart Terminal 2 at 2240 and arrive in Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 0300 local time.

Business class return fares start from Dhs2,500 and round trip economy fares are priced from Dhs925.

While flydubai won’t be able to compete with Emirates’ six-a-day schedules to Mumbai, its arrival provides new competition and executives with a more affordable premium travel option. Emirates’ return business fares are currently priced AED4,295.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, said it is committed to serving the market “with affordable and reliable travel options.”
28/10/14 Gulf Business

2 Indian cities among landing stops planned by Swiss aviators

Payerne (Switzerland): Ahmedabad and Varanasi are the two Indian cities among the dozen landing stops planned by two renowned Swiss aviators for their round-the- world trip on a solar-powered aircraft in March next year.

"If we get the permission from the Indian authorities, we will be landing in Ahmedabad and Varanasi during the first- ever round-the-world flight on a solar powered aircraft in March 2015," Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg told a visiting team of Indian reporters at a military facility here.

56-year-old Piccard, who completed the first non-stop flight around the world in an air balloon in 1999, said he and his team were hopeful of getting permission for landing in the two Indian cities.

"The discussions are ongoing with various authorities including Director General Civil Aviation, Ministry of External Affairs and Civil Aviation Ministry and we are hopeful of getting the permission," he said.
28/10/14  Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Monday, October 27, 2014

Setback for Jet Airways as ally Etihad drops plan to lease its 3 Boeing aircraft

Mumbai: Jet Airways' foreign equity partner, UAE-based Etihad, has dropped its plan to lease three Boeing 777 aircraft from the airline, putting the domestic carrier in a difficult situation, sources said.

These aircraft, B 777-300 ERs, were with the Turkish Airlines and have recently come back to Jet Airways after completing the lease period, an airline source told PTI here.

"Etihad had earlier sought to lease these aircraft as it wanted to deploy them on its international network. However, it has now indicated to the airline of not doing so," the source said.

Jet Airways now may deploy these planes in its long-haul operations, they said, adding that this is a big set back to the airline which is already grappling with several other issues including problem from its pilots.

Jet Airways did not respond when its comments were sought on the issue.
27/10/14 First Biz

Finally, Mangalore-Kuwait flight takes to skies again

Mangalore: Bringing much joy and relief to scores of Mangaloreans, the Mangalore-Kuwait Air India operations finally resumed on Monday October 27, with the first flight of the season taking off from Mangalore International Airport at 7.30 am.
Mangalore South MLA J R Lobo, Karnataka minister Roshan Baig, MLC Ivan D'Souza and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel along with several organizations and individuals had put in continuous efforts to reintroduce the Mangalore-Kuwait flight service which had been stalled for almost a year.

Speaking to media persons, Lobo, who boarded the flight to Kuwait along with his wife, said, "Mangalore-Kuwait flight service had been stopped for almost for a year. Eight months back when we raised this issue in the Vidhana Sabha, our state government held talks with the central government and the answer we got was that Mangalore was very poor in financial investments and there were not many flight services and therefore reintroduction of the Mangalore-Kuwait flight service was not possible.
27/10/14 Daijiworld.com

Sunday, October 26, 2014

SIA-Airbus JV gets Competition Commission's approval

New Delhi: Singapore Airlines' proposed joint venture with Airbus Services Asia Pacific to provide flight pilot training services, has received green signal from fair trade watchdog CCI.

The proposed combination involves formation of a joint venture company, Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC), to provide flight pilot training services.

In AATC, Airbus Services Asia, part of French major Airbus, would have 55 per cent stake while 45 per cent would be with Singapore Airlines.

Clearing the deal, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said there is no horizontal overlap or vertical relationship between the parties with respect to provision of flight pilot training activities.

The deal is "not likely to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India," CCI said in a recent order.
26/10/14 PTI/Business Standard

Indian man jailed in US for groping woman in flight

Washington: A 62-year-old Indian man has been sentenced to eight months in jail by a US court for groping a woman seated next to him aboard a flight from Houston to Newark in March this year.

Devender Singh, who lives in Louisiana, had last month pleaded guilty before District Judge Stanley R Chesler in Newark to an information charging him with abusive sexual contact.
According to court documents, Singh was seated next to a woman who occupied a window seat on a United Airlines flight from Houston to Newark. While the plane was in the air, the woman fell asleep. She awoke to find Singh kissing her face with his hand inside her shirt.
25/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Vashu Bhagnani hires a real Boeing 747 and fighter jet

Vashu Bhagnani's comedy of errors, 'Welcome To Karachi', which is currently being filmed in Dunsfold village, Waverley, UK, had a new addition on the set. A few days after props from the airport created in Birmingham were stolen ( Mirror, October 20), the makers hired a Boeing 747 for the film's climax.

A source from the unit told Mirror, "Arshad (Warsi) and Jackky's (Bhagnani) characters accidentally cross the border while sailing in Gujarat and have to make a dash back home. Vashuji (producer Vashu Bhagnani) hired a Boeing 747, tanks and a fighter jet for the sequence, taking the budget up by Rs 2 crore."
Speaking from London, Vashu confirmed this, saying, "We needed the plane for eight days, three of which were spent on preparation."
24/10/14 Ankur Pathak/Mumbai Mirror/Times of India

Gulf Air restarts Hyderabad route

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced that it will be recommencing flights to Hyderabad, the fourth most populous city in India, with 5 weekly flights, starting from 15 December 2014.
The airline’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Mr. Maher Salman Al Musallam commented on the airline’s latest development: “We are further strengthening our Indian operations after the successful launch of flights to Thiruvananthapuram in December 2013. Now with the addition of Hyderabad, our sixth Indian destination, we are connecting south-central India to the Middle East – and we hope this route will appeal to travellers and be just as successful as our existing India operations.”
25/10/14 Aviation Tribune

Saturday, October 25, 2014

‘Goa will get just 500 charters from Russia’

Panaji: Pegas Touristik, a major tour operator in Russia, has told TOI that Goa can expect just 500 charters from Russia this season. Of the total 1,128 charter flights that landed in Goa last season, 895 were from Russia alone.
Abdullah Cankaya, director, Asia-Pacific Countries, Pegas Touristik, explained that while the weakening Rouble coupled with tour operators in Russia shutting shop is one factor, Egypt is another. Last season, Goa gained from the Afro-Asiatic country's hospitality industry lying in tatters following the uprisings there. "With Egypt returning to normalcy, Goa will have to compete hard," warned Cankaya.
He said Goa will also have to compete hard with other favourite Russian tourist destinations—Turkey, Thailand and Europe—which receive bigger volumes of Russian tourists than Goa and which are also expecting the dip in travellers from Russia and are therefore competing to keep their markets intact.
24/10/14 Bindiya Chari/Times of India

Fly Etihad, get an on-air Jeeves at your service!

Cabin crew retrained as butlers at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel will wear tailcoats and white cotton gloves for their new role pampering some of the world's wealthiest flyers on Etihad Airways PJSC's superjumbo aircraft. Thirteen flying butlers have completed a three-week course on etiquette, protocol, valet skills and concierge services and are ready to attend passengers in what will be the airline industry's swankiest cabin, costing Rs 12.25 lakh-a-trip.

Etihad is introducing the luxury product on its first A380 double-deckers as the third-biggest Gulf carrier vies for top-paying travellers with Emirates, the No. 1 operator of the Airbus Group plane, Qatar Airways and global rivals including Singapore Airlines Ltd.

The butlers were previously in-flight chefs or food and beverage managers and have undergone training and work experience at the Savoy. "The f lying butlers will provide a level of service that no traveller has ever experienced in commercial aviation," says Abu Dhabi-based Etihad's Aubrey Tiedt, vice president for guest services.
24/10/14 Bloomberg/Economic Times

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Safety Checks Will Not Affect Future India-Russia Sukhoi Deals: India Ex-Air Chief

New Delhi: Bijendra Singh – Grounding the entire fleet of Sukhoi-30 aircraft for technical checks will not affect further contracts for the deliveries of these Russia-developed planes to India, former Indian Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi said in an interview with RIA Novosti Wednesday.
"There is no reason of concern. There is no doubt about its safety and reliability. SU-30 MKI fighter aircraft are the pride of the Indian Air Force," Tyagi said, adding that the technical checks will not have any impact on further SU-30 aircraft deals.
"This method has been adopted around the world and there is nothing new in it. The main objective of the technical checks is to ensure that there will not be further damage to the fleet of aircraft and also to save the loss of life," the former air chief noted.
22/10/14 RIA Novosti

Titan Aviation marks 10th anniversary with induction of new aircraft

Titan Aviation, the Dubai-based specialist in international aviation services, is marking its 10th year of operations by adding new aircraft to its existing fleet of privately managed aircraft.
The company has inducted a Hawker 900XP, Learjet 60XR and Embraer Legacy 650 to the managed fleet, which now comprises seven business jets and one helicopter, based in the Middle East, India and Europe. The fleet already includes Embraer Legacy 600s, and Embraer Phenom 100s. Two of the managed business jets are available to the charter market.
Captain Sakeer Sheik, managing director of Titan Aviation, said: “We are delighted to mark our 10th anniversary by adding three new aircraft to the managed fleet. We also have a further four managed aircraft in the pipeline, so the business has real momentum.  It’s been an eventful 10 years in which we have seen the regional private aviation industry consolidate and mature, and Titan has played a role in this process by offering all the benefits and advantages of aircraft ownership without any of the burdens such as regulatory issues, operational coordination, maintenance and administrative matters, and crew. We have also sold over 35 aircraft in this period, helped make aircraft profitable for owners and developed a unique regional aviation HR service.”
23/10/14 Arabian Aerospace

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Air India intercepted by 2 Italy jets?

New Delhi: After a European aviation blog claimed that an Air India aircraft heading for Rome on October 16 had been shadowed by two Italian Air Force fighter aircraft in Italian airspace after the AI aircraft appeared to have developed some communications trouble, an Air India spokesperson insisted late on Tuesday night that no such incident had occurred.
The blog had claimed that an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying between Delhi and Rome (flight AI-123) was intercepted by two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon interceptors from the Grosseto airbase on October 16.
The blog cited the Italian Air Force as saying that the Air India aircraft had lost radio contact with the Air Traffic Control agencies and had entered the Italian airspace unauthorised and that for this reason, the Quick Reaction Alert cell of the Italian Air Force at Grosseto airbase was scrambled to intercept, identify and escort the aircraft.
22/10/14 Asian Age

Yet another AI Dreamliner in trouble, DGCA orders probe

New Delhi/Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident of an Air India flight, AI 123, from New Delhi to Rome losing radio contact over Italy on October 16. The regulator has directed the airline to submit a report on the incident.

An Air India Dreamliner, registered VT-ANQ, lost radio control with air traffic control in Italy on October 16. Consequently, the Grosseto airbase was asked to intercept, identify and escort the aircraft. Two Italian air force Eurofighter Typhoon F-2000A jets· ·reached the B787 at 24,000 feet to the southeast of Rome. The Typhoons identified the plane, shadowed it from a distance and at 30 km from destination they were cleared to return to their base. According to sources in the know ·of the developments, the Air India aircraft was given direct routing into Italy. But pilots failed to establish contact with ·air traffic control upon entering Italian airspace due to failure of the jet's VHF radio sets. Italian air traffic controllers subsequently managed to establish contact on an emergency frequency. There are three radio sets on an aircraft, one of which is used only on the emergency frequency. "It can be said to be a case of overreaction on part of the Italian authorities", said an industry source.
22/10/14 Business Standard

Stranded Air India Express passengers arrive from Saudi

Mangalore: Passengers, who were stranded at Dammam, Saudi Arabia, due to technical snag in the Air India Express aircraft, arrived at the Mangalore International Airport at 5.55am on Tuesday.
Sources in Air India said that of the 129 passengers, four were infants. The aircraft with remaining 39 passengers left for Calicut immediately thereafter.
The aircraft was grounded at Dammam airport due to a faulty brake assembly.
21/10/14 Stanley Pinto/Times of India

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

SIA Airbus turbulence: DGCA launches probe into case

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA has launched a probe into a Singapore Airlines superjumbo A-380 being hit by severe turbulence while landing at Mumbai airport, leading to injuries to 22 people, including 14 crew members. In a close shave, the packed Airbus A-380, carrying over 430 people, was hit by sudden turbulence during descent on Saturday night.

All the eight injured passengers and 14 crew members were admitted at two private hospitals in suburban Andheri, of whom 20 were discharged in a few hours after medical treatment. While DGCA sources here said it had started investigating into the occurrence, Singapore Airlines in a statement said it would “provide full assistance to the authorities in their investigations.”
21/10/14 PTI/India.com

Pilots' strike hits Lufthansa services to India

New Delhi: Lufthansa operations to India have been affected by the pilots' strike.
According to an airline spokesman, today’s early morning departures from Delhi to Frankfurt and Munich had to be cancelled, as well as from Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai to Frankfurt.
21/10/14 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

Air France to launch personalised 1st class service for Bangalore

Bangalore: Air France today said it would introduce La Premiere - an exclusive and personalised first class service during the coming winter schedule on its Bangalore route.

As an ongoing effort to raise the standards in luxury travel, from October 27 to March 2015, the first class service will be available on Bengaluru-Paris-Bengaluru route, Air France said in a release. A state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 would be operated on this route.

Additionally, with the help of the revised flight timings Air France brings the west coast closer to Bengaluru, which means customers can enjoy the shortest flying hours to return home for travel from San Francisco to Bengaluru, it said.
21/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

TCS-developed data base for Star Alliance goes live

Frankfurt: A premium customer data base, which helps Star Alliance recognise customers who are Gold and Silver members more easily than in the past, went live on September 30 this year, said Justin Erbacci, Vice-President, Customer Experience and IT, Star Alliance.  The data base has been developed by TCS.

 The data base is likely to benefit Air India frequent flyers as the State-owned carrier joined the 27-member global airlines club in July this year.

 In an interaction with Indian journalists at the Alliance headquarters, Erbacci said the partnership accrual interface hub too had gone live at the end of June this year making it easier for passengers who are members of one frequent flyer system to get their miles credited on another carrier.
20/10/14 Business Line

Cathay Pacific announces two key appointments for South Asia

Mumbai: Hong Kong-based full service airline Cathay Pacific today said it has appointed Abhijit Abhyankar as its regional marketing communications manager for South Asia.

Besides, it also announced the appointment of Sandhya Suraj Kankanady as the airline's assistant regional corporate sales manager for South Asia.

In his new position, Abhyankar will be responsible for the development and execution of all marketing communications' activities for Cathay Pacific and its sister airline Dragonair, in the subcontinent, a release said.
20/10/14 Economic Times

Monday, October 20, 2014

22 hurt as SIA jet flies into severe turbulence

Mumbai: In the first incident involving an Airbus 380 in India, 22 people, including eight passengers, onboard Singapore Airlines' double deck aircraft sustained injuries after the jet flew into severe turbulence during its descent into Mumbai airport on Saturday night.

The incident highlights the importance of keeping seat belts fastened and secure during descent and climb phase of a flight.

Flight SQ 424 from Singapore to Mumbai with 408 passengers and 25 crew members on board touched down at 10pm, five minutes past its scheduled arrival time.

"About 30 minutes before touchdown, the aircraft seemed to have encountered inclement weather. The sudden turbulence threw some of the passengers off their seats, though the most hit were the flight attendants. There was some damage to some inside panels of the passenger cabin," said an aviation official.
20/10/14 Manju V & Sumitra Deb Roy/Times of India

Turbulence lands 8 Singapore airline passengers in hospital

Eight passengers and 14 crewmembers of Singapore Airlines (SA) flight SQ-424 were injured after the aircraft experienced sudden turbulence during landing at Mumbai international airport on Saturday evening.
The flight, with 408 passengers and 25 crewmembers on-board from Singapore, was scheduled to land at T2 at around 9.55 pm on Saturday. After the aircraft landed, the airport doctors and paramedics on duty rushed to attend to the injured. The passengers were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri (East), while the airlines admitted 10 of their employees at Hiranandani Hospital in Powai. On Sunday, six of the eight passengers were discharged after their minor injuries were attended to. All the crewmembers were discharged as well.
Recounting the incident, Nanu Bhai Makwana, the husband of one of the injured passengers, Nirmalaben Makwana, told mid-day, “We couldn’t really understand what went wrong with the aircraft all of a sudden. She hit her shoulder on the ceiling and sustained injuries on her shoulder and stomach. My daughter and I were awake at the time. We had gone to Singapore to see my newly born granddaughter. We are from Gujarat and we were going to take a bus from Borivli at around midnight.
While the airline is paying for the treatment, we are quite upset after the incident. We did not want to end such a joyous trip in this manner. Diwali is in a few days and I don’t think my wife will get better by then.” Navill, son of another injured passenger, Turel Viraf, said his father sustained chest injuries but was doing better.
“Doctors have assured us that he will be discharged soon,” said the Dadar resident. Speaking to mid-day, Dr Bhuvan Dumeti, assistant general manager and spokesperson of Seven Hills Hospital, said, “Both the patients are stable. While Turel has some minor chest injuries, Nirmalaben has shoulder injuries and has hurt her abdomen. By tomorrow evening (Monday), the doctors will take a call when they can be discharged.”
20/10/14 Mid Day

Air India flight develops technical snag; leaves passengers stranded for two days

New Delhi: Over 150 passengers of an Air India Express flight from Dammam to Kozhikode, scheduled on Saturday night, were stranded almost two days as the Boeing 737 aircraft developed a major technical fault.

A special aircraft has been arranged to fly the passengers from Dammam to Kozhikode via Mangalore tonight to reach India by tomorrow morning, officials of the Air India subsidiary told PTI from Kozhikode, adding that this plane would operate the scheduled flight IX-386.
They said men and materials have been flown to repair the hydraulic brake system of the Boeing plane which was grounded in Dammam.
20/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Passengers stranded at Saudi airport as Air India flight gets delayed by over 40 hours

New Delhi: Over 200 passengers were left stranded at the Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia after an Air India flight was delayed by over 40 hours.
The Air India flight slated to take off on October 18 was grounded due to technical snag. A part had to be sent from Tiruvananthapuram to be replaced.
The national carrier did not inform the passengers as of when the flight will take off. Angry passengers complained of having a harrowing time at the airport without any food or water.
20/10/14 Priyanka Dube/CNN-IBN

Friday, October 17, 2014

AAI partners with SITA to upgrade airport services in India

Mumbai: More than 50 million passengers at 25 airports across India can now use SITA’s common-use self-service technology to check in at the airport. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has collaborated with the air transport IT specialist to deploy this new technology as part of its ongoing airport modernisation programme.
The AAI has also selected SITA to provide the baggage reconciliation system for 38 airports across India. The seven-year, multi-million dollar contract was announced at SITA’s India Aviation ICT Forum in Jaipur, India. SITA’s BagManager will deliver real-time information on baggage status, helping to resolve baggage issues quickly and efficiently. The comprehensive baggage management technology has been proven to reduce the number of mishandled bags by 10 to 20 per cent.
Sudhir Raheja, chairman, AAI, said, “Our airport modernisation programme is designed to provide better service both for passengers and airlines alike as air travel in India continues to grow. With passenger numbers expected to reach 450 million by 2020, we need to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible. SITA’s baggage systems, common use technology, and self-service check in kiosks are flexible, convenient and will help establish a firm foundation for future growth.”
17/10/14 Financial Express

Gujaratis in UK want direct flights to Ahmedabad

London: Gujaratis, who constitute nearly half of the Indian Diaspora in the UK, on Friday called on the new Indian government to launch direct flight routes between Britain and Ahmedabad.

The National Congress for Overseas Gujaratis in the UK made the representation at the ongoing Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in London today.

"Direct flights are a must for business to expand," said the group's secretary-general Mahendra Jadeja.
17/10/14 Zee News

Vashu Bhagnani's Karachi airport set stolen

Vashu Bhagnani's upcoming film, 'Welcome' is in trouble again. After losing Rs 1.5 crore when Irrfan Khan opted out of 'Welcome To Karachi' at the nth hour, the filmmaker managed to cut his losses by coaxing son Jackyy to step into Irrfan's shoes. But now he's lost another Rs 1.5 crore to a burglary last week.

Vashu had recreated Karachi airport at Birmingham airport for the shoot. But before the wrap, the local transporters he'd hired took off with three truckloads of clothes, lights and props.
Following a police complaint, a part of the booty has been recovered. "Fortunately, a guy at the airport had clicked pictures of the drivers when they were driving awau with the loot and the cops managed to track them down. But I still staring at big losses," sighed V1ashu, speaking to Mirror from UK.
17/10/14 Vickey Lalwani/Mumbai Mirror

Thursday, October 16, 2014

US-registered Bombardier aircraft grounded by DGCA after surprise check

New Delhi: A US-registered Bombardier aircraft and a private charter plane and its pilot were grounded by DGCA following a surprise safety check by the aviation regulator at Delhi airport, official sources said today.

Several "major" safety violations were found in the eight- seater Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft during a DGCA safety check drive after it landed here from Paris on Tuesday, they said. The plane is owned by the Nevada Global Aviation LLC and registered in Michigan state of the US.
It was found that the aircraft did not have the mandatory oxygen masks or operations manual on board while its emergency exit was blocked up with luggage, the sources said, adding that the records of instrument rating or competency checks of the pilots were also found missing.
After the grounding of the plane, the pilot-in-command was directed to rectify the faults before flying out of India, they said, adding that the Air Traffic Control at IGI Airport has been asked to clear the plane for flying only after the defects were rectified.
14/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Ebola-infected flyers can still sneak in despite checks

New Delhi: The rapid spread of Ebola has raised questions over whether passengers flying into Indian airports from African countries are being put through an efficient detection process and suspected cases quickly quarantined.
Every day, 12 planes land in Delhi from African countries.
Ever since the epidemic's outbreak, routine announcements are made in all aircraft taking off for India. Passengers must fill forms that ask them if they've recently travelled to Africa and are suffering from fever, cough or cold.
"Announcements are made when the aircraft is on ground at foreign airports. If someone shows extreme symptoms, the crew can recommend deplaning of a passenger," an airline official says. In mid-August, DGCA issued self-reporting directives to airlines.
The voluntary-disclosure process is supposed to be more stringent on flights from Africa. But everything is voluntary and there's no way to tell if a passenger's statement is truthful. The only way a claim can be crosschecked is at the immigration desk, where queues would be unmanageable if officials were to scrutinize each passport.
16/10/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Mixed Verdicts in Indian AW101 Corruption Case

On October 10 an Italian judge found former Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi and former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini not guilty of international corruption, but convicted the pair for the lesser crime of “false invoicing” and sentenced them to two-year prison terms and fined each €1.5 million. The sentence is suspended pending an anticipated appeal.

Italian prosecutors had charged the duo with being part of a plan that used middlemen to funnel bribes to Indian officials in relation to a $734 million sale of 12 AW101s to that country’s government in 2010. The Indian government canceled the contract after it received three of the 12 when the corruption allegations surfaced and is continuing its probe of local officials. Indian law enforcement officials said the Italian verdict would not affect the ongoing investigation of the matter there. This August, Italian prosecutors dropped related corruption charges against AgustaWestland after the company agreed to pay a €7.5 million ($9.3 million) fine. Days later, India banned AgustaWestland and its parent company, defense conglomerate Finmeccania, from participating in future government tenders. For now, that ban remains in place. Earlier this year the Indian government took measures to recover $380 million held by Italian banks as a 45% advance on the AW101 deal.
15/10/14 Mark Huber/AINonline

Centre urged to start direct Muscat-Goa flight

Panaji: Goa NRI commissioner Wilfred Mesquita has written to Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati urging his intervention to start a direct flight from Muscat (Oman) to Goa for the benefit of over 10,000 non-resident Goans in Muscat.

Mesquita said that he had earlier taken up the issue with NACIL in July 2012, but, got no response. His office did not pursue the matter in the belief that Oman Air was starting a direct flight from Muscat to Goa.

That did not materialize either and now the non-resident Goans have once again requested a direct flight in the hope that the new NDA government at the Centre will heed to their demand.
16/10/14 Times of India

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Aviation min to put in word for Phuket flight

Bhubaneswar:  Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday said he would speak to Air India to extend its Bhubaneswar-Port Blair flight up to Phuket in Thailand to start international operations.

International flights are yet to start from the city despite Biju Patnaik Airport being accorded an international tag nearly a year ago.

Raju said this to state tourism minister Ashok Panda at the airport while going to his cyclone-battered constituency Vizianagaram en route Bhubaneswar. "During our brief discussion, the Union minister promised that international operations would start as he would urge the Indian carriers to fly to international destinations from here. To begin with, Phuket may be explored as that would not only be feasible for Air India but it will help boost the state's tourism," Panda told TOI quoting the Union minister.
14/10/14 Times of India

British Airways adds Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Chennai-London route

Chennai:  Commemorating its 90th year of service in India, British Airways would induct another Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its service on the Chennai-London route, a top official said today.

Currently, British Airways operates Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Hyderabad-London route.

"This year we are celebrating 90 years of flying into India. After successful launch of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Hyderabad-London sector, we are adding another Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Chennai and London route," British Airways Regional Commercial Manager (South Asia), Christopher Fordyce told reporters here.
13/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Odisha Tourism Pitches for Flight Extension to Phuket

Bhubaneswar:  Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju on Monday assured the Tourism Department of looking into the extension of the New Delhi-Bhubaneswar-Port Blair Air India (AI) flight to Phuket.

The assurance came after Minister of State for Tourism  Ashok Panda and Secretary Arvind Padhee met the Union Civil Aviation Minister here and submitted a list of demands regarding aviation needs of the tourism sector.

Majority of the Buddhist tourists coming to India belong to Thailand, China and Japan. With Phuket being 20 minutes of flying time from Port Blair, the Tourism Department has been seeking extension of the AI flight to Phuket to draw more Buddhist tourists to the Diamond Triangle (Lalitgiri, Udaygiri and Ratnagiri) of Odisha.
14/10/14 New Indian Express

Air Lanka flight develops technical snag, 122 passengers safe

Chennai: An Air Lanka flight from Colombo developed a technical snag while landing at the international airport here, but the pilot brought it down safely with no harm to the 122 passengers on board, airport sources said.

The aircraft landed here around 9.30 AM, they said. As many as 244 passengers, who were to board the flight on its return journey to Colombo were put up in hotels in Chennai since the snag was not rectified before the scheduled departure time of 12.30 PM, the sources said.
14/10/14 PTI/Times of India

Monday, October 13, 2014

Indian Hajis fly home after a delay of 49 hours

Jeddah: After a long wait of 49 hours, 235 Indian pilgrims bound for Kolkata on Air India Flight AI 5008 finally boarded the craft at  around 8.00 p.m. on Sunday.

Passengers, who were scheduled to have departed at 7.40 p.m. on Friday, told Saudi Gazette that they were shifted from their hotel to the Haj Terminal in Jeddah on Sunday afternoon.

However, another 470 pilgrims also bound for Kolkata are stuck here as their flights — AI 5018 and AI 5020 — are delayed.

Other Air India flights bound for Mangalore and Srinagar, however, departed with little delays.

Indian Consul General B.S. Mubarak told Saudi Gazette that Air India is trying to stabilize the situation.

“They are bringing a bigger aircraft tomorrow (Monday) and by day after tomorrow the situation will normalize,” he said.
13/10/14 Saudi Gazette

Sunday, October 12, 2014

470 Indian pilgrims in delayed departure

Jeddah: Some 470 Indian pilgrims bound for Kolkata are stuck in Jeddah since Friday because of flight delays.

Passengers on Flight AI 5008 and AI 5010 were scheduled to depart the Haj Terminal at King Abdul Aziz International Airport Jeddah at 7.40 p.m. on Friday. But at 6. 30 p.m. they were shifted to a hotel.

“The delay is due to some technical problems in the aircraft,” Air India Station Manager Firoz Khan told Saudi Gazette.

He assured that the two flights with 235 passengers each will depart by midnight. “We are stuck here for more than 24 hours, and no one is giving us any clear picture about the status of our flight,” said one of the passengers. He said that their baggage was taken 60 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight.
11/10/14 Saudi Gazette

Saturday, October 11, 2014

India, Russia discuss joint ventures in aviation, pharma

New Delhi: India and Russia discussed cooperation in a number of areas including setting up of joint ventures in sectors such as civil aviation, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and fertilisers in a meeting of the working group on modernisation and industrial cooperation on Friday.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to visit India in December, the two sides also reviewed progress in the priority investment projects identified in earlier meetings and do some ground-work for the visit, a Commerce Ministry official told BusinessLine.

The Russian side, led by First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nikitin Gleb, included representatives from a number of Russian companies with business interests in India such as Kamaz Motorz Ltd, GAZ Group, REP and Uralmashzavod.
10/10/14 Amit Sen/Business Line

Friday, October 10, 2014

Aviareps to represent Xiamen Airlines in India

Xiamen-based Xiamen Airlines has appointed Aviareps as its General Sales and Service Agent (GSSA) in India. The Aviareps India office will act as its extended office and be responsible for maximising exposure, penetrating new markets and promoting Xiamen Airlines as a favorable airline for Indian travellers.

Xiamen Airlines currently has three major hubs in China, i.e. Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou. In addition, it has hubs in Tianjin, Changsha and Beijing. The airline presently has 56 destinations with 457 daily flights. It operates 218 domestic routes in China and 26 international routes (Including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Seoul, Macau, and Taiwan).
10/10/14 Travel Trends Today

Thursday, October 09, 2014

IndiGo to take 12 Airbus A320s on lease from Tigerair

Mumbai: No frills airline IndiGo, which reported it sixth annual profiit in fiscal 2014, will take on lease 12 Airbus A320 planes from Tigerair to support its expansion plan.

Currently, IndiGo has 81 Airbus A320 planes and the airline operates some 500 flights daily. Between December 2012 and now it has added 15 aircraft.

In 2005, IndiGo placed an order for 100 Airbus A320s followed by another order for 180 planes (150 A320neos and 30 A320s) in 2011. This is the first time that IndiGo is taking planes on sub lease from another airline

Growing competition in domestic market with the revamp of Jet Airways and entry of two new domestic airlines -AirAsia and Vistara (still to commence operations) has led IndiGo to aggresively expand its fleet.

Singapore-based Tigerair announced today it has reached an agreement with IndiGo for subleasing of its 12 planes.

The airline said the 12 planes will be progressively delivered to IndiGo over a period of six months commencing October 2014. Each aircraft will be subleased for between three and four years at a discount to the original lease rates, Tigerair said.
09/10/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Etihad Airways unveils partnership with six airlines

Etihad Airways today unveiled Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand which brings airlines together to offer customers greater choice through improved networks and schedules alongside enhanced frequent flyer benefits.

The airline said that in the initial phase, six airlines will participate in the new partnership, which includes airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, India's Jet Airways, and Darwin Airline.

It added that any airline can become an Etihad Airways partner even if it is part of an existing alliance, such as airberlin, which is a member of oneworld.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said, "We are broadening our business model to articulate and define a partner proposition for like-minded airlines which will result in synergies and efficiencies for participating airlines on the one side, and enhanced network choice, service and frequent flyer benefits for the consumer on the other.
08/10/14 Arabian Supply Chain

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Man, who deserted wife, infant at airport, returns

Dubai: The husband of a European woman of Pakistani origin — who had left her and their five-month-old infant stranded at the Dubai International Airport for two days following a tiff between them — returned to the UAE on Monday. The husband reportedly told the police that he went to India, his home country, on his own as he married the woman and had a child with her without his family’s knowledge.

Khaleej Times had reported about the woman’s plight last Friday, when her husband deserted her and their infant at the airport on the pretext of going for some ticketing procedures.

A delegation from the Human Rights department of the Dubai Police escorted the husband to the hotel where his wife and infant were put up following police intervention on finding them in a state of fatigue. Dr Mohammed Al Murr, Director of Human Rights department, said the husband expressed “regret” about what he did and took an undertaking that he would take care of his wife and infant.

Lieutenant Ali Al Shihi, Director of the Follow-up department, said the husband claimed he was “scared” of his family as they did not know about his marriage to the woman, who is a British national of Pakistani origin. He recently decided to tell his family and was planning to travel to India for this purpose. His wife flew down to Dubai from Britain a few days ago and insisted on accompanying him to India. This led to a tiff between them.
08/10/14 Amira Agarib/Khaleej Times

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Chicago-Delhi Air India flight diverted to Toronto

New Delhi: An Air India Chicago-Delhi flight, carrying 342 passengers, was diverted to Toronto on Tuesday morning after the pilot suspected oil leakage in one of its engines, officials said.
After flying for two and a half hours from Chicago, the AI 126 Chicago-Delhi-Hyderabad flight turned to Toronto Pearson Airport, airline officials said here.
It landed at the Toronto airport under emergency conditions after disposing of its fuel onboard.
Ground engineers were inspecting the port engine of the Boeing 777 ER (Extended Range).
07/10/14 PTI/Zee News

Centenarian, former pilot returns to Bangor area where he learned to fly

Brewer, Maine:  An oft-recited aviation saying claims “there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.”
Peter Goutiere is living proof that saying is wrong.
Goutiere celebrated his 100th birthday last month. Many years were spent in the air, including during World War II, when he transported cargo under enemy fire while dodging mountain peaks in Asia.
Goutiere was born to British parents in India in 1914. His father was a superintendent of police in an area outside New Delhi. At age 14, his family moved to Bangor, following his older sister Christine Weston, who moved to Maine after marrying a Bangor businessman. She became a successful author.
The Goutieres moved across the Penobscot River to Brewer a year after their arrival. He went on to graduate from Brewer High School in his early 20s, after dropping out for a few years, and ultimately ended up marrying his former English teacher in 1939.
That same year, he enrolled at the University of Maine, became an American citizen and heard President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiate a Civilian Pilot Training Program in an effort to beef up the number of trained pilots in the United States.
Goutiere signed up through the university and began training in Bangor. His first training flight was in 1939, when he and an instructor flew out of Godfrey Field — today’s Bangor International Airport — in a small Piper Cub. After demonstrating a few turns, the instructor let go of the yoke and gave the control to Goutiere.
“That was the time of my life,” the spry, sharp centenarian said. Later that day, he took the plane up on his own, sparking a love affair that has lasted 75 years and has taken him across the globe.
Last month, Goutiere stepped into a DC-3 on an airstrip in Washington state. The plane, restored by the Historic Flight Foundation, was the same one Goutiere flew during a portion of his time flying in Asia. The plane went up for a four-hour flight, from Seattle to San Francisco. Goutiere piloted the 70-year-old plane for a portion of that journey.
This week, Goutiere returned to Brewer to deliver a speech about his life as a pilot to a group known as The Quiet Birdmen, a secretive organization founded by World War I pilots for U.S aviators. Its meetings are closed to the public, and the rules of the Birdmen bar them from seeking publicity.
06/10/14 Nick McCrea/Bangor Daily News

Monday, October 06, 2014

Jet Airways flight from Dammam hits air pocket, six hurt

Thiruvananthapuram: A Jet Airways flight (9W 565) from Dammam to Thiruvananthapuram hit an air pocket en-route, causing minor injuries to six passengers, said an official of the airlines.

The pilot informed the Trivandrum international airport air traffic control about the incident and sought medical support on landing. The air turbulence had occurred three hours after takeoff from the King Fahd International Airport at Dammam in Saudi Arabia.

"The flight landed here on schedule at 7.25am. As we did not know about the nature of injuries, the Jet Airways medical support and the AAI's doctor and ambulance were waiting. However, only two of the six passengers needed to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. There was no incident of falling baggage, but they did get knocked around in their seats," said the airline official.

"The flight hit the air pocket somewhere near Mumbai. As the injuries were very minor, the flight crew decided to land at its destination. The AAI is providing all help to the injured," said Trivandrum airport director Dharmaraj.
06/10/14 Times of India

Sunday, October 05, 2014

AI Runs for Cover as Dummy Grenade Blows Up in Its Face

Vizianagaram:  In a major security lapse, a dummy stun grenade was found on board an Air India flight (AI 965) as it touched down at Jeddah early Saturday. Though the airline sought to downplay the incident claiming the ‘object was a plastic wrapper’, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju confirmed it was indeed a dummy stun grenade and indicated the flight was on standby for the Prime Minister during his recent visit to the US.

A joint team of the airline and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security rushed to Mumbai to investigate. It is learnt that Air India has suspended two of its officials, one in Hyderabad and the other in Mumbai. However, when contacted, AI officials in Hyderabad said they hadn’t yet received any suspension order.

According to Raju, the dummy grenade was found on the upper deck business class of AI-965 which was operating on the Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah route. “There was no threat to passengers. The grenade may have remained after the mock drill .... It has BSF markings,” he told reporters. The drill he was referring to was carried out by the NSG between Sept 24-27 at select airports and aircraft across the country to check the alertness of the crew and others concerned. “It is unacceptable. It is a failure that it was not spotted. We are going to investigate and even the authorities at Jeddah airport are conducting a parallel investigation,” Raju said.
05/10/14 New Indian Express

Mantri reveals Air India dud stun grenade coverup

New Delhi: In a serious aviation security lapse, a “used stun grenade” was found in the aisle of an Air India Boeing 747 jumbo jet at the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Friday night, prompting Air India to suspend two of its security managers at Mumbai and Hyderabad.
This was confirmed by top civil aviation ministry sources who said the used stun grenade was incapable of being detonated. The used stun grenade appears to have been left behind after a drill conducted by security agencies dealing with VVIP security in the last week of September.
Sources said orders have also been issued for suspension of ground-handling officers as well as security supervisors who took over the plane from the security agencies. The plane had completed a flight on the Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah route when a cabin crew member noticed that a “suspicious object” had come rolling out into the aisle from underneath the seat of a passenger on the upper deck of the aircraft. The aircraft was said to be the same one which was kept at Delhi airport as a standby recently for VVIP duty before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States.
The government ordered a high-level probe into the incident by a committee headed by both the joint managing director of Air India and the commissioner of security, civil aviation. The NSG, too, will conduct its own investigation.
But Air India had to suffer embarrassment by Saturday evening after it seemed to have attempted a cover-up initially by describing the object in a statement as a “plastic wrapper” when civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju revealed the truth by describing the object as a (used) stun grenade and referred to the incident as a “security failure”.
05/10/15 Sridhar Kumaraswami/The Asian Age

Air India staff suspended over negligence

New Delhi:  Cracking the whip against negligent Air India employees, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju yesterday suspended ground handling and security officers for lapses in detecting a dummy grenade in one of the airline's planes that was to operate from Jeddah to Mumbai.
According to a civil aviation ministry spokesperson, staff that were involved in clearing the aircraft for operations were suspended, including officials from the security branch.
The minister, who contradicted Air India's denial that no lethal object was found in its aircraft, will hold a high level meeting with senior airline officials to find out the reasons for the security lapse.
Earlier in the day, the minister confirmed that a dummy grenade was found in the aircraft and might have been left there after a security drill that was carried out in the aircraft before it was pressed into duty.
"It was a dummy grenade that was left in the aircraft after a security drill. It is a failure that it was not spotted. An investigation has been ordered. We are going to investigate the failure and even the authorities at Jeddah airport are going to do the same," Gajapathi Raju said.
05/10/14 IANS/India TV News

Saturday, October 04, 2014

'Explosive' on Air India VVIP Aircraft Was Plastic Wrapper!

New Delhi: A suspected explosive device onboard a stand-by Air India VVIP aircraft has turned out to be a plastic wrapper, an airline official said in New Delhi Saturday.

After a thorough screening of the aircraft, the object "was found to be a plastic wrapper", the official said.

The Jeddah Airport security cleared the Boeing B-747 aircraft - AI 965 - for further operations later Saturday morning.
The Indian security apparatus went into a tizzy early Saturday after the suspicious object, initially presumed to be an explosive, was found by the cabin crew on the Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah flight at its termination point.

The aircraft was on stand-by for use by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in case his regular aircraft developed any last minute snags during his US visit.

It was kept in complete readiness at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, and released Friday for commercial operations after Modi's return to India.
04/10/14 IANS/New Indian Express

Suspicious object on Modi’s standby aircraft: special panel to investigate

New Delhi: The Centre has formed a special panel to investigate the presence of a suspicious object on the Prime Minister's standby aircraft — an Air India Boeing 747 — that was kept parked in Delhi during Narendra Modi's recent trip to the US.

AI's joint MD Syed Nasir Ail and commissioner of aviation security B B Dash will head the panel.

"AI 965 of October 3, 2014, operated on the sector Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah. On landing at Jeddah, cabin crew found a suspicious object and informed the concerned authorities. After screening the aircraft and the object which was found to be a plastic wrapper the Jeddah airport security cleared the aircraft for further operations thereafter," an AI statement said.
It added: "A committee, under the chairmanship of the joint managing director, Air India and commissioner of security, civil aviation (COSCA) has been formed to investigate the incident. Air India would like to clear that at no point of time was the safety of the passengers or the aircraft compromised."
Sources have indicated that this may have been a security drill to check the preparedness of aviation security agencies.
"The B-747 was sent on a Delhi-Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah flight. On reaching Jeddah in the early hours of Saturday (India time), security agencies there found a suspicious object that seemed to be a defused grenade inside the business class of the aircraft," said highly placed sources.
04/10/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Clogged toilets ground Air India’s Australia-Delhi flight

New Delhi: A Sydney-Melbourne-Delhi Air India flight (AI 301) had to be grounded in Melbourne on Friday as the toilets on board got clogged by the time it landed there.

"The maintenance unit worked on the problem in Melbourne. By the time the toilets were cleared, the crew hit the flying duty limit and they could not have operated the long oceanic flight to Delhi," an AI official said.

The 148 passengers had to be sent to Delhi on other airlines, an airline spokesman said. Flying to Delhi with unserviceable toilets when 148 passengers—apart from crew—on board who would be served a full meal, snacks and unlimited drinks was clearly not an option.

This is at least the third time this year that an AI long-haul flight has been disrupted due to clogged loos, raising question marks on the airline's maintenance unit.
04/10/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Passengers Wait 7 Hours for 'Dream'liner Trip

Chennai:  Barely days after Dreamliner flights were resumed to the city, flyers from Singapore to Chennai were stuck at Changi airport for 7 hours after the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliners they were supposed to board developed a snag. While superstitious people might have suspect that it was a curse, several of the national air carrier’s staff couldn’t help but agree.

On October 1 Air India had announced that the Dreamliner would begin daily flights between Chennai to Singapore as AI 346, departing at 11.30 am, from the beginning of this month. When the ‘most advanced planes’ in Indian airspace began operating, a Dreamliner was flying between Chennai and New Delhi, before the seasonal reshuffle sent the plane on overseas trips five months ago. Dreamliners have been developing windshield cracks, fuel leaks, turbine problems and wheel rips even after they were grounded late last year.
Eventually, the flight from Singapore arrived in Chennai at 5.10 pm and the passengers were quickly loaded for the return trip. The flight took off at 5.55 pm. But the day didn’t end there for AI’s staff, as there was another massive delay in the evening. The night flight to Delhi, AI 043, that normally departs at 9 pm was pushed to depart at midnight as there a “shortage of crew at Delhi.” The plane arrived only at 11 pm. Some of the passengers had been put on the evening flight, while others had to wait it out.
04/10/14 Daniel Thimmayya/New Indian Express

AirAsia eyes Africa, Europe from India

Dubai: AirAsia wants to one day use its new India hub to springboard its Southeast Asian hubs into Europe and Africa.
“I see India in a different way than most people see India … there’s no reason why India cannot be a hub into Europe and Africa,” the airline’s Group Chief Executive, Tony Fernandes, told Gulf News in an interview on Wednesday.
Fernandes was in Dubai this week to speak at the Africa Global Business Forum.
AirAsia India, the group’s latest offshoot, launched flights from its Bengaluru hub in June. The airline fist planned to target second and third tier cities, however, recently made headlines when it announced it is looking at Mumbai and Delhi.
04/10/14  Alexander Cornwell/Gulf News

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Airlines line up A-380s for Indian flights

New Delhi: The big birds are finally flocking to India this year. German carrier Lufthansa will fly the Airbus A-380 between Delhi and Frankfurt from October 27, making it the fourth daily flight of the world's largest commercial airliner to the country. This number would have been higher had it not been for the crippling capacity crunch at Mumbai airport.

Earlier this year, Singapore Airlines had started schedule A-380 operations in India when it deployed the mega aircraft on Delhi and Mumbai routes. Then, Emirates started using this aircraft to Mumbai.

Emirates wants to use the A-380 on Delhi-Dubai route also but is learnt to be eyeing additional flying rights to India for that. Lufthansa wanted to fly the A-380 to Mumbai also this winter but could not do so as the airport operator was unable to give it the slot it wanted.
02/10/14 Times of India

India interested in MiG simulator

India is one the countries that has shown an active interest in buying Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG’s fighter jet simulator.
“India has taken an interest in the device, as it has proved to be highly effective during the training of navy pilots on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya,” MiG Chief Executive Sergey Korotkov told Tass. “We definitely intend to sell such simulators. As part of the contractual obligations with India we use this simulator for training two groups of pilots. The Indians loved it. I think as soon as they sign the contract for another batch of fighters, hopefully, they will start buying,” he added.
The simulator, jointly developed with the Moscow Aviation Institute, is a close replica of a real fighter cockpit. The model enables a large screen reproduction of the entire flight: takeoff, landing, refuelling, aerobatics and manoeuvres. The trainee uses 3D glasses at the moment, but in the future they will be replaced by a pilot helmet with a special visor that wouldn't distort the image and wouldn't limit the head movements.
02/10/14 Russia & India Report

Support Air India, we are committed to social causes: Melwin Dsilva

Dubai: The newly appointed Regional Manager of Air India for Gulf, Middle East and Africa, Melwin Dsilva sought support from every one to make Air India more successful. He is confident that, Air India will continue to better in the coming days, and he is accepting the big responsibility given by the Air India with humility and humbleness.

Melwin Dsilva was speaking at the function arranged for welcoming him and Prem Sagar, Manager- Dubai and Sharjah on Wednesday, October 1 evening at India Club Dubai. Air India's senior employees from Dubai, Al Ain and Abudhabi along with travel fraternity, media personalities and members of Indian community were present.

"Air India flies not only in 'Good times' but it flies 'All the time', it is the only carrier from India which is ready for social causes, and it is always there during the emergencies. I request you all to support us."
02/10/14 Prakash Dsouza/Daijiworld

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Engine crack grounds Dreamliner in US

Mumbai: Air India has deferred inducting the 17th Dreamliner into its fleet as the aircraft experienced tech nical trouble in Charleston, South Carolina in the United States during test flight on September 24, forcing a team of four AI pilots to return to Mumbai without the airplane.

This is the second such glitch in the procurement process: In July, another team of pilots and engineers had to leave behind the 16th Dreamliner at the Seattle headquarters of Boeing, which manufactures the aircraft."During a test flight, it developed an engine problem due to a crack. Given the issue, Air India did not take possession of the Dreamliner," a Boeing official said.

The Air India team, which was on board the pre-delivery test flights, flew to Delhi and then Mumbai on September 26 as the new plane was sent back to the factory to rectify certain major technical issues, airline officials said. The national carrier has ordered 27 of these airplanes and 16 have been inducted into its fleet. AI expects deliveries of three more by the end of the year. "Of the 16 owned by Air India, seven are dry-leased," an airline spokesperson said, referring to a common practice in commercial aviation, as part of which the airline only operates the aircraft, while crew, maintenance and other operations are outsourced to another operator.
01/10/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror 

Alcor keen to invest Rs 15,000 cr on helicopter unit

Bhubaneswar: US-based Alcor Inc, a maker of precision aviation products, is keen to invest Rs 15,000 crore in Odisha on a manufacturing and assembly unit for helicopters.

The proposed facility has promised employment for around 5000 people in a span of seven years.

To consider different aspects of the proposal, the state chief secretary G C Pati has convened a meeting on October 14.

Alcor Inc is a family owned business that has been in operation since 1957.

A leader in the world of exhaust gas temperature (EGT), cylinder head temperature (CHT) and turbine inlet temperature (TIT) sensor development, Alcor is recommended by the most well-known original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of both digital engine monitors and aircraft.

Alcor sensors are compatible with the vast majority of engine monitors, from the classic analogue instrumentation to the most current glass panel systems.
01/10/14 Business Standard

Lufthansa announces superjumbo A-380 flights to Delhi

New Delhi: After Singapore Airlines and Emirates, Lufthansa today announced the launch of flights of the superjumbo Airbus A-380 to India from here later this month.

The German carrier's A-380 services would begin from October 27 between Frankfurt and Delhi, with the aircraft being configured to carry 520 passengers in three classes - eight in First Class, 92 in Business Class and 420 in Economy.

Currently, Singapore Airlines and Emirates operate A-380 in India from Mumbai and Delhi airports. Singapore Airlines introduced superjumbo flights in May this year while Emirates began its first A-380 service in July.

"The A-380 is the world's largest commercial passenger jet and offers the finest in terms of flying comfort, luxury and efficiency. With the new A-380, Lufthansa customers will be able to experience Lufthansa's latest in-flight products and services including the state-of-the art First Class," the airline's Director South Asia Wolfgang Will said here.

The Lufthansa superjumbo would depart from Delhi at 0330 hours to reach Frankfurt at 0720 hours. On its return leg, it would start from Frankfurt at 1340 hours and arrive Delhi at 0130 hours on the next day.
01/10/14 PTI/Economic Times

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Air India inducts B-787 Dreamliner on Chennai-Singapore sector

Chennai: Air India today inducted the B-787 Dreamliner on the Chennai-Singapore sector.

The airline replaced the Air India 342/343 aircraft operating in the Mumbai-Chennai-Singapore-Chennai-Mumbai sector with AI 346/347 on the Chennai-Singapore-Chennai sector, a press release said.

Accordingly, AI 346 would leave Chennai at 11.30 hours and reach Singapore 17.55 hours local time.
01/11/14 PTI/Business Line

Lufthansa announces A380 flights to Delhi

Mumbai: Lufthansa will fly Airbus A380 aircraft on Frankfurt-Delhi route from October 27, the airline announced today. Lufthansa is the third airline to fly A380 planes to India after Singapore Airlines and Emirates, which ply the super jumbo aircraft to Mumbai.

"With the new A380, customers will be able to experience Lufthansa’s latest in-flight products and services including the state-of-the art first class and the launch of A380 underlines our commitment to provide Indian customers with the best Lufthansa experience worldwide," said Wolfgang Will, Lufthansa's Director (South Asia).

Lufthansa was keen to launch A380 flights to Mumbai too in the winter schedule but it did not get parking bay for the aircraft.
01/10/14 Business Standard