Showing posts with label Foreign Sep 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Sep 2015. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Boeing in talks with Indian firms to manufacture parts of Apache helicopter

American aviation giant Boeing today said it is in talks with Indian firms to manufacture parts of Apache helicopter, a day after it signed a contract with India for 15 Chinook heavy-lift and 22 attack choppers.
It said the contract for production, training and support of Apache and Chinook helicopters will greatly enhance India’s capabilities across a range of military and humanitarian missions.
India will receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Both are the newest models of those choppers and the first one likely to be handed over to India in the next three to four years.
“This is a milestone in Boeing’s expanding commitment to India,” Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India said in a press statement.
He said the acquisition offers Boeing an opportunity to further accelerate ‘Make in India’.
“Large sections of the Chinook fuselage are already manufactured in India and discussions are ongoing with our Indian partners to make Apache parts,” he said.
29/09/15 PTI/Financial Express

Carry extra fuel for return journey, Kathmandu tells foreign airlines

New Delhi: Nepal has asked all foreign airlines operating to Kathmandu to carry fuel for the return journey from their countries as its Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will not be able to refuel the aircraft.

Nepal has issued a "notice to airmen" (Notam) to the 50 odd foreign airlines that fly to the country, saying: "Due to insufficient supply of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), all air craft operators are advised to uplift minimum fuel from TIA Kathmandu and recommended to carry both way fu el while coming to TIA."

Three Indian carriers -Air India, Jet and IndiGo -operate flights to Nepal. SpiceJet stopped flying after the massive earthquake that hit Nepal this April. From Nepal, only Nepal Airlines Corp (NAC) flies to India.
30/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

At Dubai airport, India is the top destination

New Delhi: India is now the top destination country for the world's busiest airport, Dubai, with Mumbai being the busiest destination in the country for flyers to and from the Emirate. This August Dubai saw its highest every monthly traffic of 72.8 lakh international flyers, of which the 8.5 lakh to and from India were the single largest chunk.

"India remained the top destination country (855,550 passengers), followed by the UK (543,213 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (480,051 passengers),"a statement by Dubai Airports said. "The Indian subcontinent topped the list of regions with highest growth in passenger numbers (+143,970 passengers) followed by Western Europe (+129,950) and the GCC (+111,637)," it added.
30/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Flight to Abu Dhabi improves aircraft movement at Lohegaon

Pune:  The movement of international aircraft at the Lohegaon airport has almost doubled over the past eight months.

The biggest change was observed in August when the number of flights increased from 98 in the month last year to 184 in August 2015, registering over 80% growth. The Pune airport, for the period April to August 2015, registered over 90% increase in international aircraft movement over the same period last year, which is among the highest growth registered across airports in the country. The aircraft movement refers to an aircraft's take-off or landing at an airport.

In January this year, the international aircraft movement at the airport had decreased from 126 in January last year to 92. In February 2015 too, the number decreased from those recorded in the same period in 2014 by over 6%. Thereafter, the segment has picked up considerably.
30/09/15 Times of India

Flight to Abu Dhabi improves aircraft movement at Lohegaon

Pune: The movement of international aircraft at the Lohegaon airport has almost doubled over the past eight months.

The biggest change was observed in August when the number of flights increased from 98 in the month last year to 184 in August 2015, registering over 80% growth. The Pune airport, for the period April to August 2015, registered over 90% increase in international aircraft movement over the same period last year, which is among the highest growth registered across airports in the country. The aircraft movement refers to an aircraft's take-off or landing at an airport.

In January this year, the international aircraft movement at the airport had decreased from 126 in January last year to 92. In February 2015 too, the number decreased from those recorded in the same period in 2014 by over 6%. Thereafter, the segment has picked up considerably.

International aircraft movement at the Pune airport has been increasing consistently since March this year, states the data provided by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
30/09/15 Times of India

673 Hajj pilgrims reach Srinagar in two flights

As many as 336 Hajjis arrived at the Srinagar Airport in the first Indian Airlines flight today morning while 337 pilgrims arrived in the second flight.

Minister for Hajj and Auqaf, Abdul Rehman Veeri received the first batch of pilgrims at Srinagar International Airport who returned here on Wednesday after performing Hajj, an official handout said.

The Director General of Police, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Secretary Revenue, Inspector General Police Kashmir, IG Traffic, Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Director Airports Authority of India, and other Civil and Police officers were also present on the occasion.
30/09/15 Greater Kashmir

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

US mission in India to search for missing Americans from WW II

New Delhi: A specialised identification and recovery teams from the US have arrived here in search of nearly 400 Americans who remain unaccounted for from the World War II, in Arunachal Pradesh.

This will be the first recovery mission conducted by the Defense Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) in Arunachal Pradesh since December 2009.

The majority of the nearly 400 missing Americans are believed to be located in this area, since the main air resupply route from India to China during the World War II flew over the Himalayas on a route which came to be known as "The Hump", a statement by the American Embassy here said.
28/09/15 PTI/Business Standard

19-year-old Afghani drug mule arrested in Delhi

New Delhi: A 19-year-old Afghani, who told his mother that he is going to Hindustan to see the jungles, has been arrested for carrying 38 heroin capsules inside his stomach. Majid Malekzada in his broken Hindi says that he needed money for the treatment of his brother, who is paralyzed, and therefore, he agreed to swallow these capsules to traffick it to Delhi.

Majid, who is from Kabul, said that he started working as a cleaning staff in a restaurant after passing XIIth. "A friend told me that I will get money if I carry these capsules to India. I was told the trick also. I got $400 for carrying these capsules," said Majid in his broken Hindi.

He said that it took him an hour to swallow all the 38 capsules. He had taken it a few hours ago before leaving for India.
According to him, when he came out of the airport on September 18 he complained of severe stomachache after which he became unconscious.
He said that his brother had come to receive him. All he remembers is that he was in a taxi and then after two days found himself in the hospital.
28/09/15 Nitisha Kashyap/Times of India

Monday, September 28, 2015

Air India to start non-stop San Francisco flights; but does it really make business sense?

Air India today announced three-days-a-week non-stop Delhi-San Francisco flight from December 2 even as some airline officials said this proposal was yet to be cleared by the airline's board of directors.
Also, they said an economic feasibility study has not been conducted till now though the airline went ahead with the announcement to coincide with World Tourism Day.
The new flight will be a first between Delhi and the West Coast of the United States and AI expects passengers from other Indian cities to come to Delhi via the Air India network for their journey onward to SFO.
"The flight will be a boon to the Indian diaspora on the US West coast. It will make travel easy and convenient for students and parents of NRIs... ," AI said in a statement.
But why does Air India want to expand international operations, which have typically bled it dry? It is the longest serving legacy Indian carrier flying to marquee destinations abroad but its domestic operations have been earning far better.
According to data between April 2014 and January this year, the airline deployed just a fourth of its capacity on domestic routes but these flights generated 40% of its total revenues.
In fact, domestic yields (which means revenue per passenger) were much higher at over Rs 6 when international yields languished at around Rs 3.50. So the question that begs an answer is: A non-stop flight to SFO will sure raise the glamour quotient of the airline but will it again help AI financially?
28/09/15 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

Why Indian survivors of 1986 Pan Am hijack are watching Modi's meeting with Obama

It isn't only entrepreneurs and investors who are watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing trip to the US.
Also paying close attention to him are six people from Bengaluru who were either passengers on the hijacked plane Pan Am 73 in 1986, or had relatives on board that flight. Last week, ahead of Modi’s US visit, Dr Kishore Murthy, a passenger aboard the flight, and five others renewed their representation to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office asking India to lobby the US government for the compensation they say is rightfully owed to them.
The passengers have long argued that the Indians on board the flight have not got their due from the US. They claim that they too should have been awarded compensation, just like the 41 American passengers did. After all, they say, the attack took place in an American aircraft, Americans were the main targets and Indians became collateral damage.
The flight from Mumbai to New York with 360 passenger abroad was hijacked when it made a routine stop to pick up passengers in Karachi. Indians formed about 25% of the passengers on board. Of the 20 passengers who were killed in the 17-hour hostage crisis, 12 were Indian. Among them was chief purser Neerja Bhanot, whose bravery and alertness prevented even more deaths.
In 2008, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, paid out a $1.5 billion settlement to the US government for various terror attacks connected to Libya. This was for global resolution of all terror cases pending against Libya, the Indians passengers claim, intended for affected people of all nationalities.
The settlement was meant to cover attacks including the Lockerbie bombing and the hijacking of Pam Am 73 involving the Libya-supported Palestinian Abu Nidal group.  The US paid out $10 million for each American who was killed on the Pan Am flight, $3 million for those were sustained injured and $500,000 for the rest of its citizens who were aboard the plane.  But Washington has said its existing laws do not allow it to pay compensation to non-Americans.
This is what the Indian passengers are hoping Modi will remedy.
28/09/15 Bhavya Dore/Scroll.in

Tigerair announces 50% discount on airfare

Chennai: Singapore-based budget carrier Tigerair has announced 50% discount on its fares for travellers from Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli and Lucknow for travel between November 1 and March 23.

Bookings should be done on its website -- www.tigerair.com -- between September 28 and October 8.

Tigerair currently operates 41 weekly flights to Singapore from five Indian destinations. The airline also connects to Bali, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Perth, Taipei via Singapore. It also connects to Sydney, Gold Coast and 11 more destinations.
28/09/15 V Ayyappan/Times of India

More Oman-India flights likely in-future

Muscat: Oman is in talks with the Indian government to enhance its quota of airline seats as Oman Air looks to expand and increase frequencies not only to some of India's metro cities, but also Tier II and Tier III cities.

Omani authorities led by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) have had a meeting with Indian counterparts recently for an amendment to the existing bilateral air services agreement.

“We have another meeting planned in Muscat some time in October with Indian officials. We are looking to get the maximum number of seats possible under the new agreement,” said Anwar bin Abdullah al Raisi, director general of civil aviation regulations, PACA.
28/09/15 M Najmuz Zafar/Muscat Daily

Ukraine flight to kick-start Goa’s tourist season

Panjim: Amidst speculations of steep drop in Russian arrivals in the ensuing tourist season, the first charter flight from Ukraine will land at Dabolim airport on October 4, marking the beginning of the season.
Speaking to a section of reporters on the sidelines of the opening of e-registration facilitation centre, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said the charter will carry 265 passengers to Goa that will be followed by charters coming from Germany, Europe and other nations.
The tourism department has set a target of 1,200 charter flights from various destinations, which if it achieves will break the record of 2013-14 tourist season when around 1,128 charters arrived in the State. The State, that suffered poor tourist season last year owing to various reasons including devaluing of the Russian rouble, saw a marginal dip in the number of charters flying to Goa.
28/09/15 Herald

Tdechie petitions court over missing airline luggage

When the local police reportedly refused to take a complaint about belongings worth Rs 50,000 which were stolen from a bag on a Thai Airways flight seven months ago, a Bengaluru-based techie was forced to seek legal recourse. He approached the court directly with a criminal complaint against the airlines, and the magistrate then directed the Cubbon Park police to register a plaint against the local Thai Airways officials who allegedly tried to brush off responsibility for the loss.

Tariq Shariff, a techie employed by Honeywell Technology Solutions, booked a round trip from Bengaluru to Tokyo on Thai Airways. On his return flight from Tokyo on February 22, Shariff - who claims to have bought a brand new wristwatch and a 32GB iPod - disembarked to find the items stolen from their packaging and his baggage evidently tampered with. Numerous emails exchanged between the techie and local Thai Airways officials including the company's general manager, Kanaporn Apinonkul, and its customer relations service officials Anitha S yielded no result, as the latter reportedly offered a sum of $100 (Rs 6000) as compensation and claimed no responsibility for the theft.
28/09/15 Prakruti Koratagere/Bangalore Mirror

Bhutan Airlines delivers in Delhi

Bhutan Airlines, formerly known as Tashi Air and with the ICAO code of B3, has begun service to Delhi (DEL) from its base in Paro (PBH), the only international airport in Bhutan. The service operates twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Sundays) via Kathmandu (KTM) in Nepal using the airline’s 122-seat A319s, of which it has two.
28/09/15 Anna.aero

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Malindo Air launches Tiruchi-Penang flight

Tiruchi: Malindo Air, Malaysia’s hybrid airline, launched a twice-a-week service on the Penang-Tiruchi-Penang sector on Saturday.

The flights would be operated on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The airline would operate a Boeing 737-900 ER aircraft with 180 seats on the sector. The flight would depart from Penang at 8.30 p.m. and arrive here at 9.40 p.m. The return flight will depart from Tiruchi at 10.30 p.m. and reach Penang at 4.45 a.m. (all times local) the next day. The airline connects Tiruchi with Kuala Lumpur.
27/09/15 The Hindu

Saturday, September 26, 2015

The Hispanic trail into the USA via Delhi airport

New Delhi: More than 100 passengers from Punjab have flown from Delhi to the US' doorstep, San Salvador, via Havana in last two months and many of them have not returned to India on scheduled dates.
The mystery does not end there. From San Salvador, these passengers - mostly from Chandigarh and Jalandhar - were suspected to have been transported to Mexico by sea, aviation sources told Mail Today, adding that a Punjab agent made arrangements for their travel.
Hinting at possible human trafficking and illegal immigration to the US, foreign affairs experts said it was time a probe was ordered into this. Illegal immigrants are the subject of fierce debate in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential elections, with Republican candidates like Donald Trump even proposing a wall along the Mexican border.

Foreign affairs expert Sushant Sareen told Mail Today that Mexico border has been used for trafficking people to the US for years. "India is already facing the allegation that a large number of its citizens illegally enter the US.This case needs to be investigated thoroughly by an appropriate agency," he said.
The San Salvador-Havana-Mexico route, according to Sareen, is circuitous. He said the route taken by these passengers is a dangerous one as a number of people are robbed of money and killed while trying to enter Mexico. "Not only Indians, but also those from other Asian countries have been killed for money several times. This route may be a new choice as relations between Cuba and the US have improved. Traffickers are cashing in on it," he said.
26/09/15 Ankur Sharma/India Today

Friday, September 25, 2015

Finnair passenger left injured on Helsinki tarmac

New Delhi: An Indian passenger of Finnair AY832 from London to the airline's hub Helsinki was left bleeding on the tarmac of the airport for 29 minutes, with a jaw bone fracture, a deep gash and four teeth broken when she slipped and fell down while de-boarding on Sep 15, her family says.
Finnair did not respond to questions sent by IANS on the incident.
"Believe it or not! No ambulance came to the site for 29 long minutes. When it did, it took a little while for them to put her on a stretcher and examine her in the ambulance," said Vidya Narayan Swamy, the daughter of the passenger Ranjini Narayan Swamy, narrating the incident to IANS.
"The airline's apathy -- or call it a sheer lack of basic courtesies and responsibility towards their own passenger -- did not end here. When the ambulance did arrive, no one from Finnair even bothered to accompany the badly-hurt passenger to the hospital," the daughter said.
They were left to fend for themselves. The husband of the injured passenger is an employee of IANS.
When contacted, Finnair officials did not respond to the questionnaire sent on Monday. However, the India office of the Finnish company did acknowledge receipt of the email.
Under the comparable civil aviation guidelines in India, an ambulance has to reach an injured person on the tarmac or apron area within 7-10 minutes. Sometimes, it may also call for a partial shutdown of nearby operations, officials at the international airport here explained.
The rules under the Indian "Civil Aviation Requirements" (CAR) are more stringent. Under the Indian CAR, a paramedic or emergency relief team should reach an injured person within 7-10 minutes on the tarmac or 2-5 minutes inside the terminal.
25/09/15 IANS/Statesman

Finnair says sorry for delay in aid to bleeding Indian passenger

New Delhi: An Indian passenger of Finnair AY832 from London to the airline`s hub Helsinki was left bleeding on the tarmac of the airport for 29 minutes, with a jaw bone fracture, a deep gash and four teeth broken when she slipped and fell down while de-boarding on September 15, her family says.
In response, Finnair said in an e-mail that it confirms a passenger was injured as she tripped on the stairs while deboarding her flight at Helsinki airport. "We`re extremely sorry about the accident and wish the passenger in question a speedy recovery," the airline added.

Vidya Narayan Swamy, the daughter of the passenger Ranjini Narayan Swamy, narrated the incident to IANS. "Believe it or not! No ambulance came to the site for 29 long minutes. When it did, it took a little while for them to put her on a stretcher and examine her in the ambulance," she said.
"The airline`s apathy -- or call it a sheer lack of basic courtesies and responsibility towards their own passenger -- did not end here. When the ambulance did arrive, no one from Finnair even bothered to accompany the badly hurt passenger to the hospital," the daughter said.
25/09/15 IANS/Zee News

India should get 'return gift': Akhilesh on Boeing deal

Jaipur: With India clearing the 3.1 billion dollar helicopter deal with aviation major Boeing ahead of the Prime Minister's US visit, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today expressed hope that the country would get a "return gift" from America.

"I heard before leaving on the US trip, the Prime Minister said the chopper deal has been cleared. This is good for the nation and army that they would get new helicopters from (the) US...

"We are very ancient people. There has been a tradition of return gift in our families and society... The PM has gone to the US... Humein badha return gift milna chahiye (we should be getting a huge return gift)," Yadav said, addressing an event of the All India Yuva Yadav Maha Sabha here.

Speaking in the presence of Union Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, Yadav said the deal would be good for the defence ministry.
25/09/15 PTI/Business Standard

CM wants London flight back on radar

Kolkata:  Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju to facilitate direct connectivity between Kolkata and Europe. At present, passengers from Kolkata have to fly to Europe either via Delhi or Mumbai, or via the Gulf cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Impressing upon Raju the need to ask national carrier Air India to operate a flight between Kolkata and London or any other European city, Mamata pointed out that the airline had withdrawn services some years ago despite good traffic.

Following lack of response from major European carriers like British Airways (BA) and Lufthansa, whom Kolkata airport director A K Sharma had contacted last month, Mamata said the national carrier was the only hope till bilateral issues were resolved to facilitate the entry of Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines is keen on a flight between Kolkata and Istanbul, but is unable to operate it as it does not have permission from Indian authorities.
25/09/15 Times of India

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Six Indians including 16-year-old file for protection at Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong: Six Indians including a 16-year-old who landed at Hong Kong International Airport and who were refused permission to land have filed claims for non-refoulement, the Immigration Department said.
The six passengers, aged 16 to 34, arrived Hong Kong from Delhi, India, on the same flight yesterday.
They claimed to be traveling alone and not known to each other.
All were refused permission to land, the department said.
Five of them lodged claims for non-refoulement through the same legal representative, while the remaining passenger did so through another legal representative. All these non-refoulement claims are being processed, the department said.
An increasing number of visitors have lodged claims for non-refoulement on arrival in Hong Kong, the department said.
24/09/15 The Standard

Luggage Items go Missing, Airline in Trouble

Bengaluru: The alleged theft of wedding anniversary gifts and other items of a passenger has landed Thai Airways International Public Company Limited in a soup.

The customer, Tariq Shariff, a techie working with Honeywell Technology Solutions in city, has filed a complaint with the Cubbon Park police against the Airways and two of its employees, following a six-month long correspondence between the two parties. The two employees are Kananporn Apinonkul, General Manager of Thai Airways, and customer relations official Anitha S.

The incident occurred in February 22 this year while Shariff was flying back from Tokyo to Bengaluru in Thai Airways flight.

He had bought an iPod and a wrist watch for his wife as wedding anniversary presents. He had left his luggage at the baggage counter of Narita International Airport. However, he was shocked when both the items along with some clothes were missing from his luggage at the Kempegowda International Airport.

He immediately informed the Airways personnel in Bengaluru regarding the incident but they allegedly denied responsibility for the same.
24/09/15 Yathiraju/New Indian Express

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Etihad Airways to buy bonds to help Jet Airways recast debt

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated by Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways PJSC will buy bonds worth Rs.738 crore out of a non-convertible debenture (NCD) sale of around Rs.1,000 crore planned by Jet Airways (India) Ltd, two people close to the development said.

The move will help India’s second largest airline by passengers carried, in which Etihad holds a 24% stake, refinance costlier debt.

As on 31 March, the Naresh Goyal-controlled Jet Airways had a consolidated debt of Rs.11,902.67 crore. Jet Airways has already secured approvals from shareholders to raise $400 million via NCDs.

The first person cited above said raising cheaper debt from EA Partners IBV is critical for Jet Airways at this time. EA Partners is an SPV created by Eithad Airways along with its own airport services unit and five airlines in which it holds equity stakes. Last week, the SPV raised $700 million through an innovative new platform of financing transaction on the international markets.
23/09/15  P.R. Sanjai/Dalal Street Asia

Ahead of Modi’s US visit, Govt clears military helicopters deal with American aviation giant Boeing

New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today cleared a multi-billion dollar deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift choppers with American aviation giant Boeing. “The deal for Apache and Chinook (helicopters) has been cleared,” government sources said. The CCS met after a Cabinet meeting, they said. Many in the defence sector had expected the deal, valued to be over USD 2.5 billion and pending since 2013 following finalisation of cost negotiations, to be signed during the visit of US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter in June this year.
The deal for Apache is “a hybrid one”, with one contract to be signed with Boeing for the helicopter and the other with the US government for its weapons, radars and electronic warfare suites.
22/09/15 PTI/Indian Express

Shrugging off Chinese 'concerns', government allows US search missions in Arunachal

New Delhi: The eight-member crew of 'Hot as Hell' may get the posthumous honour that they deserve. The US B-24 bomber disappeared in Arunachal Pradesh on a supply run from Kunming, China, to Chabua, Assam, on January 25, 1944, with an eight-member crew on board.

The chances of their remains being recovered have vastly improved with the Modi government allowing the US military to resume search missions in Arunachal Pradesh for the remains of servicemen who died in World War II. That marks a reversal from the position of the United Progressive Alliance regime, which had halted such operations in the northeastern state in 2009 over "concerns" raised by China.
Specialised teams from the US, trained to identify and transport the remains of its soldiers who have fallen in combat throughout the world, are expected to visit several identified sites in Arunachal.
23/09/15 Manu Pubby/Economic Times

Despite long standing ties with India, Russia may sell Su-35 Flanker-E fighter to Pakistan

New Delhi: In what would potentially be the largest defence deal between the two countries, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is in talks with Russia to buy Su-35 'Flanker-E' fighter aircraft, say IHF Janes reports.

A senior Pakistani government official shared the information while responding to Russian media reports that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had said talks were underway for an unspecified number of Su-35s, which follow a recent agreement to provide Mi-35M 'Hind E' attack helicopters to Islamabad.

Though no decision has been made yet and no terms of the deal have been disclosed, discussions between the two countries shows Russia's willingness to sell advanced hardware to Pakistan despite Moscow's longstanding ties with India.
23/09/15 Prameya News7

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Malindo to launch KL-Amritsar flights

Petaling Jaya: Malaysia’s first hybrid airline, Malindo Air, will commence flights three times weekly from Kuala Lumpur to the Punjab capital of India, Amritsar, from Oct 25.

The 4,268km route or equivalent to a five-hour 20-minute flight will signify the airline’s furthest destination from its main hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malindo said in a statement yesterday.

In the same statement, Malindo Air chief executive officer Chandran Rama Muthy said the route would signify its furthest route yet from Kuala Lumpur, using its young fleet of Boeing 737-900ER aircraft.

“Malaysians and transiting visitors from neighbouring Singapore can now look forward to a smooth flight to Amritsar via Kuala Lumpur whether for business, leisure or religious purposes.
22/09/15 The Star

Mactan-Cebu International Airport takes off due to PPP deal with GMR

Lapu Lapu City: Some P35 billion have been infused for the modernization of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) here.

The amount shows a stark contrast to the P15.35 billion that President Aquino approved for the Clark International Airport’s (CIA) new terminal to be finished in 2022.

Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, chief executive advisor of GMR Megawide, said MCIA is presently handling 7.1 million passengers annually, but in the fourth year of its modernization, MCIA will be handling 11 million passengers and will have a terminal capacity for 12.5 million.

The CIA is presently handling close to 1 million passengers in its terminal which has a capacity of 4 million and with the completion of the first phase of the new terminal in 2017 will add another 3 million.
22/09/15 Ashley Manabat/Business Mirror

Six Indians refused entry file refugee claims at airport and ferry

Hong Kong: The Immigration Department aid today it refused entry to six Indian men who landed at the Hong Kong International Airport and China Ferry Terminal on September 16, 18 and 20.
All of them passengers lodged claims for non-refoulement as soon as they were refused permission to land.
On September 16, two Indians arrived at Hong Kong International Airport via Kuala Lumpur from India. After immigration examination, they were refused permission to land. While waiting for removal, the legal representative of these two passengers lodged claims for non-refoulement on their behalf.
In addition, two Indians arrived in Hong Kong from Macau via China Ferry Terminal on September 18, as well as two others on September 20. Before these four passengers arrived, the same legal representative made written requests to the department on their behalf.
21/09/15 The Standard

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Indian manager’s jail term for sexual assault upheld in Dubai

Dubai: A Dubai court has upheld a three-month jail term handed down to a 43-year-old Indian manager for sexually assaulting an Emirati female employee. The convict, identified only with his initials MP, worked as a manager at Dubai International Airport.

In February, MP molested the 26-year-old victim who is a customer service agent, The National newspaper reported.”I was at Terminal 2 of Dubai International Airport where I work. I took a short break and headed to the Indian airline section, where the defendant was,” the victim said.
MP then joined her in the break room and they spoke about her aviation exam.”I went to the testing room and logged into the system to check the exam. He came and said he could help me. I agreed, then I accidentally dropped my pen. When I reached for it he grabbed my hand and kissed it, telling me not to worry and that he would help me pass,” she was quoted by the paper as saying.
19/09/15 PTI/India.com

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Etihad Airways raises debt to $700 million

Etihad Airways, which owns 24% in Jet AirwaysBSE 1.36 % Friday said the airline and its equity partners have increased their debt raising to $700 million.
On Wednesday, the airlines said they had raised debt of $500 million.
The airline said that after "increased demand from financial institutions in a range of markets,the airlines re-opened the transaction and have raised an additional US$ 200 million, bringing the total to US$ 700 million,"
Etihad Airways, Etihad Airport Services, airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia and Jet Airways have together raised the money for the first time, the airline said in a release. Of the total funds raised, Jet will get 16% Etihad and its airport services, Airberlin and Alitalia will get 20% each while Air Seychelles and Air Serbia will get the rest.  Etihad owns 24% in Jet.
18/09/15 Economic Times

India, Laos agree to allow direct flights

Vientiane: Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Friday signed two memorandums of understanding with his counterpart in Laos, Bounyang Vorachith in the Presidential Palace Ho Kham. The MoUs cover an air services agreement — allowing airlines to start a direct flight between the two countries — and another agreement for three ‘quick impact projects’ in the agriculture sector.

“The air services agreement is an important development because it takes a lot of pressure off the fact that no formal document existed for direct flights between the two countries,” Secretary East Anil Wadhwa told reporters during a briefing.

“I think there was more demand from Lao travellers who want to go into the Buddhist area, especially Bodh Gaya and New Delhi.
18/09/15 TCA Sharad Raghavan/The Hindu

Lufthansa to start premium e-class on flights from Mumbai

New Delhi: German carrier Lufthansa today announced rolling out of premium economy class on its flights to Frankfurt and Munich from Mumbai, starting next week and offered special promotional fares for the new cabin class for a limited period.

Mumbai is the third city to have such an offering from Lufthansa, after Delhi and Bengaluru.

The new cabin class on the Mumbai-Frankfurt-Mumbai route is being introduced from September 23 while the same for Mumbai-Munich-Mumbai sector would be launched from September 25, Lufthansa said in a statement.
It also said that passengers can avail an upgrade to higher class by paying an additional fee. The premium economy passengers can also access business class lounge facilities at a nominal cost.
18/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

Relook Air India's right of first refusal: Assocham to government

New Delhi: Lobbying for domestic private airlines, industry body Assocham today urged the government to reconsider the 'first right of refusal' granted to national carrier Air India on new routes, to enable corporate-run carriers expand their international network.

"Air India's First Right of Refusal on new routes should be relooked with the objective of private airlines getting fair opportunities to expand their international routes," Assocham said in a paper jointly prepared with Yes Bank.
The paper also called for tweaking or abolishing all together the current norms for international operations by domestic airlines on the grounds that it would "equip Indian commercial airline operators with long term financial security and international quality standards".
18/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

Friday, September 18, 2015

India's big-ticket 36 Rafale deal: Stuck in negotiations

New Delhi: Five months after India announced the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets "off the shelf" from France, much of the expectations from the big-ticket deal appears to have evaporated due to protracted negotiations that look set to continue for some more months While voices from both sides say there is hope for the deal being concluded by December this year, on the French side there is some frustration at the long-winded nature of the negotiations.
The deal for purchase of the 36 Rafale jets, by Dassault Aviation, was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris in April. India decided to purchase the 36 jets from Paris in a flyaway condition in a government-to-government agreement. The Indian Air Force, which badly needs to replace its aging fleet of Soviet MIG aircraft, was looking forward to the new planes.
17/09/15 One India

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Etihad Airways raises Rs 3,322 crore along with partners

Gulf carrier Etihad on Wednesday said it has raised $500 million (approximately Rs 3,322 crore) along with its airport services business and five equity partners from the international market for capital expenditure and fleet expansion, among others.

The airline, in a release said, the funds were mopped up through a series of road shows held across Abu Dhabi, London and Dubai.

Of the total funds raised, while Etihad Airways, Etihad Aiport Services, Air Berlin and Alitalia each would get 20% share, Indian carrier Jet Airways would get 16%, the airline said.
17/09/15 Daily News & Analysis

How the derailment grounded a Hong Kong-bound flight

One might wonder if there is a connection between Tuesday’s train derailment and the cancellation of the Hong Kong-bound Cathay Pacific flight. Well, there is one! With people opting to travel via road post-derailment, resulting in hour-long jams due to bumper-to-bumper traffic across the city, 12 crewmembers reached the airport late as they were stuck in one such traffic jam on the Western Express Highway (WEH). This eventually resulted in the cancellation of the flight. Sources at Terminal-2 said boarding for CX 696, whose standard departure time is 10.46 pm, was rescheduled for 11.55 pm after its crew reported late to work. However, the delay had irked the 200 passengers who created a ruckus around 11.15 pm and refused to board the flight after learning that the flight was re-routed as well.
17/09/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

Arrested Italian smuggler an AI staffer

New Delhi: In what can turn out to be a global network of smugglers involving senior officials from reputed airlines of India, the Italian national who was arrested by the Delhi Police, has been identified as an employee of Air India, working in Rome. Sources said he was handed over the gold by a Canadian man in Milan.

Lupoli Alessandro was arrested by a joint team of Delhi Police and customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle in gold worth Rs 80 lakh at the IGI airport on Monday. Interrogations have revealed that he was "on duty" to escort a group of Italian tourists to India when he was arrested. Alessandro, who was initially thought to be a Italian diplomat, would have easily exited the airport, had the Delhi Police not received a tip-off, and conveyed the same to the customs staff immediately.
17/09/15 Anvit Srivastava/Times of India

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Dubai Airport baggage handler cleared of stealing candy from passenger’s bag

Dubai: A Dubai Airport baggage handler who was accused of stealing a piece of candy worth Dh2 from a passenger’s luggage has been found not guilty.
The Dubai Criminal Court acquitted PJ, 25, from India, of a charge of theft, which he denied when he appeared in court earlier this month.
Prosecutors said that on June 15 this year PJ was seen opening a passenger’s bag as he loaded luggage into an Emirates plane and taking the candy.
15/09/15 Salam Al Amir/National

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

US airports will now treat 2,000 Indians as VVIPS

New Delhi: Remember how former president APJ Abdul Kalam and film star Shah Rukh Khan were subjected to embarrassing pat-down searches while travelling to the US? Well, the harrowing experience of going through stringent security drills at US airports will soon become a thing of the past for a select group of Indian celebrities and important personalities.
The Indian government will come up with a list of nearly 2,000 important personalities who will be allowed hassle-free immigration at US airports. Sources said the first batch of people that will be given the facility includes former President Pratibha Patil, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani and film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Their names came up when officials of two countries met in New Delhi last month to discuss the modalities of the system that will make India a part of US global entry programme that ensures smooth entry in the country, bypassing long immigration queues and waiting for hours during security checks.
The Global Entry, a US Customs and Border Protection programme, allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travellers upon arrival in the United States.
So far, citizens of seven countries get the benefits of America's Global Entry programme. The countries are the Netherlands, Panama, South Korea, Germany, Peru, Mexico and Canada.
In order to be part of the Global entry programme, one should not have any criminal record or be connected with any kind of economic offence.
15/09/15 Abhishek Bhalla/Mail Today

Jet might make Amsterdam gateway to US & Canada

Mumbai: Jet Airways might make Amsterdam its gateway for flights to the US and Canada. At present, the airline flies daily from Mumbai and Delhi to Newark and Toronto via Brussels.

Jet is reported to have sought and secured slots at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and is in talks with Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines for commercial partnerships and code shares on the European and North American routes. Securing a partnership with the two carriers will be a key factor influencing Jet's decision to launch flights to Amsterdam.

There is no direct flight between Mumbai and Amsterdam after Delta Airlines pulled out from the route earlier this year. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is a part of the Air France-KLM group, formed after merger of the two companies in 2004.  The two airlines operate separately and KLM  flies daily between Amsterdam and Delhi.
15/09/15 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Bangkok Shrine bombing suspect was at Delhi IGI airport for few hours

The Chinese national, suspected to be responsible for last month’s bombing outside a temple in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, was in Delhi for few hours on transit from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi last month. The accused Abudusataer Abudureheman alias Ishan, who is alleged to have organised the bombing outside Brahma temple in which killed 20 people, had taken a flight on August 30 from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi, official sources said. He had to change flight at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport where he was in transit for a few hours, the sources said.
14/09/15 PTI/Indian Express

Terrorist suspect fled from Thailand to Turkey on Jet Airways

A key suspect in last month's bombing at a Bangkok shrine that killed 20 people has fled to Turkey.
According to AP, he departed Dhaka on Aug. 30 for Delhi by Jet Airways. In Delhi, he continued his travel to Abu Dhabi, and from Abu Dhabi he boarded Jet Airways partner airline Etihad Airways to travel on Aug. 31 to Istanbul.
According to Thai police raises another indication that the attack could be the work of members of China's ethnic Uighur minority who have sympathizers in Turkey.
15/09/15 eTurboNews

Monday, September 14, 2015

Let IAF test-fly fifth-generation fighter aircraft, India asks Russia

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Mos cow in December, India has asked Russia to allow IAF test pilots to fly its fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to evaluate its capabilities.

“Flight-testing will help decide the way forward on the collaboration between the two countries on the FGFA. All options, ranging from an off-the-shelf purchase of 60-65 jets to joint production, are on the table,” said a top defence ministry official on Friday.

The fact that India needs an FGFA, which combines stealth, super-cruise capability, super-maneuverability data fusion and multi-sensor integration on a single fighter, in the years ahead cannot be disputed.

For a country that is yet to even make its first indigenous fighter (the fourth-generation Tejas) fully-operational, the choice is limited While the FA-22 ‘Raptor’ of the US is the world’s only fully-operational FGFA as of now, the Russian Sukhoi T-50 and the American F-35 ‘Lightning-II’ Joint Strike Fighter are the ones undergoing final developmental tests.
13/09/15 IBC World News

Iran to turn Kish into key aviation hub

Iran says it plans to turn a key airport in the Persian Gulf island of Kish into a regional aviation hub.

Based a plan that has been devised to the same effect, the Kish International Airport will be provided with adequate facilities to host tourists that use Iran’s airspace to reach other countries like India, Malaysia, Syria, Iraq or the Persian Gulf littoral states.    

Moheb Khodaei, the deputy director for tourism affairs of Kish Free Trade Zone, has told the media that this will help reduce air travel costs for the tourists.  

Khodaei added that the required facilities will be provided for the tourists to stay in Kish “for a few hours or even days” and enjoy the beauties of this island.
13/09/15 PressTV

3 Afghanis held at airport for travelling on fake visas

Ahmedabad: Immigration officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, on Saturday, detained three Afghanis in their twenties for travelling on fake visas and handed them over to Sardarnagar police. An FIR has been lodged at the police station against the accused Jubiulla Yadgar, 22, his wife Jina Jabiulla Yadgar, 21, and his brother Habidulla Yadgar, 20, of Afghanistan.

"The relative of the accused , Rehman Yadgar who is settled in Europe, had asked the trio to settle down in Europe. Following this, the three had contacted an agent in Kabul named Haji to get their visas for Europe made. Haji asked for $20,000 (approx) from each of them to prepare the visas. Haji took their original passports and asked them to accompany him to New Delhi to get their visas made. On September 1, the Yadgars and Haji left for New Delhi. Seeking the help of a Delhi-based agent, he prepared their fake passport and visa for India, Israel and Europe," stated the FIR.
14/09/15 Ahmedabad Mirror

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Fewer foreign trips this festive season

Kolkata: Five weeks to go for Durga Puja holidays, but the usual buzz about overseas travel during the season seems to be missing.

The travel trade industry in Kolkata, which banks on the festive season to garner nearly 18-20% of the annual revenue from domestic and foreign trips, is desperately hoping that business would pick up over the next couple of weeks. "It has been a rather insipid season. There has been no movement in August and very few confirmed bookings till now. Usually, seven out of every 10 enquiries materialize into business around this time of the year. But this season, it's been the other way round, with only three out of 10 enquiries for a holiday being confirmed," said Travel Agents Federation of India chairman (east) Anil Punjabi.

The bomb blast at Erawan shrine that ripped through central Bangkok on August 17 seems to have scared off holidayers from one of the most popular tourist destinations. One in every five out-bound traveller from Kolkata usually ends up visiting Bangkok, as it is an inexpensive destination and only three hours away.
13/09/15 Times of India

Sex Slaves For Middle East And ISIS Smuggled Through India

Literally, thousands of women from India, Nepal and Bangladesh are sold every year to customers in the Middle East, and the slave markets and sex-prisons of ISIS fighters in Syria. New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are the transit points for these sex traffickers. In this web of horror, the predators and facilitators even include airlines and immigration officials. Months before the First Secretary of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in New Delhi, Majid Ashoor, and his Saudi friends were exposed for allegedly gangraping and brutally assaulting two Nepalese girls in his Gurgaon house, another 24-year-old Nepalese woman Reema (name changed) was sold to a middleman by her parents in Nepal. Her dismal fate would have dumped her in the international network of human traffickers to be sold in the booming sex slave market of the Middle East. She, along with six other unfortunates, were detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on July 27, when they were about to board a flight to Dubai. But the markets have expanded.

As the immigration desks at airports have been alerted about the trafficking, and documents as well as the travellers are verified and scrutinised carefully, sex agents have started sending women and girls first to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Morocco and Bangkok, and from there, have obtained visas for the Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt and Syria. Africa has become the new thriving slave market for these girls with buyers coming from Tanzania and Kenya.  

Police investigations into the L’Affaire Majid revealed a bigger network operating, even involving two Air India employees Manish Gupta and Kapil Kumar, who issued boarding passes for flights. In February 2014, Delhi Police and CISF, acting on an Intelligence Bureau alert, rescued 76 Nepalese girls travelling to Dubai from the clutches of traffickers and were repatriated back home. Sources said it is most likely  that they would be sold again to the highest bidder because they are promised lucrative jobs abroad, which would help them escape poverty and misery. On September 2, R&AW issued an alert to Delhi Police about Bangladeshi girls being trafficked from New Delhi to Dubai, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The R&AW note also observed that the price for each girl was `6 lakh.  Similar alerts were issued by Central agencies on trafficking of women from Nepal, West Bengal, Jharkhand and the north eastern states of India.

Central agencies had alerted the Delhi Police, Bureau of Immigration and airport officials about the racket. “We receive alerts about women trafficked to the Middle East for sexual exploitation,” said a top senior police officer.
13/09/15 Sumit Kumar Singh/New Indian Express

AirAsia to launch Bhubaneswar-Kuala Lumpur Flight by Dec 2015

Leading Malaysian airliner, AirAsia will launch the first direct international flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur. The flight will take off by December 2015.

A delegation of AirAsia has already visited the Airport to take stock of the infrastructure facilities and traffic potential. They also held talks with Odisha Chief Secretary Gokul Pati and Airport officials.
13/09/15 Odisha News Insight

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Kerala woman slams KLM airline for racial slur

New Delhi: High drama unfolded at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the wee hours of Thursday when a woman allegedly faced "racial abuses" and harassment at the hands of KLM Airline staff. She also alleged that she was not allowed to board the flight on "flimsy" grounds.
Shinamma Eappen, who hails from Kerala, claimed she had to sleep on the floor at the airport. According to a complaint her friend filed with the airline on her behalf, the KLM staffers did not allow her to board the flight and did not even given any proper reason. Her family has also alleged that the airline didn't help her though she had all the required documents.
KLM initially said, "We are taking the matter very seriously and are investigating it." In a subsequent e-mail to MAIL TODAY, the airline said that initially the passenger was not clear about her travel purposes. After an extra round of security check, she was allowed to board another flight.

According to Eldo Paul, the victim's friend, who filed the complaint, she had almost all 11 documents required to travel. "She reported at the KLM customer service counter at Indira Gandhi International Airport terminal 3 (Delhi) before 12 pm on September 9 to board her flight to Amsterdam but the airline officers harassed her and threatened her. I overheard their conversations and wanted to respond to the abusive KLM staff but I was over the phone."
12/09/15 Bijaya Kumar Das/Mail Today/India Today

Bags dearer than life for most flyers during evacuation

Mumbai:  Emergency evacuations carried out by airlines the world over in the last few years have brought to fore a new reality in air travel. For passengers, hand baggage is dearer than life. Two evacuations carried out this week, first by Air India at Delhi airport and second by British Airways at Las Vegas airport have proved this point.

"When an aircraft carrying tons of highly inflammable aviation turbine fuel is on fire, the first thing to do after it has come to a halt is to rush for the emergency exit, leaving one's bags and belongings behind as instructed by the cabin crew. But many reach for the overhead bin," said a senior flight attendant of an international airline.

Safety norms dictate that an emergency evacuation procedure should be completed within 90 seconds of the aircraft coming to a halt, even when only half the number of emergency exits are available for use. "If one passenger opens the overhead bin to retrieve his bag, he slows down the entire evacuation," said a cabin crew training instructor. Then again, bags tumbling down the inflatable slide raft could injure passengers.
12/09/15 Manju V/Times of India

Three Indian airlines have ordered 600 GTF engines, says Pratt & Whitney

Hyderabad: Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, has announced that it has a strong order book of 600 new-generation Geared Turbofan (GTF) technology aircraft engines from three airlines in India, accounting for nearly a tenth of the global order book.

“This is just an indication of the strong aviation market in India and the potential this market holds for the company. The orders have been from IndiGo, GoAir and Air Costa. And most of the airliners have been our customers over the years,” said Mary Ellen S Jones the company’s Vice-President [Commercial Engines, Sales] for Asia-Pacific and China.

“We have booked orders for 7,000 GTF engines and India is amongst the biggest markets for us over the years. Therefore, we are committed to strengthening our base by setting up a training centre in India,” she said.
11/09/15 Business Line

Whanganui to establish flight school

Wanganui District Council Holdings chair Matthew Doyle said it had bought Flight Training Manawatu for $800,000 and planned to relocate it from Feilding Aerodrome to Whanganui Airport.
The deal includes four planes, flight simulators and associated equipment.
Mr Doyle said the purchase was strategic and would help to maximise the use of existing airport assets.
"We have considered other flight training possibilities in the past but they have involved excessive commercial risk.
"However, Flight Training Manawatu is a profitable business with full certification and provides quality tuition and customer service, with a well-earned reputation for excellent pilot training."
The current flight school offers three strands of the two-year NZ Diploma of Aviation programme, general aviation, instructor and airline preparation.
At the end of August it had 42 students and 13 staff, including 11 instructors. It has ties with two agents in India where the majority of international students come from.
11/09/15 Robin Martin/Radio New Zealand

India Plans Joint Su-30 Aircraft Modernization With Russia - Rostec

Moscow: India has expressed interest in carrying out a joint project to extensively modernize its SU-30MKI aircraft in collaboration with Russian companies, the Russian state technology corporation Rostec said in a statement Friday.
"In the long term, as recommended by the Russian Ministry of Defense, we plan a major upgrade of the SU-30SM [model] to increase its combat effectiveness. The Indian government has expressed interest in collaborating to modernize the SU-30MKI, which is an evolution of the SU-30SM," the statement reads.
According to the statement, both aircraft models will be given upgraded avionics and radars, as well as an improved engine. The SU-30SM and the SU-30MKI will also be equipped with additional weapons.
12/09/15 Sputniknews

Friday, September 11, 2015

Israel to expand AEW fleet for India

Tel Aviv: India will acquire a further two Ilyushin Il-76 transports adapted to carry Israeli-made Phalcon type airborne early warning (AEW) radars and sensors.

According to an Indian source, the aircraft have already being purchased from Uzbekistan by Israel Aerospace Industries, and are being prepared for the surveillance role at the facilities of the Tashkent Mechanical Plant in Taganrog in co-operation with Beriev.

AEW radars provided by IAI's Elta Systems division will be installed in the aircraft in Israel, along with the other sensors that comprise the Phalcon system.
10/09/15 Arie Egozi/Flight Global

AI acts against Paris ground handler over 787 snags

New Delhi:  A day after TOI highlighted the plight of a large number of Paris-Delhi passengers who completed their journey in 30 hours due to repeated snags in successive Dreamliners they were supposed to fly on, Air India has decided to act against its technical service provider in Paris.

The airline has served a notice to M/s AWAC Technics over "the poor handling of the situation pertaining to both the aircraft on ground and are contemplating change of our service provider in lieu of this."

The trouble started when VT-ANS, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, landed in Paris on Monday (September 7). It had a snag in computer system. An AI statement said: "The AWAC Technics Mechanic could accomplish the software update only with the intervention of Boeing on site Field Service Engineer. The aircraft was ready on September 8."
11/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Odisha govt in talks with AirAsia for direct operations

Bengaluru: Odisha government is in talks with Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia to start direct flight operations between Bhubaneswar and top cities of Southeast Asia.
"We are trying to get direct connectivity to Southeast Asian cities including Bangkok. AirAsia is very much interested on that. Right now, the talks are on not finalised. Hopefully in days to come it will be finalised," Odisha Tourist Officer and former India Tourism ( Paris) Assistant Director Dr R K Pattanayak told PTI here. The Odisha government conducted a roadshow in the city to attract domestic tourists.
10/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

Etihad Team Visits Mihan to Explore Cargo Service From Nagpur

Nagpur: A high-level Etihad Airways team visited the Multimodal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) to explore the possibility of launching a cargo airline service from the city, it was officially announced here today.

According to MIHAN release, the Etihad Airways team comprised Vice-President Indian Subcontinent Neerja Bhatia, Vice President Cargo David Karr, Vice President Network Planning Alex Featherstone, General Manager Airports Mathew Davies and Senior Manager International and Public Affairs Mokha Watta.
11/09/15 PTI/New Indian Express

Indian man arrested in Sri Lanka while smuggling gold

Colombo: Customs officials have arrested an Indian man while he was trying to smuggle gold slabs here by hiding them in his rectal cavity, media reported.

"Three gold slabs valued at 1.5 million Sri Lankan Rupees ($10,790) were recovered on Thursday following a body search of a 21-year-old Indian man," Sri Lanka-based Daily News newspaper quoted customs spokesperson Lesley Gamini as saying on Friday.

The officers at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport said that the arrested man arrived on a flight from Chennai.
11/09/15 IANS/daijiworld.com

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Close shave for passengers as flight suffers hydraulic problem in Chennai

Chennai: More than 100 passengers of a city-bound Sri Lankan Airlines flight from Colombo had a narrow escape on Thursday when the plane developed a hydraulic problem after landing and got stuck in the runway at the airport in Chennai.
However, no one was injured in the incident, as the Airbus A330-200 with 108 passengers and eight crew members was later towed away safely to the parking bay by airport vehicles, airport officials said.
Officials said the flight developed the problem after landing and could not move further.
Airport vehicles were immediately pressed into service which towed it to the bay, they said.
10/09/15 India Today

Pratt & Whitney inaugurates training centre in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company, today inaugurated their India Training Centre close to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.

This is the aviation company's third facility, the others being in Connecticut in the US and in China.

The training facility is expected to play a critical role in supporting its growing customer base in India as it supplies engines to power new aircraft.

The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and senior officials from Pratt & Whitney and UTL.
10/09/15 V Rishi Kumar/Business Line

Virgin Atlantic enters code share pact with India's Jet Airways for better flight connections

New Delhi: Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Rt. Hon Lord Francis Maude of Horsham, the United Kingdom announced a code-share agreement between British airline Virgin Atlantic and Indian carrier Jet Airways here today.

Speaking on the third leg of a three-city visit to India, Lord Maude said, "This partnership between prominent British and Indian airlines will help ease air travel for thousands of passengers, improving connectivity between the UK and four major Indian cities. It is an excellent example of strengthening ties between two countries and embodies the spirit of our great collaboration campaign".

Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways expanded their code share agreement in August 2015 offering new travel options from four Indian cities. The code will now allow the Virgin and Jet customers to buy tickets from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata connecting to Virgin Atlantic's Delhi, London Heathrow and vice-versa.
10/09/15 Business Standard

Paris to Delhi in 30 hours

NEW DELHI: A large number of Air India passengers completed their Paris-Delhi journey in almost 30 hours after changing planes thrice thanks to recurrent snags in the Dreamliner fleet.

Their saga began on Monday when they were to fly AI 142 from Paris to Delhi on a Boeing 787 at 10pm (Paris time). A Union minister and an OSD to aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju were also on this flight. The aircraft developed a computer snag and the flight was finally cancelled four hours after schedule departure time.

The next morning some passengers, like the Union minister, took foreign airliners to Delhi while a majority of them were put up by AI in a Paris hotel. These passengers were then adjusted on AI 142 of Tuesday that was to leave at 10pm.

"The Dreamliner supposed to fly out of Paris on Tuesday night also developed a snag as it did not start. The commander, Naveen Singhal, showed remarkable presence of mind. The Dreamliner which had developed a snag on Monday night had been rectified by then and was supposed to operate a ferry flight (without passengers) to Mumbai soon after the Delhi flight took off. Singhal asked the other plane to be brought close to his aerobridge from the remote bay it was parked at and the passengers and their baggage were transferred to that plane to be flown to Delhi," said a source.
10/09/15 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Philippines eyes direct flights with India

Bengaluru: The Philippines is looking at opening direct flight routes with India, in a bid to cash in on the rising thirst for outbound exotic travel among Indians. Currently, Indians wanting to fly to the 7,000-island archipelago need to transit through several hubs in between, including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

“We are keen on exploring direct flights between India and the Philippines, which would certainly help tap the tourism potential of both nations. We are talking to several Filipino carriers to seek the best possibilities to realise this plan. We have also asked our team in India to talk to airlines here. We are hoping that by early next year, direct flights would commence,” Gerry Panga, Tourism Attache at the Department of Tourism, the Philippines, told Deccan Herald.

“We have found that countries with direct flights from India have greater growth opportunities. At present, we are looking at linking Delhi and Mumbai, with Manila,” he said, on the sidelines of the PATA?Travel Mart 2015.
09/09/15 Hrithik Kiran Bagade/Deccan Hderald

Air India, British Airways offer discounted fares

MUMBAI: Air India and British Airways have offered discount fares on routes to Australia and Europe respectively.
Tourism Australia, has collaborated with India's national carrier, Air India, to offer return fares to Australia starting from Rs 58,000. ``The special offer, being advertised on digital platforms, is on until September 30 and is valid for travel till October 31 2015, subject to applicable terms and conditions,'' said a release issued by Tourism Australia. In August 2013, Air India had launched direct non-stop flights to Sydney and Melbourne providing a boost to aviation capacity between India and Australia by up to 93,400 seats (on an annualised basis). For the year ended December 2014, Air India recorded 11% market share for air traffic from India into Australia.
08/09/15 Manju V/The Times Of India

flydubai Offers 30% Discount on Air Tickets

New Delhi: Airline flydubai on Tuesday offered a flat 30 per cent discount on its economy and business class tickets booked before September 20 for some select global destinations, including Dubai.

The travel period for the tickets booked under the discounted offer will be between October 1 and June 30, next year, Flydubai said in a release.

In India, flydubai offers its flight services to Dubai from Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.

The Dubai-based carrier has a fleet of 49 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and operates over 1,600 weekly flights to more than 90 destinations in 45 countries.
08/09/15 PTI/NDTV

Monday, September 07, 2015

AirAsia launches direct flight to Kuala Lumpur

Panaji: The state government is pushing hard the central authorities for limited open sky policy at the Dabolim International Airport so as to make Goa an international aviation hub and derive best results from extension of the e-visa facilities, director of tourism Amey Abhayankar has said.

Address the gathering at a function to mark the launch of direct AirAsia Berhad direct flight between Goa and Kuala Lumpur, Abhayankar further said that Goa is seeking central approval for limited open sky policy at the Dabolim airport on the lines of that extended to Kerala, which will allow Goa to get best benefit of visa liberalisation policy.

He went on to state that in case the policy is extended to Goa then it could emerge as a regional aviation hub. He said that starting of direct flight between Goa and Kuala Lumpur would provide better connectivity between the cultures and people of two regions, which have similarities like coast and forests and allow them to experience different cuisines and locations.
07/09/15 Goa.com

Neerja Bhanot: This Facebook post by a foreigner about the brave flight attendant will break your heart!

India’s brave flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who won a posthumous Ashok Chakra award for showing courage in a hijack situation in, died on September 5, 1986, just two days before her birthday on September 7. So while Neerja was remembered today by actress Sonam Kapoor who will be playing the role of Neerja in a Bollywood biopic, nobody paid a tribute to the courageous young woman on her death anniversary on India’s Teachers’ Day.
It was Frank Small, a non-Indian and someone connected to the airline industry, who remembered Neerja on the day with this touching Facebook post of her story. He shared a picture and also wrote a note about how Neerja saved so many Pan Am passengers when the American pilots ran away from the hijack scene in Karachi, Pakistan. Frank said, “TODAY, IN AVIATION HISTORY, WE HONOR A HERO. A PAN AM FLIGHT ATTENDANT:
Bhanot was the senior flight purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by four heavily armed terrorists after it landed at Karachi at 5 am from Mumbai. PA 73 was en route to Frankfurt and onward to New York City. Bhanot alerted the cockpit crew about the hijack and, as the plane was on the tarmac, the three-member American cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer fled from the aircraft. Bhanot, being the most senior cabin crew member on board, took charge.
The hijackers were part of the terrorist Abu Nidal Organization and were backed by Libya. The terrorists then instructed Bhanot to collect the passports of all the passengers so that they could identify the Americans. Bhanot and the other attendants under her charge hid the passports of the 41 Americans on board – some under a seat and the rest down a rubbish chute.
After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives. Bhanot opened the emergency door and helped a number of passengers escape. She could have been the first to jump out when she opened the door but she decided not and was shot while shielding three children from a hail of bullets. Bhanot was recognised internationally as “the heroine of the hijack” and is the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Award, India’s most prestigious gallantry award for bravery during peace time.
07/09/15 Shweta Parande/India.com

Last Haj flight takes off with 266 pilgrims

Indore :  The 6th and last flight carrying 266 pilgrims of the Malwa region took off for Jedda on Saturday from the City airport.

The pilgrims were taken from Alshifa National Hospital based the Haj transit camp by bus to the airport, where the State Haj Committee Chairman Hajji Inayat Hussain Kureshi and Collector P. Narahari was present to see them off on the holy tour. The flight of Dubai airliner Flynas took off for Jedda at 2.20pm.
06/09/15 Freepress Journal

Sunday, September 06, 2015

AAA refutes Gan flying school closing rumours

The Asian Academy of Aeronautics (AAA) on Sunday denied the rumours circulating in the media that their flight school in Seenu atoll Gan island is being shut down.

The Sri Lanka-managed company declared that they have no intention of closing the flight school and requested media not to spread the rumours without proper verification.

In an interview to Haveeru, AAA’s CEO/Director and Head of Pilot Training Captain Suranjan De Silva said that the rumours quoting him of the flight school closing are completely untrue.
‘It’s absolutely not true. We have no such intention. We are managing the flight school in Gan according to our contract with the government,” he said. “This place is ideal for this work, so don’t have thoughts of transferring the Gan flying school to another place, either. We will do our best to carry on this work here.”
There are 75 trainees currently studying at the flying school, of which 54 are Maldivians. Foreign students at the school include those from India, Sri Lanka, China and Singapore.
06/09/15 Ahmed Adhshan/ S. Feydhoo/Haveeru Online

Airlines fined Rs 55,000 for losing baggage 7 years ago

Chennai:  The state consumer commission has slapped Emirates Airlines with a fine of 55,000 for losing the baggage of a passenger about seven years ago, and said, payment of damages could not be restricted to the terms of any act, as "there is no bar to grant justifiable compensation for causing mental agony."

Ashok Balasubramanian said he was doing a commercial pilot license course in South Africa.

After completing his course, he took a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Chennai via Dubai on August 3, 2008. He booked three baggages at the time of boarding the flight.

The next day, he took the connecting flight from Dubai, and reached Chennai. On reaching Chennai, he found his bag -- containing his private pilot license, pilot log books and other original educational certificates -- missing. He then contacted the customer affairs manager of Emirates Airlines in the city, which on August 15, 2008, informed Balasubramanian that his complaint had been referred to the tracing office at Dubai.
06/09/15 Manish Raj/Timesd of India

Saturday, September 05, 2015

Snag-hit British Airways flight to India diverted to Germany

New Delhi: A city-bound British Airways flight with over 100 passengers onboard was diverted to Frankfurt after the pilot reported a snag in the Boeing 777-236 (ER) aircraft.
The flight BA-143 had departed from London’s Heathrow Airport at 9.44 AM (local time) last morning and was scheduled to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here at 10.50 PM (local time).
Confirming the diversion, a British Airways spokesperson said in statement today, “We are doing all that we can to help customers, and we will fly them back to London as soon as possible to re-start their journey to India.”
Stating that the safety and security of the passengers was priority for the airline, the British Airways said, “We are looking after the customers while our highly trained engineers check the aircraft.”
05/09/15 PTI/Financial Express

Now, flights from Goa to Malaysia, ASEAN countries

Panaji:  With an eye on capturing the tourist potential in Goa and in Malaysia, AirAsia Berhad launched a direct flight between Goa and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, through three weekly direct flights.

The direct flight, along with AirAsia's wide network now makes it easier for Goans to fly to Australia, China, and US among other countries. The new route comes close on the heels of the direct flight from Visakhapatnam to Kuala Lumpur earlier in May.

Prior to the launch of the new flight, Goans looking to travel to Malaysia and beyond had to fly from Goa to either Mumbai or Bengaluru, and then take a connecting flight to their final destination. This not only ensured higher costs but also led to loss of time. The launch of a direct flight now makes it easier for Goans looking to travel abroad.
05/09/15 Times of India

Medical emergency: Flight makes unscheduled landing in Chennai

Chennai: A Kuala Lumpur-bound Emirates Airways flight from Dubai made an unscheduled landing at the airport here after a 61-year-old passenger suffered a heart attack.

The flight EK346 was mid-air when the passenger complained of chest pain following which the crew sought permission of the Air Traffic Control at the airport here, the nearest, for an emergency landing, airport officials said.

After permission was granted, the flight landed here and the passenger, hailing from Dubai, was given first aid and rushed to a corporate hospital in the city, they said.
05/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

Run flights to Dubai, S’pore from Gannavaram: experts

Vijayawada: In order to expedite the process of getting international airport status for Gannavaram, experts have called for scheduling of flights to aviation hubs like Dubai, Singapore and Doha. They said that if such flights can be arranged without much delay, it will help the international airlines gauge the mood of passengers.

Even as the notification for land acquisition for expansion of the airport is awaited, M Subba Rao, a former Airports Authority of India (AAI) employee, who served as director of Bengaluru, Calicut and Bhubaneswar airports, suggested operation of international flights instead of waiting till land is acquired and things gain momentum.

"We never know how long it would take to get the international airport status with the major aspect of land acquisition pending. Until then, it is better to try and run international flights on an ad hoc basis with the intervention of state government and see the mood of the people," he emphasised.
05/09/15 Times of India

Etihad named founding member of UAE-India Business Council

UAE's national carrier Etihad Airways has been named as one of the founding members of the UAE-India Business Council. "India is a crucial market not only for Etihad Airways but the UAE itself and therefore we welcomed the opportunity to become a founding member of the UAE Business Council in India," James Hogan, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer, said in a statement yesterday. "Our strategic partnership with Jet Airways  means both airlines are now carrying greater numbers of business and leisure travellers between the UAE and India and we look forward to using these ties as well as many more as we make a strong contribution to the UAE Business Council," Hogan said.
05/09/15 Moneycontrol.com

Friday, September 04, 2015

Malaysia Airlines flight MH19 makes unscheduled landing in India due to broken lavatories

Malaysia Airlines flight MH19 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur made an unscheduled landing on Thursday in Chennai of India due to broken lavatories.
In an email replied to Xinhua's inquiry, the airline said that the flight departed Chennai at 4:08 (local time) on Thursday and had already arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10:47 the same day.
Malaysia's state news agency Bernama quoted a passenger on the flight as saying that they were informed that all six lavatories were functioning when the flight took off, but then three of them became inoperable, and a few hours later, all six lavatories cannot be used.
As there was still a few more hours for the journey, the pilot decided to make an unscheduled landing, she added.
03/09/15 FG News

Nepal Airlines returns to Mumbai; two weekly flights to Kathmandu

New Delhi: Nepal Airlines, the national carrier of the Himalayan country, is returning to Mumbai from tomorrow after exiting nine years ago, with two direct weekly flights to Kathmandu.

As a promotional offer, it is offering a buy-two-get-one offer at Rs 14,000 for a round-trip ticket. The offer is valid through September, the airline said.

"We are reentering Mumbai from tomorrow with two weekly flights (Mondays and Fridays). We want to increase the frequency to three soon. The Mumbai entry follows resumption of our successful operations from Delhi from February and from Bangalore from September 1," airlines' commercial director Saroj Kasaju told PTI.
04/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

South African drug carrier was offered 1 lakh for job

Hyderabad:  South African drug peddler Mosiea Moosa was offered 20,000 rands (Rs 1 lakh approximately; 1 rand = Rs 4.90) by the Latin American drug cartel to carry 793 grams of cocaine worth over five crore rupees in her body across continents.

During interrogation by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sleuths, Mosiea reportedly confessed that the handler from Sao Paulo, whom she first met through social networking sites, offered to pay her 20,000 rands for each successful delivery of cocaine consignment from Sao Paulo to the destination in another continent.

Though Mosiea told the NCB officials that the handler in Sao Paulo was now her boyfriend, the investigators were a little suspicious about her claims as the members of drug cartels seldom give their original details to the carriers.

Mosiea came to India on a 10-day non-medical visiting visa. When the NCB officials intercepted her at the RGI Airport on August 30 morning, she claimed that she was seven-month pregnant. The sleuths felt something was fishy as a seven-month pregnant woman would not travel around the globe alone without any purpose (Johannesburg - Dubai - Sao Paulo - Dubai - Hyderabad - Dubai - Johannesburg in a span of 17 days).
04/09/15 Mahesh Buddi/Times of India

Thursday, September 03, 2015

Etihad Airways elevates Neerja Bhatia as VP for India & Subcontinent

Mumbai: UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways, which owns 24 per cent in Jet Airways, today elevated Neerja Bhatia as its vice-president for India and the Subcontinent.

Bhatia joined Etihad, for which India is the largest market, in 2004 as sales manager for western India, shortly after the airline launched its flights to Mumbai.

She moved on to become manager for western and southern India, before being appointed as India general manager in 2007.

Commenting on her elevation, Etihad senior sales vice-president Danny Barranger said Bhatia has played a key role in the expansion of Etihad in India during the last 11 years.
03/09/15 PTI/Economic Times

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

British Airways to target SMEs, student travellers

Chennai: British Airways has turned its focus more on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and students to boost traffic out of India. “These two are very important segments for us now,” said Moran Birger, Regional Commercial Manager for South Asia, British Airways.

The airline has re-launched On Business rewards and discount to help the SME sector, which is growing rapidly and officials travelling abroad frequently.

As a member of On Business, a passenger will have access to exclusive, member-only rewards and discounts. It also helps in spending points on reward flights and upgrades on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia, he told select newspersons.

As the US is a major destination for Indian travellers, the tie up with American Airlines will give access to a larger number of destinations, he said.

When asked why the focus on MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), which was a big topic of discussion three years ago, has diluted among airlines now, Birger said this was because of cost cutting measures adopted by clients.
01/09/15 Business Line

Kuwait Airways to commence Ahmedabad operations from September 2

Ahmedabad: Kuwait Airways will commence its Ahmedabad operations from September 2, the airlines said. "The flights will be operational on day 3, 4 and 7 and connect to onward flights to Europe, US, and M East.

The flights will depart from Ahmedabad at 6.20 am and reach Kuwait at 8.00 am, enabling connections to other destinations," it said.
01/09/15 Shramana Ganguly/Economic Times

Airbus looking at MRO facility in India

As per a Business Standard report by Raghu Krishnan, Airbus SAS is planning an aircraft maintenance and repair overhaul (MRO) facility in India on the back of its biggest order of 250 passenger jets from IndiGo, run by InterGlobe Aviation. On August 15, IndiGo had said it would buy 250 Airbus A320 neo single-aisle passenger jets to drive growth. With this, IndiGo has ordered a total of 530 A320 planes, of which 100 aircraft have been delivered by Airbus.

The European aircraft maker has a dominant position in India’s airline fleet with nearly three-fourths of single aisle A 320 planes with airlines such as Vistara, GoAir and Air India. But its biggest customer in India is IndiGo, with a fleet of 96 planes.

“We are looking at it (MRO),” said Dwarakanath Srinivasan, Managing Director, Airbus India. He said the firm would take a call on either to go alone or with a partner for the facility.

In 2014, Airbus walked out of talks with GMR to buy a stake in its MRO in Hyderabad. Since then, the firm has partnered with AirWorks in Mumbai, which services planes for maintenance of Vistara.
01/09/15 TravelBizMonitor