Showing posts with label airports Aug 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airports Aug 2012. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

GMR Infra gets breather in tussle over Male airport

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

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Land Board for action against illegal conversion of Aranmula puncha, canal

Pathanamthitta: A report submitted to the Government by the Joint Commissioner of the State Land Board in July has revealed certain crucial issues exposing criminal negligence on the part of the officials leading to illegal conversion of the biodiversity-rich wetland and paddy fields (puncha) at Aranmula in the name of a private airport project.
In his report submitted to the Government on July 2, C. Reghu, Joint Commissioner of the State Land Board, categorically mentioned certain “commissions and omissions on the part of Government officials.’’
The Land Board Joint Commissioner’s report, signed by Dr D. Sajith Babu, Assistant Commissioner, further suggested that “Government may order a Vigilance inquiry into the whole issue so as to find out the official lapses and also to contain such instances in future.’’
It also maintained that the “lapses spread over different departments reveal a definite pattern which is not in the interest of the State and hence an inquiry confined to one department is not enough to reveal everything.’’
31/08/12 Radhakrishnan Kuttoor/The Hindu

State has no role in selecting airport site: Arunachal govt

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh government today clarified that it has no role in selection of the site for the proposed greenfield airport as it is the discretion of the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
The clarification came in response to the 12-hour capital bandh called by the Banderdewa Circle Intellectual Forum (BCIF) today in protest against shifting of the site from Karsingsa to Holongi.
31/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

Jaipur airport runaway extension work may begin next year

New Delhi: The work on extending the runway at Jaipur airport by Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to be taken up next summer, with the state government saying that its closure during day time in the peak winter season would hit tourism. This followed a directive by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to the AAI not to undertake the proposed construction work for runway extension during the day in the winter season.
31/08/12 PTI/IBN Live

Glass pane falls at new terminal

Lucknow: Poor quality of material used in construction of new terminal in Amausi airport stood exposed once again as a part of glass pane of the frontal facade came down crashing after strong wind followed by rain lashed the building on Thursday morning. Thankfully, no passenger was injured in the incident.
The incident took place at around 9.00 am, much to the shock of passengers and visitors waiting outside the arrival section.
A senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), however, maintained that it was a small part of the glass that gave away as strong winds lashed the structure. Airport director, Suresh Hota, said that the damaged part will be replaced soon.
The incident comes to the fore barely 10 days after Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh expressing concern over the quality of material used and the maintenance of the building, while ordering a probe into alleged use of sub-standard material in the construction of the building.
31/08/12 Times of India

Israeli man arrested in New Delhi airport

An Israeli man was arrested for entering Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with a canceled ticket, reported Press Trust of India. PTI identified the man, who was apprehended Friday, as Oren Levy.
31/08/12 JTA

Flying a private aircraft becomes costlier as AAI increases MRO royalty charges

Mumbai: Owners of business jets and other private aircraft who want their flying machines to be serviced in India will have to pay at least 33-37.5% more to their maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) service providers as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has increased levies sharply at all AAI-owned airports in the country from this month. The earlier cess, or royalty charge as it is called, was 13%.
The move by AAI to increase this royalty charge will directly impact the MRO service providers who operate from the airports that are run by the state-owned airport authority (it owns 89 domestic airports) as these companies would now have to charge their clients the additional tax along with 12% service tax, a big negative for business and growth.
Irked by the move and poor timing of the government decision, some of the big MRO players are even considering re-locating business to Middle East. A major player said it is evaluating this re-location.
30/08/12 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

Sri Lanka flights from India's Spicejet from Sept 20

India's Spicejet will fly to Sri Lanka from September 20, using 78-seat Bombardier Q400, 78-seater turboprop aircraft, a media report said.
The airline will fly from Madurai in South India at 12.30 pm and land in Colombo at 1.30 pm. The Colombo - Madurai will is from 2.35 pm to 3.20 pm, India's The Hindu newspaper said.
Spicejet's online booking engine is offering return tickets at 9,009 Indian rupees, with Madurai Colombo leg at 5,638 and the return leg at 3,371 rupees without a meal. A sandwich costs about four dollars.
"We are getting lot of enquiries, mostly from tourists, ever since we started the booking. As an inaugural offer, we are giving tickets for as low as Rs. 2,999 for limited seats," Gary Freeman Gary a Spicejet marketing official was quoted as saying.
30/08/12 Lanka Business Online

Supreme Court refuses to stay increase in airline ground handling charges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused to stay government's order increasing royalty charges from private airlines for ground handling.
A bench headed by Justice H S Thakur declined to give a stay order on a petition filed by Federation of Indian Airlines which alleged that state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has increased the royalty by nearly three times during last one month.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Federation, pleaded that it is a violation of apex court order which had directed the Centre to maintain status quo pertaining to ground handling charges while hearing its plea.
30/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

Global carriers resent hike in airport charges at Chennai

New Delhi: After registering strong protest against the decision of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) to hike airport fees by almost 344 per cent, international carriers, on Thursday, took strong exception to the reported move to hike airport charges at the newly-developed Chennai International Airport.
Stating that any move to hike charges at the Chennai airport would have a negative impact on foreign travel, these international airlines were of the view that it would adversely impact the aviation sector in India.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has proposed to increase the rates which would be valid till 2015-16 and sought the views of all stakeholders.
Leading the charge against the hike is German carrier Lufthansa, which operates flights on the Chennai-Frankfurt route.
30/08/12 The Hindu

HC vacates stay on BIA road toll collection

Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday vacated the stay on the collection of toll on the NH-7 (Bangalore-Bellary road), leading to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). The stay was imposed by a lower court in Devanahalli.
Justice Ravi Malimath vacated the stay and adjourned the case for further hearing. The Navayuga Devanahalli Tollway Private Limited (NDTPL) had approached the high court seeking review of the lower court order.
In April 2012, a Devanahalli judicial magistrate had stayed the collection of toll on the road leading to the BIA. The petition in the lower court was filed by a set of advocates against the contractor Navayuga Constructions and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), contending that the toll was a heavy burden on farmers who use the airport road to ferry agricultural produce to Bangalore and other parts of the state.
30/08/12 Deccan Herald

Resurvey of part of site for Pune international airport

Pune: The proposed international airport at Rajgurunagar in Pune district got a push as the state government on Tuesday decided to set aside Rs 200 crore for the project as immediate allocation through supplementary demand in this year's budget and Rs 600 crore in next year's state budget. The estimated cost of the entire project is over Rs 1,000 crore.
District collector Vikas Deshmukh said the decision was taken during a meeting in Mumbai in the presence of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Deshmukh said, "...instructions are being issued to conduct a re-survey of the eastern part of the proposed site to identify the land. The survey will be executed by revenue officials and the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation."
30/08/12 Times of India

Saffron seized at Srinagar airport

Srinagar: Sleuths of Commercial Taxes Department today seized about three kilograms of saffron, worth nearly Rs four lakhs, from a passenger at Srinagar airport.
Dr Ali Mohammad Mir was trying to export the costly product to Delhi without paying VAT under Jammu and Kashmir VAT Act, prompting the seizure, a spokesman of the Commercial Taxes Department told PTI.
He said vigilant personnel of Commercial Taxes Department with the assistance of CRPF Personnel posted at main entrance gate of Srinagar International Airport foiled Mir's attempt.
30/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Three airports ready to take off in Haryana

Chandigarh/Karnal: Haryana will soon take wings. The state is set to have its first ever domestic flight connectivity with two civil airports and a cargo airport approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 100 years after the first commercial flight flew between Karachi and Delhi in the then united India in 1912.
"The state government had moved the proposal to the Union civil aviation ministry for three airports in Haryana. Two of these will handle domestic flights while the third will be a cargo airport" Rohtak Congress MP Deepender Hooda told TOI at the Haryana CM residence in the state capital.
The two domestic airports will be built in Karnal and Hisar while the cargo airport will come up at Rohtak.
29/08/12 Rohan Dua/Times of India

Jet Airways flight makes emergency landing to save child

Amritsar: A Jet airways flight from Milan to New Delhi had to make an emergency landing at the Rajasansi airport here today in a bid to save the life of a three-year-old child, who started vomiting on board.
The efforts of the airways staff, however, went in vain as the child Jasmeet Kaur was declared brought dead by the hospital she was rushed to, after the emergency landing.
Jasmeet who was on board along with her parents and brother, was shifted to a hospital at Verka Bypass in Amritsar where she was declared brought dead, hospital sources said.
29/08/12 Business Standard

Air Arabia increases Delhi flights to double daily

Sharjah: Air Arabia announced on Tuesday the expansion of service to New Delhi, from the carrier’s primary hub in Sharjah. Air Arabia now offers twice-daily flights to the Indian city.
From Saturday, the carrier will offer flights 14 times per week.
“The rapidly expanding Aviation sector in India is one of the country’s major economic drivers,” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “We are confident that the expansion of service between Sharjah and India’s capital will further enhance the air travel options for the residents of both states and positively contributes to the economic development of both countries.”
28/08/12 Gulf News

All flights from Kolkata's new terminal by March

Kolkata: Both the international and the domestic terminal that are currently in use at Kolkata airport will be shut once all flights operate from the new integrated terminal. While the international terminal will remain shut - except perhaps during Haj operations when special chartered flights take the faithful to Saudi Arabia - the domestic terminal will be reopened only if regional airlines decide to operate from Kolkata.
"All scheduled operators will use the new integrated terminal. The earlier proposal of continuing low-cost carrier (LCC) operations from the existing terminal has been shelved as the new terminal with an annual capacity of 20 million passengers needs to be utilized," said airport director B P Sharma.
29/08/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Government disagrees IATA's claim of IGI being costliest airport in the world

New Delhi: Government today disagreed with the claims of IATA, an international body of airlines, that Delhi's IGI airport was costliest in the world and said as per UN's aviation regulatory body it was placed below the five most expensive airports in terms of airport charges.
"International Air Transport Association (IATA) has earlier furnished a graphical comparison with other 26 world airports and observed that out of these airports, IGI airport is the costliest airport," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
However, he said, on compilation of charges of other world airports from International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) documents 7100-2100 and revised charges of IGI airport, "it is revealed that the IGI airport stands at seventh for long haul international, sixth for medium haul international and 19th for short haul international from the top."
28/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

Fliers put to 3 hours of discomfort

Mumbai: Media professional Shakti Kumar (name changed), who had recently booked a ticket on a morning GoAir flight from Mumbai to Delhi, was completely taken aback on receiving a message from the airline’s call centre informing him to report at the airport three hours prior to the scheduled departure. The message cited air traffic congestion as the reason. “I don't understand how air traffic congestion is connected to passengers' arrival at the airport. How is calling fliers early going to help?" said Kumar. Martin Roy, an interior designer, faced a similar situation when travelling from Kolkata to Mumbai on a Spicejet flight. “As if the two-hour wait at the airport was not bad enough, an hour extra seems like a pain,” Roy said.
Despite repeated attempts, GoAir and Spicejet spokespersons remained unavailable for comment.
28/08/12 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Coimbatore airport gets dedicated power supply line

Coimbatore: Officials at the city airport are not sweating as much as they used to during unscheduled power outages as they have finally got a dedicated power supply line. They no longer have to depend on generators to power runway lights and other equipment integral to the operations of the airport. This also means that the long standing safety and security issue at the airport has finally been resolved.
Until recently, the unscheduled power cuts meant a frantic rush as officials had to operate four diesel generators to resume supply. A 10 to 15 second snag was unavoidable before these back up generators took over. But these few seconds were a matter of utmost concern for the officials as safety and security were compromised.
28/08/12 Times of India

Vizag airport gets nod to expand operational hours

The ministry of defence has finally approved to extend the current operational hours of Vizag airport by three hours. The airport can now operate till 11 pm. The news of the much-needed approval was announced by the Vizag MP and Union minister of state for human resource development Purandeswari and Union minister of state for defence M Pallam Raju, on Monday in Delhi. Following the approval, there will be more late night flights to and from Vizag.
According to O Naresh Kumar, secretary of Vizag Air Travellers Association (VATA), officials of Changi Airport, Singapore and a senior team of SilkAir, would be coming to Vizag on the 12th of September to conduct a road show to announce the schedule for operations which could begin in the next two months.
28/08/12 Times of India

Spice Jet mulling to start Surat-Bangalore flight

Surat: After connecting the diamond city with Delhi and Mumbai, SpiceJet is planning to to provide direct air connectivity to Bangalore in September.
Sources said that SpiceJet has received a huge success after starting the Surat-Mumbai-Delhi flight services from February 1, 2012. Following the demand from the passengers travelling to different parts of the country, the airline company has decided to launch direct services between Surat and Bangalore.
AT present, Spice Jet is providing connecting flights to Bangalore, Chennia, Goa, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Kozhkode, Thiruvananthapuram via Mumbai and Delhi.
28/08/12 Melvyn Thomas

Decks cleared for Silk Air flight to Singapore

Visakhapatnam: The decks have been cleared for operation of the Silk Air flight to Singapore with the Defence Ministry giving its nod for extension of watch hours at the Visakhapatnam airport.
Union Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju and Union Minister of State for HRD D. Purandeswari, who represents the Visakhapatnam constituency in the Lok Sabha, announced in Delhi on Monday that the airport would be operational for an additional three hours, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. thrice a week. Defence Minister A.K. Antony conveyed this to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
The news comes as a great relief to air travellers, businessmen, the IT industry, investors and exporters.
28/08/12 The Hindu

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fate of airport near Taj hangs in limbo

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government's plan for an international airport in the Agra-Mathura region appears to have run into rough weather.
Barely five months after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav dropped his predecessor Mayawati's proposed site for an international airport at Jewar along the Yamuna expressway, realisation has dawned on the government that even the Agra-Mathura region was not the ideal place for the ambitious project.
What has come in the way were the rich heritage monuments - Taj Mahal to top it all, together with the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
"More than anything else, the magnificent Taj Mahal itself would be under threat if the airport was made close to it. Already there was one Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Agra, while another was located at Gwalior, barely 100 km away.
27/08/12 Sharat Pradhan/Rediff.com

Kingfisher Airlines' cheques worth Rs 10.3 crore bounce, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd moves court

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which manages Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, has filed a petition in a local court against Kingfisher Airlines for dishonouring cheques.
A case has been filed against Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines in Nampally criminal courts in Hyderabad for dishonouring cheques worth Rs 10.3 crore, sources said.
When contacted a senior official of GHIAL refused to comment saying the matter is "subjudice".
Kingfisher spokesperson also refused to comment on the issue.
27/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

Flying out of Chennai to become costlier

Mumbai: Flying from Chennai will cost more from November as the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) is all set to clear a proposal from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a steep hike in airport charges at Chennai International Airport (CIA) to enable the latter recover its investments.
While airlines will have to pay more from November for using the airport, a User Development Fee (UDF) will be imposed at Chennai for departing passengers (Rs.165 for domestic and Rs.667 for international) from January 1, 2013.
At present, there is a Passenger Service Fee (PSF) of Rs.207 being collected at CIA comprising of Security Component of Rs 130 and Facilitation Component (FC) of Rs 77.
27/08/12 Lalatendu Mishra/The Hindu

Flying out of Chennai to become costlier

Mumbai: Flying from Chennai will cost more from November as the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) is all set to clear a proposal from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a steep hike in airport charges at Chennai International Airport (CIA) to enable the latter recover its investments.
While airlines will have to pay more from November for using the airport, a User Development Fee (UDF) will be imposed at Chennai for departing passengers (Rs.165 for domestic and Rs.667 for international) from January 1, 2013.
At present, there is a Passenger Service Fee (PSF) of Rs.207 being collected at CIA comprising of Security Component of Rs 130 and Facilitation Component (FC) of Rs 77.
27/08/12 Lalatendu Mishra/The Hindu

Pune airport gets night vision

Pune: The Lohegaon airport authorities recently procured night vision goggles to beef up security on the airport premises and keep an eye on trespassers. “The airport officials had been demanding these goggles for the last two years. In order to upgrade security, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) approved the proposal for 50 airports. In its initial stage, the goggles have been allotted to four airports — Pune, Juhu (Mumbai), Goa and Aurangabad,” an airport official said.
The Israeli-made infrared night goggles have 3x range (350 meters) and can be increased up to 5x (between 500 metre to 700 metre) with an additional lens.
28/08/12 MiD DAY/IBN Live

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Lunglei residents want airport at Kawnzar

Aizawl: The residence of Lunglei township under the banner of Chhimbial Chhantu has asked the government to survey Kawnzar area in Vuakmual for the proposed airport in Lunglei District.
In a meeting held on Friday, Chhimbial Chhantu passed nine resolutions demanding infractures like setting up of Lunglei Municipal Board, introduction of Panchayati Raj in the state and starting construction of Lunglei bypass road.
The committee also objected the construction of the office of DIG Southern Range near Saikuti Hall.
25/08/12 mizonews

Forex touts short-change AAI

Chennai: Unauthorised dealers, carrying hot cash to be exchanged for foreign currencies, nag several passengers outside the international arrival hall of the Chennai airport causing huge loss to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The problem was persistent a couple of years ago and curbed following police raids. Now the illegal activity has reared its ugly head again right in front of the Airport Police.
When this reporter, posing as a prospective client, sought to know the exchange rate of the US dollar, a broker in business for more than a decade said: “Today’s buying price is Rs.49 a dollar at the Forex counter but I will give you Rs.52. We can negotiate and you will get a very good price.” On that day, the buying price of the US dollar at the Forex counter inside the terminal was Rs.50.25, which was less than the market rate. But, the buying price of a US dollar at a city Forex counter that day was Rs.55.63. So, if a person exchanged 100 dollars with the unauthorised broker, it would fetch him Rs.5,200 or more. The same transaction at the airport would yield Rs.5,000 and at a city counter, nearly Rs.5,500.
26/08/12 The Hindu

Saturday, August 25, 2012

AI-Jet incident more serious than feared

Mumbai: The Air India Boeing 747 aircraft that came to land at Mumbai airport on Wednesday night was only 300 feet above ground and a kilometre from the runway threshold when it commenced a go-around as its commander spotted a Jet Airways aircraft rolling to take-off from the same runway.
The incident would have rattled the passengers, what with the descending jumbo suddenly changing its profile to climb. But jumbo jets can safely execute a go-around from heights even lower than 300 feet though the manoeuvre is accompanied by drama as its four engines rev up to go around power and the decibel levels shoot up as the aircraft changes to take-off mode. Also, in this case, the Jet carrier was on roll to take-off from the runway. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating the runway incursion incident and the transcripts of conversation that took place between the pilots and the controllers were played out on Friday.
25/08/12 Manu V/Times of India

Poor investment scenario: Airlines ground Odisha flights

Bhubaneswar: With big ticket investors showing little interest for more investments in Odisha, airlines are cancelling a number of fights to the State capital city of Bhubaneswar.
“One after another, the airlines have stopped their flights to Odisha as traffic is dwindling,” said an industry watcher.
At one point of time, at least 50 flights were operating daily from Bhubaneswar. But in the changed circumstances, major airlines are showing little interest in the capital city of Odisha, said he.
Air India, Jet Air, Kingfisher and IndiGo have cut down a number of flights to the State, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the big ticket investors towards the State, he said. A sluggish economic situation, coupled with slowdown in the mining sector, has hit the airlines badly, said a leading tour operator.
25/08/12 The Pioneer

Upgradation of non-metro airports underway

Mumbai: The ministry of civil aviation has written to chief secretaries of various state Governments and union territories for preparation of 'Perspective Civil Aviation Plan'.
This plan shall indicate a road map for development of Civil Aviation in the States and Union Territories, said a release issued on Saturday by the civil aviation ministry. Requests received from different state governments for development, expansion, upgradation and modernization of airports included Odisha (for Jharsuguda airport), Punjab (Bhatinda and Ludhiana), Rajasthan(Kishangarh and Jodhpur), Jharkhand (Deoghar), Maharashtra ( Jalgaon), Karnataka ( Belgaum and Hubli).
25/08/12 Manju V/Times of India

Now, threat to blow up Patna airport

Patna: A call threatening to blow up the Jaiprakash Narayan International airport here within two hours was received at the airport director's official landline number on Thursday afternoon. The call came at 4.30pm.
Immediately, airport director Arvind Dubey contacted the senior superintendent of police, Patna, Amrit Raj, who rushed a police team to the airport. The SSP said, "Police immediately reached the airport along with a bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs. Security in the adjoining areas has been beefed up." According to police sources, the sim card used by the caller was purchased with the fake ID of a Special Police Officer (SPO) working for the state police.
25/08/12 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

Friday, August 24, 2012

Woman cons Customs by posing as a poor tourist

Mumbai: The 60-year-old lady, who was intercepted with two kg of cocaine at Mumbai airport on Wednesday morning, had fooled the officials at Mumbai airport during her last visit on July 1, agencies suspect. According to sources, the Vietnamese national Ly Loegsle (64), who on Wednesday was arrested with two-kg of cocaine (‘2 foreigners caught with 6 kg of cocaine’, August 23), on her previous visit to the city had posed as a poor tourist and had told officials that the purpose of her visit was to visit the churches and temples of Mumbai. She also managed to con the officials into believing that she needed help.
The authorities suspect that the entire thing was a ruse last time, as an attempt to gain the sympathies of the Customs officials.
24/08/12 MiD DAY/IBN Live

NOC not required for DIAL's aerocity project

New Delhi: With questions being raised over DIAL's aerocity project undertaken without NOC from aviation security regulator, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today said there was no requirement to obtain such a certificate.
In reply to a written question that whether IGI airport operator -- Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has got no objection certificate (NOC) from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Singh said, "Airport operator DIAL didn't obtain any NOC from BCAS. There is no such requirement as on date, to obtain the NOC from BCAS."
24/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Thursday, August 23, 2012

PAC adopts CAG reports on coal, power and aviation

New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee on Thursday adopted the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports on coal blocks allocation, power and Delhi airport. The three reports were tabled in Parliament for discussion last week.
The CAG report on the privatisation of Delhi airport questioned the role of the then Civil Aviation minister, Praful Patel, for favouring GMR that received undue benefits worth Rs 3,400 crore.
The CAG has put the amount at Rs 3750 crore.
The report also blamed the Airport Authority of India for acting against the interests of the government.
23/08/12 CNN-IBN/IBN Live

‘Aerotropolis’ near Durgapur hoping to attract flyers from mining belt

Durgapur: For a century old coal mining area in the resource rich Ranigunj coalfields, Andal’s only connection to aviation was an abandoned World War-II airstrip.
But that was nearly a decade ago when Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) was yet to propose setting up the State’s first privately-owned airport as part of an 1,800-acre airport-city (aerotropolis) project, here to tap the huge potential of the adjoining Durgapur-Asansol industrial belt.
Today, its brand new air-traffic control tower rivals the head-gear of the underground Moira colliery, once the tallest structure in town. The Rs 600-crore domestic airport, with peak hour capacity of nearly 450 passengers, is waiting to commence operations in the next four-to five months. “We are likely to make the airport operational by end of 2012,” Subrata Paul, CEO, BAPL, told Business Line.
23/08/12 Abhishek Law/Pratim Ranjan Bose/Business Line

NE mission: Chartered flights to Maha, free Onam kits in Kerala

Itanagar/Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to reach out to Northeasterners, Chartered flights from Guwahati to ferry students back to Maharashtra at concessional rates and free 'Onam festival Kits' containing food provisions in Kerala are among the measures taken by respective state goernments.
Three Nagaland-based Muslim organizations have also constituted a goodwill team to visit Bangalore, Pune and other cities from today to help bring the present situation to complete normalcy after the exodus of Northeasterners from these places.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is reported to have told a goodwill team from Arunachal Pradesh led by MP Takan Sanjoy that concessional chartered flights from Guwahati would be offered to students from the northeast wanting to return their educational institutions in Pune or Mumbai.
22/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Near-miss situation averted at Mumbai airport

New Delhi: A near-miss situation was averted at Mumbai airport late Thursday night when a Jet Airways aircraft took off as an incoming Air India plane averted landing and undertook a ‘go-around’, airport sources said today.
“There was no near-miss as adequate separation between the two aircraft was maintained,” a source said.
The Jet flight (9W012), departing for Singapore with 142 people on board, was on a take off roll when the air traffic control (ATC) asked its pilots to reject take off.
The Jet commander could not reject take off as he had gone past the decision speed, an airline spokesperson said, adding that this “did not result in an unsafe situation”.
23/08/12 PTI/First Post

Passengers at Patna airport have a close shave

Patna: Eighty five passengers travelling from Patna to Hyderabad via Delhi had a close shave here on Thursday when their Indigo flight 6E-385 suffered a bird-hit on the runway of Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport.
The incident took place when the aircraft was about to take off for Delhi. “The passengers were eventually offered either full refund or adjusted in other Indigo flights,” an aviation source told Deccan Herald here on Thursday. This was the second incident in recent times when air passengers had a providential escape at the Patna airport.
23/08/12 Deccan Herald

27 airports funded with AAI's earnings from Delhi, Mumbai rentals

New Delhi: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has completed development works at 27 of the 35 brownfield non-metro airports on the back of lease rentals from Mumbai and Delhi airports. The lease rentals from Delhi airport have increased almost three-fold since 2006-07, whereas from Mumbai airport, it has gone up by 37 per cent since 2007-08.
Among the few cities where new international terminal buildings have been commissioned are Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Chandigarh, Varanasi, Amritsar, Dehradun and Vizag.
Around Rs 1,305.98 crore was received from Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR-led consortium, and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a consortium of GVK industries Ltd. This sum constituted 41 per cent of the total capital expenditure of Rs 2,503 crore. Since 2007-08, the revenue share has gone up from 37 per cent of the total capital expenditure of Rs 1,980 crore. AAI has equity of 26 per cent in Delhi airport and it fetches around 46 per cent of the revenue from DIAL annually.
23/08/12 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

Air Astana hikes Almaty-Delhi services

Singapore: AIR Astana has bumped up the frequency of its Almaty-New Delhi flights, in response to growing demand fuelled by greater trade and financial co-operation between Kazakhstan and India.
Now available once a day except on Thursdays and Saturdays, the three-hour, 45-minute flights will continue to be serviced by Airbus A320 aircraft in a 148-seat, two-class configuration.
23/08/12 TTG Asia

Cathay announces Hong Kong-Hyderabad service

Hyderabad: Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific announced its new operations from Hyderabad beginning December with four flights a week to Hong Kong, on Thursday. GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) will take up joint marketing efforts with Cathay Pacific to attract passengers, highlighting it to be the shortest route to North America, China, Australia and others.
While talking about the fuel costs, Cathay’s general manager (South Asia, West Asia and Africa) Tom Wright said, “The high costs in India are a concern for the operators. This implies that the ticket fares will be high. India is a price sensitive market and even a small increase in the fares will result in a drastic fall in the passenger numbers.”
23/08/12 mydigitalfc.com

Immigration cell at Madurai airport

Madurai: Setting the tone for commencement of international flight operations, an immigration cell has been established in Madurai Airport. The immigration cell at the airport has been established with a team comprising an inspector, four sub-inspectors and head constables. The cell commenced preliminary activities required for immigration clearance for passengers as the airport gears up for operation of flights to international destinations. While the inspector who will be staff in-charge has been moved from Trichy Airport, other police personnel were deployed from the city and district police. Sources from the immigration cell said they underwent training at Chennai and had hands-on experience of handling immigration at Trichy airport for two days. At present, they are fixing the necessary networking facilities and infrastructure in the cell and the works will be completed by August 31.
23/08/12 J Arockiaraj/Times of India

Chennai airport hit by slump in domestic traffic

Chennai: The number of people using the Chennai airport has increased only by 1.2 percent during April-June this year when compared to the same period the previous year. The main reason for such a small increase is the stagnant situation of domestic air travel.
According to Airport Authority of India (AAI), 33.1 lakh people passed through the airport in April-June in 2012-13 and 32.6 lakh in 2011-12.
A jarring difference can be observed in the domestic and international passenger traffic. While the domestic passenger traffic saw almost next to nil growth of 0.1 per cent, the international traffic rose by 5.3 per cent.
23/08/12 The Hindu

No growth in passenger traffic at Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: The domestic passenger traffic at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here has not witnessed any growth during the current year and is concerned at the development, the airport operators said Thursday.
The world-class airport registered 13 percent growth in the passenger traffic and handled 8.6 million passengers during 2011-12.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates the airport, is hopeful that there would be no de-growth in the overall passenger traffic as the fall in the domestic traffic is expected to be compensated by the growth in international traffic. It hopes to end the year at almost same traffic level as last year.
23/08/12 IANS/News Track India

Swanky maybe, but still incomplete

Chennai: A visitor to the Chennai airport may think the new domestic terminal building looks swanky, ultra-modern and ready for use. But a visit inside would be disappointing, as many aspects of it are still incomplete.
Work on the building, electrification, air-conditioning, lifts, escalators and installation of conveyor belts have been finished. But a lot still remains to be done. Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources said it would take at least another six months to complete all the work, after which the new terminal will become fully operational.
The landing arm of the flyover for instance, is incomplete. Without the landing arm, vehicles have to travel two extra kilometres every time a passenger comes to the domestic or international terminals.
23/08/12 P. Oppili/Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu


Water seeps into Jaipur airport; trains halted

Jaipur: A two-and-a-half hour spell damaged 20 metres of the perimeter wall of Sanganer airport on Wednesday. The damaged wall at the extreme end of runway opens to a residential colony. "The moment it came to my knowledge, I rushed to the spot and deployed security guards in shifts till the repair is done," said Paul Manickam, airport director. A thorough check on boundary walk surrounding Terminal-1 has been carried out, he added.
The incessant rain has also exposed the weak drainage system of the three-year-old swanky terminal building, constructed at a cost of 200 crore. The knee-deep water at Terminal-2 and seepage inside the arrival lounge gave a tough time to airport authorities. They, however, took a sigh of relief after water was drained out in the morning.
23/08/12 Times of India

Vietnamese professor, Indonesian businesswoman held with 6kg cocaine

Mumbai: Two South East Asian women carrying 6kg of cocaine worth over Rs3 crore in the Indian market were detained on Wednesday at the Mumbai airport. They had arrived from South Africa on an Ethiopian Airways flight and were headed to Singapore.
Vietnamese Ly Leogse, a 64-year-old professor of English and French, and Indonesian businesswoman Adma Siregar, 45, were apprehended by the air intelligence unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs after a tip-off.
“We have rarely come across South East Asian carriers at Mumbai airport. We have detained them. They will be arrested by Thursday,” said a senior customs official.
23/08/12 Preety Acharya/Daily News & Analysis

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Offer sops to woo airlines, Karnataka govt told

Bangalore: The Infrastructure Development Department (IDD), in an effort to woo airline companies to operate at minor airports in the State, has planned to submit a proposal to the government for offering the much-needed support to the companies to make their operation at these airports sustainable.
The IDD wants the government to either underwrite a certain number of seats on every flight or reimburse a portion of operational cost on flying-mile-basis for a fixed duration. This will be over and above four per cent VAT concession on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) already offered to the airlines operating in the State, IDD Secretary Rajkumar Khatri said.
About five small airlines, including Rahi Air, Ventura Airlines and Master Aero Space, have shown interest in operating at minor airports in the State. The support is planned to be extended for only intra-State flights.
21/08/12 P M Raghunandan/Deccan Herald

GoAir spreads wings in North and South

Mumbai: GoAir has introduced a new flight on the Lucknow-Delhi and Lucknow-Mumbai routes as of August 21.
The Lucknow flight schedule offers a daily return service on the Delhi and Mumbai sectors.
Currently, In the North, GoAir operates from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Patna and Jaipur. With this new service, the airline will operate 42 flights a week to and from Lucknow, connecting onwards to Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa, Ahmedabad, Pune, Srinagar and Nanded.
22/08/12 Business Line

SpiceJet to fly to Jabalpur from Delhi, Mumbai from Sept

New Delhi:Expanding its network to more tier II cities, no frill carrier SpiceJet today announced launch of two daily flights to Jabalpur from Delhi and Mumbai from September 7.
"SpiceJet would be operating two daily direct flights from Jabalpur. The airline is launching direct services on Jabalpur-Delhi and Jabalpur-Mumbai routes. The opening of ticket sale is effective from today and commercial flights would start from September 7," a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
22/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

AAI seeks land for new terminal

Thiruvananthapuram: The prospect of a new domestic terminal, adjacent to the world-class international terminal complex here, has brightened with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) approaching the State government again for 32.8 hectares of land to set up the terminal and ancillary facilities.
The proposed domestic terminal, adjacent to the terminal complex that had come up on the Chakka side, was part of the third and final phase of the ambitious master plan conceived by the AAI in the 1990s.
The delay on part of the State government to acquire and handover the land required (for the domestic terminal) had forced the AAI to go ahead with the construction of the international terminal and commission it.
22/08/12 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

SpiceJet flight makes emergency landing at Bagdogra

Kolkata: A SpiceJet flight with 127 people on board, including crew members, on Tuesday made an emergency landing at Bagdogra airport in Darjeeling district, airport sources said.
The Bagdogra-Kolkata flight took off from Bagdogra airport in the afternoon but after sometime the pilot suspected some technical problem in the aircraft and decided to return back and asked the airport for permission to make emergency landing.
21/08/12 PTI/IBN Live

Govt proposes to re-start Airport Metro at the earliest

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday said it proposes to re-start the Airport Metro train at the earliest which had an average ridership of around 17,000 passengers per day till it was shut down for repairs.
"However, it will be done by M/s DAMEPL, the concessionaire and operator of the Airport Metro Express Train," Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
22/08/12 PTI/ZeeNews

Kone installs 4 autowalks at Mumbai airport

Kone has recently installed world’s flattest autowalk technology at T2 integrated terminal, which is coming up at Mumbai international airport. When completed, the terminal will have an area over 4,39,000 sqm and will include new taxiways and apron area for aircraft parking. The terminal will cater to 40 million passengers annually.
The company has used innovative pallet return mechanism and a new kind of motor solution, which makes the InnoTrack autowalk very flat and it can be installed entirely on the finished floor level.
22/08/12 Construction week online

Youngster flies from Kuwait to Ahmedabad without passport, held

Ahmedabad: A resident of Jamnagar detained at Sardar Vallabhbhai International airport on Monday morning has got both the immigration officials and local police in a tizzy.
The youth, who was nabbed by the immigration department, not only managed to go to Kuwait for four months, but even returned by flight without a passport.
Initial investigations have revealed that Guru Mohammed Munaf Bhaya had gone to Kuwait four months ago by sea. On Monday morning when he returned on a flight, the immigration officials asked him for his passport.
22/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

Delhi flight via Bhopal stranded at Indore

Indore: Due to heavy rains and inclement weather in Bhopal, passengers of Delhi-bound Air India flight had to remain stranded at Indore airport for about five hours before the flight left for Bhopal around 1.30 pm on Tuesday.
According to report, Air India flight AI 633 carrying 150 passengers on board had landed at Indore airport on its scheduled time at 7.15 am from Mumbai. The plane was supposed to take off from the airport at 7.50 en route to Delhi via Bhopal.
However, on account of heavy rains in Bhopal and poor visibility at Bhopal airport, Bhopal-bound passengers of the plane remained stranded at Indore airport for almost five hours before it took off for Bhopal around 1.30 pm.
22/08/12 Daily Pioneer

GMR to ink more facility maintenance contracts for Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: The MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Company (MGAE) is in talks with three more domestic and international airlines for offering aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.
MGAE is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering Sdn.Bhd (MAE), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines Systems Berhad (MAS).
R V Seshan, CEO, MGAE said that the MRO facility has already signed five customers - Go Air, Spice Jet, Bank of China Aviation and another two undisclosed key companies.
"There are few other companies in the pipeline also. I cannot divulge the names at this time. We will for sure close another three customers in this quarter. It is both Indian and international," Seshan told PTI.
22/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

AAI gets Rs 1cr, allows lessor to repossess 2 planes of Kingfisher airlines

New Delhi: State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has stuck to its threat of not allowing Kingfisher's aircraft lessors to repossess planes from the crisis-ridden airline till it clears at least a part of the massive Rs 290 crore dues. A desperate lessor was able to take back two planes parked at a south Indian airport only after the cash-strapped airline managed to cough up Rs 1 crore to AAI.
"We have issued a final warning to the airline that now on no aircraft will be allowed to leave India till the dues are cleared. They have 40 planes of which 30 are leased and none of them would be allowed to be repossessed. The desperation among lessors, vendors and employees is reaching unsustainable levels," said a senior AAI official.Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation India head Kapil Kaul also warned on Monday that the airline may have to do a temporary operational shutdown unless the management is able to infuse funds.
21/08/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Air shuttle service begins from Surat

Ahmedabad: The air shuttle service of Deccan Charters officially began from Surat on Monday, with the first flight connecting the city with Bhavnagar, taking off at 9:30 am. The number of planes and frequency will increase in the days to come.
The nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan 208B reached Surat airport at 9am, but there were no passengers inside.
At the airport, five persons boarded the plane to Bhavnagar, which would cover the distance in just 40 minutes. Deccan Charters is expecting minimum 70% occupancy for all its flights from Surat.
“The response for our air shuttle service is very good and people like the idea. We have got a good number of bookings for all our flights. Once everything gets streamlined, we will increase our frequency,” Captain Madhu Valsaraj, chief pilot of Deccan Charters, said.
21/08/12 Rishi Banerji/Daily News & Analysis

Mangalore airport records Rs 9.5-cr operating profit

Mangalore: The Mangalore airport recorded an operating profit of Rs 9.5 crore for 2011-12.
Speaking on the sidelines of a function of the airport’s diamond jubilee celebration committee, M.R. Vasudeva, Mangalore Airport Director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), said that the income of the airport during 2011-12 was Rs 42 crore. It incurred an expenditure of around Rs 32.5 crore during the year. The operating profit stood at Rs 9.5 crore.
The airport, which suffered a loss of Rs 2.5 crore during 2002-03, has seen significant growth in traffic and revenue in the recent years. During 2002-03, the income of the airport was Rs 4 crore and expenditure was Rs 6.5 crore, he said.
20/08/12 Business Line

SC seeks response from Centre & AAI on Airport Development Fee

The Supreme Court today directed the Centre and Airport Authority of India Ltd to file affidavits stating details about agencies responsible for levy, collection and expenditure of the Airport Development Fees (ADF) collected from passengers.
A bench of Justice DK Jain and Justice Madan B Lokur asked the government to file the reply within 10 days.
It was hearing a petition filed by an NGO, Consumer Online Foundation, challenging the levying of ADF of Rs200 and Rs1,300 per embarking domestic and international passengers at the New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for 18 months from December 1, 2011 to May 2013.
21/09/12 Daily News & Analysis

Project consultants for Kannur airport selected

Thiruvananthapuram: A consortium of STUP Consultants and Darashaw has been selected as integrated airport project consultant for the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).
The airport company signed an agreement with the consortium here on Tuesday, V. Thulasidas, Managing Director, KIAL, told Business Line here.
The consortium will handhold KIAL to develop the greenfield airport project from the design to operational stage.
It will provide advisory services on strategy and technical, finance, legal, legal and operational aspects.
Giving an update, Thulasidas said some of the country’s largest companies have expressed interest for undertaking earth work in the entire operational area.
21/08/12 Vinson Kurian/Business Line


Dire necessity to enforce airport security in India

The daring terror attack on Pakistan's Kamra air base on Aug 16 claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban and persistent intelligence reports that Pakistan-based militant groups keep planning terror attacks on India's civilian airports should be enough to raise all kinds of alarms in India.
The attack should be a serious reminder about the fact that terrorist groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have openly and repeatedly announced that they would like to destroy India's emerging economy through terror strikes, and Pakistan has no visible plans to stop them.
If such elements can breach Pakistan's air base security, Indian civilian airports become all the more vulnerable.
21/08/12 Ravi M. Khanna/Deccan Herald

L-shaped scanners to check cargo theft

Mumbai: The constant security threat at international cargo terminal at the Mumbai airport is expected to subside, with the recent start of a new advanced infrastructure and security system already in place.
Stating that the move will bring down the theft cases, an airport official said, “Due to the high number of parcels being transited daily, many instances of unscanned goods getting mixed with scanned goods were taking place, thus posing a security risk.”
Spread over an area of 1,08,684 sqmt, the cargo section established in 1977 is ranked among the top 30 busiest airports where cargo handled is estimated to be over 6,71,000 tonnes.Air India and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) are custodians of the cargo terminal.
21/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

Growth in investment in airport projects: Ajit

New Delhi: The growth in the investment in the airport infrastructure in the country has been higher than the growth of economy because air passengers traffic has been consistently growing at a higher growth rate than the growth rate of GDP, said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday.
The passengers traffic from 2001-2002 to 2011-12 (last 10 years) has grown @ 15% as against the GDP growth rate of 7% to 9%.
21/08/12 India Blooms

‘No imported material for airport construction'

Nashik: To cut down construction costs of the passenger terminal building at Ozar airport, the PWD is planning to reconsider the original design of the airport by substituting imported material with local construction material.
The PWD, which did not get an adequate response and appropriate bids in response to tenders invited by it for the terminal, has invited fresh tenders.
Department officials responsible for monitoring the project's design blamed the weaking rupee for the re-tendering process.
21/08/12 Abhilash Botekar/Times of India

Monday, August 20, 2012

After Deccan Shuttle, AirConnect offers to fly intra-state in Guj

Mumbai/Ahmedabad: After Deccan Shuttles which is set to foray in Gujarat from Monday with its daily charter services from Ahmedabad to places like Kandla and Jamnagar, Gurgaon-based airline Ventura AirConnect is set to fly intra-state in Gujarat soon.
The airline that launched its first intra-state services in Madhya Pradesh has begun initial process for approvals to fly in Gujarat. What's more, the company is also learnt to have evinced its interest of foraying in the state to the Gujarat government.
"Launch of Deccan Shuttles is part of our initiative to open up tourism in remote parts of the state as well. The Madhya Pradesh player AirConnect has also approached us with an interest to fly intra-state in Gujarat. While Deccan Shuttles launches soon and AirConnect is set to follow soon, we have some more operators in the pipeline," said Vipul Mittra, principal secretary, tourim and civil aviation, Government of Gujarat (GoG). An emailed query to Ventura AirConnect did not solicit any response.
According to Mittra, all the major towns in Kutch and Saurashtra region will be tapped through intra-state airline services in Gujarat.
20/08/12 Business Standard

Finally, fly within Gujarat starting today

Ahmedabad The man who redefined the aviation industry in India is all set to do it again. Captain G R Gopinath will finally launch Deccan Shuttle on Monday, connecting the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat and Bhavnagar by air. Attempts to start the service have seen many hurdles in the recent past, but it has finally been given the green signal.
The service will initially connect the three cities and will go on to have 12 daily flights between nine major cities of Gujarat. Jamnagar and Kandla are expected to be added next.
Gopinath had announced the service last year but the plans were grounded after the lease agreement under which the aircraft had been procured was not acceptable to the Director General of Civil Aviation. The captain has now procured two Cessna Grand Caravan 208 B aircraft under 'dry lease'.
20/08/12 Times of India

PM help sought in Mumbai airport project

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the nodal agency for the Navi Mumbai International Airport project, on Saturday sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention for an early approval of the request for qualification (RFQ) for the project. Cidco also sought financial assistance from the Centre for pre-development costs.
Chairman Pramod Hindurao, during his meeting with Singh at the state governor’s residence here, brought to the latter’s notice that the RFQ was submitted in April, but the approval of the ministry of civil aviation was still awaited.
The total project cost has been pegged at Rs 14,500 crore, of which Rs 9,000 crore would be for phase I. In his presentation, Hindurao said, “Of the Rs 9,000 crore, pre-development cost is about Rs 4,000 crore.”
20/08/12 Sanjay Jog/Business Standard

‘India needs $40 bn for developing airports’

New Delhi: India will require $40 billion (over Rs 2 lakh crore at a rate of Rs 55 to a dollar) in developing its airports by 2025 to meet the needs of its growing air passenger traffic, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has said in its report.
“Our projections show that airport passenger traffic will grow from 143 million in 2010-11 to 452 million by 2020-21. Over the same period the scheduled airline fleet is expected to grow from 430 to 1,030 aircraft, while general aviation could see even faster growth from 750 to over 2,000 aircraft,” CAPA has projected, basing it on a gross domestic product growth of 8 per cent per annum.
Taking an optimistic view of the country’s air passenger growth scenario, the aviation think tank has said that the recent slowdown in growth is a short-term phenomenon.
20/08/12 Indian Express

Bureaucratic sloth blocks Kargil airport expansion

New Delhi: Lackadaisical attitude of the Civil Aviation Ministry officials have led to an inordinate delay in extension of the 6,000 feet runway at the Kargil airport, proposed to facilitate operation of commercial aircraft.
The proposed expansion of the airstrip by 1,500 feet has been hanging fire since 2010. A special committee appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on development of Ladakh had recommended that the Kargil airport be upgraded in two years. The airport is under the jurisdiction of the Defence Ministry, given its strategic importance.
The nonchalance of the Aviation Ministry officials even forced P Chidambaram to write to Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, before assuming charge as the finance minister. In his letter to Singh on May 29, Chidambaram requested him to direct the officials to write to the Defence Ministry and formally ask for extension of the airstrip to start civil operations.
19/08/12 Dalip Singh/Deccan Herald

Denied boarding: Travelers to get bigger compensation, linked to fares

New Delhi: Denying boarding to travelers with confirm tickets who reach airport well in time for their flight could soon cost airlines dearly. The government is planning to hike the current denied boarding compensation of about Rs 2,000 by making it directly proportional to the price at which the air ticket was bought.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has circulated a note on this issue to airlines and DGCA chief Arun Mishra has called them for a meeting this week.
The regulator had three years back framed rules for airlines to pay flyers up to Rs 4,000 for denied boarding which actually meant Rs 2,000 in majority of such cases. A rethink on this happened due to two reasons .
A consumer court recently termed the current compensation amount inadequate as airfares have shot up dramatically from 2009 when the compensation amounts were set and when low cost flying was a reality in India. Secondly, cash-strapped airlines trying to increase their ancillary revenue (generated from things other than ticket sales) have hiked no show and rescheduling charges.
20/08/12 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

DVOR installation to ensure safe and timely landing of flights: Manish Tewari

Ludhiana: After the installation of the Doppler VHF Omni directional Radio Range (DVOR) at the Ludhiana Airport the flights to and from here are all set to be on time.
DVOR was recently installed at the airport at a cost of Rs 4 crores at the continued persistence by the local MP and National Spokesperson of the Congress Manish Tewari.
Tewari disclosed that the Airport Authority of India had already organised the trial flights to check the visibility which has now been brought down from 5 kms to 2 kms. He said, Ludhiana has now come under the international flying map after the installation of the DVOR.
19/08/12 Vaivasvat Venkat/Times of India

Rentals at Kolkata airport set to be among highest in country

Kokata: After renovation, the Kolkata airport is likely to become one of the most expensive in the country. The airport, managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), will, however, be less expensive than the privately-managed Bangalore airport.
In terms of rentals or licence fees that are paid by private airlines for booking space, the Kolkata airport (also called the NSC Bose International Airport) is likely to charge nearly Rs 1,250 per sq metre a month. The Bangalore airport charges Rs 1,334 per sq metre.
The rentals also include fees for back office space, check-in spaces inside the terminals and ticket counters.
B.P. Sharma, regional airport director, Kolkata, said there would be a “routine increase” in rentals at the Kolkata airport.
19/08/12 Ayan Pramanik/Abhishek Law/Business Line

AAI wants to run cargo complex at Mangalore

Mangalore: Director of Mangalore Airport M.R. Vasudeva said here on Sunday that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has written to the Customs Department requesting it to consider the AAI as custodian of cargo proposed to be handled at the airport.
Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a free health check-up camp organised by Mangalore Airport Diamond Jubilee Committee, Mr. Vasudeva said if the Customs Department permitted, the AAI would be the custodian of cargo to be handled at the airport.
He said the airport was building infrastructure for handling cargo at its old terminal building at Bajpe.
20/08/12 The Hindu

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Shimoga airport misses deadline

Shimoga: The ambitious greenfield airport at Shimoga has missed another deadline. The airport was initially scheduled to be completed in 2010. But the deadline was pushed to July 2012. With the airport having missed this one too, it is now hoped that the project will be completed by 2013.
The airport is being constructed at Sogane village, 10km from the city, on 778 acres of land, 75% of which belongs to the government and the remaining land is private.
The project's progress has been affected due to various reasons, but the district administration is hopeful that they will be able to meet this deadline. Work is in progress on the 3.4-km runway. The KPTCL has agreed to shift the 6-km high-tension power line which passes near the runway.
19/08/12 CV Raghavendra Rao/Times of India

New aircraft refuel system from 2013

Kolkata: In June 2009, a Singapore Airlines plane nearly caught fire when a tanker that was refuelling it went ablaze. For the 268 passengers on board, it was a close shave.
A year from now, a new refuelling system will be in place at Kolkata airport, eliminating the need for using oil tankers, thereby making the operation safe for passengers and airlines. Though IOC has a hydrant system at present, other oil companies do not source fuel from it and use their own tankers.
"Kolkata airport will have a common user terminal where all oil companies will feed their orders. Indian Oil Corporation will operate the terminal and also lay a network of underground pipelines to install fuel hydrants next to parking bays. Once ready, fuel tankers will be done away with. Trucks with booster equipment will be used to pump fuel from underground pipes to the aircraft," said Kolkata airport director B P Sharma.
19/08/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

Cidco bats for Navi Mumbai airport nod

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the nodal agency for the Navi Mumbai International Airport project, on Saturday sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention for an early approval of the request for qualification (RFQ) for the project. Cidco also sought financial assistance from the Centre for pre-development costs.
Cidco Chairman Pramod Hindurao, during his meeting with Singh at the state governor’s residence here, brought to the latter’s notice that the RFQ was submitted in April, but the approval of the ministry of civil aviation was still awaited.
The total project cost has been pegged at Rs 14,500 crore, of which Rs 9,000 crore would be for phase I. “Of the Rs 9,000 crore, pre-development cost is about Rs 4,000 crore. It is required for preparation of airport site, including land acquisition, relief and rehabilitation and land development. To make this greenfield project viable, to be developed under public-private partnership (PPP), assistance from the Central government is necessary,” Hindurao said in his representation.
19/08/12 Sanjay Jog/Business Standard

Record high airfare on Dubai-Kochi direct route

Mumbai: Air India pilots strike may be long over, but the airline has continued to operate a curtailed flight schedule, which in turn, has hit passengers who fly down to India from the Middle East for the festive season, Onam this time.
The reduction in number of seats on this route has taken airfares, especially those for direct flights between Dubai and Kochi, to an incredible high.
On Sunday, the lowest fare on offer for travel next week from Dubai and for return in September on the Dubai-Kochi-Dubai direct route begis at Rs 1.9 lakh.
The fare for a ticket to Emirates is being offered by some travel portals. Over a month ago, Emirates had sold out all the seats for flights scheduled in the coming weeks in this route. But seats to Emirates flights are available on some travel portals.
19/08/12 Manju V/Times of India

Saturday, August 18, 2012

4,800 acre government land leased to DIAL at Rs 100 per annum

New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has questioned giving Indira Gandhi International Airport land totaling 4,800 acres to Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) — the government's joint venture with the Hyderabad-based GMR Group — on a lease rent of Rs 100 per annum, apart from a one-time fee of Rs 6.19 crore for 190.19 acres. Of this land, 240 acres worth Rs 24,000 crore would be commercially exploited with a revenue potential of Rs 163,557 crore over next 58 years in which DIAL's share would be Rs 88,337 crore, the report said.
"Audit would like to draw attention to the fact that this is part of the land handed over to DIAL at a lease rent of Rs 100 per annum," it said in a report tabled in Parliament on Friday, adding that the Airports Authority of India had leased land to other government agencies at much higher rates.
18/08/12 Times of India

DIAL responsible for raising funds to develop airport: CAG

New Delhi: Defending its findings on Delhi airport, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday said it was the responsibility of the joint venture company DIAL to mobilise resources for the entire airport expansion and modernisation process.
"What we have pointed out, is that as per the Operation Management Development Agreement (OMDA), it is responsibility of the Joint Venture Consortium (JVC) to bring in adequate debt and equity to finance the capital project.
"So from that point of view, we have said that the levy of development fees violates the provisions of OMDA. That aspect was not considered before the Supreme Court at all," CAG Director General Gautam Guha told reporters here.
17/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

Civil aviation ministry, DIAL face the heat

New Delhi: Slamming the levy of airport development fee (ADF) on passengers, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday said the civil aviation ministry had violated bid conditions, giving benefits of Rs 3,415 crore to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), in which the GMR Group holds majority equity stake.
The ADF benefit was given to DIAL to bridge the financing gap between the airport’s actual and original project costs. The CAG report said DIAL also secured land valued at Rs 24,000 crore for commercial use at a lease rental of Rs 100 a year, and this could potentially lead to DIAL earning Rs 1.6 lakh crore over 60 years.
“According to the operation management development agreement (OMDA), it was the responsibility of the joint venture company to bring in equity. Levy of development fee is against the OMDA,” A K Patnaik, additional deputy, CAG.
18/08/12 Business Standard

Govt slams CAG for not working within mandate of Constitution

Chennai: Government today charged the Comptroller and Auditor General with not working within the mandate of the Constitution and said it had no authority to comment on its policy.
"CAG has no authority or right to comment on the policy of the government but unfortunately it has questioned its authority, which is totally unwarranted and against the mandate given to them", Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy told reporters here.
He was asked questions on CAG's findings that private firms had got "undue benefits" of Rs 3.06 lakh crore in the coal, aviation and power sectors.
Noting that government has presented all documents to the country's top auditor, he said "CAG has to work within a certain mandate given under the Constitution. Policy framing is the domain of government of India, that is the elected government."
18/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

CPM to target PM on Delhi Airport

New Delhi: While the Bharatiya Janata Party has stepped up its attack against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh based on the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on coal allocation, the CPI(M) has decided to put the Government in the dock over the other two reports — on the Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPP) and on implementation of public-private-partnership for the Delhi International Airport Ltd.
The CPI(M) said the “sordid story of crony capitalism” has become a “hallmark” of the UPA-II Government. Sources in the party indicated that the party’s attempt is to “expose” the alleged nexus between corporations and the UPA Government during the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Condemning the stand taken by the Government that the CAG has stepped beyond its mandate, the politburo of the CPI(M) said all those responsible for this fleecing of public funds should be brought to book and accountability fixed.
18/08/12 Business Line

CAG sensationalising its reports, crossing the line: Cong

New Delhi: With three CAG reports giving fresh ammunition to the opposition to target the government, Congress on Saturday accused the auditor of sensationalising its reports and crossing the line.
The party spoke of “long-term implications” if any Constitutional institution does not maintain the “fine balance and decides to transgress”.
Seeking to trash the CAG report on coal blocs allocation, which has led to BJP demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party spokesman Manish Tewari said the Supreme Court had “not endorsed” the presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore pointed out by CAG in 2G spectrum allocation issue.
18/08/12 PTI/The Hindu

CAG rubbishes ministry objections on Delhi airport report

New Delhi: Officers at the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) have brushed aside charges leveled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a letter it wrote this June over the scathing report on Indira Gandhi International Airport.
In the letter, the Ministry had called the CAG report, which was tabled in Parliament today, full of inaccuracies and said that CAG’s audit will damage the Public Private Partnership (PPP)/Infrastructure development in the country. But CAG officials punched holes in almost every observation in the ministry’s June letter, which were repeated in a late evening press statement by the ministry.
So is the CAG being unnecessarily critical or did the ministry’s June letter come merely as a matter of routine and did not attempt to defend the airport concession agreement which was awarded when Praful Patel was the Civil Aviation Minister in 2006?
The ministry says that the calculation of presumptive gain from the commercial use of land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is “totally erroneous and misleading” as it simply adds the nominal value of the projected revenue, without taking the net present value.
17/08/12 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

Deccan Shuttles to connect key cities in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Bangalore-based aviation company Deccan Charters will commence non-scheduled chartered flights operations in Gujarat from August 20.
The air service under the brand Deccan Shuttles aims at connecting key economic zones in Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Kandla through 12 daily flights, a company statement said.
The services scheduled to commence from August 20 will initially operate on Ahmedabad-Surat-Bhavnagar route while Ahmedabad-Kandla route will be made operational from August 27, and Ahmedabad-Jamnagar route will be added subsequently, the statement said.
18/08/12 PTI/Daily Bhaskar

Levy of airport development fee slammed

New Delhi: Despite explanations from the Civil Aviation Ministry and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the Comptroller and Auditor-General has criticised the charging of development fee on passengers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, saying the levy has violated the bid conditions and given Rs. 3,415 crore in monetary benefit to the operator.
In its report tabled in Parliament, the CAG has said that whenever the GMR-owned DIAL raised an issue of revenue to go to it or expenditure to be debited to the government, the Ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had always ruled in favour of the operator and against government interest, in contravention of the Operation, Maintenance, Development Agreement (OMDA).
The report says DIAL can potentially earn Rs. 1,63,557 crore over a 60-year-period from the land leased out to it at Rs. 100 a year, with an equity investment of just Rs. 2,450 crore. GMR Infrastructure holds 54 per cent stake in DIAL, and the AAI has the rest.
17/08/12 The Hindu

CAG slams development fee, concessional land to Delhi airport

Slamming the levy of development fee on passengers using Delhi Airport, the CAG today said the Civil Aviation Ministry violated the bid conditions for the benefit of GMR-led DIAL to the tune of over Rs3,415 crore and pressed fixing responsibility.
CAG in its audit report on Indira Gandhi International Airport that was tabled in Parliament, said DIAL can potentially earn Rs1,63,557 crore over a 60-year period from the land given to it on a lease of Rs100 per annum.
Allowing DIAL to levy Development Fee vitiated the sanctity of bidding process and led to undue benefit of Rs3,415.35 crore to the private firm, it said.
GMR Infrastructure holds 54% stake in Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL).
17/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

Four stone idols found at airport

Chennai: Four stone idols were found abandoned inside a sealed cardboard box at the international terminal of Chennai airport on Friday. Initially, the discovery triggered an alarm that it may have been an attempt to smuggle out the idols.
After Central Industrial Security Force ( CISF) personnel found the box early in the morning in the departure terminal, personnel from the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) were called in to investigate. They found it contained idols.
18/08/12 Times of India

'Innocent man' grilled at airport

Vasco: Mujibuddin Sikandar Saudagar, 29, from Khariawada was detained at Dabolim airport early Friday morning and interrogated for 11 hours before being released, following an international call informing that a Pakistan trained terrorist having a similar name was supposed to land at Dabolim.M G Menon, duty terminal manager of the airport, received the call informing that one Saudagar Mujahiddin is supposed to land in Goa by QR224.
18/08/12 Times of India

Thursday, August 16, 2012

GMR’s Big Steal: Rs 24,000 cr land for Rs 31 lakh

If the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) on the Delhi airport privatisation is to be believed, GMR, which led the consortium that won the bid, has got away with murder.
At the very least, the CAG report exposes the sheer hollowness of the policy of roping in private parties to run gigantic infrastructure projects; at its worst, it is a disturbing indictment of crony capitalism with all its attendant risks of private loot at public expense.
Consider this one single stat: with a private equity investment of just Rs 1,813 crore, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) raised more than six times as much in debt and fees to run an already running airport for 60 years (effective concession period: 58 years). In the process it gets to use land with a commercial value of at least Rs 24,000 crore – with the upper end potential earnings going up to Rs 1,63,557 crore, according to GMR’s own estimates.
In short, you need just Rs 1,813 crore of your own money to hop on to a gravy train that could be worth 90 times your investment over 58 years. If this does not stink of a cushy land scam, nothing does.
The math to arrive at this runs something like this. Of the total capital expenditure of Rs 12,502 crore, the promoters (GMR and its partner Fraport) put in equity of Rs 1,813 crore, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI, a 26 percent partner in DIAL) putting in Rs 637 core, for a total equity of Rs 2,450 crore. On this the company raises Rs 5,266 crore as debt, Rs 1,471 crore as security deposits, a measly Rs 50 crore from internal accruals, and Rs 3,415 crore by fleecing passengers through airport development fees (UDFs).
17/08/12 R Jagannathan/First Post.com

CAG slams development fee, concessional land to GMR-led DIAL

New Delhi: Government auditor CAG on Friday slammed the government for giving out Delhi airport and its land with a potential earning capacity of Rs 1,63,557 crore to private-led operator DIAL which made a total equity contribution of only Rs 2,450 crore.
With an equity contribution of Rs 2,450 crore of which the private GMR-led consortium's share was Rs 1,813 crore, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) got a brownfield airport for 60 years, the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said. A brownfield airport is one which is already in existence.
The CAG report on the 'Implementation of Public private partnership Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi', tabled in Parliament, claimed that the commercial rights of land was valued at Rs 24,000 crore with a potential earning capacity according to its own estimates of Rs 1,63,557 crore.
17/08/12 ZeeNews

CAG: Changes made in development plan to benefit DIAL

New Delhi: Even as the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India (AAI) watched silently gross violation of the master plan for the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) not only ensured changes in major development plan but also got away with 43 per cent escalation in cost of the project and midway changes in the funding pattern for the airport project.
According to Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in Parliament on Friday, out of the total capital expenditure of Rs. 12,857 crore (Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has admitted Rs. 12502.86 crore for levy of development fee), the promoter’s equity has been Rs. 2450 crore, out of which 26 per cent (i.e. Rs. 637 crore) was contributed by AAI and 74 per cent (i.e. Rs.1813 crore) was contributed by the other JV partners.
17/08/12 Sujay Mehdudia/The Hindu

Civil Aviation Ministry, DIAL refute CAG's findings

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Ministry today refuted the loss figures given out by government auditor CAG in its report on Delhi airport, saying the calculation of presumptive gain was "totally erroneous and misleading" and claimed its views were not incorporated in the report.
The Ministry "strongly refutes the loss figures and other allegations made in the report" and the calculation of "presumptive gain from the commercial use of land at Delhi Airport was totally erroneous and misleading," an official statement said.
Asked about the report, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said "it is not for us to comment or say whether we accept it or not. The report will go to the Public Accounts Committee which will take a decision."
17/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Airport website hacked by ‘neighbour’

Mumbai: Thursday morning would have started with a shock for those who began their day visiting the website of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
The website welcomed surfers with the picture of a wrecked plane captioned that it was of a crashin Mumbai with at least 1,000 casualties. But as they scrolled down the page, it was revealed that is was a joke.
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), however, did not take kindly to their website being hacked. “We have no immediate information on who was behind this. A complaint has been lodged at the cyber crime cell of the Mumbai police. MIAL is taking all necessary steps to restore the website as soon as possible,” an MIAL spokesperson said. The website was restored by around 10pm.
According to sources, the hackers claimed to hail from a neighbouring country which is a matter of investigation.
17/08/12 Sunchika B Pandey & Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Passengers stuck for three hours in Air India aircraft

New Delhi: Around 250 passengers heading for Hyderabad were left stranded inside their aircraft at Delhi's IGI Airport for over three hours after their aircraft developed a technical snag.
Boarding for the flight, Air India's AI126 Chicago to Hyderabad, had started around 9.30pm on Thursday. Till 12.45 am passengers waited inside the aircraft as crew claimed there was a technical snag that they were trying to fix. Passengers on board said that the air conditioning was also not working during this period.
17/08/12 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

Jackal delays Jet flight's landing at Indore airport

Indore: A tragedy was averted here today due to the alertness of the air traffic control (ATC) and the pilot when a jackal suddenly appeared on the Indore Airport runway delaying the landing of a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai for about 15 minutes, official sources said. ATC asked the pilot of Jet Airways' flight number 9-W-2381, carrying 200 passengers, to "go around" in the air after witnessing a jackal on the runway at 7.30 am, Indore airport director R N Shinde told PTI. When contacted, a Jet Airways official posted at the airport said that there was a delay in landing for about 15 minutes, but there was no panic among passengers, though there was a slight jerk due to the change in landing procedure.
17/08/12 PTI/IBN Live

Man arrested with 12 live cartridges at IGI airport

New Delhi: A man was arrested on Friday after 12 live cartridges were found in his hand baggage during security check at Terminal 1D of the IGI airport in New Delhi.
The cartridges were traced when Phuntso Dorjee kept his bag in X-ray machine during security check at around 4.50 AM, a senior police official said.
Dorjee, a resident of Bomdila Urban C of Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district, was to board a SpiceJet flight (SG-885) to Bagdogra from here.
17/08/12 PTI/Times of India

4 Chinese detained at Bangalore airport with 202kg sandalwood

Four Chinese men were detained early today at the international airport here after 202 kgs of the precious Red sandalwood was recovered from their baggage.
The wood, smuggled extensively, is an endangered species and the seized consignment, intercepted by CISF personnel, is estimated to be valued about Rs 10 lakh in the market.
The Chinese men were bound for Chengdu on a China Airlines flight and Customs officials are now questioning them about the source of the precious wood.
17/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

Plane tyre bursts on takeoff

Kolkata: One hundred passengers and six crew members on board a Jet Airways flight to Agartala had a close shave when the aircraft's tyre burst during the takeoff sequence around 4pm on Thursday. The left rear tyre of the plane burst after the pilot applied emergency brake following an alarm in the cockpit, indicating that the front door was not securely shut.
17/08/12 Times of India

3 inebriated Mangalore Air India Express passengers handed over to Dubai security

Mangalore: Three inebriated passengers onboard the Air India Express 813 were handed over to Dubai security officials by the crew after they badly misbehaved with the crew and the passengers on Friday.
The passengers, all from Mangalore, had boarded the flight at Bajpe airport which departed for Dubai at 10.45 pm on Thursday. The passengers, identified as Praveen Castelino, Ganadhar Bhavani and A K Amith Kumar, started misbehaving with the female cabin crew and later started hurling abuses, when passengers intervened. Sources said the drama unfolded an hour before the flight was to land at Dubai. They started demanding more liquor with the female cabin crew using abusive language. At one point of time, the passengers told the three to shut up as there were infants and children on the aircraft and also they wanted to get some sleep. But they continued their bawdy behaviour.
17/08/12 Bellevision

New Kerala airport at Aranmula approved

Kerala's Pathanamthitta district has been given the final approval by the steering committee on greenfield airports, sources in the airport company said.
They said the meeting held in Delhi today, attended by secretaries of various central departments related to the approval, had given the green signal for the proposed KGS Aranmula International Airport in Pathanamthitta district. KGS airport managing director Gigi George and executive director PT Nandakumar said the company proposed to make the airport operational by end 2014.
17/08/12 Joe A Scaria/Economic Times

Pune IAF base refers glider flights to Intelligence

Pune: The Pune airforce base said on Friday that it had referred an incident of two unidentified powered gliders flying over the airport on June 29 and June 30 to the Intelligence Bureau and the local police.

"On June 29 at 1757 hours, a GoAir 367 aircraft while landing at Pune airport reported spotting a powered glider. Again, on June 30 at about 0745 hours, a white glider was spotted south of Pune airfield at approximately 200 degrees, at two to three nautical miles, at 1000 feet above ground level," a release issued by the Pune Indian Airforce (IAF) base said.
17/08/12 PTI/Zee News

AI flight makes hard landing at Mangalore airport

Mangalore: Two years after an Air India aircraft overshot the runway and killed 158 passengers, another harrowing time was reported at the Mangalore airport after an Air India flight arriving from Dubai made a hard landing.
“The aircraft bounced after landing, giving us a chill in our spines” said a passenger. The matter was hushed up by the airliner, but the airport authorities informed the Director General of Civil Aviation who is enquiring into the situation that led to the near-horrific landing.
According to sources, the pilot landed the aircraft 30 metres outside the landing threshold and on the loose tarmac at the beginning of the runway. As a result, the aircraft’s hind tyres were damaged.
16/08/12 M Raghuram/Daily News & Analysis

Probe ordered into poor construction work at Lucknow airport

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today ordered a probe into poor construction work of the new terminal building of Chaudhary Charan Singh airport in Lucknow.
"Taking a serious note of complaints of irregularities in construction of new terminal building of the Chaudhary Charan Singh airport in Lucknow, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has decided to refer the matter to Chief Technical Examiner's wing of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for conducting a detailed enquiry into construction of the building," a statement from the Ministry said.
The decision was taken by the Minister following a preliminary report submitted by a committee, headed by Chief Vigilance Officer of Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited, Samir Sahai.
The committee was constituted by Singh after receiving complaints from Members of Parliament and reports in the media about defects in construction of the building, which was inaugurated in May this year.
16/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Mohali airport terminal to be ready within 16 months: Badal

Mohali: For easy connectivity to Punjab, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that award for construction of Mohali airport has been given to a multinational company and airport terminal would be ready within 16 months.
He was speaking after unfurling tricolor in Independence Day function held today in Government College, Phase-6.
Punjab government has already acquired land for expansion of Ludhiana airport and latest state-of-art night landing instrumentation have been already installed at airport. He said that with the expansion of Ludhiana airport Boeing-320 planes could be able to land at Ludhiana airport, he said.
15/08/12 Vibhor Mohan/Times of India

Poor visibility, Dubai flight diverted to Calicut

Mangalore: Poor visibility conditions forced the Air India Express 814 flight from Dubai to be diverted to Calicut on Thursday. It also disrupted the schedule of the domestic flight from Bangalore which landed here two hours late at 10 am.
Air India authorities said that the visibility was very poor, less than 100 mts, hence the flight was diverted to Calicut. The flight arrived at Bajpe airport at 1.30 pm, after it got replacement crew. This flight will leave for Dubai later in the night.
The Civil Aviation rules are very strict. After the requisite Flying Duty Time Limit, the crew has to be replaced whether they have reached the intended destination or not. The replacement crew took over at Calicut,'' the authority added. The flight was scheduled to land at 6.25 am.
16/08/12 Times of India

Tiger claws and cow urine from India seized at airport

Herbal remedies and massage oils containing ground tiger claws, poisonous plants and cow urine have been seized by border officials at a UK port.
The illegally imported products, bound for an address in Birmingham, were discovered by officials at Felixstowe Port in Suffolk in a consignment of 45 large cardboard boxes which had travelled from India.
It is the first time ground tiger claws, which may have come from tigers which were illegally poached, have been found by customs in the UK, Border Force said.
Cow urine, poisonous plants, and goat meat were also found in the ingredients of the 450ml herbal remedy and five-litre massage oil bottles.
Officials examining the load also found several large cockroaches that had fermented in the boxes.
16/08/12 Asian Image

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Hyderabad to turn into major hub for global airlines

Hyderabad: At least four new international carriers are set to fly in to Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) soon.
Apart from low-cost airlines Tiger Airways, and Thai Smile (a branch of major operator Thai Airways), likely to land in the city next month, also waiting in transit is Africa's most popular operator, Kenya Airways, and Indonesia's official carrier, Garuda.
Starting operations on September 28, Asia-based Tiger Airways will join SilkAir as the second direct service provider to Singapore from Hyderabad. As per airport records, roughly 60,000 Hyderabad passengers travel on this route every year. The traffic to Thailand too is impressively high, say RGIA officials admitting that the entry of Thai Smile will only further boost the outflow of tourists to this holiday destination. The airlines' first flight is set to take off from Shamshabad on September 16.
15/08/12 Sudipta Sengupta/Times of India

Helicopter service opens in Mizoram

Aizwal: Mizoram’s helicopter service linking district headquarters and other places was inaugurated on Tuesday by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. The Chief Minister emphasised that the helicopter service was crucial due to problems in road communication and absence of other means of transport like inland water and railway.
Speaking at a function at the Thuampui helipad near here, he said that the safety of the passengers should be given top priority by Pawan Hans, which provided the service.
14/08/12 PTI/Business Line

'Only India doesn't want A-380 aircraft'

Frankfurt: India may have to wait indefinitely for the world's biggest commercial aircraft Airbus A-380 to have regular flights here. German carrier Lufthansa, whose application for deploying this plane on the Delhi-Frankfurt route has been pending for years, says all its super jumbos have been put on other routes.
The airline has deployed the newest jumbo jet Boeing 747-800 on the Delhi-Frankfurt route now. "The A-380 is present in the American market and in other Asian countries like China and Japan. Only India doesn't want it. And I don't see it happening anytime soon. We presently have eight A-380s and they are flying other routes," Lufthansa director ( south Asia) Axel Hilgers said. The government has not cleared Lufthansa's request for the A-380 as that would lead to similar demands from other carriers like Emirates and Singapore Airlines, something that may further wean away traffic from Indian airlines. The IGI runway is Code F compliant, which means it can accommodate the A-380.
15/08/12 Times of India

CIASL awaits European nod

Kochi: The Cochin International Aviation Services Limited (CIASL), a subsidiary of CIAL, will have a grand take-off on the global maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) of flights when the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approves it as a foreign maintenance organisation soon. The approval is expected within two weeks, say sources.
The audit team from EASA recently conducted an audit of the CIASL line maintenance facilities and suggested corrections. A Qatar Airways trainer arrived at the MRO facility and trained the personnel at CIASL and the relevant papers have now been sent to EASA.
When the facility becomes full-fledged, European flights will also come to CIASL for maintenance since the rates are much cheaper here.
India currently has the potential to emerge as the global hub for MRO outsourcing in the Asia-Pacific region and CIASL has vast scope to tap this market.
15/08/12 Vinod Nedumudy/Deccan Chronicle

Conspiracy behind cancellation of AI Express Services alleged

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Association of Travel Agents (KATA), Trivandrum, alleged that cancellation of 944 services of Air India Express, the budget airline of Air India, to the Gulf sector in August and September was part of a larger conspiracy to help the foreign airline companies.
The cancellations had affected almost 1.7 lakh passengers, Association president K V Muraleedharan told a press conference here on Tuesday. He said that Air India strike was called off 40 days ago but Air India Express service to the Gulf had not resumed yet.
“Normally once the strike is over, the services will begin within a week. The delay in resuming the service has helped foreign airline companies to make a profit of around Rs 10,000 crore. We suspect corruption and high-level conspiracy behind the delay,” he said.
15/08/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

Outdated passes expose airport security loopholes

Kolkata: The security at the airport has been beefed up following intelligence alert on infiltration of terrorists and possible attempts to hijack flights. However, a chink has appeared in the airport's armour with security agencies failing to renew the entry passes of 1,200-odd contractual employees who work in the airport.
With the Airports Authority of India and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in the midst of rolling out the online pass processing system, the passes that expired on July 31 have been extended only for a month. An intelligence agency official said use of passes beyond the expiry date at a high security zone like the airport amounted to security threat.
Airport director BP Sharma, however, denied that the delay in issue of fresh passes was a security hazard. "The online pass processing system is currently in trial phase and will be streamlined by this month-end. Once functional, agencies that provide staff will be able to apply online. We are currently collecting the data and photographs of the staffers. Once this is done, passes will be prepared and sent to BCAS for online approval. The entire process will be expedited," Sharma said.
15/08/12 Times of India

Briton held with sat phone at airport

The airport police on Monday arrested an English woman for allegedly possessing a satellite phone, a device which can be brought only with special permission.
Rebeca Harris, 44, who is employed with Burnnight Bright Company in the UK, was on her way to Bhuj for carrying out her research work.
15/08/12 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Odisha to boost aviation facilities, plans five new airports

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has proposed to develop greenfield airports in five locations in an effort to boost intra-state and inter-state civil aviation facilities.
The five airports will come up in the industrial hubs of Rayagada, Paradip, Dhamara, Angul and Kalinganagar, a senior official said, adding proposals were also on the anvil to upgrade existing airfields at Gopalpur, Jharsuguda, Barbil and Rourkela.
The state-owned IPICOl in association with the Civil Aviation Department has initiated a road map for facilitating investment in aviation related activities to boost intra and inter-state trade and tourism.
14/08/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Privatization of Airports

To review the implementation of the Financing Plan prepared in 2006 and to prepare a Financing Plan over the Twelfth Five Plan period, a Task Force on Financing Plan for development of airports has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Member, Planning Commission. The Task Force has recommended that operations and management of Chennai and Kolkata Airports could be taken up through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Similarly, it has also been recommended that operations and management of airports at Jaipur and Ahmedabad may also be taken up through PPP mode.
The Task Force emphasized that projected investment at these airports can fructify only if the PPP approach was adopted extensively. This would not only help attract the requisite volumes of investment, it would also ensure generation of significant volumes of non-aeronautical revenues that would help reduce the passenger charges to affordable levels.
This information was given by the Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ajit Singh in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
14/08/12 Press Information Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram new gateway to India

Thiruvananthapuram: God’s Own Country will soon become the fifth gateway to India for holidaymakers from 11 countries who can get tourist visa on arrival (T-VoA) as the international airport here will join the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata in issuing this passport to a dream vacation. Citizens of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia can get T-VoA. The Union Ministry of External Affairs has approved it for the citizens of France, Germany and Russia, and nod from the Bureau of Immigration (BOI), which functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is awaited.
14/08/12 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

Hijack alert before I-Day

New Delhi: India’s aviation security regulator has issued an alert for a possible attempt to hijack a passenger aircraft by a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist of Yemeni origin before Independence Day. The man, Yasmin al-Bashir, is reportedly already in India with 10 associates including women, and is believed to be somewhere in Rajasthan now.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued the hijack alert a week before Independence Day on the basis of intelligence input from India’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Top sources in RAW confirmed that specific intelligence had been passed on to other agencies.
According to the alert, Al-Bashir is a trained pilot, and might make his hijack attempt between August 12 and 14.
14/08/12 Appu Esthose Suresh/Indian Express

Parking toll booths juggled at Chennai airport

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the private contractor handling the parking at the Chennai airport have moved the booths around to reduce the time that it takes for a vehicle to exit after the time-punched card is issued.
Recently, the six-lane tollbooths that issue the parking slips into the domestic airport, were shifted closer to the terminal. “This means that they have lesser distance to cover to the exit in the same 7 minutes, so that they don’t have to pay a parking fee,” said Airport Director HS Suresh.
It’s been three months and a bit, since the parking system at the Chennai airport was revamped. And yet, the number of grumbling relatives who come to pick people up, hasn’t really come down. This is because the parking contractor Garuda Aviaton wasn’t able to do away with the rule that they brought in - any car entering the airport must exit within 5 minutes or pay the charge for an hour, which is `60.
14/08/12 Daniel Thimmayya/New Indian Express/IBN Live

Stranger enters runway

Hyderabad: A person suspected to be mentally sick, has gained entry into the runway of the local airport INS Dega. The personnel manning the entry point at the high security zone too have failed to prevent his entry. INS Dega, which is the Eastern Naval Command’s air station, is also being used for civil aviation and is guarded by the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) round-the-clock.
14/08/12 IBN Live


Monday, August 13, 2012

Gopinath’s Deccan Shuttles to link cities in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Captain G.R. Gopinath, who pioneered the no-frills air travel in India with his Air Deccan model in 2003, will now provide chartered air links to cities in Gujarat from next week.
His firm, Deccan Charters Ltd (DCL), will launch its non-scheduled chartered flight services in Gujarat under the brand name of Deccan Shuttles on August 20, government sources said here on Monday.
Captain Gopinath has had rounds of meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, to set up a hub of air cargo services in Gujarat. The State Government had, sources said, stressed that the important cities and towns of Gujarat should be air- linked first. The DCL service aims at connecting the key economic zones in Gujarat, that is, Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Kandla through 12 daily flights.
13/08/12 Business Line

PIL seeks cancellation of land leased to Pvt. Airport operators

New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed today at the Supreme Court seeking to quash the lease deeds for Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) to private operators DIAL (Delhi International Airport Private Limited) and MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Private Limited).
The petition - relying on a "draft CAG audit report" - has alleged that public land was given to private companies for the airports in Delhi and Mumbai at Rs 100 per annum lease for a period of 60 years.
"On 23-5-2012, petitioner came to know about the draft CAG audit report dated 2011 disclosing about serious corruption and fraud in transferring public properties to the private companies free of cost, created huge loss to the public/ Nation amounting to Rs 2,68,000 crores," said the PIL filed by advocate ML Sharma.
13/08/12 Soibam Rocky Singh/law et al News