Disgruntled employee blacked out T-3 terminal last year: CBI

New Delhi: A disgruntled software engineer, whose work did get proper acknowledgement from his company, was allegedly behind the virus which led to outage of services for 12 hours at the IGI airport in June last year, CBI today said in its charge sheet.
Gurucharan Kalluraya, a former employee of ARINC which maintained the Common Use Passenger Processing System and Baggage Reconciliation System at the IGI's Terminal-3, was allegedly not happy with the treatment received from the company, CBI sources said.
Frustrated with the company, Kalluraya allegedly decided to teach the company a lesson and scripted a new virus "all by himself" which was capable of stalling the check-in and baggage claim system of the airport, they said.
Kalluraya transferred the virus on the system, leading to outage of check-in and baggage claim services of the swanky Terminal 3 for 12 hours on June 29 last year which resulted in cancellation of many flights.
29/06/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Abhijeet Group's plane hit by bird

Nagpur: The top management of the city-based Abhijeet Group had a lucky escape when a bird hit the group's private jet when it was taking off for Mumbai. The incident happened around 9am at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar international airport.
The pilot Capt Steel Upton heard a thud sound and immediately alerted the air traffic control (ATC). He requested the ATC to check the runway. Airport officials identified the bird as an eagle. It was found on the runway and cleared.
As there was no unusual noise, vibration or any other signs of alert, the pilot decided to continue with the flight as the officials, including managing director Abhishek Jayaswal were travelling towards Mumbai to attend a board meeting.
30/06/12 Times of India

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24-hour operations still elude Vizag Airport

Visakhapatnam: Silk Air is ready and willing to operate a direct flight from here to Singapore from October 1, it is learnt. But there is a hitch, it becomes possible only if flights can be operated at the airport round-the-clock, something which has been eluding the airport for the past few years, even though the infrastructure is ready.
There seems to be no co-ordinated effort among the various Ministries in the Government of India and the decision is inordinately delayed.
There is a possibility Silk Air may reconsider its decision on the flight to Singapore, and it could badly mar the image of the airport. Other operators too may shy away from Vizag.
International carriers have to place information about the schedule of proposed operations and provide reservation facilities. The flight schedule has to be placed on the Web site and information passed on to international airports, say sources.
29/06/12 Business Line

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Stinking subway greets air passengers

Chennai: “Welcome. Chennai Airport,” announces a fading greeting painted on the walls of the pedestrian subway. A few hundred metres away, a world-class facility for air passengers is under construction. The pathway leading to the airport from Tirusulam railway station, however, offers passengers nothing but foul smell and dust.
A pedestrian subway built at a cost of nearly Rs. 5 crore has a lift that has not been working since 2009 after rain water flooded it and damaged pumps and other equipment. One end of the subway is also a gathering point for miscreants who consume liquor after dusk. The gut-wrenching smell of urine is the first thing that greets the unsuspecting traveller who enters the subway to access the suburban electric train services of the city.
30/06/12 K. Manikandan/The Hindu

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Kushinagar airport finally has 32 takers

Lucknow: Four years after it failed to attract any taker to develop an international airport in Kushinagar, the UP government has received as many as 32 applications for the Expressions of Interest (EoI) floated last month for the project. The applications have come after the government reduced the cost of the project as well relaxed its norms.
An enthusiastic government has now called for a meeting of interested players with the officials of Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and Planning Commission in New Delhi on July 13. The Government of India has already accorded the required initial clearances to the project.
The infrastructure companies that have shown interest in the project include Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd, DS Construction, TATA Realty and Infrastructure Ltd, and WelsInfratech Limited. Significantly, GVK and GMR, which are already into construction of airports, have stayed away from bidding.
29/06/12 Maulshree Seth/Express India

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Maharashtra Airport Development Company to raise Rs 420cr for Mihan, smaller airports in state

Nagpur: The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) will be raising another Rs 420 crore of debt to fund its projects, including Mihan and small town airports of the state. The fresh loan has already been tied up.
MADC plans to pay back Rs 100 crore of its earlier loans of Rs 200 crore this fiscal, after which it will hold long term debt of Rs 520 crore owed to a consortium of public sector banks led by Vijaya Bank. The decision on taking further loans was approved in the company's annual general meeting held on Tuesday. MADC will be offering land outside the special economic zone (SEZ) to banks as a security against the loan.
Even earlier, a part of land under MADC was offered as security when it raised loans to meet its requirements. The debt is not backed by a state government guarantee as this practice is being discouraged these days, said MADC vice-chairman-cum-managing director UPS Madan. However, the exact quantum of land offered as security was not readily available with him.
29/06/12 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Air India Express slashes Chennai-Tiruchirapalli fares

In order to attract passengers during the lean season, Air India Express, the subsidiary of Air India, has drastically slashed its fares on the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) route, said an official.
"Effective from Thursday, the all inclusive Chennai-Trichy fare is Rs.1,199 while the Trichy-Chennai fare is Rs.1,325. The latter is higher owing to the airport development fees levied by the Airport Authority of India," an Air India official told IANS.
29/06/12 IANS/Economic Times

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Man caught smuggling tortoises at Trichy airport

Trichy: As many as 300 Indian star tortoises were confiscated by the Trichy Customs when a Chennai-based man, Mohammad Rafiyudin, tried to check-in on an Air Lanka (UL132) flight bound for Colombo on Thursday. Rafiyudin had come to the airport as early as 6.45 am to board the flight, scheduled to take off at 9.45 am. This is the first time star tortoises were captured at the Trichy airport. The live creatures command a premium price in the international market and had been packed in six different cartons of 50 each.
An air intelligence officer said a coterie tried to transport the creatures through Chennai airport first, but as the security was considered impenetrable, they changed their mind. The tortoises were couriered to Trichy by road, and then the carrier, Rafiyudin, tried to reach his final destination of Kuala Lumpur via Colombo.
29/06/12 Dennis Selvan/Times of India

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Chennai runway to be closed for six hours for rubber removal work

Chennai: No flight can land or take-off at the city airport between 1 pm and 7 pm on Saturday.
“The airport runway will be closed for six hours, as we plan to undertake the rubber removal work in the middle of the airstrip,” said airport director H.S. Suresh.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been doing milling work at the runway without disturbing the schedule of the airlines, but now it has decided to close the runway completely for six hours on Saturday to finish the rubber removal work at a stretch at the centre of the airstrip.
29/06/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Airlines say no to departure trials

Chennai: Airline companies have decided not to undertake departure trial runs at the new domestic terminal at the city airport until all facilities are made available.
This has prompted the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to decide, after a meeting with all stakeholders in the airport on Thursday, to now have a dummy run instead on July 2 to check shortcomings in the newly-installed systems at the terminal.
The AAI now plans to check the newly-installed systems such as common user terminal equipment (CUTE), building management systems (BMS), computer systems, CCTVs and security systems.
“We do not think it is possible to do the departure trial run before August end, as the aerobridges would be in place only around that time,” said airport director H.S. Suresh. The tender process for the appointment of master concessionaire is also yet to begin, he said.
29/06/12 S. Sujatha/Deccan Chronicle

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Private airlines may get subsidy for flying to north east

New Delhi: Government is considering a proposal to provide subsidy to private airlines operating flights on loss-making routes in the north eastern region.
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) came out with the proposal after a few private airlines, including Jet Airways, sought government clearance to scale down their flights to the region to stem operating losses.
If the proposal is approved, private airlines may get a subsidy of Rs 35 crore annually for operating flights to the routes in the north eastern states, which are economically unviable but socially important, officials said.
DoNER Ministry has been providing Alliance Air, an Air India subsidiary, an annual subsidy of Rs 35 crore for operating flights in the region but as services of the airline were not found "satisfactory", government was rethinking on continuing the assistance.
28/06/12 ZeeNews

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Jet passengers hit by loaders’ strike

Indore: An indefinite strike by loaders working with a company handling Jet Airways passengers affected loading services at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar airport, Indore here on Wednesday. The loaders went on strike from Tuesday to press for their demands including status of their PF accounts.
The strike led to a chaotic scene at the airport as the confused passengers had to carry their own luggage. It specially caused inconvenience to the elderly and disabled passengers. It is learnt the 70 loaders have gone on strike demanding better pay and their PF status. The employees had in a notice to the management send four days back warned of the strike if their demands were not met with. A representative of the employees told TOI that they went on strike after the management failed to respond to their repeated requests.
28/06/12 Times of India

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IndiGo Srinagar-Mum flight suffers bird hit, passengers safe

Srinagar: A Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight, with 182 passengers and six crew members on-board, today suffered a bird hit immediately after it took off from the Srinagar Airport.
The aircraft returned to the airport and all on-board were safe, an IndiGo statement said here.
"IndiGo flight 6E- 448 departed on time from Srinagar on its way to Mumbai with 182 passengers and six crew members. As soon as the flight was airborne, the pilot suspected a bird hit and as per the safety regulations, the pilot landed the aircraft safely in Srinagar," it said.
28/06/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Flight at dawn from Mysore airport soon

Mysore: If all goes well, commercial flights will take wing from the Mysore airport at Mandakalli this Dasara season.
The Jet Airways has given an in-principle approval to a proposal from the civil aviation ministry. “The only thing remaining is confirmation,” C?Manjunath, director?of the airport, told Deccan Herald.
He said the private airline was making a preliminary study to reschedule its flights. It may launch the services in October, coinciding with?Nada Habba?Dasara.
Manjunath said his office had forwarded a proposal to reschedule the arrival and departure of flights. If the departure is scheduled for 7 am, it will help bonafide passengers catch connecting flights in other prominent cities. If the flight makes a return journey in the evening and halts at night at the airport, it would be more helpful, he said.
27/06/12 Sreekantswamy B/Deccan Herald

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When will India have low-cost airports?

Mumbai: Last week, the dearth of low-cost airports was again bemoaned in India, this time, by the operators of IndiGo and Spice Jet. These two carriers have sought government nod to move their international operations away from Delhi's T3 to domestic terminal 1D. The carriers reasoned that they cannot afford the higher cost of operations in T3. And very rightly so. Why should a low-cost airline be forced to operate from a high-cost terminal? IndiGo, with about 24 percent market share, is currently the largest LCC in the Indian market. Spice Jet's market share is 18.5. IndiGo operates eight flights per week to Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, and Kathmandu from Delhi. SpiceJet operates to Kathmandu from Delhi and it will be launching services to Dubai from next month.

If anything, these airlines should be at least not forced to operate from a particular terminal when there are other cheaper options to go to. A PTI report said that the overhead operational charges that low-cost airlines have to pay for operating from T3 are around 300 percent higher than same from the domestic terminal.
27/06/12 Manju V/Times of India

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AAI turns to ongc; wants to use terminal

Mumbai: In the absence of a lobby and a waiting area for private passengers because of a delayed construction plan of a new terminal at the Juhu aerodrome, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has approached the Oil and Natural Gas Corpo-ration to use its fully furnished terminal for the same.
Currently, private passengers, mainly corporates, who charter helicopter services, board the flight with virtually no security check at the aerodrome. They enter through the main gate and directly head to one of the several hangars near the airport boundary and board the flight.
27/06/12 Asian Age

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'Let Navy concede to dual airports'

Panaji: Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco on Tuesday demanded that chief minister Manohar Parrikar produce a letter from the Navy stating that the Dabolim airport would co-exist after the commissioning of the Mopa Greenfield airport.
He said the chief minister, after the Cortalim election was declared, had announced that Dabolim would continue to operate even after Mopa becomes a reality. To this, Reginaldo said, "I believe the chief minister is not the competent authority to give assurances on the subject. From what I know, it is the Navy which has to clear the air on the Dabolim airport," he said pointing out that it is a naval airport.
27/06/12 Times of India

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India flight faces another delay in Doha

Manama: More than 150 passengers who were stranded in Bahrain for nearly two days after an Air India Express flight developed a technical snag faced another hiccup in Doha yesterday (June 26) as their flight was delayed for eight hours.
Air India Express flight IX4744 departed Bahrain for Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala at 7.50am yesterday after its passengers were stuck in the country for 36 hours.
However, it faced another delay during a stopover in Doha when a warning went off in the plane's fire alarm system.
27/06/12 Trade Arabia.com

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Gold chains, rings a customs issue at airports

Kozhikode: Walking out through the green channel of any airport in the country wearing even a single gold chain or ring could invite trouble from customs officials.
Thanks to an age-old duty exemption limit fixed by the Union finance ministry, customs officials can intercept and ask you to pay customs duty if women are found wearing gold jewellery worth over Rs 20,000 or in the case of men Rs 10,000. Going by the existing gold price, the women of world's most gold crazy nation can bring into country only 7.1 gm of gold ornaments duty free. For men, the limit is a paltry 3.5 gm.
Though the Indian Custom Baggage Rules of 1998 were amended by the finance ministry in 2006, the limits for duty-free jewellery imports were left untouched. Adding to the woes of the passengers, the Centre in its last budget revised the duty rates for excess gold carried in person from Rs 750 per 10 gm to the ad valorem rate of 10% of the value of the ornaments plus 3% of the duty as education cess.
27/06/12 KR Rajeev/Times of India

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Flight returns after technical snag detected

Chennai: A Singapore bound Air India flight with 144 passengers on board returned to Anna International terminal here soon after take off today following a technical snag, airport sources said. The flight left for Singapore this afternoon, but reported a technical snag in mid air, following which it returned and landed at around 4 PM, they said.
27/06/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Indira Gandhi International Airport to use 3 runways together

New Delhi: In three months, circling over Delhi Airport due to congestion could become history as its three runways will be used simultaneously for almost the entire day. This move will take up runway movement from around 55-60 per hour to almost 80.
During trials that are on at present, the airport has successfully handled 75-80 flights per hour.
"The trials are on till Friday after which operating procedures will be finalized. Simultaneous operations are on only during a few crucial peak hours in the morning and we will continue like that till we are able to get extra people," said a senior airport official.
Sources said that when fully implemented by October, simultaneous operations would be carried out for most part of the day, except for a few lean hours. At night its usage would depend upon requirement since domestic operations completely cease for a few hours post midnight.
26/06/12 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Increased Passenger Traffic Accelerating Airports Revenue in India

A new research report by RNCOS “Indian Airports Market Assessment”, says that Airport infrastructure in India is witnessing improvisation and expansion on a massive scale, with the Government avidly supporting private participants. Indian airports remain heavily dependent upon flight-related activities for earning their revenue. Airports charge from the airline customers for the facilities they use. Therefore, if the passenger traffic increases, the airport’s revenue will also grow by the same proportion. Rise in per capita income will make air travel more affordable for Indian travelers, leading to growth in passenger traffic. It is anticipated that by FY 2015, Indian airports (including domestic and international) passenger traffic will grow to 256 Million passengers.
Our research further highlights that the airport sector has managed to attract considerable private interest. According to the 11th Plan projections, private investment towards airport infrastructure was expected to contribute INR 231.55 Billion, which is 64% of the total investment. The PPP route has progressively gained importance and is being used either for modernization or construction of airports or only for city-side development at airports.
26/06/12 openPR

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GMR moves appellate tribunal for higher aeronautical charges

Bangalore: GMR Infrastructure has appealed to the Appellate Tribunal to further increase the aeronautical charges at the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) that it manages. The Bangalore-based publicly-held infrastructure developer’s move comes hardly a month after the airport tariff regulator, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), allowed a 16 per cent return on equity, while GMR had sought a 24 per cent return.
A GMR spokesperson confirmed that the company had filed an appeal for higher returns on its equity, saying 16 per cent was an option that would be difficult for the company to sustain.The company said considering additional investments done as per the terms of the concession, including capacity building and new features factored in, the rate increase effective from May 15 this year was less than half of the requested increase, and therefore, inadequate.
26/06/12 Raghuvir Badrinath/Business Standard

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Bird hit forces Madurai flight to return

Chennai: A bird-hit forced a Madurai-bound flight to return to base after it took off from Chennai airport on Sunday.
The bird-hit was reported about 20 minutes after the flight took off at 10.40am. The Madurai-bound Jet Airways flight had 60 passengers onboard.
When the pilot realised that a bird had hit the flight, he radioed the air traffic control that he is returning because of the incident, an airport official said.
After the passengers were moved to the terminal, engineers inspected the aircraft. As no serious damage was detected the same flight was cleared for operation after about an hour, an airport official said.
25/06/12 Times of India

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Dragonair’s Kolkata to Hong Kong flight may miss October deadline

Kolkata: The much-awaited Kolkata to Hong Kong direct flight by Dragonair is likely to miss its October schedule. The sister airline of Cathay Pacific Airways anticipates a delayed beginning of the service, as Kolkata airport’s integrated terminal is far from meeting its October deadline for completion.
According to Mr Rakesh Raicar, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager South Asia, Dragonair, the company is awaiting a ‘definite’ date to start operations from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“We wanted to begin operations from October. But, we still have to work with them requiring a definite start date. We will be meeting the officials from airport authority next week to decide whether they want to postpone,” Mr Raicar told Business Line.
26/06/12 Ayan Pramanik/Business Line

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Empty passenger shuttle catches fire at airport

Chennai: A passenger shuttle bus of Kingfisher Airlines caught fire inside operational area of the airport here today. There were no passengers inside when the accident happened.
Sources said that emanating from its AC compressor at the rear when the bus was driven from its bay. The smoke was spotted and the bus was stopped. Fire tenders from airport were brought and it was extinguished before it could spread. Initial investigation showed that a spark in the compressor might have triggered the fire, said an official.
26/06/12 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Terminally delayed airport

Calcutta: A panorama of the airport’s integrated terminal on Monday shows about 20 per cent of the structure to the left and facilities in the foreground still a long way from completion. (Amit Datta)
Calcutta airport’s litany of missed deadlines just grew longer with officials ruling out the promised transition from two inadequate terminals to an integrated one by Puja.
“For the integrated terminal to be fully functional by October, all construction activity and installation of equipment would need to be completed by next month. That looks an impossible target as of now,” a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told Metro.
26/06/12 The Telegraph

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Mock fire drill held at Nagpur airport

Nagpur: Airport Authority of India (AAI) conducted a mock fire drill at Nagpur airport on Monday morning. While such drills are conducted every one or two months, AAI bosses decided to do it today as fire at Mantralaya has heightened concerns about fire safety of important buildings.
AAI has a fire department of its own and help from outside is only sought when internal equipment and staff are inadequate. AAI has two fire tenders and two ambulances at the city airport.
Nagpur airport's fire manager Pradip Kumar Kasppy said that as per norms of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) the fire tenders should reach the spot in 90 seconds.
26/06/12 Times of India

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Security loopholes at Juhu airport despite threat

Mumbai: Juhu airport in Mumbai is the nerve centre of helicopter and small aircraft operations in Western India. Intelligence Bureau terror alerts last year warned the airport could provide a launch pad for terror attacks on the city. But despite urgent alerts by the intelligence bureau, CNN-IBN finds glaring loopholes in security and infrastructure at the airport.
Even as the air traffic control tower, hangars and helicopters lie unsecured, rows of choppers belonging corporate sector people and VIPs are parked just beside heaps of garbage.
President, Rotaract Wing Society Captain Uday Gelli said, "Juhu airport houses the largest number of helicopters in the country. They provided the maximum support to the oil and gas industry. So today if someone wants to play any mischief, they can actually get inside the airport and damage the helicopter."
25/06/12 Raksha Shetty/CNN-IBN/IBN Live

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26/11 terrorist arrested from Delhi airport

New Delhi: A 43-month international hunt for a key handler of terrorists who struck Mumbai has ended with the arrest of Abul Jundal alias Syed Zabiuddin who was detained in Saudi Arabia and sent here four days ago.
30-year-old Zabiuddin with another alias Riyasat Ali is an Indian national who is said to have been issuing directions from a 'control room' in Pakistan to 10 terrorists who went on a rampage in Mumbai in November, 2008 killing 166 persons.
Zabiuddin, who was deported from Saudi Arabia on India's request, was arrested on his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Delhi Police on June 21, police said.
He was remanded to police custody for 15 days by a Delhi court the same day.
25/06/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Madurai-Kochi Air India flight proposal is seen as a welcome move

Madurai: In a statement issued here, past president G. Vasudevan said that the proposed flight AI 9503 was likely to depart from Kochi at 3.30 p.m. and arrive at Madurai by 4.35 p.m. In its return journey, it would leave as AI 9504 and reach Kochi by 5.20 p.m.
This would be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with an ATR type Aircraft having a capacity of 72 passengers.
This flight service would be a boost to Madurai as it would connect the Temple City to a number of foreign destinations as Air India and many airliners such as Jet Airways, Spice Jet, Emirates Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia, Gulf Air, Tiger Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines and other carriers were operating from Kochi.
25/06/12 The Hindu

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IndiGo to fly to 5 Indian cities

IndiGo, the youngest Indian budget airline, will start flying to five new Indian cities next month, Adithya Ghosh, President and Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo announced in Dubai.
The problems currently faced by private airlines in India will not deter IndiGo from going ahead with its ambitious expansion plans, Ghosh added.
Launching an Arabic website of the airline for Middle East travellers, Indian Ambasador to the UAE N. K. Lokesh said the Indian community in the UAE seeks more efficient and affordable airlines.
The Ambassador also said the India-UAE civil aviation agreement will be reviewed in view of the demand for new seats from UAE-based airlines like RAK Airlines. Lokesh said: “IndiGo is known for its consistency and professionalism and they are always open to new ideas.”
Ten months after launching its first flight from Dubai, IndiGo will have six daily flights from Dubai. It is adding four extra flights to five new destinations.
25/06/12 VM Sathish/Emirates 24|7

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Constable dies due to ill health at airport

Hyderabad: A 30-year-old constable who was on VIP bandobust at RGI Airport police station died reportedly due to ill health on Sunday. The victim, Mallikarjuna, was a constable with APSP VII battalion in Ditchpally.
At 2 pm on Saturday, Mallikarjuna along with 14 of his colleagues had reported at the airport police station since every month, a team of APSP personnel get assigned the duty here for VIP bandobust.
After reporting to the officers, the APSP team went to a room on the second floor of the police station to take rest. While they were sleeping, at about 4 am on Sunday, Mallikarjuna complained of severe headache and his colleagues rushed him to a private hospital.
"Doctors asked him get admitted but Mallikarjuna said that he was feeling better and asked his colleagues to take him back to the police station. After an hour, when the constables woke up and checked on Mallikarjuna, they found him unconscious. He was rushed to the same hospital. He was declared brought dead," RGI Airport inspector D Durga Prasad said.
25/06/12 Times of India

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Private airlines adopts RNP approach for safe landing

New Delhi: Seeking to put in place a more secure and safe landing system and save fuel, IndiGo Airlines on Saturday conducted the first ever Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach in regular airline operations while landing at Kochi their scheduled flight from Bangalore.
The airlines has collaborated with Quovadis, a subsidiary of Airbus, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to put in place a safe landing procedure at the Kochi International Airport. IndiGo has become the first carrier in India authorised to implement this effective, fuel-saving practice. The Kochi International Airport is India’s seventh busiest airport, and equipped with one Instrument Landing System (ILS) on runway 27 and a VOR (both ground based installations) that are used for guidance for landing procedures on both ends of the runway.
The entire process that has been successfully validated on the Airbus simulators and in the aircraft has now been flown successfully in regular commercial operations by IndiGo on its Airbus A320 on Friday.
24/06/12 Sujay Mehdudia/The Hindu

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India's first: IndiGo uses fuel saving navigation

Mumbai: No-frill carrier IndiGo on Saturday became the first Indian airline to carry out a landing at the Kochi airport using Required Navigation Performance Approach, a system that allows an aircraft to be guided by a sophisticated on-board navigation system instead of ground-based equipment. The system will also shorten the distance on each approach by 75 km and lead to fuel saving of 400 kg on each landing.
The system is being implemented only at Kochi airport at present and is useful at airports that have no ground instruments like Instrument Landing System. Other airlines too are training crew for RNP approach but are yet to receive an approval.
RNP, by allowing the use of on-board systems and satellite-based Global Positioning System, frees the plane from dependence on conventional ground-based navigation installations. An airline spokesperson said first plane to use the RNP approach flew from Bangalore on Saturday.
24/06/12 Business Standard

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Knives barred in kitchen, IGI Airport food loses taste edge

New Delhi: The capital's IGI airport may be India's most modern aviation hub but passengers flying through are deprived of something as basic as freshly cooked meals at its numerous restaurants.
Reason: the eateries were prohibited from keeping steel knives for a month last January as an international team was coming for an inspection. But since the permission has not been granted again, food is cooked outside; tomato and onion are sliced outside for salad and then brought to T3 and 1D.
As a result, what passengers get is food prepared earlier and just warmed before being served. Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) has now approached the civil aviation ministry to intervene and get the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to allow steel knives in the IGI kitchens again. Ironically, small steel knives and forks are given in food trays on board aircraft.
24/06/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Goa govt to invite global bids for Mopa airport in Sept

Mumbai: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said all concerns for the greenfield airport in Goa had been addressed, and global tenders for the project would be invited in September.
After sweeping to power earlier this year, Parrikar has pushed for the airport in Mopa, north Goa. Though the project had secured the Centre’s in-principle approval in March 2000, it has been stuck ever since, owing to land acquisition woes and litigation. Politicians from south Goa have also protested against the project, saying it would considerably increase travel time to the new airport from south Goa.
“Whenever we set about projects, people always have differing views. There are difficulties. We will overcome these. There are no hurdles in the way. We will complete 95 per cent of the land acquisition by July, and plan to issue global tenders in September,” Parrikar told Business Standard.
24/06/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Jet Airways seeks govt nod to cut down flights to North East

Mumbai/New Delhi: After posting a loss of Rs 298 crore in the last quarter, Jet Airways has sought government clearance to scale down its flights to the northeastern region by about half to stem the losses.
The airline, which currently operates around 38 daily services in several northeastern destinations, has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to allow it bring these operations down by nearly 50%, sources said, adding there has been no response from the Ministry on the matter as yet.
AI, Jet cut commission of agents to save costs
Operations in the northeast are guided by the government's Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) which entails that all Indian carriers fly to the northeast and other remote parts of the country, more so as a social obligation.
24/06/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Flying to nearby cities abroad to get cheaper

New Delhi: Air travel to East and West Asia is set to get easier, with carriers SpiceJet and IndiGo expanding their capacity for these destinations, following a green signal to do so.
Indian air carriers are well behind foreign peers in utilising the traffic rights allocated under the bilateral services agreements India has signed with 109 countries. There are 834,000 weekly seats on international air routes connecting all these countries with India. Indian airlines have been able to utilise only 23 per cent of the total seat allocations till now; after the new set of permissions, this is set to increase to 40 per cent.
Underserved to a great extent are short-haul destinations, as most airlines would rather take passengers to onward destinations such as Europe and America.
24/06/12 Ruchika Chitravanshi & Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Stranded for four days at Muscat airport, Indian flies home finally

Muscat: An Indian expatriate living in Damam, Saudi Arabia was stranded at the Muscat International Airport for nearly 4 days after having lost his passport but was finally able to fly home when the airline staff recovered his passport after some round of checks in their aircraft across various sectors.
Everything went smooth for Mansoor Puthoor Parangotil hailing from Kozhikode district of Kerala when he took off from Damam International Airport on June 18 for a journey via Muscat and Mumbai before reaching his native town until he realised that his passport was left behind inside seat pouch of the person sitting in the front.
Security officials couldn’t permit him return to the aircraft as it was against the civil aviation law but was assured that his passport will be reaching at the Gate No 19 before he could board the next flight to Mumbai. He was then asked to wait at the Gate No 4 where his passport was hoped to be delivered.foreign jun
“I couldn’t get my passport back even after the next flight took off to Mumbai as I was seeing from the waiting area and it continued till Thursday, the fourth day of his worries”, a panicked Mansoor told Observer on his Oman GSM which he borrowed from a cleaner inside the airport.
23/06/12 Oman Observer

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Surat airport is hot topic for the top BJP leaders

Surat: IT has become a common practice for the top brass of BJP leaders to raise the issue of air connectivity and playing a political blame-game during their visit to the diamond city.
The latest has come from BJP's national spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad during his maiden visit to the diamond city on Saturday. In less than a hour after he arrived on the Surat airport from Mumbai, Prasad was briefed about the burning political issue of lack of air connectivity.
At the press meeting, Prasad had reserved about 15 minutes of his speech slot for the airport topic. On the very onset, Prasad said that Surat is the mini-India and it is really disheartening to know that the city has only two flights to Delhi and that the rest of the important destinations across the country are still not connected.
24/06/12 Times of India

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Flight leaves without MoS though he arrives on time

Bhopal: Minister of State for Public Service Management Brijendra Pratap Singh remained stranded at Raja Bhoj airport here on Saturday after Air India staff prevented him from boarding the Delhi-bound aircraft.
The Minister, along with two officials, was scheduled to go to New York to receive the United Nations Public Service award on behalf of the State. The Minister was in possession of a valid ticket for New Delhi, but the Air India staff did not entertain it saying there is no room in the aircraft. He was also informed that the company follows a first come first serve' policy, under which those who reached early had been allowed to board the flight.
The Deputy Secretary of his department boarded the flight only a few minutes before the Minister. Singh told mediapersons that he had reached Bhopal airport to board the Air India flight scheduled for New Delhi an hour prior to his departure. However, he was not provided with the boarding pass.
23/06/12 Daily Pioner

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Mihan land muddle hampering IAF plans for airbase

Nagpur: Uncertainty over the Mihan project seems to have finally put paid to any Indian Air Force (IAF) plans for the city airbase.
IAF was operating a transport base with Russian-made IL-76 aircraft here, but the squadron was shifted last year to the northern sector. Since the land here remains under IAF, it planned to position another transport fleet here, with a probability of the C-130s acquired from US or the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) mounted on IL-76s being brought here.
However, as confusion over land swap with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), which is developing Mihan, continues, IAF has now shelved its plans to use the airbase here. There are no plans for the Sonegaon airbase for at least the next year or may be more, say sources in the IAF.
23/06/12 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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SITA to bid for IT system at airports

Brussels: SITA is planning to bid for the IT systems that will be used at the secondary airports that the Indian Government is planning to modernise.
Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques or SITA is a pioneer in international telecommunications for the air transport industry.
Stating that the company was not an airport development company and therefore will only look to bid for IT services at the secondary airports, the President, Middle East, India and Africa, Mr Hani El Assaad expressed the hope that SITA will become a partner for the development of the airport business in India. He added that India was an “interesting and challenging market” for the company.
The Indian Government estimates that an investment of around Rs 67,000 crore will be required during the 12th plan period for the development and modernisation of airports around the country. India has over 450 airports of which less than 100 are currently operational.
23/06/12 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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GoAir flight for Ranchi via Delhi

Patna: In a bid to cater to the growing number of flyers for Ranchi, GoAir is going to redirect one of its flights departing from the Jaiprakash Narayan International airport here to Ranchi via Delhi from July 3, 2012.
According to the air traffic statistics released in 2012, the Patna and Ranchi airports have witnessed a heavy rush of passengers this year. In 2011-2012, the Patna airport recorded 21.8% growth in the number of passengers while the Ranchi airport witnessed a growth of 35.2 %.
Manmohan Tiwari, station manager, GoAir, said, "The timing of the GoAir flight, number G8-342, would remain unchanged. The flight departs from Patna airport at 9.05am everyday and it would reach Ranchi via Delhi and finally arrive at Patna again," he said. However, the other two existing flights for Ranchi and Delhi would continue to operate.
23/06/12 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

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Indicator light glitch in Delhi-bound IAF aircraft

Guwahati: A Delhi-bound IAF aircraft with 196 personnel on board hovered over the airport here for a little while following a minor glitch in an indicator light of the landing gear and landed safely after ATC clearance.
The IL-76 'Gajraj' aircraft, flying to Delhi from Bangalore via Guwahati, was asked to circle around the the Lokpriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here after the pilot reported malfunctioning of the indicator light of the landing gear, defence sources said.
After the mandatory checks, the ATC told the pilot that the landing gear was fully functional and he can have a normal landing, the sources said.
The aircraft arrived with 196 defence personnel on board and 40 passengers were offloaded at the airport here while 40 others boarded the flight for the onward journey to Delhi.
23/06/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Farmers oppose Trichy airport runway expansion

Trichy: The inordinately delayed process of runway expansion at the Trichy airport from the existing 8,136 ft to at least a length of 10,500 ft, once again met with turbulence from the farming community on Friday.
At the farmers' grievance day meeting with the district collector on Friday, farmers vehemently opposed the runway expansion plan as about 160 acres of their livelihood (wet land) would have to be sacrificed for the proposed runway. State vice president of Bharthiya Kisan Sangam, Ayyakkannu reminded the meeting that the present runway itself was built over what was known as canal no 15 in 2003, as a result of which as many as 816 acres land was destined to remain dry. Moreover, the present expansion plan envisages to run over the 50-ft-wide Uyyankondan canal at the east of the airport, which runs at 18 feet below the airport runway level.
23/06/12 Dennis Selvan/Times of India

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Man wanted by Mumbai cops nabbed at Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad: A team of immigration officials at the city airport nabbed Mohammed Sajid, a man wanted in a cheating case by Mumbai police, and handed him over to Sardarnagar police for further procedure. City police said that the Mumbai police had been informed about the arrest.
According to Sardarnagar police, Sajid came in an early morning flight of Air Arabia and landed at the city airport. When he was in immigration clearance, the officers on duty searched his name and found him in Interpol's red-corner notice. Sajid was immediately detained from the spot and police were informed. Soon the police got his custody.
23/06/12 Times of India

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Sri Lankan held at IGI Airport with fake visa

New Delhi: A Sri Lanka national has been arrested from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for traveling on a forged Schengen visa, police said on Saturday.
Kirupakaran Muthulingam, who hails from Colombo, arrived in the city late on Thursday evening and was scheduled to board a connecting Air France flight to Paris on Friday morning.
“He was stopped after an immigration officer at Terminal 3’s departure wing suspected that the Schengen visa on his passport’s page number 13 to be fake,” a senior police official said. It was later confirmed by Air France’s document advisor that the visa was forged.
23/06/12 Deccan Herald

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Did not request to revise agreement with government: GMR

Male: Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) operator GMR, India has stated that it did not request to amend the agreement between the Male International Airport Private Limited and the government.
While GMR has made the statement, President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has sought the opinion from pro-government parties to deal with GMR. Few replies sent by some parties to the President read that it is important for the future of the Maldives legally, constitutionally, economically and in terms of national security to take over the handling of the airport from GMR.
President’s office spokesperson, Abbas Adil Riza said that a cabinet committee is holding discussions on the issue with GMR. However, he said that he had no information about what was being discussed in the meetings.
23/06/12 Abdullah Jameel/Haveeru Online

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Soon, flights to Lanka from Madurai

Madurai: The members of the Travel Club, Madurai met the Sri Lankan minister of civil aviation, Piyankara Jayaratne and urged him to commence operations of their national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines, from Colombo to Madurai.
The Travel Club members, led by their president B S G Mustafa met Jayaratne on June 20 in Colombo and submitted a petition in this regard. The delegation also made a detailed presentation in his chamber elaborating the market potential for international flight operations in the Madurai - Colombo sector given the fact that a large number of fliers are from the nine southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
23/06/12 Times of India

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Education official held with cartridges at Amausi airport

Lucknow: A deputy director in education department was taken into police custody from Lucknow airport after five live cartridges were found in his possession.

According to reports, deputy director (education department) Ahibaran Singh was about to board a Delhi flight on Thursday, when CISF found five live cartridges of .32 bore in his possession. Singh was taken into custody and handed over to Sarojininagar police.

22/06/12 Times of India

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AAI to train airport executives from Africa and Afghanistan

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will train more than 100 aviation professionals from African countries on operation and management of airports this year.

The short training programme will be done as part of a cooperation agreement India has signed with the African Union. Indian Aviation Academy (IAC) sponsored by AAI will train the officials from Africa for 10 days.

"We have trained around 20 executives from Afghanistan. Another batch will be taking our course this year. The academy trains them on all aspects of airport operation including safety and security," said Dinesh Kumar, director, Indian Aviation Academy.

22/06/12 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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MIAL drags KFA to court over cheque dishonour

The difficulties of cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines are increasing with each passing day with the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) now dragging the airline to court for dishonouring cheques issued by them amounting to Rs30 crore.

Both MIAL and Kingfisher Airlines officials declined to comment on the issue.

A similar case was filed earlier this month by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) against the airline for the dishonouring of cheques amounting to Rs3 crore.

Apart from these two cases, five cheques of about Rs121 crore issued by Kingfisher Airlines to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) bounced over a period of time earlier this year, for which the Indian government is seeking legal action against the airline.

22/06/12 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Arvind Kejriwal deplaned from Kingfisher flight, protests

Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday deplaned from a Kingfisher Airlines flight in New Delhi while he was on his way to Dharamsala. The anti-corruption crusader said he was singled out even when he was carrying a valid ticket, adding that no reason was given to him for same.

"No reason was given by the aircraft before offloading me," said the key Team Anna member.

Talking to mediapersons outside the airport, Kejriwal said, "I believe some corrupt forces forced the airlines to offload me."

22/06/12 CNN-IBN/IBN Live

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Panel for safer runway at Lengpui

Guwahati: An expert panel has recommended installation of additional safety measures on the runway of Lengpui airport in Mizoram to avert incidents of planes overshooting the strip and crashing like it happened with a Cessna aircraft last year.

The panel, constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to probe the Cessna aircraft crash, recommended construction of safety areas at each end of the tabletop runway to help avert future disasters.

The runway-end safety area is a paved zone meant to reduce chances of damage if a plane overshoots the runway.

The panel, headed by former Indian Air Force safety head Air Marshal (retd) P.S. Ahluwalia, said in its report that the Lengpui runway did not have the end areas, which, if available, would increase the level of safety of the airport.

According to DGCA norms, a runway-end safety area should extend from the end of a runway strip to a distance of at least 90 metres and its width should be at least twice that of the runway.

21/06/12 Pankaj Sharma/The Telegraph

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AAI plans to collate database of 10 airports

Brussels: Air travellers at 10 domestic airports can look forward to a much better experience at these terminals. Those waiting to receive or see them off too can be assured of faster and accurate information about flight schedules.

This will be possible with the state-owned airport operator, the Airports Authority of India, thinking of collating the database of these airports at one location . The airports on its radar, which currently function as standalone entities, include Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchi, Kozhikode and Kolkata.

The Authority’s officials confirmed the development on the sidelines of the Air Transport IT Summit being hosted by SITA, the world’s leading specialist in air communication and IT, in Brussels.

The airports manager plans to rope in a technical partner to undertake the project of collating and managing the data. The agreement may involve the company running the project for up to seven years, officials said.

21/06/12 Business Line

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Thieves on the prowl at airport

Chennai: Kind attention of passengers waiting at the departure terminal of Chennai airport for international flights. Please double strap your baggage before handing it over to the check-in counters, for loaders may steal an item or two. This could well serve as a good announcement as several passengers complain of losing things from their x-ray scanned-and-sealed baggage. The arrest of four loaders on Tuesday came as a reminder of the menace. Airport officials say they are doing their best to prevent thefts. "We have CCTV cameras installed at all places covering the corridor at the baggage area inside the airport. There are plans to install more CCTV cameras. We are also thinking of alternative arrangements to curb thefts," said airport director H S Suresh. Though police statistics show only a few cases, passengers say they often don't bother to complain. Many passengers realise the theft after they reach the destinations, and some feel they had left behind some things back home.

21/06/12 Times of India

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Chaos at Chennai airport

Chennai: It was chaos at the city airport on Wednesday with three aircraft including an international flight from Riyadh being diverted to other airports in the country.

Arrivals and departures of other flights were also delayed by about 10 to 45 minutes due to closure of a portion of the runway and two taxiways at the airport from 7 am to 1 pm.

“There was utter confusion as a lot of planes began circling around the city waiting to land during the partial closure period,” said airport sources.

While the Saudi Arabian airline diverted their flight to Mumbai halfway through to Chennai after hearing about the milling works, flights from Madurai and Hyderabad were redirected to Bengaluru airport before returning to the city later in the day.

21/06/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Chakan-Rajgurunagar airport land proposal to be submitted to GA next week

Pune: Even as the state government has allocated funds for airports in the state, the land acquisition plan for the proposed international airport in Chakan-Rajgurunagar area in Pune is yet to reach the General Administration (GA) department, under which the state civil aviation department functions.

The GA department maintains that to take the airport plan forward, they need the land acquisition plan from the Pune district administration.

“We understand the importance of an international airport in Pune. We are waiting for the Pune divisional commissioner and Pune district collector to submit the plan for land acquisition. The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) is the nodal agency that will develop the airport,’’ said deputy secretary, General Administration, RT Jadhav.

The district administration said the delay was caused after the government first sought acquisition of 1,600 hectares and later 2,100 hectares.

21/06/12 Nisha Nambiar/Express India

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Nine held for sending people abroad on forged passports

The police have arrested nine persons, including two Afghan nationals who have been living as refugees in India for over 20 years, and the manager of Turkmenistan Airlines in Amritsar, in a case of getting passports made by fraudulent means to help people travel abroad.

While the airlines manager has been identified as Dinesh Kurl, Afghan nationals are Pritam Singh and his wife Ajit Kaur. They were arrested after their extradition from Doha — the transit point — to Amritsar. According to sources, police came to know of the racket at the time of these Afghan nationals were boarding the flight, but let them go after alerting the authorities in Doha.

Among those arrested is also a head constable, Kulbir Singh — posted at division number 6 — accused of wrongly verifying the false address that helped Pritam and his family get passports on fake identities.

21/06/12 Indian Express

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Engineer held with cocaine worth Rs 1 crore

A software engineer from Mumbai has been arrested for smuggling cocaine worth over Rs 1 crore, said crime branch officials. Cops said Murtaza (42), a resident of Mira Road in Mumbai, used to smuggle cocaine into the capital from Mumbai. "We have arrested him with 15gm of cocaine worth more than Rs 1 crore in the international market. He had come to the city using an Air India flight and was going to deliver the cocaine at certain locations in south Delhi,'' said additional DCP (crime) Bhism Singh. Cops said to avoid being caught, Murtaza often used a Mumbai-Kolkata-Delhi air route to smuggle drugs into the city.

Cops said he started smuggling drugs after a close relative Naved initiated him into the trade. "The accused completed his engineering from Dubai and returned to Mumbai in 2006.

21/06/12 Dwaipayan Ghosh/Times of India

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NRI heartland Doaba to get its first air connectivity

Chandigarh: The NRI heartland of Punjab — Doaba, where toy models of aeroplanes sell like hot cakes and concrete 'flying eagles' are perched atop plush homes — will finally have its frequent travellers plan their vacation from an airport of their own. On Wednesday, Punjab finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa made a brief announcement during the budget session in the Assembly about the new airport at Jalandhar near Adampur, decades after the Punjabi diaspora created a wave of affluence back home.

At present, the airport is run by the Indian Air Force. The air force base here is the second largest in India. TOI has learnt that a request by the Punjab government to obtain the no objection certificate (NOC) was sent to the Union ministry of defence on April 20 this year. "The proposal was made long before the budget session on a request by deputy CM Sukhbir Badal,who is also the civil aviation minister. The pattern for this airport will be based on the civil air terminal at Chandigarh,Pathankot and Bathinda,"Vishwajeet Khanna, Punjab civil aviation secretary, told TOI.

21/06/12 Times of India

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Juhu can take load off airport

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is thinking of using the aerodrome in Juhu to take the load off the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Experts are looking into the possibility of developing the aerodrome to handle smaller aircraft, Ajit Singh, aviation minister, told DNA on Wednesday.

Singh, who was in Mumbai on Monday to review the renovation and development of the international airport, said the Maharashtra government had formed a special task force, headed by the chief secretary, to expedite the work as well as study how to get rid of slums around the airport area.

Since the rehabilitation of slum dwellers is still pending, the renovation work is happening in fits and starts. Unsure of when it would get over, authorities, along with the ministry, have started looking for alternatives — the Juhu aerodrome being one.

21/06/12 Nikhil S Dixit /Daily News & Analysis

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Pre-departure clearance to aircraft to be upgraded

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Pre-departure clearance to aircraft by Air Traffic Control (ATC) in India is all set for a major technology upgradation as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Mumbai Airport has begun trial operations of data link communication.
The new system will eventually replace the present system of pre-departure clearances being given using voice communication and will eliminate possibility of human error thus enhancing safety and efficiency of operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
The trial operation was launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh during his visit to Mumbai June 18.
In addition to Mumbai, such data link departure clearance (DLC) systems are being deployed at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad International Airports.
20/06/12 News Track India

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'Intruder' boy stays undetected at A'bad airport for 8 hrs

Ahmedabad: In a major lapse in security at the Ahmedabad international airport, a 13-year-old boy spent more than eight hours in the ‘Operational Area’ of the aerodrome before he was detected by the security personnel.
The boy was first spotted on CCTV camera after which a patrolling party found him and handed him over to the Sardarnagar police at around 5 in the morning on Tuesday. (The ‘operational area’ is that part of the airport ground where aircraft can move or are stationed. It is strictly out-of-bounds for people not authorized to go there.)
Sources said that the boy had entered the operational area after climbing a tree just outside the boundary wall at the old terminus to see aircraft from up close. Police inspector of Sardarnagar police station, BS Solanki, said that the boy is a minor and, so far, no complaint has been registered against him.
20/06/12 Daily News & Analysis

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AAI to use DLC systems for pre-departure clearance

Mumbai: Pre-departure clearance to aircraft by Air Traffic Control in the country is all set for a major technology up-gradation. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun trial operations of Data Link Communication for pre-departure clearance at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. This will eventually replace the present system of voice based pre-departure clearances. The new system will eliminate possibility of human error and will enhance safety and efficiency of operations.
In addition to Mumbai, such Data Link Departure Clearance (DLC) Systems will be deployed at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad Inter]national Airports.
20/06/12 Business Line

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At Sahnewal airport, delay is the way

Ludhiana: The extension plan of Sahnewal airport runway is again facing a delay with the extension feasibility report not being submitted even after a month since the survey was conducted. The aviation department was to receive this report within a week. This delay would replicate in the entire process of acquiring the land and extending the runway, if it is feasible.
The last time government had to acquire 7.5 acres of land to install DVOR system at the airport, the project was delayed by a couple of years.
The Punjab government has asked Airport Authority of India ( AAI) to submit a feasibility report on extending the Sahnewal airport runway from existing 4,800 feet to 7,500 feet and the probable hurdles this may encounter.
20/06/12 Times of India

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Patna airport fears monsoon 'wading'

Patna: The onset of monsoon might have brought relief to the denizens of the state capital but the authorities at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport here are a worried lot. Reason: The height of trees at the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, popularly known as Patna zoo, will reduce the visibility of the runway during rainy season, making it difficult for the aeroplanes to land at the airport.
According to sources at the airport, landing of flights could be impossible if heavy rain lashed the city during monsoon period. The officials of the zoo stopped pruning of the 2917 trees last week after CM Nitish Kumar's concern over the depleting greenery. It is likely to add to the problem of short runway at the Patna airport, despite the fact that it is equipped with the Instrument Landing System, ILS CAT-1, that helps aeroplanes land safely during poor weather conditions when visibility is reduced below 1,600 metres.
20/06/12 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

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Delayed take-off: Airport projects live on hope

Mumbai: The story of new airports in India has been synonymous with regulatory uncertainties, government inertia and land acquisition woes. Put simply, it is a story of big promises, false starts and missed deadlines.
But the industry is still clinging to hopes after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced work would be awarded for three airports that would be built from scratch at new locations (greenfield airports) at Navi Mumbai, Goa and Kannur and new international airports at Lucknow, Varanasi, Coimbatore, Trichy and Gaya. Also, new hubs would be developed in Chennai and Delhi to make India a destination, as well as transit point.
Experts said the fact that the prime minister has thrown his weight behind these projects is expected to give a push to the airports in Navi Mumbai and Goa, which have been stuck for a decade. The government had begun planning a second airport in Mumbai from the mid-90s. Initially, it had examined three sites—Navi Mumbai, Rewas Mandwa and Sindhudurg—before selecting Navi Mumbai.
20/06/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Indigo plans Kochi-Dubai daily service

Kochi: Private airline operator Indigo plans to introduce a daily service from Kochi to Dubai from August 25. The service will operate from Kochi at 6.15 pm every day, the airline said. The minimum rate for a one-way trip will be Rs 5,600 per head and Rs 11,200 for a round trip. Ticket bookings on the Kochi-Dubai sector have been commenced, said Indigo president Aditya Ghosh. Following the introduction of the Kochi-Dubai service,
20/06/12 Times of India

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Jet Airways pulls Chennai-Kuala Lumpur flights

Kuala Lumpur: India's INDIA’S Jet Airways will suspend its daily Chennai-Kuala Lumpur flights on July 2, seven years after it commenced operations on this route.
The flight cessation was due to business realignment, rather than poor loads, according to a source. Passenger loads were good, averaging 75-85 per cent both ways.
Currently, Kuala Lumpur is the only Malaysian destination that Jet Airways flies to.
Sharitha Rajendran, travel consultant of Selangor-based Topaz Travels & Tours, said the suspension was a blow to the company, especially during the year-end school holidays as there was a shortage of seats. Business travel would also be impacted as the flight timings were ideal for a day trip to Chennai, she added.
20/06/12 S Puvaneswary/TTG Asia

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Two held at IGI airport with fake tickets

New Delhi: Two people were apprehended for entering IGI airport terminal buildings with fake tickets. Sachin Asri, a resident of Amarpalli Apartment in I P Extension, was arrested by the CISF around 11.45pm on Monday night when he was trying to get out of the gate number 5 of the departure level of Terminal 3, a senior CISF official said. Asri had entered the departure terminal holding a fake ticket of Royal Dutch Airlines. He was handed over to the police for further action.
20/06/12 PTI/Times of India

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Juhu airport CISF personnel to be housed

Mumbai: The Juhu airport can soon become safer as the state is making provisions for providing accommodation to the 174 sanctioned Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and their families. This could be given around the city, preferably in the extended suburbs of Navi Mumbai.
The CISF had not taken up the security at the Juhu airport, in spite of it being sanctioned last year by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), citing the Intelligence Bureau (IB) input that small aircrafts could be used for launching terror attacks in the city.
20/06/12 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Maharashtra Airport Development Company to woo pharma units for Mihan-SEZ

Nagpur: Concerned about Mihan-SEZ having mostly IT units that do not generate any cargo and too few manufacturing ones, its developer Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) is now focusing on attracting the pharmaceutical industries. This is because it is now felt that there is a little chance of any core manufacturing sector unit checking-in at SEZ here.

Bringing SEZs units within the ambit of minimum alternate tax (MAT) from 2011 has made the entire SEZ scheme unattractive as it reduces the tax sops considerably. With land in Mihan SEZ priced at Rs 60 lakh an acre and tax sops reduced, manufacturing industries are preferring regular industrial estates to SEZ, say sources in the business. They believed that this will give focus to the whole project and ultimately boost the region's economy.

16/06/12 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Madurai airport grounded

Madurai: An international connectivity from Madurai means a lot for the public of the southern districts in general and the industry in particular.

Probably, Madurai is the only city in the country with as much potential for international trade and tourism that has been deprived of international air connectivity, according to industrialists in Madurai. The disappointment among the trading community over non-inclusion of Madurai in the list of international airports was palpable.

"Madurai airport possesses a high-tech integrated world class terminal building built at a cost of Rs 130 crore. The runway was extended to 7500 feet to facilitate introduction of international flights.

16/06/12 Times of India

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Biman flight returns to Dhaka with 'snag'

Kolkata: A Biman Bangladesh Airbus A310 aircraft carrying 198 passengers was about to land in Kolkata around 10.40am when the pilot suspected a snag in the right engine. After hovering over Kolkata for a couple of minutes, the captain decided to return to Dhaka, as the airline's engineering base was located there.

In Dhaka, passengers were asked to disembark and a thorough check was conducted. When no snag was detected, the same aircraft left for Kolkata.

16/06/12 Times of India

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Central govt relaxes air travel to J&K for bureaucrats

New Delhi: Continuing the travel bonanza for 'babus', the government on Friday extended the rules - relaxing air travel to visit Jammu & Kashmir under the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) scheme - for another two years (till June 17, 2014). The move will allow all categories of central government employees to travel to Jammu & Kashmir by air, using either Air India or private airlines. But, they can travel only in 'Economy Class', irrespective of their entitlement.

"The idea is not only to provide the central government employee an additional facility as an incentive, but also to give a much needed boost to tourism in J&K in the wake of continuing peace in the Valley", said a senior official of the ministry of personnel which came out with an 'office memorandum' (OM) relating to extension of this facility on Friday.

15/06/12 Vishwa Mohan/Times of India

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Chandigarh airport: Cabinet nod to mutual exchange of land

Chandigarh: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal of the Ministry of Defence for mutual exchange of 2.50 acres of land between the UT Administration and Indian Air Force (IAF) for expansion of civil air terminal at Chandigarh Airport.

In order to expand the civil air terminal of Chandigarh Airport, the need was felt to have additional land transferred from defence area. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs & Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal had taken up the matter with the ministries concerned and followed up this issue.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has planned to expand Chandigarh Airport in order to augment air services from Chandigarh airport. However, as AAI does not have land to provide to the IAF which is required for any transfer of defence land, the UT Administration undertook to transfer an equal portion of land in Sector 31 to the IAF. This mutual exchange was approved by the Cabinet.

The defence land is to be transferred to the UT Administration on a permanent basis in lieu of an equal portion of land being transferred to the IAF. The additional land will be used by the authority for expansion of facilities at Chandigarh Airport.The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposal of the Ministry of Defence for mutual exchange of 2.50 acres of land between the UT Administration and Indian Air Force (IAF) for expansion of civil air terminal at Chandigarh Airport.

15/06/12 Indian Express

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BIAL launches its own taxi service to airport

Bangalore: The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on Thursday became the first airport in the country to have its own taxi services for its passengers.

The fleet has a total of 2,000 cars comprising brands such as Toyota Etios, Maruti Dzire and Mahindra Verito. While 1,400 cars were pressed into service on Thursday, the remaining 600 will come into the pool by the end of 2012.

This fleet will be in addition to the existing 550 KSTDC and 800 Meru taxies, BIAL president (operations) Hari Marar said.

The taxis are painted with a signature logo to help commuters identify them easily and will follow a uniform fare policy (Rs 17.50 per km) and will be tracked by Global Positioning Systems (GPS). These vehicles have been given by KSTDC, Meru and Mega cab companies and will operate 24/7.

14/06/12 Deccan Herald

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Planes of North East Shuttle grounded

Guwahati: Safety of the air passengers is on the top of the priority list of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and only recently, the planes of a private airlines company operating in the North East region have been grounded, said the Director General of Civil Aviation, EK Bharat Bhushan.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, Bhushan said that every possible step has been taken by the DGCA to ensure the safety of the passengers and necessary actions are being taken whenever required.

Commenting on the recent incident in the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi international airport where an Air India flight coming from Silchar lost one of its nose wheels during take off and the pilot and the co-pilot saved the lives of the passengers by managing to land the flight safely, Bhushan said that a thorough investigation into the matter is being conducted. He said that the report of the probe is expected within two weeks and the DGCA would take appropriate action immediately after receiving the report.

14/06/12 R Dutta Choudhury/The Assam Tribune

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Pilots walk out of full plane as 'duty ends'

Pilots of an Air India Express airline have refused to take off, citing duty hours, leaving passengers of a Trivandrum-bound flight stranded at the Dubai International airport.
The IX 538 flight to Kerala’s capital was scheduled to take off at 10.40pm and all passengers had checked in and even boarded the flight.
However, less than an hour before the scheduled departure a drunken passenger on the flight had to be evicted and the flight was delayed by an hour and a half.
“Later, the passengers were all asked to take their handbags and leave the aircraft. At around 12.30am we were all told that the flight has to be postponed by 15 hours because the pilots were refusing to work after duty hours,” says Sajan Veloor, an Ajman resident.
“According to the information provided to us, the pilots were arguing that their duty time was over and they would now work only after a 12 hour break. All the cabin crew were Indians,” he added.
Among the stranded passengers are those from two Trivandrum bound flight that were cancelled earlier in the day.
13/06/12 Joseph George/Emirates24|7

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AAI clears plans for metro station near Kolkata airport

Kolkata: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has cleared the Metro Railway station within the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. This station in the 32-km New Garia - Sector V section. AAI has however, made it clear that this station will have to be underground. Metro Railway had originally planned a station on the viaduct nearly 20 meters above the ground.
"This is a Rs 3,951-crore project. We will now have to re-evaluate the actual cost as it will go up due to the tunneling work to build the underground station. We are happy though that the project has been cleared," said Protyush Ghosh, DGMG, Metro Railway.
14/06/12 Times of India

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Chandigarh to exchange land with IAF: Punjab govt

New Delhi: Government Thursday approved the exchange of land between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Chandigarh administration for expanding the civil airport terminal there.
"The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Defence Ministry for mutual exchange of 2.50 acres of land between the Administration of Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF for expansion of civil terminal at the Chandigarh airport," an official release said here.
It said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has plans of expanding the Chandigarh airport to help augment air services from there.
14/06/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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Gujarat govt wants intra-state flights before ‘kite-flying’ in 2013

Gandhinagar: It seems to be a prime example of trial and error method. After failing in the first attempt, the Gujarat state government has once again revived plans to connect major centres in Saurashtra and Kutch with Ahmedabad and Surat through intra-state flights.
The Gujarat state government wants the service to take-off before the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2013.
“The plan is connect 8 to 10 important cities in Saurashtra and Kutch with Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. The Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) has already invited bids for the intra-state flights,” said a senior government official.
Some of the places that are planned to be connected with air with Ahmedabad and Surat include Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Ambaji, Bhuj, Mundra, Kandla and Diu. 20-seater turboprop planes would be used for the intra-state flights.
13/06/12 Sumit Khanna/Daily News & Analysis

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Flight delays continue to haunt Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Flight delays continue to haunt Mumbai airport. Data released by Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) for the month of May, shows that more than 250 flights were delayed once in five times they departed or arrived in the city.
According to the data, Air India (AI) flights and jet airways were delayed most. The data, which includes arrivals and departures, shows a total of 262 flights departed or arrived late. More delays were reported among flights arriving into the airport, compared to those departing from the city.
According to MIAL, 158 arriving flights were delayed more than 20 percent of the time they arrived in Mumbai. Of these 42 were AI flights, and 52 were Jet airways flights. Kingfisher, GoAir and Spice Jet had 14 delays each. Around 104 departing flights were delayed too. Thirty-eight of Jet airways departures were delayed, followed by AI's 27.
13/06/12 Times of India

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Stranded plane delays six others

Chennai: Six flights had to circle over the city for nearly 20 minutes on Tuesday after a snag-hit defence plane was stuck on the main runway of Chennai airport. Four flights ready for departure were also delayed. Flight operations at the airport came to a standstill for nearly half an hour from noon.
Sources said the nose wheel of the Coast Guard plane got jammed and the plane could not vacate the runway soon after landing around noon.
"As the plane was stuck we had to tell pilots of incoming flights to go around and circle till the aircraft was removed from the runway. Four departures were also delayed. All passengers were aboard and the planes were ready for departure," said an airport official.
13/06/12 Times of India

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Delhi-Srinagar flight makes emergency landing

Jammu: More than 130 passengers and crew of a Delhi bound flight had a miraculous escape after the aircraft made an emergency landing here at Jammu airport on Wednesday morning.
According to sources, the Indigo flight 6E-551 from Delhi to Srinagar via Jammu suddenly developed some technical snag and pilots of aircraft detected plumes of smoke from the lower portion of the plane, thorough censors.
13/06/12 Akshay Azad/Greater Kashmir

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Gold ‘bomb’ creates panic at Chennai airport

Chennai: All that glitters is not gold. Similarly, all unclaimed baggage is not bomb, Chennai airport authorities discovered on Tuesday, but not before a box lying for more than an hour at the car park near the domestic terminal created panic.
P. Lazar, a head constable, noticed the box and alerted the airport manager, who, in turn, called the bomb squad. The manager also spread information about the unclaimed baggage through the public announcement system at the airport.
Police soon cordoned off the area and the bomb squad arrived with sniffer dogs. It examined the box and declared to the relief of everyone that there were no explosives in it.
13/06/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Air passenger held for carrying 6 kg of gold ornaments

Chennai:A domestic air passenger was arrested at the airport here for allegedly concealing six kg of gold ornaments, airport sources said. Santhosh Kumar, who arrived here from Hyderabad, was found to have concealed the gold ornaments, the sources said.
13/06/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Radar shutdown delays flights in Kolkata

Kolkata: As many as 10 afternoon flights in and out of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose airport were delayed by 15-20 minutes on Tuesday following the shutdown of radar for maintenance.
Though the shutdown was planned and notices had been issued to carriers in advance, the delays were inevitable as separation or distance between aircraft was increased to ensure safety.
13/06/12 Times of India

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Shoes off in tighter airport security

New Delhi: Airports across India are set to recalibrate security equipment to make them significantly more sensitive. In a couple of months, doorframe metal detectors (DFMDs) are likely to be able to detect even very small pieces of jewellery or metal in shoes, besides surgical or cosmetic implants in a passenger’s body.
Passengers will be required to remove their shoes and all possible pieces of metal, including jewellery, from their person before passing through the DFMD. A full physical patdown will follow. Passengers at many major western airports already take off their shoes before going through the metal detector.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)’s effort to recalibrate DFMDs at Indian airports to international specifications is intended to tackle attempts by terrorists to “creatively construct and conceal weapons”, a top aviation security source said.
13/06/12 Vijaita Singh/Financial Express

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Airports Authority of India to clear runway path for big aircraft

Chennai: Airports Authority of India (AAI) is working to ensure that the entire length of the extended portion of the secondary runway will be available for use before it is open for traffic. Though the runway is extended across the Adyar River, nearly 2,559 feet of the runway cannot be immediately used because of obstacles like tall towers and buildings in the flight approach path.
"We have asked the state government to speed up removal of obstacles on 12-end (extended portion on the Manapakkam end) of the runway so the entire extended portion of can be used, allowing bigger aircraft to use the strip" said airport director H S Suresh. This will help bigger aircraft to land on the secondary runway.
12/06/12 Times of India

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Nitish Kumar slams AAI on 'irresponsible' statements

New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Airport Authority of India(AAI) today for its 'irresponsible' statements threatening to close down Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport here apparently on safety concerns there.
''The AAI officials should know that the operations of flights at an airport and related matters are the responsibility of the Centre and not of the state government,'' he told reporters here.
The state government had on its own trimmed trees around the airport, including at the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, to make flight operations safe. ''But it appears that AAI wants to cut all the trees to satisfy its 'whims'.
11/06/12 Financial Express

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Zurich Airport eyes Navi Mumbai, Goa

Mumbai: Even as German airport developer Fraport AG is shutting its operations in India, deciding to sell its small stake in the Delhi airport, its competitor in Europe, Zurich Airport, is bullish on Asia’s third-largest economy. The company is eying investments in the greenfield international airport projects at Navi Mumbai and Goa.
“Zurich Airport is planning further investments in Navi Mumbai and Goa. In general, we are interested in any airport with two to three million or more passengers a year,’’ company spokesperson Michael Stief said in an emailed response to Business Standard. Ending speculation the company would sell its five per cent stake in the GVK-controlled Bengaluru International Airport Limited, Steif said, “We do not plan to sell our stake.’’
In 2009, Zurich Airport had sold about 12 per cent in the Bangalore airport to the GVK group.
12/06/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Fliers ‘lose sleep’ over flight times

Kochi: Flying to Europe or the US can be an exciting prospect, but it also means spending a sleepless night as airlines operating on these routes have flights taking off at odd times, post-midnight, much to the discomfort of children and the old undertaking these journeys.
At least 23 flights to the Gulf and Europe from the three Kerala airports take off between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. every day and as it’s mandatory for passengers to check-in three hours prior to departure, the whole affair gets more tedious than it needs to be.
“People like us who live in Alappuzha or Kottayam need to leave at least three hours ahead to reach the airport on time and even after spending much of the night awake, breakfast is served on board the flight an hour after take-off.
12/06/12 Krishna Kumar K.E/Deccan Chronicle

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Probe into aircraft emergency landing

Guwahati/Silchar: The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today began a probe into yesterday’s emergency landing of an Air India ATR aircraft at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar in Guwahati, amid questions over fitness of aircraft flying in northeastern airspace.
A DGCA official in Guwahati told The Telegraph that the Calcutta-based regional safety manager of the agency’s air safety wing, Sanit Kumar, today visited Borjhar airport to probe how one of the nose wheels of the ATR aircraft fell off during take-off from Silchar, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at LGBI Airport in Guwahati. There were 48 people on board the aircraft.
Kumar was yesterday appointed by the DGCA to inquire into the incident.
Sources at Silchar airport said the DGCA in New Delhi has ordered the probe to fix responsibility on any member of the staff in Dumdum, Calcutta.
12/06/12 The Telegraph

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Suspicious aircraft released after questioning

Jaipur: A foreign chartered aircraft flying from Muscat to Dhaka was detained overnight by authorities here after it entered restricted area over Jodhpur airbase but was released today following questioning of its pilot.
The aircraft with four crew members on board flew over Jodhpur airforce area without permission before its scheduled landing at the Sanganer Airport in Jaipur for refuelling last evening, officiating Director, Sanganer airport, P Krishna, said here.
"The aircraft deviated from its scheduled route but was being monitored. We got information from Delhi ATC about the violation so the aircraft was grounded (at Sanganer airport) and the pilot Ibrahim was questioned," he said.
According to the pilot, the aircraft had deviated from the route yesterday because of some technical problem in the GPS system.
11/06/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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Nitish slams AAI threat to shutdown Patna airport

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Airport Authority of India (AAI) today for its ‘irresponsible’ statements threatening to close down Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna apparently on safety concerns.
“The AAI officials should know that the operations of flights at an airport and related matters are the responsibility of the Centre and not of the state government,” he told reporters in Patna.
The state government had on its own trimmed trees around the airport, including at the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, to make flight operations safe.
“But it appears that AAI wants to cut all the trees to satisfy its ‘whims,’ Kumar said.
The chief minister said there was paucity of land to expand the length of landing area at Patna airport and acquisition of land was a costly exercise.
11/06/12 First Post

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Airlines to self-handle ground operations?

New Delhi: Financially strained Indian carriers may finally get some relief. Aviation minister Ajit Singh has decided to review a controversial ground handling policy that disallowed airlines from doing self handling. According to the policy, metro airports were to have three ground handling companies and non-metros to have two companies.
Airlines had opposed the policy and challenged it in courts on the basis that it would force them to opt for costlier ground handlers and sack thousands of employees who currently do the job for them. "I don't see the logic in such a decision and will revisit this entire thing. We will also talk to airlines about what they feel on this issue and take a decision that is acceptable to all," Singh said. The review will consider allowing airlines to continue in the self-handling role, something they say is most cost-effective and efficient.
Metro airports were to have three ground handling companies — one each headed by the local airport developer, by Air India and an independent agency. Airlines were to be free to choose from them.
11/06/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Singh asks Akhilesh to send proposal for airport at Mathura

New Delhi: Welcoming the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to scrap the Greenfield international airport project at Jewar, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to send a fresh proposal for the same at Mathura to his ministry.
In his letter to the chief minister, Singh said due to some "complicated issues" which remained unresolved for five years the proposed Taj International Aviation Hub (TIAH) with Greenfield airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar could not get clearance from a Group of Ministers (GoM).
The Minister said that the Taj trapezium zone needs a new world class airport to spur the growth of tourism and overall economic and industrial growth in the area.
"I would recommend a location at Mathura, preferably with an easy access to the expressway. I would request you to send the proposal for establishing a new greenfield airport at the proposed new location to my ministry for necessary clearances.
"I assure you that we will treat it as top priority and put it on fast track to fulfill the aspirations of the area and its people," Singh said in his letter.
11/06/12 Press Trust of Indi/Business Standrad

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IATA attacks govt for airport charges hike, delay in infra dev

Beijing: India Monday came under sharp attack for the recent hike in charges at Delhi airport and major delays in building new airports and strengthening infrastructure, with airlines' body IATA saying this was "clearly unacceptable" and the government should encourage the aviation sector for overall economic growth.
Observing that India's airport regulator AERA allowed a whopping 346 percent hike in Delhi airport charges, IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said "this is clearly unacceptable".
"The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has to pay 46 percent of its revenue to the government... This is neither in the interest of the airlines nor of the airport".
11/06/12 PTI/Zee News

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Ajit Singh lauds AI women pilots for ensuring safe landing

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Monday lauded the courage and grit of two women pilots, who safely landed a Guwahati-bound Air India aircraft, which lost one of the nose wheels during take off from Silchar, and saved 52 lives.
Singh personally called up captain Urmila Yadav, co pilot Yashoo Pereira and Guwahati airport director Manvinder Singh, and thanked them for ensuring the safe landing of the ATR flight from Silchar in Assam, a official statement said.
The minister appreciated the "courage and grit" of Urmila and Yashoo with which they acted in the hour of crisis and ensured safety of all the 52 people, 48 passengers and four crew members, on board without letting panic take its grip, it said.
11/06/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Alert women pilots save over 48 lives aboard Air India plane

Guwahati: The presence of mind of two women pilots saved the lives of 48 passengers and the crew aboard a Guwahati-bound Air India plane on Sunday after it was noticed that a front wheel of the aircraft was missing as it came in to land here.
"During a pre-landing check, the ATC discovered that one of the two front wheels were missing. The pilots were immediately informed and an emergency was declared at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport," a source in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) here told reporters.
The ATR flight from Silchar was being flown by Urmila Yadav and co-pilot Yashu.
They kept the aircraft circling for more than two hours over the airport to burn off the fuel while preparations were being made for an emergency landing, the source said. The plane landed safely and the passengers and crew were evacuated safely, an AAI official said.
10/06/12 IANS/Economic Times

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Air connect between Delhi-Agra on cards

Lucknow: In a bid to boost tourism, the Union ministry of civil aviation with the support of Uttar Pradesh tourism department is looking forward to connect Delhi with neighbouring cities like Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan through chopper services. And with Taj city Agra likely to get a brand new international air terminal at Dhanauli, the proposed chopper services is expected to be a hit. Officials of the state tourism department have already met the chief managing director of state-run helicopter firm Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited, Anil Srivastava. Together, they have also inspected the three proposed locations for helipads at Vrindavan.
10/06/12 Times of India

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Roads? Mumbai’s air traffic woes as bad

Mumbai: Heavy air traffic congestion over the Mumbai airport during peak hours has kept both passengers and airlines distraught.
Assessment of the latest DGCA figures by experts states that one of the primary reasons for the poor On-Time Performance of airlines is congestion.
Mumbai airport is considered among the busiest airports in Asia with passenger traffic of around 30 million passengers, which is growing at a pace of over 14%. Aviation experts say that traffic congestion reaches its peakduring the evening hours and result in quite a few planes hovering over the airport, waiting for the signal to land. For passengers, it means an endless wait while for airlines, the burning fuel costs crores of rupees.
On-Time Performance (OTP) is one of the important parameters to judge the efficiency of an airline, and Mumbai airport holds top position among the six metros as far poor OTP goes.
10/06/12 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Mopa may spell doom for Dabolim

Panjim: In the run up to Cortalim by-election, while Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar went out of his way to portray that the government would not shut down Dabolim airport even after Mopa Airport eventually becomes operative, erstwhile Digambar Kamat government too indicated that Dabolim would not be shut down. The truth is neither of the governments was “serious” when they claimed that Dabolim airport would not be shut down, mainly because in the absence of any comprehensive strategy for operationalising of dual airports system it is inevitable Dabolim will have to be shut-down sooner or later.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that studied the feasibility of simultaneous operations at Dabolim and Mopa Airports at the behest of government of Goa in 2007, in its report, expressed the need for a “comprehensive strategy” to be put in place for operation of dual airports system.
Our sources in the government confirmed that no such comprehensive strategy has been developed till date.
10/06/12 Herald

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Delay in luggage delivery, Malaysian Airline to pay Rs 20,000

New Delhi: The Malaysian Airlines has been asked by a consumer forum New Delhi to pay Rs 20,000 to an advocate for making him travel all the way from Ludhiana to Delhi to collect his luggage, which the airline had delayed in delivering.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum presided by Narendra Kumar observed that considering the money spent by the complainant, the delay caused by the airline and "in the interest of natural justice" the lawyer was entitled to a compensation of Rs 10,000 and litigation cost of Rs 5,000.
10/06/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Govt revives plan for full-body airport scanners

After shelving it last year, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has revived its proposal to instal full-body scanners at airports. An inter-disciplinary technical committee will look into all implications — from health to privacy — and will even survey passengers to know their views.
With representatives from Civil Aviation and Health ministries, Intelligence Bureau and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, this committee will meet in a month.
“There are several biological, health and privacy issues involved,” said Civil Aviation Secretary Naseem Zaidi. “All these aspects are being evaluated by the committee.”
Passengers will be given an option: either they go for a pat-down (intensive frisking) search or walk through the full-body scanner. At present, such scanners are installed in several airports in the US and Europe.
10/06/12 VijaitaSingh/Indian Express

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Pune-Kochi flight by SpiceJet from July 1

Pune: Pune Spicejet has announced a new flight from Pune to Kochi starting July 1. The flight will be departing Pune at 11.30 am and reaching Kochi at 1.35 pm. The return flight will leave Kochi at 2 pm and reach Pune at 3.55 pm.
The announcement of the flight which came two days ago has been welcomed by the Malayalee community in the city. Welcoming the development, Hari Narayan, president, World Malyalee Council, Pune Province said, “It is a great development as the Malayalee ommunity in the city will be able to reach their home state within two hours. Besides, Kerala is a major tourist destination and the flight can be helpful for those who want to travel to the state for holidays.” Narayan said that the city, which has a four lakh plus Malyalee community and the train connectivity is — two trains — one weekly and the other one a bi-weekly.
10/06/12 Express India

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Spicejet to connect Delhi, Mumbai with Dubai

Mumbai: Mumbai: The Kalanithi Maran-led no-frills carrier, Spicejet, on Friday announced expansion of its international services to the Gulf market by connecting Delhi and Mumbai with Dubai daily from June 25.
Spicejet said Dubai will be the airline's third international destination after Delhi-Kathmandu and Chennai-Colombo.
In domestic market, SpiceJet connects 34 destinations.
09/06/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Agra may soon get international air terminal

Agra: Taj city Agra may soon get a brand new international air terminal at Dhanuali, close to the Kheria IAF base here, if the project gets the green signal from the union civil aviation ministry, says an official.
After visiting the terminal site, Raghu Raman, general manager-planning of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), held extensive discussions on the project with local administration officials and tourism industry leaders.
Raman said on Friday evening that a detailed proposal would now be sent to the ministry within a week and, if approved, "construction would begin soon".
"It may take around 18 months to two years for the terminal to be ready," Raman said.
09/06/12 ZeeNews

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Delhi Airport files cheque bouncing case against Kingfisher

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines Ltd’s problems are set to worsen. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has filed a cheque bouncing case against the cash-strapped airline and its top management after three cheques, with a total value of Rs 3 crore, bounced.
Kingfisher posted a loss of Rs 1,140 crore in the March quarter and its revenue also dipped on capacity reduction. The airline has not paid salaries to its staff for four months and the employees are preparing for an agitation. Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya had promised to clear a substantial portion of the February salaries last month, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“The complaint was filed under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act earlier this week against Kingfisher Airlines for three dishonoured cheques in the chief metropolitan magistrate's court in Delhi. After hearing the submissions, the court has issued summons against Kingfisher chief executive officer, chief financial officer and two executives who had signed cheques on behalf of the company,” a source said.
09/06/12 Business Standard

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1.4 acres slums evicted by AAI

Mumbai: Authorities at the Juhu Aerodrome have taken over around 1.4 acres of land, owned by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) by evicting slum-dwellers in Nehru Nagar. Officials said that the slums were posing a major security threat and residents would roam around the airport premises in an inebriated state and even consume drugs. “They could easily enter the airport land and head to the runway. We also don’t have any security so they can breach the boundary walls virtually undetected. We don’t have anything against slum dwellers but the decision to take back the land was practical,” said a senior Juhu airport official.
09/06/12 Asian Age

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Inter-ministerial board to monitor cargo handling facilities at airports

New Delhi: The Government has constituted an inter-ministerial logistic board to lay down policy guidelines for setting up cargo handling facilities at airports. It will also frame the performance standards for air cargo logistic supply chain to ensure quality of service.
The new board has been constituted a day after the Prime Minister held a meeting to expedite the development of infrastructure projects across the country and give a boost to the sagging economy.
The board has been given the mandate to resolve inter-ministerial issues that affect air cargo operations in the country.
08/06/12 Business Line

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AAI employees’ seniority issue, committee set up

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry has set up a committee to settle the issue of seniority of the employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI) which came into being in 1995 after two organisations were merged.
The committee would prepare a cadre-wise single and unified provisional seniority within 15 days and seek objections from any employee, an official statement said.
08/06/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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No free pass to Indian celebrities, VIPs at US airports

Washington: Against the backdrop of Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan's detention at a New York airport, the US has ruled out any special screening for VIPs and celebrities unless they have diplomatic exemption, but said it is in talks with several countries to facilitate hassle-free immigration procedures.
India is not among those countries with which the US is having such negotiations.
"I'm not aware of anything right now," John Wagner, Executive Director of Admissibility and Passenger Programmes with the US Customs and Border Protection, told foreign journalists when asked if the US was holding any talks with India to facilitate quick and hassle-free immigration procedures for people coming from India.
09/06/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Alitalia Airlines to pay Rs 25K for losing baggage of couple

New Delhi: The Alitalia Airlines has been directed by a consumer forum here to pay Rs 25,000 as damages to a couple for losing their luggage in their trip to Newark, USA with the airline.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that the Italian airline had been informed about the missing baggage by the couple when they arrived at Newark and it had assured that the lost suitcase would be traced and delivered to them within 30 days, but it never happened.
"At Newark Airport complainants (the couple) noticed that out of their two suitcases, booked at Delhi Airport, one was missing. Information was immediately given at the airport. It was noted down by the officials of Alitalia at the airport and also assurances were made that lost baggage would be delivered within 30 days.
"Despite several correspondences, nothing came out and the lost baggage of the complainants was not recovered. The opposite parties (OPs) (Alitalia and Akarshan Air Tours and Travels Pvt Ltd) failed to compensate the complainant's loss. There is deficiency proved on the part of OPs," the forum said.
08/06/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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