CISF constable shoots himself at Madurai airport

Madurai:  In a tragic incident, a 44-year-old constable attached to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) committed suicide by shooting himself on Sunday. The incident took place inside the Madurai airport in the noon.
The deceased has been identified as Ashok Kumar, 44, son of Thanna Lal, a native of Pawai village in Jhansi district in Uttar Pradesh. Police said that Kumar allegedly triggered his INSAS rifle on his head by shooting from the right side of his head near the eyebrow. By the time, the other security personnel went to the spot, Kumar was already dead. They then informed the local police. The incident took place at around 1.10pm when Kumar had just finished his duty.
Usually, after duty hours, all the security personnel should report at the airport gate for debriefing. Once the debriefing is completed they should handover their weapons before being disbursed from their eight-hour duty. While all the security personnel gathered at the gate, Kumar failed to come. When they began searching they found him dead, police said.
25/03/13 Times of India

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2 deers caught at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport

Nagpur:  Two deers were caught at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport during the combing exercise which is being undertaken by MIHAN India Limited (MIL) with the help of the forest department.
The continuous sighting of deer in the vast area of the airport had prodded MIL to undertake this exercise. While it started the process a few days back, the forest department joined the effort on Friday.
On the first day of joint combing, four domestic pigs were caught by the team but no deer could be trapped. "We sighted the deer three-four times during combing but couldn't catch it. Now, by the looks of it, it seems that there are 3-4 deer in the area," said an MIL official.
17/03/13 Aparna Nair/Times of India

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Flying abroad? Pay service tax first to get boarding pass!

Ahmedabad: All those who have booked your tickets between March 1 and 31 for post April 1 travel don't be surprised if you are asked to pay extra money for your ticket at the airline's counter.

For, a circular issued by Air India has stated that the airlines will be collecting the difference in service tax from you at the airport itself. This will be applicable to both domestic and international travellers across categories. The circular states that the difference in service tax will only be demanded from travellers who booked their tickets through ticket agents. Those who booked their tickets directly from the airlines website or office will not be required to do so. Sources said it is so because when booking through an agent the money is not credited to the airline's account before the book of accounts are close on March 31. This is why those who booked the ticket directly through the airlines won't have to pay the difference.

31/03/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Gold smugglers think out of the box

Chennai: Two photo albums spiral bound with golden wires and abacus made of golden rods are the latest innovations tried by smugglers to bring gold into the country to evade duty.

On Thursday, customs officials at the city airport intercepted Seguadam Mohamed Rifai, who arrived from Colombo in a Sri Lankan Airlines flight, and seized 890 gm of 24-carat gold camouflaged as rings, rods and buttons in an abacus, trolley bag, photo album and jeans pant.

We have estimated the value of the total gold seized from him at Rs 25,69,430, said Mr Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, commissioner of customs, airport and air cargo, Chennai. “Since, the objects were attempted to be smuggled into the country by way of concealment and non-declaration, we have seized them and arrested Mr Rifai under the customs Act 1962,” he added.

In another case, customs officials seized 2.36 kg of gold worth `60 lakh from a software engineer couple who reached the airport from US via Dubai in an Etihad Airways flight on Friday.

Mr S. Kannan, 40, and Ms Mohanavalli, 35, along with their daughter Tirupathika, 5, were on way to catch a domestic flight to Madurai when the CISF officials found 2.36 kg gold biscuits hidden inside Mr Kannan’s pant pocket.

A senior customs official said air passengers are allowed to bring in 10 kg of gold if they had stayed in a foreign country for more than six months, but then, they should declare it at the customs and pay the required duty.

“The rise in duty structure has led to passengers trying to sneak in gold in innovative ways,” a senior customs official said, adding that Rifai was carrying gold masked in different forms.

31/03/12 S Sujatha/Deccan Chronicle

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Gold seized, two held at airport

Chennai: Customs officials at the Chennai airport on Thursday arrested a passenger, who arrived from the United States, for failing to declare that he was in possession of nearly three kg of gold worth Rs.75 lakh.

The passenger got past the Customs authorities and proceeded to board another flight to Madurai at the domestic terminal. When his baggage was scanned, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel found some material which, on further inspection, was found to be gold biscuits. They alerted Customs officials who seized the gold.

The officer said that any person who had stayed abroad for more than six months was eligible to bring up to 10 kg gold, which had to be declared before Customs. The Customs duty is Rs.30 per gram. Only after paying the duty in foreign currency would the passenger be allowed to go out.

The duty on the gold carried by the passenger would have come to Rs.3 lakh.

31/03/12 The Hindu

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Thiruvananthapuram international airport to get a dog squad

Thiruvananthapuram: The international airport here would get a dog squad for security checks soon. The much-awaited arrival of the squad would be a shot in the arm for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in charge of the airport security.

Sources said the squad would be inducted in April second week. The canines are now undergoing training at the National Training Centre for Dogs and Animals (NTCDA) under the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at Bhanu, near Chandigarh.

Around 10 dog handlers, selected from among the CISF personnel here, are also being trained by the ITBP.

Though the sanctioned strength of the squad is six, only four canines will reach the airport initially. The rest would be inducted in the subsequent months.

The dog squad is part of the Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) plan to form Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads in all airports.

31/03/12 M S Vidyanandan/New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Airport officials to continue stir

The International Airports Authority of India Officers' Association (IAAIOA) has decided to continue with their relay hunger strike at the Trivandrum airport till April 12. The officers have been demanding the immediate rectification of pay anomalies prevailing for the past 16 years.

Bonny Bastian branch secretary of the IAAIOA, said: ".. We did not go ahead with the mass casual leave planned yesterday based on an assurance from the chief labour commissioner. He has held a conciliation meeting at New Delhi and asked us to refrain from any direct action till April 12 when the AAI is likely to make its decision public."

31/03/12 Times of India

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Ahmedabad airport set to get new radars

Ahmedabad The Ahmedabad international airport is set to get two brand new radars, which will replace more than 15-year-old ‘outdated’ radars. The development comes as a respite for the air traffic controllers (ATC) as the existing radars often go blank for hours, creating air safety issues.

As part of airport modernisation, the Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) are being replaced at a cost of 15 lakh Euro. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is said to have struck a deal with Czech republic-based ELDIS Pardubice.

ASR is also known as primary radar in air traffic management and MSSR as secondary radar. They both are popularly known as the ‘eyes’ of traffic controllers. Through these radars, ATC officials are able to see the location of flights up to 200 miles depending on the need. These radar give information of flights’ movements right from landing, taking off to weather condition, aircraft’s identity and its height or altitude information among others.

31/03/12 Express India

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Company director accused of raping staff held from Airport

Indore: A young man said to be a director of a company has been arrested on charges of raping his office staff while he was trying to make an escape from the city on Thursday.

Police said Ashish Anand, son of Arun Kumar was arrested while he was trying to board a plane on. The 38-year-old and is a resident of Hemkund Colony, Delhi.

CSP Amrendra Singh told TOI, "Ashish was director of a private firm In Develop that prepared licenses on contract from IMC. The firm is situated at scheme number 114.

The accused was arrested after a long drama. When the girl approached Lasudia police station and lodged a complaint, police started calling the accused on his phone and he was trying to mislead the police for few hours. At last police traced him at the airport at around 8 pm and arrested him.

31/03/12 Times of India

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‘Visa on arrival’ at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Hyderabad: Much to the relief of over 10 lakh tourists visiting Hyderabad every year, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad might soon have ‘Visa on Arrival’ facilities.

The facility was earlier introduced at New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata international airports.

While officials are hopeful that the ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility would be introduced at RGIA, they warn that several bottlenecks, such as processing by officials and their training, need to be addressed for it to be a success.

India introduced ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility in 2010 and so far nationals of Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Finland, Vietnam, Philip-pines, Cambodia, Luxem-bourg and Laos can avail of it.

31/03/12 Jatinder Kaur Tur/Deccan Chronicle

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CIAL shareholders to submit memo to Kerala CM

Kochi: A section of the shareholders of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has come up demanding rights’ issue for shareholders with less than 5,000 shares.

The Shareholders Organisation of CIAL has prepared a memorandum citing a couple of demands to be submitted before Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday. The association pointed out that the CIAL has already given 17 percent interest to HUDCO. “Besides, the CIAL is giving one crore shares to HUDCO for face value. From the remaining 9.4 crore shares, a specific number of shares should be given as rights issue to small-scale shareholders,” said Shareholders Organisation president A K Naseer and general secretary Devasikutty Padayattil.

31/03/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Domestic flight fares skyrocket

Hyderabad: With Kingfisher airlines flying off Hyderabad, the fares of other airlines in the city have shot through the roof. There has been a steep Rs 1,000-Rs 1,500 jump in the price of tickets of most domestic sectors over the last few days. Apart from sectors with poor traffic such as Hyderabad-Jaipur or Hyderabad-Ahmedabad, even heavy-traffic destinations such as Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai have seen a sharp price rise.

A one-way fare to Delhi that until recently hovered around Rs 5,500 (booked a week in advance) has now touched Rs 7,000 while Mumbai rates have jumped to Rs 4,200-Rs 4,500 as against its usual Rs 3,500 (approx). Same with Bangalore that has also seen a neat Rs 1,000 rise in price of air tickets. In the case of Ahmedabad, Jaipur or even Kolkata, the rates have crossed the Rs 7,000 mark with many airline operators charging customers as much as Rs 8,000 or more for a single trip.

31/03/12 Times of India

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Late YSR doled out 3,115 acres to Reddy Bro's for airport

Bangalore: Late YS Rajashekhar Reddy allotted 3,115.64 acres of land to mining czars Reddy brothers to build an airport.

The shock comes as the land allotted to build a commercial airport was 50 kms from Kadapa airport.

It is alleged that Rajashekhar Reddy tried doing his best, so that the Reddy brothers could set up a flying academy and a new airport, said a report in the Mail Online India.

The stunning revelations were made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report that was tabled in the state assembly on Thursday. The report brought out in open the government's leniency towards granting land to various people and companies at low rates without keeping in consideration the state's interest.

The report also said that the YSR government in Mar 2008 allotted 3,115.64 acres to Reddy brothers for Rs 25,000 per acre at Ambavaram Village, Jammalamadugu block, Kadapa district, to the Brahmani Industries Limited (BIL) in a bid to help them set up their commercial airport and a flying academy. The airport was to be used for commercial operations it said.

30/03/12 One India

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Kingfisher, among several airlines whose cheques to AAI have bounced

During 2011, Kingfisher Airlines presented five cheques totalling Rs 122.07 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which could not be encashed due insufficient funds in the accounts of the airline.

This has been revealed in an RTI filed by a Pune-based RTI activist, Mr Sanjay Ramesh Shirodkar.

Three cheques worth Rs 65 crore were drawn on Axis Bank, Mumbai, while the remaining two were on ICICI Bank, the data provided by AAI in the RTI reply shows.

The RTI reply also shows that Kingfisher is not the only airline whose cheques to AAI bounced. Between January 1, 2000 and February 14 this year, several domestic and international airlines gave cheques to AAI that bounced.

The domestic airlines include IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite while the international airlines include Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Interestingly, the cheques that bounced have been those that have been presented at the Ahmedabad and Pune airports only. The State-owned AAI owns and manages 92 airports and 28 civil enclaves at defence airfields and provides air traffic services over the entire Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas.

29/03/12 Business Line

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Row with India grounds Bahrain Air flights

Bahrain Air yesterday said it was doing everything it could to help around 140 passengers stranded in the country for nearly 24 hours.

A dispute between India's Civil Aviation Ministry and the airline grounded flights on its newly-launched service to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The carrier only launched flights to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala less than two weeks ago.

Bahrain Air chief executive Richard Nuttall said the airline's flights to Thiruvananthapuram were part of a bilateral agreement signed between Bahrain and India.

But he revealed the Indian authorities had still not approved of the continuation of flights to Thiruvananthapuram for the summer season, which started on Mon-day.

"This turn of events was totally unexpected, and the carrier is pursuing all means, including diplomatic, to find a speedy resolution to this matter," said Mr Nuttall.

The passengers, who arrived in Bahrain from Saudi Arabia, were due to take a connecting flight at 9.30pm on Wednesday night. They were later put up in hotels where they checked in at about midnight.

Around 100 passengers were flown to Thiruvananthapuram via Mumbai at around 9.30pm last night.

The remaining customers affected are expected to leave on a specially-chartered plane via the same route tonight.

All passengers who do not live in Bahrain are to stay at the Best Western Hotel and Carlton Hotel in Juffair and be provided with free telephone cards to inform friends and relatives while it resolved the situation.

30/03/12 Aniqa Haider/Gulf Daily News

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AAI gives nod to share the cost with Maharashtra Airport Development Company

Nagpur: The 3,200-metre runway of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport will finally get a much-awaited resurfacing soon. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has given a nod to equally share the cost of runway resurfacing work with Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).

On Thursday, after taking stock of development works and inspecting the newly-installed Indra-ATC automation system at the city airport, AAI chairman V P Agrawal announced that AAI will share the amount of Rs 25 crore jointly with MADC and will ensure that the runway is resurfaced soon.

Agrawal admitted that due to the increase in air traffic at the city airport, the existing runway requires resurfacing immediately. However, as the city airport, managed by the joint venture company Mihan India Limited (MIL), is suffering heavy losses, getting funds had become a difficult task.

30/03/12 Sachi Dravekar/Times of India

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Row begins as tallest flagpole plan gets stuck

Thiruvananthapuram : MP Naveen Jindal's Flag Foundation of India's attempt to erect a 207 ft tall monumental flagpole in front of the Kanakakunnu palace is likely to be stalled as the Tourism Department, "felicitator" of the project, did not take clearance from the corporation and Airport Authority of India(AAI) for erecting the structure.

Jayachandran Nair, executive engineer, Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation said that any structure over 50 ft tall in the Kanakakunnu area must get mandatory clearance from the AAI. "Each area has its own height stipulation as per AAI norms. The further the structure is from the airport, more the height clearance. In the Kanakakunnu area, any building over five floors has to get clearance from AAI," he said.

He said the tourism department should have approached the municipal corporation for clearance and they would have directed them to the airport authorities as per protocol. Cdr (Rtd) KV Singh, CEO of the Flag Foundation of India, said the aviation obstruction beacon (red light) which would be there atop the flag post is a good enough warning.

30/03/12 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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Funds not a problem for Calicut airport development:Mani

Kozhikode: Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani today said funds will not be a problem for the development of Calicut International airport at the nearby Karippur and also for acquiring land for the airport. Mani was speaking at a talk on 'Budge 2012' organised by Malabar chamber and Commerce here. The state government had earmarked enough funds for the development of the airport, he said, adding since the project was under government's consideration, no fund was specifically earmarked in the budget.

30/03/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Youth leader denied entry after touchdown

New Delhi: Around a dozen Tibetan activists were rounded up on Thursday, moments after they tried to storm Taj Palace Hotel where the BRICS summit was being held. Protesters smashed police barricades barely 800 metres from the summit venue. Carrying flags and placards, activists managed to break the security cordon, but were dragged away by police.

Tibetans were protesting against the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to India. The crackdown continued throughout the city. There was high drama at IGI airport after the Tibetan Youth Congress president was bundled out, minutes after touchdown.But it was outside Taj Palace Hotel where the protests were raucous. Around 12.30pm, Tibetan activists unfurled banners and rushed towards Taj Palace Hotel from the Satya Niketan footbridge. Some others joined them on the way and the group ran down the FOB into the heavily barricaded San Martin Marg. They were nabbed before they could get near to the summit venue.

30/03/12 Indrani Basu/Times of India

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14 greenfield airport projects get ‘in-principle’ approval

Keeping in view the enormous growth in air passengers and to encourage infusion of greater investment in airport sector, the Government had pronounced a policy for Greenfield airports in April, 2008. As per this Policy, the promoter, including the State Government, seeking to develop the airport has to submit the proposal to the Government for consideration by the Steering Committee. Application for setting up of Greenfield airport are considered by the Steering Committee/competent authority for grant of ‘in principle’ approval, after they have completed all necessary formalities of obtaining pre-feasibility study report, site clearance, clearances from regulatory agencies, etc.

In so far, the Government of India has granted ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up of Greenfield airports at Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Sindhudurg and Shirdi in Maharashtra; Shimoga, Gulbarga, Hassan and Bijapur in Karnataka; Kannur in Kerala; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Datia/Gwalior (Cargo) in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh; Karaikal in Puducherry. In addition, the Government of India has received proposals for setting up of Greenfield airports at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh; Belari in Karnataka; Rohtak in Haryana; Dholera in Gujarat; Alwar in Rajasthan and Solapur & Amarawati in Maharashtra.

As per the policy for Greenfield airport, necessary action for project development, including acquisition of land, financing of the airport project, etc. is taken by the respective airport promoters.

28/03/12 Press Information Bureau

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Lucknow airport terminal launch in early April

Lucknow The new integrated passenger terminal building at Chaudhary Charan Singh (Amausi) Airport in Lucknow is likely to be inaugurated in the first week of April.

Its opening, which was earlier scheduled for November 19 last year, was delayed as the Government of India could not decide on the ‘VVIP’ to inaugurate the terminal. Then, the model code of conduct for the Assembly elections came into effect from December 24.

Sources said the opening is scheduled for April first week as Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, who will inaugurate the new terminal, is attending the ongoing session of Parliament till March 30.

Airport director Atul Dixit confirmed: “The inauguration is expected in April first week, the final date of programme has yet to be received.”

A Rashtriya Lok Dal leader said, “A list of certain party leaders will be sent to the airport authorities seeking permission for their entry to the terminal building during inauguration.”

29/03/12 Lalmani Verma/Express India

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Red tape blocks night landing at Rajahmundry airport

Hyderabad: The proposal to equip Rajahmundry airport with night landing facilities to cope with its growing passenger traffic has been stymied by red tape over a minor issue: the installation of a headmast at the top of a hillock, Korukonda, which obtrudes in the flight path.

Permission for this has to come from the Endowments department, which owns the hillock land. No action has been taken over the last six months though the proposal was made over a year ago. Four flights currently operate to and from the coastal city, but in the absence of night landing facilities, they cannot serve the interests of businessmen preferring a later flight, points out a senior AAI official.

29/03/12 N. Vamsi Srinivas/Deccan Chronicle

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Ephedrine seized from airport

Trichy: Air intelligence wing at the Trichy airport on Wednesday, seized 4.8 kg of ephedrine, an odourless party drug, concealed amid grocery packets in the luggage of a woman who was deported from Malaysia last week.

On March 19, the woman, Rukmini, flew to Kuala Lumpur on an Air Asia flight on a visit visa but was not allowed into Malaysia for "some technical reason." She was kept in Malaysian immigration custody for a couple of days and then sent back to India. Rukmini landed in Trichy on March 21 sans her baggage which ultimately landed in another flight on Wednesday morning.

To the question of how the contraband, whose international value would be about Rs 8 crore, was not initially detected by the Trichy customs on the day of Rukmini's departure, senior superintendent (air intelligence) Ernest Ravi said, "It is possible that the contraband concealed within edible flour packets, was not easily detected." But the question remained as to how the strict Malaysian immigration also did not detect the drug before it was sent back to Trichy.

29/03/12 Dennis Selvan/Times of India

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Mihan gets funds for land acquisition

Nagpur: Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) finally received enough funds to pay for the last round of land acquisition for Mihan project.

The state budget has an allocation Rs 438 crore for the civil aviation sector. This amount is to be used for acquisition of land to develop airports at Amravati, Kolhapur, Karad, Shirdi and Rajgurunagar near Pune, apart from the package to be granted for Mihan.

MADC, which is also developing other airports, needs last patch of 146 hectares in Jaitala-Bhamti villages for the second runway in Mihan. With an offer of Rs 1.5 crore per hectare made to the oustees, an estimated Rs 300 crore will be needed. With the budgetary allocation, MADC finds itself in a comfortable position. The company's vice-chairman-cum-managing director UPS Madan told TOI that the funds would be enough for acquisition in Mihan as well as for other airports. However, the company still awaits formal approval from the government to the rate of Rs 1.5 crore per hectare.

29/03/12 Times of India

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Mumbai, Delhi may become no-fly zones for Kingfisher

Mumbai: Dark clouds seem to have permanently enveloped the skies for Kingfisher and there appears to be no silver lining. According to sources at India's two biggest airports -- Mumbai and Delhi -- the airline has recurrently failed on its promises and with pending dues increasing day by day, tough decisions are likely in the next ten days. In fact, if the situation doesn't change, the carrier might be barred from operating by the two airports, sources say.

Mumbai International Airport Limited, a consortium of GVK Infrastructures, has pending dues of more than

Rs 70 crore with Kingfisher. "We put them on cash-and-carry after they failed to clear past dues in a stipulated time period. Now they are defaulting even on the present arrangement. As per the agreement, we can restrict their operations, but to avoid any passenger inconvenience we still haven't done so. We have written to the airline many times and have asked them to stick to the agreement. If they continue to default on payment, we will have to take strong decisions as we also have a limited capacity," said a source close to GVK Infrastructures.

28/03/12 Bipin Kumar Singh/MiD DAY

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Holes in proposal to ferry ministers, bureaucrats by air

Bangalore: In a move that could end up benefiting only one company, the director of the Jakkur Government Flying Training School (GFTS) has submitted to the Youth and Sports Services Department a proposal ostensibly to ferry ministers and senior Karnataka government bureaucrats by air within the State.

Named SPAN?– Small Plane Air Network – the “mission” is proposed to be achieved under the public private partnership (PPP) model and, according to the “concept paper” submitted to the department, while “the infrastructure will belong to the government (including airplanes and staff), the services to utilise that infrastructure will be provided by a private partner.”

But what raises eyebrows is that SPAN expects to tap into the Rs 10-crore “challenge fund” which the State government had established two years ago for the implementation of innovative ideas and projects so as to ensure delivery of state services to the people.

Some of the small airstrips identified in the concept paper are in Mysore, Hubli, Mangalore, Koppal, Bidar (which belongs to the Indian Air Force), Harihar, Hassan, Chikmagalur and Raichur.

What is alarming is that at a meeting with other Jakkur private operators last Monday, the GFTS Director Naveen Raj Singh, mooted that a cross-airstrip would be constructed over the existing one, a step that might endanger other flights, especially those originating from Yelahanka airfield. Constructing a cross-airfield would require the permission of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

27/03/12 Chandan Nandy/DEccan Herald

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Labour department plans to introduce rate card at airport

Thiruvananathapuram: The Labour Department will address the nokkukuli issue at the airport by issuing a rate card for different categories of work. This card will be displayed prominently at the Trivandrum International Airport so that passengers and airport authority personnel will not be held to ransom.

Labour commissioner TT Anthony met with representatives of the CITU and Airport Authority of India on Tuesday to discuss the complaints regarding nokkukuli raised by airport director G Chandramouli that head-load workers had tried to forcibly carry the luggage of dealers of Tata Tiscon, who landed in the city on Saturday.

TT Anthony said that if the airport director wanted to he could prevent the entry of head-load workers into airport premises. "But they have been there for generations and have helped during the construction phase. So it will not be easy to prevent their entry. The most amicable solution would be to chalk out a rate card and paste it at a prominent place. The labour minister too finds this to be a feasible solution," said Anthony.

28/03/12 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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Ex-aviation security official took favours from KF, Jet, says CBI chargesheet

Mumabi: If your fidelity to the country's civil aviation sector is fading fast then this might prove the tipping point. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has stated in a chargesheet that former additional commissioner of Bureau of Civil Aviation Securities (BCAS), Mumbai, Manoj Malviya, abused his official position to benefit certain airlines.

The charge sheet carries the version of top officials of the rank of executive director, vice-president and general manager from two airline companies -- Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines -- from which Malviya allegedly got favours.

"The chargesheet in the matter of Malviya is ready and we have also received sanction from ministry of home affairs (MHA) to prosecute him. The charges against Malviya are that he abused his official position to receive favours from Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, which were further authenticated after questioning senior officials representing the carriers. He has been booked under Section 13(1)(d) in the Prevention of Corruption Act," said a CBI source. Under the circumstances, if corruption charges are proved against Malviya in a court of law, he can be jailed for up to seven years and would also be liable to pay a fine. Malviya has challenged the CBI investigation and the matter is being currently heard by Bombay High Court.

28/03/12 Bipin Kumar Singh/MiD DAY

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AAI officers, workers start relay hunger strike

Kolkata: A group of officers and workers of the Airport Authority of India today began relay hunger strike to press for their demand for immediate rectification of pay anomalies which, they said, were there since 1995.

The relay hunger strike would continue till March 30 when they would take mass casual leave, President of the Airport Authority of India Officers Association Partha Banerjee said.

Only those of the association members who were associated with flight operations did not take part in the agitation, he said.

The members held a demonstration in front of the office of the Airport Director B D Sharma yesterday for the same demand.

27/03/12 PTI/Economic Times

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185 bullets found in IGI Airport dustbin

New Delhi: Chaos prevailed at Indira Gandhi International airport on Tuesday evening as the police recovered 185 bullets from a dustbin at terminal 1D, police said on Wednesday.

The bullets are of caliber 0.22 bore, which are used in revolvers, and were discovered by a cleaner at around 7.30pm. The bullets were wrapped in an old brown cloth and dumped inside a dustbin at gate number 5, police said. DCP IGI RA Sanjeev confirmed the incident and said that a case under the Arms Act had been registered.

29/03/12 Times of India

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GVK Infrastructure-Changi talks for airport business stake sale break down

Talks between GVK Infrastructure & Power Limited (GVKPIL) & Singapore based - Changi Airport for stake sale in the former's airport business have broken down according to two sources familiar with the details. GVKPIL was in exclusive talks with Changi Airport to sell 26% stake in its Airport business.

The two sides had signed an exclusivity agreement to engage in discussions towards accomplishing a deal for a period of 90 days which has now lapsed. Sources say that the Changi Airport's board is now seeking more details and clarity on the projected revenues. "The deal has not been scrapped but with differences emerging over some issues it may not go through" said a source who did not want to be named.

GVKPIL has now initiated talks with financial investors to dilute stake in the airport business. Actis, 3i & Blackstone have shown interest in exploring talks with the company.

28/03/12 Sameer Hashmi/Economic Times

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Repaired Gulf Air plane to fly back

The Gulf Air flight that had nosedived at the Kochi airport more than seven months ago, is all set to fly back to Bahrain by the middle of next month.

The repair works of the aircraft which are progressing at the upcoming MRO facility at the Kochi airport, is almost complete.

“.. Originally, the test ride was scheduled for Wednesday but we have postponed it by two days. The Airbus and the airline engineers will complete the remaining technical work in a short time,” an airline official said.

The flight GF 270, which was carrying 137 passengers and eight members of the crew, skidded off the runway on August 29, last while landing and nosedived into the slushy area nearby.

28/03/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Indian carriers owe Rs 17.25 billion to Airports Authority

New Delhi: India's carriers owed a total of Rs 17.25 billion (USD 245 million) to the state-run Airports Authority of India as of Dec. 31 for availing airport facilities such as landing and parking of aircraft, Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said Wednesday.

Loss-making national carrier Air India Ltd. owes the most, about Rs 12.51 billion, while Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. has arrears of Rs 2.55 billion, Singh told lawmakers in the lower house of parliament.

Jet Airways (India) Ltd. owes Rs 896.3 million and low-cost carrier SpiceJet Ltd. has arrears of Rs 365.8 million, he said.

28/03/12 Zee News

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Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif spark off mini mayhem at the airport

Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif set off a mini frenzy at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport when they arrived from London at 1.20 am on Wednesday.

The two superstars returned to India after completing a 35-day schedule for Yash Chopra's yet-untitled film, which is slated to be Bollywood's big Diwali release this year.

Stepping out of the airport building, SRK gave a few quick bites to the press but Katrina chose to walk straight into her car. 'We had a great time shooting,' Shah Rukh said.

Asked if rumours that the film had been titled 'London Ishq' were true, he replied: 'It's not true. The name isn't 'London Ishq'.'

He also talked about Ra.One animator Charu Khandal, who is currently battling for life at Mumbai's Kokilaben Ambani Hospital after a road accident on March 25.

'It's very unfortunate. I've been in touch with my office. I'll go and visit her. I pray Allah makes her all right soon,' SRK told the media at the airport.

Though the flight landed in the early hours, the buzz that gained ground from Tuesday morning about the King Khan and Kat's arrival had ensured a mini mob outside the airport.

28/03/12 Daily Mail

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CIAL repays HUDCO dues

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has repaid outstanding dues totalling Rs 100 crore in cash and shares to the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO), as per the recent out of the court settlement reached with the central agency.

“The company withdrew the deposit with the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) and the dues are being repaid after deducting Rs 10 crore towards the issuance of equity shares to HUDCO as per the new agreement,” a Cochin International Airport Limited official said.

CIAL had taken a loan of Rs 143 crore from HUDCO to fund airport construction works during the 1995-2000 period at an interest of around 17 per cent.

28/03/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Drunken passenger taken into custody for misbehaviour

Kozhikode: A passenger, who was allegedly in an inebriated state and had misbehaved with the pilot and CISF officials on his arrival today at Karippur International Airport here, was taken into custody, police said. Police said the 38-year old Jaleel, hailing from Tirur in Malappuram district,had allegedly tried to manhandle the pilot before the Air India Express rpt Air India Express 344 Dubai-Calicut flight took off.

27/03/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Close shave for passenger as crane pulley snaps at airport

Chennai: A woman passenger leaving the domestic terminal had a close shave Tuesday as a steel load came crashing down after the pulley of a crane snapped at the Chennai airport.

Eyewitnesses said the passenger was only a few metres from the accident site.

Airport director E.P. Hareendranathan, however, said the steel load fell in a segregated area where workers were trying to place a structure on a connecting bridge tube.

28/03/12 Deccan Chronicle

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Kingfisher suspends Kochi operations

Nedumbaserry: The crisis–ridden Kingfisher Airlines, as part of scaling down its operations, has suspended its Kochi operations from Sunday onwards.

According to officials, the airport operator has received an official note from the airline with regard to the withdrawal of all its services on a temporary basis.

“Despite setting the final date as March 25, they are now expected to continue for two more days and wind up the operations thereafter,' said a senior airport official.

Earlier, the carrier had served a letter to the airport, saying that all its operations from the city would remain grounded from March 25.

27/03/12 The Hindu

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Will the Rajgurunagar airport project take off?

Pune: The state budget has allocated Rs 438 crore for six airport projects across the state, including the proposed international airport at Rajgurunagar in Pune. However, the allotment has failed to generate enthusiasm among people in Pune.

The other beneficiary projects are the Multi-Modal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (Mihan); an airport at Shirdi, which is a major pilgrim centre; Karad, the home town of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan; Amravati; and Kolhapur.

The big question is that how much money will actually flow into the Pune airport project. And, will this amount be sufficient for meeting the budget's stated objective of facilitating land acquisition?

Sources in the general administration department's civil aviation wing said, "A major part of the allocation is expected to go into meeting rehabilitation requirements of the Mihan project. The Shirdi airport is a work-in-progress and considerable money will go into it. Karad and Amravati too are important projects."

27/03/12 Times of India

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Pawar floats new hope for airport

Pune : A provision of Rs 438 crore has been made for the civil aviation sector towards acquisition of land in development of airports in Rajgurunagar, Amravati, Kolhapur, Shirdi, Karad and airstrip for Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and airport at Nagpur (MIHAN), said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday. He was presenting the state budget for 2012- 13. And while no specific mention of the funds allotted towards the proposed airport at Rajgurunagar was made, the allocation, which came after a long gap is being seen as an important development towards pushing the development process.

S K Jain, vice president and chairman, Civil Aviation Committee, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), said, “The priority now should be to get a significant chunk of the allotted figure towards the land acquisition for new Pune International Airport. This allotment in the state budget, which comes after two-three years, is a positive sign and we are hopeful that the process of acquiring the land will begin soon. If everything goes well, the new Pune airport may come up before the Navi Mumbai airport.”

27/03/12 Pranav Kulkarni/Express India

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Trade chamber urges AAI to reinstall ILS at Vijayawada airport

Vijayawada: Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Muthavarapu Muralikrishna on Monday said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) did not take precautions while installing the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Vijayawada airport.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has raised objections over its usage as it is closer to the NH-5.

“Now, the DGCA says the communication system of the ILS will be affected due to heavy vehicle traffic on NH-5 and suggested shifting it to some distance towards the runway,” Mr. Muralikrishna said.

He blamed the AAI for the present state of affairs, as the highway problem was not new and it could have been avoided had the officials planned the installation properly.

“The ILS equipment is lying at the airport for more than two years and its parts are shifted for installations at Kochi, Tirupati, and Agati airports. During the current winter season, flight schedules have gone haywire, leading to cancellations, and this could have been avoided,” Mr. Muralikrishna added.

27/03/12 The Hindu

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Chennai airport parking space set for revamp

Chennai: Next time you head to the Chennai Airport, there’s a good chance that you’ll have some deja vu of entering a swanky mall. After the term of the existing parking contractor runs out at midnight on March 31, the new company that has taken the contract is all set to revamp the space, confirmed officials.

“The entry is expected to be realigned so that it is uniform at one point for both the terminals. This will most probably follow the toll booth-electronic card system that is seen in most malls today,” said airport director E P Hareendranathan.

While this system could take some getting used to for regulars, it is expected to save a lot of time and cut back manual tariff collection, which is the existing system. As another official pointed out, “Long lines have always been a problem especially during peak hours when the airline traffic is maximum.” This system will cut back on the chaos, he added.

Sources have also confirmed that the next contract would be taken up by Mumbai-based Garuda Aviation Services Ltd.

27/03/12 Daniel Thimmayya/New Indian Express/IBN Live

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AAI employees get temporary relief as Bombay HC stays eviction order

Mumbai: The Bombay HC on Monday stayed the eviction of employees from their quarters at the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Staff Colony in Sahar , Andheri, for three weeks.A division bench of Justice P B Majmudar and Justice Ramesh Dhanuka was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Airports' Kamgar Union on behalf of the occupants of 226 quarters on 35 acres of land near the airport. The petition said the MIAL cannot alienate assets of the AAI or change user and also, that the quarters are occupied by the serving staff of the AAI and MIAL who are required to stay near the airport and work on emergency service.The union's advocate Gayatri Singh said the agreement on April 4, 2009, between the AAI and MIAL to develop the airport does not call for eviction of staff.

27/03/12 Rosy Sequeira/Times of India

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Cial to buy disabled aircraft retrieval kit

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Limited (Cial) will soon purchase aircraft recovery equipment. This will help the authorities remove damaged aircraft that affect the functioning of the airport, from the runway and other areas.

"We are finalizing on which equipment to acquire for the common models of aircraft that operate from our airport. The tender will be invited soon," airport director A C K Nair told TOI here.

The decision to buy the equipment was taken in the backdrop of the accident at the airport on August 28, 2011, when a Gulf Air flight carrying 137 people skidded off the runway during landing. The aircraft careened off the runway, coming to a halt in a muddy area close to it. The slush-stuck aircraft was removed the next morning, and the runway had to be closed till then.

27/03/12 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Kingfisher Airlines shuts counter in Lucknow: Airport officials

Plagued by financial losses, Kingfisher Airlines has pulled out its flights from Lucknow to New Delhi and Mumbai, say airport officials.

According to the airport officials, the airline also shut its counter at the Amausi Airport in Lucknow Sunday evening.

The 'in-red' airlines had two flights from Lucknow to Delhi and Mumbai.

Speaking to IANS, a source said the flights were running to "not even half the capacity" and had left the two flights bleeding.

"The decision was being mulled upon for a very long time and was executed Sunday," an official informed.

Airport authorities say the staff at the Kingfisher ticketing counter have also stopped reporting at the airport.

26/03/12 IANS/Economic Times

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First international flight takes off from Vizag

Union minister for civil aviation Ajit Singh flagged off the inaugural international flight from Visakhapatnam to Dubai on Sunday evening amid loud cheers, in presence of chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and ministers and MLAs.

The Air India flight AI-592 from Dubai landed at airport in the city in the morning hours on Sunday and was flagged off on its return trip, by Ajit Singh, at 6:20 p.m.

With this international flight to Dubai, city of destiny is included in the list of airports in India with international flight services.

At present 38 services of 19 flights of various airlines are operating from Visakhapatnam to different destinations in the country.

After the ceremony, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said Union government has released Rs 100 crore for tourism development in the state.

26/03/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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More international flights proposed: Ajit Singh

Vishakhapatnam: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Sunday said the Centre would consider introducing more international flights to Visakhapatnam.

He was speaking at a meeting on connectivity and tourism conducted by Air Travellers' Association (India) (ATAI) at Four Points by Sheraton to celebrate the inauguration of international flight by Air India from here to Dubai. Mr. Singh said the flight to Dubai should not be the last and the city with huge potential for tourism and industrialisation should have significant improvement in connectivity.

Stating that aviation and tourism should go together, he said it was a capital-intensive sector with tremendous potential for creating job opportunities.

Harping on difficult phase being experienced by the aviation sector the world over, he said they were expecting that they would tide over financial stress caused due to various factors and a growth by 18 to 20 per cent in next five to six years.

26/03/12 The Hindu

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Confusion over location of radar at Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram: Confusion prevails over finalising the location for the Route Surveillance Radar (RSR) that is to be procured by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as part of upgrading its air traffic management systems.

The air traffic management authorities here had informed the AAI that the new RSR should be located at a higher altitude to prevent the radar going ‘blind' above the Nedumbassery, Karipur, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli and Madurai airports and for effective monitoring of the aircraft that are taking off and landing at those airports, highly placed sources in the airport told The Hindu.

The move to install the new Route Surveillance Radar at the same spot where the existing radars were housed would jeopardise air safety as it would not be able to provide ‘line of sight' due to the hilly terrain around Thiruvananthapuram airport. “The radar will go blind as the magnetic lines travel in straight lines, and installing the new one at the ground level will be a safety risk. Though the existing radars at the Thiruvananthapuram airport are 17-years-old, they are in good condition, but for the lack of line of sight,” sources said.

26/03/12 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Airport fee: Ajit Singh rules out changes in aviation rules

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry has ruled out the possibility of amending the Airports Authority of India (Major Airports) Development Fees Rules, 2011, which allowed the levy of development fee by private airports.

The Opposition has moved amendments to the rules in the Rajya Sabha saying that the Government should not levy development fee from the passengers. The matter, which could not be taken up in the winter session, is likely to be considered during the current session of Parliament.

In a letter to the CPI (M) MP, Mr K.N. Balagopal, who has moved the amendments in the Upper House, the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Ajit Singh, said that the rules framed are in accordance with the provisions of the Airports Authority of India Act and are legally in order.

Mr Balagopal had challenged the Government's decision to allow the private airports to levy development fee.

25/03/12 A.M. Jigeesh/Business Line

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2 flights less to Mumbai from Calcutta

Calcutta: Air passengers bound for Mumbai from Ranchi have two less carriers to choose from with JetLite and Kingfisher suspending their services to the commercial capital from Birsa Munda Airport.

While Kingfisher suspended services indefinitely from Sunday, Jetlite withdrew services on Saturday, leaving passengers with only Air India and Go Airways to choose from to fly to Mumbai.

JetLite’s Ranchi-Mumbai flight took off from the capital at 8.30am and landed in Mumbai at 11am, and was thus popular with those travelling on business or those with international connections to catch. The Kingfisher flight to Mumbai was at 3.30pm.

“We have been told that flights have been temporarily suspended and services to different sectors may resume in the future. Till then, passengers have to wait,” said C.P. Yadav, station manager of Kingfisher at Birsa Munda Airport.

Airport officials too confirmed that the two Ranchi-Mumbai flights had been grounded. “Both flights seem to have been withdrawn. While we are not aware of the problem that forced JetLite to pull out, Kingfisher stopped flights from this sector due to its ongoing financial crisis,” said an official requesting anonymity.

26/03/12 The Telegraph

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Passengers stranded after glitch in iris scanners at Sharjah airport

Dubai: Many passengers were stuck at the Sharjah International Airport early on Sunday morning due to a technical glitch in the iris scanners.

Relatives said that passengers were stranded in long queues at immigration with no food, water or cash while airport officials were waiting for a team from Abu Dhabi to fix the glitch.

A source at the Sharjah International Airport told Gulf News that the machines are now working and that passengers who have completed the iris scan have started to leave the airport.

"The eye-scanning machines were down from Abu Dhabi Police," he said. The source said that passengers were stuck at the airport until 1:30pm while a team from Abu Dhabi worked on solving the problem. The machines are used to scan the eyes of passengers who are entering the country on visit visas and tourist visas.

"Air Arabia has provided the stranded passengers with meals while Pakistan International Airlines did not provide any meals," he said.

Dinesh, a Dubai resident, said his elderly parents were due to arrive from India at 6:20am but until 2pm they had not been released from the Immigration queue.

25/03/12 Naushad K. Cherrayil and Deena Kamel Yousef/Gulf News

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Cases caught at Mumbai international airport dip

Mumbai: The number of bogus passports and fake visas caught at the Mumbai international airport has declined over the last two years. In 2011, 440 such cases were detected, which was about 25% less than 2010's tally of 599.

Officers credit the change to the fear that the sophisticated technology at the airport has engendered among criminals. The airport has UV-ray machines connected to computers that are linked to a database of all Indian passports issued. When an immigration official places a passport on the machine, it searches for every alteration. Officials say it can detect photo substitution, page substitution, forged central stitching (fluorescent), lack of arrival or departure stamp, forged visa, and wrong 'protector of emigrants' entries.

Since 1994, over 11,000 forged passports and bogus visas have been caught at the Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport. In 2007, 610 counterfeit passports and visas were detected and the next year 467.

26/03/12 V Narayan/Times of India

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AAI cracks its whip on errant airport staff

Kolkata: In a bid to re-instill discipline among the heavily unionized staff, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to crack down on errant employees. Officials in the organization, that manages 125 airports across the country, said an order has been issued to weed out inefficient or errant employees of over 50 years of age by premature retirement.

The action is expected to impact Kolkata airport most as executives have been unable to discipline inefficient staff as they enjoy the protection of the union that is extremely strong here. No other airport in India receives so many complaints from passengers on shabby maintenance of lounges and toilets and rude staff behavior.

"Let's face it, we have a problem with the staff. It's not as though everyone is inefficient or undisciplined. But a few bad apples spoil the entire basket. The problem is particularly acute in Kolkata where the union has always been very dominant," an AAI official said.

26/03/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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CIAL security staff to get modern gadgets

Kochi: In a major security upgradation at the Cochin International Airport, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) of the CISF will soon be equipped with modern gadgets that include liquid explosive detector, explosive vapour detector and bomb suit among others.

“The upgradation of security is to meet the latest specifications laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India (BCAS). In all, 11 equipment will be purchased at an estimated cost of `83 lakh,” a CIAL official said.

The list also includes blast inhibitor, car remote opening tool kit, RSP tool kit, non-metallic prodder, remote wire cutter, under vehicle viewing mirror, search light with charger and electronic stethoscope.

26/03/12 Deccan Chronicle

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CISF officer shoots self at IGI, survives

New Delhi: Chaos prevailed at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Sunday evening after a CISF personnel tried to shoot himself with his service pistol. The victim, Moolchand, is an assistant sub-inspector with the Central Industrial Security Forces and is currently undergoing treatment at Safdurjung Hospital.

Police have not been able to ascertain the motive behind his attempt. However, cops suspect that Moolchand could have been in depression as he had returned from his house on Saturday after a month long leave.

26/03/12 Times of India

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Host of events to mark launch of Dubai flight

Visakhapatnam: The first international flight from the city to Dubai, scheduled to take off on Sunday evening, has generated a lot of euphoria among people.

A host of events are being organised to mark the launch of the inaugural flight.

Addressing a media conference in this connection on Saturday, Minister for Infrastructure and Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Rajya Sabha Member T. Subbarami Reddy felt that international connectivity would hasten the pace of development of the city.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said a new tradition had begun in the city with the organisation of ‘Ugadi celebrations' on a single platform on Friday. The celebrations named ‘Visakha Vasantotsavam' would be held for three days every year hereafter.

He said Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh would participate in flagging off the inaugural flight.

25/03/12 The Hindu

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Delhi Airport: Govt against AERA proposal for matching tariff with quality

New Delhi: Government has opposed a proposal of airport regulator AERA for evolving a mechanism to match tariff with the quality of services at Delhi airport, that would allow airlines and other users to pay less for any dip in standards.

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), which is in the process of taking a final decision on fixing a tariff structure for Delhi airport, had proposed to evolve a rebate mechanism for its users as a penalty for GMR—led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in case it did not adhere to the laid down service standards.

Noting that AERA could “only monitor the set performance standards” at the airport, the Civil Aviation Ministry has told the airport regulator that it would not be justified to prescribe a separate rebate mechanism as part of tariff determination.

Under existing law, AERA was not mandated to impose additional quality parameters and penalties over and above those prescribed in DIAL’s 2006 agreement with the government (Operation Management Development Agreement or OMDA), the Ministry is believed to have told AERA.

25/03/12 PTI/Business Line

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Poor services affect Indira Gandhi International Airport's reputation

New Delhi: The IGI airport may rank among the best in the world but passengers are not happy with the services as seen in the large number of complaints, including baggage thefts, regarding the services.

Last year, passengers have registered a large number of complains against airlines for their poor services with airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

Of the total of 586 complains received last year, a majority of them - 229 were against the "poor" services of the airlines, official figures show.

Majority of these were regarding theft or pilferage of baggage, mishandled or damaged baggage and behaviour of airline staff.

There were also complaints against non-aero commercial establishments like retail shops and eateries.

DIAL, which has a comprehensive complaint management system, received a total of 128 complains in this regard.

25/03/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Iraqi cancer patient detained at Chennai airport

Chennai: An Iraqi engineer who arrived here for treatment for blood cancer on Saturday, was allegedly detained for nine hours at the airport.

According to sources, Hassan Salman Khadir (42), an Iraqi engineer working with a firm in Abu Dhabi, was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and referred to a hospital in Perumbakkam here. However, after he arrived on an Etihad Airways flight at 4 am in Chennai, he was detained while attempting to clear immigration by officials. He had been to the city twice earlier without incident, added sources.

According to sources, immigration officials detained the ailing engineer after an alert from Delhi. Considering his nationality, rumours flew about him having alleged terrorist links. However, no officials came forward to explain why he had been detained. After close to nine hours, Hassan was allowed to enter the city after which he left for the hospital.

25/03/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Thiruvananthapuram airport to get new radars

Thiruvananthapuram: The Airport Surveillance Radar and the Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) in Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, which are 17-years-old, are to be replaced at a cost of 1.60 lakh Euros by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The radars are being replaced as part of the AAI's ongoing project to upgrade air traffic management systems with advanced automation systems.

The decision to replace the radars comes at a time when Indra, an air traffic control technology developed by the Spanish Information Technology and Defence Systems Company, has been installed at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) here.

“Work orders had already been placed with the Czech Republic-based company ELDIS Pardubice, and the representatives of the company are scheduled to reach here soon to work out other details. Eight other airports under AAI will also get new radars,” a top AAI official told The Hindu.

The ATC Thiruvananthapuram covers about 250 nautical miles, with Kozhikode, Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli being the northern boundary, and 200 nautical miles oceanic airspace off the West and South of Thiruvananthapuram.

A vertical distance of about 15,000 to 46,000 ft is also taken care by the ATC here.

The Nedumbassery and Karipur airports do not have radars till date, and the radars in Thiruvananthapuram airport monitor the movement of aircraft up to 250 nautical miles.

25/03/12 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Airports Authority eyes Rs 3000-cr infra bond issue

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the finance ministry to be allowed to float Rs 3,000 crore of tax-free infrastructure bonds, a fund-raising window opened in the recent Union Budget.

“We have asked the finance ministry to allocate us Rs 3,000 crore from the Rs 10,000-crore issue that has not been allocated to an authority. We have written a letter,” said a top AAI official, who did not want to be identified.

Allowing AAI, he said, to raise Rs 3,000 crore through bonds would help the authority raise cheaper loans. “Fund raising through bonds brings down the interest rate on our borrowings by around two percentage points,” the official added.

In the Budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee allowed companies to raise Rs 60,000 crore through tax-free infra bonds. AAI was not allotted any amount. National Highways Authority of India, Indian Railway Finance Corporation and India Infrastructure Finance Company can raise Rs 10,000 crore each. National Housing Bank, Housing and Urban Development Corporation and the Small Industries Development Bank of India have permission to raise Rs 5,000 crore each. The ports sector can raise Rs 10,000 crore.

AAI’s earlier requests to raise cash through bonds were turned down on the plea that buyers for these were limited and allowing AAI to access the route would affect the plans of other government agencies. The earlier AAI proposals were for raising Rs 5,000 crore.

24/03/12 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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High Court dismisses Customs officials plea

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed the petitions filed by Customs officials seeking to discharge them from the charges framed against them in connection with the CBI’s surprise inspection at the Karipur International Airport in Kozhikode in November 2005.

In all, 36 Customs officials have been charged with conspiracy and abuse of official position for monetary gain and a chargesheet filed against them in 2007.? Justice P Bhavadasan dismissed the pleas of B Unnikrishnan of the Customs Department and seven others challenging the CBI Special Court order.

The court observed that the prosecution was able to establish the offences against the accused.The prosecution has produced documents to show that large amounts of unaccounted money were recovered from the bags and tables of some of the officers at the airport.The CBI had conducted raids following a specific complaint that Customs officials were demanding bribe from low-paid employees who were returning? fromthe Gulf.

24/03/12 IBN Live

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No flight track wavering, says Hawker Beechcraft

Mumbai: Plane maker Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC) has said its debt crisis would not impact its business in India. The US-based HBC manufactures King Air turboprop planes and Hawker jets. It has a 58 per cent share of business aircraft registered in India.

According to recent media reports from the US, the company had hired law firms specialising in bankruptcy and restructuring, as slower growth impacts earnings.

Shawn W Vick, CEO of Hawker Beechcraft Inter-national Service Company, ruled out any fallout on customers. "There will be no impact in India. There will be no impact to our customers,'' he stated.

He confirmed the company had hired two law firms to advise on financial restructuring and refused to comment on filing for bankruptcy. Vick said the company was concluding fresh debt terms with its lenders and an announcement was expected this week. The company has total debt of $2 billion. Hawker is owned by investment firms Goldman Sachs and Onex.

There are 150-160 Hawker Beechcraft planes in India, 28 being jet aircraft, and turboprop King Airs making the rest. The plane maker competes with Pilatus in the turboprop market and with Bombardier and Cessna in the mid-size jet market in India.

24/03/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Drivers man immigration counters

Kochi: At a time when immigration counters at airports and seaports are being brought under the direct control of the Intelligence Bureau to ensure foolproof surveillance, the immigration counter at the Cochin Port is being manned by just two police drivers.

While the Union home ministry has initiated steps to appoint trained staff at immigration counters across India, the functioning of two drivers at the port counter here has brought to light a major lapse. Around 15,000 foreigners arrive at the port each month, but it is these drivers who check the travel documents of those seeking immigration clearances.

The counter office should be actually manned by officials in the rank of a sub-inspector or sergeant. The officials should be trained to check travel documents and identify discrepancies.

24/03/12 Ajay Kanth/Times of India

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Airport extension plan to hit flight

Jaipur: Flyers hoping to board a direct flight from Jaipur airport to premier international destinations will have to wait for two more years. The much-awaited extension of the runway project will begin from August 2012, and is likely to be completed by August 2014.

After the extension, the runway will be suitable for landing of international aircrafts such as Boeing 747 and Airbus 320. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 100 crore. Several international airlines-Singapore Airlines, Biman Airlines, Etihad and Gulf had conducted feasibility survey, but later refused to operate from the airport as the runway did not meet the international standards. The authorities said they are now extending the length of runway from the current 2,797 meters to 3,507 meters.

The extension, however, may hamper the travel plans of frequent flyers as the airport will be partially closed during the day over these two years.

Paul Manickam, director of Jaipur Airport said, "It is bound to affect the movement of 3-4 regular flights including an international one." The airport handles 28 daily flights, including four international flights.

24/03/12 Shoeb Khan/Times of India

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Air connectivity to Mysore

Mysore: The city is all set to get back its air connectivity with Jet Airways likely to operate two flights from the end of April much to the relief of the business community.

This was confirmed by District in-charge Minister S.A. Ramdas at a press meet held at the Government House here this morning.

Elaborating on the subject, Ramdas said that negotiations were through with officials of Jet Airways and the flights would probably commence from the airline late next month after some preparations.

It may be recalled, Kingfisher airlines, which was operating flights to and from Mysore, had withdrawn the same recently.

Airport expansion: Regarding the Mandakalli Airport expansion work, Ramdas pointed out that the land acquisition process should commence once the payments were done to the farmers and the Airport would be developed as planned.

24/03/12 Star of Mysore

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Emirates Airlines sees fall in garments export from Gujarat

Ahmedabad: The ongoing global turmoil has affected garment exports from Gujarat. Garment exports, which used to have a significant share in the total air cargo exports from the state, have now drastically fallen.

Emirates Airlines, that operates ten cargo flights carrying 150 tonne every week from Ahmedabad, had a 12% to 14% share of garments export in 2008-09. This has shrunk to a mere 3%. However, at the same time, the operator had witnessed a rise in the exports of herbs, vegetables, fruits, pharmaceutical, chemical and engineering products.

"It looks like the manufacturing of garments has shifted to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Thus, we have seen a drastic fall in the exports of garments from Gujarat. Earlier, a pair of jeans and other apparels, made in Gujarat, were exported to US and European markets. Now, this has fallen," said Mahendra Pokhriyal, cargo manager, Gujarat, Emirates Airlines.

However, the overall size of cargo shipment has not reduced. "On one side, garment exports have come down and on the other side, vegetables, in particular herbs and fruits have picked up momentum. Even the exports of pharmaceuticals, chemicals and engineering goods have increased," said Keki Patel, cargo manager for India & Nepal, Emirates Airlines.

24/03/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Babbar Khalsa International militant arrested at IGI airport

New Delhi: A Babbar Khalsa International militant has been arrested from IGI airport with arms, ammunition and other incriminating material.

The militant, Delhi Police officials said, had come to India after being trained in Pakistan and was supposed to carry attacks on religious gurus like Baba Ram Rahim and Baba Ashutosh. The police have also come to know that BKI is now providing monetary assistance to the families of slain BKI militants in India.

The militant, identified as Narender Singh (43), was caught by the special team led by additional DCP Sanjeev Yadav earlier this week when he reached Delhi from Germany by Qatar Airlines. He is from Laroya village in Jalandhar, Punjab, but is now said to be based in Spain. The team also found two CDs containing provocative speeches on him.

24/03/12 Times of India

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GMR Infrastructure to take a break from entering into new projects

Mumbai: GMR InfrGMR Infrastructure has said that it does not want to take up any new projects on its own for at least a year and will spend time and effort in increasing cash flows from existing infrastructure projects.

The Bangalore-headquartered developer of roads, airports and different utilities, which has a debt of around Rs 25,000 crore, also wants to resolve issues related to different projects in partnership with government.

"We don't need to continuously grow. We have grown enough in the last 10 years and now we need to shift gears. There is a consolidation phase. That's where we have reached now. We already have $5-6 billion of assets on the balance sheet which are operational.

Another $9 billion of assets are under construction. So we would have a total of $15 billion assets on our balance sheet by 2014 . That's a decent growth that we have achieved," GMR group's chief financial officer A Subbarao told ET. Subbarao said that the company may look at some infrastructure projects in a "limited way", such as the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link Project, for acquiring technical experience. astructure to take a break from entering into new projects.

23/03/12 Economic Times

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Management firms to maintain new terminal

Kolkata: The new integrated terminal at Kolkata airport will be maintained by professional facility management companies. Speaking to TOI on Friday, airport director B P Sharma assured that not only will the authority deliver a world-class facility in June-July, it will also ensure that fliers do not get an opportunity to complain about service or upkeep.

"The management has taken the union into confidence and explained the challenges in managing the terminal that is nearly seven times the size of the current one," Sharma said, adding that the existing staff will be utilized in other facilities at the airport.

While most of the electrical, electronics and mechanical equipment will be under annual maintenance contract for three-five years, housekeeping and baggage trolley management - the two biggest sore points at present - will be handed over to private agencies. Though baggage trolleys management is contracted out even now, it is very poorly managed.

24/03/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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No takeoff without pay, private airport players tell Kingfisher Airlines

New Delhi: Private airports will now allow cash-strapped Kingfisher to operate flights only after paying for each of them. Like the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the GMR and GVK Groups that manage Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad (from where Kingfisher is stopping operations) have also asked Kingfisher to enhance payments - despite a reduced schedule - to recover huge dues.

Kingfisher owes Rs 265 crore to AAI; Rs 55-60 crore to GMR Group and about Rs 75 crore to GVK. While the airline was put on cash-and-carry at almost all airports late last year, it has stopped paying even the daily amount for the past 15-20 days. Now these three airport operators have asked Kingfisher to not only pay the daily amount before operating flights, but also increase the payment to recover dues as the threat of a closure looms large over the airline. Senior officials at AAI and GMR confirmed this move, while GVK did not comment.

"Unlike airlines that would have a windfall gain from Kingfisher's closing down, our interest was in ensuring its survival. We have been very supportive so far and not pressed for payment of the daily amount so far as we did not want to act as the catalyst for the airline shutting down. But now we have to now try to get as much of our dues along with daily flight bill as possible ," said the chairman of a big airport group.

23/03/12 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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3 Jet Airways flights escape major accident

Mumbai: A massive accident might have occurred in Mumbai Airport on Thursday, Mar 22 when three flights - all belong to Jet Airways escaped a major collision.

The Air Traffic Controller (ATC) issued an emergency call when it noticed that a Nagpur-based Jet Airways flight was descending to land and an another plane was waiting to take off while the third plane was to leave the runway.

Later a Jet Airways spokesperson issued an official statement describing the situation. "As advised by the ATC, flight no. 9W 2073 from Mumbai to Udaipur had to reject take off at very low speed. This was due to another aircraft that was waiting to clear runway. The estimated departure of the Mumbai to Udaipur flight was 1850hrs. The flight departed with 55 minutes delay," reads the statement.

23/03/12 One India

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TN proposes second greenfield airport

Chennai: About Rs 20,000 crore will be invested in a greenfield airport near Chennai, says Tamil Nadu's vision 2023 document.

The second airport proposed in the auto cluster of Sriperumbudur, about 40 km west off Chennai, will span 4,800 acres. The feasibility report is with the State Government. Once work on this airport starts, it is expected to be completed by 2020.

The annual passenger traffic at the existing airport in Chennai is 12 million. It is estimated to double by 2020. “But the airport will reach saturation by 2016-17 itself, thus causing a strain on operations and prompting the need for another airport,” says Mr E.P. Hareendranathan, Airport Director.

Currently, the existing airport handles about 325 aircraft movements a day. Even with the expansion, it will be able to handle only 500 movements by 2020.

According to the document released by the Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, the Greenfield airport complex will be equipped to handle 40 million passengers.

The new airport, which could have even four runways, will help Chennai to be on par with Delhi and Mumbai airports, he said.

22/03/12 TE Raja Simhan/Swetha Kannan/Business Line

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Bombardier sees future in small town air links

Hyderabad: Opening new routes to connecting smaller cities is the key to survival of airlines in the turbulent Indian skies. This needs a greater care from the airlines to use the right size of the aircraft considering the passenger movement, according to Torbjorn Karisson, vice president, sales (Asia Pacific) of Bombardier.

“This kind of strategy involving Tier II and III cities is a win-win situation as it will halve the travel time for the passengers and at the same time halve the distance for airlines,” he said.

Citing SpiceJet as example, for which it provided seven Q400 aircraft, he said the aviation community is happy with the ways SpiceJet has opened up new routes connecting Hyderabad.

22/03/12 B Krishna Mohan/mydigitalfc.com

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President inaugurates Jalgaon airport

Jalgaon: President Pratibha Patil Friday inaugurated the Jalgaon airport in north Maharashtra, as well as the second phase work of the airport to extend its airstrip for accommodating landing and take-off of bigger airplanes.

'Jalgaon is an important centre of northern Maharashtra. If you look at the city, you will see a fast progressing place. The presence of ample manpower and infrastructure can attract many a company. This will lead to generation of jobs and the existing businesses can get a move on,' Patil said after the inauguration.

Jalgaon airport's foundation stone was first laid on Nov 18, 1971 and later again on May 18, 1973. It was then acquired by the municipal council on April 4, 1997. It was then shifted to state airport development company on April 23, 2007.

This was followed by its acquisition by the Airports Authority of India July 28, 2009 to boost the development.

Patil had laid the foundation stone for the airport work on June 13, 2010.

23/03/12 IANS/News Track India

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Cargo operators raise banner of protest against MIAL toll

Mumbai: Cargo operators have dubbed the toll being charged by the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to use the road leading to the cargo terminal at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) “arbitrary and extortionate”.

The Express Industry Council of India (EICI), the Air Cargo Agents Association of India, the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (shipping and aviation committee), the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture, the Western India Shippers Association, the Manufacturers Association on Information Technology, the Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India and the Bombay Custom House Agents’ Association (BCHAA) are now protesting against this toll.

The friction between the MIAL and cargo operators began after a toll began to be levied on every trip made to the airport’s cargo terminal on February 9. “There was no intimation of any kind. After our protests and repeated correspondence with the MIAL, it put out a note a fortnight later saying the toll was mandatory for all vehicles,” complained Vijay Kumar, EICI’s chief operating officer, who added, “Around 700-800 vehicles ply on this road daily. In fact, most make several sorties. From a toll of Rs50 to Rs200, depending on the vehicle, the MIAL makes more than Rs1crore every day. And, it is not even a sovereign or constitutional body empowered to collect such a toll.”

23/03/12 Yogesh Pawar/Daily News & Analysis

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Hyderabad International Airport to use social media

Hyderabad: GMR Group, which manages Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport, is considering using Facebook and Twitter to promote the airport and upgrade the feedback mechanism.

Sources said though the concession agreement with the government mandates only maintaining a complaint register for the passengers, RGHIA also accepts complaints and feedback through other channels such as e-mail, post, website, a toll- free number, feedback kiosks and feedback forms.

"The Airport already has an official account on Facebook with thousands of visitors. Currently a team of experts is working on how to go vigorously using social media. It serves two purposes, it helps promote the airport and can also get real-time feedback and complaints," airport sources said.

But official spokesperson of the airport said the management did not want to comment on this at present.

The airport received 236 complaints last year, 325 in 2010, and all of them were addressed, the spokesperson said.

23/03/12 Zee News

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Virgin Atlantic Cargo re-commences flights to Mumbai

After a three-year hiatus, Virgin Atlantic Cargo will resume service to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on October 28. The carrier, which will operate daily passenger and cargo flights to Mumbai from its London Heathrow hub, will perform the route on Airbus A330 aircraft.

According to a press release, Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s decision to return to Mumbai centered on India’s rosy forecast for airfreight growth. Plus, the freight carrier’s daily service to New Delhi has become one of its most profitable routes, Virgin Atlantic officials revealed.

“Returning to Mumbai is a real bonus for our cargo business and our customers,” Virgin Atlantic Director of Cargo John Lloyd said in a statement. “The air cargo market in India is already very strong for us through New Delhi, and with Mumbai’s buoyant commercial center and industrial infrastructure, we expect to easily fill our capacity with cargo connecting to and from points across the Virgin network.”

The London-Mumbai route also offers strong connectivity to the U.S., Lloyd added.

23/03/12 Air Cargo World

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Bangalore airport wins Green Company certification

Bangalore: The Bangalore International Airport (BIA) has become the country’s first firm to receive ‘Green Company’ distinction from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The company on Thursday announced that it has received the certification from the Green Building Council (GBC) of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as a Green Company in adherence to its GreenCo Rating System.

The rating system assesses and analyses the environmental impact of the company’s entire activities or operations. This rating helps in defining the path forward to ecologically sustainable business growth.

The certification programme was launched by the Union Minister for Energy in February last year. Making the announcement, S Raghupathy, executive director, CII-Godrej GBC said, “Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) has demonstrated passion and commitment towards fostering and promoting ecological sustainability in Indian industry. We are confident that in the days to come, many more companies will tread the same green path and pave way for a safe and sustainable tomorrow and demonstrate that green makes good business sense.”

23/03/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Ground reality: Airlines in crisis, not airports

Bangalore: Forget the ongoing national aviation crisis, the state budget 2012-13 provides an impetus to the development of regional airports in tier-II cities.

Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who presented the budget on Wednesday, announced that the Shimoga and Gulbarga airports are being built under a public-private partnership and would launch operations in the 2012-13 fiscal. This year would also see the expansion of the domestic airports in Hubli and Belgaum, he informed.

What it means? The prime focus given to the development of these airports in the state budget marks a change in view. The state wants to boost regional air travel, which about three years ago was seen as the harbinger of aviation activity within Karnataka.

In fact, the official websites of Karnataka's Infrastructure Development Department and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have a list of 32 airports in Karnataka, including the two international airports of Bangalore and Mangalore

22/03/2012 Daily News & Analysis

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Assam airports set for major facelift

Guwahati: Airports in Assam, including the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) airport, are all set for a major facelift with the government mooting measures to turn the state into an aviation hub of the entire North Eastern region. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi has taken up the matter with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to explore ways to improve the airports which will further encourage the country's much vaunted Look East Policy aimed at connecting the South Eastern Asian neighbours, official sources said here today. The sources said the chairman of AAI V P Agarwal had a recent discussion with the chief minister on issues relating to development of the airports and construction of a new integrated terminal building and taxi track at LGBI to cope up with the heavy inflow of passengers.

22/03/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Security of Airports

Ajit Singh, the Minister for Civil Aviation informed Lok Sabha today in a written reply that the main responsibility of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is to lay down standards and measures in respect of security of civil flights at international and domestic airports in the country and ensure their compliance with oversight mechanism and quality control.

The Minister informed further that the BCAS is an attached office under the administrative control of Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is the regulatory authority for Civil Aviation Security in India.

22/03/12 Press Information Bureau

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China Airlines Cargo seeks to start service to Chennai

Chennai: China Airlines Cargo is to commence a regular freighter service to Chennai from Taipei. This is mainly to cater to the growing air shipment in electronic items to the city from Taiwan and mainland China. The airline, which belongs to China Airlines, is likely to commence from May with a Boeing 747 category freighter, according to Chennai Airport Director, Mr E. P. Hareendranath. “They have sought a permission to commence the operations. We are looking at it,” he told Business Line.

The service to Chennai will be the second Indian destination for China Airlines Cargo, which operates a freighter to New Delhi. Between Taipei and Chennai, the freighter will have stopovers in transhipment hubs such as Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to pick up cargoes. It has a similar service to Colombo too.

China Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of China. Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation. The foundation is in turn owned by the Government of the Republic of China.

21/03/12 Business Line

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Air India to launch daily Dubai-Visakhapatnam flights

Dubai: Air India is starting a new daily flight from Dubai to Visakhapatnam later this month, a senior airline official in the Gulf said.

Beginning March 25, the flight will be part of an upgraded fleet of aircraft flying to South Indian destinations that have been converted from 145-seater to 175-seater carriers, Abhay Pathak, Air India's regional manager Gulf, West Asia and Africa, said.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of an agency award function in Abu Dhabi, Pathak said the airline's services in the region have been improving.

"Compared to last year, we have registered a growth in revenue of 25 per cent which is commendable considering the state of the industry in India and across the world," Pathak said adding that a total of 18 Indian destinations are being serviced from Dubai.

Pathak also said that a lack of hub in India so far has not helped matters.

22/03/12 PTI/Economioc Times

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Drug haul: Two including AI employee held at Imphal airport

Imphal: Two people, including an Air India loader, have been arrested from Imphal airport for allegedly trying to transport banned 'party drugs' worth Rs 28 lakh in the baggage of an air passenger. The duo were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials after they were tipped off by the CISF, which guards the airport. The loader, according to CISF, has been identified as Mohammed Akbar Ali while the passenger in whose baggage the 'party drug' (Metamphhetamine) was being allegedly transported has been identified as Khan Ayub of Imphal (east) district. According to the CISF, the incident occurred on March 20 when a CISF marshal noticed suspicious activity where the loader was trying to sneak in a "bag wrapped in paper" in the passengers baggage after it had cleared the mandatory security check. "The security personnel immediately apprehended the passenger and Air India employee.

22/03/12 PTI/IBN Live

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10,000 memory cards stashed in chocolate bars

Mumbai: Chocolates may be an unusual carrier of memory cards, but Customs officials at Mumbai international airport found the electronic chips spilling out of chocolate bars during a search early on Tuesday.

Nearly 10,000 memory cards were brought in from Dubai by an Emirates passenger indentified as Liaquat Patel.

Patel, a Nagpada resident, landed in Mumbai from Dubai at 3 am. He was on his way out of the airport through the green channel when he was intercepted by Customs officials.

22/03/12 Times of India

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Snagged in red tape, US aircraft stuck for over 3 yrs

Ahmedabad: A CESSNA-340 aircraft, which has been stuck between Customs Commissionerate, Ahmedabad, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in New Delhi for more than three years, has finally got a green signal to head back home to Texas, US.

However, the aircraft, worth Rs 1.5 crore, now needs Rs 50 lakh for repairs and another Rs 1 crore for paying parking charges at the airport, besides nearly Rs 60 lakh in custom duty.

The aircraft entered the Indian airspace on August 21, 2008 and landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad for the mandatory customs clearance.

The light-weight aircraft was procured on behalf of Bangalore-based Agni Aviation Consultants (AAC) on a 45-day lease for cloud-seeding demonstration at Gadag in Karnataka.

Local Congress leader H K Patil, known for his several agricultural initiatives, had organised the demonstration.

After getting the Customs clearance at the Ahmedabad airport, the flight landed at Bangalore airport for refuelling but was grounded as it developed technical snags. The cloud-seeding demonstration did not take place.

21/03/12 Satish Jha/Express India

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