Feasibility study for airstrip, heliport in Gurvayur

Kochi: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has begun feasibility studies for setting up an airstrip and heliport in the pilgrim town of Guruvayur in Kerala's Thrissur district.
On Saturday, a technical team led by AAI general manager (Technical) R Rajasekharan arrived in Guruvayur and visited some sites where adequate open land was available. "We visited three sites Pavaratty, Pookkode and Kandanassery near Guruvayur where land is available for the airstrip. Now we have to collect their technical features like, wind direction, speed and obstructions," Rajasekharan told TOI.
The team also visited nearby Dwaraka Beach to see if it could hold a heliport. The Guruvayur Devaswom has about 12 acres of land and the proposal is to set up the heliport there.
"The idea is to promote high-class pilgrim tourism by launching heli-taxi services between Guruvayur and Kochi International Airport," said Thrisuur MP P C Chacko, who took the lead to persuade AAI for the study.
Chacko feels that the heliport can be set up without much delay, as it involves the construction of only a control tower and deployment of security infrastructure. It could even be built on public-private partnership model, he added.
31/10/10 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Juhu runway extension may face green hurdle

Mumbai: As the Navi Mumbai airport project awaits environmental clearance, a plan to extend the Juhu airport runway into the sea may also face green obstacles. The Airports Authority of India has granted in-principle approval to the project to extend the Juhu runway from its current length of 1,143 metres to 2,020 metres.
The Juhu runway is proposed to be extended into the sea by cutting through the famed Juhu beach and an arterial road, for which an underpass tunnel would have to be constructed below the runway for road traffic, they said.
KPMG, which is the consultant selected by the AAI for the Juhu project, has suggested that the extension of the runway into the sea be done by using concrete stilts as was being done in case of the Chennai airport expansion project, officials said.
Such a plan would maintain smooth flow of sea water even during tides and go a long way to avoid environmental obstacles, they said.
A survey of the ocean bed has to be undertaken to see if pillars can be built and whether these would affect the underwater flora and fauna, apart from the ebb and flow of the water, the sources said.
As the project falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone, it has to be ratified by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority. This body would have to study various aspects, ranging from pollution, effluent discharge, fishing and coral life to high and low tide activity.
31/10/10 Press Trust of India /Hindustan Times

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Facelift to tackle space crunch at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Queue up to enter the airport. Queue up before baggage X-ray machines. Queue up again at check-in desks. And then join a serpentine queue to undergo security check. Jostle with fellow passengers to grab the elusive seats at the security hold lounge. Walk into the stinking washroom at your own peril.
The domestic terminal at Kolkata airport, one of the best in India till less than a decade ago, now resembles a railway station. The airport director is candid enough to admit that there are days when it is worse than a station platform, with three times the passenger pressure that what the terminal is equipped to handle.
But passengers will have to bear with the situation for at least a year more. For the airport staff, it will get more challenging as they attempt to fit more flights and passengers in a space that is already terribly cramped. It is only around the end of next year when the `1,600-crore integrated terminal opens that the space crunch will ease and, with it, most of the problems that currently dog the airport.
For the record, the domestic terminal has been handling over 13,000 passengers daily in recent weeks when it had been built for 5,000 passengers. This year, the domestic passenger count is expected to touch 9 million against the terminal capacity of 4 million. The new terminal will be four times larger than the existing one, enough for passengers to saunter in and out without bumping into each other for at least five to seven years more.
31/10/10 Times of India

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T3 shift: Airlines' winter schedule upset

New Delhi: With another delay in shifting of domestic airlines to Terminal 3, airlines might have to change their winter schedules. The winter schedule did not have much difference between two flights, keeping in mind the integrated terminal. But that will have to change now. The schedule was supposed to be
implemented from October 31 as the terminal shift date was October 30.
"The new timings was decided in a way that there was not much difference between two flights. The logic behind this was integrated terminal. We use the same aircraft for several destinations but at IGI Airport the time got wasted by sending aircraft from the domestic to international terminal. We were hoping to save that time after shifting to T3," said an Air India official on the condition of anonymity.
Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines and their low cost arms were scheduled will now shift to T3 on November 14.
The shifting is being delayed due to connectivity problem as a new link road and Metro is not ready yet.
30/10/10 Faizan Haider/Hindustan Times

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Damage: Two pilots off duty

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has de-rostered two pilots of an Air India aircraft that damaged runway lights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on October 26. The pilots have been taken off duty till an inquiry is complete. Sources said the DGCA investigating team is also taking down the pilots' statements.
"Both Sachin (known by his first name only) and Manjeet S Bodhi have been taken off from duty,” confirmed an Air India spokesperson.
Sources said the DGCA team has also taken out the flight's Cockpit Voice Recorder to look into the incident in detail. Also, details of the conversation between the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and the pilots have been asked for by the agency.
The runway lights were damaged by Air India flight IC-415, that took off for Patna at 6.22 pm on October 26.
31/10/10 Faizan Haider/Hindustan Times

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AI moving 11 flights to new terminal on Sunday

New Delhi: While domestic operations are expected to shift to the integrated terminal T3 at IGI Airport only by the middle of November, Air India will be shifting 11 of its domestic flights to the new terminal on October 31.
With the winter schedule kicking in from Sunday, the airline will start several international flights that would operate via Delhi. Officials said that if they wanted to offer through check-in facility to passengers, it was necessary that they arrived at the same terminal from where they would have to change aircraft for the second leg of the journey.
Some of those aircraft have also been deployed on international routes and bringing them to T3 from the domestic apron would have been a time consuming and cumbersome task.
"We are starting flights like Hyderabad-Chicago, Hyderabad-Frankfurt, Bangalore-Chicago, Bangalore-Frankfurt, Kolkata-New York, Amritsar-Toronto and Jaipur-Dubai. All these flights are via Delhi.
31/10/10 Economic Times

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Bird hits ground flights in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Bird hits have grounded four flights in the last three days in Coimbatore Airport affecting flight operations in the region. According to airport authorities, two flights each of Spice Jet and Air India were hit by tiny sparrows since Tuesday night.
The unexpected groundings have affected normal flight operations resulting in severe inconvenience to air passengers. The flights sustained no damage as the hits were not severe. Each flight resumed the onward journey after spending about one hour at the airport to check damages if any.
The airport authorities have constituted an expert committee to ascertain the reason behind the repeated bird hits. Surveillance jeeps are being used to chase away birds about three minutes before the landing and taking off of each flight. The officials have also decided to meet the Coimbatore district collector very soon asking him to take urgent steps to prevent dumping of garbage close to the western wall of the airport. The dumping of garbage there too is causing the high presence of birds in the region resulting in bird hits.
30/10/10 K A Shaji/Times of India

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Himachal to set up international airport

New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has said that the first international-level airport in the state would be set up near Shimla under the PPP mode at an initial cost of Rs 1,000 crore. Speaking at an investment meet, he said that land for the purpose had been identified at three places in Shimla and Solan districts and a final decision would be taken soon. He also announced that that 10 more helipads would be set up in Sirmour, Kinnaur and Mandi districts thereby increasing the total number of helipads in the state to 70. He also said that heli-taxis services in the state would be started soon.
30/10/10 Times of India

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Thiruvananthapuram new terminal: Live trial run on Tuesday

Thiruvananthapuram: A live trial run will be carried out at the new terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Tuesday, with the Air India Express flight IX 605 from Chennai scheduled to arrive by 3.10 pm on that day. There will be passengers on board the aircraft.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had earlier carried out a trial run on October 18 with an Air India Express aircraft, but it had dummy passengers on board.
The decision to conduct the fresh trial run was taken at a meeting convened by the Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Civil Aviation Ministry E K Bharath Bhushan with the new director of the Thiruvananthapuram Airport G Chandramouli in New Delhi on Thursday. There is also a move to allow domestic services of NACIL from the new terminal owing to operational reasons. However, sources at the airport said that such a move may invite protest from other domestic airlines, Kingfisher and Jet Airways.
Meanwhile, Air India (National Aviation Company of India - NACIL) has cancelled one more flight from here. The services that were earlier cancelled were also not restored in the winter schedule of the national carrier. IC 911, the Thiruvananthapuram- Bangalore- Chennai- Bangalore daily afternoon service, has been cancelled from November.
30/10/10 ExpressBuzz

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Sharjah flight returns to Kochi

An Air India Express flight bound for Sharjah returned to Kochi 45 minutes after it took off following a technical problem, reports Press Trust of India.
The flight with 142 passengers and nine crew members on board had taken off from from Nedumbassery International Airport in Kochi, Kerala, at 10:15am.
29/10/10 Emirates 24-7

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Kingfisher seeks $3.5 mn from Jet for damage to aircraft

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines has estimated the damage to its Airbus aircraft that was hit by a Jet Airways Boeing last weekend at Mumbai airport at around $3.5 million (Rs 15.6 crore) and expects Naresh Goyal’s airline to pay up. Aviation sources told The Indian Express that the amount was conveyed to Jet at a meeting involving the two airlines and the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The incident, classified as “serious” by DGCA, saw a Jet Airways aircraft, which had 122 passengers and was bound for Muscat, hit a parked Kingfisher Airlines aircraft while being tugged from its parking slot to the runway, damaging the left stabiliser of the Kingfisher Airbus. The damage was caused by the Jet aircraft’s left wing tip, which is made of glass fibre, and the the stabiliser would have to be replaced, the sources said, adding that the Jet aircraft hardly suffered any damage and was back in operation.
While insurance companies of the airlines are likely to end up footing at least a part of the bill, Kingfisher may have also taken into account the losses incurred due to the grounding of the aircraft to come up with the $3.5 million figure as a stabiliser is not expected to cost that much, aviation analysts said.
29/10/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express

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To bring down noise, AAI rotates runway use at IGI

New Delhi: In a bid to distribute the nuisance of approaching aircraft noise evenly for residents, Airports Authority of India (AAI) recently started rotational operations on the two runways at the IGI airport. At present, each runway is alternately used for an 8-hour duration for landings while at night, between 10pm and 6am, the time comes down to 4 hours.
Earlier, a night curfew had to be imposed on landing operations at the new runway 29/11 between 10pm and 6am after residents of Vasant Kunj approached the court over the massive noise pollution that was caused by approaching aircraft. Sources in AAI said that if such measures were to be taken, it was only fair that residents of other areas that fell in the approach path to runway 28 and 27 also benefited from it. "We understand that the noise of a landing aircraft can be quite disturbing but it wasn't fair that only residents of one area should be protected from it. For the past five days or so, we have been rotating arrivals between the runway 29 and runway 28/27. Each runway is used for 8 hours. At night, which used to be a blanket curfew on runway 29, we are now distributing traffic between 29 and 28/27 for 4 hours each,'' said a senior official.
28/10/10 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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MACL to transfer regional airports’ fuel and fire services employees to GMR

Male: Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) employees at fire services and fuel services of regional airports will be transferred to India’s GMR Infrastructure, the company said Thursday.
MACL Managing Director Mohamed Ibrahim said the decision was made, as the company should transfer all the employees responsible for airport operations.
“Employees at fire services and fuel services of regional airports are sent by us. They will be transferred to GMR within two days,” he said.
Ibrahim noted that the company employees remaining at regional airports are traffic control tower staff. While about 1,200 employees are being transferred to GMR, employees who received transfer letters are signing GMR’s employment agreement, he added.
28/10/10 haveeru online

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Dabolim runway to be restored by Sat: Navy

Dabolim: If all goes well and weather conditions remain favourable, the damaged link of the 3.43km Dabolim airport runway will be fully restored by Saturday morning, Indian Navy sources said, adding that an inquiry has been ordered into Saturday's mishap.
"The digging and clearing work of the 6,000 sq m damaged area is done, but there are still a few patches having kerosene seepage," INS Hansa commanding officer commodore Ravneet Singh said. Denying that the issue related to payment of costs for repairs by Indian Oil Company (IOC) had caused a hindrance to the restoration of the airstrip, he said work had started soon after the mishap.
A IOC fuel bowser carrying 6,000 litres of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) had overturned on Saturday at 9pm on the Dabolim runway, rendering 1.3 km of the stretch non-functional for the landing of flights. The Navy had carried out salvage operations, using specialized safety services, and cleared the strip by 2pm on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Singh said that the hot mixing plant is expected to arrive on Friday. "The runway can be taken up for blacktopping work on Friday from 8pm onwards for ten hours," he said.
The Navy held a meeting with airline companies on Thursday to discuss the closure of the runway for about ten hours to complete the work.
29/10/10 Times of India

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Etihad to launch all-economy class aircraft next week

Dubai: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has said that it will operate its first all-economy class aircraft from October 31 to Alexandria, Colombo, Damascus, Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram and Peshawar.
The airline has announced that Airbus A320 will be re-configured to carry 162 economy class passengers, an increase of 42 from the current capacity.
To the Indian Subcontinent it will operate daily to Thiruvananthapuram, three times weekly on Calicut flights, twice weekly on flights to Peshawar in Pakistan, and four times weekly to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.
29/10/10 Economic Times

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Life-saver at Euro airports from Indian innovator

London: Kromek, the Durham (UK)-based technology company founded and headed by Kolkata-born Arnab Basu, has received the official European Union certification to provide its colour x-ray liquid detection system to all European airports.
By April 2011, liquid items will be allowed on board if the appropriate security measures are in place at the airports concerned. The results of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC)-led trials prove the technology is ready to allow the 2011 regulatory deadline to be met by the airports. By April 2013, the ban will be lifted completely, allowing the carriage of liquids on flights across Europe.
The company is also in talks with the Indian civil aviation sector and hopes to have the the new product in place at Indian airports by the first quarter of next year. Kromek’s bottle scanner has qualified as a Category-B device (scan every single bottle without opening), that has achieved Type-1 (lower threshold to detecting threats) and Type-2 (higher threshold) 100 per cent capability and been officially tested, verified and authorised by ECAC. As of now, all EU airports are free to buy and implement Kromek’s bottle scanner product. The product, from drawing board to its final version, took a little over two years and was developed by a team of 55 at Kromek. It can handle up to the size of a two-litre Coke bottle and by itself measures three-fourth of a metre by three-fourth of a metre.
29/10/10 Business Standard

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‘Delhi’s T3 shows Rs 1k-cr overspend’

New Delhi: The swanky new terminal at Delhi airport, widely referred to as Terminal 3 , or T3, may have evoked widespread admiration but two consultants appointed by a body that regulates the country’s airports have said that some of the spending on it was not justified.
The external consultants, KPMG, an auditor, and public sector company, Engineers India(EIL), have found that spending of around Rs 1,000 crore appears to be excessive, say people familiar with the contents of reports submitted by them to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). The two firms have submitted separate reports. The overspending comes to around 8% of the project cost, the reports say.
The plush terminal built over a period of five years has seen spending of Rs 12,700 crore.
The reports are also not in favour of including what it referred to as “unincurred costs” in the total project cost. “There are unincurred costs of around Rs 350 crore towards facilities that have not yet come up. They should not be a part of the project cost,” the person said, citing the example of an ATC tower, which is yet to come up and whose cost is added into the Rs 12,700 crore.
One of the reports has also said that the new terminal has been “overbuilt” to handle the projected traffic.
“If GMR is not able to justify the total project cost, then it will have to suffer losses on that investment,” a person familiar with the airport regulator’s thinking said.
AERA had appointed the two firms earlier this year to review the cost of T3 when costs exceeded the estimated Rs 9,800 crore.
28/10/10 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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After emergency landing, flight stranded on runway

Kolkata: An IndiGo Airlines flight from Guwahati got stranded on the primary runway after making an emergency landing on Wednesday evening, forcing the airport to suspend operations till the landing strip was cleared. The Airbus 320 aircraft had to be physically towed by a push-back tractor after its surface steering control jammed. The latter allows a pilot to steer the aircraft to the left or right when taxiing on the ground after landing.
Around 7.30pm on Wednesday, the pilot of IndiGo Airlines flight 6E 291 from Guwahati to Chennai via Kolkata radioed the ATC at Kolkata and requested for an emergency landing as the aircraft had developed a hydraulic system failure. There were 169 passengers on board, including an infant. While the landing gear that is also controlled by hydraulics was all right, the problem was either with the wings or the ground steering control.
Following the SOS, full emergency procedures were rolled out at the airport. Fire tenders and ambulances were positioned next to the runway.
28/10/10 Times of India

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A-I failure is Bhutan's flying hope

Guwahati: Bhutan’s government-owned airline has adopted a loss-making international circuit that Air India abandoned eight years ago. Suicidal soar? No, insists Drukair or Royal Bhutan Airlines, not with the global dream riding on a local need – to provide the Himalayan country’s eastern half a faster way to reach capital Thimphu.
AI had in April 2002 launched the once-a-week Guwahati-Bangkok flight with a “viable” target of 60 per cent seat occupancy. Poor demand put paid to the service within 15 months.
“We studied the pros and cons for two years before deciding to launch our Paro-Guwahati-Bangkok flight from October 31,” said Drukair’s CEO Tandin Jamso here Wednesday.
Paro, at an elevation of 7300 ft, is Bhutan’s only airport 58 km from Thimphu.
Jamso hopes the Rs 1.6 billion Drukair, with plans to fly to Hong Kong and Singapore, can sustain its “global via Guwahati” operation unlike AI.
One reason is Drukair’s inter-regional focus with Kathmandu, Dhaka and major Indian metropolises on the radar. Another – more important to Bhutan’s internal affairs – is eastern Bhutan’s communication bottlenecks.
28/10/10 Rahul Karmakar/Hindustan Times

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Court asks airline to pay damages to two families stranded in airport

Mumbai: The consumer forum has pulled up a low-cost airline and asked it to pay a hefty compensation to the passengers who were stranded at Delhi airport after their tickets were cancelled by the airline in January 2009. Two families—Mumbai-based Doiphodes and Pune-based Alwanis— had booked their tickets on a Mumbai-Delhi Jetlite flight last year, but on reaching the airport, they were informed that the flight was cancelled owing to technical snag. They were on their way back from Leh, Ladak.
When the commuters requested Jetlite to accommodate them on another flight, the airline allegedly relied upon a clause printed overleaf of the ticket which stated it was entitled to cancel, advance, reschedule or delay its flights without assigning any reason, and thereby incurs no liability.
They were, then, forced to purchase tickets again on the same day for which they had to shell out Rs 51,492. Even though the airline made an attempt to refund the amount for the original tickets, it fell short by Rs 21,471.
28/10/10 Indian Express

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Hyderabad airport to hike fees from Nov 1

New Delhi: Domestic passengers flying out of Hyderabad will have to pay an increased user fee of Rs 430 per trip and international travellers Rs 1,700, representing a hike of 26 per cent and 87 per cent respectively, from November 1, the airport operator said today.
"The new increased user development fee (UDF) will be Rs 430 per head for all domestic outbound passengers and Rs 1,700 per head for all international outbound passengers (excluding service taxes)," GMR Hyderabad International Airport said in a statement.
Earlier, domestic departing passengers had to pay Rs 340 towards the airport levy, excluding service tax, while international passengers were charged Rs 907, minus service tax.
The decision was taken following approval from the airport regulator, Airport Economic Authority of India (AERA), the statement said, adding that the increased rates will be applicable from midnight, November 1.
The AERA had floated a discussion paper and held a stakeholders' meet on the issue last month, following the plea of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) that it should be allowed to raise the UDF charges, as it suffered losses in two subsequent years, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
27/10/10 PTI/Times of India

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Fresh route lets passengers Goa direct to India

Glasgow Airport is spreading its wings with what is believed to be Scotland's first direct flight to India, to be launched next year by Thomas Cook Airlines.
The airport's largest charter airline will operate a return service to Goa during the Easter holidays next April. The move is understood to be aimed at gauging potential demand for developing the route.
The news comes as a further boost after budget carrier Jet2 announced it would launch a base at Glasgow for European flights next summer, creating 150 jobs, as The Scotsman revealed last month. Glasgow has lost nearly one in ten of its passengers over the last year because of the recession and the collapse of a series of airlines, including Flyglobespan.
28/10/10 Alastair Dalton/Scotsman

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Two aerobridges set for launch at Vizag airport

Visakhapatnam: After two long years, the Vizag airport is all set to get two aerobridges in the new terminal complex from next month, while a few international flights are also in the pipeline.
Sources said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requisitioned two new aerobridges at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore for the convenience of passengers. The airport authorities have requested Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to grant permission to install the aero bridges. "We are expecting the clearance from DGCA soon and once we get the green signal, passengers can enter the aircraft directly from the aero bridges," airport traffic controller C Pattabhi said.
In all, 16 flights are operated daily from the airport, currently under the control of Indian Navy. Aviation experts said the Vizag airport would do well have all the ultra modern facilities in place what with the passenger rush swelling with each passing year.
28/10/10 Times of India

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AI Patna flight damages runway lights at IGI airport; operations hit

New Delhi: Flight operations at the IGI airport were affected this evening after some of the runway edge lights were damaged by an aircraft forcing its closure. The main runway (10/28) was not in operation between 6.30 and 7.45 pm after some of runway edge lights were found damaged and some rubber pieces of
tyres were also found scattered between taxiways B and D, airport officials said.
The runway lights were damaged by an Air India plane (flight IC 415) which took off for Patna at 6.22 pm. The pilot of the aircraft also reported damage in the plane's tyre.
The officials said the normalcy in operation has been restored and the re-installation work of damaged lights will be undertaken tonight.
27/10/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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IA Delhi-Patna flight's tyre deflates on landing

Patna: The passengers of IC-415 flight of the Indian Airlines (IA) had a miraculous escape when one of the tyres of the plane deflated soon after it landed at Patna airport on Tuesday evening.
Airport sources said the plane had arrived here from New Delhi at around 7.30 pm. It had left Delhi at around 6.05 pm. IC-416 flight was cancelled and the passengers were accommodated in Jet Airways' flight.
27/10/10 Times of India

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Himachal Pradesh Government to build international airport near Shimla

The Government of Himachal Pradesh has announced plans to build an international airport near state capital Shimla.
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said 200 bighas of land has been identified at three places in Shimla and Solan Districts and a final decision on the project would be taken soon.
He also announced that ten more helipads would be set up in Sirmour, Kinnaur and Mandi Districts, increasing the total strength of helipads in the state to 70. Heli-taxi services in the state would be started in December 2011.
26/10/10 ANI/Sify.com

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Final decision on Navi Mumbai Airport on Nov 9-10

Delhi: Final clearance for the contentious Navi Mumbai Airport project is expected to be granted after the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) meet on November 9-10.
The project had run into rough weather after the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) denied environmental clearance to the project as the construction will damaged 400 acres of mangrove at the proposed site.
“I am very hopeful that the Navi Mumbai project would come through. I had a constructive meeting with Mr Jairam Ramesh. I am hopeful of the issue being resolved,” Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel told newspersons after long meeting with his colleague at MoEF.
Calling the meeting with Patel “constructive” Ramesh said, “He is Praful and I am hopeful. MoEF is 70 per cent satisfied.”
26/10/10 Tuhin Dutta/Tehelka.com

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Air-crash mock drill at Shimla airport

Shimla: The Shimla airport at Jubberhati carried out a mock drill as part of efforts to deal with any crash, emergency landing and safety preparedness today.
Shimla deputy commissioner JS Rana informed HimVani that the Airport Authority of India along with local administration today organised a mock drill in which 50 security guards of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), officials of State Home guard, Himachal Pradesh Police, Fire fighters and health officials participated.
Different teams equipped with fire tenders, ambulances, fire pits and other installations placed far away from the runway were alerted to join the mock drill in minimum response time. Rana said that firetenderas at Bioleuganj took 30-minute response time, while doctors’ team from DDU Shimla took 40 minutes to respond on the spot.
The fire tenders having a capacity of 8000 liter water at rescue service office located close to the runway took couple of minutes to reach the spot. The rescue teams evacuated dummy-bodies and brought the injured to a nearby hospital.
26/10/10 ML Verma/Himvani

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Flight is on time… no, it’s cancelled… sorry, it’s on time

Mumbai: An elderly couple, booked on the airline to fly from Mumbai to Chennai on October 24, have a harrowing tale to tell about the mismanagement and lack of coordination between Air India (AI) and Indian Airlines.
Shankar Kuppuswamy, 46, said his parents V Kuppuswamy, 81, and Sharadha Kuppuswamy, 76, went through an ordeal while flying AI’s Mumbai-Chennai flight IC-994 on Sunday.
“We had booked the tickets three months in advance. My parents had come to Mumbai by an AI 127 Chicago-Mumbai flight on October 12, and on October 24, they were scheduled to catch a connecting flight that leaves at 8.20am. When I called up the airline’s office in Chennai to confirm the tickets, they first told me the ticket did not reflect in their system. Later, they said the flight was cancelled. Then they asked me to get the confirmation from Mumbai,” Shankar said, adding that he called up Mumbai call centre and got the tickets confirmed.
He said he was told by a call centre executive to come to domestic terminal on the date of journey. On October 21, his travel agent from Chennai called up, saying the airline had cancelled the flight and the passengers were booked on the next flight IC 914 that leaves at 9.40am. Later, they told him the flight was confirmed and would leave as per schedule.
Shankar said he went to the domestic terminal on night of October 23 to make sure everything goes right. “When I went to Indian Airline’s counter to get the tickets endorsed, the airline refused to confirm the PNR, saying it was an AI flight. But after two hours, they endorsed the tickets.
After that, I was told that my parents should reach the international terminal, Sahar to board the flight. As my parents are old, I requested them to provide for wheel-chairs for both of them. The airline staff said they provide wheel chair only to AI passengers, and not Indian passengers. After a lot of argument, they finally agreed,” he said.
On the day of travel, the passengers reported to Sahar terminal at 6.25am and Shankar was told that the flight was on time. However, the flight did not land at all and when Shankar called up the airline’s office, they said the flight was cancelled but did not know where his parents were.
“They asked me to call them on their mobile phone,” he said, adding they did not carry a cellphone. “It was when my sister created a ruckus at Chennai airport did they tell her that the passengers were on another flight that left Mumbai at 9.40am,” he added.
27/10/10 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Flighty schedules, stranded fliers

Mumbai: With airlines shuffling flight schedules at the last hour and failing to inform on time, commuters complain of being left at the airlines' mercy
If you have a flight to catch, do not be surprised if the airline reschedules it at the eleventh hour and forgets to inform you.
As MiD DAY found out, passengers are increasingly missing flights due to last minute changes in take-offs that weren't communicated to them.
The president of Air Passengers Association of India (APAI), Sudhakar Reddy, told MiD DAY that they receive hundreds of complaints every day about reschedules that passengers are not properly informed about. "We receive hundreds of complaints everyday about sudden reschedules.
This is happening because of the total failure of the DGCA in collusion with the airlines. The civil aviation ministry has not taken into consideration the suggestion or complaints of passengers or consumer bodies...''
26/10/10 Bipin Kumar Singh/MiD DAY

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Simultaneous use of main, new runways at Delhi delayed

New Delhi: Passengers will have to wait for some more time before delays at IGI Airport are taken care of. The mixed-mode operations promised by Airports Authority of India that would increase hourly flight handling capacity by simultaneously using the new and main runways for arrivals and departures will now start only after November 14. The decision was taken after the shifting of domestic operations to the new integrated terminal T3 was postponed for the fourth time on Monday and slated for mid-November.
"The change in procedures would have specially helped domestic airlines as they would not have to unnecessarily taxi all the way to the new runway for operations and it would have streamlined operations. However, we will now have to wait till the three full cost domestic carriers move to T3 before changing any procedures," said AAI sources.
Once implemented, the procedure would also save the low cost carriers (LCC) precious time and fuel that is currently wasted in taxiing 20 minutes to the new runway from the domestic apron. "The plan is to have the LCCs use either the main or the secondary runway for operations while those airlines in T3 would use the main and new runways...," said sources.
27/10/10 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Endless wait for Ananya

Kolkata: Ananya Chatterjee's baggage got misplaced while the actor was returning from Delhi after having received the National Award.
It was one of the most unexpected experiences of actor Ananya Chatterjee's life. The actor, who was returning to Kolkata from Delhi after having received the Best Actress National Award for 'Abohomaan' on October 22, was in a state of trauma when she couldn't trace her luggage after she reached the city on Saturday night. Her luggage had been apparently left behind on the conveyor belt in Delhi while she had boarded the flight and reached Kolkata!
"Once I landed in Kolkata, I waited endlessly for my luggage. It was past 11 pm. I finally left the airport after being told that the matter would be looked into. Imagine my surprise when I was told that my luggage had been left behind at the conveyor belt in Delhi! I was promised that the luggage would be returned to me by Sunday," recalls Ananya about her Air India flight experience.
But as luck would have it, the whole of Sunday passed and she didn't get her luggage back. "I finally got it back on Monday morning. While packing my belongings, I had initially kept my medal in my luggage. A friend of mine suggested that I ought to keep it in the hand baggage," she adds.
27/10/10 Priyanka Dasgupta/Times of India

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Radisson Hotel Delhi named best airport hotel

New Delhi: Radisson Hotel Delhi (NH-8) has been named Asia’s best Airport Hotel at the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia.
The Awards, universally regarded as the Oscars of the travel and tourism business, are determined by secret ballot in which travellers and industry professionals participate in over 160 countries.
In a clear sign of the country’s growing stature in the international tourism circuit, India was judged ‘Asia’s Leading Destination’ at the World Travel Awards Ceremony .
26/10/10 Economic Times

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ATC, airport operator in row over false fire alarm from aircraft

Mumbai: Differences between the Mumbai air traffic control (ATC) and the airport operator, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) surfaced again on Monday when ATC officials alleged that fire tenders at the city airport were slow in reacting to a call in an Air India flight. The ATC officials said the
pilot of flight IC 864 from Mumbai to Delhi reported a suspected fire soon after a tow tractor pushed it back for take-off at 10:28 am.
ATC officials, following the procedure, tried contacting the fire department using the radio device but claimed that the fire department officials failed to respond to the radio calls thus wasting precious time. “Assistance came only after we called them on the hotline,” said MG Jhunghare, general manager, ATC.
MIAL denied the charge. An MIAL spokesperson said the fire tenders attended to the flight immediately after getting the call from the ATC.
“On inspection the rescue team did not find any visible sign of fire or smoke. Subsequently, the fire watch tower sent a message that no assistance is required and the flight took off and was airborne by 10:47 am,” the spokesperson said.
26/10/10 Hindustan Times

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Mock hijack creates panic in Mangalore

Mangalore: News of an aeroplane hijacked from Mangalore Airport and later released after negotiation by the Airport Authority and the Police made rounds in the city on Monday evening.
While people started getting jittery with the news, a state visual media flashed the incident as breaking news, adding to the confusion.
However, it was later learnt that the mock exercise carried out jointly by the Airport Authority of India, the police and the Central Industrial Security Force at the airport premises, Bajpe was the cause for the confusion. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva said that it was mock exercise carried out to check the efficiency of the security mechanism in the airport.
25/10/10 Mangalorean.com

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Domestic flights from T3 put off till Nov 14

New Delhi: Delays seem to be plaguing the Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport no end. The shifting of domestic flight operations to Terminal 3 has been put off, yet again.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has now decided to begin operations only from November 14 onwards.
The Hindustan Times had earlier reported that the move, scheduled to take place this Saturday, could be delayed as a lot of work was still pending. However, in a review meeting held on Monday, citing connectivity issues, the shifting was postponed further.
“To ensure the least amount of inconvenience to passengers, it was decided at the review meeting that domestic operations of Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher airlines from T3 would begin from November 14,” said a ministry spokesperson.
Representatives of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), various airlines, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation were present at the meeting.
26/10/10 Hindustan Times

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Fillip for airport expansion

Ranchi: The state government today set a three-week deadline to prepare a report on the status of land that will be required for the ambitious expansion project of Birsa Munda Airport (BMA) to facilitate landing of larger aircraft.
In an effort to start work on the project that is to increase the length of the runway and ultimately get a license from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), chief secretary A.K. Singh chaired a meeting that was attended by revenue and land reforms secretary Santosh Kumar, his civil aviation counterpart B. K. Tripathy and senior army officials from Ranchi and Patna.
The entire airport area is about 546 acre. Airport Authority of India (AAI) requires about 500-600 acres more for the proposed expansion project. Most of the land, around 400 acre, in and around the airport belongs to the army which has indicated its willingness to part with it. Some other stretches belong to private holders.
25/10/10 The Telegraph

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8-month overhaul for Mumbai runway

Mumbai: Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL), the Mumbai airport operator aims to eliminate safety concerns by the end of July 2011 with a massive runway repair exercise that begins next week.
From November 1, the airport’s main runway will be shut for operations between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Saturday for eight months.
The airfield will resemble a massive construction site with 2,500 workers and 500 vehicles. Last year, a similar repair exercise was held for the airport’s secondary runway from October 1, 2009 to April 7, 2010.
However, while the repair work is likely to enhance operations by next year, passengers are expected to face massive delays for the next eight months especially after winter sets in. Foggy days are likely to be extremely chaotic because the secondary runway is not equipped with the Instrument Landing System (ILS), a ground-based aid that guides approaching aircraft using a combination of radio signals and many cases high intensity lighting arrays. Unlike the secondary runway that was dug up to the foundation and rebuilt last year, the primary runway will be widened from 45 metre to 60 metre and will get a thick layer of tar to smoothen the crumbling surface.
25/10/10 Soubhik Mitra/Hindustan Times

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Way to go before airport gets surface movement radar

Mumbai: The wait for a surface movement radar at Mumbai airport, where a Boeing hit a stationary Airbus yesterday, has got longer with the Airports Authority of India missing the late-October deadline for commissioning the project. The radar will allow Air Traffic Control to track any ground movement.
AAI officials in New Delhi said the radar may now be installed by mid-November but Mumbai airport officials admitted even this deadline looks ambitious.
On Saturday, a Jet Airways’ Boeing 737 with 122 passengers on board hit a stationary Kingfisher Airlines’ Airbus 320 while it was being pushed back into the taxiway for takeoff. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended a staff-member of Jet Airways and de-rostered two ground staff.
25/10/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express

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Oil spill on Goa runway as tanker turns turtle, operations hit

Panaji: A tanker carrying 6000 litres of highly inflammable aviation turbine fuel turned turtle on the Goa airport runway, forcing its partial closure and affecting operations.
The runway was shutdown for two and half hours last night after the Indian Oil Corporation's tanker toppled on the runway at 2120 hrs spilling the fuel. "The tanker was heading towards civil terminal to refuel the parked aircraft," an Indian Navy spokesperson.
Goa airport is managed by Indian Navy, which operates its INS Hansa base from Panaji.
Naval personnel evacuated the tanker driver to safety and took steps to prevent the leaking fuel from catching fire.
The runway was closed immediately. The tanker was lifted with the help of a naval crane and the fuel was removed from the runway surface, officials said.
The runway is operational now, however with a reduced length, sources said adding, "we are using only 5,700 ft of the 8,000 ft runway".
24/10/10 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Mopa land debate stalled

Panaji: A proposed discussion on a demand to scrap the land acquisition for Mopa airport by villagers could not take place as panchayat authorities said the matter is sub judice.
Villagers, especially Sandeep Kambli of Mopa Vimantal Piddit Xetkari Samiti had sought discussion on the issue at the gram sabha of Varkhand-Nagzar VP on Sunday. However, deputy sarpanch Narayan Talkadkar pointed out that the matter is sub judice and it would not be appropriate to hold discussion on the issue at this stage.
The samiti has urged the central government to direct the state to cancel the land acquisition proceedings for Mopa airport or hold them in abeyance till the centre can study the viability and feasibility of a second airport and also its environmental and socio-economic impact.
25/10/10 Times of India

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Air India crash victims’ kin to form action committee

Family members and relatives of the Air India crash victims met in Dubai again this weekend, for the second time in less than seven days, to form an action committee against the delaying tactics by airline representatives in awarding compensation.
The Air India Express flight that was flying from Dubai to Mangalore on May 22 crashed at the Mangalore airport after it overshot the runway killing 158 passengers. An investigation in the accident revealed that the incident was caused by pilot negligence.
The family members are protesting the lack of transparency and commitment from the airline and its representatives towards awarding compensation to the kith and kin of the crash victims.
Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe and a UK firm are representing Air India's insurance underwriters in compensating victims of the Air India air disaster.
Relatives who met again on Friday said they would form a representative committee that would operate under the Malabar Pravasi Coordination Council (MPCC), a UAE based association representing Non Resident Indians from Kerala State.
“Our first step will be to take it up at the political level. We are planning to take up the issue up the president of India and to the President of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi. The committee will meet again and finalise these decisions,” said Abdul Rahman, who lost his wife and children in the crash.
Members have also threatened to file a legal case in the UAE, the place where the flight originated, in-order to force the officials into taking speedy action.
The Air India Express plane crash in Mangalore is estimated to result in an insurance claim that could reach Rs4 billion (Dh313m, $85m) – the largest payout in Indian aviation history – according to experts.
25/10/10 Joseph George/Emirates 24-7

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A night of madness at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Three air safety incidents in a span of eight hours on Friday night and early Saturday put Mumbai airport authorities to test besides disrupting flight schedules.
At 1.50 am on Saturday, the wing tip of Muscat bound Jet Airways Boeing 737 rammed into left horizontal stabilizer of a stationary Kingfisher airbus which was parked at the adjacent bay.
The tail of the Kingfisher aircraft can be seen above while the Jet Airways plane that collided into it is seen below “While being taken towards the runway, the Jet Airways plane cut through a portion near the tail and got stuck after. It is being viewed as a serious incident,’’ said an airport source.
On Friday night, an Air India Boeing 777 from London was stuck on the taxiway after landing.
The main runway had to be closed for use as landing planes would have been unable to vacate using this taxiway. Although the secondary runway was opened, seven incoming flights were diverted to Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
“At 11.12 pm the pilot of an Air India plane reported smoke emanating from the landing gear. Emergency services sprayed foam on it, but the operation blocked the taxiway for an hour,’’ said MIAL spokesperson.
A source said, “The Air India pilot radioed the problem to the Air Traffic Controller. However, for next 2-3 minutes ground controllers were unable to establish contact with fire station and safety jeeps because of some communication problem. If it was a real fire situation, such a delay would have proved costly.’’
Earlier in the evening, an emergency landing by a cargo plane led to massive delays and diversions. “A Fedex plane on Dubai-Bangalore route made an emergency landing because of suspected fire in cargo hold at 6.30 pm.
24/10/10 Mumbai Mirror

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Air India plane stuck on runway, operations hit

Mumbai: Air India aircraft arriving here from London got stuck off the runway shortly before Friday midnight, airport officials said on Saturday.
Shortly after vacating the main runway, the flight, AI-130 got stuck while taxiing to the bay. The captain of the plane reported smoke emanating from the landing gear of the aircraft and failure in the landing apparatus.
The airport emergency services were immediately pressed into service and they sprayed foam on the right-side landing gear.During the operation, the taxiway was blocked for over 55 minutes.
Seven incoming flights were diverted, six to Ahmedabad and one to Hyderabad, the officials said.
23/10/10 IANS/SIfy

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Residents join forces to ground Juhu airport

Mumbai: The Airport Authority of India's (AAI) plan to use the defunct Juhu aerodrome as an alternative for small aircraft to ease congestion at the international airport seems all set to hit turbulence. Residents' groups from the area are strongly opposed to the plan which will see the runway being extended by 1,100 m into the sea.
The Juhu Citizens' Welfare Group (JCWG) plans to launch a "No Airpot on Juhu Beach" campaign and will collect around 10,000 signatures at the beach on Sunday to highlight the ecological damage to be caused by the project. The residents' forum will also submit a memorandum to Jairam Ramesh, Union environment and forests minister.
Locals fear that the runway will divide their scenic 3.5-km beach into two. "The main beach will be cordoned off in the name of security," said Hansel D'Souza, president, JCWG. " Mumbai will lose one of its popular tourist attractions. We also fear that the AAI, in the guise of public-private-partnership, will allow private consortiums to commercially exploit public space in lieu of the airport`s construction," he added.
The Rs 2,000-crore project is being undertaken to accommodate 20-25 ageing ATRs and smaller aircraft.
24/10/10 Linah Baliga/Times of India

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DGCA launches probe into diversion of GoAir flight

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA on Saturday launched a probe into the diversion of GoAir's Lucknow- Delhi flight to Patna to carry Haj pilgrims here.
While the private carrier had taken permission for diverting yesterday's Lucknow-Delhi flight to Patna from air traffic control and Airports Authority of India , it did not do so from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which approves flight schedules, officials said.
"The reasons for not operating Delhi-Patna-Delhi and not obtaining clearance from DGCA for diverting Delhi- Lucknow -Delhi to Delhi-Lucknow-Patna-Delhi is being investigated," the officials said.
The diversion, which caused over three hours delay, triggered protests by passengers who claimed they were not informed of it and had missed connecting flights to other destinations from Delhi.
The officials said that GoAir had planned to operate three flights on Delhi-Patna-Delhi sector to transfer about 450 Haj Pilgrims yesterday. The aircraft was to operate ferry services from Delhi past midnight. These operations were approved by the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA.
23/10/10 PTI/Economic Times

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Traffic jam in Kokata skies

Kolkata: If you are booked on a flight that is slated to either take off or touch down around 4 in the evening, brace for a longer haul. With nearly 30 flights vying for the airstrip to either fly or land between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm, Kolkata airport is suddenly encountering congestion, an unthinkable situation till recently.
"The number of flight movements, comprising landings and takeoffs, has shot up from 230 a day to around 270 daily. Several of these flights have evening slots, leading to bunching of landings and takeoffs during the evenings. This is causing major congestion in the air as well as on the ground," a senior air traffic controller at Kolkata told TOI.
Flights that arrive in Kolkata during this peak evening hour have to hover over the city in queue for 10-20 minutes before the ATC gives an all-clear signal to land. Similarly, fights that are scheduled to take off around this hour have to wait their turn in queue for up to half an hour before the runway is clear for takeoff.
24/10/10 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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Last Haj flight from Aurangabad takes off to Jeddah

Aurangabad: The last flight of the first phase of Haj schedule took off from Chikalthana Airport to Jeddah on 21 October. Although there was heavy rain on Thursday evening there was no change in flight schedule. The first phase of Haj schedule started on October 9.
Flights from Chikalthana to Jeddah are being operated by NAS AIR, an aviation company from Saudi Arabia while Air India conducted off flight operations.
23/10/10 Riyaz Momin/TwoCircles.net

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DGCA licence mandatory for airports from July next

New Delhi: Airports in India would not be allowed to undertake flight operations from July next year if they are not licensed by aviation regulator DGCA by June-end.
The government has issued a notification to this effect, as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) continued inspections and safety audit at airports across the country to grant licences to airport operators, including state-owned Airports Authority of India .
According to the notification, no person would operate scheduled air transport services to/from an aerodrome from June 30, 2011, unless it has been licensed by DGCA.
There are 63 airports, which are to be licensed, including 53 operated by AAI. The rest of them, including those in Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Bangalore and Hyderabad, are owned either by the private sector or joint ventures.
While DGCA has issued initial licences to 15 airports, it has inspected 14 more for issuance of licences. The regulator has so far received applications for licences from 15 airports while there are 23 more which are yet to submit such applications.
23/10/10 Economic Times

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Jet's wing brushes Kingfisher flight

Mumbai: Passengers of Jet Airways flight 9W 540(Bombay - Muscat) had a narrow escape at Mumbai Airport when the wing of the aircraft brushed the tail of a Kingfisher plane early this morning.
According to airport sources, the Jet airways flight was pushing back into Bay 85 when its wing brushed against the tail of a Kingfisher plane, that was parked in Bay 84.
The Jet Airways flight had 122 passengers on board, while the Kingfisher flight had none.
The incident took place at 2:05 a.m. on Saturday No injuries were reported. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident.
23/10/10 ANI/Sify.com

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Safety takes a beating at Chennai airport

Chennai: Two near-collisions at Chennai airport this week due to runway incursions by aircraft raise serious questions on the level of pilots' adherence to safety parameters and the efficacy of monitoring systems at the aerodrome.
In both incidents, one on Wednesday and the other on Sunday, it was Saudia airline's aircraft that attempted to jump queue.
The airline's B747 aircraft with 360 passengers on-board almost entered the runway without ATC clearance on Wednesday after a Jet Airways flight from Hyderabad was cleared for landing, while on Sunday another Saudia aircraft of the same capacity crossed over the holding point, delaying by half an hour the arrival of a Jet flight from Madurai, which had been cleared to land.
An Air India pilot, who did not want to be named, attributed such incidents to "miscommunication between controller and pilot, improper use of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) phraseology, readback and hearback errors, pilots ignoring ATC instructions and lack of knowledge of operational area among airport staff."
However, an airport official pointed fingers at shortage of technical experts in the mandatory 'apron safety' and 'runway incursion' committees.
23/10/10 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Maha gets eco clearance for Shirdi airport

Mumbai: Shirdi will soon get its first airport after Union environment ministry recently cleared the project. The airport will be 13km from the temple town.
Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd GM Ramesh Yaool said, ''The experts appraisal committee of MoEF lauded our presentation on the airport, suggested certain changes and announced clearance to the project immediately.''
23/10/10 Times of India

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VP's flight held up to allow Kingfisher plane to land

Bhubaneswar: An Indian Air Force flight carrying Vice-President M Hamid Ansari had to wait on the runway for about 10 minutes at the Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar on Friday to make way for the landing of a Kingfisher Airlines aircraft, the airport police said. As the Vice-President's flight, also carrying
his family members, was on the move on runway the pilot was asked to stop the aircraft to facilitate the landing of the Kingfisher plane which was scheduled to land around the same time, the police said.
Sources said as there was about 20-minute delay in the departure of the Vice-President earlier, the air traffic control (ATC) had to allow landing of IT 3445 Kingfisher flight that had already reached here from Bangalore.
22/10/10 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Pune's air link with Bhubaneshwar, Vizag likely

Pune: Bhubaneshwar and Visakhapatnam (Vizag) are the two new destinations likely to be linked with Pune by air during the 2010-11 winter schedule for domestic flights which commences from October 31.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) cleared the winter schedule for eight domestic airlines operating flight services to various parts of the country on Friday. The schedule has been posted on the DGCA's website.
However, the launch of flights between Pune and the two cities is dependent on the final details including time slots. These will be worked out by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) since the civil enclave in Pune is part of IAF's fighter base at Lohegaon.
Pune airport director Deepak Shastri told TOI, "The DGCA usually approves the domestic flight schedule in toto taking into account the country-wide operation of flight services."
"As for Pune, we get the final approved flight schedule from our headquarters in New Delhi. It scrutinises the schedule approved by the DGCA and takes into account availability of time slots at the airports," said Shastri.
23/10/10 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Flights go here, there, haywire

Patna: Around 40-odd passengers boarded the GoAir’s Lucknow-Delhi flight this morning. But they were shocked to find themselves at the Patna airport around 9.30am. They were at their wit’s end when the airline’s employees asked them to alight to accommodate Delhi-bound Haj passengers. After their vociferous protest, the airline officials relented.
But that “robbed off” the plane of 140-odd passengers of GoAir’s Patna-Delhi-Mumbai flight. It was used to fly the Haj passengers.
The passengers of the GoAir’s Patna-Delhi-Mumbai plane were herded into the Lucknow-Delhi flight that took a detour. After reaching Delhi, the Mumbai-bound passengers had to change the aircraft. They reached their destination in the evening, hours behind the schedule. Sources said the private airline brought their Lucknow-Delhi flight here to accommodate Haj passengers, stranded at the Patna airport from the previous night. The late night flight supposed to ferry the Haj pilgrims did not operate yesterday due to poor visibility. The move of the private airline triggered vociferous protest from the Delhi-bound passengers. They started shouting at the airline’s employees at the Patna airport. Some of them went to the office of the airport manager only to be told that Airports Authority of India (AAI) had no role in it.
Sensing trouble, the airline’s employees informed the passengers that they would go to Delhi in the same aircraft.
In the meantime, the airline sent the Haj passengers to Delhi in the Patna-Delhi-Mumbai aircraft.
23/10/10 Sanjeev Verma/The Telegraph

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Plane hit by cart at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: The chartered aircraft of Joyce Meyer, a leading practical Bible teacher, was badly damaged when an inebriated staffer of a private airline rammed his cart into the plane on Wednesday night. The evangelist and her team are on an Asia missions trip to Thailand and India and are currently in Kolkata where conferences and sessions titled Festival of Life are scheduled from October 21 to 24. The errant driver has been suspended.
Routine operations were under way at Kolkata airport on Wednesday night when the driver of a Kingfisher Airlines push-back cart, Ram Singh, rammed the vehicle into the plane parked in a poorly-lit section of the airport at 10.30pm. The cart's upper part tore into the wing of the plane, ripping a portion off the body.
A probe initiated into the incident by the DGCA official in Kolkata revealed that Singh was already inebriated when he reported for duty at 9pm.
The plane, a Gulfstream Aerospace IV aircraft (registration no. N7 JM), had landed in Kolkata the previous evening at 6.30pm. On board were three crew members and nine passengers, including evangelists Dave and Joyce Meyer, pastors Tommy Barnett and Dino Rizzo and worship leader Darlene Zschech.
22/10/10 Times of India

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Two bird-hits in a day at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: On Thursday morning, two Kingfisher flights suffered from bird-hits at the Mumbai airport during landing. However, confusion prevailed as Kingfisher airlines (KFA) and Mumbai International Airport Limited (Mial) gave different flight numbers for the bird-hits.
The airline maintained that only one flight had had a bird-hit. Kingfisher airline flight IT 3162 Hyderabad-Mumbai was landing on Mumbai runway at 9.36am when a bird hit its engine. There were 136 passengers on board the Airbus 320, and the plane landed safely at 9.38am. “After the inspection, traces of the dead bird were found by the aircraft maintenance engineer in the engine,” said a source from the airport.
Within the next 30 minutes, KFA’s Delhi-Mumbai flight IT 304 had a bird-hit during final approach (landing) at the Mumbai airport.
21/10/10 Daily News & Analysis

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DGCA chief’s flight was delayed, ATC cites rules

New Delhi: A delayed flight will seldom earn air traffic controllers (ATC) a pat on the back from the aviation regulator. But that's what precisely happened on Wednesday morning when an Air India (domestic)'s Delhi- Mumbai flight with DGCA chief Nasim Zaidi on board got delayed by almost an hour.
The airline failed to complete passenger boarding in time to be ready for take off at the scheduled 7am. And acting on a recent regulatory order to make such aircraft lose their slot so that other better prepared planes don't get delayed because of it, IC 657 was asked to wait as penalty for not getting ready on time.
Zaidi, who boarded the AI aircraft much before schedule time, was waiting along with other passengers for the plane to take off as he had to be in Mumbai to attend an important board meeting of the Airports Authority of India.
"I wanted to know why the flight was getting delayed so much and spoke to the ATC. The person on duty told me he was simply following the order under which aircraft that don't have their doors closed in time for the pilot to seek pushback clearance 15 minutes before departure time, lose their slot and are made to wait. The ATC was meticulously following all rules,'' Zaidi told traffic controllers at an event organised by ATC Guild here on Thursday. He was told that IC 765 would take off around 8am.
22/10/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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After annoying airport experience, Patel wants quid pro quo

New Delhi: Stung by his "annoying" experience at London-Heathrow and Chicago's O'Hare airports in the recent past, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has mooted a quid pro quo policy over the issue of extending courtesies and protocols to visiting foreign VIPs.
Patel has directed his Ministry to suggest to the External Affairs Ministry that this policy be adopted for protocols on a country-to-country basis in the same manner as the courtesies extended to Indian dignitaries abroad.
The directive came after the Minister was questioned by US immigration officials at O'Hare Airport late last month after his name and date of birth matched with that of another person reportedly on watch-list.
US Administration officials had later apologised for the mistake.
Patel had the "annoying" experience at Heathrow in London in March this year when he had gone for a review meeting and was later slapped a bill of Pound 416 for using the lounge at the new Terminal 5.
A senior official said Patel has suggested that "equivalent charges be levied, on a reciprocal basis, with all those countries whose airports charge for use of their VIP lounges."
In a letter to the External Affairs Ministry, the Civil Aviation Ministry said Patel has also recommended that the MEA should consider "differentiating between the use of the lounge by foreign VIPs for official and private purposes, and, should a lounge be used during a private journey, appropriate charges be levied upon the individual concerned."
22/10/10 Press Trust of India/NDTV.com

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Noise: IAF planes on radar

New Delhi: In the first ever move of its kind in India to mitigate noise pollution around an airport, the aviation ministry and DGCA have asked the defence ministry to avoid flying their old and extremely noisy military aircraft in and out of Delhi airport. At the same time realising the security requirements, the aviation authorities have suggested a practical alternate also by suggesting the movement of such aircraft be limited to runway 27 (that's closest to Dwarka side). Reason: Its approach path passes over the least number of residential colonies as compared to the final approach of other two runways and would hence disturb the least number of people.
Highly placed sources said this move is a direct fallout of residents living in colonies near IGI approaching the Delhi high court over the issue of noise from airport at night. The DGCA is already proposing to ban movement of noisy old aircraft that fall in chapter-II of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) like the Boeing 737-200 or the Russian IL-76 from IGI between 10pm and 6am from October 31. In India, Alliance Air and Blue Dart use the B 737-200 as cargo aircraft.
While ICAO Chapter-II rules apply to civil aircraft, residents have moved court against noise from movement of all kind of planes at night. Which means defence planes can't be excluded from the list of noise mitigation measures list being drawn up. That's why the aviation authorities have written to the defence ministry in the backdrop of the high court case.
22/10/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Amby Valley, airport have no environmental clearances: PIL

Mumbai: A PIL filed in the Bombay High Court has alleged that Amby Valley, a township developed by Sahara India group near Lonavala in Maharashtra, does not have environment clearance.Also, the airport built at the Amby Valley, which became operational only this year, was not given environment clearance by the Central Government, it says.Petitioner Amit Maru claims that as per the information obtained under Right to Information Act, Amby Valley Ltd, the Sahara group company which developed the ambitious township in Mulshi taluka of Pune district, did apply to union ministry of environment and forests for environment clearance, but never got it.
21/10/10 PTI/IBN Live

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Runway repair work delays departures at Mumbai

Mumbai: Several flights, especially those flying out of the city, were delayed by an hour on Thursday because the main runway was not available for operations. Flight movement went out of hand by evening because the smaller runway was jostling for space to handle peak hour traffic. “It is a terrible day.
All our evening flights are leaving after 9pm,” said a senior operation staff with a private airline.
An Air India flight IC 572 carrying 100 passengers to Chennai missed its departure slot because the coach that ferries passengers was stuck in the airfield traffic.
22/10/10 Hindustan Times

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Varanasi airport terminal set for November launch

Lucknow: The new integrated passenger terminal of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport at Babatpur in Varanasi will become functional within a month. While the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has asked the airport administration to start operations from the new terminal from October 25, local authorities said they need a little more time, but would definitely start using it in November.
Completed at the cost of Rs 150 crore, the new centrally air-conditioned terminal building has a capacity to handle 800 passengers at a given time. It has two aero-bridges, four escalators and five lifts. The terminal has 26 immigration counters, 16 check-in counters and seven customs counters.
Airport officials said the new terminal will have simplified baggage check-in and boarding systems and spacious departure and arrival lounges. The double-storey building of the new terminal has come up on 26,500 sq mt area.
The new extended apron has a capacity to accommodate 22 aircraft. A new parking lot has been also been developed.
20/10/10 Indian Express

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Udupi swamiji heckled by customs at BIA

Bangalore: The swamiji of Puthige Mutt,Sugunendra Thirtha of Udupi Ashta Mutt lineage was heckled by customs officials at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) after he arrived by an Air France flight from the US, on Thursday.
They also took into custody one of his baggage, that he had been carrying, on charges that the bag contained gold jewellery.
Speaking to DNA, a spokesperson of the mutt clarified that the gold jewellery the customs officials were referring to was a relic owned by the Puthige Mutt, and as the head of the mutt, the seer was required to carry it wherever he went.
“It was a peetha made of gold on which we keep the idols and perform poojas on a daily basis wherever he goes. This peetha has been travelling everywhere inside India and several times abroad, but no such problem cropped up so far. Also it was not a jewel as it was purported to be” the spokesperson said.
22/10/10 Daily News & Analysis

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City airport can breathe easy as Juhu plan takes off

Mumbai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave an in-principle approval on Wednesday to move smaller aircraft operations to Juhu airport by extending the runway into the sea. Juhu airport, started in 1928 and located adjacent to Mumbai international airport , has been non-functional for commercial operations.
“We have given an in-principle approval for moving smaller aircraft and ATR-72 operations to Juhu airport,” said VP Aggarwal, chairman, AAI. Total cost of the project is estimated around Rs 1,500-2,000 crore.
The move will help decongest Mumbai airport that handled 25.6 million passengers in 2009-10.
“Juhu airport is an asset which is underutilised. The move will help decongest Mumbai airport relatively. AAI needs to address cost and technical feasibility and structural issues of operations,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO, Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation.
The runway extension work will be done based on the final recommendations of consultancy major KPMG.
KPMG has proposed that the length of the runway will be extended to about 2,020 metres from the existing 1,143 metres, according to two people close to the development.
The new plan envisages extension of the airstrip into the sea to avoid environmental clearance issues. KPMG has suggested using concrete stilts for the extension work on the lines of the project being executed for the Chennai airport.
21/10/10 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Flying Kolkata to Bangkok? Travel on just Rs 2,500

Thai AirAsia ” a joint venture between Asia Aviation Co and Air Asia” is planning to launch two daily services from the city to Bangkok, with a fare as low as Rs 2,500.
As a first step to this, Thai AirAsia on Wednesday announced the launch of a direct flight linking Bangkok to Kolkata from December 1.
"We will start with one daily flight from Kolkata, at an introductory price of Rs 2,500 (one-way). If demand increases, we may add one more flight to this in another six months," said Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld.
Moreover, the company is also planning to launch a Kolkata to Phuket or Mumbai to Phuket service next fiscal.
From December 1, the airline will also start four flights a week between Delhi and Bangkok at an all-inclusive one-way fare of Rs 4,500.
21/10/10 Business Standard/Sify.com

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Green nod for Navi Mumbai airport in Nov

Mumbai: Civil aviation minister Praful Patel said on Wednesday that he expected an early resolution to the Navi Mumbai airport site issue and clearances were likely to come by November.
Patel also said approval for the second tranche of Rs 12,000-crore equity infusion in state-owned Air India is expected next month. If the current bailout package fails to improve the financial condition of Air India, the government could consider additional Rs 2,000-crore aid for the national carrier later, he added.
Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Air Traffic Controllers Guild (India) in New Delhi, the minister said necessary changes had been made on the Navi Mumbai airport project plan to address ecological concerns. “While the site of the airport and the runway remains the same, changes have been made to some extent in the (civil side) design and the work being done by the (project promoter) Cidco,” the minister said, adding that the matter could not be left to linger for long as it was seriously affecting the growing air traffic in Mumbai. The proposal for the second airport in Mumbai was approved by the Cabinet in May 2007.
On Air India bailout, Patel said, “A Cabinet note has been moved on the Rs 1,200-crore equity infusion (in Air India). By next month, it may be cleared... We will look at another Rs 2,000-crore equity infusion later.”
21/10/10 Financial Express

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Soon, major airports to install systems for radioactive checks

New Delhi: The government has decided to install a radioactive material detection system at key airports in the country to avoid any illegal trafficking of radiation sources. “Some airports have been identified where the radiation detection systems could be installed,” a government official said.
The move comes at a time when the country is in the process of engaging in nuclear trade with several countries, including the US, the UK, Russia and France, following the Parliament passing the Nuclear Liability Bill. The proposed radiation detective equipments would be integrated with X-ray baggage machines at airports for metal and radio-active material detection.
21/10/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Financial Express

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Jet Airways, JetLite to migrate domestic operations to Delhi T3 by Oct 30

Delhi: Jet Airways, the country’s premier international airline, and its subsidiary carrier JetLite, will migrate the group’s domestic operations to the state-of-the-art Terminal 3 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from October 30th, 2010. The migration will see Jet Airways operate the first domestic flight 9W 709 from Delhi at 0540 hrs while the first incoming flight S2 138 will arrive at DIAL’s new Terminal 3 at 0820 hrs.
The migration assumes importance as the Jet Airways Group will be the largest domestic airline group operating more than 74 flights daily out of Delhi. As part of a strategic plan, Jet Airways is developing DIAL’s Terminal 3 into one of its primary international hubs connecting ‘India to the World.’ Jet Airways, JetLite and Jet Airways Konnect will thus connect over 29 unique destinations across India, with over 10 international destinations around the world and many more through the airlines operational codeshares. The airline will thus offer its guests a seamless passenger experience, while also connecting maximum passengers through non-stop and one stop routes to destinations on its domestic and international network.
Through the new T3 terminal in New Delhi, Jet Airways will also offer guests seamless connectivity into the SAARC, ASEAN, Gulf and Middle East Regions, UK, Europe and points in North America. Testimony to which will be the addition of two new international routes from Delhi to Colombo and Milan respectively. The airline will introduce a daily Boeing 737-800 flight from Delhi to the emerald isle of Colombo from November 5, 2010. A month later it will launch a daily Airbus A330-200 from Delhi to Milan, the first by an Indian carrier to heart of Central Europe, allowing its guests enhanced connectivity from Milan to several Italian cities like Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa, besides easy access to other European destinations like Paris, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Zurich, Vienna, Belgrade and Budapest in conjunction with its interline partners.
Commenting on the migration of domestic operations to DIAL’s Terminal 3, Nikos Kardassis, CEO – Jet Airways said, “As one of the largest carriers operating out of Terminal 3, the Jet Airways group is perhaps best poised to offer its guests enhanced comfort and convenience, together with seamless connectivity from India to the World. The integration of domestic and international operations at this world class terminal will allow us to seamlessly transfer guests between international and domestic flights and vice versa. Going forward it will help Jet Airways transform Delhi into a critical international transit hub and I am certain that guests will greatly benefit from the world-class infrastructure of DIAL’s Terminal 3.”
For easy access, Jet Airways’ guests may enter the Departure terminal from Gate No. 3 of the Terminal 3 (IGI), and proceed towards the check in areas located at the B,C,D level for departure formalities. The Jet Airways Group will man 32 integrated check-in counters for both domestic and international travel, significantly reducing check-in time for the airline’s guests.
The airline has already been carrying out international flights from Terminal 3 for the past two months to over 10 international destinations.
21/10/10 PRESS RELEASE/Jet Airways

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More flights to Bangkok on cards

Kolkata: Connectivity to the Thai capital is expected to get a fillip from December 1 when AirAsia introduces daily flights between Kolkata and Bangkok, with the prospect of increasing the frequency to twice daily in six to eight months.
With Thai Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Air India Express already operating between Kolkata and Bangkok, the addition of AirAsia's daily service is set to spark a fare war. Experts in the travel trade industry predict a fierce dogfight over the Bay of Bengal as airlines slash margins to corner market share.
AirAsia, that reduced its frequency in the Kolkata-Kuala Lumpur sector from daily flights to thrice-a-week, is betting big time on Kolkata- Bangkok route. It will reportedly begin the onslaught with a return fare of Rs 5,000, promising that its highest fare would be at least 20% cheaper than legacy carriers at all times. At present, the average return fare to Bangkok is around Rs 11,000.
21/10/10 Times of India

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Thiruvananthapuram airport gets new director

Thiruvananthapuram: In a hasty development on Wednesday, the director of Karipur International Airport, G.Chandramouli, has taken over as the new director of the Thiruvananthapuram Airport, replacing V.N.Chandran.
The Airports Authority of India has issued orders shifting Chandran from the post late on Tuesday evening. Chandran has not been given a fresh posting.
Express had reported that there was a move to shift Chandran. Chandramouli arrived here by afternoon and took over as the new director. He had, however, gone on leave. Chandran would continue to hold the charge until Chandramouli returns, sources said.
The shifting of Chandran, hardly 10 months after he took charge, has raised many an eyebrow.
21/10/10 ExpressBuzz

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Meet on flight safety at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Faced with threat to flight safety from animals and birds at the NSC Bose International Airport, the Airfield Environment Management Committee today held a meeting here on measures to be taken to deal with the problem.
The problems identified were the increasing number of eateries, markets, meat shops, garbage and open drains which attracted birds, jackals and dogs, Committee chairman and West Bengal Home Secretary G D Gautama said.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), state Forest Department and the local municipality, besides North 24-Parganas District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police.
20/10/10 PTI/msn.com

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'AAI is most gender-sensitive'

Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) would incorporate initiatives by the Airports Authority of India in suggestions, which are being forwarded to the government for the draft legislation to be enacted for the prevention of sexual harassment at work place.
Speaking at a workshop, NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas confirmed that the AAI guidelines in this regard are being included in the panel's suggestions to the Centre. The programme was organised by 'Kalyanmayee', AAI's Women Welfare Association organization, headed by Archana Agrawal, wife of AAI Chairman VP Agrawal.
The AAI officials said it would be the first public sector undertaking in the country, which would put in place such a policy. Officials said the AAI book on Do's and Dont's is being printed on recycled paper through in-house printing unit established by Kalyanmayee.
21/10/10 MiD DAY

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AVM rejects Air India claim on better connectivity of Amritsar-London-Toronto flight

Amritsar: Amritsar Vikas Manch has contradicted Air India’s claim that with the new schedule of Amritsar-London-Toronto flight from 31 October 2010, passengers will get daily connectivity to London and Toronto and will also save on time.
In a memorandum addressed to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel, Amritsar Vikas Manch Patron Dr. Charanjit Singh Gumtala has stated that according to statistics, Amritsar-London-Toronto is one of the most profit making routes served by Air India and by switching it through from 31 October, cargo business from Amritsar will be adversely affected as well because AI had earlier pressed into service a Boeing 777 on this route with a perishable cargo capacity of 24 tonnes and an almost equal capacity for the non-perishable cargo.
Data for the past 4 years shows that Air India has been discontinuing its hub-and- spoke flight that connects Amritsar to New York ,London ,Chicago, Singapore and other places from15 Dec to31 January owing to fog,but Amritsar-London- Toronto flight operates through out the year as it originates from Amritsar and its time is altered according to Amritsar season. So new route will not be in the interest of Punjabis nor of Air India itself .
20/10/10 Punjab Newsline

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NRI held with heroin worth Rs 25 crore at Rajasansi

Amritsar: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recovered five kilograms of heroin, worth Rs 25 crore in the international market, from the possession of one Hardeep Singh, an NRI who was about to take Air India’s Amritsar-Toronto flight from the local Rajasansi airport, police said on Wednesday.
According to sources, the narcotics were not detected by the x-ray scanners installed by the customs department and his baggage had been cleared for boarding.
DRI sleuths, however, smelled something wrong and swooped on Hardeep as he was standing in the queue to board the flight. On checking, the heroin was found stacked in the cavities in his suitcases, said officials.
21/10/10 Indian Express

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Newark airport security screeners charged with stealing from Indian women passengers

Newark: The two security screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport stole up to $700 every time they worked, furtively grabbing hundred dollar bills from carry-on luggage belonging to women flying home to India, authorities said.
They joked about wanting to steal in front of their supervisors and brazenly split up the cash under the watch of an airport security camera. On one occasion, the chief suspect looked up at the camera and raised his middle finger, authorities said.
"If I find an envelope, I’m taking it. I swear to my kids," said the screener, Michael Arato, according to a criminal complaint filed today in federal court in Newark.
The 41-year-old TSA supervisor was arrested Tuesday on charges of embezzlement and other crimes for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from passengers as they shuffled through security checkpoints at the airport’s Terminal B to board AirIndia flights between Sept. 13 and Oct. 5.
The charges against Arato, of Ewing, come after his alleged co-conspirator spent a month secretly cooperating with investigators from the Port Authority Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Arato and his alleged accomplice have worked as screeners at the airport since 2002 and began stealing from passengers at least a year ago, taking an average of $400 to $700 per shift, authorities said. Both men allegedly took money, sometimes operating in tandem as one distracted the passenger and the other grabbed the money. As a supervisor, Arato demanded his subordinate give him half of everything he stole, authorities said.
They primarily targeted non-English speaking women boarding a non-stop flight to India that departs Newark each night at 6:20, rifling through their bags for wads of cash, then peeling off a few bills in hopes they wouldn’t immediately be missed, authorities said.
At one point, Arato allegedly said he didn’t mind stealing, saying he was angry at the women for "leaving this country with our money," according to the complaint.
19/10/10 NJ.com, US

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Shifting of domestic flights may cause jams

New Delhi: When domestic operations start from the integrated terminal 3 (T3) on October 30, about 70% of domestic traffic would be moving to the new terminal. While three roads will take passengers up to the Haj terminal — NH-8, the tunnel road that will be made operational by this month-end and the road from Gurgaon — only one road from that point will lead to the main terminal, posing a traffic nightmare.
A team from the civil aviation ministry led by joint secretary Alok Sinha inspected operations at the airport on Tuesday. According to sources, officials pointed out that traffic chaos would possibly result after domestic operations of the three main carriers — Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher — shift to T3. ''The tunnel road will open with only two lanes at present and that should not be a problem. However, just after the Haj terminal, when all traffic would be pushed onto one road, traffic jams will be a huge issue,'' said sources.
Sources also said that while everything was on schedule at the domestic side of the terminal, the entire airport experience will be marred if issues like traffic are not sorted out. The first four gates at T3 will be dedicated to domestic carriers and officials are worried that the beginning of the ramp would always be crowded and hold up other traffic. A meeting is likely to be convened between Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) and traffic police on October 25 to formalise a traffic plan.
20/10/10 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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A city around airport

The aviation sector has seen much transformation after liberalisation. From being government-owned, the domestic airline industry is now dominated by privately owned full-service airlines and low-cost carriers. In the past ten years, private airlines have changed the rules of the game, and they now account for more than 75% of the domestic air traffic.
The rapid growth of the airline industry leaves vast scope for airport infrastructure to develop and modernise. In India, metropolises have flourished as the nerve centres of all major economic and commercial activities. Poor air connectivity at tier-I and tier-II cities have made them inaccessible, and consequently, less attractive for prospective investors. This has led to an imbalanced growth of the urban economy.
However, with the population in key metros rising beyond permissible limits, tier-I and II cities have to prepare for the future. The aviation industry, which was limited to major cities, has now spread its wings to smaller cities, as they hold vast untapped potential.
A key plank of airport development was privatisation. Though the government has taken many initiatives in alliance with the private sector for capacity augmentation, such as modernisation and upgradation of existing airports and development of greenfield airports, project implementation is woefully tardy.
20/10/10 Subrata Paul/Financial Express

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Under pressure, Thiruvananthapuram airport director may be removed

Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst the uncertainty over the commissioning of the new terminal of Thiruvananthapuram airport, a move is on to shift airport director V N Chandran from the post.
Sources in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said there is strong lobbying from various quarters to shift Chandran from the post. A decision in this regard is likely to be taken soon.
Chandran, who had taken over as the Thiruvananthapuram airport director hardly ten months ago, had initiated stern measures against various irregularities going on at the airport terminal. Such measures had invited the wrath of the enemies, sources at the airport said.
The airport director was also under stiff pressure from the Airports Authority of India to commission the new terminal.
However, there has been a lack of cooperation from certain agencies which was delaying the commissioning of the terminal. The Air India, which was responsible for arranging the ground handling facilities, is yet to complete the works.
20/10/10 Arjun Raghunath/ExpressBuzz

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U'khand rejects subsidy for air connectivity

A subsidy model to boost air connectivity in Uttarakhand has been rejected by the state government.
Instead, the government will explore new options to boost the air connectivity in the hill state which is in bad shape. "Our past experiments show that the subsidy is not the right answer to boost air connectivity. Hence we have rejected this model," said Infrastructure Development Commissioner Alok Jain following a high level meeting here today. The state government had been paying heavy subsidy to Jagson Airlines in the past but the arrangement did not work for a longer duration.
The subsidy model was prepared by the Uttarakhand Infrastructure Project Company (UIPC) limited, a joint venture company between the state government and the IL&FS.
Currently, Dehra Dun is the only city in the state which is having regular flights through Air India, and Kingfisher airlines. But there is no connectivity to Kumaon region especially to the industrial hub of Pantnagar where people face tough time to reach there. Industrialists and other businessmen usually come by roads to the state losing their precious time in travel.
20/10/10 Shishir Prashant/Business Standard/Sify.com

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Hubli airport: Land would be acquired within a month, says DC

Hubli: The Dharwad district administration, which is trying hard to complete the land-acquisition process towards the expansion of Hubli airport so that it can hand over the land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development, has sought an immediate assistance of Rs 100 crore.
DC Darpan Jain told reporters on Monday that several hurdles in completing the land-acquisition process had been cleared and about 99% of the land owners had given their consent to part with their land.
He expressed confidence that the entire land-acquisition process would be completed within a month. Jain said the survey for laying four-lane road between Hubli and Dharwad had been completed and tender bids on the Rs 174-crore project would be opened on October 26.
19/10/10 Times of India

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Flight delayed? Blame small runway at Jaipur airport

Jaipur: The Sanganer Airport at the state capital is yet to be upgraded as flights with higher capacity of passengers could not land at the airport's runway.
The airport authorities had to face embarrassment when a Boeing plane having the capacity of more than 400 passengers could not land at the airport that came to take Haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Finally, the flight landed at Delhi airport and the Haj pilgrims were taken to Delhi from where they took the flight bound for Saudi Arabia.
The project of the Airport Authority of India to broaden the runway from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet is yet to take off as the land is yet to be acquired by the authority.
19/10/10 NDTV.com

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Lufthansa A330's engine shut down in flight

A Lufthansa Airbus A330-300, registration D-AIKM performing flight LH-751 from Kolkata (India) to Frankfurt/Main (Germany) with 152 passengers and 13 crew, was climbing out of Kolkata when the crew needed to shut an engine (Trent 772) down due to some technical problem. The crew decided to return to Kolkata, burned off fuel and landed safely about 2 hours after departure. Airport officials reported, the airplane experienced technical trouble.
Passengers reported, there was smoke in the cabin.
19/10/10 Simon Hradecky/Aviation Herald

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Finally, Chandigarh airport to get ILS

Chandigarh: Winter had become synonymous with disrupted flying schedules at the city airport. However, with Airport Authority of India (AAI) finally kicking off the installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS), aircraft would be able to land at the city airstrip despite poor visibility during the foggy months ahead.
ILS is a navigation aid that gives precision guidance to planes approaching and landing on the runway using both radio signals and high-intensity lighting arrays.
Talking about the new system, director of Chandigarh airport Sunil Dutt said, "A special AAI team will arrive this week to start the installation work of ILS. The navigation aid will become operational before the onset of foggy winter."
Indian Air Force controls the local airport and their ILS, which is essential for landing of aircraft during poor visibility, has been non-functional for a long time. Installed almost 15 years ago, the AF?s landing system is of the oldest available version and is not used by any airport in the country now.
20/10/10 Ajay Sura/Times of India

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