Jaipur: Forget about ground-based radar air surveillance on Indian airports. Now, civilian aircraft will self-communicate with airports, their identity and speed, through an air-borne surveillance system, likely to come up by 2012 at 14 Indian airports, including Jaipur International Airport at Sanganer.The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)-based air surveillance system is likely to become operational by 2012 at 14 airports, including...
Showing posts with label airports Sep 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airports Sep 2011. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Army blames Ahmedabad civic body for animal menace at airport
Ahmedabad: Army officials have blamed the slums, Hanuman temple and the butcheries outside the cantonment for the menace of the rise in number of monkeys, birds and dogs on the airport runway. The officials' reaction came following a government notice to the army regarding the same.The notice had directed the cantonment in Sahibaugh area of the city to carry out efficient garbage collection, close down the abattoirs and trim the trees adjacent to...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Three Indians turned away at Manila airport
Three Indian nationals were turned away by immigration officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 for holding cancelled return tickets to New Delhi, India, their port of origin.The three flew in from Singapore last Wednesday on board a Philippine Airlines flight. Immigration officials had earlier been tipped off by Singaporean government officials that the three Indians were holding cancelled return tickets.The three were identified...
Best Tier II city airport tag goes to Jaipur's T2
Jaipur: The Jaipur International Airport at Sanganer has been adjudged the best airport among the tier II cities of India and has been ranked among the top 20 airports of the world.A survey by Airports Council International (ACI), a worldwide association of 1,650 airports in 179 nations, has put Jaipur on top of airports which cater to annual passenger traffic between one and five million. Other Indian airports which feature on the list topped by...
AAI, Leela spar over land lease terms
New Delhi: Serious differences have cropped up between Hotel Leelaventure and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over the terms for renewal of the lease agreement of the land where the company's marquee Hotel Leela is situated, near the Mumbai international airport.Part of the hotel is built on land on a long-term lease from the airport authority. Nearly 65 per cent land on which the hotel is built is leased out by AAI. The lease agreement expires...
‘Monk’ hash mule nabbed at Phuket Airport
Phuket: A Nepalese “monk” was caught on Saturday at Phuket International Airport (PIA) with eight kilos of hashish in his luggage. The haul was said to be worth an estimated 800,000 baht.The suspect, Hise Chhiring Tamang, was presented at a press conference yesterday by PIA Customs Director Montira Cherchoo.Also present was PIA Deputy Director Thani Chuangcho, who said that the seizure was the result of a tipoff.“I was informed by a detective that...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Chennai airport operations pose major threat to passengers
Chennai: Describing the near-miss on Saturday as a "serious incident", senior aviation and navigation experts said Chennai airport operations were posing a major threat to passenger safety as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) does not consult the air traffic control (ATC) or the pilots while making any changes to flight navigation. They also point out that AAI has ignored the need for rapid exit taxiways in the multi-crore airport expansion project...
AAI asks for exemption from Cabinet on lease permission
New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked for selective exemption from the order to seek permission from the Union cabinet before the sale or long-term lease of any land of the government or a government-controlled statutory body.The state-owned airport operator is estimated to have a land bank of 45,000 acres across all airports. The Cabinet Secretariat has asked all ministries to put up proposals for sale or long-term lease of...
Sunday, September 25, 2011
SpiceJet Bomb Scare Creates Chaos in Kathmandu
Kathmandu: Close on the heels of all 19 people on board a domestic flight in Nepal perishing in a plane crash, Indian budget airline SpiceJet's Delhi flight was delayed due to a bomb scare, unleashing chaos at Katmandu's lone international airport Sunday.The flight, scheduled to take off at 10.55 a.m. from Kathmandu, was halted after rumours that a bomb had been stowed away on board.A private television channel said the bomb scare arose after an...
Close shave for 3 jets at Chennai airport
Chennai: Three aircraft came too close for comfort at Chennai airport on Saturday morning, forcing a Jet Airways flight to abort take-off at the last minute.The pilot of the Jet Airways flight, which was moving to take-off on runway 25 at 8.40am with 120 passengers, saw an Indigo aircraft had not vacated the farther end of the runway, and stopped. Meanwhile, an Air India flight from Delhi was on its way to land. Seeing that the Jet flight was still...
Sanganer airport runway work postponed till March
Jaipur: There is bad news for those who were looking forward to direct flights to various places from the state capital. The much-awaited extension of the Jaipur airport runway from 9,000 feet to 11,000 feet is being postponed till March 2012. The extension was needed to develop a better landing system and facilitate large aircraft, including Boeing 747 and Airbus 380, used in international flights.With the deferment people of Jaipur, especially...
CM: New international terminal for Kochi airport
Kochi: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has announced the decision to build a new international terminal at the Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery at a cost of Rs. 400 crore.The Chief Minister was speaking at the 17th annual meeting of CIAL on Saturday. According to the proposal given by the CIAL, a state-of-the-art new international terminal will be capable of handling 10 million passengers per annum with a peak hour capacity of 4,000 passengers.The...
Passenger claims gold jewellery stolen from checked-in baggage
An Air India Express passenger travelling from Sharjah to the South Indian city of Kochi on September 19 has alleged that on arrival at the destination gold ornaments she had stored in her baggage were missing.Strangely, the bag was in excellent condition with no external damage and even the lock was in place.Aneela Xavier, who had just one check-in baggage (number XH 427890) claims to have carried four boxes that contained a 52-gram chain with a...
Plane from Hubli a threat to Mumbai airport?
Mumbai: A private plane taking off from Karnataka's Hubli airport could be used to carry out a terror strike at Mumbai airport, authorities have been warned. Security agencies said fears of such an attack remained till November 15. Earlier, they had issued an attack-by-plane alert but didn't specify from where it could come.Guidelines issued in the alert state that access control and security arrangements at the Kalina (VIP) gate and other gates...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
New aeronautical telecom network system to enhance air safety
New Delhi: With a satellite-based navigation system in place to enhance air safety, experts from Asia- Pacific nations would next week discuss ways to implement an aeronautical telecom network (ATN) system for seamless exchange of messages for planes flying in the region.The new system would complement and later replace voice communication between air traffic control, pilots and others by providing all flight data and information through messages.Messages...
Major air mishap averted at Chennai airport
Chennai: A major air mishap was averted at Chennai airport on Saturday when a Delhi-bound private airliner which had been cleared for take-off stopped on the runway just as an Air India flight was about to land.Airport authorities have sought explanation from Jet Airways as to why the aircraft was stopped despite it being cleared for take-off.Airport sources said the Delhi-bound Jet Airways plane was taxiing on the runway at 8.40 am when it stopped...
US national deported from Delhi's IGI airport
United States national was deported on his arrival at the IGI airport in New Delhi in the wee hours of Friday after he was found to have allegedly violated visa norms during his previous visit to the country. Airport sources said David Barsamian, a radio journalist, was deported back to his country by immigration authorities. Sources said Barsamian had reported on events in Jammu and Kashmir during his last visit to India and these reports were...
For Mumbai Airport is a private bus shuttle the only solution?
We have been reporting over the past few days (please scroll down for details) on how Mumbai Airport, the country's busiest and situated in the financial capital, is surprisingly without any dedicated shuttle service. Passengers are left stranded at the arrival terminals due to scarcity of prepaid taxis and constant refusals by regular cabbies and auto-rickshaws to ply to the metropolis.Again, BEST, the public bus transport provider, having a monopoly...
Broker's missing son did return to India
New Delhi: Closed-circuit TV grabs at the IGI Customs office have now provided clinching evidence that the son of a leading city stock broker did not go missing in London but did return to the country on August 6. Nishit Jalan, the 24-year-old student of Coventry University , Birmingham, could not be traced since race riots erupted in London.The case, which was initially with the IGI police, is now being probed by the special cell. Sources in the...
Airports in terrorists’ sights?
Bengaluru: The cyber crime sleuths of the State’s premier investigating agency - Criminal Investigation Department (CID) - have sought help from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) police to track the whereabouts of an accused who sent a threat e-mail warning of attacks on one of the airports in India. Strangely, the accused has sent the threat e-mail to the official e-mail ID of the cyber crime police station of the CID.A nodal officer, who is authorised...
Friday, September 23, 2011
One missed chance to land led to 30-min wait
Kolkata: A problem in the Boeing 737-800 aircraft's controls in which chief minister Mamata Banerjee was travelling from Bagdogra to Kolkata on Thursday forced the pilot to let go of the first opportunity to land at 2.58pm.Though the snag was sorted out within a couple of minutes and the pilot was ready to steer the aircraft back to align with the runway, the situation had changed dramatically.Bad weather, an emergency in the air and a missed approach...
Civil aviation ministry, airports regulator spar over airport fee
New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry and the airports regulator have locked horns over an issue that has implications on the amount of airport taxes Indian fliers would pay.The ministry has complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the airports regulator's approach is not conducive to the healthy growth of airports under public-private partnership (PPP).Reacting to the charge, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) has...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Integrated air space management from Chennai today
New Delhi: Today the air space between 26,000 feet and 46,000 feet in the Chennai Flight Information Region (FIR) will be handled by Chennai control, instead of four different controls as is being done now. At present, individual controls in various cities, including Bangalore, Mangalore, Vizag, and guide aircraft through their flight.The integration of various ATC radars into one in Chennai will also mean that the cockpit crew flying in the higher...
Mamata strains at seat belt
Calcutta: Mid-air turbulence acquired new meaning on Wednesday with Mamata Banerjee fuming in her seat as a Jet Konnect flight circled the city for an extra 30 minutes without the pilot communicating to the passengers why the plane wasn’t landing.When the Boeing 737-800 from Bagdogra finally touched down at 3.25pm and the doors opened, chief minister Mamata stormed out of the aircraft to meet officials and demand an explanation for not being informed...
Govt okays import of jet for Surat-Mumbai air taxi
Surat: The Surat-Mumbai air taxi could soon be a reality as the proposal of the Mumbai-based air service company interested in the project to import a 19-seater LET 410 aircraft for non-scheduled air transport services for Gujarat has been approved by the ministry of civil aviation.A group of diamantaires led by the Lexus group are in talks with Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Private Limited (MEHAIR) to connect Surat and Mumbai and other destinations...
IIT experts to help cut noise near Delhi Airport
New Delhi: The central government Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that it has sought help from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) experts to reduce the noise level near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here.Appearing for the civil aviation ministry, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A.S. Chandhiok told the division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna that the government has sought suggestions from...
Destructive beetle spotted trying to enter Detroit
A South Asian bug described as one of the world’s most destructive agricultural pests has shown up at Detroit ports of entry, U.S. authorities said Wednesday.“They’ve been found locally and nationally,” said Chief Ron Smith of the Detroit Customs and Border Protection office. “We’ve had seven confirmed this year at Detroit, a couple in bags at the airport and in commercial shipments.”Canadian and American authorities say that, despite the increase...
SpiceJet connects Vizag to Tirupati and Bangalore
The first commercial Bangalore-Vizag flight landed at the Vizag Airport at 10:40 am and the inaugural Vizag-Tirupati flight took off at 11:10 am.SpiceJet Limited, India’s most preferred budget airline, today commenced commercial operations at Vizag with its much-awaited Q-400 aircraft with daily flights to Tirupati and Bangalore. SpiceJet is also increasing its service of the Vizag-Hyderabad route with the introduction of their 3rd daily flight from...
Airline fires employee for sheltering criminal brother
New Delhi: A senior security officer , employed with private airline Kingfisher, found himself out of a job on Tuesday after the Delhi police wrote to the airline management explaining how the official had allegedly harboured a wanted criminal from UP even after being aware of his crimes.The officer in question was allegedly sheltering his own brother, Molli, who had reportedly kidnapped the wife of a colonel of the Indian Army posted at Allahabad...
Indian arrested at Colombo airport with euro stash
Colombo An Indian national was arrested at the international airport here after Sri Lankan authorities reportedly seized Euros worth over 9 million rupees from him."The Indian passport holder was to take this morning's Srilankan Airlines flight to Singapore. He was the last passenger to arrive at gate 12. We searched him following our suspicion and found that he was carrying Euros illegally," Parakrama Basnayake of the Bandaranaike international...
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Woodbridge TSA officer sentenced for stealing from Indian travelers
Woodbridge: A township man who worked as a lead transportation security officer for the Transportation Security Administration at Newark Liberty International Airport has been sentenced to six months home confinement for stealing money from travelers during security screenings.U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Al Raimi, 30, of Woodbridge also was ordered to pay $24,150 restitution to his victims and pay a $3,000 fine when he was sentenced on Tuesday...
Defective Landing - DGCA Recommends Action Against Pilot
Mangalore: Relating to an incident in which the pilot of an Air India Express flight committed mistake in landing his aircraft at Bajpe airport on June 25 this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has instructed the concerned to take action against the pilot.The flight had touched down farther than the prescribed area. Realizing his mistake and the dangers it posed, the pilot applied brakes, because of which a catastrophe was averted....
500 fliers suffer in oil arm-twist
Kolkata: Around 500 holidayers returning to Tehran from Thai seaside resort Phuket landed in a mess at Kolkata airport late on Monday night as Indian Oil refused to refuel the two aircraft till dues were cleared. Till the transaction took place on Tuesday afternoon, the hapless passengers remained stranded in Kolkata, a bulk of them cooped up inside an aircraft for nearly 12 hours because the airport did not have the requisite infrastructure to host...
Two Iranian planes make unscheduled landing in Kolkata
Two planes of Mahan Air, a private airline company based in Iran, made an unscheduled landing at NSC Bose international airport in Kolkata after they ran out of fuel while going to Tehran, officials said today. Airport sources said the flights from Phuket in Thailand contacted air traffic control in the city to land at the airport at 8pm and 9pm yesterday.The planes are still in the airport after they developed technical problems and will fly later...
HAL-Concor rolls out cargo operations in Nashik
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the state-run aircraft manufacturer, and Container Corporation of India (Concor), the rake operator, on Tuesday announced launch of international air cargo operations from Nashik Ojhar airport.HAL, which owns the airport and uses it for defence related activities, plans to scale up passenger operations there and also set up a maintenance, repairs and overhaul facility.Kingfisher currently operates Mumbai flights from...
Lufthansa team to come in Oct first week to explore Kochi-Europe direct flight
Kochi: A delegation from Lufthansa Airlines is likely to visit Cochin airport in the first week of October to explore the possibility of starting direct flight from here to Europe.The visit is a sequel to the intense lobbying being carried out jointly by the officials of the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) , industrial associations and other stakeholders like travel agents and hospitality industry groups, to get any airlines to start...
Holbrooke flight delayed for non-payment of fees: Wiki
New Delhi: The US embassy faced a difficult time when a top US diplomat’s government aircraft was held on the tarmac at the Defence airport in Palam Air Base for non-payment of airport fees. A peeved US embassy had then proposed that the US government may consider cancellation of a high-level visit to India to illustrate that India “will pay a price” for failing to extend courtesy to US government aircraft.Special Representative (Af-Pak) Richard...
Cash vanishes from passenger’s bag during Jet Airways flight
Mumbai: An airline passenger who arrived in Mumbai from Kuala Lumpur via Chennai, found his luggage tampered with and Rs 5,000 missing. While he was dissuaded from lodging a police complaint, the airline has expressed inability to compensate him or accept responsibility for the incident.Ronald D’Souza, a finance professional and resident of Borivali, lost cash from a handbag kept in a larger bag and checked in as luggage, while taking a Jet Airways...
AI major hindrance in Surat’s air connectivity?
Surat: At least 25 courier delivery men carry diamonds worth crores of rupees from Surat to Mumbai every day in a train. They return next day afternoon with cargo worth several crores under protection of armed guards.Diamond barons think carrying valuable goods in trains is dangerous. Besides they say travelling consumes a lot of time.The diamond barons are ready to book seats for a month for their men in flights to Mumbai as it is both safe and...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Aerobridge ready, but airlines aren't
Nagpur: On Sunday morning, Neelima Bowade, a frequent flyer, was disappointed like other passengers on learning that she would not be boarding the Air India's Nagpur-Mumbai flight using the newly-commissioned aerobridge at Nagpur's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.Reason: airlines remain reluctant to use the aerobridges. After innumerable delays, Mihan India Limited (MIL), the company operating the city Airport, commissioned one of the...
AI Express incident in Mangalore: DGCA probe underway
New Delhi: The Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing an incident where an Air India Express flight landed ominously deep on the table top runway in Mangalore.Officials said that the incident occured on 25 June when an Air India Express flight from Mumbai landed in Mangalore.They said what followed was a difference of opinion between the pilot and the co pilot while the plane was landing.The captain decided to take off and land...
Jet Airways to launch flight to Manila from December
New Delhi: Jet Airways will be launching its services to Manila from December this year and induct 11 new Boeing aircraft by March 2013."We are enthusiastic about our Delhi-Manila flight which is going to be launched from December this year," a senior Jet Airways official said.The airlines will be acquiring 11 new Boeing 737-800 NR by March 2013 and three would be inducted in the fleet by March 2012.Jet Airways plans to deploy the new aircraft to...
Work on Bangalore airport 2nd runway to start next year
Bangalore: The Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) plans to take up work on the second runway next year.According to Mr G.V. Krishna Reddy, Chairman, GVK Group, which has 43 per cent stake in BIAL, work on the second runway at the airport would be taken up next year, and work on the third runway will begin after that. He said this on the sidelines of the Regional Celebration of Civil Aviation Centenary at Bangalore on Monday.Work on the expansion...
India’s IndiGo arrives at Changi Airport
Changi Airport Group welcomed IndiGo to its growing network of carriers as India’s largest low-cost carrier commences operations at Changi Airport. IndiGo is the fifth Indian carrier to operate at Changi1.IndiGo will operate daily passenger services to New Delhi on the Airbus A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 passengers in a single-class configuration. It will add a Mumbai-Singapore service commencing in the middle of October. IndiGo will operate...
Lack of infrastructure delays CISF cover for Juhu airport
Mumbai: The security at Juhu airport, which has become a matter of major concern after the recent terror threats, was to be strengthened by December 2010. However, the lax attitude and inability of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide infrastructure has delayed the deployment of 200 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at the airport.Arecent terror alert from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about terrorists using smaller aircraft...
AI connects Bhubaneswar-Kolkata, again
Bhubaneswar : After a gap of over three years, Air India has decided to reintroduce a daily flight connecting Bhubaneswar and Kolkata from September 23.The aircraft will leave Kolkata at 6.50 pm and arrive in Bhubaneswar at 7.35 pm. On its return journey, the flight will take off from Biju Patnaik Airport at 8.05 pm and will land at Kolkata at 8.50 pm.20/09/11 Times of In...
Monday, September 19, 2011
AAI to approach govt to raise Rs 5000cr through bonds
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which runs 125 airports across the country, would approach the government to allow it to raise Rs 5,000 crore through infrastructure bonds, its top official said today."We will again approach the government to allow us to issue infrastructure bonds for the next phase of development of 15 airports during the 12th Plan period," AAI Chairman VP Agrawal told reporters.AAI's plea to raise a similar amount through...
Kingfisher flight makes harsh landing
Bangalore: A Kingfisher Airlines flight from Delhi made a rough landing in Bangalore giving a jolt to the passengers late evening at the Bengaluru International Airport on Sunday.Captain Salaluddin on the commercial flight (Airbus 8321) announced:?“Sorry for the harsh landing ladies and gentlemen, I was training my under officer (Gaurav), he will get the hang of it soon.”A senior IPS officer who was in the aircraft told Deccan Herald:?“One could...
A-I Express to operate direct flights to three Kerala cities
Muscat: In a move that is bound to bring cheers to Kerala expatriates, Air India Express (A-I Express) will now be operating direct flights to the southern Indian state as well as increase the number of flights. A-I Express, the Indian budget airline, has rescheduled its flight operations and from October 31, the airline will be operating direct flights to its three destinations in Kerala — Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi — from Muscat, in...
MMRDA accused of fraud in redevelopment of Mumbai Airport
Many respondents who sent suggestions and objections to a notice issued by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the special planning authority for airport region, alleged that the plan for redevelopment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was a fraud.As per the proposal, HDIL, a private developer, is to construct rehabilitation colonies for slum dwellers occupying the airport land, while GVK, the company that...
Work on Bangalore airport 2nd runway to start next year
Bangalore: The Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) plans to take up work on the second runway next year.According to Mr G.V. Krishna Reddy, Chairman, GVK Group, which has 43 per cent stake in BIAL, work on the second runway at the airport would be taken up next year, and work on the third runway will begin after that. He said this on the sidelines of the Regional Celebration of Civil Aviation Centenary at Bangalore on Monday.BIAL operates...
Pune needs new airport to sustain growth: Governor K Sankaranarayanan
Pune: Governor K Sankaranarayanan on Sunday stressed on the need for Pune to have an international airport. “An international airport is needed to keep up the pace of economic growth that the city has been witnessing in the last few years. The citizens have waited for too long to enjoy the privileges of an international airport,” he said.The governor was speaking as chief guest at the award of excellence ceremony organised by the Top Management Consortium...
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Cracks in windscreen, AI flight makes priority landing
Kolkata: A Port Blair-Kolkata Air India flight made a priority landing in Kolkata on Sunday after its windscreen developed cracks shortly before touching down, airport sources said.Air India's flight AI-788 with 59 passengers on board took off from Port Blair on scheduled time at 8.15 am.The aircraft landed safely at 10.30 pm, the sources said.18/09/11 Indian Expr...
CIAL to have new world-class terminal for international travel
Nedumbassery: In an attempt to match up to the passenger amenities offered by new-generation airports such as the Bangalore and Hyderabad airports, and envisaging the future growth in passenger traffic, the Cochin International Airport Limited here is all set to establish a new international terminal having a higher passenger-handling capacity.According to top company officials, CIAL has worked out a proposal to develop a world-class workstation...
Low visibility forces Ludhiana-bound flight to land in Chandigarh
Ludhiana: Passengers had a harrowing time on Friday after a Delhi-Ludhiana flight was forced to land in Chandigarh due to low visibility at the Sahnewal airport. They had to reach Ludhiana from Chandigarh in buses and taxis in pouring rain.The Ludhiana-bound Air India flight took off from Delhi as usual, but just when it was about to land in Ludhiana, the visibility around the airport became low. As landings at the airport are still dependent on...
Fly for free from Amritsar to Mumbai!
Jalandhar: Come October and air connectivity between Europe and Amritsar will get strengthen further giving boost to the Punjab tourism! The Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its nod to the direct flight from Vienna (Austria) to Amritsar.Moreover, the passengers travelling in the flight will get an incentive of flying from Amritsar to Mumbai and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib totally free of cost, while the passengers boarding the flight elsewhere will...
AAI officer kills self at airport
Kolkata: A senior Airports Authority of India official jumped off the eight-storey control tower building that houses the air traffic control on Saturday afternoon.Though the general manager did not leave behind a suicide note, police ruled out foul play and said the act could have been triggered by severe bouts of depression that he had been suffering over the past three months. The 51-year-old is survived by his wife and daughter.Kushal Kumar Gupta,...
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Spanish Opposition Criticizes ‘Feverish' Tender for Airports
Spain's opposition People's Party, which polls indicate will win elections on Nov. 20, criticized the government's tender to sell management contracts for Madrid and Barcelona airports, saying the timetable is “feverish.”“It's not acceptable to rush through the biggest asset sale as they are doing with the privatization of Aena,” Andres Ayala, the PP's infrastructure spokesman, told lawmakers yesterday, according to an e-mailed statement from the...
High on alerts, airport conducts out-of-turn drill
Mumbai: With intelligence inputs citing a grave terror threat to the airport, and the same getting authenticated in past few weeks via different terror e-mails, security agencies conducted a mock drill yesterday to ensure that the airport is well-equipped to deal with any menace to security.On Friday afternoon, security agencies Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and the state police, in conjunction...
Customs blames Air India for flight delays
Kochi: Customs today alleged that "flight delays and difficulties" faced by international passengers of Air India flights last week at Cochin International Airport was due to the non-observance by Air India of Customs Rules and Procedures that gained importance in light of global terrorist activities. In a statement, Customs said last week?s delay of Muscat and Sharjah bound Air India flights from the International Airport at Nedumbassery near here...
Airport at Kannur to take wings
Kochi: It seems that first step towards building a runway at the proposed airport at Kannur will take off in near future. Excise Minister K Babu has said that the construction of the runway for the proposed airport will begin next year. The plan will be worked out in such a way that the first aircraft can land at the airport in 2014.The minister said that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has been asked to prepare a project report for the airport....
Deploy police at Juhu airport: AAI
Mumbai: Policemen have finally taken their post at Juhu airport . Following the security threat last Tuesday, which specified that the Mumbai airport is in danger of being attacked by small planes, Airports Authority of India sprhung into action. After a series of high-level meetings with security heads, AAI asked the local police to deploy personnel to check passengers and guard the airport boundary.Juhu airport has been in focus since the security...
New Governor sweats it out at powerless airport
Chennai: People across the state might be waiting to host the new Governor K Rosaiah, but on a warm Friday forenoon at the Chennai airport, he was made to wait in a lounge devoid of electricity due to a power outage followed by a generator failure. Rosaiah was slated to depart by the 10.50 am Air India flight to Vishakapatnam and had arrived at the VVIP gate (No 5) a little after 10.10 am.According to sources in airport security, his security detail...
Jaipur Airport's runway project deferred by 6 months
Jaipur: The much-awaited expansion and streamlining of the Jaipur Airport runway has been deferred by six months.This means that the big aircrafts like Boeing 747 will continue to elude the premier international airport in the city.The runway work at Jaipur Airport was slated to begin from October, but owing to some difficulties in processing of tenders, the entire exercise will at least take another six months to start.The major project was cleared...
Kabootarbazi bid by couple, dummy daughter foiled
Ahmedabad: It was the perfect plan. This couple could have easily passed through the immigration check at Ahmedabad airport with a dummy daughter and her fake passport. A tip-off from city crime branch officials put a spanner in their works. Immigration officials at the airport successfully foiled a 'kabootarbazi' or human trafficking bid of a Chandlodia-based couple.The couple, Jitendrakumar Hiralal and Daminiben Soni, was caught taking Komal Patel,...
AI flight makes emergency landing in Salalah
Muscat: Budget airline plane from India reportedly made an emergency landing at Salalah airport yesterday morning due to technical snag.The Air India (A-I) Express flight from the south Indian state of Kerala, with nearly 150 passengers on board, made ‘emergency landing’ at one end of the runways and was towed to the remote bay.The passengers were later transported from the remote bay to the terminal. The flight, which was scheduled to return to...
New company for ground handling operations at Kochi
Kochi: Air India will soon hand over the ground handling operations at the Cochin airport to AI/SATS, the joint venture it had formed with the Singapore Air Terminal Service.A spokesman for Air India told a group of reporters here that the company will upgrade the quality and speed of ground handling operations. The new company will take over the operations after Air India management formally hands over a 'letter of introduction' to the CIAL on this....
2 held for smuggling imported watches
New Delhi: Two men were arrested on Thursday night by IGI Airport custom officials, one for carrying an expensive ladies watch in his underwear and the other for concealing four Rolex watches in his rectum."Seven high-end watches were seized at the IGI Airport by preventive officers of air-customs. The collective value of these seven watches is Rs 90 lakh," said Ashutosh Baranwal, assistant commissioner of customs, IGI Airport.In the first case,...
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fly for free from Amritsar to Mumbai!
Jalandhar: Come October and air connectivity between Europe and Amritsar will get strengthen further giving boost to the Punjab tourism! The Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its nod to the direct flight from Vienna (Austria) to Amritsar.Moreover, the passengers travelling in the flight will get an incentive of flying from Amritsar to Mumbai and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib totally free of cost, while the passengers boarding the flight elsewhere will...
SC bans contractual engagement of trolley retrievers in Delhi Airport
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) to abolish all contract labour at Delhi's international and domestic airports and regularise the services of trolley retrievers.Much to the cheer of 136 trolley retrievers who were employed by contractor TDI International Private Ltd at the airports in 1992 but were sacked in 2003, the court directed DIAL to pay Rs 5 lakh to each of them as compensation since...
Drukair ATR 42-500 grounded for the sixth time
About 35 Drukair passengers were stranded for a night in Kolkata, India, on September 14 after their flight KB 211 was cancelled.The flight that was scheduled for 12:30pm take off on Wednesday was able to do so only at 9:15am yesterday.A 22-year old passenger said that after waiting for about two hours in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport, Kolkata that afternoon, they were told that the flight was cancelled because the ATR 42-500...
T3 arrival flooded, flights affected
New Delhi In a first for Delhi, 117 mm rainfall was recorded in just one hour on Thursday near the IGI airport area. The sudden downpour hit flight movement. Drains outside the T3 terminal overflowed, flooding the arrival area.Airport authorities shut down passenger movement in the domestic arrival lounge and diverted travellers through the international side of T3. Passengers had to walk through water, many with shoes in hand.“When rainfall is as...
Kolkata man to sue Jet Airways for not allowing him to fly after accident
Mumbai: Ranjiv Ghosh has renamed Mumbai as a city of nightmares instead of dreams and blames Jet Airways for the same. In his most traumatic 48 hours ever, Ghosh first got bruises all over his face and 14 stitches on his leg after his bike skid on the slippery roads of Goa during a business trip on Monday and if that was not enough, Ghosh was further deplaned in Mumbai on Tuesday evening from a Jetlite connecting flight to Kolkata, deeming him unfit...
EIS on Mopa airport to begin on Oct 1
Panaji: The steering committee on Mopa airport on Thursday has decided to appoint EMRTC private consultant, New Delhi, to conduct an environment impact study (EIS) for the proposed greenfield Mopa airport. EIS will begin from October 1.The steering committee meeting was chaired by chief minister Digambar Kamat.Speaking to TOI, director of Mopa airport and North Goa collector Mihir Vardhan said, "To conduct the EIS, the state government has appointed...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
State govt scales down Kushinagar project
Lucknow Despite being declared as “non-viable” by private players in the past, the Uttar Pradesh government is in no mood to give up the idea of building an international airport in Kushinagar.In its latest attempt to make the project viable, the government has scaled it down drastically, bringing down the cost of the project from over Rs 650 crore to Rs 230 crore.This has been done by mainly cutting down on the land that was to be given as an incentive...
Maureen Wadia held for duty evasion at Mumbai airport
Mumbai: Maureen Wadia, the wife of Bombay Dyeing chairman Nusli Wadia, was detained at the Chhatrapati Sh- ivaji International airport for duty evasion on goods from Heathrow airport in London on Wednesday. Customs officials said that she was let off after paying Rs 5.30 lakh as duty.Maureen is a former airhostess who heads Gladrags magazine and is a force behind the Mrs India beauty pageant.Sources said she came by a Jet Airways flight UA 9822 on...
Heavy rains force 4 flights to go-around, one diversion at Delhi airport
New Delhi: A cloudburst followed by heavy rains hit air traffic movement at the Delhi airport this afternoon with at least one flight diverted and four others asked to make a 'go-around'.The MeT office said it was one of the heaviest and "unprecedented" downpour of this season, with 117 mm recorded within an hour which could completely submerge any low-lying airport like Mumbai.Water-logging on the arrival side of the IGI Airport inconvenienced passengers...
Bird hits Spicejet flight in Gujarat, damages nose
Ahmedabad: Just a week after the airport authorities' claimed to have reduced the number of bird hit incidents, a Spicejet flight was hit by a bird on Wednesday morning. The accident was so fierce that the nose of the aircraft -Radome got damaged and this left 68 passengers high and dry.According to the sources at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI), the Pune-Ahmedabad-Jaipur flight was hit by a bird (kite) at 9:35 am while the...
Chennai ATC to control traffic over 20,000 ft
New Delhi: From September 22, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) — which handles the air traffic control (ATC) functions — will launch the integration of upper airspace throughout southern India from the Chennai Air Traffic Control (ATC). Top AAIsources told this newspaper in New Delhi that this would mean that the Chennai ATC would control traffic movements of aircraft above 20,000 feet throughout southern India which will result in drastic cut...
Passenger De-planed for Opening Craft's Emergency Door
New Delhi: A New Delhi-bound flight was delayed for three hours at the Lucknow airport after a passenger opened the emergency exit of the plane, the Kingfisher Airlines said Wednesday."The aircraft was stationary at that time as boarding was still in progress. The guest was de-planed and handed over to the authorities. After a thorough examination, the aircraft was cleared for departure," it added.14/09/11 IANS/Daijiwo...
Flight carrying Andhra CM hovers for 45min due to bad weather
Hyderabad: Poor weather forced a Kingfisher Airlines aircraft with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on board to hover for over 45 minutes this morning before it landed safely at Madhurapudi airport in Rajahmundry, giving some anxious moments to the state administration.The Air Traffic Control at Madhurapudi airport did not give ground clearance for the aircraft from Hyderabad to land at the scheduled time 10.30 AM as there was "no clear visibility"This...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Al-Qaeda’s bombs from sky threat adds to vigil at airports
Mumbai: Security agencies are on high alert after receiving inputs from central intelligence agencies that al-Qaeda could carry out an attack in the city. The inputs assume high significance as they come in the wake of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Three alerts came in three days prompting authorities to beef up security.Union home minister P Chidambaram, who was in town on Monday, held a meeting with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, senior ministers...
Encroachers ransack Malda airport office
Malda: Members of 35 families, who have allegedly encroached upon Malda airport land, agitated and ransacked the airport office on Tuesday after they were served evacuation notice. They claimed that the airport authorities had connived with a promoter to build high-rises after evacuating them. They vowed a greater agitation if the authority does not budge.Around a hundred families of Ward No. 23 and 24 of English Bazaar had been allegedly living...
AAI, vendors meet to redress grievances
To build an effective business partnership with the vendors, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is working on a series of suggestions to ensure more transparency in its dealings and address issues of cost reduction and curbing corrupt practices.The decision came after a meeting AAI Chairman VP Agrawal and other officials had with the vendors here, which was also attended by several independent external monitors like former Civil Aviation Secretary...
First Haj flight to leave from Karipur on September 29
The first Haj flight from the State will leave Calicut International Airport, Karipur, on September 29.Saudi Arabian Airlines will operate 27 flights to carry 8,100 pilgrims under government supervision from Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Mahe till October 15.Karipur is the embarkation point for the pilgrims from Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Mahe.State Haj Committee chairman P.T.A. Rahim, MLA, said the inaugural flight would take off from Karipur at 10.45...
Scala Drives 400 Screen Indira Gandhi International Airport Network at New Delhi
New Delhi: Scala India announced today that Scala software was chosen to drive the first ever Digital Signage Airport Advertising network in Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport – New Delhi, the largest and newest airport facility in India.One of India’s Leading OOH Media Agency has obtained the advertising rights for Indira Gandhi International Airport, where they now can offer both static and digital advertising to their customers....
Monday, September 12, 2011
Soon, CCTVs at Sahnewal airport
Ludhiana: Close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will soon be installed at Sahnewal airport. The recent blast outside Delhi high court has expedited the project that has been hanging fire since a year.Sources said, "When flight between Ludhiana and Delhi was resumed in April 2010, the authorities were told to install CCTVs at the airport. Security experts from Delhi had visited the airport and it was decided that 18 cameras would be installed at...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Runway fiasco: Mumbai desperate for a new airport?
Mumbai: The past one week has almost been a nightmare for the passengers and authorities at the Mumbai airport. There have been at least five near misses or technical problems in one week.The Turkish Airlines flight stuck in mud was towed away only after three days. The incident put the main runway of the Mumbai airport out of action for three days. During that time at least 18 flights were diverted, at least two airlines canceled their flights and...