Chandigarh's international flight some way off

Chandigarh: The city's wait for first international flight will not be over as soon as it was expected. The flight from Chandigarh to Sharjah, which was to tentatively begin from November 15, has again been delayed for a month or more because the ministry of defence (MOD) is sitting on the clearance of this proposed flight. Since city airport is mainly a defence airfield, a foreign aircraft can land here only after the clearance from the MOD. Sources said it would take another one month for necessary clearance from the ministry on the request of Air Arabia that has offered to launch the flight.
Even if MOD permits, the airlines will have to take clearance from the director general civil aviation (DGCA). This is not the first time that the delay on part of the MOD has postponed this flight. The issue of transfer of land by the MOD for expansion of civil airport is also pending for long. The matter was discussed during a meeting held in August this year between defence officials, who had assured Chandigarh administration of expediting the procedure of land transfer.
Despite several attempts, no one from the MOD commented on the issue. However, confirming the development, director of Chandigarh airport, Captain H S Toor said once clearance from MOD is received, other formalities would be completed within a short span.
05/11/11 Ajay Sura/Times of India

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DGCA to complete Kochi plane skid probe in 6 weeks

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said it will complete in six weeks the investigation into a Gulf Air plane skidding off the runway at Kochi airport.

“I have appointed deputy director Sanjay Brahmane as inquiry officer to investigate the incident. The preliminary probe will be completed in a week and the final report will be available in six weeks. Two officials from the civil aviation authority of Bahrain are also in Kochi, to participate in the inquiry. An assessment of the damage is being done and crew statements will be recorded on Wednesday,” Director General Bharat Bhushan said.

Early yesterday, a Gulf Air A320 plane from Bahrain carrying 137 passengers veered off the runway, after landing at Kochi airport. Seven passengers were hurt.

According to sources, the plane touched down about a thousand feet from the runway threshold and then veered off the runway. The weather bulletin issued earlier said there was no tail wind and the visibility was 2,000 metres above the requirement level.

31/08/11 Business Standard

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DGCA probe blames pilot for Kochi mishap

Kochi: Ruling out bad weather as the cause of Monday's mishap involving a Gulf Air A320 aircraft at Cochin airport, a preliminary inquiry by the Directorate general of civil aviation has blamed pilot error for the plane landing off the runway.

"The pilot must have made some errors during landing and must have tried to steer back the aircraft after it skidded," a DGCA official said. A DGCA team is examining the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder data, which is likely to give a clearer picture of the mishap.

DGCA sources told TOI that the aircraft landed around 3.50am and data obtained from India Meteorological Department clearly showed there were no unusual weather conditions at that time. There was only moderate rain.

31/08/11 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Meticulous ops to remove A320 from crash site

Kochi: Lifting and towing away 50 tonnes of precious metal was no mean feat, the biggest such exercise by technicians at the Cochin International Airport.

On Monday night, more than 50 men braved the chill and rain to retrieve the Gulf Air A320 from the slush into which it had careened after skidding off the runway, and tow it to a vacant bay with a view to making the runway fully operational the next morning. "It was a very complicated operation as the nose wheel had broken. Both engines were filled with slush and grass. There was no power on board. And, worst, there was no way we could steer the aircraft with its front wheel gone," a senior officer, who was part of the retrieval team, told ToI.

Technicians had summoned three cranes capable of lifting 100 tonnes, 60 tonnes and 40 tonnes, respectively, along with a JCB to add muscle to the operation. "But we didn't use them fearing that these crude machines would damage the fuselage of the aircraft. There are designated areas on the body where we could use pressure like a jack, etc.," he explained.

The first task was to lift the nose from the slush. "For this we kept an airbag, which is a multi-layered rectangular balloon inflated with compressed air, under the nose. The bag can lift up to 100 tonnes. But great care has to be taken while inflating as the aluminium-alloy body is quite vulnerable to excess pressure as it can get dented beyond repair," he pointed out.

31/08/11 Times of India

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AI flight makes emergency landing

Thiruvananthapuram: An Air India plane AI 507 carrying 134 passengers and crew requested an emergency landing at the airport here today after a minor defect was detected in its hydraulic system. The incident comes a day after Gulf Air flight skidded off the runway at the Kochi International Airport.

The flight from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram via Chennai was scheduled to land at 11.45 am but touched down at 12.15 p.m. It was scheduled to depart to Chennai at 4 pm but had to be grounded. Airport sources said irate passengers were loaded on to an alternate flight that arrived from Maldives, AI 264, after a delay of approximately one-and-half hours. This is the second time that a Chennai-bound Air India flight had to be grounded. In April, a different aircraft had to be grounded following a bird hit, soon after it took off from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. At that time, BJP leader Arun Jaitley, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat and Airport Director, G Chandramouli were on the flight.

Abey George, public relations officer, Air India (Kerala) said, "The pilot only suspected a problem with the hydraulics. It was not a serious situation, if it were then the pilot would have deplaned passengers as soon as they touched down. The plane was towed to the bay before the doors were opened. "

31/08/11 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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AI Express flights tail dips during take-off at Kochi

Kochi: An Air India Express flight bound for Abu Dhabi had to land back in Kochi after its tail dipped during take-off on Sunday night. The flight was carrying about 190 passengers including four infants, and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had noticed the incident soon after the take- off.

The pilot was asked to immediately return, after jettisoning off portion of the fuel. It took about an hour and a half to finish the fuel jettisoning process and to landed back normally, an Air India spokesman told TOI here.

The passengers were then lodged in a nearby hotel and the aircraft was declared AOG (Aircraft On Ground) for carrying out the repairs.

31/08/11 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Air India plane lands under emergency conditions

Mumbai: An Air India plane from Jeddah with 286 passengers and crew on board today landed under emergency conditions at the airport here following suspected hydraulic failure, the second such incident in as many days involving the state carrier.

All the passengers on the Jeddah-Mumbai flight were safe, an airline spokesperson

"The AI-390 flight, carrying 286 people, including over 260 passengers, had to make a precautionary landing at the Mumbai airport due to a suspected hydraulic failure at around 1345 hrs. All the passengers deplaned safely," the spokesperson told PTI.

Though the airline described the incident as a "precautionary" landing, a Mumbai airport spokesman said emergency services were activated at the airport at 1258 hrs and the Airbus 330 aircraft landed safely at 1348 hrs. The alert was withdrawn at 1413 hrs.

31/08/11 Economic Times

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Bomb Hoax on Mumbai-Chandigarh Kingfisher Flight

Mumbai/Chandigarh: Security agencies went into a tizzy Tuesday following a bomb scare on a Kingfisher Airlines Mumbai-Chandigarh flight, but it turned out to be hoax, officials said.

Police sources said that staff of the Kingfisher flight IT-3185, which had landed in Chandigarh Tuesday evening from Mumbai, found a used tissue paper with a message scribbled that there was a bomb on the flight.

The security agencies at the Chandigarh airport were alerted and a thorough inspection of the aircraft was carried out.

"However, nothing was found. It was a hoax. The flights were resumed after some time," a police officer said in Chandigarh.

30/08/11 IANS/Daijiworld.com

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Neglecting Nagpur airport's fire wing?

Nagpur: Is the administration waiting for a Kochi-like scare at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport? Was the Gulf plane Airbus A-320 skidding on Monday not a lesson for Mihan India Limited (MIL) to improve its management?

The Nagpur airport had been in news but mostly for wrong reasons. Stray animals on runways had created scare among flight operators. The most unfortunate part is that the airport authorities continue to neglect key departments like fire and emergency services. Sources said that repeated requests for urgent repair of all the four fire tenders have fallen on deaf ears. As if this was not sufficient, there are only 49 fire fighters working in two shifts against the sanctioned strength of 80 personnel. Due to its ill-equipped rescue and firefighting services, the airport also lost its category 8 rating recently.

More than 29 domestic flights operate from city airport while over 450 aircrafts - both domestic and international flights - pass through the region. They depend on Nagpur airport in case of any emergency, sources said. Not just the passenger planes, but the city airport is also Indian Air Force's IL-76 planes' airbase.

Airport authorities also admitted that the four fire tenders and ambulances were not in proper working condition and need to be replaced with new ones. MIL has been delaying purchase of new fire tenders and is also avoiding maintenance of the existing ones, sources alleged.

31/08/11 Times of India

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Tiruchi airport ready for 24-hour operations

Tiruchi: With the Tiruchi airport authorities declaring the facility ready for 24-hour operations, one of the major constraints in introduction of new flights to the city has been removed.

The airport had been hampered for long owing to the restrictions imposed on the schedule of flight operations as there was a shortage of staff at the air traffic control (ATC). Airlines have been complaining that they were not being given convenient time slots and that they had to fit their schedule suggested by the airport authorities.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) say that this would be not a problem anymore and the airport was now ready for 24-hour operations. “We are ready for 24-hour operation and air operators can choose any time slot of their convenience. We had planned to be ready for 24-hour operations from October 1, but we are prepared to take additional flights at any time slot even now,” S.Dharmaraj, Airport Controller, told The Hindu. When asked about the reported shortage of staff at the ATC, Mr. Dharmaraj said these were operational matters to be handled internally but assured this would not be constraint for the introduction of new flights.

A few months back, a couple of additional staff were posted at the ATC here but a few were later transferred. Additional hands were expected to be posted by October.

30/08/11 S. Ganesan/The Hindu

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No flight between Surat, Mumbai: AI

Surat: The Diamond city's hopes for air connectivity with Mumbai were dashed when Air India, a part of the Indian government owned Air India Limited (AIL), outrightly rejected the demand.

Air India (AI) said it is unable to implement routing the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai services or other services via Surat due to aircraft rotation constraints and that the one-stop services would affect AI's loads and revenues. The reply has come from the deputy general manager (administration) of AI in response to a letter written by Utpal Mistry, CEO of Lexus group, a leading diamond processing machinery manufacturer on Tuesday.

Mistry had sent a letter to the Union ministry of aviation seeking its reply on increasing flight services from the Surat airport on June 22. The letter was forwarded by the ministry to AI for drafting a reply for the same.

In her email reply (a copy of which is with TOI) on Tuesday, P D Menon, AI's deputy general manager (administration) stated that the suggestion to route the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai services or other services via Surat is not viable as Air India is unable to implement it due to aircraft rotation constraints. The aircraft operating on Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route are deployed to operate other services on its network.

31/08/11 Melvyn Thomas/Times of India

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Experts suspect pilot error in mishap

Kochi: A pilot error caused the accident at the Cochin International Airport in the wee hours of Monday, experts said.
Although, three possibilities are being considered - failure of the instrumental landing system(ILS), pilot error and a sudden blow of crosswind; the primary assessment puts the pilot in the dock.
Kochi-based aviation expert Jacob Philip sees a 70 percent chance that it was an error on the part of the pilot.
“It is learnt that the flight did not land along the centre of the runway, as is the usual practice. However, pilots often land even when there is a slight variation from the centre and make up in running after touch down. In today’s incident, the pilot might have attempted a landing away from the centre hoping to change direction later. The change in direction coupled with speed might have caused the aircraft to lose control and skid off the runway,” Philip said.
Supporting this reasoning, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) director A C K Nair said that there was no problem with the ILS. “A few minutes before the accident, the flights of Qatar Airways and Emirates had landed without any difficulty,” Nair said. However, Philip does not count out the effect of crosswind. “Another major possibility is a sudden crosswind which could have blown after the aircraft descended to a lower altitude,” he said.
Meanwhile, an Indian Airlines pilot refuted the statement of CIAL managing director V J Kurian that a pilot has no option but to land after descending to a height of 350 feet. “The CIAL MD’s statement is wrong. What wonders me is why the pilot did not opt for a go around instead of making a risky landing in rain as he claimed. Go around is possible even after descending to a height of 50 feet,” said the pilot who is serving as a commander.
30/08/11 Babu K Peter/ExpressBuzz

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Close shave: Did weather report misguide Gulf Air pilot?

Mumbai: Most of us take weather predictions with a pinch of salt. For pilots, however, that's not an option, especially during the monsoon. The aviation-specific weather report (called a METAR report) that they get on board their aircraft every 30 minutes is taken very seriously, and it is based on this data that a commander decides, among other things, whether he should continue with a landing or not.
As is the case with all predictions, the METAR report is not expected to be totally accurate, just indicative of what to expect. The pilot of the Gulf Air A-320 with 137 passengers on board which veered off the runway in Kochi and halted nose-down early Monday in slush may not have known that he was going to touch down in blinding rain and strong winds. The accident, which could have led to serious casualties, left only seven people injured mostly from the emergency evacuation, one of them seriously enough to be hospitalized.
The A-320 flying from Bahrain landed at about 3.55am and skidded right to halt more than five metres off the paved surface. About 40 minutes before that aircraft touched down, the commander and co-pilot would have decoded what is called a METAR report that provides wind direction and speed, visibility, cloud cover at different heights, temperature and warns of thunderstorms, rain and haze.
The pilots would have gone through the 3am and 3.30am METAR reports. The 3.30am and 4am METAR reports for Cochin airport were not available on the government website and it is also not known whether these reports were transmitted to the pilots. But the METAR reports for 3am and 4.30am - that is the report issued about an hour before the accident and one issued 35 minutes after the accident - showed good weather.
The 3am report indicates 5 knot winds - acceptable for the size of an A320 - and speaks of clouds at 1000 feet and 800 feet. It ends by saying there will be no significant change in weather in the next hour or so. Similarly, the 4.30am report indicates no surface wind and few clouds, though it says that the sky will be overcast at 800 feet.

"The pilot said that he was suddenly assailed by strong winds and gust of rain after he descended below decision height," said Director General of Civil Aviation Bharat Bhushan. "But the inquiry is still on. So we need to see what the real conditions were," he added.
30/08/11 Manju V/Times of India

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Gulf Air seeks Air India help to clear runway debris

Mumbai: The Gulf Air A320 aircraft which veered off the Cochin Airport runway to come to rest off a paved surface on Monday morning is likely to be removed from its current resting place by Tuesday afternoon. In case of such accidents it is the airline's responsibility to clear the aircraft off the runway. "The stranded aircraft had affected operations at the Cochin International Airport and so Gulf Air officials called up Air India to help them with the issue," said a source.
In India, such jobs go to Air India as it is the only airline which has what is called a Disabled Aircraft Retrieval Kit and the expertise to carry out the work.
"The kit had to be flown down to Cochin and so Air India initially enquired whether Gulf Air will pay for charter flight and all other charges," said a source. The primary tool in a kit consists of low-pressure high-volume inflatable airbags. These are placed underneath the aircraft's nose, wheels, and tyres, inflated and then the aircraft is towed to a parking bay.
But as soon as the work commenced, Air India ran into difficulties. The 'kit' could not be loaded into Boeing 737-800 aircraft which was chartered from Air India Express. "The boxes were so huge that it was not possible to load them into the aircraft," a source said.
30/08/11 Manju V/Times of India

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Skills of Gulf Air pilots and crew help avert tragedy

Manama: The skills of Gulf Air pilots averted tragedy yesterday when a flight skidded off the runway while landing at Kochi International Airport, India, due to weather conditions.
The incident took place at around 4am when the Airbus A320, carrying 137 passengers including an infant, landed in rainy weather conditions, said a Gulf Air official.
A Bahraini, eight Saudis and a UK national were among those on board.
"All passengers were evacuated safely as emergency procedures were employed," said the airline's chief operating officer Capt Nasser Al Salmi.
"Two of the passengers, both Indian nationals, were treated for minor injuries in the terminal building while another Indian man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of evacuation-related injuries."
Capt Al Salimi said a special team as well as two representatives from Bahrain's Civil Aviation Affairs had been deployed.
30/08/11 Mandeep Singh/Gulf Daily.com

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Low cost Singapore, Malaysia flights likely from Nagpur

Nagpur: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur is 'international' only for the record, with only one flight operating to foreign shores from here in the last two years. However, if officials of Mihan India Limited (MIL), the airport operator company, are to be believed, Nagpur may soon be connected again with international destinations like Singapore, Bangkok and Malaysia.
Along with this, Air India Express may resume international flight between Dubai and Nagpur. This route will be serviced by a flight on the Mumbai-Nagpur-Ahmedabad-Dubai sector. "The airline discontinued its service in January last year, but has now started putting in place plans to resume services from Nagpur," sources at the airport informed.
MIL officials have recently approached and requested Air Asia, world's largest international low cost airline, to start flights for designations like Singapore, Bangkok and Malaysia. A senior MIL official confirmed the offer extended to Air Asia officials to get all international facilities at Nagpur airport.
The Nagpur airport had achieved its aviation high some two years ago, with flights to four international destinations Qatar Airways to Doha, Air India Express to Dubai, Air India on Hyderabad-Nagpur-Bangkok sector and Air Arabia for Sharjah.
30/08/11 Times of India

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DC orders Hazaribag airport work

Hazaribag: Deputy commissioner Ravindra Kumar Agarwal has ordered the special division of rural engineering organization to start construction work of the long-pending airport project located on the NH-33 at Nagwan village about 7 km from here.
The order was issued following the failure of the villagers to obtain stay order from the Jharkhand high court.
According to officials, the work for the construction of the airport over a plot of over 22 acres was started way back in 2007 when the villagers strongly protested on the ground of compensation to be paid to the villagers at the market rate and the work was stopped.
The work was re-started by the then deputy commissioner of Hazaribag, Vinay Kumar Choubey, by rejecting the claims of the villagers on the ground that the land was acquired by the British government way back in 1946 and the compensation was finalized in 1952 by the revenue minister of the then Bihar government.
28/08/11 Times of India

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Irene affects flights to JFK, Newark from IGI Airport

New Delhi: About a dozen flights operating out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to New York’s JFK and Newark airports were cancelled or delayed on Sunday after airports in the US had to be shut for operations because of Hurricane Irene.
Air India officials said their Saturday flights to JFK and Newark from Delhi as well as Mumbai had been suspended, though they were expecting flights from there to come in sometime on Sunday.
The Friday 11 pm Continental Airways’ flight CO-083 has been rescheduled to arrive at IGI around 1 pm on Monday. The same flight on Saturday has also been rescheduled to arrive after midnight on Monday, an airport official said.
29/08/11 Indian Express

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Flydubai starts service to Ahmedabad

Dubai: Flydubai, Dubai’s pioneering low cost airline, inaugurated its third major Indian route, with the start of operations to the world’s third fastest growing city – Ahmedabad.
Flight FZ437 landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, expanding flydubai’s network to 39 operational destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the fringes of Europe. The new route also marks the airline’s entry into Gujarat, one of India’s most prosperous states with a per-capita GDP significantly above the country’s average at $59 billion.
Flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Indian authorities. Thanks to their strong support, the UAE is now connected to a city that is witnessing incredible infrastructure growth which in turn has led to a population increase. As a rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Ahmedabad remains the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat and much of western India and as a result we expect this route to prove very popular.”
By increasing the number of flights between Dubai and India, flydubai is supporting the growth of trade and tourism, while also providing convenient and affordable travel options for the considerable Indian expat community in the UAE and their families at home.
29/08/11 Khaleej Times

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Mad scramble for seats as US skies clear

Chennai: The airlines here have announced normal operations to the airports on the east coast of the US after they reopened to traffic on Monday. The airports were closed ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene. However, the passengers who were on the cancelled flights during the last three days are scuttling for seats as flights are chock-a-block.
When many passengers checked for seat availability on Monday morning, they did not have many options as airlines were yet to decide on whether to operate additional flights.
Providing seats for passengers on seat availability basis in the existing flights have left many of those on cancelled flights in a fix. Rekha, a mother of two, was supposed to fly to the US on August 27. But she did not, as the Jet Airways cancelled its flight in the wee hours of the day. “Today when I went to book a ticket again, the supervisor at the Jet Airways’ ticketing office in Egmore informed me that seats were not available. He said I might get a seat if I went to the airport and if I was lucky enough,” she said.
Many passengers have been stranded at hub airports of various airlines. “Passengers have been waiting for 10 hours at Brussels airport hoping they could get into the next flight. Similar is the case in Frankfurt, Munich and London airports,” said an airline insider.
Sources at the airport said many US-bound passengers have cancelled the tickets, re-booked or taken the rerouting option with the airlines.
30/08/11 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Gunnie Pieris arrested in Chennai Airport

A suspect on whom a red notice was issued for his arrest allegedly for importing Dionial Chloride to Sri Lanka was under arrest at the Chennai Airport by the Interpol recently.
The CID said they were discussing with the Interpol to bring down the suspect Canute Siripalan Pieris alias Gunnie Pieris on whom a red notice was issued by the Sri Lankan Courts for arrest.
The CID who initiated investigations on an alleged case of importing Dionil Chloride for a factory in Kosgama for the alleged reason of manufacturing toys found that it was imported for the manufacture of a toxic drink.
It was suspected that the chemical was imported to Sri Lanka to be used for chemical weapons to use against the forces during the civil war. However, later it was found that the chemical had been imported to manufacture a toxic drink. The CID investigations revealed that the king pin behind the entire episode was this suspect and a red notice was issued for the arrest by the courts. In the meantime he was arrested by the Interpol at the Chennai Airport when he attempted to enter India.
30/08/11 T. Farook Thajudeen/Daily Mirror

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Aircraft skids off runway at Kochi, major disaster averted

Kochi: A major disaster was averted when a Gulf Air flight carrying 137 on board skidded off the runway while landing at the airport here early on Monday morning. The aircraft came to a halt in a muddy area close to the runway, and there was no loss of life.

Nedumbaseery airport authorities said seven passengers were injured, of which only one needed hospitalisation. The rest made do with first aid. The 130 others including an infant and the six crew escaped unhurt through the emergency doors of the Airbus 320 aircraft.

The runway was closed immediately, leading to diversion of 12 international flights and delays in the operation of several domestic flights.

The pilot was quoted as saying the aircraft veered off the runway because of the heavy rain and poor visibility. The wings, nose wheel and engine have been damaged. A Disabled Aircraft Retrieval Kit was summoned from Mumbai, the Managing Director of the Cochin International Airport limited (CIAL) Dr V J Kurien told reporters.

Dr Kurient said Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will be conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. ``Let's not jump into any conclusions. The pilot has informed us that he could see the runway from six nautical miles away. There was moderate rain when the aircraft reached 2000 feet of height on its descend. But there was a sudden gush of wind and intense rains after the aircraft crossed down the decision height of 352 feet.''

29/08/11 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Gulf Air plane skids off runway in India

A Gulf Air plane has come off the runway at Kochi airport in the southern Indian state of Kerala, injuring at least seven passengers.

The flight, coming from Bahrain, was carrying 137 passengers and six crew. An inquiry has begun into the accident.

Officials say the runway is closed and several flights have been diverted.

Reports said some passengers jumped down from the aircraft in panic through the emergency door even before the ladder was brought to the flight.

"The Gulf Air flight GF270 deviated from the runway at 0355 [2225GMT] this [Monday] morning," news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted airport director ACK Nair as saying.

The plane went into a muddy area, damaging its nose wheel, PTI reported.

Officials said it was very windy and raining heavily at the time of the landing.

"The preliminary investigation revealed bad weather and poor visibility caused the accident," AFP quoted an unnamed airport official as saying.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an inquiry into the incident.

29/08/11 BBC

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Weather likely reason for Gulf Air plane skidding in Kochi

Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi today said rain and wind appear to be the reasons behind a Gulf Air plane skidding off the runway while landing at the International Airport in Kochi even as DGCA ordered an inquiry into the incident.

"DGCA has asked for a report. The report which has come to me is that it is a difficult place though the runway is long enough. The rains and winds were there. Then, it landed and slipped," he told reporters here.

137 passengers and six crew of the plane from Bahrain had a narrow escape when the Airbus A-320 skidded off the runway into a muddy area while landing at the airport.

29/08/11 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Passengers jump from plane after bad landing

Thiruvananthapuram : Terrified passengers jumped out of a plane in India on Monday after it skidded to a halt on landing, escaping before emergency ladders were put in place, officials said.

Seven passengers were injured in the pre-dawn incident when the Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala landed badly in wet weather conditions and veered onto muddy grassland.

"The Bahrain-Kochi Airbus 320 shot 10m off the runway. Some passengers in panic jumped out of the emergency exit before the ladders were brought," ACK Nair, Kochi Airport director, told AFP.

"Because the nose of the plane was damaged, the emergency (inflatable) ladder did not work, so a rescue team started bringing ladders to the site. But before they arrived, people began to jump.

29/08/11 News24.com

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Flights from UAE delayed as Kochi airport closes

Hundreds of passengers bound for Kochi, India, were stranded for hours as Emirates, Etihad and Air India Express flights experienced disruptions and delays

Hundreds of passengers bound for Kochi, India, were stranded for hours as Emirates, Etihad and Air India Express flights experienced disruptions and delays following the temporary closure of Kochi airport on Monday morning.

The closure came after a Gulf Air aircraft with 137 passengers and six crew skidded off the runway and was run aground in mud at 3.55am, injuring seven passengers.

Etihad Airways flight EY280, which departed from Abu Dhabi on Sunday, was rerouted to Thiruvananthapuram. Passengers were then transported by road to Kochi. The return flight EY281 from Kochi was cancelled on Monday. No further disruption is expected.

A spokesperson of Etihad told Khaleej Times that Etihad will operate a second A320 aircraft to provide additional capacity on the route

The other delayed flights include Air India Express flight from Sharjah, which was supposed to depart at 1.30pm, Sharjah-Kochi Air India flight scheduled to depart at 12.05am and the Dubai-Kochi Air India Express flight, scheduled to leave at 11.55pm.

All the flights are fully booked due to the Eid holidays and upcoming Onam celebrations in Kerala. Most of the passengers of the Air India Express Sharjah-Kochi flight have been provided with hotel accommodation while some preferred to go home.

29/08/11 Lily B. Libo-on and Sajila Saseendran/Khaleej Times

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Gulf Air Skidded Due to Heavy Rainfall : Airlines

Kochi: Several people were injured on early Monday morning when an Airbus 320 belonging to Gulf Air skidded off the runway at an airport in southwest India, the airline said. Heavy rainfall is believed to have caused the incident.

The incident happened at around 1.45 a.m. local time when Gulf Air flight 270 was attempting to land at Cochin International Airport, which is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of the major port city of Kochi. The plane was carrying 143 people, including one infant and six crew members.

Gulf Air spokeswoman Katherine Kaczynska said in a statement that the aircraft skidded off the runway during heavy rainfall.

Gulf Air said the Airbus 320, which suffered a nose gear collapse during the skid, was only 1.5 year old and had an up-to-date service history. "Rainy weather conditions are suspected to be the cause of this incident, however the aircraft was approved for landing and the cause will not be able to be confirmed until a full investigation has been completed," Kaczynska said.

29/08/11 BNO News/Daijiworld.com

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Irene toll on city fliers

Calcutta: Around 30 New York-bound passengers from Calcutta had to cancel their trips on Sunday as flights could not leave for the US east coast because of Hurricane Irene.

Airline officials said the situation might improve on Monday but could not rule out the possibility of cancellations and delays.

Erendro Singh, a postgraduate student in public administration at Harvard University, was scheduled to take the Emirates flight from Calcutta to Dubai on Sunday on his way back to the US. He had come to Imphal on August 1 on vacation.

“I did not take the flight for Dubai today as airline officials told me that I would be stranded there. There is a long queue of New York-bound passengers in Dubai. So I am staying in Calcutta tonight and will take a decision tomorrow,” said the 29-year-old, who flew to Calcutta from Imphal on Sunday. Emirates cancelled both its flights from Dubai to New York on Sunday.

The Delhi-New York leg of Air India’s Calcutta-Delhi-New York flight could not be operated for the second consecutive day on Sunday. The Calcutta-Delhi flight, however, is running on schedule.

29/08/11 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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‘Srinagar-Dubai flights not viable’

Srinagar: Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Vayalar Ravi, has said that Srinagar-Dubai flights were “economically not viable.”

In a written answer to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha on the possibility of resuming flights from Srinagar to Dubai, Ravi responded that the Srinagar-Dubai sector was “economically not viable.”

The question was raised by Saifuddin Soz, J&K State Congress Chief and Member of Parliament, a statement here said.

The Srinagar-Dubai flight from Srinagar International Airport was started with much fanfare in February 14, 2009 but was grounded a year later.

28/08/11 Greater Kashmir

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ATC wing to operate as AAI's fully-owned subsidiary

New Delhi: In what comes as respite to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the civil aviation ministry has said air traffic control (ATC) operations would be conducted as the company's fully-owned subsidiary.

According to earlier plans, ATC operations were scheduled to come under a separate company, but this would have hit the revenue of the state-owned airports operator.

“We have decided the separate ATC company would function as a fully-owned subsidiary of AAI, and not as a separate company. We may allow it to function as a separate company at a later stage, maybe in around eight years,” said a senior ministry official, who did not want to be identified.

AAI wanted the new subsidiary to function as its subsidiary, as ATC operations account for over 60 per cent of the airport operator's revenue. As of now, the air navigation service comes under AAI. The rest of the revenue comes from the operations of 87 airports across the country, with only 15 airports recording profits. AAI earned Rs 4,186 crore and made a profit of Rs 687 crore in 2008-09. The new company would be called Air Navigation Services Corporation of India.

The equipment used for ATC operations would be transferred to the new entity. Buildings with ATC offices would remain AAI's property.

Revenue from ATC operations include charges for route navigation facilities, terminal navigation and instrument landing. Every time an international flight uses India's airspace, it pays a fee for ATC services

28/08/11 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Proposal for another airport for Kozhikode shot down

Kozhikode: Even though the Kozhikode district panchayat modified a resolution brought by a member to urge the state government to initiate steps for a new airport in Kozhikode district, the demand for the same is still alive.

The district panchayat member, V D Joseph Valiyamattam has moved a resolution to urge the state government take steps for a new airport in Kozhikode. However, several members opposed this and the resolution was modified to upgrading facilities at the exiting airport at Karipore.

The Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry also has been demanding a new airport in Kozhikode. It submitted a memorandum in this regard.

27/08/11 Gireesh P K/Times of India

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Mega plan for Navi Mumbai airport connectivity

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has prepared a comprehensive project, costing Rs 86,647 crore, for efficient connectivity between the proposed Navi Mumbai international airport and Mumbai.

The plan includes construction of metro rail and mono rail lines, rail overbridges, extension of existing railway lines and flyovers. Apart from government agencies, Union and state, the government expects the private sector to also be involved in implementation. As much as 44 per cent of the proposed investment is expected to come from the private sector.

The airport’s first phase is scheduled for launch by 2015. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) would issue the first stage of bids for the airport in September.

Tanaji Satre, joint MD of Cidco, told Business Standard: “The sole objective is to put in place effective connectivity through multiple agencies. The government is keen to encourage public-private partnership to carry out these projects.”

He said some of the associated projects are already under implementation, such as the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro and a mono rail between Jacob Circle & Chembur.

The plan comes in the wake of a study by LEA Associates, commissioned to study the regional transport network. It estimated 80,000 passengers would travel to or from the airport daily by 2031. In addition, at least 100,000 others would travel to the airport and its vicinity for work.

29/08/11 Sanjay Jog & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Aerotropolis shareholder moves court

Kolkata: Bengal Aerotropolis, the much-talked-about airport city project at Andal, has run into rough weather again.

The project managed to get over the initial hiccups when Coal India opposed the project saying it would block coal bearing areas. But now, one of the founder promoters of Aerotropolis, Raj Shekhar Agarwal, has alleged financial fraud. Agarwal has filed a criminal case against some other shareholders.

The complaint says that Pragati Social Infrastructure Development (PSIDL) in Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL), the special purpose vehicle, has been reduced by over 20% in September 2010. This has assumed significance because PSIDL is a joint venture between Pragati 47, a co-promoter of BAPL, and Hudco. Agarwal has further alleged that the shares were transferred at a value of Rs 10 each to Citystar while Changi Singapore bought the shares in 2009 for Rs 40.99 each.

The shareholder has appealed to chief minister Mamata Banerjee to look into the alleged financial irregularities in Bengal Aerotropolis (BAPL). It may be noted that Agarwal is also fighting a legal battle with another promoter Partha Ghosh for AMIF's 47.5% stake in Pragati 47, one of the promoting firms of BAPL. However, it will have no direct impact on BAPL as no government company is involved in the case.

28/08/11 Udit Prasanna Mukherji/Times of India

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Inspectors fending off alien invader'

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialist Megan Walsh looks for cast skins of the Khapra beetle on a shipment of wheat from the United Arab Emirates that arrived to a U.S. Customs Centralized Examination Station in Itasca, Friday, August 26, 2011. (Alex Garcia/ Chicago Tribune)

At a secure warehouse in a suburban industrial park last Friday, three specialists from U.S. Customs and Border Protection tore into tons of boxed and bagged goods from overseas in search of one of the world's most dangerous aliens.

Evidence of the intruder had turned up earlier in the month in the luggage of travelers from India at O'Hare International Airport. In a bag of rice, inspectors found the skin and larva of a khapra beetle, a dirty little beast with the morals of a cockroach and an appetite that if left unchecked could consume the contents of an entire grain elevator in short order.

"If the beetle ever established itself in this country, it would ruin our agricultural export industry, one of the last profitable export industries we have been left with in the U.S." said Mark Grzeszkowiak, chief agricultural specialist from the customs agency's Chicago office.

28/08/11 William Mullen/Chicago Tribune

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MRPL-Shell venture to provide ATF to Delhi and Mumbai airports

A joint venture of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) with Shell will provide aviation turbine fuelling (ATF) services to airports in Mumbai and Delhi, said U. K.Basu, Managing Director, MRPL, a subsidiary of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. He was speaking at a press meet in Mangalore on Saturday after the company's 23rd annual meeting. The ATF is produced by MRPL, which currently provides ATF to the airports in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Ahmedabad and Kozhikode, he said.

The company's ATF sales have increased by 23 per cent to 67 TMT as against 54 TMT last year. Its total sales turnover of ATF was Rs.2,291 crore. A joint venture of MRPL with Shell B.V. Netherlands, markets the ATF. In 2010-11, the company fuelled 12,674 flights, said a handout from the company.

Mr. Basu said the company's single point mooring (SPM) facility in the sea in the Mangalore port area would not hinder fishing. “The SPM is not new in the Indian scenario. It is working all over India. It will be buried in the sea and will not cause a problem to fishing,” he said. Work would begin in November to April when the sea is calm, said Mr. Basu.

28/08/11 The Hindu

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Two held with fake notes at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs has arrested two persons at the airport for allegedly bringing fake Indian currency with face value of Rs4.5 lakh from Bangkok, AIU sources said today.

Acting on a tip-off that two persons would be coming to the city with fake notes, AIU officials intercepted Sohilsha Mehbusha Diwan and Zamir Khan Pathan, who had arrived from Bangkok by a Jet Airways flight at the international airport in Mumbai yesterday, they said.

A search led to the recovery of counterfeit Indian currency with face value of Rs4.5 lakh from the duo, the sources said, adding they were trying to find out as to whom the notes were to be delivered.

27/08/11 Daily News & Analysis

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Government plans to rehabilitate old airstrips

The government plans to rehabilitate old strips in small towns and tier two cities of the country to improve air coverage.
Airports Authority of India chairman V P Agarwal said, “ There are 454 airstrips in the country and we are compiling the capabilities of these strips.” He was speaking at a Bloomberg-UTV aviation summit.
However, developments of the airstrips would be taken up in partnership with the private sector. The 12 plan approach paper projects an outlay of Rs 80,000 crore. The airports authority would be investing only Rs 15000 crore. Using the PPP model of airport development, the AAI has already development of 14 airports of the 26 planned in the 11th plan period. Another 5 were expected to be completed this year and 7 were still in the planning stage.
Although, AAI had ample room to raise funds through market borrowings, Agarwal said, “ There are cost implications on borrowings that eventually gets passed to passengers.” Consequently, AAI was restricting its borrowing requirements, instead relying largely on internal resources. AAI has already taken up the development of 35 non-metro airports in the country.
The development included setting up at least 14 green field airports in the country. The new airports would be taken up in high density tourist destinations.
26/08/11 C Shivkumar/mydigitalfc.com

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JVs at Delhi airport led to revenue loss to AAI: CAG

New Delhi: Formation of joint ventures by the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has led to loss of revenue to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), according to the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The apex audit body has, in a report tabled in Parliament, said AAI lost Rs 103.29 crore revenue from only three JVs — cargo and car parking operations undertaken — between December 2009 and December 2010.
DIAL has formed 11 JVs for various functions at the airport. The equity shareholding of DIAL in all the JV ranges from 26 to 56 per cent. The revenue share agreed in these ranges from 10 to 61 per cent of the gross revenue they generated.
The GMR-led consortium operates Delhi airport on a revenue share basis and shares 45.99 per cent of the total revenue with AAI.
The report explains that AAI would have earned Rs 161.75 crore as revenue share from cargo and car parking operations; instead they earned only Rs 58.46 crore. DIAL has 26 per cent stake each in both the JVs for cargo and 49.90 per cent stake in the parking JV.
The total revenue from the cargo JVs are at Rs 330.22 crore. Of this, DIAL got only Rs 124.28 crore and AAI got 45.99 per cent of that — Rs 57.15 crore. The car-parking JV earned Rs 21.48 crore and DIAL’s share in it was Rs 2.85 crore. AAI’s share from that was only Rs 1.31 crore.
Without the JVs, AAI’s share from the cargo revenue would have been Rs 151.87 and Rs 9.88 crore from the parking revenue. After the revenue share to AAI reduced, it should have looked into in terms of the agreement signed between the government and the airport operator, the report observed.
26/08/11 Business Standard

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Bihari develops system to prevent runway mishaps

Patna: Mirza Faizan, who was born and brought up in Patna, has carved a niche in aviation safety. He has developed a Ground Reality Information Processing System (GRIPS) to prevent runway accidents with cent per cent accuracy, which has been acclaimed worldwide.
Recently, Swissport UK recommended GRIPS to National Air Traffic Services at Birmingham International Airport. Anders Field, a Nasa scientist and inventor of ILLAC-IV, the world's first supercomputer, during his recent visit to the aerospace research lab in Bangalore said, "GRIPS is a better solution than any other solution for runway safety, for the fact that it does not depend on ground radar and any radio signals. It is actually a Ground Reality System."
Talking about the broad aspects of this system, Faizan told TOI over phone from Bangalore, "The entire runway is fitted with long-range cameras which take a picture every 30 seconds. If any foreign object is detected, the system sends live video feed to control tower and also the warning of presence of foreign object, along with its location on the runway."
Talking about the broad aspects of this system, Faizan told TOI over phone from Bangalore, "The entire runway is fitted with long-range cameras which take a picture every 30 seconds. If any foreign object is detected, the system sends live video feed to control tower and also the warning of presence of foreign object, along with its location on the runway."
25/06/11 Pranava K Chaudhary/Times of India

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Behala airport recce to iron out hitches

Kolkata: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has lined up a joint recce of the abandoned Behala airfield and its neighbourhood with local political heavyweights to identify the areas where help will be required to convert it into a functional airport. AAI sources said the trip will be organised after the monsoon session of assembly concludes on September 2.
While AAI regional executive director Gautam Mukherjee will lead the technical team, Behala East MLA and Kolkata mayor Sovon Chatterjee, Behala West MLA and industries minister Partha Chatterjee and transport minister Subrata Bakshi are expected to represent the government during the inspection. The priority is to stop incursion into the airfield and demolition of tall structures that pose a hazard to flight safety. The air strip has been lying defunct for years and locals cut through the compound daily. Also, several highrises have sprung up around the airfield, violating height restrictions.
26/08/11 Times of India

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Debut director gets detained at Delhi airport

Mumbai: When Shubh Mukherjee set out to make Shakal Pe Mat Ja, a film inspired by the ease with which bombs can be planted in Indian cities, he didn't anticipate he would become a terror suspect in real life!
A while ago, he got into trouble for shooting without adequate permission near the Indian Parliament. And now we learn he was detained at Delhi airport before boarding the flight to Mumbai for carrying six odd fake guns!
Shubh explains that he had to carry the guns as the letter of consent was with him. "Since I was returning to Mumbai a day later than my crew, I had to carry the guns. But I was held up for about five hours at the airport.
They questioned me over and over again, putting me through the same process the protagonists in my film go through," narrates the director, pointing out the irony of his situation.
During the course of his detention, the filmmaker missed two flights, as a result of which his shoot in Mumbai was delayed.
He had to explain the storyline of his film to justify the reasons he was carrying the fake guns. He says the stringent rules caused the delay.
26/08/11 Hiren Kotwani/MiD DAY

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Entry jitters for airport ground staff

Kolkata: A carefully crafted crisis is played out at the airport every month-end. Monthly security passes, which are issued to a host of agencies engaged at the airport, including those handling ground services, are invariably held back till the last hour every month. On Thursday, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) - the nodal agency in charge of passes - did not issue any pass at all, not even day passes.
As the last working day of each month approaches, 2,500-odd contractual workers at the airport feel the jitters. "Will my pass be renewed, or won't it?" is the fear that rules the hearts. For airlines, it is no better. If workers who carry luggage, clean aircraft, drive limousines and perform scores of other non-executive duties are unable to report to work, it will become impossible to operate flights.
"It is similar to the pangs on the eve of bandh or strike when contractual workers don't turn up," said a senior official of an airline.
26/08/11 Times of India

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Car parking problem back to square one at Nagpur airport

Nagpur: The visitors and passengers arriving at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport are allegedly being harassed by the car parking staff. The staff argue with the visitors and passengers over the parking charges.
In one incident, Ravish Channe who arrived from Dubai at the airport here after a decade, got a welcome in his hometown that he would never forget. He and his brother who had come to pick him up were allegedly harassed by the car parking staff for just Rs 30. Ravish told TOI, "I had never expected such a welcome from people of my hometown. Me and my brother were about to cross the parking booth when the parking staff stopped our vehicle and demanded Rs 30. They told us that we had crossed the 10-minutes stipulated time by a minute." Ravish's brother paid the money to put an end to the unpleasant situation.
Ravish Channe's is not an isolated case. Avinash Prabhune and Vipul Desai have similar complaints. Both of them said that the changes made in the arrangement of parking booth had caused a lot of inconvenience to the passengers.
26/08/11 Sachin Dravekar/Times of India

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Close shave for AI passengers

Nedumbassery: The passengers and crew on-board of Air India Express Flight IX 394 from Kuwait -Kochi - Kozhikdoe had a providential escape as the flight, which developed some technical snag before landing in Kochi International Airport, made an emergency landing at about 10.15 am on Thursday.
?The flight crew had sought permission of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Kochi for a full course emergency landing as the malfunctioning of hydraulic system was noted.?? The ATC alerted the CIAL to provide all arrangement for a safe landing and the airport operators swung into action.? Fire and Safety personnel of CIAL and nearby fire stations took position to meet any eventuality.
26/08/11 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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AAI to modernise Chennai, Kolkata airports by fiscal end

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Friday said it will complete modernisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports by the end of the fiscal.
"We have been given the task to (upgrade) 35 airports. Two major airports are being the Chennai and Kolkata airports. We will hopefully commission Chennai by December and Kolkata by March next year," AAI chairperson V P Aggarwal said on the sidelines of a summit here.
The AAI, which had taken up modernisation and upgradation of 35 airports across the country, is likely to complete work on all projects by March next year.
The project also includes construction of runway at certain terminals, he said.
The commissioning of 35 airports is being carried out with a budget provision of Rs 12,000 crore in the 11th Five Year Plan, he said. He added, "Rs 2,000 crore is to be borrowed from banks. We have been so far able to borrow from banks directly."
26/08/11 PTI/Economic Times

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MIAL violated norms used PSF money

New Delhi: Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL), operator of the Mumbai Airport, violated the orders of the government and used the money collected from Passenger Services Fee (PSF), the CAG has said.
“During the year 2007-08 and 2008-09, MIAL had withdrawn Rs 15.22 crore from the PSF for deploying private security agencies at the airport, consultancy charges and for purchase of X-ray screening machine in violation of the orders of the government regulation and resulted in loss to the GOI,” said the audit body’s report tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
PSF is collected from every passenger and is used to fund the security requirements across the country. According to the rules, MIAL has to deposit all the money collected from PSF into an escrow account. The money is being used to make payments to the Central Industrial Security Force, responsible for guarding the country’s airports.
26/08/11 Business Standard

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17 private cabbies held for harassing passengers at Bangalore airport

Bangalore: Police have arrested 17 private cab drivers on charges of trespassing, rioting and harassing passengers by charging extra fare from them.
The accused were produced before a court on Wednesday and remanded to 14-day judicial custody.
The accused cab drivers allegedly entered the premises of Bengaluru International Airport illegally and ferried passengers without permission. They also allegedly picked up argument with BIA security personnel.
On Monday, a private cab driver was stopped by security personnel at BIA for illegally ferrying passenger. An argument ensued and more private cab drivers gathered at the spot and assaulted the security staff. BIA security staff had filed a complaint regarding the case on Monday.
Assistant commissioner of police (International Airport) PS Gachinakatti said that the private cab drivers were forcefully taking passengers to their taxis. "If this continues, it might create bad image of India," a senior police officer said.
25/08/11 Santosh Kumar RB/Daily News & Analysis

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Fly into Taj city from global destinations

Global tourists may finally be able to fly directly into Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal that attracts millions every year.
While the civil aviation ministry has moved to identify land for an international airport, the existing airport at Kheria is also being upgraded to cater to global visitors - with an eye on the tourism season from September, say officials.
Divisional commissioner Amrit Abhijat says the civil aviation ministry has asked him to identify land for the airport and start land acquisition proceedings.
But since this project could take a little time, given the recent protests by farmers against land acquisition, efforts are on to upgrade facilities at the existing Kheria airport, currently under the Indian Air Force.
"The existing Kheria airport will be upgraded and developed," Abhijat said, briefing senior officials and civil society leaders.
The Uttar Pradesh tourism department will shortly send a formal proposal to the union civil aviation ministry to grant international status to Kheria airport, officials said, adding efforts are on to speed up the process so that flights can bring in visitors this tourist season beginning in September.
25/08/11 Times of India

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Fly into Taj city from global destinations

Global tourists may finally be able to fly directly into Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal that attracts millions every year.
While the civil aviation ministry has moved to identify land for an international airport, the existing airport at Kheria is also being upgraded to cater to global visitors - with an eye on the tourism season from September, say officials.
Divisional commissioner Amrit Abhijat says the civil aviation ministry has asked him to identify land for the airport and start land acquisition proceedings.
But since this project could take a little time, given the recent protests by farmers against land acquisition, efforts are on to upgrade facilities at the existing Kheria airport, currently under the Indian Air Force.
"The existing Kheria airport will be upgraded and developed," Abhijat said, briefing senior officials and civil society leaders.
The Uttar Pradesh tourism department will shortly send a formal proposal to the union civil aviation ministry to grant international status to Kheria airport, officials said, adding efforts are on to speed up the process so that flights can bring in visitors this tourist season beginning in September.
25/08/11 Times of India

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Fighter pilot held for wrong parking

Kolkata: A squadron leader with the Indian Air Force was arrested at the Kolkata airport on Wednesday morning for violating no-parking rules and then threatening CISF personnel and the airport manager with dire consequence. He was later released on personal bond.
Abhishek Kishore Mittal drove to the airport to receive his wife. After parking his car in front of the domestic terminal manager's office around 9.15am, he wandered off, paying no heed to protests by traffic wardens. He returned to the unmarked car only around 9.45am. When a CISF constable confronted him, Mittal lashed out at him, claiming that he was an IAF officer and would brook no questions from a constable in the paramilitary force.
"He said that the vehicle would remain there despite the designated parking lot nearby and even refused to produce his ID card. He just wasn't bothered that not only was he flouting the 'no-parking' rule, his actions had even led to a security scare as the vehicle was parked unattended in a no-parking zone for over half an hour," a CISF officer said.
With other CISF constables arriving at the spot, Mittal strode into the airport manager's chamber and intold him that that if anybody made any attempt to tow away his vehicle, he would face dire consequences. By now, senior CISF officers had arrived at the spot and demanded an explanation. When he refused, the officers summoned the police.
25/08/11 Times of India

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Indigo fares faces T3 barrier

India's leading low-cost carrier IndiGo may dump its low-cost fares on its international operations, which is slated for take-off on September 1.
The carrier is still engaged in talks with the government in a desperate move to fly from Delhi IGI Airport's low-cost Terminal 1D instead of the swanky Terminal T3, where they would end up paying higher airport charges.
A top industry official said that IndiGo's fares on international routes will be affordable but not necessarily be the lowest given the high airport costs, which they would have to bear while operating from the flashy and costlier Terminal T3 of IGI Airport.
"We have built up a reputation of being the No. 1 low-cost airline with the best on-time arrival and the best serving airline in the country. Even if our fares on international routes are slightly higher, our dedicated customers will not mind paying more given the kind of services we offer," said an official associated with IndiGo.
"The airline is still discussing the terminal issue with the government," said the official. When contacted, IndiGo's chief executive officer (CEO) Aditya Ghosh and chief operations officer (COO) Sanjay Kumar refused to comment.
24/08/11 Sanjay Singh/Business Today

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Kingfisher owes over Rs 200 cr to AAI

New Delhi: Private air carrier Kingfisher Airlines owes over Rs 200 crore to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Parliament was informed on Thursday.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines along with Paramount Airways did not settle dues on a regular fortnightly basis.
"Their dues exceeded the security deposit/bank guarantees available with AAI," Ravi said.
As per the details provided by the Minister, as on June 30, 2011, Kingfisher Airlines owes Rs 208.06 crore, while Paramount Airways owes Rs 5.72 crore to AAI.
On the actions taken by the government for recovery of the dues from these two airlines, Ravi said, "Operations of both these airlines have been put on 'cash and carry' basis, bank guarantees submitted by these two airlines have been encashed, penal interest is charged on account of delay in settlement of the bills."
Responding to another query, Ravi said the amount due to AAI from private airlines is Rs 345.27 crore, which includes the dues from Kingfisher and Paramount.
25/08/11 PTI/Economic Times

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More flights from Mangalore Airport

Mangalore: To ease congestion in passenger traffic, as many as three airlines are introducing flights connecting Mangalore to metropolitan cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai.
Low cost carrier Spice Jet will introduce daily flights between Mangalore and Hyderabad at 3.30 pm from September 30. Works in this regard have already begun, Mangalore Airport Director Airport MR Vasudeva told reporters on Monday.
Jet Airways will operate a third flight between Mangalore and Mumbai in the winter schedule (October-March), from October 25.
Kingfisher will also resume its Mangalore-Mumbai flight service from October 25. from October 25, Spice Jet will also introduce a morning and evening flight from Mangalore to Bangalore.
24/08/11 The New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Civil Operations at Naval Airport at Karwar

The State Government of Karnataka has approached the Ministry of Defence to give permission for civil operations at the Naval Airport at Karwar.
No firm proposal regarding additional land for commencing civil operations has been received from the State Government.
The Government proposes to have major expansion of the strategic Karwar, India's third major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, naval base in Karnataka. The expansion is being made to base some other frontline warships/aircraft carriers/submarines there with an aim to provide India with much needed strategic depth and operational flexibility. The matter is under consideration of the Government.
24/08/11 Press Information Bureau

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Air India flight makes emergency landing

Chennai: An Air India Express flight from Singapore to Tiruchirapalli with 100 passengers on board made an emergency landing at Anna International Airport here in the afternoon following a technical snag.
Airport sources said the pilot identified the snag mid-air and requested clearance for landing, which was given immediately. The flight touched down at around 1.15 pm.
23/08/11 Economic Times

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GVK to buy 14% more of Bangalore International Airport

Hyderabad: GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd (GVKPIL) today announced that it proposes to acquire more shares in Bangalore International Airport Ltd by exercising the right of first refusal extended by Siemens Project Ventures GMBH, one of the promoters of the airport.
Bangalore Airport and Infrastructure Developers Private Ltd, a step-down subsidiary of GVKPIL, has subject to certain terms and compliances exercised its right of first refusal for acquiring 53,844,000 equity shares with a face value of Rs 10 each held by Siemens Project Ventures GMBH. This is equivalent to 14 per cent of the issued capital of Bangalore International Airport at Rs 114 an equity share.
The acquisition will be completed after obtaining approvals.
Commenting on the development, Mr G.V. Krishna Reddy, Chairman of GVKPIL, said: “This will be a key strategic development for us to further underscore our commitment to the airport sector in India. We are confident that BIAL will continue to add value to our airport business and will meet its objective to become the hub for South India.”
The GVK Group now manages Bangalore airport and Mumbai International Airport Ltd, where also it is keen to hike stake.
22/08/11 V Rishi Kumar/Business Line

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Jet Airways flight ‘hijacked’

Bangalore: At 12.30 pm on Tuesday, the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) got an SOS (Save Our Soul) message from Victor Tango, commanding the Delhi-bound Jet Airways flight.
The ATC reported the SOS message to the CISF and the police. Having learnt that the flight had been ‘hijacked’, they rushed to the tarmac where the flight was parked, only to find that the alarm was false.
It was a part of the mock hijack drill conducted by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) along with the Central Industrial Security Force, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Airports Authority of India, Karnataka State Police, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airlines and other stakeholders. The exercise, a BIAL press release said: “...was designed to test the preparedness of the airport in dealing with unlawful interference with civil aviation operations and to validate its response plan in case of such incidents.”
Held between 12.30 pm and 2 pm, the exercise saw BIAL?simulate an incident that tried and tested all emergency response mechanisms at the airport and the local administration.
During the exercise, normal flight operations were not disrupted as the exercise was carried out during the maintenance closure hours.
23/08/11 Deccan Herald

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HC raps AAI employees union

Bangalore: Karnataka High Court today rapped the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Employees' union for submitting additional documents challenging the closure of HAL airport on which the court had already reserved its judgement. When the AAI employees union came up with a 200-page documents on the PIL, Chief Justice J S Khehar said "I am unhappy with this. My whole vacation was spent on this, trying to resolve it. I have never seen such things in my life. You are making it an issue whether you gain or lose." The court then granted four weeks time to Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), AAI, the state and the central governments to file their objections to it. The PIL had been filed by AAI employees union challenging the Centre's move to close down the existing HAL airport after the new Bangalore International Airport commenced operation from March 30, 2008.
22/08/11 PTI/IBN Live

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Lower rank officer to run Bagdogra

The Airports Authority of India has announced that Bagdogra will now be manned by an officer of lower rank, which has put a cloud on the status of the airport and triggered fears that there might be a clamp on funds for expansion projects.
A June 18 notice from the AAI said the airport, which has been so long run by a Grade III director (joint general manager or a deputy general manager), will now be under a Grade IV director (an assistant general manager or senior manager). Sources in Bagdogra, a civil enclave inside an IAF station, said the rank of the director reflected the status of the airport. “For example Grade I airport will always have a Grade I officer as director. Similar is the case for grades II, III, and IV,” said a source.
The Bagdogra authorities fear that a slash in the director’s status would mean that all development projects at the airport that caters for four states and three countries will be stalled, an apprehension that has been brushed aside by the AAI. “The status of the Bagdogra airport has not been downgraded,” an AAI official said over the phone from Delhi.
Explaining the notice, an AAI official from the Northeast said a decision had been taken to replace Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik, a Grade III official, with a Grade IV official because of the under-performance of the incumbent.
“However, Bhowmik had requested that he be allowed to continue till December at Bagdogra airport and it has been granted,” he said. “A decision on his posting will be taken after December.”
The Bagdogra authorities, however, have denied the charges of under-performance.
23/08/11 Telegraph

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Skidding: Air India pilots suspended

Kochi: Two Air India (AI) pilots were suspended on Sunday as part of the inquiry into the incident in which the aircraft skidded off the runway at Agatti airport in Lakshadweep islands on Friday.

The suspended pilots were commander Rinu Shekhawat and co-pilot C Sreenivasa Rao.

The Air India AI9501 flight operating in the Chennai-Kochi-Agatti sector skidded off to a muddy place while landing.

The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided that two pilots will remain under suspension until the inquiry on the incident completes.

22/08/11 Indian Express/IBN Live

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High-rises ground air plans

Malda: The Airports Authority of India has ruled out the re-opening of the airport in Malda because of the large number of high-rises and mobile phone towers that have come up in the vicinity.

A three-member AAI team headed by the executive director of the eastern region, Goutam Mukherjee, visited the airstrip here yesterday. He said the biggest impediment to the operation of flights was the tall structures that dotted the vicinity of the airport.

“Under no circumstances can we give the go-ahead for the services from here. There are tall buildings, mobile telephone towers and high-tension wires around the airport,” said Mukherjee.

AAI sources said rules stipulated that no structures above the height of 33 feet should be constructed within a 2km radius of an airport.

“Several buildings with a height of more than 33 feet have come up in the area, along with tall chimneys stacks. These are all safety hazards for an aircraft’s landing and take-off,” said an AAI official. “The Englishbazar civic body had been told about the norms. Still, they gave the permission for such structures.”

The airstrip had been set up in Malda in 1987 for Vayudoot services.

But the flight operations had to be terminated within a year as there were not enough passengers to make the service viable.

21/08/11 The Telegraph

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'Rs 80 Cr Proposal to Develop Mangalore Airport'

Mangalore: India would require $120 billion for aircraft and aviation infrastructure to meet passenger traffic which is expected to touch 240-260 million per annum by 2020, said AAI Regional Executive Director (Southern) D Devaraj after inaugurating a national conference on ‘Indian aviation and tourism: Opportunities, challenges and new directions’ organised by Mangalore Airport Diamond Jubilee Celebration Committee and Mangalore University on Sunday.

Airport sector requires a total of $20 billion investment over the next decade, in addition to the $10 billion already committed in the last 5 years. It is predicted by 2020, domestic traffic will reach 300 million passengers per annum and international traffic will exceed 100 million, he said.

Speaking on planned works for Mangalore Airport, he said that the runway is 8,100 ft at present and it requires extension up to 10000 ft to get huge aircraft to land and hence get the international status.

The parallel taxi track will also come up and Rs 80 crore proposal has been submitted, Provision of cargo terminal will be made in the old airport and the domestic cargo transport may kick off by December but the international cargo transport may take some time as discussions on custom duty is taking place. ATC tower automation is planned, he said and added that political decisions also matter on the implementation of works.

22/08/11 DHNS/Daijiworld.com

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Airlines owe Rs.1,111.85 crore to airport authority: Vayalar Ravi

New Delhi: The government last week said that all the Indian carriers together owed about Rs.1,111.85 crore in dues to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) as of June 30, 2011, for using its various services like parking, housing and landing charges.

"The outstanding dues are monitored on regular basis. In cases of delay, the AAI issues notices to the airlines to settle the dues," Vayalar Ravi, civil aviation minister, informed the Lok Sabha last week.

According to data furnished by the ministry, the list of defaulters is led by national carrier Air India at Rs.839.30 crore, followed by Kingfisher Airlines at Rs.147.18 crore, and Jet Airways at Rs.54.22 crore.

"Major defaulting airlines which did not settle dues even after issuance of notice are Air India and Kingfisher Airlines. Efforts are being made by the AAI to recover the dues," Ravi said.

The minister further said that the penal interest on the dues stood at Rs.235.03 crore as of June 30.

22/08/11 IANS/Economic Times

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No early air connectivity to Malda, Balurghat: AAI team

Kolkata: Yet another dream project of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems to have hit a hurdle after an inspection team form the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Saturday expressed its reservations about early air connectivity to Malda and Balurghat.

The observations came after an on-the-spot survey of the two sites by an AAI team on Saturday. The team later said that such services could be started only after new airports are built.

The AAI team, after its inspection of the Malda airport on Saturday, said the existing facilities were defunct and the location has become hazardous for resuming air services.

In either case - Malda and Balurghat - the earliest time frame for starting air services would be a minimum of three years, said Gautam Mukherjee, director, AAI, Eastern Region. The inspection team would submit its findings to the Chief Minister soon along with project proposals for setting up new airports.

21/08/11 Indian Express

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Indore witnesses 300% rise in air-traffic in 5 years

Indore: In a definite indication of the change in travelling preferences of people, Indore has seen a rise of 300% in air traffic in last five years. The city has witnessed noticeable progress along with industrial boom which is being regarded as the reason behind the rise in number of air travellers.

Experts say that the decline of 40% in air fares is also a major reason for the increasing number of air traffic. R N Sinde, the Director of Indore airport, says that five years ago the city had only 5 flights for Delhi and Mumbai. Now there are 18 take-offs and 18 landings everyday. The airport on an average serves 3000 passengers everyday.

21/08/11 Daily Bhaskar

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AI flight skids off runway, passengers safe

Kochi: The passengers of an Air-India flight from Kochi to Agatti had a close shave when the aircraft skidded off the runway at Agatti airport in Lakshadweep islands on Friday.
All the 20 passengers and the four crew members on board the flight are safe, said the officials. The passengers and the crew were immediately evacuated.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an inquiry into the incident and suspended the licences of the two pilots.
According to officials, the incident happened around 11.15 am. The flight AI 9501 operating in the Chennai-Kochi-Agatti sector, which took off from Kochi at 10.15 am was on its way to Agatti island.
“The pilots reported cross winds and while landing the aircraft skidded off the runway,” the officials said. Bad climatic conditions are said to be prime reason for the aircraft skidding off the runway.
"We have ordered an inquiry into the incident. Also we have suspended the licences of both the pilots. Most importantly, we have removed the aircraft from the runway. It was blocking other aircraft at the air strip,” said Director-General of Civil Aviation E K Bharat Bhooshan.
20/08/11 Indian Express

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Delhi overtakes Mumbai to become India's busiest airport

New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport has ousted Mumbai as the busiest airport as its daily flight movements reached 872 on August 18 as opposed to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai which is handling over 700 flight movements daily.
Delhi has managed to gain the ‘busiest airport’ tag due to the newly built T3 terminal at Delhi and Air India (AI) making Delhi its hub.
On Thursday the IGI saw 872 flight movements with 588 domestic and 208 international flights along with 76 charter and cargo movements. “On Wednesday we handled 869 flights and on Thursday it was 872,” said the spokesperson for Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
Due to these figures Delhi has left Mumbai behind as the later handles over 700 landings and take-offs daily.
The main reason for IGI’s rise to the top spot this summer schedule is the swanky new terminal T3, which has added to the airport’s capacity. “T3 can handle 34 million passengers per annum and with T3, now IGI can handle a total of 60 million passengers annually,” said an official from DIAL.
20/08/11 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Air India flight land under emergency conditions in Lucknow

Lucknow: A Mumbai bound Air India plane landed under emergency conditions at the Chaudhary Charan Singh airport here today after a suspected case of bird hit, a senior official said.
The incident occurred when the plane had flown up to 10 nautical miles and was far from Lucknow.
"All the passengers are safe and the exact damage caused to the plane would be known after an inquiry," Dixit said.
20/08/11 Deccan Herald

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After IGI T3, Airports duty-free services go global; offer international brands at dirt-cheap rate

Bangalore: Last Christmas, a husband and wife had a loud argument at the duty-free counter at Bangalore International Airport. Store staff rushed to the spot. They didn't know they would be thrilled soon.
The couple, returning from Dubai, had checked out Sony camera prices at the counter before flying out, convinced that the international shopping centre would yield better bargain. The husband bought the camera abroad despite his wife's protest that it is cheaper back home.
It turned out she was right. The camera would have cost them $45 less if they had bought it from the Sony electronics counter at Bangalore airport.
"Unfortunately we have had such a situation only once," jokes Rolf Blaser, country head of Nuance Group (India), the Zurich firm that operates duty-free shops at the Bangalore airport in a joint venture with Indian retailer Shoppers Stop.
Unbelievable as it may sound to many travellers, Indian airports are now cheaper than better-known international destinations for branded goods ranging from spirits and cigarettes to electronics to cosmetics, thanks to increased duty free options due to airport privatisation and growing international travel.
19/08/11 Sarah Jacob/Economic Times

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AAI chief challenges contempt of court order

New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman V.P. Aggarwal Friday approached the Delhi High Court challenging a single judge's order convicting him of contempt of court after he failed to comply with its order to issue an appointment letter to a person for the post of manager (electronics).
Summoning Aggarwal to appear in person before the court on Tuesday, a division bench of Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Siddharth Mridul fixed Aug 23 to hear the appeal.
The single judge also fixed Aug 23 to pass an order on sentence against Aggarwal on the contempt plea filed by one Arun Kumar Jain.
On Aug 16, Justice Indermeet Kaur decided Jain's contempt plea against Aggarwal and said: "V.P. Aggarwal, Chairman of Airports Authority of India is held guilty of contempt of court, he is accordingly convicted under sections 11 and 12 of contempt of court."
"Not issuing the petitioner (Jain) the appointment letter, the respondent( Aggarwal) is clearly guilty of contempt of court," the court observed.
"The respondent (Aggarwal) has wilfully and intentionally not complied with the specific mandamus issued to him which amounts to nothing short of interfering in the administration of justice," the court said earlier.
19/08/11 IANS/Economic Times

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No pilot, AI passengers stranded

Thiruvananthapuram: It was a harrowing Independence Day for the passengers of the Air India Express on Monday. They should have landed at the Calicut airport at 5 am on Monday morning but instead have been stranded at the Trivandrum airport for more than 8 hours. Even worse, they would not be able to take off for another 5 hours at least. The Air India flight from Sharjah could not land at Calicut because of fog. It landed at Thiruvananthapuram instead. The pilot finished his duty hours and was off the duty roster.
15/08/11 CNN-IBN

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T3 to remain India's largest for 8 yrs

New Delhi: The Terminal 3 (T3) of the Delhi airport, the largest in the country, which completed one year of operation last month, will continue to carry the largest tag for about eight years, as the operator does not see the need for expansion of the airport.
“We will not have to go for expansion for at least five to eight years, as the existing capacity will be able to match passenger growth,” said a GMR spokesperson, who did not want to be identified.
The Delhi airport is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd, a joint venture company led by the GMR Group, along with state-owned Airports Authority of India, Germany’s Fraport and Malaysian Airport Holdings.
Currently, the airport has a capacity of handling 60 million passengers annually. It can be raised to 100 million by building two more terminals in phases.
T3, which alone can handle 34 million passengers a year, is the eighth-largest passenger terminal in the world in terms of size. The Delhi airport shot into limelight after the inauguration of T3 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2010.
In 2007, the GMR-led consortium had bagged the contract for T3. The launch of T3, coupled with improved service after being taken over by a private operator, has made the Delhi airport the fourth best in the world in the category of annual passenger handling between 25 and 40 million.
15/08/11 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Tyre Burst in Air India Flight

Lucknow: An Air India flight from Delhi suffered a tyre burst during landing at the airport here in Uttar Pradesh Sunday, an official said. All the passengers are safe.
AI-411 flight was landing at Chaudhary Charan Singh Amausi airport. Sources at the airport said the flight had 100 passengers and six crew members.
14/08/11 IANS/Daijiworld.com

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Teen sneaks into Chennai airport, undetected

Chennai: A thirteen-year-old boy caused a flutter after he allegedly strayed into the Chennai airport premises? on Friday.
The ground staff and CISF? personnel were reportedly engaged in a hot pursuit, before nabbing the boy. It all started when Kiran (name changed) was spotted loitering near a waiting cargo aircraft beyond the taxi-track Alfa, at 6:45 am, said the ground staff. When they began shouting at him, the boy took flight and evaded the staff on morning duty.
He is then believed to have disappeared for a brief period, during which CISF personnel intensified the hunt. After close to 20 minutes of searching, Kiran was reportedly found in an old hangar by the CISF guards.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials maintained that the boy scaled the VVIP gate, called the ‘Blue’ gate, at 6.25 am and was spotted soon after by the CISF guards who apprehended him immediately and questioned him.
They also insisted that the boy did not venture near the runway or any aircraft. The CISF were unable to obtain any details about his parents or where he lived during their interrogation.
But, police claimed that he was held by the CISF “till 11 am”, almost five hours before he was handed over in a dazed state.
When accosted, the boy, said to be around 13-years-old, maintained a “dazed silence before? breaking into fits of tears and screaming before subsiding”, added the Airport Police.
13/08/11 Indian Express

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Man held with 1cr worth of gold hidden in knee caps

Mumbai A passenger carrying four kg of undeclared gold, worth more than Rs 1 crore, hidden in his knee pads, was detained by Customs officials at Mumbai airport on Friday morning. The passenger was later found to be a carrier of gold meant to be smuggled out of the country.

The officials said Adam Hameez, 30, landed from Dubai at 4 am by Air India (AI) flight AI 984. He tried to cross the green channel but was intercepted by assistant commissioner Sameer Wankhede around 4.45 am. "His baggage was checked but nothing suspicious was found in it. On checking further, we found gold chains and other jewellery items concealed in the pads,'' a Customs official said.

Hameez, who hails from Karnataka, confessed after interrogation that he was a carrier. "He said he was only carrying the goods for a supplier who had paid for his tickets besides an additional Rs 20,000,'' the official said. Officials have got the recipient's telephone number from Hameez and are trying to locate him.
13/08/11 Times of India

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Heroin hidden in sari hem seized at JFK

Federal inspectors at Kennedy Airport intercepted almost three pounds of heroin from India that was sewn inside the hems of the traditional dresses of Indian women, known as a sari.
The smuggling technique unraveled when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers smelled a strong chemical odor coming from a box that was labeled: "Dress," the agency said Friday. The box had been shipped from India.
When officers examined the three dresses that were inside, they noticed each had hems that were much thicker than normal.
A closer look at the hefty hems revealed the seams were stuffed with a tan powdery substance that tested positive for smack. The contraband saris held about 2.8 pounds of pure heroin, which has a total street value of about $90,000, the agency said.
CBP Spokesman Anthony Bucci declined to say where the shipment originated from in India or what its final destination was supposed to be. He said the matter is under investigation.
12/08/11 Bob Kappstatter/NY Daily News.com

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Plea for international airport status to Madurai airport

Tamilnadu Foodgrains Merchant Association (TFMA) has urged the Centre to declare Madurai Airport as international airport, saying such a step would
boost industrialisation and development in southern districts along Madurai-Aruppukottai-Tuticorin corridor.
In a memorandum submitted to Civil Aviation Minister Vyalar Ravi, the Madurai chapter of TFMA also said Air India flights to Kulalumpur, Singapore and Colombo presently being operated from Tiruchirappalli should be extended to this temple town in the first stage.
"If Madurai airport were to obtain international status it would boost industrialisation and development in Southern districts along Madurai Aruppukottai-Tuticorin Corridor.
Hence,the government should take immediate steps to implement our demands," an association release said today.
13/08/11 PTI/Moneycontrol.com

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Cincinnati customs agents seize 8,000 fake pills at CVG

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a package containing more than 8,000 counterfeit pills at a DHL facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Officers inspected the package from India, which supposedly contained “harmless generic medicine,” but found the counterfeit Tadalafil tablets instead, according to a news release. Tadalafil is a drug commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Customs and Border Protection has intercepted more than 300 shipments and more than 1,000 pounds of fake, illegal substances this fiscal year at the Cincinnati airport — a 43 percent increase in seizures compared to last fiscal year, according to the release.
12/08/11 Business Courier

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Mock hijack drill in Goa ahead of Chidambaram's visit

Panaij : Three days before union Home Minister P. Chidambaram is scheduled to land at Goa's Dabolim naval airbase, authorities here conducted an intensive mock hijack drill involving the military, and the central and state government authorities.
The mock drill, conducted late on Thursday, involved a simulated exercise in which an Air India aircraft was "hijacked by anti-national elements seeking a number of demands", an official central government release issued Friday said.
Central government agencies, including the elite National Security Guard (NSG), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Indian Navy and state police and administration officials also participated in the exercise which lasted for several hours, the release further said.
12/08/11 IANS/TwoCircles.net

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Delhi, Istanbul airports drag GMR net

Hyderabad: Infrastructure major GMR Infrastructure is awaiting regulatory clarity on airport sector, which is being seen as a major drag on its overall performance.

“We are waiting for regulatory clarity on tariffs before turning around the airport assets. All the airport assets we have are fundamentally strong,” A Subba Rao, GMR’s chief financial officer, said.

The company has four airport assets — Delhi, Hyderabad, Istanbul and Male. Of these, Delhi airport’s performance has a major negative impact on the overall performance of the company.

The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has recorded a net loss of about Rs192 crore for the first quarter ended June 2011 on revenues of about Rs193 crore.

“While the tariff revision in Delhi airport is under active approval process with Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Aera), DIAL continued to earn lower revenues at earlier tariff structure thus incurring loss of Rs192 crore. The increased cost of operations of DIAL after commissioning of T3 (terminal) are being accounted for without commensurate revision in tariffs,” he said.

11/08/11 KV Ramana/Daily News & Analysis

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Security at Bangalore airport high, so get there early

Bangalore: Passengers departing from the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) have been asked to report early due to enhanced security in view of the approaching Independence Day.

BIA, along with the Central Industrial Security Force, and also local police, has issued advisory asking passengers to report early.

The BIA, which was awarded the 'Best airport in India' by Skytrax World Airport Awards, this year, is also classified as one of the most sensitive airports in the country.

In view of Independence Day, enhanced security checks have been put in place at the airport and at the entrances to the Trumpet Interchange on its approach road.

The advisory states that these measures are likely to cause delay. Hence passengers are advised to reserve time for these checks and report early.

12/08/11 Daily News & Analysis

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Indore airport likely to get new terminal on Sep 1

Indore: The new terminal of the Devi Ahilya Holkar Airport is likely to be inaugurated on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on September 1.

A proposal in this regard has already been sent by the airport administration to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

Earlier, the inauguration was planned for August 15. But during her visit to the city, when MP Sumitra Mahajan found the work to be incomplete, she warned the officials against hurrying into completing the work and said that the inauguration must be deferred to when the work gets completed.

Though there was some speeding of work following the MP’s visit, but some work remains pending as of now.

12/08/11 Daily Bhaskar.com

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Airport development fee collected by DIAL is illegal: Rajya Sabha MP

New Delhi:: The airport development fee collected by the company that operates the Delhi international airport, a sum of Rs 1,481.72 crore, should be recovered as the levy was illegal, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator has urged both the Prime Minister and the civil aviation minister.

GMR Group-controlled Delhi International Airport Ltd has been levying an ADF of 200 per departing domestic passenger and Rs 1,300 per departing international passenger since 2009, when the central government approved the additional charge. Last month, the Delhi High Court asked DIAL to discontinue the levy as an appropriate charge was yet to be fixed by the airports regulator.

"It is clear that the DIAL has collected Rs 1481.72 crore illegally and they are not eligible to keep the same amount with them. The huge money which has been collected from the passengers should not be parked with the company which violated all legal and administrative principles. So, I request the government to take immediate steps to recover Rs 1481.72 crore from DIAL's account to governments exchequer," Rajya Sabha MP KN Balagopal said in his letter to the PM and the civil aviation minister.

11/08/11 Sruthijith KK/Economic Times

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World over, airports are always under construction'

Mumbai: In New York's La Guardia airport, the old air traffic control tower is being demolished for the new. London's Heathrow is demolishing and reconstructing its Terminal 2. At Sydney airport, work on the safety area being built at the end of a runway is almost complete. Closer home, in Mumbai, work is on to construct an integrated terminal, an air traffic control tower and several other airport essentials.

"With the ever-increasing volume of air traffic, there are hardly any airports in the world that are not under construction," said Capt Daniel Maurino, safety advisor, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). He is in the city to conduct a week-long training session on ICAO's Safety Management System (SMS) for officials handling airport operations. To put it simply, SMS is about adopting a proactive approach to prevent accidents in an airport. "Even in the best-run organization in the world, there is room for improvement. It's very healthy to be sceptical in air safety,'' he said, lauding Mumbai airport operator's decision to voluntarily hold this training session. Unlike in the case of Mumbai airport, generally airports request such ICAO training sessions only before an audit or check, he said. So, in the next few days, the participants will be trained in the culture of anticipating what could go wrong at an airport from the safety point of view and the remedies.

11/08/11 Times of India

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RAHI to operationalise India’s first private regional airports by mid-2012

Bangalore: Regional Airport-Holdings International Limited (RAHI) today announced

that it has created a unique business model consisting of aviation infrastructure, air services and geo-specific industry clusters to make regional aviation viable for private investment. In the next five years, RAHI will invest in over 15 aviation infrastructure and services’ projects, with a value exceeding Rs. 3000 crores.

‘With India is poised to be the third largest aviation market by the end of this decade, the aviation revolution has already begun. The Government of India has ambitious plans for 500 airports by 2020. It is estimated that Indian aviation will see an investment of about US$120 billion over the next few years. There is a need for infusion of capital into the aviation sector to keep up with the booming demand. RAHI will work in tandem with the Government’s plans and fuel growth in the sector,” said Sandeep Mendiratta, Head – Aviation Business – ITNL & Member of the Board – RAHI.

RAHI is a joint venture (JV) between IL&FS Transportation Networks Limited (ITNL) – a dominant player in transportation infrastructure development and finance; and Comet Infra-Developments Private Limited (CIDPL) – an infrastructure development group. This JV is currently developing airports in Shimoga and Gulbarga in Karnataka, under the Public-Private Partnership model, both of which will be operational by mid-2012. The concession period for both projects is 30 years, extendable by an additional 30 years.

“RAHI has a three-pronged strategy for regional aviation, specifically in tier-II and tier-III cities in India. We will not only develop airports and associated infrastructure but also have our own regional airline that will serve tier-II and tier-III cities. In addition, RAHI will develop geo-specific industry clusters that will bolster opportunity for the host community, encourage the local economy, as well as create the need for efficient travel to and from these locations”, said Umesh Kumar Baveja, Director – CIDPL & Founder-Chairman –RAHI.

Based on global studies, RAHI understands the need for the creation of mini-aerotropolises – business ecosystems that benefit from proximity to aviation infrastructure – in every location that it develops airports. To this end, feasibility studies have been conducted for Gulbarga and Shimoga to ensure that the industry clusters developed at each landside are best suited to the local economy, demography and need, and, over a period of time, will develop into a key public asset.

RAHI expects to operationalise its regional airline in tandem with the two airports becoming operational by mid-2012. Discussions have begun with aircraft manufacturers to source appropriate aircraft for the routes RAHI will ply. RAHI is building up its operational team, distinct from the aviation infrastructure team that is currently progressing the airport development projects.

10/08/11 PRESS RELEASE/RAHI

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