MP warns of mounting political pressure on AAI for international flights

Surat: Navsari BJP MP CR Paatil has warned that he would mount political pressure on the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and India’s flagship carrier Air India Express asking them to start international flights from Surat.

Addressing the meeting of airport advisory committee, which he chairs, Paatil said that the required infrastructure for the international operations is almost ready and that the airport is awaiting deployment of the customs and immigration staff. There is the issue of the time slot between AAI and Air India Express, which is a trivial thing and can be sorted out, he claimed.

Talking to TOI, Paatil said, “The wait is getting longer and people are asking me about the international air connectivity. Now, it is time to bring political pressure to get things going on a fast pace. I want to assure that the international connectivity between Surat and Sharjah will be in place very soon.”

Paatil added, “The last domestic flight leaves the airport at 9:30pm and after that the airport is empty. The Surat-Sharjah flight could depart at 11:30 pm and the passengers could be accommodated at the terminal building.”

30/11/18 Times of India

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AIE gears up to capitalise on Kannur airport opening

Thiruvananthapuram: Armed with a net profit for the third consecutive year, Air India Express (AIE), the low-cost arm of the national carrier, is gearing up to capitalise on the opening of the Kannur international airport.

AIE, which had created history by landing the first test flight at the fourth international airport of the State using a Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft, has been given the privilege to operate the first commercial flight from Kannur to Abu Dhabi on December 9 soon after the formal commissioning of the airport.

“The maiden flight from Kannur was sold out within one hour after the bookings commenced. It is nothing short of a miracle,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIE, headquartered in Kochi, K. Shyam Sundar told The Hindu.

The airline has been granted slots to operate to and from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Doha in Oman to the Kannur airport. “The record response from the flyers was a surprise to us. It shows there is a clear pocket of people to fly out from Kannur. We will be stationing one aircraft in Kannur,” he said.
25/11/18 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Sharjah-Tiruchirappalli flights delayed due to Cyclone Gaja

Sharjah: A Trichy-bound Air India Express flight from Sharjah to Tiruchirappalli has been delayed by a little under seven hours due to the aftermath of severe cyclonic storm Gaja.

Flight IX 614 from to Tiruchirappalli was supposed to depart from Sharjah Airport at 10.40 pm on Friday, November 16, to Sharjah International Airport. However, the flight is now set to depart at 5.20 am on Saturday, November 17.

An Air India official told Khaleej Times that minor delays on flights to Chennai were also reported, however, no diversions were reported.
16/11/18 Dhanusha Gokulan/Khaleej Times

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Tickets for first flight from Kannur airport to Abu Dhabi almost sold out

Abu Dhabi: Flight tickets on the maiden Air India Express flight from the soon-to-be-launched Kannur International Airport in the South Indian state of Kerala to Abu Dhabi has almost sold out, according to senior officials at the airline.

Officials also revealed that flights to Sharjah from Kannur will be added to the network in a day or two.

"The first international flight is set to fly out on 10 am IST on December 9, the same date as the official opening day," PG Prageesh, chief of corporate communication at Air India Express, revealed to Khaleej Times on Tuesday.

Tickets on the maiden flight went live on Monday, November 12, and within moments, and the 'express value' category of tickets have been completely sold out, according to the airline website. However, a few 'express flexi' category of tickets remains.

AI Express is currently the only airline operating international flights out of the Kannur Airport for now.
13/11/18 Dhanusha Gokulan/Khaleej Times

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AI Express to launch Doha flights from Kannur next month

Doha: Air India Express will start four-times-a-week flights between Kannur in the southern Indian state of Kerala and Doha on December 10, according to an airline statement shared by local travel agents.
The new Kannur International Airport in northern Kerala will be inaugurated on December 9, it is learnt.
According to the Air India Express communique, the inaugural flight to Doha (IX0773) will leave Kannur at 8.20pm (India) on December 10 and reach Doha at 10pm (Qatar). The AI Express Kannur-Doha service will be operated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The return flight (IX0774) to Kannur will leave Doha at 11pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and reach Kannur at 5.45am (India) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Kannur is the fourth international airport in Kerala.
12/11/18 Gulf Times

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Air India Express reports profit in FY18

Mumbai: At a time when Indian carriers have been reporting losses due to rupee depreciation and high fuel prices, Air India Express, the low cost arm of Air India, has earned a profit. It's the third consecutive year that the AIExpress has reported a profit.

"The airline has made net profit of Rs 262 crore in FY 2017-18 as per the accounts placed and approved by airline’s board of directors," suddenly a statement issued by the airline on Friday.

The airline has been registering operating profit for the last five years, and for the first time earned a net profit in 2015-16, it added.

“The net profit earned in 2017-18 is particularly significant as the aviation sector had to face many challenges including high input costs, added to that was the sluggishness of Gulf Economies where 90% of our capacities are deployed .The unit costs have increased over the past 12 months due to steady increase in global fuel rates. The average cost of fuel in March 2018 was about 20% more compared to what it was in March 2017.Obviously, this success would not have been possible without the trust placed on us by our valued customers in choosing us over other options,” said K Shyam Sundar, CEO, Air India Express.
09/11/18 Manju V/Times of India

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Singapore-bound Air India Express plane develops snag, departs from Madurai airport after 14.5 hours delay

Madurai: An Air India Express plane bound for Singapore was delayed for 14.5 hours after it developed an “avionic-related snag” just before take-off from Madurai International Airport on Sunday night, an airline official said.
The aircraft required replacement of a spare part. The plane, which was supposed to depart at 11.15pm on Sunday with 78 passengers onboard, took off only at 1.45pm on Monday.

AIE officials said after the pilot noticed the snag on Sunday night, passengers were informed about the situation. They were shifted to a hotel.
The spare part was brought from Thiruvananthapuram, and an engineer from Chennai reached here and replaced it.
05/11/18 Devanathan Veerappan/Times of India

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ILS facility restored at airport

Tiruchi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has restored the ILS (Instrument Landing System) facility at the airport here after it became non-functional when a Dubai-bound Air India Express flight came into contact with some localiser antennae and a portion of the perimeter wall during take off from here.

A four-member team from the Flight Inspection unit of the AAI, New Delhi, carried out the flight calibration tests on Tuesday prior to restoration of the ILS facility.

Earlier, the AAI had replaced six damaged ILS localiser antennae with those dispatched from the Lucknow airport recently.

A separate team removed the damaged antennae and installed the fresh ones after obtaining clearance from a senior official of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau who conducted detailed inquiries at the airport for two days a few days ago.
Consequent to the installation of the antennae and its control units, the AAI sent a team from the Flight Inspection Unit including two pilots to carry out flight calibration tests which was mandatory before restoring the ILS facility. A senior official said on Wednesday that the tests were conducted for two hours between 2.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.
‘All parameters were found to be clear and the ILS facility was restored at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.’
01/11/18 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

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