Response for Chennai flight encouraging

Mysuru: The suspension of the Mysuru-Chennai flight service a few days ago was only temporary and there will be no such problem in the future, said T A Gurunath, manager, Mysuru Airport.
Initiated under the UDAN scheme, the flight between Mysuru and Chennai was restarted from September 15. The service was suspended for nearly five days due to operational problems. According to airport authorities the flight has been receiving good response. On an average nearly 45 to 50 people are travelling in the 72-seater flight every day.
"There is good response for the flight. The contract under UDAN is for three years and there is no need to worry about the functioning of the flight. There was some operational problem and hence the flight was suspended for a few days, but now the service has been started again and there is good response," Gurunath said.
30/11/17 Times of India

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Airport lab hacks into terror minds

Dum Dum: Calcutta airport is hosting a global aviation security lab that takes Hollywood-like but highly plausible scenarios like air traffic control, check-in and baggage check systems being hacked so that answers can be found before terrorists pose questions.

"A cyber attack can bring an airport to a grinding halt. You can't check-in and the ATC won't work," said Pierre Coutu, programme executive at the Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme.

The two-day tabletop exercise involving 24 delegates from airports across the world is only the second one of its kind anywhere. The first such lab was held in Munich, Germany, in 2015.

Calcutta was apparently chosen because it is one of the few large airports still dependent on manual systems, which although dated could be a virtue in terms of security. Inline baggage screening at the city airport is restricted to the international wing. In the domestic section, fliers need to get their check-in baggage scanned at standalone X-ray machines.

The check-in process is, of course, manual at most Indian airports. Web check-in too requires a flier to go through the process of depositing registered baggage in a counter. In many other countries, self check-in with little or no manual intervention is the norm.

"Now imagine the check-in system of an airline being hacked. An unauthorised person can sneak into a flight that way. If the inline baggage check-in system is hacked, explosives and banned items can be put on an aircraft without the scanner being able to detect it. If terrorists are able to hack the air traffic control system, there will be a disaster in the skies," said an aviation security expert.
30/11/17 Telegraph

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Note warning of ISIS attack found at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, security tightened

Mumbai: A note was found at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport warning of an ISIS attack on the cargo area on Republic Day next year.

Soon after the discovery, as a precautionary measure, the security personnel evacuated those working inside the cargo division of the airport.

The message said that the dreaded terror group ISIS would blow up the cargo area on Republic Day next year.

The security agencies which have taken charge of the premises and are probing the matter. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) has also been summoned to scan for any explosive amongst the tons of cargo parcels lying there.

The security agencies are not ruling out any possibility on the scribbled messages though they are also looking into the messages possibly being the handiwork of pranksters.

The situation is reminiscent of a similar threat message found scribbled on airport toilet wall in January 2015 on two occasions, warning of an ISIS attack on Republic Day.

The sources in the security agencies claim that since the arrival terminals are used by a host of people including fliers, airport staff and airline crew, it was difficult to spot the culprit.

The Mumbai airport has a high level of security following multiple terror alerts. Interestingly, the multiple intelligence input reported that the attack could take place by a smaller air strip.
30/11/17 DNA

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High Alert at Mumbai Airport After Bomb Threat

New Delhi:  Security authorities have sounded an alert at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai following a bomb threat message. According to reports, the message was found in one of the washrooms of the airport.
A massive security check has been launched at the  airport after the message was found. Bomb disposal squad, CISF personnel and other security agencies are scanning every nook and corner of the airport.
“A note was found in toilet at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, warning of an attack on cargo on January 26, 2018 by ISIS. Cargo evacuated and people being given an entry only after screening. Police and CISF are doing their job,” a statement issued by the Mumbai airport said.
Luggage of passenger are also being scanned. So far, there is no report about flight services being affected due to the security scare.
29/11/17 India.com

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Respite for Indian travellers as Bali airport resumes operations

The three-day ordeal of around 8,000-10,000 Indian travellers stranded in Bali ended on Wednesday as the Ngurah Rai Airport said it had resumed operations after smoke and ash spewing from Mount Agung, Bali’s active volcano, led to a nearly three-day airport shutdown.

But the developments are likely to lead to cancellations of future bookings as Indians are likely to settle for other destinations like such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Dubai and Singapore over Bali for their new year celebrations.

The popular resort island has been steadily gaining in popularity, and is usually teeming with tourists from India around new year time. According to industry estimates, about 600-800 Indians arrive in Bali every day and spend roughly 7-8 days there.
MakeMyTrip, an online travel company, said over 1200 people had booked flights to and from Bali and were scheduled to travel during this period when the airport had to be shut down due to volcanic activity.

“We are also providing round-the-clock support and assistance to our consumers in helping re-schedule their travel and accommodation plans during the period, and are working closely with multiple airlines to ensure there are no charges for cancellations and rescheduling of flights. Bali is one of the fastest growing international outbound destinations among Indian travellers in South East Asia,’’ said Mohit Gupta, COO, online, at MakeMyTrip.
30/11/17 Anumeha Chaturvedi/Economic Times

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Throw away that lighter before you enter an airport or face police detention

Carrying a lighter to the airport can now lead to you missing your flight courtesy of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) who have decided to refer any cases of passengers sneaking in lighters into an airport, to the police.

Reports suggest that the CISF encounters as many as 10 cases on a daily basis of passengers carrying lighters hidden in their luggage or on their person. Up until now, the Force in-charge of security at all of the country’s airports followed the practice of securing a written apology from passengers who tried to sneak in lighters inside an airport.

However, CISF has now decided to hand over such passengers to the local police authorities, reported Indian daily Hindustan Times.

Hoping that the delay caused by the temporary detention will deter passengers from sneaking in inflammable items, the Force has clarified that though no FIR will be registered in such cases, a diary entry of all such incidents will be maintained.
28/11/17 Mirror Now

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Delhi-NCR may get second airport soon as civilian flights planned from IAF's Hindon air base

Ghaziabad: In a bid to tackle the problem of congestion at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, plans are afoot to have a second commercial airport near the national capital soon.
Woman passenger slapped Air India official four times at Delhi's IGI Airport - DETAILS and FIRST PICS here
As per a report in The Times of India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has identified seven acres of land at Sikandarpur village adjacent to the Indian Air Force's Hindon air base in Ghaziabad.
The ministry plans to launch civilian flight operations from the IAF base.
This would mean that the National Capital Region would get a second airport for commercial flights as soon as the base is ready for civilian flights.
The ministry is mulling to use Hindon air base for civilian flight operations in order to lessen the load on the IGIA till the time the Jewar international airport in Greater Noida becomes operational.
The Hindon air base currently houses IAF's heavy lift transport aircraft Globemaster.
The ministry has already got a go ahead from the Air Force to use the air base for civilian flights as part of the government's regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
While the civilian flights would use the existing runway, a separate gate and a seating area would be developed as part of the plans.
29/11/17 Times Now

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Bali airport remains shut, airlines waive cancellation fee

New Delhi: Airlines operating to Bali have waived cancellation fees for passengers booked on flights after the international airport of the Indonesian tourist hub remained shut for the second day in the wake of plumes of ash coming out from a rumbling volcano.

Scores of frightened people have fled their homes near Mount Agung with Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre upgrading the alert status to the highest level, fearing a major eruption.

Jet Airways is among the major Indian carriers that offers flights to Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport via its codeshare partners.

Jet Airways has Garuda Indonesia and Hong Kong Airlines among its codeshare partners for Bali and is allowing passengers to reschedule their flights apart from waiving cancellation fee.

Singapore Airlines is transporting passengers from Bali to Surabaya via coaches and ferries and flying them to Singapore for their onward connections.

AirAsia too has issued a travel advisory informing passengers that they can reschedule their flights. Passengers are also allowed to retain the value of their fare in a credit account for future travel.

Travel portal Yatra.com said in a statement that tourists who had booked a holiday package and are scheduled to return from Bali to India will be offered complimentary hotel stay.
26/11/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Flights from steel city by December

Jamshedpur: Private operator Air Deccan will start regular flight services between Jamshedpur and Calcutta from the last week of December, the commercial viability of the operation this time hinging on the government's scheme of subsiding airlines for flying in an out of hitherto unused airports.

"We have got a 20-seater plane on lease from South Africa. We had expected to start the services in November, but due to things beyond our control we could not. Now, hope to start the service anytime between December 26 and December 31," said Captain Madhu K Valsaraj, the president and chief pilot of Deccan Charters, a subsidiary of Air Deccan.

Valsraj said they have held talks with Tata Steel aviation unit officials - Sonari Airport is owned by Tata Steel - and that the airport papers had also been submitted to DGCA. "We expect all formalities to be cleared in the next two weeks," he said.

Flight services were introduced in the steel city for the first time in 2007. It was Air Deccan then too, starting ATR flights to Calcutta. But, the service was stopped after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed load restrictions on the flight owing to the short runway of the Sonari airport.

Other operators came in, but none could sustain the service due to lack of commercial viability. By 2013, there were no flights operating out of Jamshedpur except for the ones used by Tata Steel purely for company staff.

But this time expectations are high that the service would sustain itself primarily because of the Centre's intervention.

Under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, the Centre will be subsidising losses incurred by airlines flying out of dormant airports. Passengers won't be charged more than Rs 2,500 for an hour's flight. Around 80 per cent of the subsidy is to be collected by charging a levy of up to Rs 8,500 on each departing flight of a domestic airlines. The remaining 20 per cent will come from respective state governments.
29/11/17 Animesh Bisoee/Telegraph

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Improve amenities at airport, Vizag chamber urges AAI

Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has appealed to the Airports Authority of India to take concrete steps to improve amenities at the Visakhapatnam International Airport.

Regretting the ranking of the airport at the bottom in the survey conducted by Airports Council International recently, VCCI president A.V. Monish Row stated in an e-mail to the AAI Chairman that the airport, which had witnessed jump in number of flights under operations and traffic should get priority in improving the facilities.

He sought improvement in parking, passenger queuing time, amenities like restrooms, shopping and eating options, faster luggage retrieval and other improvements to give better experience to the people. This would enable better ranking of the airport, which has flights to international destinations like Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Colombo.

Mr. Row said the demand for air travel over the next two decades was set to double. Enabling people and nations to trade, explore, and share the benefits of innovation and economic prosperity would make the world a better place.
29/11/17 The Hindu

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UDAAN deferred for Rourkela until January as delay in modification of airport

Rourkela: With the delay in infrastructure development and modification of Rourkela airport, the commercial flight services to the city under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) ‘UDAAN’ is likely to be deferred till January next year.  Once the project is completed, the city will initially be connected to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata by the aerial route.  Rourkela BJP MLA and former Union Minister Dilip Ray on Monday inspected the development works at the airport of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL.
Quoting the Union Civil Aviation Minister and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman, Ray said he hoped that Rourkela will get a full-fledged airport by January next year, after the execution of MoU with the RSP.
Earlier, the RCS scheme was expected to be implemented from August this year. But, the project got delayed gradually.Director of Jharsuguda airport Manoj Kumar, who has the additional charge of Rourkela airport, said the upgradation work would be completed by December 15. “The Rourkela airport will be upgraded further in the later phases,” he said, while refusing to indicate any tentative schedule for launching of the commercial flights. Sources said a 5-kilometre long wall was being built in accordance with the guidelines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, besides the construction of a portable cabin passenger building and other required facilities, including development of communication and security systems.
29/11/17 New Indian Express

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International cargo terminal at Madurai airport to become operational by Dec 15

Coimbatore: The international cargo terminal at Madurai airport is expected to become operational from December 15.

Coming as it does almost seven years after the airport was declared customs airport by the Union Finance Ministry in December 2010, the commencement of international cargo handling at Madurai airport after all these years "will be a boon to the region", S Rethinavelu, Senior President, Tamilnadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Madurai, said.

"We at the Chamber have been persistently following up with the government to permit exim cargo handling as there is abundant scope for cargo export from this region.Sizeable quantities of vegetables, flowers, fruits, textiles/made ups, handloom products, engineering goods, medical equipments, granite icons and other products are exported regularly from the southern districts of Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari through other airports.
29/11/17 LN Revathy/Business Line

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Flights delayed, diverted as dense fog engulfs Bengaluru airport Tuesday morning

Bengaluru: A thick blanket of fog over Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) resulted in the closure of airport operations on Tuesday morning, between 4.44 am and 5.27 am. A total of 74 flights were delayed during the period.

According to sources, as many as 44 departures and 25 arrivals scheduled for the period were affected. Additionally, five flights, including a British Airway flight, were diverted to Chennai due to fog.

KIA, which is yet to upgrade to a CAT III instrument landing system, sees regular delays every year during winter due to thick fog covet over northern areas of the city.
28/11/17 New Indian Express

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Resolution on airport name bid to woo Ravidassias

Jalandhar: By passing a resolution in the state assembly to name an upcoming domestic airport at Adampur after Guru Ravidass, Punjab government has taken a major step in pleasing the Ravidassia/Adi-dharmi community, which has strong presence in Punjab, especially in Doaba region.
In fact, all parties appeared to have one voice on the issue and there appeared even a sense of competition among leaders of different parties to support the move once Dera Sachkhand Ballan first raised the demand by convening a meeting of current and former Scheduled Caste MLAs and MPs in July at Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable Hospital at Kathaar village. All former and current MLAs and MPs supported the move and the then minister of state, Vijay Sampla, and Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary wrote to the Union government for naming the airport after Guru Ravidass.
Sri Guru Ravidass Sadhu Sampardai Society head by Sant Nirmal Dass had also raised the demand. However, the Congress government has now sought to score a major political goal by getting a resolution passed in the state assembly and pushing the ball in the court of BJP-led Union government. "Now, the entire responsibility for naming the airport after Guru Ravidass is on the Union government and SAD-BJP leaders will be answerable if any delay happens," said a Congress MLA from Doaba region.
29/11/17 IP Singh/Times of India

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Resolution to rename Adampur Airport passed

Chandigarh: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha today unanimously passed a resolution to mandate the state government to take up the issue of renaming the domestic terminal of Adampur Airport after Guru Ravidas with the Centres department of civil aviation.
The resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra on the second day of the winter session of Assembly. Members of the ruling as well as opposition parties welcomed it.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA from Adampur, Pawan Kumar Tinu, and AAP MLA from Dakha, H S Phoolka, lauded the initiative to rename the Adampur Domestic Airport after legendary spiritual saint Guru Ravidas.
Hailing the initiative of Captain Amarinder Singh in this regard, Chamkaur Sahib MLA and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said the move would go a long way in promoting the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood and amity - values promoted by Sri Guru Ravidas.
28/11/17 PTI/India Today

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Bali volcano: No respite for Indians stranded at airprot

Mumbai: There has been no respite for several Indians stranded in Bali, as the Ngurah Rai airport in Denpasar remained shut for second consecutive day yesterday. Massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been belching from Mount Agung since last week have now begun shooting more than three kilometres into the sky, forcing flights to be grounded. Most tourists were trying to leave Bali and move towards the alternative airport at Surabaya in East Java.

The Indian Consulate has set up a desk at the Denpasar airport, and has also extended its services to Surabaya, even as Air Asia gave several tourists, such as Kolkata-based Shilpa Agrawal, the option of re-routing flights from the Surabaya airport from December 1or refunding the tickets.

"The Indian Consulate officials told us to leave Bali as soon as possible. Air Asia said the flight will depart from Surabaya only on December 1. Many of us opted for the refund, paid for buses organised by the Indian Consulate, and left for Surabaya in uncertainty.

"India has an embassy in Jakarta, but nothing in Surabaya. Even if we manage to reach Jakarta, the air fares have shot up to Rs 50,000 per ticket," Agrawal said.

She claimed the Chinese Consulate was more active, and had ensured all Chinese nationals were out of Bali. "Why can't the Indian government send an aircraft to Surabaya or Jakarta to bring us back?" she asked.
Goregaon resident Ajinkya Thombare, 30, and his wife went to Bali on honeymoon, and have opted to wait for a rescheduled flight from Surabaya on December 2.
29/11/17 Satish Nandgaonkar/Mumbai Mirror 

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Land identified for civilian flights from Hindon IAF base in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: Seven acres of land next to the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad have been identified to start civilian flight operations from the Indian Air Force (IAF) facility, which will effectively turn it into the second airport for commercial flights in Delhi-National Capital Region.
The civil aviation ministry is looking at the Hindon air base - home to IAF's heavy lift transport aircraft Globemaster - as a supplementary facility to reduce the heavy burden on Delhi's IGI airport till the Jewar international airport in Greater Noida takes shape.
In August, the air force had agreed to allow the use of the air base for civilian flights under the government's regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
The land on which the government plans to build infrastructure for civilian flights are in Sikandarpur village, next to the base's perimeter wall. Officials said a separate gate for passengers and a seating area would be developed in this part. Passenger flights can use the existing runway. The Hindon air base is around 10km from DMRC's Dilshad Garden Metro station on the Red line.
29/11/17 Abhijay Jha/Times of India

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Nearly 1000 flights a day, but has Mumbai's CSI airport improved in on-time performance?

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) at Mumbai reached a new record of handling 969 flights in a day on Saturday. What is not known is how many of those flights departed or arrived on time.

The airport used to previously close in on 935 flights, a report by Times of India said.

"We hope to cross 1,000 aircraft movements per day soon,'' a Mumbai International Airport Ltd official said.

It has also been named in the league of a busy single-runway airport category, the report added.

CSIA works on single-runway operations in that it has just two runways which intersect each other and hence only one can be used at a time.

However majority of flight traffic in India is directed toward metro cities. And these airports have been positively bursting at the seams.

Untimely flight operations cannot only be attributed to airlines that register a higher OTP in other metro cities than in Mumbai.
On–time performance of airlines like Vistara, IndiGo, Go Air, Spicejet, Air India, Jet Airways and Jet Lite was the worst at Mumbai airport, as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation data for October.

Reasons for delay were analysed by the DGCA as mostly attributed to ‘reactionary,’ with 63% of all flights being delayed due to this reason.

nternational Air Transport Association (IATA) defines reactionary reasons as late arrival of aircraft from another flight or previous sector.

It also includes passenger or load connection, awaiting load or passengers from another flight, protection of stranded passengers onto a new flight, check-in error, aircraft rotation, cabin crew rotation, operations control, rerouting, diversion, consolidation, aircraft change for reasons other than technical, industrial action within own airline and industrial action outside own airline.
27/11/17 ZeeBiz

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Air Connectivity Soon in Tezu

Air connectivity to Tezu is likely to become possible by next year with the construct ion of airport which is currently under construction.

The development of the airport, at a cost of Rs 79.00 crore, was approved during the financial year 2009-10. The project is being implemented by the Airports Authority of India and was expected to begin operations by March 2012.

Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu who was in Tezu to inaugurate a new monastery at the Tibetan refugee camp, inspected the ongoing construction of the airport.

Officials informed him that the work on the runway, boundary walls, parking lot and drainage system has been completed. The construction of a passenger terminal building is currently underway.
27/11/17 Northeast Today

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Trying to sneak in cigarette lighter at airport? You may land in trouble

If you are trying to sneak in lighter at the airport, you may even end up even missing your flight next time. Though carrying lighter on flights is prohibited in India, but some passengers manage to dodge checking at the airport and board flights, taking them along. 

The CISF is responsible for the security of airports across the country and often have to control passengers who have turned unruly mid-air. So far, the CISF used to take written apology from the passenger but looks like the incident in the pasts continue unabated. The CISF has now decided to hand over such passengers to the local police in order to deter travelers. "This way we are trying to deter the passengers from sneaking in lighters. If a lighter is detected in a bag, we will confiscate it and let the passenger go but if we feel that passenger is deliberately hiding it, we will refer the matter to the police," Hindustan Times quoted a CISF officer as saying.
The police will register an FIR and only maintain a diary entry of such incidents. It has been found that the passengers sometimes carry a matchbox or lighter which does not get detected in the hand baggage. Even the aviation safety experts and crew members have also expressed apprehensions about lighters making their way into the cabin, and said this may pose a great security threat to the aircraft.
27/11/17 Madhuri Adnal/One India

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