Bengal Aerotropolis airport project hits fresh land hurdle

Kolkata: As per records available with the bankers, the private airport near Durgapur was declared ready for commercial operations in April 2013.

But not many have a clue when the airport will be ready to operate flights.

A high tension transmission wire of State electricity distribution utility is still cross-crossing the run way, blocking scope for regulatory approval. It could not be shifted in time due to Trinamool Congress sponsored protests against land acquisition since 2008. The land tangle was solved by the government early this year. But the solution did not come cheap. The final pay out towards shifting of transmission line is nearly a quarter of the cost of building the airport.

However, even such high pay out brought little respite to the promoters as the State utility has missed the revised timelines of shifting the transmission line by September 2014. It means the regulatory approval for operating commercial flights is unlikely to come before March 2015.
30/10/14 Pratim Ranjan Bose/Business Line

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GMR takes control of airport in Philippines

Bangalore: GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) a joint venture between GMR Group and Megawide Construction Corporation, a construction firm in Philippines, has taken full operational control of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Cebu, Philippines.

MCIA is the country's first airport to be privatised under the administration's ambitious PPP programme aimed at modernising key infrastructure assets.

GMR-Megawide Consortium had emerged as the highest bidder in the international competitive bidding process after offering a bid premium of 14.4 billion Philippine Pesos. The formal award of the project in April was followed by a six-month transition period to complete project formalities leading to the transfer of operations to GMCAC.

As part of the overall master plan, GMCAC will build a brand new terminal building within three years to cater to the growing traffic. At the same time, the immediate priority will be to upgrade the existing terminal and enhance operating systems and processes to improve service quality and efficiency.
31/10/14 Business Standard

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Air Arabia flight suffers bird hit at Coimbatore airport

Coimbatore: An Air Arabia flight from Sharjah suffered a bird hit when it was landing at the Coimbatore international airport in the wee hours of Friday.

The Air Arabia flight carrying 171 passengers landed safely at the airport at 3.40am. No one was injured in the incident.

"On inspections done later, they realized that one of the wings of the aircraft suffered a damage as a result of the bird hit," said D Paul Manickam, director, Coimbatore airport.
31/10/14 Times of India

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IGI Airport gets bomb threat fax

New Delhi: Few days after Kochi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai airports were put on high alert following a bomb threat, a threatening fax was received at IGI airport.

Sources in CISF and Delhi Police said security at the airport was beefed up after a two-line fax threatening to 'boooomb boooomb' it was received last weekend.

Sources said that while threats and hoaxes are common, this particular one was treated with importance. One reason for this was that the message came at a time when threats had been made to blow up flights to Kochi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. "An investigation has been launched to find out where the fax was sent from," said a senior police official.
31/10/14 Suhas Munshi/Times of India

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RFQ deadline for Navi Mumbai airport extended

Mumbai: Bidders for the construction of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) have been given an extension period of six weeks to submit their Requests for Qualification (RFQ) application after they sought more time from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the nodal implementing agency for the project, to form joint ventures to bid for the R14,574-crore airport project.
The concerned parties will now have to submit the RFQ by December 10 from the earlier planned date of October 30.
This is the third time Cidco has extended the RFQ submission date after the civil aviation ministry approved the revised tender document for the proposed Navi Mumbai airport in July. “This is the final time that the RFQ submission time has been extended on the request of bidders who have asked for more time to form joint ventures to bid for the airport project,” a senior Cidco official said.
30/10/14 Finacial Express

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Carriers ready to operate flights, submit EoI

Andal: Three regional airlines have submitted Expression of Interest (EoI) to operate flights from Durgapur to cities like Ranchi, Patna, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Kolkata, Bagdogra and Cooch Behar from the Andal airport near Durgapur.

On October 15, the three non-scheduled opertors — Pinnacle Air, Spirit Air and North-East Shuttle — have submitted EoI to the state transport department after the progress review meeting of Durgapur Aerotropolis at Kolkata a few days ago. Pinnacle Air has a Falcon 2000 LX and Cessna CJ2+. Spirit Air has a Cessna Sky Hawk and Cessna Sky Caravan while North-East Shuttle operates Dornier aircraft.

At the progress review meeting, transport principal secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay had hinted at the government's keenness to get the airport operation, at least for a test flight, during the investor meet — Bishwa Banga — scheduled in Kolkata from January 7 to January 9, 2015. Though the airport is unlikely to get an operator's license till next March, the test flight with a sub-20 seater plane will serve as a symbolic take-off that chief minister Mamata Banerjee is keen to showcase at the meet.
30//10/14 Debajyoti Chakraborty/Times of India

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Changi raises stake in BAPL to 32.2 %, to run the airport for 15 years

Kolkata: Within two months of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee visiting Singapore to seek investments, Singapore-based Changi Airports International has raised its stake in the upcoming airport city project at Durgapur to 32.2 per cent.

Changi Airport India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Changi Airports International, had earlier picked up a 26 per cent stake in Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL), which is executing the airport city project at Andal near Durgapur in Barddhaman district in West Bengal.

“This was discussed during the chief minister’s Singapore visit in August. This certainly means reposing faith in the project as well as in the state. There is infusion of fresh capital. It was in the form of a rights issue to the tune of Rs 50 crore,” Partha Ghosh, promoter and managing director of BAPL, told Business Standard.
30/10/14 Business Standard

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Government’s plan has an air of hope

Puducherry: Almost nine months after the sole airline to operate flights out of the city wound up services, the territorial administration has dangled out a hard-to-resist incentive to attract private operators to the sector.

Under the new scheme launched under the umbrella of tourism promotional initiatives, the Puducherry government will offer Rs. 1,000 each for an aggregate of 200 seats on a daily basis, subject to a cap of 50 seats or a sum of Rs. 50,000 per fixed wing or rotary aircraft.

The incentive is valid for a period of six months and its subsequent renewal would be decided by the government.

The incentive applies to flights and chopper services from “Pondicherry/Karaikal to other destinations and from other destinations to Pondicherry/Karaikal. It shall be only in the form of Rs. 1,000 per seat per carrier per day from Puducherry and from Karaikal.’’

“The incentive will apply irrespective of the occupancy level on the flight,” a top-ranking government official said.
30/10/14 M. Dinesh Varma/R Sivaraman/The Hindu

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Etihad Boosts India Network With Additional Flights To Mumbai, Delhi

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways announced that it is launching triple daily services to the Indian cities of Mumbai and New Delhi, to keep up with increased demand.

Both cities will be upgraded from their current double-daily frequencies, with the third daily flight to Mumbai starting on February 15, 2015 and to New Delhi on May 1, 2015, a statement said.

The airline said that the move will provide business and leisure travellers with more options between the UAE and India.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad said: “India is expected to become the world’s third largest air passenger market within the next 20 years, and we are focused on providing travellers with the best possible offering into and out of the country.

“Already in the first half of 2014, more than 620,000 passengers flew on our India services, a substantial increase of 51 per cent year-on-year. The launch of triple-daily services to Mumbai and New Delhi, our most popular routes in India, will allow us to meet growing market demand.”
30/10/14 Gulf Business

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80% occupancy on Mumbai-bound flights

Aurangabad: The combination of leisure travellers and political workers heading to Mumbai for the oath-taking ceremony has pushed up air ticket sales for the two airlines offering connectivity between Aurangabad and the state capital.

The airlines, which usually report about 50% sales, have recorded over 80% bookings for next couple of days for the Aurangabad-Mumbai flights. Three flights take off from Aurangabad to Mumbai daily. Jet Airways flights are scheduled at 6.50 am and 8 pm, while Air India flies at 5.20 pm daily.

Ajay Deshpande, an executive with a private tour operator, said, "As of now, there is good occupancy for the Mumbai-bound flights. The combination of vacation travellers and political workers is well for the airlines. On other days, the average occupancy for the Mumbai-bound flights remains comparatively less."
30/10/14 Times of India

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More Air India flights from Mangalore likely

Mangalore: Air India may introduce flight services between Mangalore and Pune, Delhi and Hubli via Bangalore, according to Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP.

He told presspersons here on Thursday that the proposed Mangalore-Bangalore-Delhi and Mangalore-Bangalore-Pune flights were likely to start soon. The new sectors have been chosen as they were found viable in view of the significant passenger traffic between Mangalore and Bangalore; Bangalore and Pune and Bangalore and Delhi.
30/101/4 The Hindu

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Car catches fire at airport parking lot - no casualties

Mangalore: In a shocking incident, a car which was on the move near the parking lot outside the Mangalore International airport caught fire which was later put off by airport fire personnel, here on Thursday, October 30.
The car was severely damaged in the fire. KA 03 ME 6237, belonging to Sri Ventures caught fire in the evening hours of Thursday outside the Mangalore International airport.
It is learnt that the driver, Raja Sheik had come to collect the daughter of the car owner and about to park the car in the parking lot. The driver was alone in the car during the incident. He saw the smoke being emitted from the car first and then the car catching fire.
30/10/14 daijiworld.com

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Dabolim needs coordinated policy: Group tells CM

Margao: Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) urged the state government to formulate an "all-encompassing coordinated policy" for development of Dabolim airport to its full potential.

GFDO wished chief minister Manohar Parrikar good luck in his initiative to petition the central government to make more land available at Dabolim airport from the Navy for parking of aircraft. The group said that "it would be in the interest of proper professional planning, if the CM would hand over a long-term master plan for Dabolim airport to the defence ministry, requesting the total amount of land it would require, rather than approaching it with piecemeal and short -term requirements".
30/10/14 Times of India

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Jackal comes calling at Kochi airport

The airport here today received an unusual visitor when a jackal sauntered into the operational area, taking everyone by surprise.

The animal was noticed by bird watchers at the airport.

Immediately a trap was laid and the animal caught and handed over to the forest officials, Airport Director A C K Nair told PTI.
30/10/14 Daily News & Analysis

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Mumbai International Airport Bags the Prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2014 for Sustainability

GVK Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) has bagged the prestigious ‘Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability’ for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). The award was presented at a specially organized “Golden Peacock Awards Ceremony”, on Wednesday, October 29 2014 at House of Lords- UK Parliament, Westminster in London.
Considered the greatest recognition of corporate excellence in areas of innovation, quality, sustainability, training, governance, environment management and corporate social responsibility the Golden Peacock Awards assessed the applicants on the basis of an exhaustive set of parameters covering a wide range of issues  and programs concerned with the Triple Bottom Line of the Business, also called the ‘TBL’ or ‘3BL’. Key to Sustainability the concept of ‘TBL’ means that the business success is defined not only by monetary gains but also by its environmental and social performances. In the current scenario, transparency about sustainability of organizational activities is of prime interest to a diverse range of stakeholders that include business, labor, non-governmental organizations, investors, accountants, and others. The idea of “Award for Sustainability” encourages initiatives in promoting sustainable development amongst organizations and rapidly accelerates the pace of stakeholder oriented improvement process.
30/10/14 moneylife.com

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Passengers miss flight after arguments with AI officials at Chennai airport

Bangalore: A group of passengers at the Chennai airport on Thursday had a harrowing experience and missed their flight to Bangalore following an argument with the officials.
Madhan Ramakrishnan, Delivery Manager with an MNC, along with other passengers who were to board an Air India flight to Bangalore today morning missed their flight after they had an arguement with the AI officials.
It all began when Ramakrishnan along with other passengers were at the AI ticketing counter waiting to check in. "We were asked to go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal to board our flight. They told us that the flight would take off from the international terminal.
Since the distance from the domestic to the international terminal was about 5-10 minutes walk, we all walked to the other terminal. Upon reaching the international terminal we were told that the gate had closed and we couldn't board the flight," Ramakrishnan told OneIndia.
What followed next was a series of arguments between the passengers and the AI officials. The passengers tried to reason with the officials saying that they were asked to come to the international terminal.
30/10/14 Sandra Marina Fernandes/One India

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Delhi ATC to provide real-time weather to pilots by next year

New Delhi: To better prepare pilots for bad weather conditions, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to provide real-time weather data to airborne aircraft. For this, the AAI will integrate weather radar data of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) with Air Traffic Control (ATC)’s radar system. Currently, the IMD provides weather data to ATC through phone call, message or fax. Air traffic controllers then relay it to pilots. Currently, aircraft use primary radar data, which provide weather data with some useful snapshots only up to 60 miles. By next year, however, weather data will be transferred via software by means of a new integrated weather system (IWS) platform. This would be available in all ATC towers, allowing pilots to get real-time weather for all phases of a flight.
30/10/14 Geeta Gupta/Indian Express

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Goa to seek more parking space at Dabolim airport

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will take up with the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA) in New Delhi, a proposal seeking more space for parking at the Dabolim international airport which comes under Naval jurisdiction.

Mr. Parrikar, who is scheduled to fly to New Delhi for this purpose on Wednesday, said in Panaji on Tuesday that this aspect of additional space at the already saturated Dabolim airport assumes significance as his government has received a proposal for a hub from Air Asia.
28/10/14 Prakash Kamat/The Hindu

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Indian national dies at Bandaranaike International Airport

A 51-year-old Indian national died while being admitted to the Negombo Hospital after he collapsed due to a sudden illness at the Bandaranaike International Airport today.
Police said the deceased was on his way to Trichy, India from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
 “The deceased had fell on the airport corridor and died while being admitted to the Negombo Hospital,” the Police said.
29/10/14 Daily Mirror

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Tigerair increases connectivity on Chennai-Singapore route

Chennai: Singapore-based budget air carrier Tigerair has announced two more weekly flights between Chennai and the city state from December.

"The airline has added two additional weekly flights on this route that will ensure more convenience for travellers from and to the city", a company statement said today.

Tigerair currently operates seven weekly flights between Chennai and Singapore. The two additional weekly flights will come into effect from December 4, 2014, it added.

"The decision to increase frequencies to Chennai is in line with the upsurge in travel demand. The increased flights will give travellers from India a greater option and opportunity to visit Singapore," said Robert Yang, Commercial Director, Tigerair.
29/10/14 PTI/Business Standard

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