AI to charter aircraft to evacuate Indians in Iraq

Despite having as many 100 aircrafts in its own fleet, Air India has floated an open tender to charter aircraft from outside to fly back 6,500 Indian nationals stuck in conflict-struck Iraq. The reasons cited for the decision range from crew's reluctance to expenditure estimates, said sources.

The tender issued on June 27 asks, on an urgent basis, for aircraft--both narrow and wide body--on a full charter to bring back the Indians from Iraq and Kuwait. A board member told Mirror the aircrafts will be chartered on wet-lease basis or hired along with pilots and cabin crew. "They will be flown under the supervision of Air India and payment will be made as per the number of block hours of operation," a senior official said.
30/06/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Competition from Gulf carriers has made Indian mkt tough: Air France-KLM

Paris : Competition from Gulf carriers has made the burgeoning Indian aviation market “tough” and Air France-KLM would have to upgrade its image to address this challenge, the airline’s global CEO has said.

“Of course, Indian market is an important one, (mainly due to an) enormous population and a growing economy but it is a difficult one,” Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac told PTI in an interview here, stressing that competition was “tough” in India primarily due to the Gulf carriers. Flagging concerns about challenge posed by Gulf airlines, Juniac said the scenario needs to be addressed with the right tools. “We have to address that competition with the right tool …meaning the right aircraft, providing the right service and right products.

Emphasising upon the need for improving aviation infrastructure in India, Juniac said there should be less costly airports.
30/06/14 Free Press Journal

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Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod goes missing on British Airways flight

New Delhi: Classical musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod, which he has been playing for the last 45 years, has gone missing while he was returning to Delhi from London by a British Airways flight.
The Padma Vibhushan sarod maestro had gone to London along with his wife Subhalaxmi for a performance at Dartington College to celebrate the life of Rabindranth Tagore on June 21 and returned on the night of June 28.
30/06/14 PTI/India Today

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Evacuation plan in the works, 2nd MEA team to visit Iraq

New Delhi: For the second consecutive day, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth chaired a high-level meeting aimed at drawing up a firm evacuation plan for around 2,000 people in strife-torn Iraq, which is roughly one-fifth of the estimated number of Indians there.
Significantly, it has been decided that a second team from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) be sent to Iraq to assess the ground situation as well as the number of Indian nationals who are willing to return.
The evacuation proposal — the blueprint of which is expected to be briefed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday — envisages, to begin with, the use of two IAF transporters and two Air India planes. Diplomatic sources said the possibility of an airport in Turkey being used as a parking bay or logistical base before the Indian carriers land in Baghdad has also been discussed.
28/06/14 Ritu Sarin/Manu Pubby/Indian Express

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To fly a lakh to Iraq, tender floated

Lucknow: The Anjuman-e-Haidery, headquartered at the Dargah Shah-e-Mardan in Jorbagh, Delhi, and which claims to be managing “the largest number of Shia Waqf properties in Delhi,” has floated a tender to fly a lakh volunteers to war-torn Iraq and its adjacent countries to protect Shia shrines from Sunni insurgents.
The tender, floated Friday, invites Expression of Interest from aviation and travel business entities “having capacity to carry passengers in bulk at a short notice.”
From India, the destinations could be Iraq, Syria and/or Turkey and the company should have a capacity to carry 1 lakh passengers from August 1 to November 10 this year, states the tender.
“As the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has threatened to demolish the shrines, our volunteers would stand guard outside them,” says Syed Bahadur Abbas Naqvi, group’s general secretary.
29/06/14  Hamza Khan/Indian Express

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Indian aviation market tough but important: Air France-KLM

Paris: Competition from Gulf carriers has made the burgeoning Indian aviation market "tough" and Air France-KLM would have to upgrade its image to address this challenge, the airline's global CEO has said.

"Of course, Indian market is an important one, (mainly due to an) enormous population and a growing economy but it is a difficult one," Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac told PTI in an interview here, stressing that competition was "tough" in India primarily due to the Gulf carriers.

Flagging concerns about challenge posed by Gulf airlines, Juniac said the scenario needs to be addressed with the right tools.

"We have to address that competition with the right tool ...Meaning the right aircraft, providing the right service and right products.
29/06/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Embraer Issues Aircraft Safety Alert Over Loose Engine Bolts

Montreal: With carriers still jittery as the fate of missing MH370 aircraft is still a mystery after almost four months, a new safety alert has gone out.

American Airlines Group Inc and other carriers inspected engine pylon bolts on Embraer SA E190 aircraft after the Brazilian planemaker recommended the checks. The E190 can carry 98 to 114 passengers.

American found that the engine bolts “were loosened to some degree” on 12 of its 20 E190 aircraft, Paul Flaningan, a spokesman, said yesterday. The planes all were inspected and repaired yesterday and put back into service, he said.

Embraer confirmed that it issued an “alert service bulletin” to commercial operators of the twin-engine E190 recommending inspection of two engine pylons’ shear pins as a “preventive measure.”

India’s Air Costa checked its E190s and found no problems, said Pramod Mitta, a spokesman.
28/06/14 Mayasian Digest

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Expired drugs from India seized at Juba Airport

Juba:The Pharmaceuticals and Foods Control Authority (PFCA) seized a shipment of expired drugs at Juba International Airport on Thursday manufactured by the banned India-based Flamingo Company.

PFCA Director General Peter Aguek told Al Maugif newspaper that the Flamingo Company was banned two years ago from importing medicine to South Sudan because it had brought in fake and expired drugs.

Aguek said they will also sue the Kim Lab Company (KLC) which imported the drugs despite knowing their danger.

He said they will confiscate KLC’s license immediately and shut down the company, and warned other pharmaceutical firms against importing fake or expired drugs.
27/06/14 Radio Tamazuj

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Rafale Deal Likely to Figure During French Foreign Minister's India Visit

New Delhi:  The multi-billion dollar Rafale combat aircraft deal, the Jaitapur nuclear power plant and climate change are expected to figure prominently during talks French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius' will have with Indian leaders during his two-day visit here starting on Monday.

The two sides are also likely to discuss the over Rs 20,000 crore Maitri surface-to-air missile system project alongside holding parleys on the regional and global security situation including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

The Rafale deal, estimated to be over Rs 60,000 crore, is also expected to come up during the talks along with the SR-SAM project, which is in the final stages of negotiations between the two governments, sources said here.

India had selected the French Rafale combat aircraft two years ago but the negotiations are still continuing between Indian Defence Ministry and the French firm Dassault Aviation as there have been issues over pricing and work-sharing between the two sides.
26/06/14 PTI/NDTV.com

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US Teen Pilot, an MIT Student, Reaches India Flying Solo

Nagpur:  A 19-year-old American attempting to become the youngest person ever to fly around the world solo reached India on Thursday, more than a month into his aerial odyssey.
Matt Guthmiller, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), smiled and flashed a thumbs-up after he landed his single-engined Beechcraft A36 Bonanza aircraft in the city of Nagpur in western Maharashtra state early Thursday.
"It's been good, actually a lot of fun. I have been to some really interesting places. There have been a few small issues but overall it's been fun," Guthmiller told AFP by telephone.
The bespectacled teen is set to cover 29,000 miles (46,700 kilometres) during his month-long journey, making 25 stops across 14 countries.
He hopes to set a Guinness World Record by landing on July 8 in California, when he will be 16 days younger than Ryan Campbell of Australia, the current record holder.
Campbell was 19 years, seven months, and 25 days old when he arrived south of Sydney in 2013.
27/06/14 NDTV.com

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Modi calls top meeting to discuss evacuation options

New Delhi: In a preliminary move to assess the possibilities to evacuate Indians in Iraq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a meeting of top officials here on Thursday.
The meeting, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan, Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Lavasa and senior intelligence officials, who were asked to give contingency plans on what would be the best route to evacuate Indian nationals in case the situation in Iraq warranted it.
Officials of the Ministry of External Affairs have said repeatedly that no evacuation is required at present given that commercial flights are operating regularly out of Baghdad and Erbil and most areas of Iraq are at present “safe.”
Official sources said very few of the 10,000-15,000 Indians working in Iraq want to leave as there is no violence in their areas and wages are unpaid.
27/06/14 Suhasini Haidar/The Hindu

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Nitin Fire bags Rs 250 crore order from Abu Dhabi airport; stock surges over 5%

Mumbai: Shares of Nitin Fire Protection surged over 5 per cent in trade after the company bagged Rs 250 crore order from Abu Dhabi Airport.
According to Nitin Shah, CMD, Nitin Fire Protection Industries, the order will be completed in next two-and-a-half years time.
The current orderbook of the company stands at Rs 450 crore.
27/06/14 Economic Times

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Will US Airlines operating from India be affected by High Court order in Pan-Am related issue?

Will US airlines operating from India be affected by the Punjab & Haryana High Court asking the Central Government to take up the issue of discrimination by the US government against Indian victims of the 1986 Pan-Am flight 73? It may be recalled that the flight was hijacked in Karachi by terrorists from Libya on 5 September 1986. As many as 13 Indians were killed and around 120 Indian passengers were injured in the attack.

This was the flight on which Pan-Am's chief purser, 23 year old Neerja Bhanot was gunned down by terrorists as she tried to allow passengers to escape from the aircraft, which had mainly American citizens. Neerja Bhanot was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, which is India's highest peacetime gallantry award for bravery, in 1987. She became the first woman to receive the award.

Interestingly, decades after the incident, Indian victims are angry at being discriminated against by the US Government. They are asking for the licenses of these airlines to operate from India, to be suspended until they can prove that Indians would not be discriminated against and abandoned by them again in case a similar hijack or other terrorist incidents on board their planes happens today. If the US airlines are barred from the lucrative Indian market, it will mean a huge dent in their overall profitability.
26/06/14 Money Life

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Air India sees 4-5% rise in revenue post entry in Star Alliance

Reeling under financial stress and increasing competition from Gulf carriers, industry experts said that the inclusion of Air India into Star Alliance will do little for the airline to revive from the current position.

National carrier – Air India on Tuesday announced its much-awaited entry into Star Alliance – the biggest grouping of global airlines. After being rejected by the alliance 3 years ago, the airline is now officially set to join the grouping of 26 other airlines by July 11 this year. The move is expected to increase revenues of the airline by 4-5%, according to the airline.

"Today about 13 Star member airlines operate to 10 destinations in India and account for a total share of 13% of India's to and fro market. The inclusion of Air India in Star would take Star Alliance to a stronger position with a share of about 30%," said a note issued by the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA).

Minister for civil aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati while announcing the inclusion of Air India into Star Alliance said that Air India will get benefit out of this association as a wider reach and access to existing facilities for the members of the world's biggest grouping of airlines would now be available to the passengers of Air India also.
25/06/14 Yuga Chaudhari/Daily News & Analysis

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Air India’s Star Alliance entry is a win-win for the carrier, the flyers and the club

New Delhi: Air India has finally been given the nod to become a part of Star Alliance. Entry to the exclusive international club consisting of 26 airlines including Lufthansa, Air Canada and Thai Airways, came at the end of a meeting of the Chief Executives’ Board of the member airlines in London on Monday.
The formal announcement of the membership was made by the Minister for Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju here on Tuesday.
All the benefits of a Star Alliance membership will be available to Air India and its passengers from July 11 this year. Monday’s announcement marks the end of a journey that began in 2007, during which the Maharaja has seen its shares of ups and down. Air India had been inducted into the Star Alliance in Beijing in December 2007. But in August 2011, the airline’s application for membership was put on hold as it had not met the parameters contractually agreed to in 2007.
Monday’s nod means that Air India will become the first Indian carrier to be inducted into a global airline alliance. The three global airline alliances — oneworld, Star Alliance and Skyteam — have over the years wooed various Indian carriers.
24/06/14 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Local interests to govern new air bilateral deals

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is developing an entirely new framework for bilateral air services agreements (ASAs) that will focus more on the needs of domestic carriers. The ministry has been criticised for granting bilaterals in a manner that causes domestic players like Air India to lose business to foreign competition. Emirates, for instance overtook Air India in 2013 with a 13% market share.
A senior civil aviation ministry official confirmed to FE it was conducting an internal exercise to review the position on bilaterals. “The idea is to understand in which areas we are underutilised, whether there is a shortage of aircraft or other bottlenecks,” the official said. He explained the new guidelines would pencil in not just the industry’s current ability to use the seats but future potential. “The primary consideration should be: What’s in it for us? There have to be larger economic benefits for the country,” he said, adding that a review of how existing bilaterals had helped had been initiated.
26/06/14 Roudra Bhattacharya/Financial Express

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Etihad Airways Offers Enhanced Access To India

Mumbai: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a major expansion of its codeshare agreement with Jet Airways, offering travellers enhanced connections throughout India, and linking India with even more destinations worldwide.
The two airlines have obtained regulatory approval to codeshare on 43 additional routes, bringing the total number of services in their codeshare agreement to 71.
As part of the expansion, Etihad Airways has placed its 'EY' code on domestic services in India for the first time, with the codeshare agreement now including 31 Jet Airways routes from hubs in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore to regional centres in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Patna, Trivandrum and Vadodara.
The codeshare agreement has also been updated to incorporate Jet Airways' international connections from Mumbai and Delhi to the Asian tourism and economic hubs of Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, together with services linking Chennai to Abu Dhabi and Singapore.
Furthermore, Jet Airways has strengthened its offering to the US and Europe by codesharing on additional Etihad Airways routes between Abu Dhabi and Chicago,New York, Dublin and Milan.
24/06/14 India PR Wire

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Indian Expat Held For Money-Laundering

Kuwait City: An Indian expatriate has been arrested at Kuwait International Airport in possession of KD 12,000, says Al-Seyassah. According to sources, a female customs officer discovered undeclared amount of KD 12,000 in the luggage of an Indian passenger who had arrived at the airport from India. According to the Kuwait law, passengers are not allowed to carry more than KD 3,000 cash. Based on instructions given by the Airport Customs Supervisor Lt General Sulaiman Al-Fahad to be strict with passengers who arrive in the country, the Indian expatriate was arrested for money laundering charges and referred to the concerned authorities for further investigations.
25/06/14 Arab Times

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Air India joins Star Alliance group

New Delhi: Air India Ltd has joined the Star Alliance group of carriers, a spokesman said on Tuesday, a move that could help boost revenues at the loss-making state-run airline.
Executives at Star Alliance met with Air India officials in London on Monday and agreed for the airline, which has been in talks to join since last year, to become its 27th member, Air India spokesman Praveen Bhatnagar said.
Air India will formally complete the process by mid-July, Bhatnagar said.
Membership allows Air India to share routes with the other airlines to more than 1,200 destinations, helping it to compete with Gulf carriers like Emirates, which have increased their share of long-distance flights into and out of India.
The member airlines of Star Alliance together own a total of 4,338 aircraft and fly over 640 million passengers a year, many of whom can also earn and burn frequent flyer miles on the entire alliance network.
24/06/14 Reuters/Indian Express

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Tatas to build Dornier aircraft with Swiss RUAG

Hyderabad: Tata Group aims at further consolidation in the aviation and aerospace sector by rolling out a fully built new generation Dornier aircraft from its Hyderabad facility, in association with aircraft maker RUAG Aviation of Switzerland.
Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), which is spearheading the conglomerate’s interests in the aerospace sector, on Monday tied up with RUAG to set up a manufacturing unit in Hyderabad to make fuselages and wings for the new Dornier 228 aircraft.
It is also the first big-ticket investment for the new State of Telangana. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao laid the foundation stone for the project here.
The company has become a significant player in the global aerospace market by setting up 100 per cent export-dedicated joint ventures with Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin near Hyderabad.
The joint venture with RUAG is its fourth in the aerospace sector.
23/06/14 Amit Mitra/Business Line

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