Delhi HC defers Akasa Air's plea against DGCA to March 2024

The Delhi High Court on October 13 deferred the hearing of low-cost airline Akasa Air's plea against the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over pilot resignations to March 12, 2024.

The plea was listed before Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora for further consideration. However, since the judge was sitting on a division bench in the morning, cases listed before the bench were adjourned at the request of both parties.

Akasa's plea was adjourned to March 12 by the court.

On September 27, the Delhi High Court ruled that the DGCA has the power to act against pilots and airlines who fail to comply with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

However, the interim order notes that DGCA cannot be directed to take action against future resignations since Akasa's case is still under consideration.

According to the interim order, if any pilot resigns during the pendency of the case without serving the requisite notice period then it will be at the own risk since the case is pending.

Akasa Air had moved the Delhi HC against the DGCA to take action against pilots who failed to comply with the mandatory notice period requirements in terms of the CAR 2017.

The airline contended that it has not been able to protect itself and the public from the "reckless and irresponsible" actions of some pilots. The plea said the airline officials met DGCA representatives several times to explain their difficulties but failed to receive any response or assurance from the authorities, after which it gave a representation to the Minister of Civil Aviation. But no action appears to have been taken.

14/10/2023 SN Thyagarajan/Moneycontrol

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Delhi court issues non-bailable warrant against Nellore International Airport Limited MD

New Delhi: A Delhi court has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Vankayalapati Umesh, the Managing Director (MD) of Nellore International Airport Limited (NIAL) due to his failure to appear in a cheque bounce case involving an amount of Rs 3 crore.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shikha Chahal of Saket Courts noted a lack of valid reason for Umesh's non-appearance.

The court observed that during the previous hearing, the accused had sought an adjournment to furnish bail bonds and engage a lawyer.

However, there was no justifiable cause for his absence during the recent hearing.

The court noted that the case is currently at the stage of bail bond verification and settlement.

As the parties involved have not reached a settlement, the case is proceeding on its merits.

The complainant company, ANS Construction Pvt. Ltd., alleged that Hyderabad-based NIAL had offered a Rs 100 crore contract to their Delhi-based company, taking Rs 3 crore as Earnest Money Deposit (EMD).

However, neither the contract was awarded nor was the EMD returned.

Subsequently, multiple cheques totaling Rs 3 crore were given to return the EMD but one of the cheques bounced.

The complainant's counsel Utkarsh Singh pointed out that despite being given time to settle the dispute, the accused did not approach for settlement nor did he appear before the court.

The court observed that the accused is well aware of the ongoing legal proceedings and appeared to be intentionally evading the process of law through his continued non-appearance.

14/10/2023 IANS/Daijiworld

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Air India’s widebody retrofit to begin in H2CY24, say sources

To offer an improved in-flight cabin experience onboard its aircraft, Air India is expected to commence retrofitting its legacy widebody planes in the second half of 2024, sources told FE.

Notably, the retrofit programme is a significant step in Air India’s transformation journey.

The airline had announced it would spend $400 million refurbishing its Boeing 777 and 787 widebody aircraft, as well as the A320neo planes.

At present, Air India has 36 Airbus A320neos, 22 Boeing 777s and 27 Boeing 787s.

The overall plan is to overhaul these aircraft with new seats, modern inflight entertainment systems, new upholstery and the possible addition of premium-class seats.

According to sources, the retrofit programme is likely to begin in July 2024 and run through 2027.

In detailing the plan, sources said that the timing of the refurbishment has been chosen after considering the current supply chain challenges.

Airline experts expect supply-side constraints to considerably ease by next year. Apart from interiors, the airline will gradually redo the exteriors of these aircraft with the new branding.

14/10/2023 Rohit Vaid/Financial Express

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Flights to Kol & Bengaluru from VSS Airport in Nov

Jharsuguda: Authorities of Veer Surendra Sai Airport here on Friday said IndiGo will commence flight services from Jharsuguda to Kolkata and Bengaluru from November 5 and 15, respectively.

Airport director Sandeep Tiwari said, “I am happy to announce that a new airline, Indigo, will start its operations from VSS Airport. Initially, flight operations will start for two sectors — Kolkata from November 5 and Bengaluru from November 15. For Kolkata, they will operate an ATR-72 aircraft while for Bengaluru flights, they will use an Airbus 320. Both flights will run all seven days a week. As per information, Indigo may also start flights to another sector like Delhi in winter.”

14/10/2023 Times of India

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Rakesh Gangwal doesn’t wish to invest in SpiceJet, says report

A day after it was reported that IndiGo co-founder and former promoter Rakesh Gangwal is planning to pick up a stake in low-cost carrier SpiceJet, a banker close to him on Saturday rubbished the claims and said that Gangwal has no intentions to do so.

As per the latest company data, Gangwal and his wife Shobha Gangwal held 13.23 per cent (5,10,21,132 shares) and 2.99 per cent stakes, respectively in IndiGo operator InterGlobe Aviation as of June-end, while the family-owned Chinkerpoo Family Trust holds a 13.5 per cent stake.

The banker, speaking to the Economic Times, said Gangwal still owns 25 per cent of IndiGo and doesn’t have any interest in investing more in SpiceJet.

“He still owns 25% in IndiGo. It doesn’t make the remotest sense for him to invest in SpiceJet...Moreover, he sees SpiceJet as a dying airline,” said the banker.

Shares of SpiceJet Ltd rallied nearly 18 per cent in Friday's trade after ET Now reported that Gangwal was in advanced stage of talks to acquire a stake in the BSE-listed firm.

Gangwal “is upset that retail investors are misguided thus, He would like to appeal to the Sebi to investigate the root of such baseless rumours,” the banker added.

14/10/2023 Business Today

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Two Bolivian nat'ls fly into city with ₹20cr cocaine, held

Mumbai: Two Bolivian nationals who smuggled 5kg cocaine worth Rs 20 crore hidden inside their shoes, jacket and innerwear were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The duo had arrived from Sau Paula on Thursday, but by the time NCB team reached the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, they had left the airport. The agency then kept a watch and traced them to a hotel in Khetwadi. The agency carried out a search of their room and recovered cocaine. The two Bolivian women were later identified as Evelina Azogue (46) and Ilorca Gloria (36) - both native of South America.

"The drugs were concealed among non-suspicious items such as toothpaste, cosmetic tubes, soap and makeup kit, and were being carried in form of powder, liquid and paste, which could be easily planted among regular items. The total cocaine recovery weighed around 5kg," said Ghawate.

14/10/2023 S Ahmed Ali/Times of India

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Fourth flight with 274 Indian nationals flies out from Israel

Jerusalem: A special flight carrying 274 Indian nationals wanting to leave Israel amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict left for home on Saturday, the second in a day and fourth since the launch of 'Operation Ajay'.

The special flights are part of the operation launched on October 12 to facilitate the return of those Indian nationals who wish to return home following the brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7.

The Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv earlier earlier announced that two special flights will operate from Ben Gurion airport on Saturday.

The first flight left around 5.40 pm local time. The second flight with 274 Indian nationals took off at 11.45 pm local time.

The third batch of 197 Indian nationals left for home around 5.40 pm local time (8.10 pm IST).

"#OperationAjay moves forward. 197 more passengers are coming back to India," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on X.

The Embassy of India in Israel posted on X,"As part of #OperationAjay, Indian nationals still in Israel and wishing to travel back to India are urgently requested to complete the attached travel form." The Indian Embassy also issued guidelines that " travel slots will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis in the 'Operation Ajay' and "In the event of a no-show or refusal to travel after confirmation and slotting, your name will be moved to the back of the queue." "The Embassy has been working round the clock to facilitate all our citizens in Israel who wish to leave. We have reached out to students, caregivers, and business people. Some of them are actually working with us as volunteers. We urge everyone to remain calm," Ambassador Sanjeev Singla told PTI.

14/10/2023 Harinder Mishra/PTI

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Vizag International Airport’s development: GMR secures Rs 4,000 cr finance

GMR has secured a Rs 4,000 crore loan from India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL), which leads in fund mobilisation for the home-grown Group. The funds will be utilised to construct a greenfield international airport at Vizag, Andhra Pradesh.

The new airport is being built on the outskirts of Bhogapuram, spanning over 2,200 acres. Strategically located in the seaside commercial city, with a key port and a steel unit, the project is part of GMR’s efforts to expand its aviation business. This airport is expected to be its fourth major airport in the country after Delhi, Hyderabad and Goa.

The IIFCL-led consortium is financing GMR’s latest airport venture to be developed in three phases, of which, the first phase is set to accommodate six million passengers a year. Once completed, the airport is expected to play a vital role in the development of the state and boost tourism in the northern region.

14/10/2023 Construction Week

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Passenger handling increases by 22 per cent to 4.6 lakh in September in Guwahati airport

Guwahati: The Guwahati airport has handled 4.6 lakh passengers in September, an increase of 22 per cent compared to the same month last year, Chief Airport Officer Utpal Baruah said on Saturday. The international airport also handled almost 4,000 air traffic movements in September, which is 19 per cent higher than that (3,216) in that month in 2022, he said.

"The airport handled 4.6 lakh passengers in September. This is 22 per cent higher than the previous year's 3,58,297 in the same month last year," Baruah told reporters.

The Guwahati airport has witnessed movement of over 610 private or chartered flights since April this year as activities of the government, business and others have increased "considerably" in comparison to those in the previous year.

The airport witnessed 186 non-scheduled flight movements in April, 114 in May, 72 in June, 46 in July, 47 in August and 144 in September, the Chief Airport Officer said.

Several such flights have been operated also in October from the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

Airport officials said the number of chartered flights has 'increased considerably' compared to that in the same period of 2022.

14/10/2023 Times of India

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Operation Ajay: Second flight carrying 235 Indians flies back from war-torn Israel

The second batch of Indian nationals returned home safely from war-torn Israel early this morning on a special flight organised as part of ‘Operation Ajay’. The flight carrying 235 Indian nationals, including two infants, landed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi on Saturday.

The first charter flight, under 'Operation Ajay', carrying 212 Indian nationals from Israel landed in Delhi airport on Friday morning amid the country's raging conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The passengers were chosen on a "first come first serve" basis after a drive launched by the Indian embassy for all Indians to register at the mission's database. The government is bearing the cost of their return.

India launched 'Operation Ajay' on Thursday to facilitate the return of those who wish to return home following the brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7, triggering fresh tension in the volatile region.

The flight took off at 11:02 pm local time.

The evacuation of Indian nationals will continue on Sunday as well.

14/10/2023 India Today

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Risk monitoring helps Air India prevent revenue loss of over INR 3 cr

Full-service carrier Air India has prevented revenue loss of over INR 3 crore in the last 18 months owing to its risk monitoring and fraud prevention mechanism, the airline's Managing Director and

Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said on Friday. Wilson in his weekly Friday message to Air India employees, also said that the airline has taken delivery of its second wide-body A350 aircraft, which is expected to arrive in January next year.

Air India announced the acquisition of its first A350 plane late last month.

Airlines are a high-profile target for fraudsters, whether it be attempts to use stolen credit cards on our websites, to fraudulently claim frequent flier miles, or other scams, Wilson said.

The airline has a risk monitoring and fraud prevention unit and preventing fraudulent transactions is one of its important works, he said.

Thanks to the unit's vigilance and close liaison with airport staff, it has prevented revenue loss of over Rs 3-crore in the last 18 months, Wilson informed employees.

"Erstwhile Air India was somewhat of an easy target in the past but, as we completely modernise our systems, this is no longer the case - and with our continued investment in state-of-the-art capabilities,

we will increasingly be able to turn the tables on criminals," he said.

Wilson also said the airline received this week the first of 21 A320neos (VT-RTF), of the 25 narrow body planes that airline had announced to lease last year, adding that four new A321neos from this batch are already in service, with the remaining 20 A320neos progressively arriving between now and

14/10/2023 PTI/ETInfra

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Gold found stacked in pasta-making machine at Kempegowda International Airport

Bengaluru: Customs officials at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) seized gold weighing 598 grams worth Rs 35.37 lakh from a passenger who arrived from Dubai on Saturday.

Bengaluru Customs stated that the passenger travelled in Indigo Airline and landed at the Bengaluru airport. He was allegedly carrying gold concealed in a pasta-making machine.

The machine was placed inside his checked-in baggage. The officials found the rods of the pasta making machine suspicious and cut open them to find five small cylindrical rods of crude gold inside. The gold has been seized by the customs sleuths.

14/10/2023 Deccan Herald

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Indian flight makes emergency landing at Karachi

Islamabad: An Indian flight operated by Express India made a medical emergency landing on Saturday at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

According to the details, the flight, which was originally travelling from Dubai to Amritsar, declared a medical emergency at 11:47pm at Karachi airport.

There were 169 passengers on-board at the time. Upon landing in Karachi, an 18-year-old sick Indian national was examined by doctors from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Border Health Services (BHS).

After the examination, the individual was declared fit for travel. The flight departed from Jinnah International Airport at 02:25pm.

14/10/2023 Nuzhat Nazar/Business Recorder

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Mumbai airport customs destroys 3700 kgs of confiscated cigarettes

Mumbai: As a part of an ongoing special campaign disposal of seized goods is being expedited by the Mumbai airport customs to reclaim office space. In this regard, 3700 kgs of illegally imported Cigarettes, Tobacco and e-Cigarettes valued at Rs 2.80 crore were destroyed by the Mumbai airport customs on October 12.

These substances were seized and confiscated from passengers at the Mumbai airport. The said contraband which is smuggled into India in contravention of provisions of Customs Act,1962 and Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003 (COTPA, 2003), was seized and confiscated during the current financial year by the Mumbai airport Customs officials.

The goods were destroyed at the incinerator facility of Mumbai Waste Management Ltd Taloja, authorised by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

14/10/2023 Manju V/Times of India

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Skyborne, IndiGo Holds Recruitment Seminars For A320 First Officers

Airline training providers Skyborne and IndiGo are conducting seminars across Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Gurugram for the prospective pilot cadets to learn more about its pilot programme.  

Lee Woodward, CEO, Skyborne, said, “India is one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets and is facing an unprecedented need for pilots. The demand for travel in India is back, and combined with IndiGo’s recent aircraft orders, the opportunity for future IndiGo pilots has never been better. The IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme with Skyborne offers international training experience, FAA and DGCA dual licences, and a clear path to an exciting career with one of the best airlines in the world. 

The seminars have already been completed in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Mumbai, with Gurugram being the last city to host the seminar. 

Those who are yet to complete their DGCA CPL theory exams have the additional option to undertake Skyborne’s SKYWORX India DGCA Distance Learning Programme before they commence flight training.

14/10/2023 Mobility Outlook

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AAI nod to pending tasks, int'l airport to get wings soon

Ludhiana: In a major development that would further expedite the ongoing work on the mega civil aviation project, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has given in-principle approval to the pending tasks for the upcoming international airport at Halwara, close to Ludhiana.

The development assumes significance as these approvals were awaiting the AAI nod since long following which several components of the ongoing work to construct a new integrated civil enclave and cargo terminal at Air Force Station in Halwara, which is one of the oldest frontline airbases of the Indian Air Force (IAF), close to Ludhiana, were getting delayed.

This was conveyed by the Union Civil Aviation Secretary, Vumlunmang Vualnam, to Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora, who met him in New Delhi last evening.

Sharing details, the Rajya Sabha MP told The Tribune here on Saturday that he had been pursuing the matter of pending approvals with the Civil Aviation Ministry since long and had been impressing upon the top functionaries to grant the same for paving the way to undertake the balance works at the earliest.

“I called on the Civil Aviation Secretary and briefed him about the issues in details, following which he showed prompt response and accorded the formal approvals of the project, which were lying pending with the ministry for a long time,” Arora disclosed.

14/10/2023 Nitin Jain/Tribune

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Noida International Airport runway, ATC to be ready soon! Know the latest update, key details of the mega project

Noida airport: Project officials have announced that the runway and air traffic control (ATC) tower for the upcoming Noida airport are expected to be ready by March 2024. During a review meeting, S P Goyal, the additional chief secretary to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and additional chief secretary of Civil Aviation for the Uttar Pradesh government, was briefed on the progress of the Greenfield project. Approximately 7,200 workers are laboring day and night to ensure the project’s timely completion.

The official statement indicated, “First of all, the construction work of the ATC tower was reviewed. The ATC tower, featuring eight floors, has seen the completion of six floors, and the last two floors are currently under construction. The tower, standing at a height of 30 meters, is set to be finalised by February 2024.”

Regarding the runway construction, the statement mentioned, “The construction work of the runway at the airport is almost 70% complete, with the airstrip work targeted for completion by February-March 2024. Goyal also inspected the construction work of the terminal building, which is progressing rapidly.”

Goyal’s on-site review included Noida International Airport Limited CEO Arun Vir Singh, Noida International Airport CEO Christoph Schnellmann, COO Kiran Jain, District Magistrate Manish Verma, and Yamuna Authority’s officer-on-special duty Shailendra Bhatia, among others.

Additionally, the review covered the construction of an interchange being developed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) at Dayanatpur to connect the airport located in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district. NHAI officials assured that the road connecting the airport to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway will be completed on schedule.

Goyal issued directives to expedite construction work and ensure adherence to the stipulated project timelines as per the concession agreement.

14/10/2023 Anindita Sen/Financial Express

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Air India, SpiceJet to operate flights to Tel Aviv on October 14

Air India and SpiceJet will operate one flight each to Tel Aviv on October 14 to bring back Indians amid escalating tensions due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to officials. These chartered flights will be operated under Operation Ajay, which the government has launched to facilitate the return of those who wish to come back from Israel.

The officials in the know said Air India will be operating a flight from the national capital to Tel Aviv while SpiceJet will operate a flight from Amritsar to Tel Aviv. Both flights are expected to return and land at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning, they added.

One of the officials said Air India is scheduled to operate another flight to Tel Aviv on October 15.

On October 14 morning, an Air India flight AI 140 returned to the national capital with 235 Indians from Israel.

14/10/2023 PTI/Moneycontrol

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Air India Suspends Scheduled Flights To Israel Till October 18: Report

New Delhi: Air India has extended the suspension of its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv till October 18, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The full service carrier, which normally operates five weekly scheduled flights to Tel Aviv, had earlier suspended the services till October 14.

An airline official today told Press Trust of India that the scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv have now been suspended till October 18.

The carrier will operate chartered flights to bring back Indians depending on the requirements, the official told Press Trust of India.

Normally, Air India operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital.

The service is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

14/01/2023 NDTV

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Adani Enterprises says ministry starts probe related to its Mumbai airports

Billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Enterprises said on Friday that India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs had started an accounting probe related to its two airports in Mumbai.Adani said the ministry had sought information and documents on the units – whose acquisition was completed in the financial year 2021-22 – spanning financial years 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Adani Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment seeking further details. The investigation is the latest in a string of troubles for the conglomerate since a U.S. short seller earlier this year accused it of improperly using offshore tax havens and stock manipulation.

India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs had in February initiated another probe into the Adani Group’s financial statements. A separate probe into suspected violations in overseas investments in the Adani group by India’s markets regulator has “drawn a blank”, a court-appointed panel said in May.

13/10/2023 Reuters/Financial Express

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