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Thursday 31 July 2014

SpiceJet owes Rs 200 cr to airports, govt

Mumbai: SpiceJet owes about Rs 200 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and various tax authorities as adverse operating environment has impacted its performance. The dues include Rs 110 crore outstanding to AAI, disclosed by the civil aviation ministry last week.

The matter came to light after anxious airline employees wrote to the management last week about not receiving TDS (tax deducted at source) certificates for the purpose of filing tax returns. On Tuesday, SpiceJet said it could not discuss the issue about pending dues as it is “privileged and confidential information”. Notably, the airline’s auditor had last year observed delays in depositing of tax dues.

SpiceJet to 'Adjust Processes' to Handle Delay Scenarios Properly

New Delhi: With the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directing SpiceJet to refund fares and food charges for all its passengers on a Mumbai-Delhi flight, the no-frills carrier on Tuesday acknowledged its failure and promised to "adjust processes" to meet such situations in the future.

However, it also said that budget airlines were "unable at short notice to provide food for everyone on board for logistical reasons as the aircraft are not stocked that way (and) only carry limited quantities of food on board".

Unstabilised flight landing worries ATC

New Delhi: Even as air traffic grows at a rapid pace in the country, it has been found that about one-fifth of missed landings in India, which force pilots to opt for a ‘go-around’, are “unstabilised”.This has led to serious concern amongst aviation and airport authorities who have started organising joint workshops and interactions for pilots and air traffic control officers (ATCOs) to address the problems encountered by both in such situations.
An unstabilised approach is a landing approach during which an aircraft does not maintain stability of at least one of the variables speed, descent rate, vertical or lateral flight path and landing configuration. Such approaches generally account for most approach and landing accidents.Missed landings, particularly due to unstabilised approaches, form about 20 per cent of the total go-around incidents, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI) data.

Boeing asks Air India not to fly Dreamliners near thunderstorms: G M Siddeshwara

New Delhi: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has asked Air India to avoid flying its Dreamliner planes near thunderstorms as it enhanced the risk of icing on engines and the airline has changed its operating procedures accordingly.
"Boeing has issued an advisory to Air India to avoid flying the B-787 (Dreamliner) aircraft near high-level thunderstorms due to an increased risk of icing on the General Electric GEnx engines used on it," Minister of State for Civil Aviation G M Siddeshwara said reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
He said the problem was caused by a build-up of ice crystals behind the main fan of the engine, causing a brief loss of thrust.

Govt may review global airline bilateral agreement method

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is to study the procedures surrounding bilateral air service agreements, to safeguard India's interests while inking these pacts.

The ministry might also make it more stringent for foreign airlines to pick up strategic stakes in Indian carriers.

Till the study is concluded, the ministry has decided to "go slow" with negotiations for enhancement of bilateral air traffic rights with all countries. Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt and Singapore, among others, have been vying to increase traffic rights to and from India.

SpiceJet in talks with tax authorities

Mumbai: Budget airline SpiceJet Ltd (SPJT.BO) said it was in talks with authorities to resolve tax-related issues after its shares tumbled on a newspaper report that the company had left employees unable to fill in tax returns on time.

"We are aware of our obligations under the applicable law," the company said in a statement after trading hours on Wednesday.

SpiceJet shares fell 16.2 percent, the most since June 2006, to close at 14 rupees, in a Mumbai market that edged up 0.4 percent. The stock fell as much as 18.6 percent at one point during trading.

Court Questions Centre on Delay in Deciding on Kingfisher's Plea

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre as to why it has not decided since March 2012 on a plea by Kingfisher Airlines for security clearance to appoint advocate Lalit Bhasin as a director.

"Why is the application pending?" a bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the Civil Aviation Ministry and listed the matter for hearing on August 5 after the government counsel sought time to seek instructions.

"Come back with instructions," the court said.

Airline crew unaware of flyers’ rights, asked to undergo refresher course

Mumbai: A rule that calls for refunding of fare in case of a flight delay of more than two hours, and which had been in force since 2010, was invoked for the first time after SpiceJet on Monday was ordered to refund the full fare to 172 passengers. Surprisingly, not only the passengers but even the crew members were not aware of the rules and were later asked to undergo a refresher course.

The incident came to light after a passenger complained to the aviation authority, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), about a delayed flight between Mumbai and Delhi on June 16. The aviation authority stated that apart from a torturous five-hour wait, the flyers were made to pay for food and drinks while stuck on board the grounded aircraft. Spicejet earned Rs 15,000 from the sale of snacks while the airlines are required to serve refreshments free of cost when a flight is delayed by over two hours. This amount, too, will be refunded.

4 Lakh to be Trained in Aviation Skills

Bangalore: Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore Chambers of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) and Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries (SIATI) will be jointly forming a non-profit organisation for skill development in the aerospace and aviation sector, according to a release issued by HAL.
The council headed by HAL Chairman R K Tyagi will comprise members from aviation majors, airport operators and other academia. Air India, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Indigo, GVK Group, Tata, National Aerospace Laboratories and Indian Space Research Organisations have been invited to be part of the initiative,  stated the release.
The broader objective of the organisation is to aggregate skill requirements of the industry including sub-sector requirements, regional requirements, international trends and best practices that can be introduced into the domestic skill development space, stated the release.
Read news in full 30/07/14 New Indian Express

Mumbai airport cargo goes paper-free

Now, the clearance of cargo goods at the airport is all set to get smoother. Airport authorities have made the cargo handling division paperless with all entries of imported-exported goods to be done online.
An official from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said the airlines and agents will now have to issue online delivery order messages.

"The system has the capability to validate orders online before the generation of final gate pass and, thereby, ease the operational work," said a senior MIAL official.

Mysore may be off commercial flight map this Dasara

Mysore:  Visitors to Mysore this Dasara season may have to travel only by bus, road or private charter flights.

The sole commercial operator has indicated to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) it will discontinue the Mysore-Chennai flight from September 1 even as no airline has approached the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for permission to operate flights out of Mysore in the winter schedule starting October.

CIAL ups borrowing cap to fund expansion plans

Kochi: Keeping in view the additional fund requirements for meeting the capital expenditure for its long-term expansion plans, the Cochin International Airport Limited is all set to raise its borrowing limits of the company to Rs.1500 crore from the current ceiling of Rs.300 crore.

As per CIAL annual report 2014-15, a special resolution with regard to raising the credit cap will be presented during its annual general meeting (AGM) to be held on August 29 for the approval of its shareholders. The proposal, being initiated with a view to finance its ongoing and future projects and enhanced working capital needs of the company, had already been approved by the company director board during its meeting on December 2013.

Delhi Duty Free wins GMR-IGI Airport Awards 2014

Mumbai: Delhi Duty Free Services Pvt. Ltd (DDFS), India’s duty free retail space at T3, IGI Airport in Delhi has won “Super Star of Year Award” at the 3rd edition of GMR-IGI Airport Award 2014. The GMR-IGI Awards comprised 28 diverse categories and a special recognition.

The GMR-IGI Airport Awards are annual awards which have been institutionalised to recognise exemplary achievement, seamless service and inspiring entrepreneurship of business partners from the Airport community. The awards aim to acknowledge partners who have excelled in service standards in paving the way for being amongst the best airports in the world.
Read news in full 29/07/14 Hospitality Biz India

Is loss-ridden SpiceJet going Kingfisher way?

New Delhi/Mumbai: SpiceJet employees are a nervous lot these days. The loss-ridden low cost carrier (LCC) deducted tax from their salaries but has neither given a TDS certificate, nor Form 16 so far — raising questions if the same has indeed been deposited with the government. With the last date of filing tax return for fiscal 2013-14 just three days away, employees are sending frantic mails to the management but have not got any response from the airline so far.

Can India regain Category I aviation safety rating from FAA?

The Indian Government is working towards regaining the country's top aviation safety rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA, the American aviation regulator has cut India's safety rating to Category II from Category I causing embarassment for the country as well as for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). India had enjoyed the Category I rating since 1997 and the downgrade to Category II, the first for the country, places it in same category as Zimbabwe and Indonesia.

Replying to a question asked by independent member of Parliament (MP) Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Rajya Sabha, GM Siddeshwara, minister of state for civil aviation, said, the FAA downgraded India's aviation safety to Category II in January this year and his ministry is working hard to regain the earlier rating.

The mysterious disappearance of MH370

Bangalore: A scheduled passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing that disappeared on March 8, 2014, after losing contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff, made international headlines for months together. The disappearance of MH370 flight carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 15 nations remains a mystery till date. Captain Samir Kohli's  Into Oblivion: Understanding MH370 presents the science and the math behind this tragedy which claimed more than 235 lives.

This book is published under Creative Commons attribution — Share Alike license as the Captain believes that nobody can have a copyright on safety. The author presents a comprehensive scientific evaluation of each and every theory regarding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

AirAsia India aims to fly high

The Indian sky has been “painted red” at last, after over a year of waiting with the official launch of Asia’s largest budget carrier, AirAsia Group’s sixth affiliate AirAsia India Pte Ltd last week.
It is the first foreign airline to be based in India after the country’s government relaxed its rules by allowing foreign carriers to own up to 49 per cent in an Indian airline two years ago, and the journey was not easy.
AirAsia India had to wait patiently for 14 months to receive the approval from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation as well as the air operator’s permit,  besides facing backlash from its competitors in the country.

Near misses on rise in Indian airspace, show AAI records

Mumbai: If you are a frequent flyer, this news will send a chill down your spine. Indian airspace has seen as many as 17 cases of near misses so far in the year 2013-2014, four more than last year.
Airprox is when two aircraft come dangerously close to each other. As per the UN-backed International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an airprox is defined as a situation in which, in the opinion of a pilot or air traffic services personnel, the distance between aircraft as well as their relative positions and speed have been such that the safety of the aircraft involved may have been compromised. This situation is expected only at a time of actual risk, not potential risk.

Mahindra Rebrands Its General Aviation Aircraft as ‘Airvans’

Say goodbye to the Gipps imprimatur on its line of general aviation aircraft. India’s Mahindra Aerospace, which bought Australia-based GippsAero in 2009, is renaming its piston GA8 single the Airvan 8 and its under-development turboprop-single GA10 the Airvan 10. Mahindra also announced yesterday at EAA AirVenture that the Airvan 8 would be available on optional Wipline amphibious aluminum floats by year-end and that it is now taking nonrefundable deposits on the Airvan 10. It said it expects Airvan 10 certification in 2015.

This turboprop single is powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250 B-17 engine and features a 50-inch-wide sliding cargo door. It has a full-fuel payload of 1,400 pounds, a range of 550 nm with IFR reserves and a cruising speed of 145 ktas.

Tuesday 29 July 2014

Bid to set up Northeast Aviation Council

Guwahati:  The College of Aeronautical Engineering has proposed a Northeast Aviation Council to the DoNER Minister Gen (Retd) Dr VK Singh. Representatives of the college demanded a major overhaul in the aviation sector in the North-east arguing that lack of connectivity must not hamper the growth of the region.
The project worth Rs 300 crore is supposed to provide direct benefit to tourism, health, disaster management, trade and commerce and government administration, among others.

SpiceJet to discontinue operations from Mysore

Mysore: The sole commercial flight connecting Mysore with Bangalore and Chennai will be discontinued with effect from September 1, in what could be a major setback to the region’s connectivity with other business centres.

SpiceJet, which was operating the flight, has indicated that it is withdrawing operations from the city. Confirming this with The Hindu, C. Manjunath, officer in charge of he Mysore Airport, said he received an SMS from the airline’s local representative indicating the closure of operations with effect from September 1. The airline has also cancelled flights from Mysore till August 10.

SpiceJet discount offer unlikely to get ministry go-ahead

The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) is unlikely to approve budget carrier SpiceJet's proposal to offer restricted non-changeable, non-refundable fares, saleable at any time for domestic travel.

While the airline had in its proposal to the government argued issue of such tickets would help improve occupancy and allow them to discount by half even last-minute or spot fares, highly placed sources in the ministry said SpiceJet would have to refund to passengers the charges levied in an air ticket by the government and airport operators in the event of cancellations.

Can India accommodate more domestic airlines?

New Delhi: The old debate on whether India has an appetite for more domestic airlines has again got a lease of life after GM Siddeshwara, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, told the Lok Sabha that during the last three-four years, six companies applied for scheduled and regional scheduled operator permits.

Of these, four – AirAsia (India), Quickjet Cargo Airlines, Ligare Aviation and LEPL Projects (Air Costa) — have been given air operator permits after they completed the process for starting new airlines.

AirAsia (India) and Air Costa have already started operations.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation mulling to introduce easier flying licence rules for small operators

New Delhi: India's civil aviation regulator is likely to make it easier for companies to start flight operations, especially those seeking to use small planes. It's also recommended that small operators be allowed to run scheduled services to boost connectivity of destinations that aren't served by airlines.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is preparing a new set of civil aviation rules that would substantially ease the process of getting an air operator's permit or flying licence for so-called non-scheduled operators (NSOPs), said a senior official at the regulator.

Regular flights to link Gujarat cities soon

Ahmedabad: The union civil aviation ministry has identified six places — Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Kandla, Keshod, Daman and Diu — in and around the state to promote regional air connectivity as part of the central government's plan for Tier-II and Tier-III cities of the country.

Small airports that can handle scheduled flights on a regular basis will be built at the six places identified by the civil aviation ministry. These places currently do have airstrips but they handle very few flights. For instance, one scheduled flight operates daily out of Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Diu. The airports that are planned will not be as big those in Ahmedabad and other large cities but they will be more than airstrips.

Govt aims to develop 5 airports, award contracts

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry will start the development of five no-frills airports and award management contracts of four airports to private operators in the current financial year. The targets were set in a meeting between secretaries of ministries and Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar coordinated the meeting attended by secretaries from the railways, road transport and highways, civil aviation, power, coal, renewable energy, ports and shipping, telecommunications, petroleum and natural gas ministries and the PM.

A ministry official said, "The outlay for the civil aviation sector has been increased 66 per cent. It was decided to start work on five of 50 low-cost airports. The locations are yet to be finalised. We have decided to award management contracts in at least four of six airports to private operators, processes for which were started last year."

Odisha Govt to establish mini airports at Paradip, Dhamara, Kalinganagar

Bhubaneswar: The State Govt has decided to set up new mini-airports at Paradip, Kalinganagar and Dhamara. Meanwhile in Malkangiri, land acquisition work for seting up a new airport there has been finished.

According to sources of General administration department, the state government is taking necessary steps use the airport located at Jharsuguda for commercial purpose. Similarly, the state government has decided to make Jaipur airport in Koraput district a full fledged one.
Read news in full 28/04/15 Odisha Dairy

Report sought on Dreamliner snags

New Delhi:  Repeated glitches in Dreamliner planes have prompted the civil aviation ministry to seek a report from Air India on the problems faced in the use of the aircraft.

“On a daily basis something or the other keeps happening to one of these planes. The airline is spending considerable time, energy and manpower just to take care of these issues. When an aircraft is grounded right before it takes off, it causes inconvenience to passengers, delays the flight and is not good for the reputation of the carrier. We have asked the airline to file a report detailing all the troubles it has faced with the plane,” said a senior ministry official.

The official said the ministry might take action and demand an explanation from manufacturer Boeing.

flydubai to start five-times-a-week flights to Mumbai from October

Mumbai: Commencing on October 28, 2014, flydubai will operate direct flights five times a week between Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2 and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, and increase the frequency of flights to Delhi to five weekly. With the addition of Mumbai to its network, flydubai now serves seven destinations in India, with 25 flights a week, a release states.

Flight FZ445 will depart from Dubai at 2240 hrs local time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, landing in Mumbai at 0300 hrs local time.

Flight FZ446 will depart from Mumbai at 0400 hrs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and arrive in Dubai at 0600 hrs local time.

GMR Infrastructure plans to list airport business this year

GMR Infrastructure's airport business that made a profit last financial year after three years of losses is now set upon a financially stable path which entails an imminent IPO, cash compensation from an earlier project, a stringent filter on future projects and limited capital outflows, its group finance chief said recently.

The plans fit the Bangalore conglomerate's overall strategy of raising cash, paring debt, transforming itself into a light-asset company and unlocking potential in individual businesses, Madhu Terdal told ETin an interview.

Flight delay: DGCA asks SpiceJet to refund fare

New Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind action, DGCA has directed SpiceJet to refund fare to all passengers of a Mumbai-Delhi flight that was delayed by about five hours last month, officials said on Monday.

The aviation regulator also asked the no-frills airline to refund the money it charged from passengers of this delayed flight by selling food and beverages, instead of offering it free in accordance with the laid-down rules.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft (VT-SGO), carrying 172 passengers including two infants, suffered engineering problems which led the pilots to abort take-off and return to the bay.

Another plane was pressed into service, replacing the 189-seater aircraft, to operate Flight SG-419 on June 16 after a delay of over four-and-a-half hours.

Jaisalmer:Tourism businessmen protest to demand air services

Jaisalmer: The tourist season has almost started, but there is no hope of air service starting in Jaisalmer. Disappointed over the indifference of centre and state governments, the businessmen in Jaisalmer took out a silent procession under the banner of Golden City Tourism Confederation Development Society and I Love Jaisalmer and submitted memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union civil aviation minister.

The Society's president Prithviraj Singh and spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Awasthi said in the memorandum that Jaisalmer along with being a tourist place is a border district too due to which demand for air service is high not only for tourism but also for military. Despite the civil airport lying ready for two years, air service has not started till now.

Lucknow : Plan to give extra waiting area to airport visitors

Lucknow: : Extra waiting area would be provided to visitors at the international terminal of the Amausi airport soon . Airport authorities have drawn out a plan for converting part of the open area near the canteen into a waiting shed.

Airport director Suresh Chandra Hota said there have been repeated demands from visitors for more waiting area at the international terminal. "We have agreed and directions have been issued to come up with a plan," he said.

CIAL posts record profit

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has registered an impressive growth rate of 11.68 per cent in its profits rates to post a record profit of Rs. 124.42 crore during the fiscal 2013-14.

According to official estimates, the company’s gross profit stood at Rs. 157.46 crore while the total turnover was at Rs. 361.39 crore. Of this, 44.8 per cent of income (Rs. 161.99 crore) comes from non traffic sector.

Surat residents demand extension of airport runway

Surat: Members of the We Want Working Airport at Surat (WWWAS), a group crusading for the development of Surat airport, have started a 'signature campaign' on the social sites including Facebook demanding corrective measures to remove limitations on the airport runway.

The group members have urged the Airport Authority of India (AAI), through their online petition, to extend the runway by 1,800 foot to the original plan of 9,000 foot.

Originally the airport master plan had a runway length of 9,000 ft for safe operations of twin aisled wide bodied twin engine aircraft. However, as Air India was the only operator using single aisled aircraft, the runway construction was stopped at 7,200 ft.

Increased smuggling a worry in Bangalore

Bangalore: Increasing attempts to smuggle in gold across the nation-including at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)-is becoming a major headache for the authorities. Airports across major metros and other important cities have been reporting increasing smuggling activity, and, officials attribute the reason to the hike in gold import duty, which was hiked from 2% to 10% last year. The issue is troubling the retail industry in the country too.

In 2013-14, there were 99 cases of gold smuggling in KIA, which saw authorities seize 73.431-kg of gold worth an estimated Rs 25.3 crore. This is an increase from two cases with 2.4-kg of gold worth Rs 69 lakh being seized in the previous year.

Sunday 27 July 2014

Get pilots who can tackle bad weather and wet runways: DGCA tells airlines

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered domestic carriers to ensure that their pilots are certified to fly during the monsoon as there is a high risk of planes skidding out of control on wet runways. The DGCA has warned airlines, "It will be the responsibility of the operator (airline) to formulate a comprehensive training programme for allweather operations depending upon the flight crew experience, aeroplane capability and aerodrome facilities." When asked, a senior DGCA functionary said, "The orders in this regard have been issued to domestic airlines to ensure that all their pilots are well trained to deal with rough weather".
All airlines and aircraft operators have also been asked to formulate and conduct allweather operations (AWO) training programmes for their crew members.

Abandoned Dakota aircraft at Kolkata airport was flown by Biju Patnaik

Kolkata: A Dakota DC-3 aircraft parked for decades at the Kolkata airport was used by former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik to rescue former Indonesian vice president Md Hatta and prime minister Sutan Sjahrir on July 22, 1947, a researcher has unearthed. Anil Dhir, who is based in Bhubaneswar and has made efforts to track down all the aircraft of Kalinga Airlines over the last two years, has written to Odisha chief minister and Biju Patnaik's son Navin Patnaik to salvage the aircraft and park it outside the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.

Air Costa to enhance connectivity on Chennai-Madurai sector

Mumbai: Regional carrier Air Costa today said it will enhance connectivity on Chennai-Madurai-Chennai sector from next month.

With the launch of second flight to Madurai connecting Chennai, Hyderabad and Vijayawada, effective August 6, Air Costa customers will enjoy same day return flights between these cities, the airline said in a statement.

The introduction of these new flights will take the total number of daily services operated by Air Costa to 36 from across nine domestic airports, it said.

A year of airplane disasters: Is 2014 a bad year for flying?

New Delhi: It’s almost halfway through the year, Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A) have reported 991 fatalities in 2014 already. Do you know this is double the number of plane crash casualties in 2013?

So, is 2014 could be the worst year for aviation? It’s surely been a bad year for flying. With four major airline tragedies on record, 2014 is quickly becoming the year of the airplane disaster. There is a lot of anxiety over boarding a plane is flying high for many people.

To being with the Malaysian Airlines MH370 that went missing in March earlier this year, three planes crashed within a week which took the number of airplane crash fatalities to over 900. The crash of an Algerian passenger plane is the third fatal airline incident in a week. The wreckage of an Air Algerie plane missing since early Thursday with 116 people on board has been found in Mali near the Burkina Faso border.

Air India systems integration with Star Alliance: SITA completes technical requisites

New Delhi: Global aviation IT firm SITA today said it has completed a variety of technical requisites for Air India to integrate its systems with that of Star Alliance, including those concerning ticketing, e-commerce, departure control and revenue integrity.

The Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA), which earlier integrated the systems of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India after their merger, also provided its Horizon Passenger Services System (PSS) suite of solutions for Air India to seamlessly integrate with the global airlines' grouping.

Royal Jordanian to shut down Delhi, Mumbai flights

Dubai: Royal Jordanian Airlines has decided to stop all its services to Mumbai and Delhi. The decision is taken due to reduced demand on travel to these cities, aggressive growth of regional competition and increased operating costs.

RJ will stop operating to Mumbai on September 10 and to Delhi on October 31, this year. The airline is also shutting down its Lagos route with effect from October 10.

With the closure of the three destinations, the RJ routes will count 51.

InterGlobe seeks FIPB nod for foreign funding in IndiGo

New Delhi:  InterGlobe Aviation — the parent company of IndiGo, India's largest airline by domestic carriage — has sought Foreign Investment Promotion Board's (FIPB) nod for possible funding ahead of its proposed initial public offer.

The move comes even as several foreign airlines such as Qatar Airways had evinced interest in buying into the airline. The company's matter is listed for discussion for FIPB's meeting next Friday.

Flying permit process progressing well: Tata-SIA

Jamshedpur: Tata-SIA Airlines Ltd today said it hoped to launch flights by September-October this year as it expressed "satisfaction" over the progress made in getting the flying licence from aviation regulator DGCA.
"The AOP (Air Operator's Permit or flying licence) exercise is progressing well and we are expecting to launch the full service airlines' domestic service in September-October," S Varadarajan, chief human resource officer and chief of corporate affairs of the airline, said in Jamshedpur.
Varadarajan, who was in the steel city to participate in the HR Conclave 2014 organised by CII Jamshedpur, said Tata-SIA has shared all relevant issues, including the route network plan of the company with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and was awaiting the AOP.
The company would procure four to five aircraft by end of March next year and enhance the procurement to 20 in next few years, he said.

Tata-SIA hopes to launch flights by September-October

Jamshedpur: Tata-SIA Airlines Ltd on Saturday said it hoped to launch flights by September-October this year as it expressed "satisfaction" over the progress made in getting the flying licence from aviation regulator DGCA.

"The AOP (Air Operator's Permit or flying licence) exercise is progressing well and we are expecting to launch the full service airlines' domestic service in September- October," S Varadarajan, chief human resource officer and chief of corporate affairs of the airline, said.

Jet Airways revamps management team

New Delhi: As part of its ongoing major revamp, Jet Airways has appointed Raj Sivakumar as the chief commercial officer with immediate effect. Sivakumar will be responsible for the overall development and implementation of sales strategy to enhance the company's market share and maximize revenues. Sivakumar will report to the CO

Rajeev Nambiar has joined Jet's management team as vice president - sales (India). "He will be responsible for developing and directing the implementation of the strategic, business and operational goals of the sales function. He will have management responsibility for the achievement of customer acquisition and revenue goals (passenger sales) for India points of sale/territories," a Jet statement said.

Mid-year turbulence hits Jet Airways as domestic market share dips sharply

India’s largest full-service carrier Jet Airways lost domestic market share sharply in June compared with the previous month by almost 2 percentage points to 15.3%, according to industry data. In fact, Jet’s market during the month on a yearly basis fell even more sharply by almost 3 percentage points.
The slide in market share to rivals like Spicejet, GoAir and even its own low-cost subsidiary Jet Lite (operates under the JetKonnect brand), has led the Naresh Goyal-promoted airline to announce up to 50% discounted fares on Thursday for both domestic and international routes. Jet, which posted a record R4,130 crore loss in FY14 and sold a 24% stake to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad last year for over R2,000 crore, has embarked on a three-year restructuring of its loss-making domestic business with a target to turn profitable by FY17.

Jet Airways appoints Sivakumar as chief commercial officer

Mumbai: Private airline Jet Airways on Friday appointed its senior vice president Raj Sivakumar as chief commercial officer with immediate effect, besides appointing Rajeev Nambiar as vice president for sales (domestic market).
In addition, Jet Airways has also approved the appointment of Martin Drew as vice president for cargo, a statement said.
Sivakumar will be reporting to the chief operating officer and will be responsible for the overall development and implementation of a robust sales strategy for driving the goals of enhancing the company's market share and maximising revenues, the statement said.Similarly, Nambiar will be responsible for developing and directing the implementation of the strategic, business and operational goals of the sales function.

Centre okays international flights from Chandigarh temporarily

Chandigarh: Union defence minister has given the much-awaited clearance for operation of international flights from Chandigarh airport beyond 8pm as an "interim measure".

In a recent communication to Punjab chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, defence minister Arun Jaitley has said that Spice Jet and Indigo Airlines have already been accorded permission for international operations from Chandigarh.

A match made in hell: Air India and Boeing Dreamliner

As of July 21, Air India had welcomed its 16th Boeing Dreamliner into the family. Yet already this year close to 150 Air India Dreamliner flights have been grounded, according to a news report. That’s almost nine groundings per Dreamliner this year.

The problems seem unending. Two Air India Dreamliners hit by snags in a day, Air India Dreamliner flight from Melbourne makes emergency landing due to 'glitches' and Air India Dreamliner windshield develops cracks. If nationalised airlines are an attempt to present the best of a country's engineering, efficiency and aesthetics, Air India does not show India in a good light.

The Boeing Dreamliner planes were introduced on Air India in September 2012 and the combination has been beset by problems since. The plane was met with a lot of fanfare as it is light weight and therefore consumes less fuel. Better fuel efficiency implies lower flying costs for the airline. At least Air India can claim it has never had a battery problem. During the three-month global grounding starting in January of last year, Air India flew three of its planes, albeit without passengers, without a hitch.

AI terminates contract of 30 pilots

New Delhi: Air India has terminated the services of almost 30 pilots who were working on contract, including all expats hired for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, in the past six months. With each contract pilot getting almost Rs 10 lakh per month, cash-strapped AI hopes to save about Rs 4 crore from the move.

"We have terminated contract of 11 pilots of Boeing 777, two simulator instructors who used to get Rs 4,500 per hour, two pilots of Boeing 747 and about 15 expats hired for the Dreamliner," said a senior official. The airline has not hired any new pilot recently and has only seen some resignations.

Mangalore-Kuwait flight: Delegation from state to meet aviation minister

Bangalore: Minister for infrastructure development and information Roshan Baig on Friday July 25 assured that a delegation from the state would meet the minister of state for civil aviation in New Delhi to urge the restoration of direct flights from Mangalore to Kuwait.

He was responding to a question raised by MLC from Mangalore Ivan D'Souza during the state Legislative Council session, on reasons for stopping direct flights between Mangalore and Kuwait.

Ivan also said that due to the stoppage of the direct flight operation, commuters from Mangalore have been badly hit. "Out of the 7.62 lac NRIs in Kuwait, 1.3 lac are from the coastal Karnataka region alone. They need to be given this facility," he urged.

Emirates A380 says “Namaste Mumbai”

Emirates, which flies daily direct from Lusaka to Dubai and Harare, has commenced its first scheduled Airbus A380 service to India with a daily flight between Dubai and Mumbai. EK500 took off from Dubai International airport at 21:55 hours on 21st July, arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai at 02:30, covering the approximate 2,222kms at an average cruising speed of 822kms per hour.

The return flight EK501 took off from Terminal 2 in Mumbai at 04:30hrs and arrived back at Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai, the airline’s home and hub for its specially designed A380 terminal - Concourse A, at 06.00 hours.

Chennai Not an Ideal Airline Destination?

Chennai: The city may be hot, but it certainly isn’t a hotspot for airlines to set up shop. Reason? Because lots of airline operators feel that the operational capability of the staff and facilities here is ‘slow and lethargic’, compared to privately-owned terminals. And for once, faulty passenger facilities are at the bottom of the complaint list.
Private airlines have never really liked the idea of setting up a HQ in Chennai, but
AirAsia jumped at it when all that space in the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal came up for grabs. Two years later, that picture has all but dissolved. “The truth is, we’re talking to AAI about a whole lot of things and lot of parts of the airport need to be upgraded. Getting licences and approvals was easy both in Chennai and Bangalore, but when it comes to operational efficiency, it’s a lot easier in BIAL,” said Mittu Chandilya, AirAsia India’s vibrant, young CEO. And despite the threat of AirAsia pulling out and moving HQ, AAI officials have reportedly done little to stop them.

Friday 25 July 2014

Govt plans 200 low-cost airports to connect Tier-II, Tier-III towns

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is moving ahead with plans to develop 200 low-cost airports in Tier-II Tier-III towns across country in the next years and has already identified 50 such cities under the first phase of this development.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has drawn up a low-cost model as the first step to provide air connectivity to these smaller towns where it was felt a sufficient number of people could afford to pay for air travel if the facility is made available.
Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju had in his presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month included plans for the development of 50 no-frill airports in several states and greenfield airports which are in the pipeline for Navi Mumbai, Juhu, Goa, Kannur, Pune, Sriperumbudur, Bellary and Raigarh.

Jet, Etihad reinforce commitment to growth of Indian aviation

Dubai: Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways have outlined plans to reinforce their long-term commitment to the growth of India's economy and aviation industry, including a major new turnaround strategy for Jet Airways to return to profitability in three years, it has been announced.

The two airlines have been codeshare partners since 2008 and their relationship was strengthened in November 2013, after Etihad Airways received approvals to acquire a 24% stake in Jet Airways, marking it the first investment by a foreign carrier in India's airline industry.

The wide-ranging partnership has numerous advantages for travellers, including enhanced connections across the world through an expanded codeshare agreement, reciprocal 'earn and burn' rights and tier level recognition on the JetPrivilege and Etihad Guest frequent flyer programmes, said a report.

With Etihad on board, Jet Airways chalks profitability plans

New Delhi: Jet Airways, India's No.2 airline by market share, will look at selling planes and restructuring its debts in its quest to turn profitable in the next three years.

The airline, which suffered a loss of Rs 4,130 crore in 2013-14, said it was planning a major overhaul of its fleet and products.

"We plan to reduce losses in 2015, consolidate in 2016 and turn profitable in 2017... We are already on track as our international business has turned profitable. We now have to take our business forward," Jet's CEO designate Cramer Ball told reporters. Ball is yet to get necessary clearances to take over his position.

Jet Airways to restructure ops, announce 'new product'

India’s largest full-service carrier Jet Airways said on Wednesday that it is restructuring its loss-making domestic operations with a view to achieving profitability by 2016-17 and will shortly announce a “new product” towards this end. The carrier is also in talks with bankers to restructure its rupee-denominated debts by raising lower-cost $150 million dollar debt.
“We are in the process of finalising our new product. We will announce it soon. We are looking to restructure our balance sheet for which we are working with bankers and creditors. We are also looking to consolidate our fleet,” Jet chairman Naresh Goyal said at the first press conference jointly organised by Jet and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad after the latter picked up a 24% stake for over R2,000 crore last year in Jet.

Jet deal opens up the skies to India and beyond for Etihad

New Delhi: Jet is looking to operate non-stop flights to Europe, China, Australia, the Middle East, South East Asia and neigbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, said Naresh Goyal, the Jet chairman.

“Our focus remains to develop hubs in Mumbai and Delhi,” he said.

Jet will also link more points in India to Abu Dhabi, for onward connections, besides operating its own flights beyond Abu Dhabi to North America and the Middle East, and increase frequencies to Abu Dhabi. New routes will be introduced between Abu Dhabi and Goa, Ahmedabad, Pune and Lucknow by the year-end.

Focus will also remain on the international sector as competition increases in the domestic carrier market.

UP signs MoU to upgrade Allahabad, Kanpur, Agra airports

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government and the Airport Authority of India Limited (AAI) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to upgrade airports in Uttar Pradesh for commercial purposes.

There are regular domestic flights to Allahabad and Agra, where the airports are operational from Bamrauli Air Force and Kheria Air Force stations respectively.
Although the Delhi-Kanpur-Kolkata flights were launched two years ago, they have been discontinued at Kanpur Airport at Chakeri Air Force station because of poor commercial viability.
Meerut's BR Ambedkar Airport at Partapur is used only for unscheduled flights. There are also airports in Moradabad in West UP and Faizabad in East UP, but they aren't big enough to handle commercial flights.

SpiceJet announces additional flights

Hyderabad: SpiceJet has announced the introduction of new flights serving Delhi-Hyderabad, Delhi-Tirupati via Hyderabad, and Delhi-Bangalore effective August 15, 2014.

These flights will operate 4 days a week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) for a limited period between August 15 and September 8, 2014.

The promotional fare for Delhi-Hyderabad flight starts at Rs 2,999 and for Hyderabad-Tirupati, at Rs 1,999 all inclusive. The introductory promotional fare for Delhi-Hyderabad-Tirupati flight starts at Rs 4,499 all inclusive. The fare between Delhi and Bangalore starts at Rs 3,999, all inclusive.
Read news in full 23/07/14 Business Line

For Emirates, Kerala leads rest of India in flights

Thiruvananthapuram: With the latest bilaterals now in force, Emirates is operating 37 flights every week into Kerala, the highest among all states in the country, said a top airline official.

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates vice-president for India and Nepal, said the last renewal of bilaterals between the two countries was in 2008. After the new agreement this year, Emirates is operating 37 flights a week to the three Kerala airports. In all, Emirates operates 185 flights every week for the entire country.

"This is the highest that we fly into any single state in India. The total number of weekly seats into India that came into force in 2008 was 54,200 and with the recent renewal of the bi-laterals, the number will go up by 11,000 seats during the next one year," Ahmad told IANS.

Air India’s insurance costs likely to escalate

Mumbai: State-owned Air India is likely to cough up higher premium when it renews its insurance contract on October 1. Three consecutive large airline losses — downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine last week, the earlier disappearance of MH370 and hull losses due to fighting at Tripoli airport — are likely to harden reinsurance rates.

Fewer aviation losses in recent years had resulted in a decline in aviation reinsurance rates but the situation is likely to be reversed now, say insurance officials.

Air India's insurance policy is the country’s largest aviation policy and is due for renewal on October 1.

SITA to Introduce Enhanced Aircraft Tracking Capability in India

SITA, which provides IT and communications solutions to the global air transport industry, today discussed its innovative technology to track aircraft with leading members of the Indian airline community. SITA's AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker is being introduced to allow airlines efficiently and cost effectively track their aircraft. The solution, which is currently being evaluated by several airlines for testing, will utilize technology that is already installed in aircraft to provide advanced tracking capabilities.

SITA's new solution was discussed at the Aircraft Services Workshop jointly hosted by SITA and DGCA. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri. Ashok Lavasa, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the keynote address was delivered by Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Leaders and executives from all major airlines and airports in India attended the workshop.

Kingfisher Airlines set to be declared a wilful defaulter by its lenders

New Delhi: Kingfisher AirlinesBSE 2.94 % is set to be declared a wilful defaulter by its lenders, which could mean promoter Vijay Mallya facing criminal proceedings, being unable to set up any new ventures for five years and getting barred from raising money from financial institutions.

KingfisherBSE 2.94 % Airlines owes about Rs4,022 crore to a consortium of 17 lenders led by State Bank of IndiaBSE 0.61 % (SBI), which is close to declaring the company a wilful defaulter, said two bank officials aware of the development. The process involves uncovering diversion of funds by borrowers, something which was detected by Ernst & Young during its forensic audit of Kingfisher Airlines, the officials told ET. The airline hasn't flown since October 2012, grounded by its inability to pay employees and subsequently losing its licence.
Read news in full 24/07/14 Dheeraj Tiwari/Economic Times

Flydubai announce new Mumbai service

Dubai: Flydubai announced on Wednesday that it will launch a five times weekly service to Mumbai on October 28.
The flights will operate from Dubai International’s Terminal 2 and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Dubai’s discount carrier will also increase the frequency on its Delhi route to five times weekly on October 28.
Flydubai will serve seven destinations in India with 25 flights a week when Mumbai services commence.
Raed news in full 23/07/14 Gulf News

Oman Air starts new service

Kochui: Oman Air has started serving the new Omani regional airport at Duqm. Oman’s Air acclaimed Embraer E175 aircraft will operate four flights a week. Salim Al Kindy, acting chief executive officer, Oman’s Air, said the service between Muscat and Duqm will support the development of this increasingly important city. As a Special Economic Zone, Duqm is playing a vital role in Oman’s economic growth and Oman’s Air service will help to both facilitate business growth in the area and attract further investment.
Raed news in full 24/07/14 New Indian Express

Jet Airways May Sell Planes To Cover Losses In India

New Delhi: India’s Jet Airways Ltd said the country’s No. 2 airline by market share will look at selling planes and restructuring its debts as it tries to find ways to end the losses that have plagued it for years.
“We are looking at a lot of consolidation (of our fleet),” Jet’s Chairman Naresh Goyal said today in India’s capital. Goyal said the carrier is talking to its bankers, without giving details of the discussions.
Like all but one of India’s major airlines, Jet – partly owned by Gulf carrier Etihad Airways – is losing money fast, beset by high costs, low fares and cut-throat competition in its domestic market.
While rising numbers of Indians have taken to air transport, domestic operators have struggled to translate that into profits.

Cairo-New Delhi flights could be the boost Egypt needs

Kolkata: Egyptair will commence thrice-weekly flights between New Delhi and Cairo in October despite weakened visitorship from India.
 This comes on top of an existing four-times-weekly service to Mumbai.
 Egypt's tourism minister Hisham Za’zou commented: “Cultural tourism decreased during the last three years, especially in Luxor and Aswan. The ministry is now seeking to open new tourism markets like India to boost cultural tourism.”
Read news in full 24/07/14 Shekhar Niyogi/TTG Asia

Indian carriers may not get leeway on flying abroad

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is unlikely to lift restrictions on domestic airlines to launch international services anytime soon.

According to the current norms, Indian airlines are required to have at least five years of operational experience and a fleet of a minimum of 20 aircraft (known as the 5/20 rule) for starting international services.

A senior official in the civil aviation ministry said, “There is a lot of opposition from domestic airlines, as most of them meet the current requirements for flying international. They have said restrictions are now being considered for removal taking into account the interests of newer ventures. We are examining all aspects. Internal consultations are on.”
Abolition of the 5/20 rule was scheduled to be cleared by the Cabinet before the electoral code came into effect on March 5 this year. However, the meeting was cancelled putting on hold the possibly the last policy change considered by former Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.

Tata-SIA gets ready for proving passenger flights in September

New Delhi: Tata-SIA Airlines has told the aviation regulator that it would be ready to conduct a demonstration in September to prove that it can operate passenger flights, an official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

Its plan to carry out the proving flight in mid- or end-September means the joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines would miss its initial target to launch flight operations on September 1.

Tata-SIA representatives conveyed the plan on the proving flight to the DGCA on Monday. "They have told us that the proving flight can be conducted either in middle or end-September and they are expecting their first aircraft in the first week of September," said the DGCA official. An airline spokesperson confirmed the development.

India's Jet eyes profit by 2017 with boost from Etihad

New Delhi: Jet Airways, India's second-biggest carrier, forecast Wednesday a return to profit in three years through cost-cuts, route-sharing with new partner Etihad Airways and restructuring of hefty debt. The publicly traded airline, which has not posted an annual profit since 2007, has been struggling in an overcrowded market beset by cut-throat fare wars, high fuel costs and shoddy infrastructure.
"The game plan is in place, it's now about delivery," Jet Airways' new chief executive Cramer Ball told reporters in New Delhi. "It's a three-year plan -- 2015 we will reduce losses, 2016 we will consolidate and 2017 we'll have profitability," he said.
Ball was speaking at the airline's first news conference with Etihad since India cleared in May the fast-growing Abu Dhabi airline's purchase of a 24-per cent stake in the Indian carrier for 21 billion rupees (US$330 million). Jet's shares jumped over five per cent on the turnaround plan before retreating slightly to trade up four per cent at 266.35 rupees.

Jet Airways chairman says looking to restructure debt, talking to bankers

New Delhi: Jet Airways Ltd said the country's No. 2 airline by market share will look at selling planes and restructuring its debts as it tries to find ways to end the losses that have plagued it for years.
"We are looking at a lot of consolidation (of our fleet)," Jet's Chairman Naresh Goyal said at a press event in New Delhi on Wednesday. Goyal said the carrier is talking to its bankers without giving details of the discussions.

Six more airlines to spice up Indian aviation menu

New Delhi: Several more new airlines are likely to fly in the Indian sky in the coming months with the government giving flying licence to four of the six companies which had sought permits for launching scheduled, private or charter air operations.
While AirAsia India, Ligare Aviation Limited, Quickjet Cargo Airlines and LEPL Projects Limited have been granted the Air Operator’s Permit (AOP) or the flying licence, the two pending cases are those of Tata-SIA Airlines Limited and Air Pegasus Limited, minister of state for civil aviation G. M. Siddeshwara has said.

Jet Airways and Etihad Airways: Committed to grow India's Aviation Industry

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, have outlined plans to reinforce their long-term commitment to the growth of India’s economy and aviation industry, including a major new turnaround strategy for Jet Airways to return to profitability in three years.

The two airlines have been codeshare partners since 2008 and their relationship was strengthened in November 2013, after Etihad Airways received approvals to acquire a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways, marking it the first investment by a foreign carrier in India’s airline industry.

The wide-ranging partnership has numerous advantages for travellers, including enhanced connections across the world through an expanded codeshare agreement, and reciprocal ‘earn and burn’ rights and tier level recognition on the JetPrivilege and Etihad Guest frequent flyer programs.

‘Air India-Indian Airlines merger almost complete’

New Delhi:  The merger between Indian Airlines and Air India is almost complete, Minister of State for Civil Aviation G.M. Siddeshwara on Tuesday said in the Rajya Sabha. “Out of the 226 issues, on which integration action was initiated, 204 have been completed and integration action is in progress on 17 other issues. Five issues are pending because of court cases,” Siddeshwara said in his reply in the Upper House of Parliament. Report Cogencies.

Emirates becomes 2nd airline to operate jumbo A-380 to India

Mumbai: Gulf carrier Emirates became the second airline to operate jumbo A380 aircraft to India after Singapore Airlines, with the commencement of its first daily flight to Mumbai from Dubai.

Emirates flight EK-500 took off from Dubai International airport at 21:55 hours (local time) yesterday and arrived at city’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport (CSIA) at 02:30 am (local time), a release said here today.

The return flight EK-501 took off from Terminal 2 of the CSIA at 04:30 am (local time) and arrived back at Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai at 06.00 am (local time), it said.

Bihar and Jharkhand to get new airports as air travel increases

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has identified Gaya and Raxaul in Bihar for development of airports. The ministry has also selected Jamshedpur and Deoghar for development of airports in view of the growing number of air travellers across the country.
Both places in Bihar have immense potential to emerge as viable airports. In fact, Gaya already has a functional airport where Air India flights as well as those from foreign countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Myanmar operate regularly.
An Airbus-320 can land at the Gaya airport. There are now plans to develop it so it can handle the rush of tourists, especially the Buddhist pilgrims, who come to Bodh Gaya.
Raxaul does not have a functional airport as of now. During the 1962 war against China, an airport was made in the small sub-divisional town along the Nepal border for the Indian Army aircraft to land, but it has remained unused for years now.

Centre clears revised norms for new airport bids in record time

Mumbai: After nearly a decade of delay, the Navi Mumbai airport project has finally taken off. The civil aviation ministry has set the process of inviting tenders for the airport's construction into motion by clearing the revised tender document Cidco had prepared.
The new government moved swiftly to okay the document, and what could not be accomplished in years was done over a weekend, officials said. The plan to construct the Navi Mumbai airport was first mooted in 1998. In 2000, the project cost was pegged at Rs 5,000 crore. Today, it is Rs 14,575 crore. In early 2013, Cidco had submitted the initial draft of the tender document they had prepared for inviting bids. In March this year, they submitted the revised draft to the UPA government. Then, on Friday, they met the new civil aviation minister and resubmitted the revised draft. Cidco babus were in for a surprise when three days later, on Monday, the ministry cleared it.

Air India suspends flights to Kullu till August 31

Manali: Air India has suspended its flights to Kullu-Manali Airport at Bhuntar till August 31 due to poor visibility in the area due to rainy season. The adventure tourism fraternity of the region is disappointed as hundreds of foreigner tourists are visiting Kullu everyday for adventure activities.
"Air India has announced to stop its services on Delhi-Bhuntar route from July 22 to August 31," director, Kullu-Manali Airport, Y K Sharma, said. He added that an Air India aircraft had to return from Bhunter on Monday after it could not land due to dense fog over the surrounding mountain peaks. "Landing on the small airstrip surrounded by mountains and river becomes very risky during monsoon season. Pilots have to deal with Larji hill before entering the Bhunter valley and the hill remains covered with dense fog most of the time," he said.

Unique talent: Air hostesses to turn pilots at AirAsia

Mumbai: In his latest visit to India, AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes pointed to an airhostess and announced the company will help her "realise her dream" of becoming a pilot. By his side sat AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya, a former model, and among the audience was India finance chief Vijay Gopalan, who has previously sung for and acted in Tamil movies.

While, AirAsia India's fate in a turbulent sky of cut-throat competition is unknown, its quirky hiring has certainly caught the industry's attention. "It's true AirAsia has made some unusual choices," said Manish Sabharwal, chairman of staffing firm Teamlease Services. "This is something that AirAsia does globally too, and a different pair of eyes always makes things interesting," he added. Out-of-the-box appointments across the board have been integral to the AirAsia story, almost as much as its aggressive fares.

DoNER approached for aviation council in NE

Guwahati: The College of Aeronautical Engineering (CAE), based in Guwahati, has sent a proposal to the Union DoNER ministry for the creation of a Northeast Aviation Council. This, it hopes, will give an impetus to the aviation industry in the region and help it prosper.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday, Bikrom Singha Lahkar, chief trustee of CAE, said many airlines in the northeast are taking a handsome amount as subsidy from the North Eastern Council, ministry of home affairs and the state government, among other agencies, but despite this, the aviation industry in the region is in a pitiable state.

Delhi Airport launches India's first Pet Travel Information and Facilitation Desk

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has launched a Pet Travel Information and Facilitation Desk at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, the first such facility in the country.

The desk, Pet Fly, takes care of various hassles related to travelling with pets, includng handling and fulfilling regulatory clearance procedures, a press release from DIAL said.

 “Being pioneer in India for introducing unique experiences to our passengers, DIAL wanted to take a step further by ensuring better and professional facility for the comfortable journey of your pet," DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao said.

Wednesday 23 July 2014

6 Indian airlines one step closer to taking flight

In a move that is being touted as a boost for the aviation sector and airline travel in the country, the civil aviation ministry has reportedly given no-objection certificates for three national airlines and three regional airlines in one month.
According to a Mint report, the new minister for civil aviation has given no-objection certificates to Air One Aviation, Zexus Air and Premier Air to become national airlines; and Turbo Megha, Air Carnival and Zav Airways to start regional operations.
All the airlines had applied for the no-objection certificates between 2012-13.

Govt identifies 50 locations in smaller cities for new airports

The government has so far identified 50 locations for developing new airports in smaller cities and towns across the country, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, GM Siddeshwara informed the Lok Sabha.

It may be noted the Indian government has outlined plans to develop 200 low-cost airports in 20 years, mainly to connect tier-II and tier-III cities. The development of new airports in smaller cities and towns is part of the government’s efforts to encourage air travel in the country.

In the Union Budget 2014-15, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had said that the proposed new airports will be developed in smaller cities and towns and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will build the airports through public private partnership (PPP) process.

Why the govt’s plan for 6 new airlines, 50 small airports is just lip service

The government has paid enough lip service in recent weeks on creating airport infrastructure, boosting regional connectivity and enhancing competition among existing airlines. It has been speaking of setting up hundreds of no-frills airports in tier II and tier III towns, offering incentives for regional airline startups and getting jet fuel taxation down. But on the ground, a lot of work in terms of policy formulation and tying up loose ends remains to be done.
Just yesterday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation GM Siddeshwara said in the Lok Sabha that his ministry has so far identified 50 locations with potential for small airports in various states. But how will these airports be set up in the absence of a blueprint for no-frills airports, which has not even been approved by aviation regulator DGCA?

Over Rs 5,840 loss for Indian airline industry in 2012-13: Govt

New Delhi: The Indian airline industry suffered a total operating loss of over Rs 5,840 crore, including over Rs 3,159 crore of Air India, in 2012-13, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

However, the losses to Air India as well as the private carriers have shown a declining trend since 2009-10 till 2012-13.

IndiGo was the only airline to have reported profits during this period, barring 2011-12 when it made a loss of about Rs 88 crore, Minister of State for Civil Aviation G M Siddeshwara said in reply to questions.

AI loss Rs 800 cr in sale of 5 Boeing 777 to Etihad

New Delhi: Air India made a loss of Rs 800 crore in the books, in the sale of five Boeing 777 aircraft to Etihad Airways as these aircrafts had depreciated in the books over 20 years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
However, the national carrier generated a surplus of over $25 million after prepayment of aircraft loan and saved a further $5 million per month towards loan and interest repayment, Minister of State for Civil Aviation G M Siddeshwara said in reply to a question.
“The five planes were sold to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad at a price of $336.5 million,” he said. Referring to the losses, he said, “based on the book value of these planes, book loss on sale of these five aircraft would be approximately Rs 800 crores as the aircraft had depreciated in the books over a period of 20 years while the loans were amortized over a period of 12 years".
“However, the national carrier generated a surplus of $25.735 million after prepayment of the Aircraft loan when the national carrier sold these five B777-200LR aircraft,” he said. “Further, a saving of $5 million per month was generated towards loan and interest repayment, resulting in improved cash flow,” he said.
Read news in full 22/07/14 Deccan Herald