SpiceJet re-introduces services on Surat – Delhi route

SpiceJet announced the relaunch of twin daily direct flights on the Delhi – Surat – Delhi route effective from 26th March 2017.

The national capital would soon be connected with the diamond capital of India on the SpiceJet network, bookings for which are now open.

With ‘regional connectivity’ as the macro theme, the airline has been rendering constant focus on the agenda while undertaking network expansions. The new flight is a part of SpiceJet’s enhanced summer schedule and will further augment its connectivity in the domestic sector.

Energy Budget 2017: Flight prices expected to go down after likely excise duty cut on aviation turbine fuel

New Delhi: The Ministry of civil aviation has recommended that the excise duty applied on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) or Jet fuel be reduced to 8 percent. the move, that is largely expected to be included as part of the budget would mean a 43 percent decrease in the existing excise duty placed on jet fuel.
The move comes as the government is trying to establish a wider footprint of the aviation industry across India. Experts predict that the reduction on the excise duty will not impact the government coffers significantly as lost sums are expected to be compensated by a greater expansion of the industry.

Domestic aviation in Kerala increases despite demonetisation

Kochi: The domestic aviation sector has grown by leaps and bounds in God’s Own Country, even surpassing the national average of 23.1 percent registered in 2016, despite demonetisation.

According to officers of the Cochin and Trivandrum International Airports, the growth in domestic passenger footfall at the airports was 25.34 percent and 30 percent, respectively, in the first nine months of the current fiscal.

In comparison, the growth in national average registered in the period was 23.18 percent - about 9.98 crore passengers - said the data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

‘Need a regulator for airline passengers’

The government should set up a regulatory authority to take up grievances of air passengers, along the line of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that exists for the communications sector, Congress MP in the Lok Sabha from Kozhikode, MK Raghavan, suggested in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month. “Today, there is no regulatory or any other type of authority, like the TRAI, to vet grievances of the air travellers, etc. Most of the existing guidelines and rules are pro-airlines and the passengers are at the receiving end. Therefore, public dissatisfaction among the air travellers is on the increase,” Raghvan said in his letter.
He said there is a need to redefine the status of low-cost airlines. “Most of the private players, terming themselves as low-cost airlines, are having charges at par with Air India, etc, but do not provide any additional facility as available to Air India passengers… In fact, when they are termed as low-cost airlines, they should be low-cost in real sense,” he said.

India asks Qatar to start airline or invest in one in India: Report

Doha: Indian government has asked Qatar to start an airline in India or invest in one during a bilateral meeting, an Indian newspaper reported.

According to the report by The Mint, the Indian civil aviation ministry asked the Qatar government to start an airline in India and be part of country’s growth story.

“They were looking at a regional airline, full fledged national airline or investment in an existing Indian airline,” The Mint quoted an unnamed source.

We need more airports rather than more airplanes

New Delhi: The aviation sector is firing on all cylinders. In 2016, a total of 99.88 million people flew with scheduled commercial airlines, a jump of 23.91 per cent over the previous year. In December, the air traffic peaked to 9.55 million, the highest for the entire 2016. The airlines, as a result, have lately swung into action to create sufficient supply.
SpiceJet, the fourth-largest carrier in terms of market share, have ordered 205 aircraft from Boeing, comprising of a firm order of 155 Boeing 737 MAX 8, and purchase rights for another 50 B737 MAX 8 and wide-body aircraft. Its competitor in the budget airline category, GoAir, too has firmed up order of 72 Airbus A320 neos (new engine option).

GoAir had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus for these aircraft at Farnborough International Airshow in July last year. Recently, there were reports that state-run carrier Air India is inducting 100 more aircraft to its existing fleet of 132 by 2020.

Cool deal for Bagdogra fliers this summer

Kolkata: The number of daily flights to north Bengal, which serves as the gateway to Darjeeling, Sikkim and the Dooars, is set to increase to 11 from seven over the next couple of months.
While IndiGo and SpiceJet operate two flights each and Jet Airways, Air India and Go Air have a daily connection, IndiGo is increasing its frequency to four a day. Jet is set to add one and Air Asia will start flights on the sector from February 19.
The flight timings are also crucial. Unlike now, when the first connection to Bagdogra from the city lands at 11.40am and the last flight out of there is at 4.30pm, one will be able to reach Bagdogra as early as 7.40am on a Jet Airways flight. The last flight out is at 4.50pm.

AI slaps ₹70 levy on domestic flights to fund regional air link

New Delhi: Air India has started levying a fee of ₹70 per passenger on most of the domestic routes that it operates. This will lead to a marginal increase in fares on these flights.

Air India started imposing the levy on January 16 this year, which will go to fund the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The new levy is applicable on routes other than the the North-East region, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
Other airlines are yet to impose the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) levy, with a SpiceJet official telling BusinessLine that it had not started imposing it.

Civil aviation infrastructure to receive a major boost: Ashok

Tirupati: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will pump in investments to the tune of ₹17,500 crore to improve civil aviation infrastructure in the next five years, Union Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapati Raju has said.

Speaking to the media after participating in the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting on civil aviation here on Monday, Mr. Raju said that the Gannavaram airport expansion work was on at a brisk pace in an extent of 800 acres of land.

Visakhapatnam would also get connectivity to some more destinations across the country soon, he said.

Now, your Air India tickets will fund govt's cheap-travel scheme

Air India tickets on most domestic routes are now a little more expensive as the national carrier has begun charging its passengers a fee of Rs 70 to fund the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), according to a report in Business Line.
The report said Air India had started charging the levy on January 16. It is the first airline in the country to impose the fee since the scheme was launched last October.

Rise in international passengers from Chandigarh airport: Officials

The International passenger traffic at Chandigarh International Airport is increasing every month, revealed the traffic statistics of the Airport Authorities of India(AAI) on Tuesday. The international operations at the airport had started in September last year. As per the statistics provided by the AAI, in September, total international travelers to have used the airport were 2,902.
It started picking up in October when the number rose to 7,626. The number of international passengers in November and December were 12,127 and 12,797 respectively.

To decongest T1, DIAL mulls 20% cut in peak-hour flights

Managing the massive growth in air traffic, especially for low-cost carriers, is proving to be a challenge for the Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) at the choked terminal 1. Going to this terminal in peak morning and evening hours has become a nightmare for flyers as the solitary road leading to it remains chock-a-block with cars and getting off the vehicle to enter the terminal is a quite a task.

Bengaluru airport to shut operations partially during Aero India

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has announced the partial disruption of flight movements during the Aero India 2017 for rehearsals between February 8 and 11 and during the show between February 12 and 18.
Airlines with scheduled aircraft operations that will be impacted during this period have already received communication on the reduced operating hours and will be informing the passengers accordingly.

Private airline’s return to Surat starts price war

After a long time, Surti fliers will be able to fly at the airfares existing at bigger airports like Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
A price war has started after SpiceJet announced launch of its daily flight services between Surat and Delhi from March 26.
According to tour and travel operators in the city, who are taking advance bookings for their customers, after SpiceJet's announcement, the lone operator at Surat airport, Air India has slashed its base airfare on Surat-Delhi sector below Rs 4,000 as the private airline is offering tickets for Rs 2,500.

Garuda Indonesia launches direct flights to Mumbai

Garuda Indonesia has launched thrice-weekly, direct flights from Mumbai to Jakarta. Garuda Indonesia became the 20th member of the SkyTeam alliance in March 2014.

The Jakarta-bound service will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and will be operated by Garuda’s state-of-the-art 162-seater, Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a two-class cabin configuration. This service will depart from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 2305 hours and arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta at 1005 hours the next day. On the return leg, the service departs from the Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Jakarta at 1255 hours and arrives at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai at 2030 hours.
To Read the News in Full 23/01/17 Travel Trends Today
 

Air India aims at consolidation and expansion

Speaking recently at the update and outlook meeting of the PATA India chapter, Lohani said that aviation and tourism goes hand in hand. “Air India still has a lot of legacy issues which needs to be resolved. There were two different carriers merged in 2007 and it brought a lot of issues. There were many differences between the two companies in terms of work culture, areas of operation, compensation, working conditions, entitlements etc. We want to settle these issues. We are looking at consolidation and expansion both. In the last one year between December 2, 2015 and December 1, 2016, we added four new international destinations which is a big thing for any international carrier - Delhi - San Francisco, Delhi - Vienna, Ahmedabad - London – Newark, Delhi –Madrid routes. We are waiting for the arrival of few aircraft; some 787s are arriving. 777s will come in the first quarter of 2018. We plan to try to fix some new destinations. We plan to fly to six new destinations in 2017 i.e Washington, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Stockholm, Kenya or any other destination in Africa. We are looking at Frankfurt – Mumbai route. We have got the requisite clearances for direct international flights to Singapore and Bangkok from Chandigarh and they have been scheduled to take off before the end of March 2017. We are looking at adding six new international destination in 2017 and another six in 2018,” Lohani said and added that apart from 8 eight aircraft which is coming, we are also looking at at least inducting five more new wide body aircraft.

Delhi airport bags Corporate Social Responsibility award in aviation sector

GMR Group-led consortium Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) on Sunday said it has bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in the aviation transport sector for 2016.

The award was presented on Friday at a special presentation ceremony during the 11th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility, a DIAL release said here.


"The award reaffirms our commitment towards achieving exemplary results for our society while following the best practises," DIAL Chief Executive Prabhakara Rao said.

Russia's Pobeda approved for flights to India

Pobeda (DP, Moscow Vnukovo) has been approved by Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) to commence scheduled flights from Ekaterinburg and Astrakhan to Goa, India. Each route is limited to once per week. The agency announced the decision in late December.

The airline has not set a start date for flights nor announced on what equipment they will run. Pobeda (Russian for "Victory") is the low cost arm of Aeroflot (SU, Moscow Sheremetyevo) and runs services using a fleet of twelve B737-800s.

RwandAir to commence Harare, Mumbai flights

RwandAir on Monday said it would commence flight operations from Lagos to Harare, Zimbabwe and Mumbai, India from April 2017.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the airline’s Country Manager, Ms Ibiyemi Odusi, made the announcement in a statement issued in Lagos.
Odusi said these were part of the seven new routes being planned by the airline which currently operates daily flights from Lagos to 20 destinations in Africa and Middle East.

Bengaluru airport closure schedule announced

Bengaluru:Flying in or out of Bengaluru is set to get tougher for the next two months as the runway at Kempegowda International Airport will be partially closed as part of the preparations for Aero India 2017. This period will also be used to build rapid exit taxiways for the runway.

An advisory issued by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on Monday said that the runway will be partially closed for rehearsals from February 8-11 and subsequently for the Aero India show from February 12-18.

Airports Authority of India says regional connectivity scheme receives encouraging response

State-run airport developer, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday said it has received an encouraging response to its Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), receiving 45 proposals from 11 bidders covering more than 200 RCS air routes. The deadline for submitting initial proposals was Tuesday.

AAI said these initial proposals cover as many as 65 airports, of which there are 52 unserved and 13 underserved airports as per the provisions of the scheme.

AirAsia India to fly to Srinagar, Darjeeling soon

Low-cost carrier AirAsia India on Wednesday announced that it would operate a daily service from New Delhi to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and Bagdogra in Darjeeling Hills with effect from February 19.

"Booking for the two destinations has opened on Wednesday, with fare to Srinagar at Rs 1,999 and to Bagdogra at Rs 2,499," said the airline in a statement here.

Mysuru airport anticipating commercial flights once again

Commercial flight operations from Mysuru airport is set to resume once again.

Sources told The Hindu that the flight take off could be “within the next few days” and the route pitched is Mysuru-Bengaluru-Tirupati sector. Later, other sectors could be considered.

This is a result of the new regional air connectivity policy (UDAN – Ude Desh Ki Aam Nagarik ) of the Government of India under viability gap funding, with incentives or subsidies to flight operators.

“Flights are definitely on the cards and proposals have been submitted by flight operators to the government under UDAN scheme, and is awaiting clearance. There could be other routes too and the details are awaited,” sources added.

From mid-Feb, fly to other metros from Delhi's T2

Fliers to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata will have to board their flights from Terminal-2 of the Delhi airport from the middle of the next month.  
GMR-led Delhi International Airport (DIAL) has asked IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to shift operations from Terminal-1 (T1) to Terminal-2 so that the expansion work of the terminal can begin.

GMR-led Delhi International Airport (DIAL) has asked IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to shift operations from Terminal-1 (T1), out of which they currently operate. Reason: So that the expansion work of the terminal can begin. Airlines, especially low-cost carrier SpiceJet and GoAir, had been opposing the plan — in the works of sometime now — as they feel it would inconvenience travellers.

Two airlines agree to govt levy for new air routes

While most airlines have opposed the imposition of a new levy on airfare to fund the government’s regional air connectivity scheme – UDAN, Air India and Air Asia have agreed to levy a surcharge of Rs 70 per ticket.

“Other airlines are yet to do so as the matter is now in court,” an aviation ministry official said.

According to ministry sources, bids have been received for 190 routes under the scheme, for several new airports, including Bhavnagar, Cooch Behar, Jamshedpur and Jalandhar. The scheme aims to promote low-cost flying between such cities, capping the fare at Rs 2,500 for an hour’s flight and compensating for the airline’s loss through a regional connectivity fund.

Get set to fly at subsidised air fares to small cities soon

Airports in smaller cities are likely to run operational soon as government has received 45 proposals from 11 bidders to initiate aviation services from around 190 airports on the regional route map.
Airports in cities like Jaisalmer, Ratnagiri, Dehradun, Shimla and Tirupati, so far not covered by airlines. are expected to start next month.
To Read the News in Full 20/01/17 Z News
 

Pune airport to get intl cargo facilities soon

The Pune airport will soon be starting international cargo facilities. During a recent visit, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) cleared the proposal, pending for the past few years.

According to airport officials, the BCAS team was on a three-day inspection that ended on Friday. They scrutinised the airport security and asked the authorities to start cargo facilities. “The team with four officials was on an annual inspection. But this time, the focus was on cargo inspection.” The move is seen as a big boon for exporters from Pune and other cities of western Maharashtra.

Fog, Republic Day preparations delay 21 flights

Hundreds of flyers on Friday spent hours holed up inside their aircraft. A mix of low visibility that set in from 3am and then airspace closure for Republic Day preparations delayed outbound flights by close to three hours.
Airlines did not allow them to alight to stretch their legs and board later, closer to departure time. This 'torture' could continue at least till R-Day as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has expressed its helplessness regarding this issue.

UDAN for steel city

The steel city will once again come up on India's air map with a direct flight link to Calcutta from February-end or March this year, under the Centre's UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Yojana, Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said today.

Jayant, who was in Jamshedpur to attend interactive sessions with industrialists under the banner of Laghu Udyog Bharat and B-school students at XLRI, told media persons that Jamshedpur, despite being an unserved airport, had received three bids in the first round under the regional connectivity scheme also known as UDAN.

In aviation parlance, an unserved airport is one where there have been no scheduled commercial flights during the last two flight schedules approved by the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) and an underserved airport is one where there are no more than seven scheduled commercial flight departures a week.

Air transport: Infra headwinds may delay the flight to higher growth

Notwithstanding the soaring aircraft orders placed by Indian airlines, which touched 849 with SpiceJet’s order for 205 Boeing planes last week along with opening up of 190 new regional routes, experts say that airport capacity constraints, cost pressures and sub-optimal passenger load factor could mean the Indian aviation market growth may run into headwinds.
While the government has been pushing for better connectivity of smaller cities and has thrown in several incentives for the airlines, it is expected that 45 new airports will get added to the existing list of 73 operational airports.
Even as the plane orders and purchase rights reflect the need to serve the double-digit growth in the domestic market, lack of airport infrastructure can emerge as one of the key hurdles. This comes on the face of a rising passenger traffic in India which is set to cross 10 crore by March-end, making India the third-largest aviation market after the US and China, taking over from Japan.

Report : Indian airports, airlines to ramp up IT spending in 2017

Airlines and airports in India are expected to rapidly ramp up spending on new technology over the next three years to keep up with surging growth that is expected to position India as the world’s third largest aviation market, ahead of the UK, in 10 years’ time. The spending  predictions come from SITA, a specialist in air transport IT and communications.

According to SITA’s 2016 India IT Trends Benchmark study, released at the India ICT Aviation Forum 2016 in December, all airlines in India expect to see IT budgets increase in 2017 compared to 2016. This contrasts markedly with global airline confidence on future IT budgets, with just over half expecting an increase while around a third anticipate no change in 2017. The remainder globally are braced for lower budgets.

Domestic air passenger traffic grew 23% in 2016

India’s domestic air passenger traffic grew 23.18% to about 10 crore in 2016 compared with the previous year, data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday showed.

In 2016, India’s air traffic stood at 9.98 crore passengers compared with 8.19 crore in 2015 which had seen a 21% growth.

“Almost one crore passengers in December and ten crore in 2016. Indian Aviation is on a roll. May we continue to have safe and vibrant skies,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on micro-blogging website Twitter, adding that demonetisation had not impacted air travel with December witnessing the highest number of passengers in a month.

Regional connectivity plan receives proposal to revive 65 airports

Dormant airports such as Hosur, Bikaner, Bidar, Jalandhar, Jalgaon or Jaisalmer may soon start receiving flights as airlines have shown interest in flying out of these airports under the Centre’s ambitious regional connectivity scheme. Passengers may soon be able to fly out of these airports by paying ₹2,500 for an hour’s flight.

The Airports Authority of India, which is implementing the regional connectivity scheme, has received 45 proposals from 11 bidders covering more than 200 routes as the deadline for submitting the proposals ended on Monday, the civil aviation ministry said here in a statement.

Your air travel might get expensive after the Budget speech in February. Here's why

If all goes well, the Finance Minster Arun Jaitley will be announcing GST (Goods & Services Tax) in Budget 2017 that will be announced on February 1. This all-comprehensive tax would help businesses get a relief from the draconian tax regime in the country where the centre charges one and the state charges another. Paying one tax is blessing to most businesses and us, the commoners.

However there is one sector, which would see a sudden rise in its spending – it’s aviation. Service sector will be badly hit by GST as per as spending is concerned. As a consequence, airfares would see a rise, whether it’s steep or slope, time will tell.

Washington Dulles to get non-stop India flights on Air India

Washington’s Dulles International Airport will get a non-stop flight to India thanks to new routes being added by Air India.

The service would begin in July, with India’s state-owned national carrier planning nonstop service from Delhi. The capital-to-capital route is expected to operate three times a week on Boeing 777 aircraft, The Times of India reports.

Air India staff against handing over ground handling to AISATS

Air India employees are up in arms against handing over the ground handling responsibility at Kannur airport to Air India SATS (AISATS).
The Air Corporations Employees' Union has written to Air India chairman against the move citing the revenue loss the AISATS has incurred after taking the ground handling function at Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mangaluru and Hyderabad.
In the letter written to the Air India chairman, president of ACEU, New Delhi C Udayashankar has pointed out that the revenue from Thiruvananthapuram airport from ground handling activities was Rs 40 crore prior to handing over the charge to AISATS.
"By handing over the same to AISATS, Air India not only lost the revenue but in addition it is paying huge amount by way of handling charges for its flights to AISATS," he said.
To Read the News in Full 16/01/17 The Times Of India
 

Will the Government spend $10 Billion on Airport Infrastructure?

According to Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey, if about $10 Billion is spent on airport infrastructure in the five years then India will become the world’s third largest in the aviation market in next seven years.

There are around 400 unused lands across the country, which have become useful for the cattles for grazing. These lands could be used by the aviation industry to make airports.

The growth rate is expected to escalate in the coming years after the airport infrastructure is determined. The growth of about 23% is what India is aiming at in comparison to China. China—India’s rival in terms of aviation—shows a growth of about 41%.

AAI uses Whatsapp to monitor airport efficiency

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is using social media platform Whatsapp for issuing directives to airports for improving customer service by reducing queueing time, improving airport facilities and simplifying procedures, according to a top official.

“A Whatsapp group has been formed where daily updates are shared and urgent issues are resolved in real-time. This has also helped in building engagement at the ground level and enables airports to share their best practices,” said Guruprasad Mohapatra,Chairman,AAI.
To Read the News in Full 17/01/17 The Hindu
 

Indian aviation is growing but it's straining airports: Why 1 in 4 flights are getting delayed

The fastest growing aviation market across the globe continues its struggle infrastructure and performance metrics of its airlines. Data released by DGCA show not a single airline managed to operate one in four flights on time from four of India’s busiest airports last month. This, when India’s airlines carried close to 10 crore passengers in 2016, with 12 consecutive months of above 20 percent growth. The delays have been increasing as traffic grows.

SpiceJet managed average on-time performance of just 70 percent across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad airports in December and this was the best on-time performance by any airline during December. As expected, Air India fared the worst with at least four in 10 flights getting delayed. And others fared only marginally better, getting almost every third flight from these airports delayed.

7 NE Airports Have Potential for Operations Under UDAN: Report

About 44 airports across the country including seven in Northeastern States have “high potential” for operations under the ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) for civil aviation, UDAN, according to a report brought out by apex industry body FICCI.

“Based on the geographical, operational and commercial parameters, 44 out of the 414 underserved and unserved airports have high potential under RCS. “We have also identified around 370 potential destinations for the shortlisted airports, including metros, State capitals and important commercial, industrial and tourism centres,” said the FICCI report, brought out in concert with global professional service company KPMG.

Air India introduces female-only rows to tackle harassment

India’s national airline will designate two rows on every flight as female-only.

Air India made the announcement after two incidents in the past month of men allegedly groping cabin staff or other passengers.

A general manager at the airline, Meenakshi Malik, said officials had made the decision because “we feel … it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers”.

The service, which will come at no extra charge, will start this week on internal flights, and be rolled out across the network throughout the year.

Government yet to act as air fares jump manifold during festive season

Successive governments' continued failure to curb sudden - and steep - hike in air fares, especially during festivals or emergencies when demand is at its peak, has forced travellers to pay through their nose during crunch situations.
The latest to suffer were commuters flying in and out of Chennai in the past 2-3 days. Due to Pongal, the air fares to the city to travel the same day had been at an all-time high. The one-way ticket between Delhi-Chennai cost up to Rs 26,000 if bought on the day of travel.

Smog disrupts flights across south India

Flights were disrupted across south India on Friday morning as smog and fog considerably reduced visibility.

At the Chennai airport, arrival and departure of flights were affected between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. as smog, caused by the burning of discarded items on the occasion of Bhogi festival, enveloped the runway.

Sources said 10 incoming flights from various destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, were diverted to Bengaluru.

Go for a spin in the sky

It’s a joyride in the sky that gives a bird’s-eye view of the city like never before. For ₹3,500, citizens can go for a spin in the sky.

Taking off from Necklace Road near Sanjeeviah Park, the chopper makes way across the sky showing the real size of the Hussainsagar lake and as it whirrs away, the city’s urban landscape unravels warts and all.

“We are using a 12-seater Bell 412 twin-engine helicopter which is rarely used for joyrides. The rides are available in two slots - between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and again between 2.30 p.m and 5 p.m. We are following Civil Aviation Requirement guidelines and we have local clearances for operating the service for six days,” informed Govind Nair of Thumby Aviation, which has brought the ride service to the city.
To Read the News in Full 13/01/17 The Hindu
 

Packed air & ground

The number of flights operating out of Bagdogra airport will almost double in six months but the facility is short of infrastructure to handle increased passenger traffic.

According to the summer schedule (from March 26 to October 28) for the Bagdogra airport announced by the Airports Authority of India today, 22 to 25 flights will operate everyday in the first few months, instead of 13 to 16 planes at present. The number of daily flights will reach 29 in August.

But the airport authorities are worried over the existing infrastructure that is struggling to cope with even the present traffic.

"The terminal, along with conveyer belts and other facilities, can cater for around 400 passengers an hour at present. Still, we are handling 600 travellers on an average an hour. Going by the new schedule, the terminal will be teeming with 1,000 passengers an hour. Besides, we have just five aprons and the number will have to be doubled in March," said a source at the airport.

Jet launches direct Mangaluru – Delhi Service

Jet Airways will introduce a new daily service between Mangaluru and New Delhi, offering business travellers from the South Indian port city and commercial hub, seamless connectivity with the national capital.

The new daily flight, being introduced with effect from January 16, 2017, will also connect Mangaluru to a whole host of destinations across North, Northeast India and even internationally, via New Delhi, further bolstering the airline’s already extensive service network.

Main Runway To Be Shut For Resurfacing From Feb

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) informing pilots that the airport’s main runway will be closed for operations between 9 am and 5 pm six days a week from February 1 to April 30. The secondary runway will be used for the rest of the time.

The 90-day closure, which can impact more than 200 flights a day including international flights, is being undertaken to carry out resurfacing or tarring of the runway. “The closure is planned for Q4 which is traditionally a weak quarter. The impact is, however, still expected to be felt,” an airport source said.

Mumbai airport handles the movement of over 26,000 aircraft a month, including freighters due to high cargo volumes. Officials said that airlines have been intimated of the main runway closure and been told to prepare their summer flight schedules accordingly.

SpiceJet's mega order: Indian aviation market set to surpass Japan, become 3rd largest

SpiceJet today announced an order for 100 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft for $11 billion at list prices, the second highest aircraft order ever from India. Combined with an earlier order, this means it will receive 155 narrow body jets between 2018 and 2024, besides also having purchase rights for 50 more wide body aircraft from the same manufacturer. The narrow bodies will be used to service the domestic market as well as select international destinations. The wide body fleet of 50 Boeings – when SpiceJet does firm up the order for it – will enable the airline to launch a long haul low cost service like Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot and Norwegian Air.

Air India embarks on an expansion drive – to launch new flights and increase frequency in 2017

Having started twelve new flights domestically and four flights internationally in 2016, Air India has set in place ambitious expansion plans for 2017. With an aim to beef-up regional connectivity in the country and start new international connections, Air India plans to add two new international destinations and increase frequencies on popular domestic routes like Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Leh etc. till July 2017.

Post the successful commencement of direct non-stop flights to San-Francisco, Madrid, Vienna and Ahemdabad- Newark via London, Air India shall start direct flight operations on Delhi-Washington-Delhi route in July 2017.

Is Haj Subsidy A Sleight Of Hand To Keep Air India Afloat?

Did national carrier Air India and a Saudi airline fatten themselves on the Haj subsidy granted by the Centre for Muslims to fly budget to Jeddah?
Every year in August, close to a lakh and a half Indian pilgrims go for Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam. For the pilgrimage, they either travel on their own or sign up with the Haj Committee of India (HCOI), which acts as a travel agent on behalf of the government and arranges travel and stay for a fee.
Last year, of the 99,902 hajjis who travelled to Jeddah piggybacking on the HCOI, a pilgrim paid Rs 2,19,900, which included a “subsidized return airfare” of Rs 45,000. The air fare is a rip-off because when booked months in advance, the Delhi-Jeddah return ticket is available for around Rs 30,000 during the peak season.

7 NE airports have potential for operations under UDAN: Report

About 44 airports across the country including seven in Northeastern States have “high potential” for operations under the ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) for civil aviation, UDAN, according to a report brought out by apex industry body FICCI.
“Based on the geographical, operational and commercial parameters, 44 out of the 414 underserved and unserved airports have high potential under RCS.

“We have also identified around 370 potential destinations for the shortlisted airports, including metros, State capitals and important commercial, industrial and tourism centres,” said the FICCI report, brought out in concert with global professional service company KPMG.

Assam has three high potential RCS destinations and two each in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Uttar Pradesh has four high potential RCS destinations, three each in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, J&K, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

Domestic airlines carry 24% more passengers in Dec

Domestic airlines flew 95.52 lakh passengers in December last year, an increase of almost 24 per cent over the 77.09 lakh passengers carried in December 2015.

The latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation shows that IndiGo flew 38.48 lakh passengers in December last year retaining its position as market leader in terms of maximum number of passengers carried by a single airline in a month. Jet Airways took the second spot having carried 14.60 lakh passengers followed by Air India (13.35 lakh passengers) and SpiceJet (12.10 lakh passengers).

Air India to bid for 23 new routes under RCS

Poised with the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the National Civil Aviation Policy, Air India is set to bid for connecting 23 routes with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). Some of its existing routes would also be brought under the ambit of the RCS, said CMD Ashwani Lohani. Additionally, to keep pace with the growing competition in the international airspace, by March 2020, the national carrier will be inducting 100 more aircraft, including few Boeing 787 in 2017, some Boeing 777 (in Q1, 2018),13 new wide-body planes in next two years and 12 A320 neo aircraft are expected in 2017, taking the total aircraft count from 132 to 232.

As a member of Star Alliance, to be more competitive in the international airspace, the airline has a slew of measures planned. The carrier has come up with a tentative wish list of six new destinations to offer connections in 2017. These destinations are Washington (USA), Toronto (Canada), Tel Aviv (Israel), Stockholm (Sweden) or Copenhagen (Denmark), African region and Frankfurt (Germany).

Shirdi airport: Commercial flights to take off in April

After a six year long wait, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company have confirmed that the upcoming Shirdi airport will be open for commercial flights from April this year.
The airport, an important tourist location in the state will operationalise the Greenfield Shirdi airport and schedule flights for devotees thronging the Shirdi temple for both domestic and international flights town this year, which also marks the Sai Baba Samadhi Centenary Utsav 2017-18.
MADC officials told TOI that from the last six years they have been working towards the completion of the project. The project is spread on 350 hectares of land and the entire project is spread on 30,000 sq feet.

Indian Airlines Soar But Experts Warn of Turbulence Ahead

A major acquisition by Indian budget airline SpiceJet this week underscored the vast potential of the world's fastest-growing aviation market, but experts say woefully inadequate infrastructure and high operating costs could threaten the industry's rapid expansion.
India's burgeoning middle classes are taking to the skies in ever greater numbers, with passenger growth of 20 percent in 2015 according to industry body IATA -- nearly double China's 11-percent increase over the same period.
Low-cost airlines are rushing to expand their fleets to take advantage of that growth, encouraged by a fall in fuel prices that last year pushed several private operators into profit for the first time.

State shuts door on flight subsidy

The state government has rolled back its policy of providing subsidies for unsold seats on flights operating from smaller airports - like those in Cooch Behar and Andal - after realising the inefficacy of such payouts to make a route viable.

"The experiment of doling out subsidies, in the form of viability gap funding, to make a route viable has failed," a government official said today. "Such a move will never have the desired outcome."

Air India owed $110 million by Indian Government

Air India(AI, Mumbai Int'l) is owed INR7.5 billion (USD110 million) by the Indian Government for air services relating to defence and the transport of Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs), reports the Business Standard.

The outstanding payments are for services such as ferrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior ministers, as well as evacuation operations. Some of the bills have been unpaid since June 2014. The national airline uses two of its B747-400s for VVIP operations, which are put back into commercial service when not required by the state.
To Read the News in Full 13/01/17 ch-aviation
 

Pongal Smog In Chennai; Flights Diverted To City

Flights were diverted from Chennai to Bengaluru and other airports after parts of Chennai came under a veil of smog on Friday morning, caused by bonfires as people burn their discarded things on Bhogi, the first day of Pongal festival.Due to poor visibility caused by smog, nearly 20 flights were either delayed or diverted, said sources.
As many as nine flights were diverted to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.

Govt to spend Rs. 16k cr in the next 5 yrs on airport infrastructure

The government is now working on a national level plan to make unused airstrips operational again, which will offer easy air connectivity to the people who are living in far-flung areas of the country. For this, the government will be spending Rs.16,000 crore in the next five years to upgrade the airport infrastructure, said Civil Aviation Secretary R. N. Choubey on Friday.

Choubey was speaking at the Aviation Summit 2017, jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation, government of Andhra Pradesh and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Vijaywada city of Andhra Pradesh.

“We want to increase the number of air passengers to such a level that in the next five to seven years, India will become the third largest aviation market in the world. That’s the kind of market which is available here,” he said.

Air India turns down industry’s air service request

Air India (AI) has turned down Nashik Inc's request to start air services from the city, citing lack of spare capacity as the reason.
Admitting that Nashik has a "tremendous potential of a fast growing industrial city and is known to be a "religious centre" in the country, AI general manager (marketing) Rajneesh Bagga said: "Currently, Air India does not have the spare capacity to undertake additional services".
In a letter to the Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (Nima), the senior AI official said:

Air India drops lease plans, proposes purchasing Boeing planes

Air India is planning to switch from sale and lease back to acquisition model for Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft citing higher operating expenses and redelivery costs.

The move comes in the backdrop of operating losses in two consecutive quarters in FY 2017, largely blamed on increase in lease rentals. Air India suffered an operating loss of Rs 460 crore in the July-September period, after another Rs 246-crore loss in the financial year's first quarter, April-June.


Air India has 27 Boeing 787s on order and has already inducted 23 aircraft. Twenty-one of them are on lease following sale-lease back transaction.

‘Domestic passenger traffic in India rose by 22% in November’

India’s domestic passenger traffic grew by 22.3 per cent in November, a global airlines’ association said. “Domestic travel demand rose 7.1 per cent in November 2016 compared to the same month in 2015, but results continued to vary widely, with China, India and Russia showing double-digit growth while demand declined in Brazil and Japan,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, reports IANS.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The Free Press Journal
 

TS signs pact with aviation ministry for regional connectivity

The state government on Wednesday signed an MoU with the ministry of civil aviation and Airports Authority of India (AAI) for air connectivity to smaller towns under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) by developing small airports and airstrips. A memorandum of understanding was signed in Delhi in the presence of Union civil aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and industries minister KT Rama Rao.
Ministry of civil aviation joint secretary Usha, principal secretary investment promotion  Arvind Kumar and AAI chairman Guru Prasad signed the MoU. The state was keen to develop Warangal, Kothagudem and Adilabad airports for better connectivity. The Regional Connectivity Scheme of the civil aviation ministry would be in force for the next 10 years and the Centre would extend its help for starting airports in smaller cities or towns.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The New Indian Express
 

Regional Connectivity Scheme expansion plans ahead for Air India

State-run carrier, Air India will set up a simulator unit in the national capital by this year- end for training pilots for its ATR aircraft – a 40 to 70 seater small size plane – largely meant to be deployed for short haul operations.

Air India CMD, Ashwani Lohani on Wednesday said that the airline is in the process of recruiting at least 200 more pilots for its ATR operations. “We will be adding 20 more ATR planes by this year end for which we would recruit 200 pilots. Right now we have eight ATR which are flown by 70 of our pilots,” Lohani told reporters.

Vijayawada to host India Aviation Summit tomorrow

Vijayawada will host the India Aviation Summit for the first time here tomorrow with discussions focusing on the challenges facing the aviation sector and the strategies to be adopted for enhancing regional air connectivity.
Union Civil Aviation Ministry, in concert with AP government and FICCI, is organising the summit wherein Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju will deliver the keynote address.
Krishna District Collector Babu Ahamed told reporters here this afternoon that the summit would discuss among other things the high taxation regime, the impediments in indigenous aerospace manufacturing and MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul), skill deficit and the global strategies in enhancing regional air connectivity.

Nashik Inc makes loyalty offer to start air service

In order to rope in airline operators to commence air services from here, the Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (NIMA) has offered a loyalty programme.
The apex body of industries has said that it will sign a loyalty programme with the airline operator that is first to commence air service from Nashik.
Speaking to TOI, NIMA president, H S Banerjee said, "We are making all the efforts to commence air service from here. We have already decided to offer a loyalty programme to the airline operators and offered the opportunity the airline operators like Air India and Jet Airways during a meeting we recently had with the state government.

Fliers suffered most in December 2016, report reveals

December 2016 had been the most troublesome month for the flight passengers. According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation’s (CAPA) report, passengers of all airlines had to face major delays at the Mumbai airport in December last year. The report revealed that around 55 per cent of departures and arrivals were on time in December, indicating that 45 per cent passengers were left stranded.

In next 5 years, $10 bn will be invested in aviation

A sum of USD 10 billion would be spent in next five years to develop airport infrastructure in India so that the country could become the world’s third largest aviation market in seven years, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey has said.

As many as 400 unused airstrips across the country that had become cattle grazing grounds would be brought back to life, he said, reports PTI. Addressing a day-long India Aviation Summit, Choubey said the Civil Aviation Ministry was determined to maintain the “historic” 23 per cent growth rate achieved in the aviation sector in the country. “USD 10 billion would be spent in next five years to develop airport infrastructure. Our aim is to become the third largest aviation market in the next seven years. We are determined to stay ahead of the growth curve,” he said.
To Read the News in Full 13/01/17 The Free Press Journal
 

Directorate General of Civil Aviation announces to private airline’s relaunch flights from Surat

More than two years after the buffalo-hit incident at Surat airport, SpiceJet is all set to relaunch its flight operations between Surat and Delhi on March 26.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has prepared a summer schedule for the private airline from March 26. SpiceJet's schedule of departure from Delhi airport will be 8:35 am and it will reach Surat at 10:05 am. The return journey from Surat will be at 10:35 am and the flight will reach Delhi at 12:05 pm on March 26. In the evening, SpiceJet will operate from Delhi at 4:45 pm to reach Surat at 6:15 pm and its return journey from Surat will begin at 6:45 pm to reach Delhi at 8:15 pm.
To Read the News in Full 13/01/17 The Times Of India
 

SpiceJet to seal $10 bn deal with Boeing for 737 jets: Sources

Spicejet is set to seal an order for at least 90 new 737 jets from Boeing, two sources said on Thursday, as the low-cost carrier targets an expansion to tap into the South Asian nation’s booming air travel market.

The announcement for the 737 MAX aircraft— which includes at least 42 of the narrowbody jets SpiceJet had previously agreed to buy from Boeing in 2014— is expected as early as Friday when SpiceJet’s chairman holds a press event in New Delhi, the sources, who were familiar with the matter, said.

One of the sources said the SpiceJet order could be for as many as 100 new planes. Boeing last week posted an order for 100 737 MAX jets from an unidentified customer.

The sources declined to be identified ahead of Friday’s press announcement.
To Read the News in Full 13/01/17 Business Standard
 

India's FlyEasy to assume control of Air Pegasus

Stalled Indian start-up FlyEasy (Bangalore Int'l) has taken a giant leap towards the launch of operations following the signing of an agreement to acquire up to 74% of Air Pegasus (OP, Bangalore Int'l), a stalled, albeit already certificated, scheduled operator.

Air Pegasus Managing Director Shyson Thomas said in a statement issued to the Indian press this week that while the final shareholdings had yet to be finalized, he would own the minority stake in the carrier.

South Indian airports receive 19% of travellers availing e-tourist visas

Five airports in south India recorded the arrival of 19% international travellers, who availed e-tourist visas to visit the country in December last year.
While the international airport at Chennai topped the list among the southern states, New Delhi received the highest number of e-tourist visa travellers in the country.
An official press release said, about 1.62 lakh foreign tourists arrived in December 2016 on e-tourist visa. While the airport in New Delhi had registered the arrival of 36.6 % tourists using the facility, Chennai secured the fourth place with 6% of inbound visitors on e-tourist visas.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 Yogesh Kabirdoss/The Times Of India
 

Hyderabad airport on high alert

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad was put on high alert on Wednesday. Security officials termed it a routine move ahead of Republic Day celebrations.

They said alerts are issued every year before the Republic Day, aimed at preventing untoward incidents. Following the alert, patrolling within the premises was intensified even as more security personnel were deployed. Officials denied that the alert had anything to do with bomb scare reported at Mumbai airport earlier this week.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The Hindu
 

KTR signs regional air connectivity deal

IT Minister KT Rama Rao today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju for regional air connectivity. The minister who is in Delhi has called on the union minister along with Minister Jogu Ramanna, MP B Narasiah Goud and others. He discussed on the need for strengthening the regional air connectivity.
Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that his ministry has signed an MoU with the Telangana government for regional air connectivity.

Air India to reserve six seats for women on domestic flights

National carrier Air India will reserve six seats for women on domestic flights starting January 18, news agency ANI reported. The airline will not charge anything extra for blocking such seats for women passengers.
This is perhaps the first time such a gender-specific reservation is being implemented in an airline anywhere in the world — though it is in keeping with all other modes of transportation in India.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The Indian Express
 

City Airport To Handle Int’l Cargo From Jan 27

The Biju Patnaik International Airport here would handle international cargo from the International Customs Day on January 27, said Customs Commissioner, Bhubaneswar Deepak Arora on Tuesday.

For this purpose, public notice is already in place and the airport authorities have already earmarked a hall adjacent to the domestic air cargo terminal for the purpose of international air cargo terminal, Arora said after a joint meeting at the airport chaired by MSME Principal Secretary LN Gupta.

Arora said the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has accorded concurrence to the city office of the AAI to become custodian of the international air cargo terminal.

Airports across India alerted on terror attacks

Airports across India have been put on alert after intelligence agencies warned of a terror plot ahead of Republic Day celebrations.
Agencies have directed authorities related to airports’ security to keep a vigil eye as an attacker could be donning the uniform of a security personnel.
The Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had issued an advisory in this regard on December 28.

What RwandAir’s direct flights to Mumbai mean for trade, tourism

The move by RwandAir to start direct commercial flights to Mumbai, India in quarter two of the year will ease market access and help reduce transport costs, the business community and experts have said. It could also boost tourism arrivals, they added.

The development follows the signing of bilateral air services agreements between Rwanda and India during the 8th Vibrant Gujarat Summit, a global business forum in India, early this week, paving way for the commencement of the flights.

Andhra Pradesh: Rename Gannavaram airport

Ahead of the unveiling of the much-awaited swanky new terminal at the Gannavaram airport on Thursday , chief minister Chandrababu has written a letter to the Union civil aviation ministry to rename Gannavaram airport as Amaravati airport.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The Times Of India

Air India turns down industry’s air service request

Air India (AI) has turned down Nashik Inc's request to start air services from the city, citing lack of spare capacity as the reason.
Admitting that Nashik has a "tremendous potential of a fast growing industrial city and is known to be a "religious centre" in the country, AI general manager (marketing) Rajneesh Bagga said: "Currently, Air India does not have the spare capacity to undertake additional services".
In a letter to the Nashik Industries & Manufacturers' Association (Nima), the senior AI official said:

Air India drops lease plans, proposes purchasing Boeing planes

Air India is planning to switch from sale and lease back to acquisition model for Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft citing higher operating expenses and redelivery costs.

The move comes in the backdrop of operating losses in two consecutive quarters in FY 2017, largely blamed on increase in lease rentals. Air India suffered an operating loss of Rs 460 crore in the July-September period, after another Rs 246-crore loss in the financial year's first quarter, April-June.


Air India has 27 Boeing 787s on order and has already inducted 23 aircraft. Twenty-one of them are on lease following sale-lease back transaction. The airline is planning a debt-funded acquisition for remaining aircraft (including two in service) which it will acquire till August 2017. Similarly, Air India plans to acquire 3 Boeing 777 aircraft in 2018 raising debt instead of sale-lease model.

‘Domestic passenger traffic in India rose by 22% in November’

India’s domestic passenger traffic grew by 22.3 per cent in November, a global airlines’ association said. “Domestic travel demand rose 7.1 per cent in November 2016 compared to the same month in 2015, but results continued to vary widely, with China, India and Russia showing double-digit growth while demand declined in Brazil and Japan,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, reports IANS.
To Read the News in Full 12/01/17 The Free Press Journal

TS signs pact with aviation ministry for regional connectivity

The state government on Wednesday signed an MoU with the ministry of civil aviation and Airports Authority of India (AAI) for air connectivity to smaller towns under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) by developing small airports and airstrips. A memorandum of understanding was signed in Delhi in the presence of Union civil aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and industries minister KT Rama Rao.

Govt extends Navi Mumbai airport bids by 15 days

The City and Industrial and Development Corporation (CIDCO) has extended the deadline for submission of Navi Mumbai airport project bids by a fortnight after it attracted only one bidder – GVK group. GVK will also have an opportunity to revise its offer if it so wishes.

The financial bids for the much-delayed Rs 16,000-crore project were to be submitted by 3 pm on Monday. Three qualified bidders -- GMR group, Tata Realty and Hiranandani Group-Zurich Airport consortium -- indicated they would not participate in the bids. They cited project challenges and onerous bid conditions for their decision.

45% flights delayed at Mumbai airport in December

If you boarded a flight or landed at the Mumbai airport in December, then you may have been among those flyers whose flight was delayed. The flight schedule punctuality was at its worst last month with nearly 45% arrivals and departures being delayed by over 15 minutes.
Last year, the best on-time performance was recorded in February with only 25% departures/arrivals being delayed. On average, about 25-30% flights get delayed every month at the airport. But since September, the number of delayed arrivals and departures at Mumbai airport has been on a steady rise.
To Read the News in Full 10/01/17 The Times Of India

Few airlines, fewer flyers make hit air connectivity of Bhopal

In 2011, when the new terminal building of Raja Bhoj airport was inaugurated it was billed as the best airport among tier-II cities in the country. With its extended new runway, it was claimed Bhopal will be connected to all prominent cities in the country and even international services would begin.
In 2017, Bhopal is not even among top 30 airports of the country.
The airport has limited operations connecting few cities while the footfall dropped to less than half. Surprisingly, none of the private airlines are interested to operate from here.

9.5 million fliers travelled across India in Dec, the highest for 2016

According to a travel portal’s traffic analysis report, India’s domestic carriers ferried 9.5 million fliers — the highest recorded in a month last year. The report by Ixigo.com also stated that traffic between October and December accounted for one-third the total fliers’ volumes in the year.

“On the whole, 2016 was a great year for the Indian aviation industry with most of the year seeing a high traffic of both domestic and international bookings. As per our projection the number of domestic fliers in the month were about 9.5 million, 23% higher than the same period last year,” said Aloke Bajpai, chief executive officer and co-founder, Ixigo.

He added that holidays and bulk discounts were the primary baits.
To Read the News in Full 09/01/17 Defence Aviation Post
 

Vistara goes all out to cut costs, enhance revenue

Almost three decades ago, an American airlines saved $40,000 annually by removing just one olive from each salad plate.
Giving the same attention to cost reduction, Vistara, the full service JV airline of Tata-Singapore Airlines, will now increasingly source catering for passengers from the city it is flying out of. The logic: Taking catering trays, say on a Delhi-Kochi-Delhi flight, for the return flight from Delhi adds to the weight of the plane on the Delhi-Kochi sector and increases fuel burn.
"It is not just about savings. When we uplift food from other destinations, our passengers will get to savour the local flavours. We are now uplifting catering from Kochi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

SpiceJet to seal $10 billion deal with Boeing for 737 jets, sources say

SpiceJet is set to seal an order for at least 90 new 737 jets from Boeing, two sources said on Thursday, as the low-cost carrier targets an expansion to tap into India's booming air travel market.

The announcement for the 737 MAX aircraft - which includes at least 42 of the narrowbody jets SpiceJet had previously agreed to buy from Boeing in 2014 - is expected as early as Friday when SpiceJet's chairman holds a press event in New Delhi, the sources, who were familiar with the matter, said.

After beating Indian Railways with Rajdhani-like fares, Air India hikes free check-in baggage to 40 kgs

In what will bring huge smiles to travellers, Air India has unveiled yet another offer today after virtually beating Indian Railways with AC II Rajdhani-like train fares. The state-controlled airliner has given a new year gift to flyers by raising the free check-in baggage limit on the Delhi-Mumbai Boeing 747 flights – the flight will be much more comfortable than the new smaller planes for sure! The economy class passengers will now be allowed to carry 40 kilograms while it would be 50 kiligrams for the business class passengers.

Hyderabad Airport’s pin code now 500108

GMR Hyderabad International Airports Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad has announced that the city airport has got a new PIN Code – 500108 with the opening of a Post Office (PO) over the weekend.

 The PO has been opened in interest of passengers, community members and people residing in the airport’s vicinity.

SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL and Brigadier B Chandrashekar, Chief Post Master General Telangana Circle, Hyderabad inaugurated the PO in presence of Manish Sinha, Chief Operating Office, GHIAL; Dr PVS Reddy, Post Master General HQ Region, Hyderabad; officers of Postal Department and other airport members.
To Read the News in Full 08/01/17 The Hans India
 

Performance data row: Jet, SpiceJet to take on Indigo

Airlines have got into a battle over on-time performance data, with SpiceJet and Jet Airways expected to fire the first salvo this week.

Officials of both these airlines plan to meet the director-general of civil aviation on Tuesday to question the merit in IndiGo's recent complaint about the veracity of on-time performance (OTP) data collected by the Mumbai airport. On-time performance is a measure of an airline's ability to operate its flight schedule with punctuality. Airports monitor the arrival and departure time of each and every airline flight to deduce the OTP of each carrier and send a monthly data to the aviation regulator.

Taking to intl skies not a 'walk in the park': Vistara

After "packing a punch" in the domestic aviation space, two-year-old airline Vistara is preparing to take to the international skies even as it admits that the journey will not be a "walk in the park".

A joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, Vistara -- a full service carrier with a fleet of 13 planes at present -- is battling intense competition in the high growth market.

Vistara, which completes two years of operations this week, may be small in terms of fleet size but it has "packed a punch," Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said in an interview.

Now, all Air India flights will have handcuffs to pin down unruly flyers

Next time you fly Air India, watch yourself or you'll be pinned to your seat.

The flag carrier of India has decided to keep plastic handcuffs on all its flights to keep unruly passengers seated, reports The Times of India.

Speaking with the English daily, Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani said, "We used to carry restrainers only on our international flights but will now have them on both domestic and international flights. All our aircraft will have two pairs of restraining devices. The safety of passengers and aircraft is paramount. We will not compromise with that."

IndiGo alleges faulty system to calculate flight punctuality as domestic airlines fight over on-time performance

As competition gets fierce in the Indian skies, airlines are not only fighting for each passenger, they have now begun squabbling over on-time performance (OTP) too. airlines
The prevalent system of OTP calculation in India has been this: airport operators at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore submit OTP data of each airline to the safety regulator The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which vets these figures and then puts out data for all airlines on a monthly basis. These data are then used by individual airlines to market their services, with market leader IndiGo positioning itself as the most punctual airline for close to a decade.
The on-time performance is a key performance metric for airlines that shows how frequently flights operate within the declared scheduled time.

Dubai International Airport sees maximum flyers to and from India

Indians form the biggest chunk of flyers at Dubai airport, reinforcing the image of Emirates being India's de facto national carrier as it is the single largest international airline here in terms of flying people in and out of the country.

Dubai Airports has said that Dubai international airport handled 65.8 lakh passengers in November 2016. "India (with almost 9.6 lakh passengers) was the top destination country in terms of total passenger numbers recorded in November. The growth spurred mainly by increase in capacity and launch of new services by Spice Jet, Jet Airways, Air India and other carriers during the year, followed by Saudi Arabia (4.7 lakh), the UK (4.6 lakh), and Pakistan (3 lakh)," it said in a statement.

Vistara To Suspend Flight Services To Varanasi From March

City-based full service carrier Vistara on Thursday said it would be suspending its operations to Varanasi from here from March citing commercial reasons, even as it announced the launch of new flights to Amritsar and Leh.

As part of continual network optimisation and due to the planned runway maintenance of the Varanasi airport in the summers, the airline will suspend its daily service between Delhi and Varanasi, effective March 1, Vistara said in a release.

Meanwhile, it also announced the launch of its direct flight services to Amritsar from the national capital starting March 1.

The services to Amritsar from Mumbai will commence from March 8, the airline said.
To Read the News in Full 05/01/17 PTI/NDTV
 

DGCA detects flaws in 'on time' monitoring of airlines, sets up panel

Domestic flyers will now have to wait till March to know how punctual airlines really are before making correct choices based on this consideration. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) publishes on time performance (OTP) of airlines based on their domestic flights from four metros every month. But it has now discovered that the data collection for determining this may not have been correct and DGCA chief B S Bhullar has formed a panel to go into this issue.
"In view of some discrepancy observed in computation of OTP data, DGCA has constituted a committee to look into the matter as so as ensure the correctness by end of February. In the meantime, OTP data for December, 2016, will be published as per practice," said Bhullar. This means that correct OTP data of airlines can be expected only from March or April at the earliest.

Air Costa to expand its presence pan India in 3 months

Andhra Pradesh-based Air Costa, which is currently in its fourth year of operations, is looking at expanding its wings across the country by the beginning of the next quarter.

Talking about this development, Kavi Chaurasia, VP-Marketing and Brand Communication, Air Costa, said, “We received the license to operate pan-India flights from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in October 2016. Our immediate plan of action is to expand our route network across India in three months depending on the slot availability at prospective airports. While Delhi looks like a possible choice, we will consider the sectors that are viable.”

DGCA Sets up Panel To Review OTP Procedure as IndiGo Questions Data

Civil aviation regulator DDirectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has set up a panel to look into the procedure of computing of the On-Time Performance (OTP) data of domestic carriers by the airports following Gurgaon-based carrier IndiGo questioning its accuracy.
Till recently, OTP was one of the USPs and a major contributing factor in IndiGo's growth.
However, it recorded its lowest OTP, at a poor 72.4 percent from four metro airports, in more than two years in November 2016. This led the airline questioning the data collection system, particularly at Mumbai airport, which is in place for many years now.

Direct flights from India soon

India remains optimistic that a commercial airline will begin operating direct flights between the two countries but acknowledged that the route’s profitability remained an issue.


Indian Ambassador to Cambodia Naveen Srivastava said on Wednesday that despite the approval from both governments, no airlines had yet to take up the offer as there were still insufficient travelers flying directly between the two nations.


“It is mostly individuals, there are very few groups who are coming. Both the embassy and the government of Cambodia are working together to see if we can have a direct flight soon,” Mr. Srivastava said during a press conference.

Air India starts direct flight from Pune to Chandigarh

Air India will connect Pune to Chandigarh for the first time with a direct flight from January 16, 2017. This new flight is yet another move to promote regional connectivity by the national carrier.

The flight, AI 813 will take off from Chandigarh at 1050 hrs and arrive in Pune at 1320 hrs.

The return flight AI 814 from Pune will depart at 1400 hrs and land in Chandigarh at 1630 hrs on all days except Saturday and Sunday.
To Read the News in Full 05/01/17 The Stat Trade Times
 

IATA opposes government's surcharge on airlines

International airline body International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed its displeasure with the Indian government over 10% in airport and navigation charges and pointed out that such
decisions should have been taken after consulting all stakeholders as the current norms are as per international regulations.

Blair Cowles, regional director, safety and flight operations, IATA, wrote to civil aviation secretary RN Choubey on December 9, saying that the increase in these charges should have been done after consulting all stakeholders.

Bhopal: Chorus grows for ILS CAT 2 as fog disrupts flights

The dense fog in the state capital has thrown out of gear schedule of many airlines leaving emergency travelers stranded. On Tuesday, an Air India flight from Delhi had to hover around the airport for 20 minutes before attempting landing due to fog.
Poor visibility has made landing difficult at Raja Bhoj Airport that has led to demands for higher version of Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the city airport.
Presently, Raja Bhoj airport is equipped with ILS CAT1 facility.
Fog had forced cancellation of a Mumbai bound Jet Airways flight in the morning on Monday while two other flights of Air India were delayed by about five hours.

New Director of Indian Aviation Academy

Prof. (Dr.) Dewakar Goel, Executive Director,  Airports Authority of India has taken over as Director of Indian Aviation Academy on 20th December,  2016.

Indian Aviation Academy is a joint venture of Airports Authority of India(AAI), Director General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) & Bureau of Civil Aviation Security(BCAS)  under Ministry of Civil Aviation,  Govt. of India.  It is the premier Training & Research Institute of the country having affiliation with International bodies like International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO), Canada, Airports Council International(ACI), International Air Transport Association (IATA),) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) etc.

You’ll be able to board Metro to airport from 2020

With Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation aiming to begin Metro airport station construction by June this year, people of Lucknow should hopefully be able to board the Metro to Chaudhary Charan Singh (Amausi) airport from January 2020.
LMRC has floated tender for design and construction of airport station which requires the contractor to build station in 30 months. So, if the work begins in June 2017, it should be completed by December 2019, allowing the public access by 2020, a year after the start of the entire North-South corridor from Munshipulia to Amausi station. The airport station would be the last halt on this corridor.

Chandigarh International Airport: Air India announces flights to Mumbai, Pune from January 16

Connectivity between Adding to connectivity is a fresh proposal by Ambala division of Northern Railway, which wants to start one additional Shatabdi train from Chandigarh to Delhi on Sundays.
Starting from January 16, two direct flights will operate to Pune and Mumbai. The flight between Mumbai and Chandigarh will take off from Mumbai at 7.20 am and land in Chandigarh at 10 am. From Chandigarh, the flight to Mumbai (AI 642) will take off at 5.45 pm and reach Mumbai at 8.10 pm.

AirAsia PH wants flights to India

Budget airline Philippines AirAsia wants flights to India and has sought the Philippine government’s approval for the right to launch a route to New Delhi.
Philippines AirAsia, the domestic unit of Malaysian budget carrier giant AirAsia Berhad, filed an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) last month, a regulatory filing showed.
According to the filing, the airline was seeking an allocation of seven weekly flights to New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, via Bangkok, Thailand. This was in accordance with the existing air services agreement between the Philippines and India, it said.
To Read the News in Full 04/01/17 Miguel R.Camus/Inquirer.Net
 

Airport plans inline scan

Calcutta airport is finally doing away with a check-in system dating back to the stone age of aviation: passengers queuing up to get their registered luggage scanned.

Inline baggage X-ray, a facility that the Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad airports have had for years, is expected to be operational in the domestic section of the integrated terminal this summer.

An official said the Airports Authority of India had cleared the installation of an inline baggage X-ray system to replace the standalone X-ray machines. For a passenger, it means one queue less to board a flight.

Union Budget 2017: Allow private airport operators to raise funds via tax free infrastructure bonds, says FICCI

Union Budget 2017 should facilitate private airport operators to raise funds by allowing them to issue tax free infrastructure bonds, recommends FICCI. In its pre-Budget 2017 memorandum, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said, “To facilitate the private airport operators to raise funds, it is recommended that they should also be allowed to issue tax free infrastructure bonds to the public.” “Further, the investments in these bonds should be notified for the purpose of claiming deduction under Section 80CCF of the Act by restoring section 80CCF in the Act,” it said.

DGCA wants Indian carriers to mandatorily install simulator training facility in India

Indian carriers having a similar type of aircraft numbering over 20 aircraft would now have to mandatorily install simulator training facility within India.

India’s civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) -- a set of rules that govern the functioning of the Indian civil aviation sector -- stating that Indian domestic carriers must "progressively" reduce the use of overseas simulator training facilities.

DGCA in a directive has said: "Operators with more than 20 aeroplanes of one type shall have owned/leased simulator capacity within India for that type by December 31, 2018," Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

The DGCA guidelines further states that ATOs (Approved Training Organisations) should adopt market based approach to increase the utilization of under-utilized simulators first within the country and then with foreign customers through lease options.

Indian aviation takes off but growth weighs on airports

After a long rough patch, Indian aviation is finally booming, but that burst of growth is now taking a toll on the industry's infrastructure.

High operating costs, intense competition and the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines had weakened both business and civil sectors in previous years, but recently the Indian market has turned a corner into the world's fastest growing, largely thanks to supportive government policies.

India is currently the sole bright spot in Asia's aviation sector, Neil Book, CEO at the largest independent aviation firm JSSI, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.

International cargo operations to soon start at Biju Pattnaik International airport

Within one year of start of domestic cargo operations at Biju Pattnaik International airport, here in the city, the state government being all ready is waiting for the approval from the centre for the start of international cargo operations from the city airport here.

The state government is just awaiting the approval from the Ministry of Finance. All the preparations has been made for commissioning of the services , but with due approval from the centre, there is every planning of starting the services from January this year.
To Read the News in Full 05/01/17 Pragativadi