Flyers’ flow: Patna 12th fastest growing airport

Patna: The city’s Jayaprakash Narayan International airport ranked 12th in the fiscal 2017-18 in terms of flyer footfall growth.
The airport registered 47.3% growth in passenger flow last fiscal. The corresponding figure for the previous fiscal was 33.3%.
The only other international airport in Bihar at Gaya, on the other hand, registered a meagre 5.1% growth in passenger flow in 2017-18 compared to 37.7% in 2016-17 fiscal.
According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) figures, the Patna airport handled 31,11,273 flyers in 2017-18 as against 21,12,150 flyers in 2016-17.
A comparative study of the growth figures of other main airports of the country suggests the Patna airport registered 12th growth in percentage increase in passengers’ flow in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal. It had ranked 18th on this count in 2016-17.

‘We just want to run a good and strong airline’

Jet Airways will complete 25 years of operations on May 5. The airline, which was started by former travel agent Naresh Goyal with just four Boeing aircraft leased from Australia, now plans to embark on the next leg of its journey. CEO Vinay Dube discloses how Jet proposes to grow profitably, maintaining 8-10% CAGR for the next five years, acquiring new generation aircraft and cutting costs.

What Mr. Goyal had in mind to start the airline was his vision. And that part still lives on today. His vision was to develop a world-class airline. It is his passion for service and hospitality that makes him different.

So, the journey of the last 25 years is the journey of building something that is world-class in operations and world- class in hospitality. It is not easy to start from nothing and then build a $4 billion enterprise. And he did it. He gets the credit for it as do few thousand people who had worked for Jet Airways.

Use of aerobridges must wherever available: Civil Aviation Ministry

Mumbai: The Civil Aviation Ministry has cracked down on airlines seeking to improve their turnaround time by allowing some passengers to exit through the rear using a step ladder, when aerobridge facility was available from the front.

Now on, passengers will only have to alight through the front door once an aerobridge is docked to the aircraft. Passengers alighting from the rear usually had to take an airport coach or walk longer, something passengers complained about and the Air Passengers Association of India had pointed out in its newsletter.

A circular issued mentions that airlines should be using aerobridges more than they have been doing at airports where these are available. “It has been observed by senior Airports Authority of India officials that airport aircraft parking stands having passenger boarding bridges are not being utilised fully. The non-usage of passenger boarding bridges is causing inconvenience to passengers,” it read.

Amritsar-Birmingham direct flights to increase to five times a week

Air India will increase the frequency of its flights between Amritsar and Birmingham from two per week to five, owing to high demand from passengers.
The five weekly service is expected to start in the summer. The inaugural non-stop flight between Birmingham and Amritsar had taken off on February 20.
"The recently introduced Birmingham to Amritsar flights will soon be operating five days a week," said British Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who spearheaded the idea of connecting the two cities.
"It's been in the pipeline a while but now the Indian Cabinet has given the green light for it," he added. "It started on two days a week, last month they agreed to make it three days and now it will become five days a week. I thank the UK and Punjabi travellers for the enthusiasm with which they have made the flights successful," Dhesi added.

In-flight calls, Net may cost more than your ticket

Everybody is hailing the Telecom Commission's decision to allow mobile calls and internet services in domestic and international flights in India, but here's a spoiler – fliers will have to loosen their purse strings for these services. In fact, in some cases, the use of in-flight Wi-Fi services may cost more than your flight ticket.

Although in-flight Wi-Fi services are yet to start in India, countries that have provided these facilities charge approximately $4.5 (Rs 350) for using 10 mb internet data. Domestic airlines expect that the use of internet services over Indian territory would cost a passenger between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 on a 60- minute flight.

Talking to Zee Business, Trai chairman RS Sharma said that the TRAI will not interfere to regulate the cost of in-flight internet services. "Users have to pay for using Wi-Fi. The tariffs will be decided by the service provider. TRAI will not interfere with it," he said.

Bangalore airport's capacity to grow 3x by 2028, expansion to cost $2 bn

Chennai: Fairfax-owned Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) is expected to see a capacity expansion in with an investment of around $2 billion. This will help the airport handle 65 million passengers a year by 2028, against 20 million passengers at present.

In a letter to shareholders enclosed with Fairfax India's annual report and shared with shareholders recently, Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holding, said: "This (BIAL) is indeed a very exciting investment for Fairfax India."
against 20 million passengers at present.

In a letter to shareholders enclosed with Fairfax India's annual report and shared with shareholders recently, Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holding, said: "This (BIAL) is indeed a very exciting investment for Fairfax India."


A second runway is under development with 2019 as the deadline for completion. A second terminal is scheduled to be completed in 2021, for which the phase 1 schematic design has been completed and detailed planning is ongoing.

"The investment required to complete the expansion projects is approximately $2 billion and will be funded through internally generated funds and debt. The financing plan, based on a debt to equity ratio of 80:20, and negotiations with banks are well underway," he said.

In March 2017, Fairfax India had acquired 38 per cent of BIAL for $385 million (including 33% from GVK Group, BIAL’s promoter), implying an equity value of above $1 billion for the whole company. Based on BIAL’s March 2017 financial statements, the purchase price valued BIAL at a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.5, the price-to-book value of 4.7 times and price-to-free cash flow of 8.7 times, without considering the value of the real estate that can be monetised.

SpiceJet changes numbers of flights

SpiceJet airline has changed its flight numbers for 2 flights operating from Jaipur. Flights connecting Jaipur to Delhi and Udaipur will now have different flight numbers, say the sources.

SG-2623 SpiceJet flying on Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur air route will now fly as SG-8623. This flight takes off from Delhi reaching Jaipur at 8:10 a.m. and leaves from Jaipur for Udaipur at 8:30 a.m. Similarly SG-2637 flying on Udaipur-Jaipur-Delhi route will now fly as SG-8637. This flight takes off from Udaipur reaching Jaipur at 10:50 a.m. and leaves from Jaipur for Delhi at 11:10 a.m. Both flights will be operating from Terminal-2.
To Read the News in Full 04/05/18 Monika S/Udaipur Times

India's March domestic passenger traffic growth rises by 28%: IATA

New Delhi: India's domestic passenger traffic grew by 27.9 per cent in March, a global airline association said on Thursday.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India's domestic demand -- revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) -- was highest amongst major aviation markets like Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

As per the data, India's domestic RPK -- which measures actual passenger traffic -- rose by over 27.9 per cent in March compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

Airlines Say In-Flight WiFi And Voice Services Will Add To Costs

Major airlines, including Air India and Vistara, welcomed the Telecom Commission’s nod for use of WiFi and voice services in-flight, with Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu saying he will ensure “earliest implementation” of the proposal.

When the decision comes into effect in about three to four months, passengers can use mobile phones for both voice and data services in Indian airspace in domestic and international flights. However, a few in the aviation industry, including a senior-level officer of a low-cost airline, were not enthused, citing the expenditure involved in implementing the technology necessary for enabling in-flight WiFi services.

“We welcome the decision as it will mean more convenience to air travellers. We will study the recommendations in details and in due course determine the economics of offering on domestic and international route,” Vistara, which is gearing up for international operations, said in a statement.

But an official of a leading private carrier, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that providing the facility may not be a viable option given the high cost involved.

Jewar airport work to begin in 2019

New Delhi: The construction for the Jewar International Airport in Greater Noida will begin before the 2019 general elections with the Uttar Pradesh government having approved the setting up of a joint venture company to acquire 1,441hectare of land for the project at a cost of nearly Rs 4,000 crore.

The Centre has cleared the site for the project and the ministries of home and defence have given their no objection certificates along with an in-principle clearance for immigration services, a senior UP government official told ET.

Lucknow to get new international airport terminal by 2023

The Lucknow airport is all set to open its wings to accommodate more flyers with the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approving construction of an integrated international terminal.
Conceptualised on the lines of Mughal architecture, the new terminal is projected to be completed by 2023 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,230 crore. The terminal will span over an area of 88,000 sq mt and will have the capacity to handle more than 4,000 passengers in peak hours. Annually, the new terminal building will be able to cater to at least 25 lakh international and more than 1 crore domestic passengers. According to a formal artistic impression of the proposed terminal tweeted by Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, the double-storey structure will have two level driveway facilities for passengers to reach the arrival/departure gates.
The terminal will also have multiple check-in kiosks and baggage drop points. Union civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu said the new building would cater to the requirements of passenger growth up to the year 2030-31.

Qatar Airways to apply soon to start airline in India

Cardiff: Qatar Airways (QA) will soon apply for starting an airline in India, which will be a full service carrier operating within the country. While the proposed airline will be fully-owned by Qatar entities, it will have an Indian chairman and majority of board members will also be from India. QA has also stated it is not bidding for Air India.
In his first interaction with the Indian media since last March when he announced the plan to set up an airline in India, QA Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker told TOI : “Our lawyers have started working on our application. We will soon get some clarification from government authorities in India to give us the exact direction on how we can start the process (and) formally apply for the (licence) sometime soon.” TOI had earlier reported in February about Qatar Airways’ plan to launch an airline in India.

Surat airport soaring high, passenger traffic grows 250% YoY

Surat: Passenger traffic at Surat airport is up by a whopping 250% for the fiscal year 2017-2018. A factual data sheet by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has confirmed this and it now puts Surat on 42nd position amongst the top 50 airports in India.
In terms of aircraft movement, AAI has graded it at number 37 with 137.40% growth, which has been a huge achievement for an airport that has long been struggling to be up on the aviation map of India in spite of being amongst its earliest one.
“Despite only two major airlines and one non scheduled operator (NSOP) operating from Surat, the airport has shown tremendous growth and potential. From being at number 50, it has jumped up to being number 42, clearly proving that Surtis like to fly from their own airport,” co-chairman of the SGCCI’s aviation committee Manoj Singapuri said.

Bangalore airport's capacity to grow 3x by 2028, expansion to cost $2 bn

Chennai: Fairfax-owned Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) is expected to see a capacity expansion in with an investment of around $2 billion. This will help the airport handle 65 million passengers a year by 2028, against 20 million passengers at present.

In a letter to shareholders enclosed with Fairfax India's annual report and shared with shareholders recently, Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holding, said: "This (BIAL) is indeed a very exciting investment for Fairfax India."
against 20 million passengers at present.

In a letter to shareholders enclosed with Fairfax India's annual report and shared with shareholders recently, Prem Watsa, chairman and chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holding, said: "This (BIAL) is indeed a very exciting investment for Fairfax India."

InterGlobe Aviation reports 73% YoY drop in Q4 profit

New Delhi: InterGlobe Aviation on Wednesday reported 73.30 per cent yearly drop in profit at Rs 117.64 crore for March quarter.
The owner of IndiGo airlines had reported Rs 440.30 crore profit in the corresponding quarter last year.
Aditya Ghosh, the company President, stepped down last week. Promoter and co-founder Rahul Bhatia, has been appointed as interim CEO.
In a filing to the BSE, the company said the Q4 numbers included certain credits received from manufacturers to offset some of the impact of aircraft groundings and delivery delays.

‘Aviation will grow, connect and transform India’

Union Minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha sees the Indian skies changing, with several new modes of flying coming in.

Mr Sinha, what is the government’s plan for the growth of the aviation sector?

We already have a blueprint of what is likely to be the future. In the foreseeable future, what will the aviation sector look like? Even the prime minister is talking about it. From 500 planes in the sky to some 2,000 planes in the sky; we are going from 200 million passenger trips to a billion passenger trips. And we are going to grow from 200 helicopters to 400 helicopters.

We are going to grow from 75 airports to 200 airports. From auto rickshaws to air rickshaws. This where things are headed as far as aviation is concerned. So it is a massive growth industry that is going to grow and grow and connect up India and transform India. In my own life, there is the example of Hazaribagh, where I hail from. It was impossibly remote from Delhi. If you took a Rajdhani, it would take 14 to 16 hours. Today, I can do a day trip. I take an 8.40 a.m. flight, I reach Ranchi at 10.30 am and by 12.30 p.m. I am in Hazaribagh. And from 12.30 to 6.00 p.m. I work in Hazaribagh and you can take the 8.30 p.m. flight back and you are back in Delhi by 10.30 p.m. This was inconceivable even a couple of years ago. Of course, it also includes a very high quality highway that got built—NH 33— which allows you to do the 125 km in two hours. But that is what connectivity is doing to India.

Similarly, there was no flight between Delhi and Bikaner. We introduced the Delhi-Bikaner flight through UDAN [Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik-Regional Connectivity Scheme] and under UDAN II, we are getting a Bikaner-Jaipur flight too. But the flight from Delhi to Bikaner has completely transformed Bikaner and people are flying to and fro from Bikaner every day. People are willing to live in Bikaner because they know that they can be in Delhi in one hop. People are even willing to set up factories in Bikaner.

Foreign airlines will be first to offer in-flight connectivity

Mumbai/New Delhi: Foreign carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa are soon likely to offer mobile connectivity on board flights in Indian airspace after the government’s go-ahead. But local airlines may go slow on rolling out the service because of the cost involved, said industry executives.

“It’s a welcome decision. Lufthansa doesn’t offer call services but we do offer data services,” said Wolfgang Will, a senior director at the German airline. “Right now, an aircraft has to fly out of Indian airspace for connectivity to be activated. After this approval, there is a possibility of providing passengers with the services within the Indian airspace too. We shall definitely look at it.”

Singapore Airlines offers in-flight connectivity on Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft through SITA ONAIR and Panasonic. “Coverage for in-flight connectivity services are dependent on the approvals obtained by service providers,” said a spokesperson at the airline. Getting approvals will now likely be easy following decision of the Telecom Commission, the highest decision-making body in the telecom department, to allow the service.

Not everyone's happy! Wifi, phone calls to make flights noisy, also add to airlines' cost

While full-service carriers like Air India and Vistara have welcomed Telecom Commission's approval for use of WiFi and voice calling services onboard the aircraft, the low-cost airlines (IndiGo & SpiceJet) have said they are studying the matter in detail before making any comments.

The decision, which comes into effect in about three to four months, will allow passengers to use mobile phones for both voice and data services over Indian airspace. This feature will be allowed both in domestic as well as international flights.

However, not everyone is excited with this significant development in the aviation industry. Budget airlines are staring at increased costs involved in bringing the technology for enabling in-flight WiFi services.

According to PTI, a few in the aviation industry, including a senior-level officer of a low-cost airline, were not much enthused, citing the expenditure involved in implementing the technology necessary for enabling in-flight WiFi services.

It's not just no-frills airlines which have been skeptical about the decision of Telecom Commission allowing telephonic calls during flights. Some flyers are also dreading the move saying that this may lead to passengers talking loudly on their mobile phones.

SpiceJet to be first to offer mobile phone connectivity on flights, says Ajay Singh

Ajay Singh, CMD Spicejet, during an exclusive talk with Zee Business's Sameer Dixit said that the airliner will be starting 21 flights under phase-II of Udan, the regional connectivity scheme. He added, that through the proposed charter, the government wants to bring international standards to India and this is a welcome step.  Over and above that, Singh said that his airline would be the first to offer in-flight connectivity - the proposal was cleared today itself by the Telecom Commission. Check out here the edited excerpts from the interview:

Q: You have added one more destination under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). Where does Spicejet stand in the network and what is the plan to connect other destinations, like Kanpur?

A: RCS Udan Yojana is one of the best plans of the incumbent Modi government. As you know that under the scheme, we are operating flights between Mumbai and Porbandar, Mumbai to Kandla, Hyderabad to Pondicherry, Delhi to Jaipur and Jaipur to Jaisalmer. SpiceJet is the first airline that participated in the scheme. Today, we are going to connect Adampur and will try to connect Kanpur in the month of May. In the addition, under phase-II of the Udan scheme, we are planning to start new flights from 21 destinations. Flights to these destinations will be started as soon as the airports become functional.

Air India, Vistara, other major airlines welcome Telecom Commission’s nod for in-flight WiFi, voice services

New Delhi: Major airlines, including Air India and Vistara, today welcomed the Telecom Commission’s nod for use of WiFi and voice services in-flight, with Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu saying he will ensure “earliest implementation” of the proposal. When the decision comes into effect roughly in three to four months time, passengers can use mobile phones for both voice and data services in the Indian airspace in domestic and International flights. “We welcome the decision as it will mean more convenience to air travellers. We will study the recommendations in details and in due course determine the economics of offering on domestic and international route,” Vistara, which is gearing up for international operations, said in a statement, welcoming the development.

The major take away from the decision is access to net connectivity and Internet access which can be provided once the aircraft is ready for take-off. Prabhu said that he will ensure “earliest implementation” of the proposal as the government remains committed to improving services of air passengers and making their travel delightful and hassle-free. “Providing passenger amenities have been the endeavour of the Narendra Modi government. We are constantly upgrading our services. This (decision) will go a long way in making sure people will be using the flying time more productively and efficiently,” the Civil Aviation minister said in a video message from South Africa.

International cargo registers 22% growth at Coimbatore airport

Coimbatore: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) owned and operated cargo terminal at Coimbatore International Airport handled 3,277 metric tonnes of international cargo during 2017-18 registering 22% growth than the previous year, said officials here on Tuesday. During 2016-17, the tonnage was 2,683 metric tonnes.

Apart from the growth in the international cargo movement, both import and export witnessed upward trend in the concluded fiscal year.

While import increased to 204 tonnes from 98 tonnes, export rose to 3,073 tonnes from 2,585 tonnes.

While castings, foodstuffs, vegetables, turmeric concentrate and fabrics constituted exports through the airport, components, raw materials and accessories stood for imports.

Government nod for 3 new airport terminal buildings at Chennai, Lucknow and Guwahati

New Delhi: In a major step towards augmentation of aviation infrastructure in the country, the Centre today approved a proposal to build new terminal buildings at the Chennai, Lucknow and Guwahati airports at an estimated cost of over 5,000 crore.
The proposal was approved by the Union Cabinet which met here today.

The aviation sector in the country is currently growing at well over 20 per cent and touched 28 per cent in March, with 1.16 crore Indians making flight journeys during the month.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said the new terminal building approved for the Chennai airport at Rs 2,467 crore will have a capacity to handle 35 million passengers per annum and take care of the growth requirement till 2027.

Retail outlets likely at Chennai airport by year-end

Chennai: Passengers travelling through Chennai airport willhave a better shopping experience while they wait for their flights as Airports Authority of India is planning to appoint a professional agency to set up new retail outlets. The newshops areexpectedto comeup by theendof the year.
A tender to identify a firm, which will be in charge of setting up the best of brands for seven years, has been floated. The process is on but the bid opening date will be postponed by a couple of weeks because of a glitch in the online process. “The request for proposal will be uploaded again with revised dates soon,” said an official.

Chefs to take instant feedback onboard in Vistara

New Delhi: Vistara today launched a Chef-on-Board programme with uniformed chefs taking direct and instant customer feedback on the new menu introduced by the Airlinetoday across the network.

The programme has been rolled out in partnership with Vistara's primary caterers, Taj SATS Air Catering Limited, a statement issued by the Airlinesaid.


"With Chefon-Board, we want to ensure that we get feedback directly from our customers to help us make the Vistaradining experience even more fulfilling and memorable, Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy And Commercial Officerof Vistarasaid.

How the Hyderabad international airport is spreading its wings

As you drive along the boulevard and pass by the 10 MW solar park, you feel the impressive presence of the Hyderabad international airport. Soon, the attraction will be as much the airport as the facilities coming up around it.

A city builds an airport, conversely, an airport can build a city around it, becoming, in the process, an aerotropolis — where the infrastructure and economy are centred around it. As the Hyderabad international airport enters its teens, its developers, the GMR Group, are looking to achieve just that.
The Hyderabad airport, by leveraging its location, seeks to be the gateway to South-Central India. Today, it connects 60 destinations across India and abroad and is currently served by nine domestic, 17 foreign and three Indian international carriers. It has attracted many projects, including those of the Tata group, CFM, UTC, Amazon fulfilment centre, GMR MRO, Safran and FSTC.

It will soon feature business/health/education/entertainment ports, it will have logistics and aerospace parks. The proposed business port will see the development of the country’s largest exhibition-cum-convention centre, IT parks and office and retail space.

For now, no GST on goods sold at Indian airports' duty-free shops

Kolkata: Prices of perfumes, chocolates and tobacco sold at duty-free shops in Kolkata and 16 other international airports in the country will not skyrocket. At least not immediately.
Allaying fears of international fliers, tax experts told TOI the pronouncement by the Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) that goods sold at the duty free shop at Delhi airport should be subject to GST will be challenged as the very existence of duty-free shops is at stake.
“Flyers purchase liquor, confectionery, perfumes and tobacco at duty-free shops as they get international brands at prices that are 30-40% lower than the market. If the AAR decision is implemented, the price of these goods other than liquor could go up by 9-14%. This will take away the sheen from duty-free shops,” said a representative of Flemingo, the largest operator of duty-free shops in India.

Why airports are unable to handle increasing air traffic

Last month, the tyres on an Indigo flight from Tirupati to Hyderabad burst on touchdown — leading to thousands of passengers being stranded in airports across the country for up to seven hours. Every day, though, delays of half an hour or more, which have a cascading effect on schedules country-wide, are par for the course — a result of soaring passenger traffic, and stagnation in planning and expansion of airports to handle the footfalls.
Airports in India — from the busiest like Delhi and Mumbai to smaller ones in Patna and Guwahati — have become synonymous with queues, delays and congestion. On the airside, failure to add runways and parking bays has meant airports are unable to clear airlines’ requests to add more flights.
“If a flight gets delayed at another city like Delhi or Mumbai, there are delays in all the other sectors. This is beyond our control,” said an airline official. In December, for instance, 45% of flights were delayed at Mumbai.
India has recorded double-digit growth in domestic air passenger traffic for the past 42 months, shows data from International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade body of global airlines.

Vadodara airport to get 2 new aerobridges

Vadodara:  Two aerobridges will be operational soon at Vadodara airport, Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra, said today.

The AAI had started building these aerobridges last year, to ferry passengers directly from the gate to the aircraft, Mohapatra told PTI over the phone.

“The commissioning of the aerobridges will enable the flights to park close to terminal building making it easier for passengers to board the flight without using the bus. This makes travelling easier for senior citizens, children, pregnant women and wheelchair-bound passengers,” he added.

Zoom Air looking to spread its wings to B'desh, Myanmar

Kolkata: Zoom Air is looking to fly to nearby international destinations like Yangon and Chittagong, from Kolkata, a top official of the airline has said.

Last week, Zoom Air launched daily flights between Kolkata and Tezpur in Assam, under the Centre"s regional connectivity scheme (RCS).


"We are planning to operate flights to international destinations such as Yangon and Chittagong from Kolkata. These destinations are likely to be connected with one or two destinations in the North East," CEO cum MD of Zoom Air, Koustav M Dhar told PTI.

"We will be able to introduce international flights from Kolkata, because from now on, we will park two aircraft in the city at night," Dhar said.

SpiceJet likely to operate flights from Darbhanga

Patna:  Darbhanga has emerged as the strong contender in the state for commercial flight operations under the Centre’s much-ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
If Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources are to be believed, SpiceJet has won the bid to operate flights from Darbhanga airstrip. The private airline has planned flights to Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from Darbhanga. AAI sources said the bidding was held three months back in the national capital in which Kishanganj airstrip was also in the race. However, no airline showed interest to operate flights from Kishanganj. Sources said after Darbhanga, Purnia might be the second airstrip in the state from where commercial flights would operate in the near future.

Vistara, Adobe partner to deliver enhanced customer experience

At Adobe Symposium 2018, Vistara announced a strategic alliance with Adobe to leverage next generation technology in Adobe Experience Cloud to bolster the company’s end customer experiences. As part of this partnership, Vistara aims to augment its digital transformation journey by leveraging the power of Adobe Analytics and Adobe Campaign to drive a range of technological advancements that will strengthen the company’s data foundation and enable personalised experiences for Club Vistara members.
Adobe Symposium 2018 is India’s biggest digital marketing event and is taking place in Mumbai today. Speaking at the event on the role of technology in helping marketers become ‘experience makers’, Ravinder Singh, chief information and innovation officer, Vistara said, “World over, the aviation industry has always been amongst the most customer-experience oriented, and the onset of today’s digital revolution has brought technology to the front and centre of customer experience strategies.

Goa will be made logistics hub of India, says Suresh Prabhu

Panaji: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said here today that the government plans to turn Goa into a logistics hub of the country. “We are going to make Goa the logistics hub of the country. There are four coastal states on the Western coast-Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa. After Mumbai, the biggest airport that is going to come up is in Goa (in Mopa),” he said. The minister was addressing a gathering at the ‘Goa Start Up and Innovation Day’ organised by the state Information and Technology Department.

He said the existence of two airports in Goa, including the second facility at Mopa, which will be commissioned in 2020, would help position Goa as a logistics hub. According to him, once the Mopa airport is commissioned, it will have the capacity to handle 30 million tourists annually.

Jewar airport to handle 10 crore flyers annually by 2050: Report

New Delhi: The Greater Noida airport at Jewar will start with an annual passenger handling capacity of 60 lakh when it opens by March 2023 and then eventually grow in phases to reach 10 crore flyers every year by 2050.
A detailed PWC report on this infra project’s feasibility and sustainability shows that 85% of flyers to and from here will be domestic and the rest international.
The study says Jewar’s development will see annual passenger traffic grow to 1 crore by 2029-30 and then to 10 crore by 2050 in phases.

New terminals planned at Chennai airport

Chennai: In two months, passengers flying through the Chennai airport are likely to witness the construction of new terminals as part of the phase II modernisation project.

The domestic terminal will be split and located on either of the international terminal. So, the existing domestic and international terminals will be modified and refurbished to serve as the new domestic terminal. The old Kamaraj Domestic Terminal and the Anna International Terminal will become the new international terminal.
“This apart, there will also be an exclusive satellite terminal, which will be connected to the domestic and international terminal by a tunnel. This is mainly to ease the growing passenger traffic in the airport,” an official said.

Zoom Air Begins Kolkata-Tezpur Daily Flights

Kolkata: Zoom Air today began flight operations between Kolkata and Assam's Tezpur under the Centre's UDAN scheme, a top official of the airline said.

The airline operated a 50-seater Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ200LR) between Kolkata and Tezpur, the official said.

"We are a full service carrier and the aircraft we are operating in this sector is luxury jet," CEO and Managing Director of Zoom Air, Koustav M Dhar, said.

Zoom Air will operate seven daily flights on the Kolkata-Tezpur-Kolkata route, he said.

Vistara joins global airline lobby IATA ahead of launching international operations

Mumbai: Tata-SIA's joint venture airline, Vistara, has joined the 280-member strong global airlines body IATA, ahead of plans to launch international operations by the second-half of the year.

Up until now, only two Indian carriers - Air India and Jet Airways - were part of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), whose members represent as much as 83 percent of the total air traffic across 120 countries.

Membership will enable Vistara to collaborate with other international member airlines for so-called codeshare and interline agreements, and provide customers with seamless travel through an extended global network, the airline said in a release.

Good news for Jet Airways flyers: Now, bid for an upgrade to first class

New Delhi: Full-service carrier Jet Airways on Wednesday announced the launch of 'Jet upgrade' initiative, allowing premiere to upgrade to a higher class through a bidding process.

Under the programme, passengers holding confirmed economy or premiere bookings can bid for an upgrade to premiere or first class respectively, the airline said in a statement.
Passengers can place a bid on the Jet Airways' website under the 'manage my booking' section, stating the amount they're willing to bid for the upgrade.

Zoom Air begins Kolkata-Tezpur daily flights

Kolkata: Zoom Air today began flight operations between Kolkata and Assam's Tezpur under the Centre's UDAN scheme, a top official of the airline said.

The airline operated a 50-seater Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ200LR) between Kolkata and Tezpur, the official said.


"We are a full service carrier and the aircraft we are operating in this sector is luxury jet," CEO and Managing Director of Zoom Air, Koustav M Dhar, said.

Zoom Air will operate seven daily flights on the Kolkata-Tezpur-Kolkata route, he said.

Allahabad airport will be ready by December 2018: UP Civil Aviation Minister

New Delhi: Nand Gopal Gupta, the Uttar Pradesh Civil Aviation Minister, in an exclusive talk with Zee Business's Sameer Dixit said, "The state is fully prepared to host the Kumbh Mela to be held in Allahabad and Allahabad airport will be ready by December 2018." Notably, Allahabad Kumbh Mela will be held from January 15 to March 4, 2019.

Gupta said that after being developed, Allahabad Airport will be connected with 13 other cities of the countries, like Hyderabad, Nagpur, Mumbai, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Dehradun, Indore, Kolkata, Raipur, Pune and Patna in next 15 months. In addition, 11 major cities of the state, like Kushinagar, Agra, Jewar, Gorakhpur, Kanpur and Allahabad among others will be connected through the airstrip. He also said that other 22 cities like Chitrakoot, Azamgarh, Bareli, Aligarh, Jhansi and Moradabad among others will be connected with Air Routes.

Ludhiana to have air link with Shimla, Kullu soon

Ludhiana: Kullu and Shimla will no longer be over the hills and far away. If all goes well, Ludhianvis can soon fly to these tourist spots from Sahnewal airport. The airport is already running a flight between Ludhiana and Delhi, which is witnessing a good response.
Airport's acting director Amardeep Nehra said Air Deccan has submitted a proposal to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) about the flight from Ludhiana to Delhi, Shimla and Kullu.

SriLankan Airlines offers Colombo-Hyderabad daily services

Hyderabad: SriLankan Airlines has added two more flights per week to Hyderabad and now offers a daily flight to Colombo and onward connectivity to other destinations. Currently, it operates 145 flights per week to India across 14 destinations.

Chammika Iddagodage, Manager for SriLankan Airlines, in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, said, “India is SriLankan Airlines largest market for holidaying, conferences and even onward connectivity to various locations in Middle East, Far East and lately to Melbourne, which we started late last year.”

The airline, which had strengthened its South India connectivity with three new destinations during July 2017, including Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore and Hyderabad, is now looking to further strengthen its network.

India targets second Delhi airport by 2023

Singapore: Plans for the development of a second international airport at India's capital appear to be making headway following government approval of a feasibility study, which targets operations to commence by April 2023.

A techno-economic feasibility study report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers shows that the new airport will be located at Jewar in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and 72km from the Delhi Indira Gandhi International airport. Construction is expected to commence by April 2019.

PWC says the Jewar airport would "decongest" Delhi airport, which is "soon expected to reach capacity".

Last year, Delhi airport handled 57.7 million passengers, a 10% growth from five-years ago. Although the airport has a plan to raise its capacity from the current 70 million to 109 million by 2034, PWC believes that capacity could be reached earlier due to strong growth in India's air traffic.

Inaugural Flight of Garuda Indonesia from Mumbai is Successful

Denpasar: Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-200 aircraft of Mumbai-Bali flight route, on its first landing at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, was greeted with a flood of water cannons. Greetings like this were often done by the Ngurah Rai Airport to give an appreciation to the airline that opens the first flight route to Bali.

Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya along with Garuda Indonesia President Director Pahala N. Mansury and VIP entourage from PT. Angkasa Pura I, as well as Indian media crew, escorted historic inaugural flight of Garuda Indonesia airline of Mumbai-Bali route which landed smoothly at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Tuesday (4/24/2018).

Tourism gets a tailwind from hospitality, aviation

Jaipur: Aircraft movement and hotel industry occupancy are the two key indicators for assessing the health of the tourism industry and both the segments appears to be on a roll in Rajasthan in the past couple of years.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inbound travel mart Great Indian Travel Bazaar, said Subodh Agarwal, additional chief secretary, tourism, culture, forest and environment on Tuesday said that aircraft movement has grown 35% in Jaipur and 25% in Jodhpur and 20% in Udaipur and similarly, the volume of air passenger traffic has expanded by 31% in Jaipur and 54% in Udaipur airports.
“Today, Jaipur airport operates 70 flights daily compared to 38 in 2015. This shows there is a strong demand for air travel, which is a key proxy to tourism,” added Agarwal.

Emirates Airline eyes expansion in Iran, India

Dubai: Emirates Airline said it is eyeing expansion in Iran, which it described as “a very important market”, saying it is interested in increasing its operations there.
Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice-president of commercial operations at Emirates, said the carrier is also interested in increasing its capacity to Saudi Arabia and India, both of which remain highly protected markets.

In Iran, Emirates currently operates flights to Tehran and Mashhad, and the carrier said seat factors on both routes are high year-round, at more than 70 per cent, and goes to 90 per cent at peak seasons.
“We are looking at opportunities there. Iran is not a small country; it’s huge, much like India. In India, we now cover nine points, so we need more flights there,” Al Mualla said on Monday at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition.

Indore airport handled over 2 million passengers in 2017-18

Indore: Indore’s Devi Ahilyabai Airport has joined select airports of the country which see more than 20 lakh flyers annually, a senior official said today. Aryama Sanyal, Airport Director, Devi Ahilyabai Airport, told PTI today that the number of passengers the airport handled during the financial year 2017-18 rose by nearly 33 per cent to 23.66 lakh.

During the fiscal 2016-17, the number of flyers stood at 17.82 lakh, the official informed. The official expressed hope that the number of flyers annually would reach 25 lakh in the current financial year, adding that enhanced air connectivity and passengers amenities were fuelling this growth in traffic.

‘Duty Free’ Shops At Delhi International Airport Liable To Pay GST

International passengers buying goods at airport ‘duty-free’ shops in New Delhi will have to pay Goods and Services Tax, with the Authority for Advance Ruling saying such outlets at the Delhi International Airport is not ‘free from duties’ under the new indirect tax regime.

In the earlier regime of excise and service tax prior to GST roll out on July 1, 2017, the duty-free shops were exempt from the levy of central sales tax and value added tax as sale from such shops were considered as exports and supplies were taking place beyond the ‘customs frontiers’ of India.

Odisha: Terminal connect plan sends Biju Patnaik International Airport on a high

Bhubaneswar: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) is on a high. After recording a 40.2 per cent increase in footfall in 2017-18 financial year and a steady rise in flight operations, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has decided to construct a state-of-the-art building which would connect Terminal 1 (T1) with Terminal 2 (T2) to reduce passenger transfer. The two-storey building will have best of facilities for travellers including shopping complexes. The AAI has already approved the plan for constructing the building between T1 and T2, BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota told The Express on Friday.

The airport’s T1 is for domestic operations, while T2 facility is for international facilities. To make passengers’ visit hassle-free, BPIA has planned to schedule all international flight arrival at the new building which will be the link building between T1 and T2. Departure of international flights, however, will continue from T2.

Kerala: Domestic air traffic makes rapid strides

Thiruvananthapuram:  Riding high on expatriates toiling in West Asia, whose remittances have been a big boost to the state's economy, airports in Kerala have been catering to more international than domestic passengers. But the state is set to witness a dramatic turnaround with domestic traffic making rapid strides and on the verge of overtaking international passenger volume.

Last fiscal's statistics from Cochin International Airport and Trivandrum International Airport show that they have narrowed down the gap between domestic and international passengers to about 47:53 and it is expected that domestic traffic will begin within a year or two.

The trend in Kerala's airports was in sharp contrast to the passenger break-up at Delhi and Mumbai airports where domestic passengers outnumber those going overseas.

Relief for passengers: Three more bus services to Bengaluru airport soon

To cut down on the problems faced by people in reaching Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to launch three more bus services connecting different areas of the city to the airport.

Named ‘Vayu Vajra’, the buses will connect ITPL to the airport via Budigere Cross; Shivaji Nagar/MG Road to Kempegowda airport via Hennur Road; and Bannerghatta Road (Gottigere), the New Indian Express reported. The launch dates have not yet been fixed, but the buses are expected to ply 30-40 times a day, a senior BMTC official told TNIE.

Kempegowda International Airport is located north of the city and due to the congested roads, it can take people a few hours to get there. The state has taken several steps in the past to reduce travel time.

A luxury bus service was started in 2008 to take passengers to the airport. In September 2017, the state Cabinet approved an infrastructure project proposing 4 new corridors connecting different parts of the city to the airport.

Govt to soon ban the flying of lantern kites within 10-kilometres of an airport

Flying lantern kites within ten kilometres of an airport might soon be banned, with the government proposing amendments to aircraft rules.

Besides, flying of wish kites in the vicinity of airports could also be banned, according to a draft notification.

The proposal from the Civil Aviation Ministry comes against the backdrop of certain instances where flying of such objects apparently caused disturbances to pilots operating flights, especially during landings and take-offs.

To restrict flying of kites near airports, the ministry is looking to make amendments to the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

"... No person shall launch a lantern kite or a wish kite from a place located within ten kilometres from the aerodrome reference point of any aerodrome in India," the draft notification said.

Air India Express adds new flights to Kerala

Abu Dhabi: Budget carrier Air India Express is on an expansion mode and is introducing new flights on Kerala's Kochi sector.

Air India Express operates daily flights to Kochi and from April 18 to May 30 will add services on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. With the addition of three services, Express will be connecting Abu Dhabi with Kochi 10 times a week.

The carrier will fly at 4 pm from Abu Dhabi International Airport to land at Cochin International Airport by 9.35 pm. The return flight is at 12.30 pm from Kochi, which will arrive at Abu Dhabi by 3 pm on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Say goodbye to airplane mode: In-flight Wi-Fi coming soon in Indian airspace

Flyers will soon get to access data services during flights as the country's telecoms operator is all set to allow airlines to offer Wi-Fi services in the Indian airspace.

The Telecom Commission, the highest decision-making body at Indian government's department of telecommunications (DoT), is set to approve the much-awaited proposal at its next meeting scheduled on May 1, Mint reported on Thursday.

The Telecom Commission was contacted and we are awaiting their response to the report.

Swadeshi Jagran Manch against selling Air India

New Delhi: RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch says the Modi government should not fall into the “trap” by selling Air India and should instead explore options to revive the national carrier, including selling some of its ‘Maharaja’ assets.

This comes days after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Air India should not be sold to a foreign buyer.

The government has announced that it plans to disinvest its 76% stake in the national carrier, which has been making losses for the last few years. “The government should follow the equity route and not the strategic sale route it is exploring now,” Swadeshi Jagran Manch co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan told ET. “It should not fall into this trap (of selling off the airline) and focus instead on cleaning up its balance sheet.”

More flights to Dubai, Sharjah might be on the cards

New Delhi: Air connectivity between India and Dubai and Sharjah could soon improve with flyers going to get choice of more flights and increased capacity leading to lower fares. The Modi government is going to take a call on initiating talks to hike bilaterals with countries where airlines of both sides have utilised over 80% of existing flying rights.
“We are soon going to decide on the issue of holding negotiations with countries where 80% of existing bilaterals have been utilised by their airlines and ours,” aviation secretary R N Choubey told TOI. Airlines of India and Dubai are utilising 100% of the 66,500 weekly seats allowed to each side at present. Airline of Sharjah have utilised 100% of their flying rights to India (18,144 weekly seats) while Indian carriers are operating 94% of their rights.
Qatar Airways has used up all its rights to India (24,655 weekly seats) and Indian carriers are at 74% of their bileterals to Doha. Singapore is also soon going to be on this list with Indian carriers going to use over 80% of their flying rights to the prosperous island nation.

MIA is fastest growing airport in S India

Mangaluru: The Airports Authority of India’s Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) is emerging as one of the fastest growing airports in southern India. MIA has seen a 30% growth of passenger traffic since the last one year.
The number passengers handled in this airport has gone up to 23.4 lakh during 2017-18 as against 17.5 lakh in 2016-17. The current number of flight operations per day is more than 60 and is likely to cross 80 in the coming months.
Vasamsetti Venkateswara Rao, airport director, MIA told TOI that AAI has already taken up major expansion of terminal building to help cope with the projected increase in flight movements that will also see a resultant increase in passenger traffic. “We are enhancing area of terminal building by 1.5 times of its existing area in the coming years,” Rao said, adding these works are in advanced tender stage and will be awarded shortly with an estimated execution time of 18 months.

India needs nearly 900 passenger planes in future: Senior government official

Bengaluru: To cater to the robust air passenger traffic across airports in the country as well as the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) that aims to provide air travel to the common man, India will need nearly 900 passenger aircraft in the future, said a senior state government official.

Speaking to The New Indian Express on the sidelines of an Indo-French Defence and Aerospace Cooperation conference taking place in the city on Tuesday, Deepak Sood, CEO of Invest Karnataka Forum said, "We presently have nearly 500 passenger aircraft.

In comparison, China has around 2,500 passenger planes, five times that of India. The UDAN Scheme will also require additional aircraft." The UDAN (Ude desh ke nagrik) scheme launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in June 2016 aims to make air travel affordable to the common man by making use of remote and under served airports.

Vistara likely to order wide-bodied aircraft in expansion bid

Vistara is likely to place an order for wide-bodied aircraft in the next few weeks as part of its plans to expand to long-haul overseas routes, people aware of the deliberations at the premium domestic carrier told ET.

Although they did not specify the make of the planes or the number likely to be ordered, the development signifies that Tata Sons, which runs the airlines in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, is pressing ahead with its plans for Vistara even as it remains undecided on whether to invest in Air India.
The airline currently operates a fleet of 20 narrow-bodied Airbus A320 planes of 158 seats. Widebodied planes typically have over 300 seats, twin-engine and longer range of more than 8 hours.