An MH370 theory that was simple, compelling and wrong

On Tuesday a "startlingly simple" theory explaining the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines jet began making the rounds on social media and among journalists interested in the story. According to a fellow named Chris Goodfellow, the plane caught fire, and the pilot headed to a nearby airport to save the craft, eventually crashing into the Indian Ocean.
Goodfellow, whom Wired identifies as having "20 years experience as a Canadian Class-1 instrumented-rated pilot for multi-engine planes", begins with a dismissive wave toward the aviation experts who have been clogging the news networks.
He says that he "tends to look for a simpler explanation".
He then theorises that a fire, possibly electrical or from an overheated tire on takeoff, sent smoke into the cockpit shortly after the crew signs off with Malaysian air traffic controllers.
The pilot executes a sharp left turn and heads for a nearby emergency landing spot, while turning off electronics - such as the transponder - in order to isolate the problem.
"Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a very experienced senior captain with 18,000 hours of flight time," he writes. "We old pilots were drilled to know what is the closest airport of safe harbor while in cruise."
A quick search of Google Earth gives Goodfellow a candidate: Pulau Langkawi.

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight could have fallen victim to world's first 'cyber-hijack'

Flight MH370 could have fallen victim to the world’s first ‘‘cyber-hijack’’, with a British anti-terrorist expert saying a plane could be taken over using a mobile phone or USB stick.
Former Home Office scientific adviser Dr Sally Leivesley said hackers could change the plane’s speed, altitude and direction by sending radio signals to its flight management system.
It could then be landed or made to crash by remote control, Dr Leivesley told the Sunday Express in London.
More than a week after the Malaysia Airways Boeing 777 went missing with 239 people on board, theories are all family and friends have to explain the fate of the plane.
light MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. At the weekend, Malaysian police finally confirmed that the disappearance was a deliberate act and searched the captain and co-pilot’s homes.

Regional airports to offer great potential for India

In view of the vast untapped potential, the next generation of aviation growth in India will be triggered by regional airports, offering significant long-term opportunities for global aviation players.
According to the “Indian Aviation 2014” report, launched at the ongoing India Aviation exposition here, there is a large untapped potential for growth in the country as access to aviation is still a dream for nearly 99.5 per cent of the population.
“At present, there are around 450 used, unused or abandoned airports and airstrips spread all over the country,” the report, compiled by consultancy firm KPMG Advisory Services, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, or FICCI, said.
Many Indian states, especially in Eastern India, have started taking proactive measures to promote air connectivity.  These initiatives include reduction in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel, or ATF, development of no-frills airports, promotion of aviation academies and supportive policies for airlines and tourism, the report said.

Despite Sebi query, Etihad Airways' Jet Airways buy a done deal for Finance Ministry

New Delhi: UAE-based carrier Etihad Airways' stake acquisition in Jet AirwaysBSE -2.59 % is set to get a finance ministry boost. The ministry is sticking to the stand that the deal has been cleared and there's nothing more it has to say on the first investment in an Indian airline by a foreign carrier.
The ministry, which houses the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), is expected to respond soon to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), which is examining afresh whether the acquisition triggered the market regulator's takeover code.

Open skies for tech firms in aviation market

Aviation technology firms are entering the Indian market in a big way, tying up with airlines like Air India, IndiGo and GoAir to provide critical components to enhance flight safety and run their businesses.
At last week's India Aviation Show, Air India signed a MoU with major US firm Honeywell to upgrade the landing and takeoff gears of its Boeing 777 fleet, while the two no-frill carriers joined Geneva-based SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques) for developing business technology solutions.

Fare fight among Indian airlines mere eyewash?

Ahmedabad: When Ankit Patel, a businessman, read about airlines offering 30-70% discount on tickets, he went online to book tickets for a trip to Mumbai next month. But before he could decide which date to book ticket for, low cost tickets were shown as unavailable.
In the past 10 days, leading low cost airlines have announced discounts of up to 70% for a limited period of time. But industry insiders say the high discounts are deceptive as only 5-10% seats in a flight are offered at low rates and that too on selected routes. Many customers like Ankit Patel were disappointed after they were unable to get tickets at low prices.
Read news in full 17/03/14 Times of India

Haryana engineer shows fellow villagers the wonder-world on board a plane

New Delhi: Flying is a right that we all take for granted. Whatever the destination, most of us just swipe our credit cards online, strap on our seat belts, gaze languidly at the window, and get set for an all too familiar experience.
But in this age of hyper-aviation with falling airfares and an increased number of low-cost airlines, it is easy to forget there is an India that has never seen a plane close up, let alone sat in one.
Bahadur Gupta is one man who hasn't forgotten this India. A native of Kaisal village in Haryana's Kaithal district, Gupta, who rose through the ranks to become a mechanical engineer in the erstwhile Indian Airlines, promised his fellow villagers that he would show them the wonderworld on board a plane. Thus was born Gupta's Dwarka-based 'fantasy flight', where, with the help of a grounded Indian Airlines plane, he helps many people live this fantasy even as they learn an important lesson in safety.

Chartered flights for Keralites who wish to vote

Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian organisation has plans to charter flights for Keralites who wish to vote in their country’s general elections, said a senior official of the association.
The Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), which has 50,300 members in the UAE — 20,500 of whom are in Dubai — will be flying Keralities eligible to vote on April 7.

SpiceJet to overhaul flight timings from next month

In a departure from the usual scenario of Indigo Airlines topping the on-time charts, SpiceJet sent out a statement that it has emerged as the airline with the highest on-time performance in February according to official figures.
In addition, SpiceJet said it was overhauling its flight schedules from the end of this month. SpiceJet is India’s second largest low fare airline. The airline currently operates more than 350 daily flights to 51 destinations, which includes 42 Indian cities and 9 international destinations.
“With an OTP score of 79.9% across the Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, SpiceJet was ranked #1 in on-time performance,” the airline said.

Cargo theft puts Kolkata airport to shame

Kolkata: Even as Kolkata airport wins accolades for its new passenger terminal, the cargo wing continues to be a major embarrassment with imports being systematically pilfered. Such is the menace that cellphone manufacturers Nokia and Samsung have decided to shift bulk of their import cargo from Vietnam and China to other airports. This will not only hurt Kolkata airport's revenue but also give it a bad name worldwide.
Freight forwarding and Customs clearing agents told TOI that theft of mobile handsets, pen drives, storage cards, computer parts and other electronic items was rampant at the airport. "As new systems and work ethics were ushered in, we hoped the problem would get weeded out. Instead, thefts have become more frequent and brazen. It is a shame," said Calcutta Customs House Agents' Association secretary Utpal Das. He has written to Airports Authority of India (AAI), expressing concern over the situation.

World’s largest charter company eyes India entry

New Delhi: The huge spurt in demand for hiring business jets in India has now prompted the world's largest charter company to have a subsidiary here. Zurich-based VistaJet is in talks with some Indian charter firms and is aiming to have a JV functional within a year.
It is going to bring the world's most luxurious mid-size business jet — Bombardier's Global 6000 — to the country. Only three top industrialists in India have placed order for this high-end personal jet and one of them is expecting delivery for personal use soon.

Flight MH370 was hijacked: Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian authorities have concluded that a passenger jet missing since last week was hijacked and deliberately steered off course, a government official involved in the investigation told The Associated Press.
“It’s conclusive,” the official told The AP.
The search for the missing Malaysian jetliner expanded after U.S. officials said it emitted signals to satellites for hours after its last contact with air traffic control nearly a week ago.
According to the report, investigators have determined that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was diverted from its intended destination of Beijing by one or more people with significant flying experience.

Indian man commits suicide in Jeddah airport restroom

Riyadh: An Indian man committed suicide in the restroom of an airport lounge in the Red Sea coast city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The unnamed Indian worker reportedly tried to assault a female passenger while he was about to board an outgoing flight at the departure lounge of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the Saudi Gazette reported Saturday citing airport director Abdulhameed Abalaree.
Though police arrested him after the attempted assault, he hanged himself in the restroom where he went on the pretext of relieving himself.

Did someone take over Flight 370?

There is still much that is mysterious about the fate of Malaysia Air Flight 370, but there is emerging consensus that the passenger jet bound for Beijing changed course, flying west over the Indian Ocean and flew for at least four hours. This tends to suggest that there was a human intervention, rather than a mechanical failure.
Typically such a human intervention would be a hijacking for political purposes, as was the case with the 9/11 flights or any number of other hijackings.
But no credible terrorist group has asserted responsibility for this operation and whoever diverted Malaysia Air Flight 370 issued no demands, which would be typical in the case of most hijackings.
There is always the possibility of pilot suicide, as was the case with EgyptAir 990, which plunged into the Atlantic shortly after leaving JFK Airport on October 31, 1999. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the co-pilot intentionally caused the crash, although Egyptian authorities questioned that judgment.

CISF orders probe into IGI security breach, warns of strict action

A day after Mail Today exposed a security breach at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that is guarding airports across the country initiated an inquiry into the matter.
A 16-year-old boy had scaled the airport boundary near Kapashera Crossing around 4.50am on Wednesday and took a half-hour-long jog along an active runway before he was spotted.
Notorious for false alarms, the perimeter intrusion detection system (PIDS) installed at the IGI airport reportedly didn't work when the boy sneaked in.
The CISF told Mail Today that the force would write to the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), asking it to rectify the errors in the PIDS.

India-made passenger plane coming soon

Hyderabad: India’s plan to build a passenger aircraft is finally taking shape. It is likely to finalise the specifications in three months, according to an official at the ministry of civil aviation.
“The specifications will be decided in about three months. There are also things to be firmed up, like whether we should use a turbo jet or a turbo-prop engine. The effort is to build a passenger aircraft with 70 to 100-passenger capacity,” according to G Ashok Kumar, joint secretary, MoCA.
The plan to make the passenger aircraft was approved by a high-level committee on manufacturing last year.
“It might take seven to eight years for the prototype to be ready,” Kumar said, adding that public sector enterprises HAL and NAL would be involved in the project. A special purpose vehicle will be formed for the project, he said.

Air India revokes termination of sacked hostesses under political pressure

Mumbai: The Air India (AI) management 'succumbed' to political pressure on Thursday unconditionally revoking the termination of 12 hostess and a flight purser who had been sacked earlier this month for repeatedly reporting late or skipping duty leading to delayed or cancelled flights.
The decision to revoke the termination was taken after the Shiv Sena-backed breakaway faction of the All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) held a meeting with AI chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan in Mumbai on Thursday. According to officials, reversing the order is bound to be taken as assign of weakness and will make it more difficult to discipline erring staff in the loss-making national carrier, which is struggling to improve its efficiency.

Duped and grounded in Delhi in bid to fly abroad

Ram Kumari Bomjan from Rautahat district arrived in New Delhi five months ago with a dream of flying to New Zealand, only to be duped by her agents.
Bomjan, who is staying at Everest Hotel in Paharganj, New Delhi , gave Rs 1.5 million to her agents one year ago. “They are trying to cheat me by producing fake work permit for Hong Kong or telling me that they would send me to Canada instead,” she said.
Bomjan sold her land and borrowed money to pay them. “I cannot go back to my village. Nor can I fly to a foreign country in the lack of documents. My known agents are out of contact,” she rued, adding that she does not have money even to pay the hotel.
About a dozen others are left in the lurch in the Indian Capital after their agents duped them on the pretext of sending them to New Zealand. Of late, India has grown as a transit for sending Nepali foreign job aspirants abroad.

We cannot sell to everybody: Boeing's Dinesh A. Keskar

Dinesh A. Keskar,  the face of Boeing to many people in India, can be seen smiling more often these days. One reason: He has just bagged a $4.4-billion deal from SpiceJet to deliver 42 aircraft, starting 2018. This senior vice-president sales (Asia Pacific & India) for Boeing, who has seen the market in India for the last 25 years, is also a regular at the India Aviation show held jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Hyderabad. At the fourth such event, currently under way in Hyderabad, he spoke to Business Today.

Jet Aviation appoints MRO sales representative in India

Jet Aviation has entered into an agreement with New Delhi-based Arrow Aircraft Services, appointing Arrow Aircraft Services as its MRO sales representative for India effective from April 2014.
“Business aviation in India is strong,” said Oliver Bergsch, Jet Aviation’s vice president of MRO sales and customer relations, EMEA and Asia.
“Arrow Aircraft Services is established in the region and is known for its integrity, dependability and hands-on approach,” added Bergsch. “We are very pleased to partner with them to explore opportunities of mutual interest.”

GVK Reddy receives 'Lifetime Achievement' award

Hyderabad: GVK Reddy, Founder-Chairman and Managing Director of GVK Group, was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his outstanding contribution to Aviation Sector in the country.
He was presented this award at India Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Hyderabad. GVK has been at the helm of the public-private partnership initiative in India and has developed two world class airports at Mumbai and Bengaluru, in addition to airports in Indonesia.

Feb saw marginal growth in domestic air traffic

New Delhi: Marginal growth of less than one percent in domestic air traffic was witnessed in February compared to the same month last year, with IndiGo and Jet Airways-JetLite combine ruling the market share.
In spite of a series of promotional fare offers by most of the airlines starting January, the air traffic growth of 0.69 percent the next month was minor.
Air India, with a market share of 9.62 lakh passengers, was behind IndiGo and Jet-JetLite which carried 14.64 lakh and 11.92 lakh passengers respectively last month, the latest official data on air traffic said on Friday .
While SpiceJet carried 8.85 lakh passengers last month, GoAir flew 4.27 lakh and new regional airline Air Costa 16,000.

India needs over 1,290 aircraft worth US $190 billion in next 20 years: Airbus

Bangalore:  European aircraft manufacturer Airbus forecasts that Indian carriers will require 1,290 new passenger aircraft valued at US $190 billion between now and 2032 to satisfy the surging annual demand.
India's annual passenger traffic growth rate of 8.6% is well above the regional Asia Pacific average growth rate of 6.1% and the world average 4.7 %.
Of the requirement for 1,290 new aircraft Airbus said that 73% would be for growth and 27% for replacement.
By 2032, Airbus said that 36% of India's fleet would be wide-body aircraft, more than doubling today's level. This is a result of increased capacity of international as well domestic routes with larger aircraft like the A330 and A350s.

‘India could need 1,600 aircraft in 20 yrs’

New Delhi: India is expected to witness a demand of 1,600 airplanes in next 20 years, with commercial aviation fleet estimated to grow more than five times during the period, according to Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Projecting its 20-year market outlook for India, the US-based company said that planes worth $205 billion would be needed during the period, given a favourable demography in the country.
Passenger airlines in India will mostly rely on single-aisle airplanes, comprising almost 83 per cent of the total fleet.
“India’s demographics are highly favourable to the growth of air transportation. The share of India’s large population entering the workforce is growing. India could have the world’s fourth-largest economy if current trends continue helping drive demand for air travel,” Dinesh Keskar, senior VP of sales, Asia Pacific and India, said.

Once again, the fear of flying

The tragic disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 flight MH370 over the Gulf of Thailand is another reminder of Murphy’s Law: “If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.” The flight had just settled into its cruising altitude of 35,000ft when it disappeared from the radar screens. There were no distress calls or signals indicating an emergency.
The weather conditions in the area would have been of vital importance. If the aircraft had encountered high thunderstorm clouds and they were on the lee side, there is every possibility of the aircraft having encountered a warm downdraft which would have resulted in a rapid loss of airspeed. All modern high-performance jet aircrafts have FADEC (Full Authority Digital Electronic Control) that sets engine thrust limits based on ambient temperatures. An aircraft flying at 35,000ft and encountering temperatures that normally exist at a much lower altitude would find rapid loss of speed and non-availability of thrust due to the limits set by FADEC. The only option is to lose altitude rapidly. Did flight MH370 encounter such a condition?

Manpower in aviation sector may reach 1.17 lakh by 2017: report

Hyderabad: Manpower requirement of the aviation sector in India is expected to grow nearly two-fold to 1.17 lakh by 2017 as carriers induct new aircraft in the fleet, says a report. "The total manpower requirement of airlines is estimated to rise from 62,000 in FY11 to 1,17,000 by FY17. This includes pilots, cabin crew, aircraft engineers and technicians (MRO), ground handling staff, cargo handling staff, administrative and sales staff," a FICCI-KPMG report titled Enhancing Air Connectivity released by civil aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa said in Hyderabad.

Revised aviation guidelines to propel regional connectivity

Hyderabad/New Delhi: In a move that is expected to boost air connectivity in remote areas, the civil aviation ministry proposes  to incentivise airlines flying to these towns and cities by waiving off landing, parking and navigation charges at specified airports.
Also, the route dispersal guidelines (RDG) first notified in March 1994, have been revised. The revised guidelines will also recalibrate the capacity scheduled air transport operators need to deploy for connecting Tier-II and -III cities.
A senior official told Business Standard that the ministry had identified 20-25 cities where airlines would not have to pay landing, parking and navigational charges (these account for around five per cent of carriers’ cost).

India can top aviation in 15 yrs: Ficci-KPMG report

Hyderabad: A Ficci-KPMG report on the Indian aviation sector, launched on Thursday at the ongoing India Aviation 2014 show here, said the country had the potential to become the third-largest aviation market in the world by 2020 and the largest by 2030, given the large untapped potential for growth, as access to aviation was still a dream for 99.5 per cent of its population.
The report, which puts the size of the Indian civil aviation industry at around $16 billion, said the next generation of aviation growth in India will be triggered by regional airports. There are 450 unused or abandoned airports and airstrips across the country. Many states, especially in the east, have started initiatives to promote air connectivity, it said.

India Working on Low-cost Airport Model

Hyderabad: With high cost of operations at the major airports in India adding to the losses of the carriers, the government is evolving low-cost airport model, which is also expected to improve regional connectivity, a senior official said Thursday.
Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Lavasa said the ministry has invited suggestions from whoever wants to contribute to developing the model.
He was addressing a session on 'Enhancing air connectivity' at the India Aviation 2014, the country's largest civil aviation show currently underway here.
The official referred to a suggestion made at CEOs forum during the event that the government should create airports like railway stations to provide people the facility to fly in and fly out without all frills associated with beautiful buildings.
Lavasa said his ministry had identified 50 airports to connect small cities not connected or underserved.

15 sacked AI staff may get return ticket after apology

New Delhi: Air India may reinstate 15 of the 17 cabin crew it had dismissed in three weeks for coming late, thereby causing flight delays.
"We have got an unconditional apology from 15 of the 17 dismissed. They have said they had been misled by the union and have agreed to follow all guidelines. We are considering taking them back," said an official.
Of the 17, 13 are permanent staff members.
The All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA), however, denied any apology letter sent. It said it was still waiting for a hearing by the Central Government Industrial Tribunal in Mumbai.

Less than 1 per cent Indians have access to aviation

Hyderabad: Only 0.5 per cent of the Indian population has access to aviation. For the rest, it is still a dream. This large demand will make India the third largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest in a decade from then, according to India Aviation 2014 Enhancing Air Connectivity report by Ficci-KPMG.
According to the report, Indian carriers plan to double their fleet size by 2020 to around 800 aircraft. At present, the Indian civil aviation industry is estimated to be $16 billion. The current MRO market size is estimated to be around $700 million. The total manpower requirement of airlines could rise to 1,17,000 by FY 2017 from 62,000 in FY 2011, the report said.

'Flash sale' of airlines becoming a regular feature: Experts

Mumbai: Low-cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet started with offering heavy discounts on airfares, only to be followed by rivals IndiGo and GoAir. Not to be left behind, full-service carrier Jet Airways and national carrier Air India too jumped in the fray. Also, citing the great response received, Spicejet later extended the period for a few days.
If you are among those who missed out on taking advantage of this fare war, don't worry. Another one is probably around the corner.

All eyes glued on the A-380

Hyderabad: The Airbus A-380, the largest passenger aircraft ever made, which is set to fly from Mumbai airport soon, was the centre of attraction at the India Aviation 2014 show at Hyderabad's Begumpet airport on Wednesday
The awesome bird, a symbol of the continuing effort to stretch the limits of aviation, is bound to be a game-changer after airlines like Emirates, which has the aircraft, starts operations from Mumbai and Delhi, initially.
The aviation ministry recently cleared the aircraft for regular services from India after the proposal was blocked by other Indian carriers for the simple reason that it is difficult to compete with a plane that has such high levels of fuel efficiency and can carry about 800 economy class passengers, if there is no business and first class configurations. With its incredible business and first class combos, the double decker aircraft can carry over 500 passengers.

Emirates says Indian airlines may set-up hubs in Dubai - Tim Clark

Indian airlines are considering establishing hubs at the new Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central, Emirates president Sir Tim Clark has revealed.
Despite protectionist policies in the Asian nation, Indian carriers claimed they were so constrained by regulation and lack of space they were looking for additional cities to operate from, Clark said during a press conference in the US to mark his airline’s launch of flights to Boston.
“Already the Indian carriers in the latest round of talks expressed an interest in setting up hubs in Dubai,” he said.

Report: High taxes rendering Indian aviation uncompetitive

Hyderabad: FICCI and KPMG have said India is making self-goals in the aviation sector, driving away business. Stating that the industry is over-taxed, they said this aspect is clearly reflected in the industry’s lack of competitiveness at the global level.
FICCI and KPMG released the Indian Aviation 2014 report at the India Aviation show here on Thursday.

A two-seater Sky Arrow that will use petrol to fly

Hyderabad: Indian skies may soon see a small aircraft flying on mogas (motor gasoline) or petrol. The two-seater has a single propeller at the back of the cabin and will be used for training, surveillance, and adventure sport.
“It can run on 91-octane unleaded petrol. It fits well for India and will change the cost dynamics. It will prove that flying is not just a rich man’s luxury,” Bimal Sareen, Director of the Delhi-based OIS (Offset India Solutions), told Business Line . “The position of the propeller gives a clear view of the surroundings, making it easier for reconnaissance and surveillance,” Sareen said.Sareen refused to say how much the plane costs. The 7.6-metre long, 2.6 metre high Sky Arrow has a wingspan of 9.7 and will be in India by February next year. OIS AeroSpace , OIS’ civil and military aviation business unit, has signed an agreement with the Italian firm Magnaghi Aeronatuica to sell its Sky Arrow aircraft.

SBI-Cap sells Kingfisher Airlines shares worth over 4.52 crore

Mumbai: SBICAP Trustee Company has sold 1.69 crore shares worth over Rs. 4.52 crore of debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines.
Post sale, SBICAP’s stake in the grounded carrier has come down to 10.10% from 12.19%, Kingfisher said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.
Promoters held 30.14% stake in Kingfisher, as per the company’s December quarter shareholding pattern.

Honeywell And Safran Sign Up GoAir To Support EGTS Electric Taxiing System

Hyderabad: Honeywell and Safran have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GoAir, one of India's leading low-cost carriers, to support the advancement of the EGTS electric taxiing system, a technology that can save airlines up to 4 percent block fuel consumption per flight.
EGTS uses electric motors on the main landing gear to enable the aircraft to push back autonomously and taxi without using its main engines to improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions. The news follows an agreement with Airbus in December to jointly evaluate EGTS as an option for the company's A320 family of airplanes.
"At GoAir, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to lower costs for our passengers while improving their flying experience at the same time," said Giorgio De Roni, CEO, GoAir. "This agreement allows us to actively participate in the system's development — a technology that we believe has the potential to not only save fuel and reduce costs, but also improve aircraft turnaround times and lower noise and emissions in the airport environment."

Air India in agency hunt to support global PR and social drive

Air India has issued a tender outlining its search for a firm to manage brand and reputation, crisis comms in the event of an emergency, internal comms, investor relations and digital PR.
The successful agency will be based in India but its remit will involve global reputation management, media relations with foreign press as well as "maintaining a major presence on social media" according to the RFP document.
Agencies tendering for the brief must have a minimum annual turnover of £500,000 for the last three years, experience of working with major airlines or other travel and tourism clients, but should not be working with any domestic competitor of Air India.

Boy takes morning jog through IGI airport runway !

New Delhi: Indira Gandhi International Airport had a special visitor early on Wednesday morning. A 16-year-old runaway boy climbed the airport wall and took a half-hour morning jog along an active runway at the airport ! Although the CCTV captured the boy's acts right from the moment he scaled the wall near the Kapashera crossing on the road leading from National Highway 8 to Dwarka at around 4.50 am, he managed to run for almost half an hour until he was spotted by men near the runway (29/11) who were engaged in the task of scaring away birds. The bird-watchers informed a "follow-me" vehicle on duty at the airport. The vehicle picked up the boy and took him to airport control room where he was interrogated by security authorities.
The authorities said the boy is mentally challenged.
Read News in full 13/03/14 Aswathy/One India

How SpiceJet's CIO Found an Innovative Way to Save Personnel Costs

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when airlines evoked only one emotion in the average Indian traveller: Sticker shock.You can hardly blame them. Airlines were a snooty lot and were seen as a luxury only for the privileged. That isn't true anymore. And that's because, the average Indian traveller has found an empathiser in low-cost airlines. Their arrival has made airlines down-to-earth and affordable.In that bracket falls India's second largest low-fare airline, SpiceJet.
The Organization: With over 300 domestic flights catering to 46 Indian cities, SpiceJet is owned by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Group. In February 2005, SpiceJet ordered its first 20 Boeing aircrafts and it started with launching an airline in Delhi.

Tech firms, Indian airlines join hands for flight safety

New Delhi: Aviation technology firms are entering the Indian market in a big way, tying up with airlines like Air India, IndiGo and GoAir to provide critical components to enhance flight safety and run their businesses.
Air India today signed a MoU with major US firm HoneywellBSE 0.26 % to upgrade the landing and take-off gears of its Boeing 777 fleet, while the two no-frill carriers joined Geneva-based SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques) for developing business technology solutions.

GMR may challenge order scrapping UDF at Hyd airport

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd is considering challenging the regulator's order scrapping the user development fee at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, a group official said today.
The order by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) will have a negative impact on the company’s financials, said Siddharth Kapur, chief financial officer of GMR Infrastructure’s airport business.
“We are looking at all options, including high court. There is an option of going to the appellate authority. We are also looking at going to high court. Within 30 days of the order, we will have to appeal,” Kapur told reporters on the sidelines of India Aviation 2014.
The regulator on February 25 issued the order scrapping the UDF from April 1. The fee is being collected at the airport operated by GMR Group.

Now, Air India and Jet join air fare war

New Delhi: Full service carriers Air India and Jet Airways on Wednesday joined the fare war launched by low cost carriers (LCC) SpiceJet and IndiGo a day earlier. Now all these airline are offering up to 30% cut in fares for a limited period. While Air India said its sale will last till Thursday, Jet has matched the LCCs' offer by going in for discounted fare offer from March 12 to 16.
The latest discount — fourth by airlines this year — was launched by SpiceJet Tuesday when it started a "super saver Holi" scheme a five-day offer applicable on bookings for travel between 14 April and 30 June. "Fares start from Rs.1,999 all inclusive on select routes and flights. Lowest fares are for bookings made 90 days prior to travel, and all bookings under this offer require minimum 30 days advance purchase," it had said in a statement.
Read news in full 13/03/14 Times of India

Four rounds of fare cuts in 2014 an intelligent step: SpiceJet executive

Hyderabad: SpiceJet's promoters Sun Group admitted on Wednesday that the deep discounting in the first quarter of calendar year 2013 was a mistake, but at the same time it defended the low-cost carrier's frequent discounting in 2014.
"I think we made a mistake by offering all-inclusive tickets at Rs 2,013 in the first quarter of calendar year 2013," said SL Narayanan, Sun Group's chief financial officer. "The ticket price of Rs 2,013 was inclusive of everything, taxes, airport charges etc, so the net realisations were very low."
"This time we are doing things a lot more intelligently," he added. "We are doing it some select sectors and on some seats which would have otherwise gone empty. We usually don't do it on flights during the peak hour, but if a seat is going empty during a flight mid-day, then it has to be monetized."  The discounts from last year ultimately cost Neil Raymond Mills his job as the chief executive officer.

SpiceJet, Boeing ink mega deal

Hyderabad: The biggest-ever deal of Rs.26,000 crore ($4.4 billion) at an Indian air show was signed between Boeing and SpiceJet as the India Aviation-2014 got off to a flying start here on Wednesday.
The MoU was inked between the two companies in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh during the inaugural session of the five-day India Aviation-2014 show with SpiceJet placing the order for 42 Next Generation 737 MAX 8 aircraft with Boeing.
Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice-President of Asia-Pacific and India Sales, Boeing, told reporters that the delivery of the aircraft would begin from 2018. He said 737 MAX was 14 per cent more fuel-efficient and the plane, a variant of the 737-800, came with a new engine and bigger wings. He said the first aircraft would be handed over to South West Airlines in 2017.

Cathay Pacific to start direct Delhi-Hong Kong flights from March 31

New Delhi: Buoyed by healthy India operations, Cathay Pacific airlines would add two more flights out of Kolkata in the coming days and convert the Delhi- Bangkok-Hong Kong flight to a direct service.
"India is among the top 10 markets for Cathay. It is a solid growing market, in order to provide convenient timings to our travellers, especially the business travellers, we are launching our second direct flight to Hong Kong from Delhi from March 31," Charlie Stewart-Cox, the airline's General Manager (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), said here.

Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines  Flight 370 stayed in the air for about four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky.
Aviation investigators and national security officials believe the plane flew for a total of five hours, based on data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground from the Boeing Co. 777's engines as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring program.
That raises a host of new questions and possibilities about what happened aboard the widebody jet carrying 239 people, which vanished from civilian air-traffic control radar over the weekend, about one hour into a flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
Six days after the mysterious disappearance prompted a massive international air and water search that so far hasn't produced any results, the investigation appears to be broadening in scope.
U.S. counterterrorism officials are pursuing the possibility that a pilot or someone else on board the plane may have diverted it toward an undisclosed location after intentionally turning off the jetliner's transponders to avoid radar detection, according to one person tracking the probe.
the huge uncertainty about where the plane was headed, and why it apparently continued flying so long without working transponders, has raised theories among investigators that the aircraft may have been commandeered for a reason that appears unclear to U.S. authorities. Some of those theories have been laid out to national security officials and senior personnel from various U.S. agencies, according to one person familiar with the matter.

Key aviation policies await formation of new government

Major policy decisions that could have a far reaching impact on the Indian civil aviation sector will have to await the formation of a government after the General Election. These include setting up a new regulator for the sector (the Bill to that effect awaits Parliamentary clearance) and having a new civil aviation policy in place.
This was the impression Ashok Lavasa, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation gave while speaking to the media at the India Aviation 2014 - an event organised jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Hyderabad - gave on Wednesday (March 12).

Air India chief: No plan to ground Boeing 787, aircraft serving us well

Hyderabad: Air India today said they have no plans to ground the Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet as they were serving the airline well and there were no safety issues.
Both DGCA and Boeing have also assured that there are no safety issues, Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, said.
Addressing a press conference at India Aviation 2014, he said the functioning and performance of Dreamliners was being jointly monitored by a committee and Boeing and the final report would be placed after 18 months of their use.
Various issues relating to its supplies and functioning would be analysed during the 18-month ending in October.

No airline can refuse to fly differently-abled people: Govt

New Delhi: Heeding to years of pleas and protests by differently-abled people, government has finally come out with detailed rules governing their air travel by making it clear that no airline would refuse to fly them.
Airlines and airports have been asked to provide all required facilities and assistance to meet the needs of the disabled and make them public through their websites within three months from now, official sources said.
The rules also make it compulsory for the airlines and airports to provide necessary training to their staff to assist such passengers.

Airbus A380 steals the show at India Aviation 2014

Hyderabad: The world's largest commercial plane, the Airbus A-380, was the star attraction at the India Aviation 2014, the country's largest civil aviation event that began here Wednesday.
Emirates and Airbus arranged the display of the plane at Begumpet airport located in the heart of the city.
Visitors were spellbound to see the luxury interiors, including first class private suites and shower spas aboard the super jumbo.

GMR to bid for all 6 airports that govt plans to privatise

Airport major  GMR is set to bid for all six airports that the government will privatise. According to company sources, GMR will aggressively bid for these upcoming airports. Also Read: GMR forays into railway sector Importantly, it is not planning to tie up with any player as the company feels it will be eligible to bid alone this time. However as per government guidelines on airport privatisation while one single entity can bid for all the airports it can not win in more than two. GMR sources also said that Fraport - its partner for the Delhi Airport - cannot dilute its 10% stake and exit DIAL as it's contractually bound.

We are not afraid of competition says Emirates

Hyderabad: Emirates is yet to take a decision on adding extra flights to India and operating Airbus A380 in the summer schedule as the Dubai government is still to take a decision on allocating enhanced quota of 11,000 seats, senior airline executives said today.
Emirates flew in an Airbus A380 super jumbo to Hyderabad which also turned out to be main attraction at the opening day of the air show.
Last month India and Dubai governments agreed to increase the seat entitlements by an additional 11,000 over the existing 54,200 seats.

Bhargava's 'Descent of Air India' pulped, reappears as E-book

New Delhi: Former Air India director Jitendra Bhargava's controversial book 'Descent of Air India' will be available on Kindle from today. After its publisher Bloomsbury decided to withdraw all copies from the market, Jitendra Bhargava had vowed to make it accessible to readers in the form of a self published e-book.
Former Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel had filed a defamation case against the author and the publisher for holding him responsible for the near collapse of India's national carrier Air India.
Praful Patel's anger even forced the publisher Bloomsbury to put out an apology in a national newspaper. After his book was pulped, an angry Bhargava had described the decision as arbitrary and the publishers were under pressure from Praful Patel to withdraw the copies from bookstores across India.

Aviation Expert Suggests Six Reasons For MH370's Mysterious Disappearance

Kuala Lumpur: The mysterious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 since Saturday continues to baffle experts around the world.
At this point, an aviation expert has suggested historical evidence leading to six major reasons for the disappearance of the 11-year-old Boeing 777-200ER aircraft used for the flight.
The reasons he cited were a combination of technical and pilot errors leading to a snowballing effect, structural disintegration, human factors, bad weather, total electrical failure and hijacking.
Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defence Consultant Ravi Madavaram said there was no single factor that general led to an airplane crash but a combination of technical glitches and pilot decisions.
In a statement here Tuesday, he said each of these glitches and decisions taken independently were harmless and often happened.
"This is what happened to Air France 447. There was no distress signal from Air France 447 as the pilots did not realise that they were going to crash until 10 seconds before crashing," he explained.
On structural disintegration, Madavaram said structural failure of an aircraft could cause pilots to lose control.
Touching on human factors, he stressed that deliberate actions by passengers or pilots to crash an aircraft had been highlighted in the 9/11 World Trade Centre incidents, which brought human factors to the fore.
The expert pointed out that bad weather conditions such as snow, fog, rain, and ice could affect the performance of an aircraft and result in a crash.
He said total electrical failure could occur in general aviation aircraft, and there were three types of electrical power sources ? two generators (each engine has one), APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) and RAT (Ram Air Turbine).

Etihad says no securities law violation in Jet deal: report

The Rs. 2,060-crore Jet-Etihad deal seems to have hit a fresh round of regulatory turbulence, with the Abu Dhabi carrier rejecting any obligation to make an open offer for minority shareholders of the Indian carrier.
While Etihad has told Sebi that it has not violated any securities law by not making an open offer, the capital market regulator is now seeking further clarity on the issue from other agencies including fair trade watchdog CCI, Finance Ministry and Aviation Ministry, sources said.
A query sent to both Etihad and Jet regarding the issue remained unanswered.

Aircraft operators body seeks separate law for general aviation

Business Aircraft Operators’ Association (BAOA), a three-year-old body dedicated to promote business aviation in India, has called for a separate regulatory framework for general aviation (GA) and allow it to grow legitimately as a business venture that creates profits both tangible and intangible besides adding to the GDP.
“Indian corporates are realising business aviation as a vital commerce tool. However, the government is still perceiving it as personal indulgence and corporate excess. We have requested the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to re-validate regulations with specific regulations for BA and create a roadmap for its growth for the next 10 to 20 years,” Rohit Kapur, president of BAOA, told mediapersons here on Tuesday.

Airlines to bet on flying to unserved smaller cities to tap bigger opportunity

Hyderabad: The air connectivity to smaller cities in the country through no-frills airlines and airports would be the focus of the fourth edition of India Aviation 2014, said a senior official from the Union civil aviation ministry. The show begins on March 12.
“The theme of this show will be looking beyond metros such as  Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Benga-luru and Hyderabad. There are several smaller cities which have airports, but no air connectivity,” Mr G. Asok Kumar, joint  secretary of civil aviation, said on Monday, while announcing the schedule of the event.

Photos of passengers boarded MH370 with stolen passports released

Malaysian police have released images of two of the Iranian men who boarded Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with stolen European passports.
The officials said they have identified one of the men who boarded the missing jet with fake passports as a 19-year-old Iranian believed to be seeking to emigrate to Germany.
"We believe he is not likely to be a member of any terror group and we believe he was trying to migrate to Germany," said Malaysia's national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar.
Khalid said authorities had not yet identified the other man.
Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared early Saturday with 239 people aboard, sparking an international search for the plane in waters off Southeast Asia.

Malaysian Airline: Indians who went missing

New Delhi: On board the missing Malaysian Airlines  were four Indian families too, some of whom were headed for a family reunion that was never meant to be.
Here are their profiles:
Kranti Shirsat (44): A resident of Bhugaon, close to Pune, Kranti was on board to North Korea to meet her husband, Prahlad, who heads an NGO there. A mother of two, she was an MSc graduate from Beed, and a former college teacher in Pune. The family resided in Tajikistan for a couple of years where Prahlad was posted. They then shifted to Bhugaon from where he took a posting in North Korea.
Chandrika Sharma (51): A social activist and an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), was going to Mongolia for a regional conference on food and agriculture, organised by the FAO. She was from Chennai.
Vinod Kolekar (63); Chetana Kolekar (59) and Swanand Kolekar (23): Hailing from Mumbai, the trio were headed for the convocation ceremony of their older son Samved (29) in Beijing. Samved had completed his PhD in astrophysics recently. Vinod was a former employee of an automobile major in Mumbai. This was Chetna's first flight.

Passenger who missed ill-fated flight tweets gratitude

Cape Town: "@Cylithria can't reach you by phone. We missed the flight. Rory and I are OKAY Ria. I'm NOT ON THE FLIGHT RIA. IM OK."
This was a tweet sent out by US traveller and Twitter user, Kaiden IV on Saturday after realising that he and his travel companion had missed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 to China and so escaped a still unknown, but possibly terrible fate.
The flight, en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China, was reported missing on Saturday, 8 March after Subang Air Traffic Control Centre lost contact with the plane at about 01:22 (17:43 GMT), while over the Gulf of Thailand.

Plans afoot to build 200 low cost airports

Hyderabad: With India poised to become the fastest growing aviation market in the world in the next two decades, the government plans to build nearly 200 low cost airports.
Addressing the media in connection with the fourth edition of India Aviation Show, beginning here on March 12, Asok Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said the government was keen to expand the sector to the smaller cities in a bid to improve air connectivity, especially to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. At least four to five smaller airports from Andhra Pradesh, including those at Kadapa and Rajahmundry, were likely to figure in the list. Describing them as ‘low-frills’ airports, he said no decision had been taken with regard to private participation. At present, the non-metro airports accounted for about 30 per cent of the total air traffic, which was expected to rise to 45 per cent in the next few years. The Airports Authority of India was planning to invest Rs.1,500 crore in developing non-metro airports in the 12th Plan.

No violation in Jet deal, Etihad tells Sebi

Mumbai: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has denied violating takeover rules while buying a 24 per cent stake in Naresh Goyal’s Jet Airways.
In a reply to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the foreign airline has said it is not liable to make an open offer for the public holding in Jet as there has been no violation of the takeover code.
Etihad’s main contention is the deal was cleared by both the securities market regulator and the Competition Commission of India  before it was served a notice by Sebi in February. The airline had to reply to the notice within 21 days, failing which it could be asked to make an open offer.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline, in its reply, is believed to have said the anti-trust watchdog--which observed that Etihad would get joint control in Jet Airways — had examined the deal purely from a competition law perspective and not through the prism of the Companies Act or the Sebi’s takeover code.

Auckland and Mumbai airports sign ‘sistership’ MoU

Mumbai: Auckland Airport has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mumbai Airport to form a ‘sister airport’ relationship. The airport sistership has been established with objectives that include increasing international air links and tourism between and beyond both airports’ respective countries, as per a release.
Glenn Wedlock, General Manager Aeronautical Commercial, Auckland Airport, said that the sistership is important as India is a key market for New Zealand and is a key focus for Tourism New Zealand over the next three years. “With over 31,250 Indian visitor arrivals to New Zealand in the last 12 months, and over 80 per cent of these visitors entering through Auckland Airport, we consider India to be a very important market for us. The Indian travel market also represents a huge growth opportunity for New Zealand tourism,” he said. “Our Ambition 2020 strategy targets 69,000 Indian arrivals by 2020, which is equivalent to 14 per cent growth per annum over the next six years,” he added.

Why so few clues about missing Malaysia flight?

Many people are wondering why there are so few clues about the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, beginning with the lack of a distress call.
This lack of a call, however, is not particularly perplexing. An aviator's priorities are to maintain control of the airplane above all else. An emergency could easily consume 100% of a crew's efforts. To an airline pilot, the absence of radio calls to personnel on the ground that could do little to help the immediate situation is no surprise.
This investigation may face many parallels to Air France 447, an Airbus A330 that crashed in an area beyond radar coverage in the ocean north of Brazil in June 2009. Like the Air France plane, the Malaysia Airlines aircraft was a state-of-the-art, fly-by-wire airplane (a Boeing 777) with an excellent safety record.
The Air France flight's string of events was precipitated by onboard faults that were automatically transmitted to the airline's headquarters during its final minutes. While they lacked any flight parameters, these maintenance fault messages gave key clues, though not a definitive cause of that accident, before any wreckage was found.
The recovery of the Malaysia aircraft's flight data and cockpit voice recorders would be important in determining the cause of the accident.
Flight 370's route heading north from Kuala Lumpur was over sparsely populated and heavily forested mountainous areas of Malaysia and the Gulf of Thailand.
Reports of a possible course reversal observed on radar could be the result of intentional crew actions but not necessarily. During Air France 447's 3½-minute descent to the Atlantic Ocean, it too changed its heading by more than 180 degrees, but it was an unintentional side effect as the crew struggled to gain control of the airplane.

MH370 pilot an aviation tech geek, with flight simulator set up at home

Kuala Lumpur: The pilot of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 enjoyed flying the Boeing 777 so much that he spent his days off tinkering with a flight simulator of the plane he had set up at home, current and former co-workers said.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, had always wanted to become a pilot and joined the national carrier in 1981.
Airline staff who worked with the pilot said Capt Zaharie knew the ins and outs of the Boeing 777 extremely well, as he was always practicing with the simulator. They declined to be identified due to company policy.
“He was an aviation tech geek. You could ask him anything and he would help you. That is the kind of guy he is,” said a Malaysia Airlines co-pilot who had flown with Capt Zaharie in the past.
Capt Zaharie set up the Boeing 777 simulator at his home in a suburb on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital where many airline staff stay as it provides quick access to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Air India launches Flight Tracker

Muscat: Air India has launched its Flight Tracker for both domestic and international departures, a press release issued by the airline informed.
The process to track a flight is very simple. One needs to log on to the website of Air India, www.airindia.in, click the icon 'Travel Info' and then click Flight Tracking.
The page will give passengers an option to insert the flight number, which once done, will give the passenger a clear indication of the scheduled time of departure, actual time of departure, scheduled time of arrival and actual time of arrival.
The route map will also show the position of the aircraft en route from the origin to the destination.

GMR Hyderabad airport bags Ficci award

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has bagged ‘FICCI CSR Award–2012-13’, for its CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives.
The award was from FICCI Aditya Birla CSR Centre for Excellence under the winner category in private sector companies. It was conferred based on the assessment by Grant Thornton and Birla Institute of Management Technology.
SGK Kishore, CEO-GHIAL, in a statement said: “This recognition is a special acknowledgement of something which is very close to the heart of every GHIAL employee. The commitment of inclusive approach for integrated growth of the business and communities along with the strong value system imbibed in our employees is the key factor that has made our CSR initiatives sustainable and participative to deliver value to our stakeholders.”

GoAir offers business class upgrade for women travellers

Mumbai: Budget carrier GoAir today announced a special scheme for women travellers, offering upgrade to business class for Rs 999 (rpt) Rs 999, to mark the International Women's Day which falls on March 8 every year.
The offer will remain valid for three days starting from tomorrow, the airline said in a release here.
The upgrade, which is at a 60 per cent discount than the usual price, is applicable on all GoAir direct flights, operating across 21 airports, it said.

SpiceJet to focus on corporate fliers, add 9 more global routes: COO Sanjiv Kapoor

Budget carrier SpiceJetBSE 6.43 % plans to make more changes in its top management, add about nine more international routes to its network, reconfigure planes and completely overhaul its brand positioning with a focus on the corporate traveller, as it aims to fly out of its current turbulent phase of losses.
The airline aims to "create the best possible management team in the industry," Sanjiv Kapoor told ET in his first interview after joining as the airline's chief operating officer last October. To increase accountability, company has put in place a more efficient system of "upward feedback and is setting up stringent key performance indicators (for employees as well as the company), as well as close monitoring of customer feedback through various means," he said. He added, however, that any "headcount reductions will be done for improved efficiency only" and not to cut costs.
Read news in full 06/03/14 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

SpiceJet appoints Kaneswaran Avili as CCO

Chennai: Media baron Kalanithi Maran owned SpiceJetBSE 6.43 % today announced the appointment of Kaneswaran Avili as its new Chief Commercial Officer.
Prior to this, Avili was serving TigerAirways in Singapore as its Commercial Director, a company statement said.
"His deep domain knowledge on airline commercial across sales and distribution, revenue management, marketing, network planning would be key in transforming SpiceJet commercial capability and airline profitability...," SpiceJet Chief Operating Officer Sanjiv Kapoor said.
Read News In Full 06/03/14 PTI/Economic Times

Air Asia to begin country ops in May

Chennai: With Chennai as its hub, Air Asia, the leading low-cost carrier in Malaysia, is likely to start operations in May.
“Our model is based on low fares. The fares could be 25-30 per cent less [than others]. We will make sure we deliver not just for a month but sustain it throughout the year,” said Mittu Chandilya, chief executive officer of Air Asia India.
“We may get the air operator permit (AOP) in about three weeks. Thereafter, we may commence operations in two months from Chennai,” he said in an interview to The Hindu on Wednesday.
Already, the Federation of Indian Airlines has opposed the entry of Air Asia stating this may force other airlines to run into further loss.

Delhi High Court Notice to Centre, AirAsia

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday issued notice to the central government and Malaysia-based AirAsia on a plea by the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) seeking quashing of the approval granted to it to start flight operations in India.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul also issued notice to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and sought response by March 12.
The government March 26 last year had approved AirAsia's proposal to set up a new airline in partnership with the Tata Group and the Arun Bhatia-promoted Telestra Tradeplace to create a low-cost airline in India.

Need for low cost, no-frills airports and cheap aviation fuel!

Low cost airports have several advantages, such as uncongested and free from ground and air traffic operations. In addition, air travellers will not have to shell out the hefty fees charged by airports in metros
In November, last year, a Parliamentary Committee, headed by Sitaram Yechury recommended that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) be asked to manage all the airports rather than giving away any for private ownership. In fact, Yechury is reported to have said, the move to privatise seems to be a case of "privatisation of profits and nationalisation of losses"! This report came out at a time when the process of privatisation of Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Guwahati was under way.
Yechury felt that the AAI was being made to run all loss making airports while the metro airports that earn profits were in private hands! He reiterated that AAI be asked to manage all airports, rather than giving them away to private management.

At Chandigarh, flights now can operate at nights too

Chandigarh: Paving the way for operation of international flights at the Chandigarh airport, the ministry of defence (MoD) has accepted the much-awaited demand of extending watch hours at the airport. With this, private aircraft can operate during night hours.
In a communication sent on March 3, minister of state for defence, Jitendra Singh has confirmed that the MoD has extended the permission for some of the private airlines to operate flights beyond 8 pm at Chandigarh airport. The minister has also stated that the existing Instrument Landing System (ILS) would be upgraded in a phased manner.

High-end foreign labels plan airport shops in India

With rising number of Indian travelers shopping at international stores for high-end labels, top global brands are now looking at opening stores at leading Indian airports. US-based lingerie and beauty products retailer Victoria’s Secret, for instance, is close to opening its first beauty and cosmetic store at T3 terminal, in New Delhi. And Armani Jeans, a fashion brand marketed by Genesis Luxury in India, is opening a stand-alone store at the Delhi airport.

Cabinet lifting hurdles to operate flights abroad: Tata-Singapore Airlines, AirAsia to benefit

In  what will come as big boost for the Tata-Singapore Airlines proposal for an India-based carrier and AirAsia’s proposed joint venture airline, the Cabinet is likely to do away with a restrictive eligibility criteria for Indian airlines to fly overseas.
In its last meeting, likely to be held Wednesday, the Cabinet may discuss the proposal to abolish the current norms that require an airline to have five years of flying and also have a fleet of 20 aircraft in order to be eligible to fly abroad.
The aviation industry in India has been pushing for the abolition of this minimum eligibility criteria since no such norms exists in any other country. Hence, an international airline can start flights to India from the first day of its operations and even with one aircraft but the Indian counterparts have to wait for five years.

SpiceJet witnesses changes in cockpit

Mumbai: SpiceJet chief financial officer Sam Issac has quit the airline, apparently over differences on operational policy.
He is the second senior executive to quit. A few days earlier, Virender Pal, chief technology officer, had resigned. A media report said Pal was asked to do so. The airline said both of them had expressed a desire to move on. Chief commercial officer V Raja would retire at the end of this month, the airline said.
Issac was reported to have disagreed on the decision to launch discount offers and on involving external consultants for employee appraisal and budget preparation.

Now fly from Ahmedabad direct to more international destinations

Ahmedabad: Globetrotting Gujaratis can now bypass Mumbai and fly direct to newer destinations , including Boston, Chicago , Beijing and Far East countries from Ahmedabad.
Currently, 35-40 international flights take-off from the city airport every week to Middle East, Singapore and Newark (US). Half a dozen new flights will become operational this year. Since the US is the most popular destination, Emirates airlines is set to begin daily direct flights from the city to Boston from March 10 and to Chicago from August 5. Both flights will have a stopover in Dubai.
The city will also be connected to China, a popular business destination for Gujarati businessmen . "Air China is expected to start direct flights to Beijing from Ahmedabad by year end," said a senior airports authority of India (AAI) official.

SpiceJet defends its move to offer discounted tickets

Mumbai: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday defended its move to offer discounted flight tickets during February which ultimately led to a fare war with other airlines soon following the suit by offering similar discounts under their advance booking schemes.
“The promotions were targeted to achieve few key objectives – Filling up seats that otherwise will be left empty, Stimulate new travelers and increasing the frequency of existing travelers, Limited to flights that have capacity that is expected to not fill under normal course,” the airline said in a statement.

New terminal cleared for Agra airport

Agra: The Uttar Pradesh government’s nod for acquiring around 50 acres of land for constructing a new terminal at Agra’s Kheria Airport, which is part of an Indian Air Force base, has raised hopes of majorly boosting the Taj city’s tourism industry.
The state government has sanctioned Rs.60 crores for the land acquisition, though farmers’ bodies have been demanding compensation at the prevailing market rates. The district authorities have been advised to negotiate one-to-one and speed up the  acquisition process so that work can start before the model code of conduct kicks in ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Read News In full 04/03/14 Free Press Journal

Kerala seaplane Service to take wings in two months

Kochi: A day after Chief Minister Oommen  Chandy severely criticised the non-starter status of Seaplane service, the state government has initiated steps to renew the project on a war-footing. Wings Aviation - one of the operators of Seaplane Project - has decided to start operations by April 14.
Inviting Seaplane operators, the government has come out with an early bird incentive for those who begin the operations within two months. As per the advertisement given by the Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd (KTIL) on Monday, the government has extended the Early Bird Incentive for operators till April 30.

SpiceJet launches mobile application for Windows phone

New Delhi: Nokia today announced launch of mobile application for Windows phone by Airline company SpiceJet.
The SpiceJet application, called Spice Destinations, will allow consumers to conveniently book tickets, check flight status and enjoy special promotional offers, Nokia and SpiceJet said in joint statement.

NIIT Technologies partners with Qatar Airways for in-flight catering solution

Mumbai: NIIT Technologies has developed an inflight catering solution for airlines named QOSMOS in partnership with Qatar Airways. Speaking exclusively to Financial Express Online, Anil Batra, vice president global head - travel, transportation and logistics, NIIT Technologies, said, “It is a next generation, integrated catering solution that can effectively facilitate smooth in-flight catering process.”

Jet Airways becomes the first Indian airline to integrate Google Now

Jet Airways is now the first airline in India to integrate Google Now into the ticket booking system on its website as well as the mobile apps. So when a person books a ticket from the company’s website, the system will use the person’s Gmail id to provide notifications via Google Now. The functionality is the same when a person books a ticket via the company’s iOS or Android app.
Having integrated with Google Now, the service will notify flyers about their flight schedule, flight status, and the terminal he or she will have to arrive at.

Spicejet Profiting From Illegal Wheelchair Charges

India’s budget airline Spicejet has taken discrimination to a whole new level profiting from illegally charging for wheelchair assistance, a passenger alleges.
Mr and Mrs Maldar will soon be travelling from Sharia airport in the United Arab Emirates to India. Mrs Maldar recently had a procedure performed. The doctor treating her in Dubai recommended using a wheelchair during the flight to India.
India’s Civil Aviation Requirement for transport of passengers with reduced mobility states "airlines shall ensure that at all stations, for boarding / disembarking purposes, before departure, during intermediate stops and on arrival wheel chairs are available without any extra charge".

Loss-making Air India promotes staff despite high court ban

It's raining promotions in loss-making Air India (AI) just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, in brazen violation of norms and a Bombay High Court (HC) order restricting promotions.
In an unprecedented move, the management of the bleeding Maharaja announced a phenomenal 203 promotions last month, even as it is supposed to curtail the salary bill for a turnaround.
In February, the airline promoted as many as 126 senior managers to assistant general managers (AGM), 24 AGMs to DGM, 23 managers to senior managers and 30 deputy managers to managers.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh refused to comment on the matter.

Airbus A380 A Confirmed Participant At The Hyderabad Airshow

It is correct to say that the Airbus A 380 is a marvel of the aviation world. The double decked, wide-bodied, four-engine airliner is able to carry about 850 passengers in an all economy class configuration. With a wingspan of about 80 m the Airbus A 380 is without a doubt the largest passenger airliner in the world. The aircraft went into service two years ago and for any aviation enthusiast, remains the most beautiful thing to fly in.

CIAL Sets Sight on Biz Diversification to Enhance Earnings

Nedumbasery: The Cochin International Airport Ltd has worked out a mega management programme through which it envisions an income of `3,000 crore over the next ten years. According to the official documentation, ‘Vision and Mission’, CIAL authorities have decided upon three important streams of activity to achieve the ambitious target. These include outstanding service to passengers, diversification of business activities and self-reliance in power generation. CIAL MD V J Kurien has expressed confidence that ‘Vision and Mission’ is an inspiring programme which will ensure better days ahead for the airport. “It would not be just building castles in the air. The company has already proved that it is capable of meeting targets it sets for itself,” Kurien said, adding that the innovative project worth nearly `3,000 crore is to be completed by 2023.
Read news in full 03/03/14 New Indian Express

 

AirAsia's Likely April Entry Leaves Others Flustered

Since the beginning of 2014, Indian airline operators are luring customers with attractive discounts. Each airline is eyeing the biggest share in what’s being considered one of the most promising civil aviation markets of the world, and looking to consolidate their position before the entry of low cost Malaysian carrier AirAsia, which is expected to take to Indian skies by April.
The Malaysian carrier has also joined the ‘fare wars’ and announced five lakh free tickets on select routes and 1.8 million low fare promotional tickets in small windows of bookings. Most Indian carriers, including the state-owned Air India, have joined the ‘fare wars’ bandwagon, announcing discounts (at different times) so they don’t have to play ‘catch up’ games with competitors.

Rudeness, baggage loss, dirty toilets bugged Indian fliers

New Delhi: Rude behaviour by security personnel, loss of baggage and unclean toilets are among the major complaints of fliers across the country, according to a Civil Aviation Ministry document.
The ministry says there were 9,440 complaints lodged by fliers in 2012, the latest figures which available, but it feels the numbers could be much more as not all passengers lodged complaints, owing partly to undefined procedure on grievance redressal.

GoAir to firm up international plans in next few months

Mumbai: Budget carrier GoAir expects to complete the route feasibility study for its proposed international operations within a few months, sources said.
The Nusli Wadia-promoted private carrier, which currently has 18 aircraft, will automatically become eligible for overseas operations in July when it is expected to induct the 20th aircraft.
After this, the airline will approach the government for necessary approvals, sources said.
The existing rules require domestic carriers to be in operation for at least five years and have a fleet of a minimum of 20 aircraft to be eligible to fly on international routes. The rule is being amended and the aviation ministry has to moved a cabinet note for amendment, but it is unlikely to happen in the near future in view of general elections due in April-May.

AAI, ATC split likely to push up airline tickets

New Delhi: Flying is set to get dearer in the coming months. The aviation ministry has cleared a long-standing proposal to hive off air traffic control services as a separate entity — Air Navigation Services Corporation — from the Airports Authority of India. AAI's annual revenue is about Rs 6,000 crore, out of which just less than half or Rs 2,500 crore comes from air navigation services.
With this cash cow gone, AAI will have to raise landing and parking charges for airlines. Airlines will pass their raised costs to flyers in the form of higher fares.
Read News in full 03/02/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Jet, Air India to gain most from India-Dubai pact

New Delhi: The jury is still out on the real winner of the air services bilateral treaty that India and Dubai signed recently.
The Indian side is satisfied that after years it was finally able to convince Dubai to allow gauge conversion.
That is, permitting Indian carriers to fly small aircraft from various cities in India to Dubai and then transferring flyers on to larger aircraft to fly them to any part of the globe.
The latest agreement states that gauge conversion is allowed in the territory of the UAE, which many in the Indian side are also interpreting to mean that a domestic carrier can change aircraft not only at the existing Dubai International Airport, but also at the new Dubai Central Al Makhtoum Airport.

Reduce govt stake in Air India to 26%: Rakesh Mohan panel

New Delhi: The National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) led by former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Rakesh Mohan, has recommended that the government reduce its stake in Air India to 26 per cent over five years.
The committee was constituted in 2010 and comprised representatives from government ministries involved in transportation and the private sector.
In its three-volume report, which was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, the committee has said it does not see any reason for the government to continue with its exclusive ownership in the national carrier.

New immigration, customs norms introduced for flyers

New Delhi: A new immigration form bearing additional fields for declaration of prohibited and dutiable goods for passengers flying into India has come into effect.
An Indian citizen would now need to fill up the immigration form only when he or she goes out of the country. Indian citizens returning from abroad are not required to fill the immigration form, which came into force from Saturday.
Passengers coming to India will have to declare Indian currency exceeding Rs 10,000 being carried by them in the new 'Indian Customs Declaration Form'.

Open skies after vote, al-Baker urges India

Dubai: Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker said the airline’s expansion into India will depend on whether the government will further open the nation’s skies after elections due by May.
In January, India’s aviation ministry lifted a ban on Airbus A380 from entering the country and allowed airlines to fly the double-decker planes to four airports, including New Delhi and Mumbai. Authorities also approved a deal for Etihad Airways to purchase a 24% stake in Jet Airways India as the country eased airline ownership rules last year.

New process to make bio-aviation fuel cheaper

Dehra Dun: Based on pilot plant studies of a state-of-the-art process developed by the Indian Institute of Petroleum here, a unit in a refinery is being revamped to yield 40,000 tonnes a year of bio-aviation turbine fuel at competitive rates. It will be blended with fossil jet fuel for running commercial flights. M.O. Garg, Director of the Institute said that under the recently developed process, renewable aviation fuel was produced from Jatropha curcas oil through a non-noble metal catalyst.

Govt wants to peg airport charges before private operators take over

New Delhi: To safeguard passengers against high charges once projects are awarded, the civil aviation ministry is considering awarding airport management contracts to private operators in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur and Ahmedabad at pre-determined rates, instead of on a cost-plus basis.
A ministry senior said, “We are working out the formula for determining the revenue-share agreement between the private operator and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). What we broadly want is pre-determining rates so that there is some certainty in the charges to be levied on passengers. Airport operators will also be incentivised to increase efficiency when there is a specified limit.”

Busting discounted airfares myth: Do airlines really slash ticket prices?

Airlines appear to be slashing prices with the same frequency as that of retailers. We've had three sales by airlines in the past one month. But how similar are they to discounts by modern stores? Apparel brands, for example, typically tempt shoppers with "up to 50% off" signs, but showcase far more costlier clothes.
The offer by SpiceJet, the low-cost airline that launched the price cut on each of the three occasions this year, forcing competitors to follow, was no different. At first glance, the airline's "Super Summer Sale" between February 24 and 26 and extended by another day, which offered up to 75% off the base fare plus fuel surcharge for travel between April 1 and June 30, was enticing.

Air India's foreign biz beset with too many dark clouds

Mumbai: Air India has been growing its operations abroad and plans to launch services to Moscow (Russia), Milan and Rome (both Italy) but it will face a big challenge in the US, with India’s grant of additional traffic rights to Dubai (the United Arab Emirates), the opening up of a US immigration pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and the US’ Federal Aviation Administration’s downgrade of the Indian civil aviation regulator, which restricts launch of new flights to that country.
Air India earns about 18-20 per cent of its revenue from the US. It has been flying to New York since 1960 and now flies there daily, along with Newark and Chicago. In fact, its New York and Chicago flights are generating a cash surplus.

Qatar Airways pushes for open skies in India

Qatar Airways’ chief executive is urging India’s next government to open up the aviation market in order to boost the country’s economy.
“India is a huge country. It is an economic giant. It has potential that very few countries have. Unfortunately, the government regime does not allow free access to the Indian market,” said Akbar Al Baker, the Qatar Airways chief, at a press conference yesterday to mark the launch of the airline’s service to Sharjah.
“I hope that the new government in India will revisit the aviation regime in India and look at the interests of the Indian people and not the interests of politicians,” he added.
A general election is due to be held in India in April and May. The pro-business BJP party is being tipped to win, supplanting the Congress party from power.

‘Thank you for not flying with us’

Kochi: The deplaning of the members of the Celebrity Cricket League team Kerala Strikers from a domestic flight allegedly for unruly behaviour has brought into focus the in-flight issues that might crop up either among passengers or between passengers and crew members.
Airlines said passenger misbehaviour aboard the aircraft need not always have its genesis inside the aircraft. Sometimes it is an extension of the happenings at the airport during check-in, an airline official told The Hindu.
For instance, sometimes a passenger might feel that he has been unjustly charged for the extra baggage. The anger and frustration emanating from the incident possibly finds expression once the passenger boards the flight where he might pick up a fight either with fellow passengers or crew members for no apparent reason.

Low airfare offers elicit mixed views

Mumbai: The latest round of discounted airfare offers ended on a satisfactory note on Saturday with airlines reporting ‘overwhelming’ response from flyers.
However, there have been complaints about less number of seats available at the publicised low fares in peak hour flights and non-metro destinations, which have limited flights.
Airlines justified this, stating that it was part of their revenue management strategy. More seats at low fares were offered in flights not in demand, while a dozen-odd such seats were available in other flights.

HC notice to Centre on FIA plea against go-ahead to AirAsia

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre on a plea by the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) which is opposing the go-ahead given to AirAsia to begin its flight operations in India.
Justice Manmohan also issued notice to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), but tagged the petition of FIA with Subramanian Swamy's plea, on the same issue and which is before a division bench of the high court.
However, the division bench on February 11 had dismissed two interim pleas of Swamy seeking a stay on grant of further approvals to operationalise the airline deal, saying the Centre cannot be "precluded" from "amending or clarifying" its policy.

Grant of extra flying seats to Dubai draws flak

Mumbai: India’s decision to grant additional 20 per cent increase in the weekly entitlements to Dubai to 65,200 seats has evoked criticism.
“This is another example of very ad hoc manner of allocating bilaterals, which is completely delinked to national goals and interests. India is increasingly outsourcing its international traffic to Middle East countries. This has strategic implications,” Kapil Kaul, CEO, South Asia, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), said.

Panel suggests strategic plan for growth of civil aviation sector

New Delhi: An official panel has recommended creation of a strategic plan to enable growth of the civil aviation sector and another master plan for development of airports across the country over a two-three decade timeframe.
The National Transport Development Policy Committee, set up under the Planning Commission, has also suggested steps to relax ownership and control rules governing airline sector, saying such a move was "expected to result in significant benefits in terms of financing costs especially at a time when the industry has launched itself in the path of higher trajectory of growth".

After Dubai, India to revise air services agreements with Singapore, Germany

Mumbai/New Delhi: Close on the heels of India allowing Emirates to fly jumbo jet A380 in the revised bilateral air services agreement (ASA) inked with Dubai on Wednesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is set to reworkits arrangements with Singapore and Germany. While seat entitlements to Singapore will not be increased immediately, the government plans to amend the agreement which specifically barred Singapore Airlines from operating A380 to India.
In case of Germany - where bilateral traffic entitlementshave been made on the basis of the number of flights permitted per week – the ASAwill be revised and expressed in terms of the numbers of seats available every week, before permitting Lufthansa to fly A380s to India.A senior official at the ministry said, “Singapore Airlineshas made representation to operate A380s to India.

‘India biggest market for biz jets in Asia Pacific’

Mumbai: India has emerged as the biggest fleet owner of business aircraft in the Asia Pacific surpassing China with business houses and high net worth individuals (HNIs) acquiring aircraft.
Even during the economic slowdown period of 2008- 12, Indian businessmen purchased 38 per cent more aircraft than the previous five years as per estimates by Beechcraft Corporation.
According to Beechcraft, a leading manufacturer of business aircraft,

Fly abroad from T3 of Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The Tricity residents' high-flying wait will be over in February next year, when the local airport will show off its swanky terminal for operation of international flights. It will be on the lines of the Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi.
After the construction is over, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly international flights to Dubai, Middle-East, South-East Asia and Europe will commence from March 2015.

Hyderabad airport adjudged second-best in 2013

Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, operated and managed by the GMR Hyderabad International Airport , today said it has retained its second position for the year 2013 in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey conducted by the Airport Council International.
ACI, a global body of airports, has adjudged RGIA as the second-best airport in the world for 2013 in the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category, a GHIAL release said.
Read News in full 27/02/14 TI/Times of India

Now, Air India joins fare war; experts say airlines preparing for Tony Fernandes' Air Asia entry into market

Mumbai: Flag carrier Air India has finally joined the ticket price war, pushed by Tony Fernandes' AirAsia, as it announced 30% discount on fares for travel between March 29 and September 30, the state-owned airline said in a release on Wednesday - a tussle initiated by SpiceJet earlier this week.
The discount offered by Air India, spread across 115 flights operated by the airline, is however applicable only on select domestic and the domestic leg of international flights. The bookings will also have to be made between February 27 and March 1, to avail the offer.
Fares under the discounted scheme, start from as low as “Rs 1586 for Goa-Mumbai sector, Rs 1889 for Delhi-Lucknow sector, Rs 3470 for Mumbai-Kolkata sector and Rs 2557 for Trivandrum – Mumbai sector, exclusive of taxes,” the airline release added.

AviationMin allows 11,000 more seats between India, Dubai

New Delhi: India and Dubai today agreed to increase weekly seat entitlements between the two countries by 11,000 from the current 54,200 seats. The increase will be done in three phases – 5,500 seats in the summer schedule, another 3,300 more by the winter schedule and rest 2,200 by next summer.
Total weekly seat entitlements will go up from the current 54,200 to 65,200 seats a week by the summer of 2015. The Indian Express had reported on February 21, that the increase would be in the range of 20 per cent of current entitlement. “India did not agree on giving any new destinations to carriers from Dubai. The Dubai side had asked for four new destinations,” said an official involved in the day-long negotiations held today.

Low fares hide reality

New Delhi: The latest cheap fare scheme of airlines hides the fact that the number of discounted tickets are limited.
According to aviation experts, the bucket of seats with discounted price tags in each flight are few. “Airlines usually do not reveal how many seats are offered in each bucket and blame the unavailability of seats at low-price buckets on increased demands. But the fact is that the limited number of cheap tickets are used as advertisements to sell costlier buckets,” former Indian Airlines’ director Robin Pathak said.

Govt's austerity measure bleeds Air India

New Delhi: Government's austerity measures are punching a hole in the 'Maharaja's' pocket. Air India has urged the Centre to restore business class travel for officials of the rank of joint secretary and above, complaining that 'compulsory' economy class travel for them is hurting the revenues of the national carrier.
Last September, the finance ministry issued cost—cutting measures barring senior officials from travelling business or first class on domestic tours.

Aviation insurance gains newer dimensions

Mumbai: Aviation insurance policy, primarily used to cover aircraft, is now in demand for the allied coverage it offers, such as ground handling and aviation product liability.
Traditional fleet insurance policies cover damages caused by accidents and natural catastrophes. Incidents of hijacking, enemy attacks and invasion are excluded from the policy coverage.
"We are now looking at aviation products, general aviation and aerospace insurance coverage. In the next few months, we will look at airline insurance as well," said M Ravichandran, president-insurance at Tata AIG General Insurance.

Cabinet likely to scrap 5/20 rule Wednesday

New Delhi: The government is expected to abolish restrictions on domestic airlines to have a minimum fleet of 20 aircraft and five years of operational experience (known as the 5/20 rule) to launch international services.
Sources in the government say that a cabinet note to scrap the 5/20 rule has already been sent by the civil aviation ministry. It is expected to be taken up and cleared in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
It would be the last policy change to be effected by the civil aviation ministry before elections are declared later this week.