NCDRC allows AI plea, reduces compensation to woman flier

New Delhi: llowing the plea of state-owned Air India, the apex consumer commission has reduced the compensation and medical expenses amount to Rs 1.04 lakh to be paid to an elderly woman flier who was injured after falling from a wheelchair provided to her by the airlines staff.
National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) directed the airlines to pay Rs 1,04,672 to 76-year-old Maria Easter D'abreu Noronha while allowing the carrier's appeal filed against the state consumer commission's order.
The woman suffered the mishap when she flying with her husband from Mumbai to Goa in March 2009.

Ashok Gajapathi Raju takes charge as Civil Aviation Minister

New Delhi: Senior TDP leader Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju today took charge as the new Civil Aviation Minister, assuring that he would strive to create a level-playing field for all players in the crucial infrastructure sector.
“We will strive to create a level-playing field for all the players and make the aviation sector more people- oriented,” he told reporters soon after taking over charge at the ministry headquarters in Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan here.
He was accompanied by his family members, including his wife, all of whom were greeted with flowers by officials.

Airport privatisation: Authority seeks fresh requests

Lucknow: The proposed privatisation of Lucknow airport has moved a step further with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) seeking fresh request for qualification (RFQ) by May 31.
Sought by May 31, the RFQ comes up categorically with detailed requirements a private party will have to undertake in renovating the Lucknow airport.
According to the document, the private company will have to spend around Rs 500 crore to renovate the existing terminal building which got constructed in 2009 at an estimated cost of around Rs 200 crore.

AirAsia India to start flying from June 12, ticket sales start Friday, says CEO Tony Fernandes

AirAsia India will begin operating flights in the country from June 12, with ticket sales starting tomorrow, the new carrier's Malaysian parent AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said today.
AirAsia India, a joint venture between AirAsia, Tata Sons Arun Bhatia's Telestra Tradeplace, was granted flying licence by aviation regulator DGCA earlier this month after 9-month- long wait and various legal hurdles.
Read news in full 29/05/14 Financial Express

Jet Airways targets return to profit in 18 months

Mumbai/New Delhi: Jet Airways expects to return to profit in 18 months, following implementation of a new route network and fleet strategy and cost optimisation measures, the senior management said on Wednesday.
Jet’s net worth has turned negative despite Rs 2,057 crore in equity infusion from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Etihad Airways last year. The company has no plan to raise equity further. Fundraising will mostly be through debt, including securing the second tranche of a soft loan of $150 million by the end of June from Etihad, the airline has said. It might also refinance costly rupee debt with cheaper dollar one. Currently, $1.4 billion of Jet’s debt of $1.765 billion is in foreign currency.
On Tuesday, Jet announced corrective measures after reporting a record Rs 2,465 crore loss for the quarter ended March, the worst ever in a quarter by a private airline in the country. The airline said the loss was aggravated because of impairment of Rs 700 crore on account of erosion of subsidiary JetLite’s net worth and another Rs 800 crore in one-off costs and provisions related to maintenance of engines. A weaker rupee against the dollar, higher airport charges and more aircraft on ground also contributed to the loss. For the year ended March, Jet’s loss was Rs 4,129 crore.

IGI Airport gets ready for world’s largest aircraft

Delhi: Twelve suites, LCD screens, food prepared by one of India’s top chefs and 471 seats. No, it’s not a luxury hotel we are talking about. These are the facilities onboard A380, the world’s largest aircraft, which will begin operations in India on May 30.
The size and scale of the aircraft being brought to India by Singapore Airlines has had the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) undertake a series of measures to facilitate its arrival.
On April 7, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to announce the double-decker A380 services to the country, after the Central government gave the green signal in January this year. The aircraft is scheduled to land at 8.05 pm on May 30 at the IGI airport’s Runway 29 and will take off at 10.20 pm. The landing and takeoff will be streamed on the Delhi Airport’s YouTube ID.

TajSATS named hospitality partner of Airbus A-380

Kolkata: Airline catering company, TajSATS on Thursday announced its exclusive inflight catering partnership with Singapore Airlines for the latter's new Airbus A380 operations in India.
TajSATS noted that the guests flying to Mumbai and New Delhi will be now be able to enjoy a meal experience on-board the world’s largest aircraft.
Commenting on the tie-up, Ranjiv Ramanathan, Chief Operating Officer, TajSATS said, "TajSATS is proud to be the sole caterer for Singapore Airlines’ A380 services in India. This also makes us the first inflight catering service in the country to handle an A380."

Search area for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 'can now be discounted'

The 850-square-kilometer swath of the Indian Ocean where officials have focused their hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 probably isn't the right place, the joint search agency said Thursday.
The area off the coast of western Australia is not the "final resting place of MH370," the Australia-based Joint Agency Coordination Centre said.
Officials zeroed in on that zone after acoustic pings originally thought to be from the black boxes of the missing plane were detected in early April.
"The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and in its professional judgment, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370," a statement from the Joint Agency Coordination Centre said.
But Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss defended the country's efforts in the southern Indian Ocean.
Read news in full 29/05/14  Ed Payne. Rene Marsh and Mike M. Ahlers/CNN

Dubai-based carrier 'flydubai' doubles its network in India

Dubai: Budget airline 'flydubai' will begin flights to three Indian cities, including Delhi, from Dubai next week, doubling the number of its destinations in India.
The Dubai-based carrier will operate four weekly flights to Delhi from June 1 and three weekly flights to both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram from June 2 and 3 respectively. The new routes will bring the total number of Indian cities served by the carrier to six, including its existing routes Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the authorities for granting us the approval to operate these flights between Dubai and India," said Ghaith Al Ghaith, the Chief Executive Officer of flydubai.

‘Kuwait-Mangalore-Kochi Flight Hopefully Will Be Restored’

Kuwait: Following the cancellation of the Kuwait-Mangalore-Kochi flight, effective Feb 15, 2014, passengers flying this route feel that Air India Express has done them injustice.
They say at a time when most airlines operate extra flights to meet the increasing passenger demand, the national carrier of India has stopped flying certain Air India Express services from Kuwait and other Gulf states and also some domestic flights back home.
The Air India country manager Ajay Sinha, in an interview with the Arab Times sought to clarify the issue of the withdrawal of Kuwait- Mangalore-Kochi and other Air India Express flights saying the main reason was due to the expiry of the lease of some Air India Express aircraft which were operating on those routes. “Due to the above constraint, some of the nonprofit generating routes were withdrawn,” he said.

Now, Naidu wants airport to be named after NTR

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam president, N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday revived his party’s demand that the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport be named after former Chief Minister, N. T. Rama Rao.
Paying tributes to NTR on his 91st birth anniversary at the party’s annual conference, Mahanadu, here, Mr. Naidu said the party was confident of achieving its goal of renaming the airport as its Lok Sabha MP, Ashok Gajapathi Raju was now the Civil Aviation Minister. He also raised the party’s old demand that Bharat Ratna be conferred on NTR.
His comment on the Shamshabad airport near Hyderabad is bound to kick up a row as it is part of Telangana now where the party’s arch rival, TRS holds sway and its government would be in place on June 2. TDP is not sure how the Chief Minister-designate, K. Chandrasekhar Rao would react to its renaming demand.

Airlines asked to provide small baggage trolleys in post-security area at airports

New Delhi: Air travellers will no longer be required to lug heavy hand baggage in the post security area of Indian airports. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has directed airlines and airports to make available small hand bag trolleys in post security check areas too. This order will be particularly helpful for flyers at sprawling terminals like Delhi's T3.
This is among a host of services that the DGCA has made mandatory to be provided to flyers at India airports. Now automated buggies (read golf carts) will have to be provided free of cost to all senior citizens, expecting mothers and disabled passengers in terminal buildings of big airports. "This facility may be extended to other needy passengers on demand basis free of charge," the DGCA order says.

After slowdown, passenger movement takes off at Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad:  Introduction of new routes and more flights, along with a spur in the passengers flying on international routes from the city, has led to 9.6% growth in passenger movement in 2013-14 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here. Last year, city airport had witnessed a reduction of 11.3% mainly due to economic slowdown and non-availability of flights on preferred routes.
According to the latest data, the biggest contribution in the growth has come from international passenger movement which saw an increase of 21.9% in 2013-14, making it the highest in last five years and more than double the last year when the airport recorded growth of 9.8%.

Broke Indian Airlines splurges on freebies

Air India is playing by rules it makes up as it goes along.
India's permanently redlined airline, saddled with the most liberal dole system of free domestic and international tickets to over 24,000 working and roughly 20,000 retired employees and their families, has now taken the bizarre decision to allow the children of these employees to inherit the right to free tickets even after the employee has passed away.
According to a memorandum issued by Air India's executive director (Personnel) dated April 11, 2014: "The spouse of a deceased employee can transfer his/her passages to his/her family members (of the deceased employee) as per the definition of family provided for in passage regulations i.e. self, parents and children, stepchildren and legally adopted children."
It further states "that a total of four passages only out of the total entitlement can be transferred to brothers/ sisters/ son-in-law/ daughter-in-law." The entitlement of retired deputy MDs has been enhanced to that of functional directors.

AAI to build solar power plants at 30 airports

New Delhi: In a bid to tap alternative sources of energy, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to build solar power plants at about 30 of its airports across the country.
AAI plans to install 50 MW capacity plants in the first phase, which would be enhanced to 150 MW over a period of time, an AAI spokesperson said today.
The plants would be established on surplus land available with it at these identified airports or on the large roof tops of the airport structures.

DGCA Issues Five-Point Mandatory Courtesies at Airports

In what is being touted as a first, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a comprehensive guideline on facilities and courtesies, which are to be compulsorily extended to air passengers.
The DGCA - a regulatory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation - released the circular on Tuesday.
"In first of its kind, DGCA has issued comprehensive guidelines on 'facilities/courtesies to esteemed travelling public at airports' in the form of Air Transport Circular 1 of 2014. The Circular lays emphasis on standardized passenger complaint redressal and courteous behaviour of airline/airport staff dealing with passengers," the circular stated.
Here are the five-point guideline put out by the DGCA:
Provision of automated buggies free of charge for all senior citizens, expectant mothers and disabled and needy passengers in the terminal building to facilitate their access to boarding gates located beyond reasonable walking distance at all airports having annual aircraft movements of 50,000 or more;

Jet Airways reports $366.5 million loss

New Delhi: Jet Airways (India) Ltd, part-owned by Abu Dhabi's Etihad, said on Tuesday it would be taking ‘tough’ measures to reshape the airline and return to profitability, after reporting a record quarterly loss.
Airlines in India have been weighed down by one of the most expensive jet fuel prices in the region, while slower economic expansion has curbed the growth in passengers. Jet, the No. 2 Indian carrier by domestic market share, said on Tuesday that standalone net loss was 21.54 billion rupees for its fiscal fourth-quarter to end-March, compared with a loss of 4.96 billion rupees a year earlier, as costs jumped and also due to an impairment charge. The latest quarterly loss was Jet's fifth in a row. Jet said it had approved details of a three-year business plan on Tuesday as it strives to return to profitability. The carrier, in which Etihad bought a 24 per cent stake last year, is writing down ‘overvalued’ non-cash assets to clean up its balance sheet, it said.

Jet Airways cements Etihad Airways link further, appoints Cramer Ball as new CEO

New Delhi: Jet Airways today announced the appointment of its new CEO, aviation specialist Cramer Ball, after its earlier chief quit in January.
The airline’s activities were since that time being managed by Director and Manager Gaurang Shetty, who will continue to lead it “till the requisite approvals are obtained and Ball assumes charge as the CEO,” said a Jet spokesperson.
Jet Airways’ last CEO, Garry Kenneth Toomey, had quit in mid-January, barely seven months after taking charge of the airline.

Aviation min asks PM to continue with AI turnaround plan

New Delhi: While one of Air India's pilots' unions, Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi backing privatisation of the debt-laden airline, the civil aviation ministry has instead recommended that the current turnaround plan should continue since the airline's profitability has been steadily improving.
An official in the ministry told FE that it has written to the PM suggesting that the government support the carrier by infusing about Rs 3,000 crore at the earliest, which is the cumulative shortfall in equity that had been promised to the airline since the announcement of it turnaround plan in 2011.
“We have said that the turnaround plan should be implemented and the shortfall in equity of about Rs 3,000 crore be met at the earliest for the airline to profitably continue operations without having to borrow from banks or the market,” the official said.

Pilot aspirant turns aviation mantri

Visakhapatnam:  So what if he could not fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot? The scion of the Pusapati royal family of Vizianagaram will now be piloting India's burgeoning civil aviation sector through one of its most turbulent phases.
For Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the sole MP from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to make it into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, this is perhaps the most defining moment of his political career spanning over 35 years. In what could be termed as a rarity in politics, Raju, whose family traces its lineage to the Suryavanshis, stands apart for his squeaky clean and non-corrupt image.
Known as a gentleman politician, the soft spoken Raju is learnt to have been handpicked by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu to be the voice of the regional party at the Centre as well as represent the interests of Seemandhra, which perhaps explains why he made his national political debut at the age of 63. "As Raju is a non-controversial and non-corrupt politician who has displayed unflinching loyalty to TDP, when Naidu was offered only one berth by Modi, he went with the man with the highest honour - Ashok," senior TDP leader and Vijayawada MLA Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao says about his politburo colleague.

Flight MH370: Malaysia releases raw satellite data

 

The Malaysian government has released the raw data used to determine that the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean.
The data was first released to relatives of passengers, who have been asking for greater transparency, before copies were also provided to media.
The document released on Tuesday comprises 47 pages of data, plus notes, from British firm Inmarsat.
Flight MH370 went missing on 8 March as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
There were 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on board. No trace of the aircraft has been found, nor any reason for its disappearance.
The satellite data released includes the hourly "handshakes" between the plane and a communications satellite that led investigators to conclude that the plane ended its journey far off Australia.

Inmarsat data will allow independent verification

With the permission of Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), British satellite firm Inmarsat today released the raw data that may allow family members of passengers on MH370 to seek independent verification that the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean.
The data has long been demanded by the families of the 239 passengers aboard the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft that went missing on March 8.
With it, analysts may be able to examine the theory that the plane ended in the Indian Ocean. No debris has been found there despite a 10-week Australia-led search effort.

Data Provide Evidence That Malaysian Plane Crashed Into Indian Ocean

Raw satellite transmission data from the vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, released Tuesday by the Malaysian government, provided further evidence that the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean after flying south and running out of fuel.
Malaysia and Inmarsat, the global satellite communications company, released the data after weeks of pressure from relatives of the mostly Chinese passengers and from the Chinese government. The Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation released the data as the country’s prime minister, Najib Razak, was on his way to China for an official visit.
The final satellite transmission was an automated request from the aircraft for another “electronic handshake.”

Dial registers 7.3% traffic in 2013

The largest infrastructure development project in India post independence, the Delhi International Airport, witnessed a growth of 7.3 per cent in traffic over the previous year. The airport handled a total of 36.7 million passengers in 2013. The airport’s terminals collectively boast of a total capacity of a whopping 62 million passengers annually, including the 34 million passengers that the state-of-the-art T3 caters to individually.
“We credit this boost to our airline partners. Domestic carriers have added several new routes and accentuated frequencies on existing metro and non-metro routes. Existing international carriers have also increased frequencies. Besides, we had new carriers starting up service as well from Delhi,” said I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

Bial hosts inaugural edition of Pinnacle award

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru celebrated six years of operation with the inaugural edition of the BIAL Pinnacle Awards held at the J W Mariott in Bengaluru. The awards were held in the presence of Sanjay Reddy, MD, BIAL, senior management from BIAL and various stakeholders. Aimed at acknowledging and awarding star performances amongst the various airport stakeholders in several capacities, the idea of the award is to perpetuate a culture of competition and excellence amongst all stakeholders at the airport, which eventually would have a telling impact on the performance of the airport as a whole.

Baggage scales at 1D under scanner

New Delhi: Ever since airlines reduced free check-in baggage allowance to 15 kg and decided to impose a hefty fee for every extra kg, domestic flyers look at the weighing scales at airline counters with much trepidation to see if they are in the "safe zone" or not. But people flying out of Delhi's low-cost terminal 1D will do well to weigh their check-in bags before heading to the airport.
The aviation regulator has cast doubt at the weighing machines stationed at the check-in counters at terminal 1D. A directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) team did a complete 'surveillance' of the terminal on Sunday (May 25) and found that the machines did "not have certificate of calibration". With the regulator itself pointing a finger at the weighing machines' calibration, flyers may not be sure if they are showing the right weight.

Air India's 4th quarter revenues higher than Jet Airways, losses lower

New Delhi: With Jet Airways reporting its highest-ever annual loss of Rs 4,129 crore in 2013-14, Air India today said its financial parameters had improved significantly in comparison to its major private competitor, with its fourth quarter revenues higher and losses much lower.
While Jet had yesterday reported a Q4 revenue of Rs 4,566 crore, the national carrier's unaudited estimation of earnings stood at Rs 5,842 crore.
Read News in full 28/05/14 Economic Times

Upgrade of airports, reviewing curbs on carriers key tasks: Aviation Minister

New Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati and his Minister of State Gowdar Mallikarjunappa Siddeswara would have tasks cut out for them when they assume office tomorrow.
They would have to address crucial issues facing the aviation sector including construction and upgrade of airports including low-cost ones across the country, reviewing the 5/20 rule to allow Indian carriers to launch global operations and the issue of downgrade of India’s safety ranking by US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
While Raju is a veteran leader, Politburo member of the Telugu Desam Party and a seven-time legislator, Siddeswara is a senior BJP leader elected from Davangere constituency of Karnataka for the third successive term since 2004. Raju, known for his philanthropic activities, belongs to the titular family of Vizianagaram.

Emirates Airline adding A380 service to Mumbai

Emirates Airline will deploy the Airbus A380 superjumbo on its Mumbai route from July 21 following discussions between the Dubai and Indian governments on increased capacity for the emirate’s carriers.
Dubai airlines will be provided an additional 11,000 seats each week in a phased manner.
Emirates will fly a three-class A380 to India’s financial capital, and will operate a Boeing 777 aircraft to Delhi and Hyderabad, it said.
Indian authorities had previously prevented the A380 from flying to the country in a bid to support Air India and prevent the national carrier from losing market share on international travel to rivals overseas. But after recent discussions the situation changed.
“A combined total of 3,779 one-way weekly seats will be deployed on Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad through these aircraft upgrades,” Emirates said.

Goa seaplane project poised for take off

Mumbai: One of the most awaited projects in the Goa tourism industry, the seaplane project, may soon become a reality. The Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) is awaiting clearances from the Capt. of Ports for their NOC, permitting the seaplane operations in various waterdromes which have been identified by them. Once the Capt. of Ports will give their nod, the seaplanes may take off within two months. An inhouse feasibility study has already been done by the corporation. The seaplanes service in Goa will be operated by Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) in association with GTDC.

Free buggies for elderly, pregnant and disabled at key airports

New Delhi:  Airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata will have to provide free automated buggies for elder, pregnant and disabled passengers.
This is part of first ever comprehensive guidelines on ‘facilities/courtesies to esteemed travelling public at airports’ issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The guidelines lay emphasis on standardised passenger complaint redressal and courteous behaviour of airline and airport staff dealing with passengers. Violation of such guidelines will result in penalty.

Copter gatecrashes IIT sports event

New Delhi: t may be even hard to imagine that something like this can ever happen. A university sports ground hosting a hugely-attended tournament when a chopper suddenly appears from nowhere and lands there without any prior information or warning, sending hundreds running for cover.
Strange as it may sound, this is precisely what happened at the prestigious IIT Roorkee on the morning of May 5, 2014, when a chopper carrying Congress leader and Bollywood biggie Raj Babbar landed at the institute's Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. The chopper (VT-PHO) belonged to state-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) and was chartered by Babbar's party possibly for campaigning in the recently-concluded polls.

Mumbai airport cabbies trained to be more courteous

Cab drivers operating from the swanky Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport shall be more courteous and cooperative with passengers, thanks to a new initiative by the airport authorities and tourism department, officials said Tuesday. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) organised a training session for 25 cab drivers to emphasise soft skills, appearance, language and behaviour with passengers. The initiative covered cab drivers plying the regular non-airconditioned and cool-cabs outside the Mumbai airport. "A passenger's travel experience begins the moment they hire a cab at the airport and this training session would enhance the quality of service provided by the cab drivers," a MIAL spokesperson said.
Read news in full 27/05/14 IANS/Mid Day

Covered drains close to Mumbai airport spark flood fear

Mumbai: The covering of vast stretches of nullahs passing through the airport area has local residents worried.
In a letter to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte, local NGO Watchdog Foundation said that desilting the Krishna Nagar and Lelewadi nullahs, which pass along several five-star hotels on the airport land and further adjacent to Terminal 2, may be problematic.
The airport and adjoining areas were amongst the worst affected during the 2005 deluge.
"The nullahs have not only been diverted for the convenience of the hotels, but also covered and converted into parking lots. Unless they are cleaned end to end, where is the guarantee that there will be no flooding," said Godfrey Pimenta, convenor, Watchdog Foundation.
Read news in full 28/05/14 Times of India

Bhubaneswar-Bangalore from August

Bhubaneswar: : The Bangalore-based ABC Airways will start domestic operations from here this August. ABC will fly to Bangalore, airport sources said.
At present, there is no direct flight to Bangalore after Jet Airways withdrew its carrier in October. "In November, ABC airways had evinced interest to fly from here. Recently, it has sought space at the terminal building to operate its office," said airport director Sharad Kumar.
He said that the flier would offer cheap fares to passengers compared to that of other airlines. "The airline has agreed to charge less than Rs 5,000 per passenger for flying to Bangalore. We have discussed all the modalities including parking fee of aircraft, providing offices and check-in counters, with the private airlines," said Kumar.
Read news in full 25/05/14 Times of India

Air India pilots' union willing to back privatization

New Delhi: Even before assuming office, PM-elect Narendra Modi seems to have achieved the impossible for critically ill Air India — getting its pilots' union to back privatization of the airline. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA, union of pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines) has written to Modi, saying it is "not averse to part or complete privatization of the airline if done fairly".
It, however, urged Modi to examine how previous governments had brought AI to its current state. "Every employee is waiting for AI to be pulled out of ventilator and (ending of) government interference as it has been plagued by bad political decisions in the last decade," ICPA general secretary Rishabh Kapur says in the letter.

165 pilots reported drunk for duty in last five years

Chennai: Pilots continue to turn up drunk for work despite restrictions and tests. Between 2009 and February 2014, a total of 165 pilots across the country were found to have high blood alcohol levels during checks, reveal the answers to an RTI application filed by TOI.
Delhi tops the list with 50 pilots being grounded after reporting drunk for work in the last five years. In Mumbai, the number was 47, Kolkata it was 18 and in Chennai 17.

Airlines eye on mid-air culinary delight

Mumbai: With the war in the Indian sky heating up due to impending entry of new airlines, several carriers, including the no-frills ones, are updating their inflight menus so as to keep the ever-demanding passenger's taste buds satisfied.
Spicejet on May 23 announced an all-new-and-expansive menu for its customers that includes beverages which have been blended in such a way that they taste in skies similar to the way they taste on ground.
The reason being that according to several studies carried out by food-industry experts, edibles, especially the drinks taste about 30 percent blander while onboard over 35,000 feet due to several physical and biological changes happening in human body during the flight.

Qatar Airways adds US flights, eyes Indian transit traffic

Qata Airways is retiming five US-bound services and introducing two new US destinations, as it attempts to lure more Indian travellers to connect at its new home at Hamad International Airport.
The carrier flies daily from Doha to Kolkata, and from tomorrow will offer connections of 50-60 minutes via the new Hamad International Airport to New York, Houston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Chicago.
Flights out of Doha to Miami will begin on June 10 and Dallas, July 1.
According to the airline, passengers from Kolkata are likely to reach their US destinations in 21-24 hours and return flights have durations of 19-23 hours.
Read news in full 26/05/14 TTG Asia

When airlines choose to ignore drunks in cockpit

Chennai: Air safety experts feel that alcohol checks should be made more comprehensive for flight crew and that ground crew, including aeronautical engineers and airline security staff, should go through breath analyzer checks to ensure passenger safety.
The number of pilots who were grounded for reporting drunk for duty in the last five years at Chennai airport shows that the problem is rampant and that airlines are making the most of loopholes in the law to evade checks and maintain flight schedules. In the last five years, 17 pilots were grounded at Chennai airport after failing the breath analyzer test before take-off.

Travelling by business or cattle class, at CSIA you'll get the royal treatment

Mumbai: Irrespective of whether you are travelling by the business/first class or the economy class, the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has decided to pamper you with a royal treatment.
It has opened, in phases, its new lounge, Pranaam, to both domestic and international passengers. Its services have also being extended to the domestic terminal. The airport authorities say the services offered through the new initiative will be a boon to passengers who don't travel in the expensive business/first class.
The services are available for as little as Rs 1000 for domestic, and Rs 2,200 for international passengers, and go up depending on the benefits availed. The initiative won the reputed Golden Peacock Innovative award on Friday.

Omar to knock Modi sarkar for airport upgradation, jobs

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government plans to take up a number of issues with government of India soon after Narendra Modi’s coronation as Prime Minister on Monday.
Among the issues, Chief Omar Abdullah may seek registration of a case against Hyderabad-based Ramky Infrastructures for deserting construction work on highway in south Kashmir after allotment and upgradation of Srinagar airport.
“Srinagar-Khanabal road is so much dilapidated that bones broke down, but it pertains to National Highway Authority of India. Work on four-lane construction has been unfortunately entrusted to Ramky (Infrastructures). There should be an FIR against the company as it has deserted the work after allotment to it,” Omar Abdullah told a New Delhi-based news channel on Sunday.

IndiGo, Emirates bag BIAL Pinnacle awards

Domestic air carrier IndiGo has bagged the BIAL Pinnacle Awards as Airline of the Year domestic. Emirates has won the award under international category.
Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which operates Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore celebrated its six years of operation with the inaugural edition of the BIAL Pinnacle Awards.
“Aimed at acknowledging and awarding star performances among various airport stakeholders in several capacities, the idea of the award is to perpetuate a culture of competition and excellence among all stakeholders at the airport, which eventually would have a telling impact on the performance of the airport as a whole,” a BIAL release said.
Others who bagged awards were: Airline of the Year (Cargo) AeroLogic. On Time Airline (Domestic) Jet Airways, On Time Airline (International) Thai Airways, Excellence in Safety (Airline) Emirates, Fastest Growing (Airline) Indigo, Flyer's Favourite Airline (Domestic) Spice Jet, and Flyer's Favourite Airline (International) Dragon Air.

Customs strikes gold in May, seizes 104kg yellow metal at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: On the second level of the international terminal 2 of Mumbai airport is a strong room that could be arguably called the present day Ali Baba's cave. Currently, the strong room is stocked with seized gold bars.
In May, the customs officials of the Mumbai airport reaped a bumper harvest of sorts—104kg of the yellow metal. "For the first time ever, the gold seized from smugglers landing at the city airport has crossed 100kg in a month," said Kiran Kumar, assistant commissioner of customs, air intelligence unit. "It is a remarkable achievement."
Read News in full 25/04/14 Times of India

Rajasthan govt to soon launch air taxi service within state

Jaipur: Rajasthan government is all set to introduce an air taxi service linking major tourist destinations and commercial hubs in the state.
"The proposal has been given approval by the chief minister and we are almost ready to operate our two state planes for the air taxi services," Kishan Singh Verma, Director, Civil Aviation, Rajasthan government told PTI.
The government will deploy five seater King Air C90 A and seven seater King Air B 200 for the taxi service. The planes are used for the movement of the Governor, CM and other VIPs visiting the state.
For the five seater plane, the fair would be Rs 50,000 per hour while Rs 70,000 per hour would be charged for flying in the seven seater aircraft. Besides, charges for night hold, extension of ATC watch hour, (ground) handling will be also be applicable.

Jet Airways staff to meet COO over delayed salaries

Mumbai: Salary payments at the Naresh Goyal- run Jet Airways continue to be delayed despite the Rs 2,060 crore infusion by Etihad, and the issue would be raised at the meeting of the staff representatives and chief operating officer Hameed Ali this week, sources said.
The meeting is scheduled for May 28.
The company, which reported a loss of Rs 268 crore in the December quarter, is set to declare its March quarter and full fiscal financial numbers later this week.
"Earlier the company used to pay salary on the last day of the month. Then the payment date was rescheduled to 7th of every month and thereafter to 15th after the airline was hit by a financial crisis. Unfortunately, this has become a new norm and we are paid around the middle of the month even after the Rs 2,060-crore Etihad deal," a Jet Airways source told PTI.
Read news in full 25/05/14 PTI/Business Standard

Air Costa gains altitude

New Delhi: Regional carrier Air Costa has achieved a higher passenger load factor in April, beating top low-frill airlines IndiGo and GoAir.
Air Costa managed to achieve a load factor of 77.8 per cent, while IndiGo and GoAir clocked 76.9 per cent and 76.1 per cent, respectively, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Passenger load factor is an indicator of occupancy in an aircraft.
The airline, owned by Vijayawada-based real estate company LEPL Group, is planing to fly on international routes by 2018.
At present, it is looking to start pan-India operations by next year, by when it expects to receive at least three of the 50 Embraers it has ordered

'Airport Security Check Time to be Halved for Fliers'

New Delhi:  In order to enhance passenger comfort, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has decided to cut security checks and frisking time at the airports by almost half.
The force has prepared a four-point, new standard operating procedure for its security personnel who are deployed at the country's 59 civil airports, to identify genuine travelling passengers and scan their baggage.
"We have decided to cut the security check time for air fliers at the airports by half. At present, our officials take 7-8 minutes to complete the frisking and identification of passengers but now we plan to cut it down by half which is about 4 minutes," Chief of CISF airport security unit O P Singh told PTI.
Mr Singh said new modules and Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) have been developed to enable the CISF security men to achieve this target.

Chopper services now available to Kedarnath pilgrims

Dehradun:  Around 12 private companies began chopper services for pilgrims to Kedarnath on Saturday. A senior officer in Uttarakhand civil aviation department said while the exact number of people who availed the service on Saturday is yet to be ascertained, private choppers are expected to fly nearly 19,600 pilgrims on a daily basis.
The chopper services to Kedarnath are available on to and fro basis from Guptkashi, Phata and Dehradun. A senior IAS officer said each passenger would have to shell out Rs 7,000 for a to and fro sortie in a four-seater chopper. "This service is not only cheaper but a lot convenient in more than one way, as compared to air service rendered by private helicopters in the previous years," he said.

Fly Buy India, Chant Retailers

Indian realty pricing may have gone through the roof in recent times, but downtown costs pale in comparison with rentals at airports. Nevertheless, given the “quality retail outlets” available in the swanky new terminals, lifestyle brands, restaurants and duty-free operators are making a beeline for them in their quest for global visibility.
Fortunately, there’s no shortage of space. The capital’s T1/T3 terminals offer over 320,000 sq ft of retail space; the new Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (T2) has 700,000 sq ft up for grabs. More importantly, Indian airports handle 121 million domestic and 41 million international passengers annually. In the first three months of 2014, over 35 lakh international passengers travelled on Indian carriers alone.

Politicians and their plane truths

New Delhi: Rajiv Gandhi's smooth landing into politics from a career as a pilot— like Orissa's late chief minister Biju Patnaik's before him—led many politicians of different shades take to the skies to hone their flying skills as a hobby, launch their own airline service or even make forays into commercial flying.
BJP MP from Saran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, 51, did the opposite of Gandhi by starting out as a politician and then venturing into flying. "I began flying in 2010 when I got a private pilot license. Then I got a Commercial Pilot License from the Patna Flying Club.
I fly A-320 commercial planes for an airline as an honorary pilot," Rudy, who was civil aviation minister in the NDA government, told ET.
Rahul Gandhi is also said to have learnt flying skills, according to sources, but chose his father's second profession. Several of the young Turks in politics have flown planes and choppers as a hobby.

Baggage not safe at IGI airport, ground staff under lens

New Delhi: Keep valuables in hand baggage is a suggestion offered by all airline operators to flyers. Implicit in it is the real risk their check-in baggage is subject to as may be vouched for by several who ignored it at their own peril.
Five months into 2014, 58 thefts at Indira Gandhi International Airport have already been registered with police. Last year, the number of such cases was 68, and two years ago it was 52, suggesting a rising trend. Most of these thefts have taken place inside the domestic and international terminals, say police.

AI Dreamliner attempts take-off from Frankfurt twice, in vain

New Delhi:  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's unending trouble with spoilers — speed retardation devices on the wings that move up and down — saw over 200 passengers supposed to fly from Frankfurt to Delhi on Thursday night taxiing out of the airport twice only to return to the aerobridge minutes later each time. The aircraft had to be finally grounded in Germany on Thursday night as by the time the problem was sorted, night curfew had kicked in at Frankfurt.
The problem started when AI 123 on Dreamliner (VT-AND) first taxied out of Frankfurt and a problem was detected with the spoilers. This device acts as a speed breaker on an aircraft and its actuators make it go up or down on wing tips during takeoff to alter drag and during landing to increase rate of descent. Without this important device perfectly functional, an airplane can't be allowed to get airborne.

‘Fatigue’ among ATC staff leads to mid-air collision scare

Mumbai: Two aircraft carrying a total of 850 passengers ended up on the same flight level on Thursday morning, sparking a mid-air collision scare. However, the flights, one operated by Etihad Airlines and the other by Ethiopian Airlines, managed to get away from each other's path in the nick of time.
Top officials in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) blamed poor coordination between the air traffic controllers in Mumbai and Chennai for the incident.
The Etihad Airlines flight 413 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Abu Dhabi, while the Ethiopian Airlines flight 685 was travelling from Shanghai to Addis-Ababa. The flights did not have a stopover in India and were merely flying through the Indian airspace. The Mumbai ATC was coordinating with the Etihad flight, while the Chennai ATC was in touch with Ethiopian Airlines pilot.
The Mumbai ATC officer concerned has said in his report that he was severely fatigued and also the flight traffic was high, which resulted in "an error of judgement". AAI officials, however, said that it was a major lapse as the two planes came dangerously close to each other.

Air India’s privatisation may be one of first steps

New Delhi: The privatisation of Air India could possibly be one of the major disinvestment moves of the Modi government. The UPA government, in its second term, had earlier commenced a process of bailing out Air India through equity infusion of Rs 30,000 crore over a decade.
Well-placed Air India sources acknowledged that the airline could well be privatised in the near future since it was becoming increasingly “complex” for the government to be running an airline. Sources said that with the “stabilisation” in Air India’s fortunes, given the huge financial backing of the UPA-2 government, the airline could eventually be privatised. There is talk in saffron corridors that Mr Arun Shourie, who was heading the department of disinvestment (DoD) in the Vajpayee government, could play a key role in possible disinvestment moves by Mr Modi.
Air India had recorded a net loss of Rs 5,198 crore in the financial year 2012-13 while the financial year 2011-12 had seen an even greater net loss Rs7,559 crore. The airline began plummeting financially after the merger of the erstwhile international carrier Air-India and the domestic Indian Airlines in 2007.

AirAsia’s low-cost model won’t work: Sanjiv Kapoor, SpiceJet COO

Mumbai: Barely a month before AirAsia India finally takes off, the air is thick with barbs and potshots. Three days after Tony Fernandes took a potshot at India's biggest carrier IndiGo on Twitter, the chief of AirAsia's other Indian rival criticised its low-fare model saying it won't work in the face of high costs in India. Sanjiv Kapoor, COO of SpiceJet, said AirAsia's low-cost model won't work in India in the face of high costs.
"There is one way to offer fares lower by 30-35% than market rates; that is to have a 30-35% lower cost structure. Given fuel and other costs are similar for all players in India, that kind of cost advantage can only come from lower aircraft and asset costs. You can have that kind of cost advantage if, maybe, part of your costs are reflected in Kuala Lumpur and not in India," Kapoor told reporters at a press conference in New Delhi.

SpiceJet asks aviation ministry for 7,000 weekly seats to Doha; says minor stake sale close

New Delhi: SpiceJet, India’s second-largest low-cost carrier, has applied to the civil aviation ministry for 7,000 seats weekly to Doha – the capital city of Qatar, its CCO Kaneswaran Avili said on Friday at an event for the launch of its new in-flight menu. The move comes even as the loss-making carrier confirmed that it soon hopes to retire part of its Rs 1,516 crore short and long-term debt after a stake sale to an investor, with reports further indicating that Qatar Airways could be this mystery partner.
“We have been in discussions with an investor and sooner or later we will announce it. I cannot name the company right now. It will be a small stake sale and retiring some of the debt will give us the confidence to focus on re-building the airline,” Sanjiv Kapoor, SpiceJet’s COO said.

SpiceJet not in talks with Qatar for slot sale: CEO

New Delhi:  SpiceJet has denied it is in talks with Qatar Airways for sale of slots. “This is completely baseless,” the airline’s CEO Sanjiv Kapoor told newspersons here on Friday.
In a statement to the BSE, the airline said, “We also confirm that there is no truth whatsoever in the scheduling of a meeting to discuss investment plans with Qatar Airways.”
Asked about SpiceJet’s plans of getting in a potential investor, Kapoor said the list of potential investors is “really small,” but declined to get into specifics of whether another airline or investor was interested in picking up a stake in the airline.
“The matter is being handled out of Chennai. Besides, the promoters are pumping money into the airline,” he said.

Proposal for heliport at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi race course faces opposition

Mumbai: A proposal to build a heliport in the heart of the iconic Mahalaxmi race course has upset the people who run it.
The 130-year old race course is part of Mumbai's history and has been declared a heritage structure. The 226-acre ground is among the few large green spaces in this congested city.
Authorities of the Royal Western India Turf Club which runs the race course said that they had not been involved in the planning process and that they were totally against the idea. “Having a heliport right in the centre of the race course will affect, not just the horses, but also others who use the open area. Children play in the space and adults use it to walk in the evenings. Having a heliport right there will stop all the activities of the race course,” said Vivek Jain, chairman of RWITC.
The race course was first proposed as a probable location for the heliport more than two years ago.

Steep airfares make Kashmir unaffordable for tourists

Srinagar: The steep hike in airfares has turned Kashmir unaffordable destination for most of the domestic tourists. The stakeholders allege it is a ‘deliberate’ attempt to cut inflow of tourists to the Valley.
Currently, the airfare on Delhi-Srinagar sector runs in the range of Rs 13,000 to 22,000. Similar is the case with Srinagar-Delhi sector. The prohibitive airfares, according to experts here, are hitting not only the tourists but also the locals particularly the frequent flyers.
“It has now become a pattern with the airliners that at the inception of every tourism season in Kashmir they arbitrarily increase the fares on this sector making travel to and from Kashmir unaffordable,” Mushtaq Ahmad, assistant manager, Travel Master, a reputed travel agency in Srinagar, said.
The assistant manager Travel Master said: “Many of our customers in Kashmir have either postponed their trips to outside or from outside to Kashmir, or are coming by road because of the steep airfares.”

SpiceJet says raising yields way to survive

New Delhi: Two days after AirAsia group chief Tony Fernandes said IndiGo’s attempts at hindering launch operations would only make his airline stronger, SpiceJet’s Chief Operating Officer Sanjiv Kapoor, noting the expansive presence of the Rahul Bhatia-promoted carrier in the domestic market, spoke of the need to differentiate service offerings and improve yields.
“I do not think there is room for two IndiGos. They have their own clientele. They are doing a fabulous job. They are growing and it is difficult to match IndiGo. We have to create our special place,” said Kapoor.
He elaborated that given the high-cost operating environment in the domestic aviation market, if an airline did not have scale, the only way for it to sustain operations viably was to focus on improving yields.

SpiceJet to raise monthly salaries of senior pilots by Rs 80,000 from July

New Delhi: Kalanithi Maran-promoted SpiceJet will raise monthly salaries of it’s around 100 senior commanders by up to Rs 80,000 on average from July 1, in a move to counter increased attempts by new players such as Etihad, AirAsia and Tata-SIA to poach highly-skilled commanders from the incumbents, industry sources said.
This is part of a wage hike plan for across the carrier’s cabin crew and its approximately 400 pilots. The industry’s average monthly wage for senior commanders is Rs 5.3 lakh but at SpiceJet it is lower, at about Rs 4.5 lakh. The wage increase will be a combination of fixed and variable pay, though the larger increase will be in the fixed pay component.

Jet Airways Starts Third Delhi Flight From Kathmandu

Kathmandu: Indian private carrier Jet Airways has increased its frequency on the Kathmandu-Delhi sector by launching a third daily flight, the airline announced here.
The carrier now operates three daily flights on the Kathmandu-Delhi sector effective Friday and two daily flights on the Kathmandu-Mumbai sector.
Kathmandu is becoming an important market for Jet with ever growing number of migrant workers to the Gulf and other countries who use it for connecting flights to their destination countries.
"Nepali workers going abroad are the largest passenger base for us, but the number of corporates, tourists and passengers visiting friends and relatives flying with us are also growing," Samir Chada, country manager of Jet Airways in Nepal, said.

KPMG suggests slew of measures in aviation sector

New Delhi: Consultancy firm KPMG today asked the new government to initiate reforms in the aviation sector by privatising Air India, getting states to develop no-frills airports, slashing sales tax rates on jet fuel and giving a tax holiday on aircraft maintenance facilities.
Listing out top priorities for the new government, KPMG's India head of aerospace and defence Amber Dubey also suggested establishment of an inter-ministerial group on aviation to facilitate faster decision-making across ministries like home, defence, finance, tourism and environment on issues relating to the aviation sector.
Besides privatising Air India, the new government should also undertake a complete overhaul of aviation regulator DGCA.
It should abolish the rule for allowing Indian carriers to fly abroad (five years of domestic flying and a 20-aircraft fleet) and conduct a debate on the need for an open sky policy within the country, Dubey said.
Read news in full 23/05/14 PTI/Business Standard