Hyderabad intl airport on social media

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has started windows on social media. It is now accessible on Facebook along with Twitter and YouTube.
“Passengers and other stakeholders will now get updated information on new services. Passengers can now remain connected and have access at all time to information on special offerings, retail options and duty free shopping at the airport,” a press release said here on Sunday, quoting S G K Kishore, Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited.

Air India evaluating leasing fuel-efficient airplanes

New Delhi: Aiming at taking growing competition head-on, Air India is evaluating leasing fuel- efficient airplanes like Airbus A-320 neos for itself and Boeing 737 Max for its subsidiary Air India Express over the next three to six years.

While the national carrier would be getting its 18th Boeing 787 Dreamliners in December, it has already started exploring options to lease A-320 neos (New Engine Option) aircraft into its fleet after 2017.

Discontent over salary and designations causing cockpit fights

New Delhi: Those driving on Indian streets often fly into a road rage but these days, incidents of pilots getting into fights in the cockpit have become a reason for growing concern. The reason is rivalry, say sources, especially among pilots of airlines like Air India and Indian Airlines and Jet Airways and JetLite, both of whom are in the midst of a merger. Most of the tussles are over seniority levels and salary, with pilots filing anonymous complaints against one another. These complaints have been made both to the DGCA and internally .

APAI questions 'non-existent' low fares offered by airlines

Mumbai: Apex air travellers body, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) today questioned the frequent "special fare" offers by domestic carriers and termed them as "non-existent", even as it urged the DGCA not to allow such schemes.

The association, in a communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, also sought to know as to what action the regulator intends to take against the carriers on the issue.

SIA-Airbus JV gets Competition Commission's approval

New Delhi: Singapore Airlines' proposed joint venture with Airbus Services Asia Pacific to provide flight pilot training services, has received green signal from fair trade watchdog CCI.

The proposed combination involves formation of a joint venture company, Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC), to provide flight pilot training services.

In AATC, Airbus Services Asia, part of French major Airbus, would have 55 per cent stake while 45 per cent would be with Singapore Airlines.

Gulf Air restarts Hyderabad route

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced that it will be recommencing flights to Hyderabad, the fourth most populous city in India, with 5 weekly flights, starting from 15 December 2014.

Mumbai-Nashik seaplane runs into rough weather

Mumbai: A plan to connect Mumbai with Nashik by seaplane has run into rough weather. The proposed landing site at Gangapur Dam, near Nashik, has been opposed by activists and NGOs, who say the activity will affect thousands of migratory and residents birds.
Based on two separate complaints - by Bombay Natural History Society and by Bishwarup Raha, honorary wildlife warden, Nashik District - the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is taking a relook at flight operations to Gangapur.

Airlines' losses soar on high fuel costs in FY14

New Delhi: For the year ended March this year, India’s top five domestic airlines reported combined losses of Rs 9,737 crore, an increase of 85 per cent compared with Rs 5,276 crore in the previous year.

But for IndiGo and GoAir’s combined net profit of Rs 323 crore, the losses would have stood at Rs 10,060 crore.

More than half the overall losses were accounted for by those reported by Air India. The state-owned airline’s net loss declined to Rs 5,388 crore in FY14 from Rs 5,490 crore the previous financial year. While Jet Airways’ net loss rose about sevenfold to Rs 3,668 crore, SpiceJet’s increased about four times to Rs 1,003 crore.

‘Goa will get just 500 charters from Russia’

Panaji: Pegas Touristik, a major tour operator in Russia, has told TOI that Goa can expect just 500 charters from Russia this season. Of the total 1,128 charter flights that landed in Goa last season, 895 were from Russia alone.
Abdullah Cankaya, director, Asia-Pacific Countries, Pegas Touristik, explained that while the weakening Rouble coupled with tour operators in Russia shutting shop is one factor, Egypt is another. Last season, Goa gained from the Afro-Asiatic country's hospitality industry lying in tatters following the uprisings there. "With Egypt returning to normalcy, Goa will have to compete hard," warned Cankaya.

Jet Airways' chief operating officer Subodh Karnik resigns

Jet Airways chief operating officer (designate) Subodh Karnik is learnt to have quit the airline. This is the eighth top-level exit in the airline in recent months.

Confirming the development, a Jet Airways spokesperson said: “Subodh Karnik, chief operating officer (designate), will be leaving  Jet Airways for family reasons and is returning to Atlanta to be closer to his wife and children who were unable to move to India. He will continue to work with Jet Airways in an advisory capacity on key strategic initiatives.”

Bangalore's engineer AK Vishwanath plans to launch flying car

Bangalore: As overseas automakers AeroMobil and Terrafugia prepare to launch their flying cars, a 56-year-old engineer in Bangalore is attempting to rewrite the science for the next generation of such vehicles.

The Wright brothers were able to recreate a bird's flight, without requiring their plane to flap its wings -something that Terrafugia and AeroMobil have followed.AK Vishwanath is trying to replicate this, using the insect paradigm.

New Indian Proposal Threatens Charter Operators

Indian lawmakers are considering a proposal by the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that would revoke the commercial licenses of nonscheduled operator permit (NSOP) holders with fewer than three aircraft available for charter. Affected NSOPs that do not augment their fleet to at least three aircraft within one year will have to operate in the private category, depriving them of permission to offer charters. India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) sees the proposal as “a kneejerk reaction” to the DGCA’s shortage of flight observation inspectors (FOIs) and its difficulties in recruiting more of them. The process of registering private aircraft owners as NSOPs requires the services of an FOI. This scarcity of FOIs is also hindering India’s compliance with an FAA requirement that would help restore the country’s safety ranking to Category 1.

Fly Etihad, get an on-air Jeeves at your service!

Cabin crew retrained as butlers at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel will wear tailcoats and white cotton gloves for their new role pampering some of the world's wealthiest flyers on Etihad Airways PJSC's superjumbo aircraft. Thirteen flying butlers have completed a three-week course on etiquette, protocol, valet skills and concierge services and are ready to attend passengers in what will be the airline industry's swankiest cabin, costing Rs 12.25 lakh-a-trip.

Etihad is introducing the luxury product on its first A380 double-deckers as the third-biggest Gulf carrier vies for top-paying travellers with Emirates, the No. 1 operator of the Airbus Group plane, Qatar Airways and global rivals including Singapore Airlines Ltd.

Amazon India, Jet Airways tie up with payment gateway RuPay

After Flipkart, home-grown payments gateway RuPay has tied up with Amazon and one of the largest carriers Jet Airways. With this, the RuPay debit card holders can now shop best deals on Amazon and book air tickets on Jet Airways, the Reserve Bank-promoted National Payment Corporation which issues the RuPay cards said in a statement today.

"Acceptance on Amazon is a breakthrough for us. We are glad to offer a wider horizon to our cardholders to transact online. Also, our integration with Jet Airways will definitely benefit our cardholders,," says NPCI managing director AP Hota said. Commenting on the tie-up, Amazon India general manager for payments Srinivas Rao said, the arrangement is in line with its strategy of offering the widest set of customers a variety of payment options that will enhance their shopping experience.

Civil aviation ministry mulls to use Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for cleaner airports

New Delhi: Smelly airport bathrooms could soon be a thing of the past. The civil aviation ministry is planning to use the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 to ensure a future in which people don't have to hold their noses while using the facilities at airports.

Airlines reduce flight frequency to Kashmir

Srinagar: Owing to the mass cancellation holiday plans of visitors to Kashmir due to recent floods, the airlines have reduced the number of flights operation on Kashmir route.
Airport Director Rajesh Shinde told Rising Kashmir that due to decrease in tourist influx to Valley, operation of seven flights has been reduced.
“Due to the floods many airlines have reduced the number of flights for Srinagar airport. Earlier, 32 flights used to fly to Kashmir which has reduced to 27 flights now days. Very less people were travelling to valley for past two months,” said Shinde.
The travel companies have also reduced the cost of tickets that normally cost high at the start of the tourist season. The tickets from New Delhi to Srinagar which used to cost Rs 13,823 in the month of March has come down to Rs 4,572 only.

Till Oct 22 this year, customs seized 815 kg gold

Mumbai: With two months left for the year to end, the Mumbai Airport Customs is confident of setting a record this year by seizing one ton of gold in its interceptions at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Having already surpassed last year’s figure of 346 kilograms several months ago, Customs has increased its surveillance at both the international and domestic terminals of the airport.

GoAir profit plunges 95% to Rs 5.5 crore in FY14

Mumbai: GoAir’s net profit slumped to Rs 5.44 crore for FY 14 from Rs 104 crore the previous year, according to the airline’s balance sheet filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

A rise in fuel costs and currency depreciation impacted the profits of all domestic airlines, including GoAir. Industry leader IndiGo’s profit dropped by 60 per cent.

GoAir is unlisted and does not disclose quarterly results. It flies 19 Airbus A320 planes and has a market share of around 9 per cent.

Aviation Ministry not taking action against Pvt airlines : Ministry

Agartala: The Tripura government today attacked the Union Ministry of Aviation was not taking action against private airlines which were charging abnormally high rate for air tickets operating on Agartala-Kolkata route.
Railway services from Lumding in Assam to Agartala was stopped due to a mega block imposed by the railways department for conversion of the railway tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge from the October 1, state Transport Minister Manik Dey said.
Taking advantage of this, private airline companies were charging undue prices from the passengers, the Transport minister told reporters here.

No more Air India booking in Kozhikode?

Kozhikode: Air India's plan to shut down its booking office in the city as part of the national carrier's decision to wind up all its city booking offices and offline ticketing centres is likely to cause hardships to passengers in Malabar apart from possibly affecting the smooth operations of both Air India and Air India Express from Karipur airport.

Air India sources said that the city booking office in Kozhikode cannot be considered as just a ticketing centre as the airline had its financial, human resources, complaint redressal and cargo handling wings functioning in the city office.

Titan Aviation marks 10th anniversary with induction of new aircraft

Titan Aviation, the Dubai-based specialist in international aviation services, is marking its 10th year of operations by adding new aircraft to its existing fleet of privately managed aircraft.
The company has inducted a Hawker 900XP, Learjet 60XR and Embraer Legacy 650 to the managed fleet, which now comprises seven business jets and one helicopter, based in the Middle East, India and Europe. The fleet already includes Embraer Legacy 600s, and Embraer Phenom 100s. Two of the managed business jets are available to the charter market.

Passenger held for assaulting immigration officials at airport

New Delhi: A passenger was arrested on Tuesday from Terminal III of the Indira Gandhi International airport for allegedly assaulting two immigration officials.
The accused, Joginder Singh, had been deported from England to Delhi for overstaying his visa.
He reportedly slapped the officials who were delaying his immigration clearance, police said.

Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo Locked in Fare War Again

Indian domestic carriers have sparked off another round of fare war. Jet Airways has announced all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 899 under 'Diwali Dealites' offer. The booking for this Jet Airways offer is open till October 26. And travel must commence between November 1, 2014, and December 15, 2014.

This offer is valid for travel in economy class flights within India operated by Jet Airways and JetKonnect.

SpiceJet too has come up with a promotional scheme under a "Diwali Dhamaka" offer. SpiceJet is offering all-inclusive fares starting from Rs 899. The sale is valid for travel on direct flights on SpiceJet's domestic network

Air India intercepted by 2 Italy jets?

New Delhi: After a European aviation blog claimed that an Air India aircraft heading for Rome on October 16 had been shadowed by two Italian Air Force fighter aircraft in Italian airspace after the AI aircraft appeared to have developed some communications trouble, an Air India spokesperson insisted late on Tuesday night that no such incident had occurred.
The blog had claimed that an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying between Delhi and Rome (flight AI-123) was intercepted by two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon interceptors from the Grosseto airbase on October 16.

Yet another AI Dreamliner in trouble, DGCA orders probe

New Delhi/Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the incident of an Air India flight, AI 123, from New Delhi to Rome losing radio contact over Italy on October 16. The regulator has directed the airline to submit a report on the incident.

An Air India Dreamliner, registered VT-ANQ, lost radio control with air traffic control in Italy on October 16. Consequently, the Grosseto airbase was asked to intercept, identify and escort the aircraft. Two Italian air force Eurofighter Typhoon F-2000A jets· ·reached the B787 at 24,000 feet to the southeast of Rome. The Typhoons identified the plane, shadowed it from a distance and at 30 km from destination they were cleared to return to their base.

Seaplane makes trial landing in Mumbai

People of Mumbai and tourists may soon avail intra-city seaplane flights between Juhu and Girgaum Chowpatty as the sea plane operated by MEHAIR in association with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) successfully conduction a trail landing on sea near South Mumbai on Wednesday.

Intra-state air travel to get cheaper

Lucknow: Tourists looking to fly to Agra from Lucknow, Allahabad and Varanasi will soon be able to avail of cheaper airfares, thanks to the UP government. In a policy decision effected on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation fuel to promote air travel to and from Agra to Lucknow, Varanasi and Allahabad. Against 22% VAT, airlines will now have to pay only 4% on aviation fuel.

Centre clears sixteen airlines but only two take off

Mumbai: Though the civil aviation ministry has given no-objection certificates (NOCs) to 16 companies to launch airlines in the past five years, only two - AirAsia India and Air Costa - have taken off so far.

Data secured from the ministry under the Right to Information Act show the ministry received 20 applications and it granted NOCs to 16 firms between 2009 and now.

The 16 include Vistara, Zexus Air Services, Air One, Premier Airways, Turbo Megha, Air Carnival and Zav Airways, which were granted an NOC in 2014.

Passengers stage dharna at airport after GoAir cancels two flights at the last minute due to technical snag

Mumbai: Over 90 passengers of a New Delhi-bound GO Air G8-337 flight protested at the domestic terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on Wednesday afternoon, after their flight got cancelled at the last minute due to a technical snag and left them stranded for over five hours. Disheartened and angry, passengers who were eager to reach their destinations on time for Diwali celebrations staged a dharna in protest. A harried passenger exclaimed, “They were not at all concerned about what we were going through. After giving us our boarding passes, they announced that the flight has been cancelled. Initially, they refused to accommodate us in some other flight. How can they leave us stranded like this for hours and expect us to leave with the refund?” Most of the 90 passengers had a connecting flight to Patna and Ranchi at 5.10 from New Delhi.

GoAir to start operations from Odisha capital to Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai from 26th of October

Bhubaneswar: This year on Diwali, AAI, Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar is proud to inform that GoAir will be starting its operations from the 26th of October, 2014, from Bhubaneswar to Delhi/Kolkata/Bangalore/Mumbai. Sharad Kumar, Airport Director, said “It is a proud and joyous moment for the state as a fourth airline operator is about to start its operations. This will give a varied plate of options to all the commuters, between lowest fares, suitable timings, etc.

India 2nd fastest growing air cargo market after Middle East: IATA

New Delhi: India has emerged as the second fastest growing air cargo market after the Middle East and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of about seven per cent over the next five years, an IATA forecast said today.

India would also be among the ten largest international freight markets by 2018 led by the United States supplying 10,054,000 tonnes and China with 5,639,000 tonnes, the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Industry Forecast 2014-2018 shows.

Aviation ministry not taking action against pvt airlines: Min

Agartala: The Tripura government today attacked the Union Ministry of aviation was not taking action against private airlines which were charging abnormally high rate for air tickets operating on Agartala-Kolkata route.

Railway services from Lumding in Assam to Agartala was stopped due to a mega block imposed by the railways department for conversion of the railway tracks from meter gauge to broad gauge from the October 1, state Transport Minister Manik Dey said.

‘Served from India’ scheme adds to Indian airlines’ woes

New Delhi:  Indian carriers' financial woes have worsened with airlines unable to use their Served From India Scheme (SFIS) duty credit scrip to pay excise duty on fuel. Airlines are learnt to be having SFIS duty credit scrips worth almost Rs 1,500-2,000 crore that are about to expire without being used, with Air India and Jet Airways among the biggest sufferers.

"The SFIS scheme was applicable to the aviation industry upto January 2011 when the scheme was discontinued. The federation of Indian airlines has been asking for continuity of this scheme. Then SFIS scrips issued by DGFT are valid for 18-24 months and were issued one to two years. The unutilized scrips with Indian carriers should be made tradebale and they should be accepted for the purpose they were issued for. Otherwise it is a gross national loss," said a senior airline official.

Chennai is on Asia’s ‘worst airports’ list, yet again

Chennai: Infrastructural issues have once again pushed Chennai airport to the list of worst airports in Asia in a survey conducted by a website.

This is the third year in a row that the city’s facility has appeared on the list of “Worst airports of Asia”, in the online survey conducted by the travel website The Guide to Sleeping in Airports.

The only solace is in the fact that from the fourth worst spot last year, the airport has advanced to the tenth worst this year.

FSTC to train Vistara’s pilots

New Delhi: Pilot training FSTC (Fight Simulation Technique Centre) Wednesday said that it has signed an agreement to train pilots of the upcoming Tata-Singapore Airlines’ venture Vistara.
According to the company, its facility is already being used by airlines such as Spicejet, Indigo, Jet Airways, and JetLite to train their pilots.

Airport storage charge hike will increase cost of imported goods

Mumbai: After a proposed shortage in demurrage-free period from 72 hours to 48 hours, the prices of imported items like food, electronics, machinery and pharma drugs, are expected to rise, according to custom clearance agents.

The agents allege that airport operator Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has been slacking in developing infrastructure at cargo terminals, as its 'slow pace' helps it in recovering higher revenues from demurrage charges.

After huge jet orders, budget airlines eye rich seam of aircraft leasing

Singapore/Paris: From Scandinavia to Southeast Asia, low-cost airlines have ordered record numbers of planes in recent years, redefining the jet industry. Now they plan to lease out scores of their new planes, re-ordering the aviation business all over again.

Between them, Indonesia`s Lion Air, Malaysia`s AirAsia and Norwegian Air Shuttle have ordered more than 1,400 Airbus and Boeing jets, worth about $140 billion at current list prices. They`re about to test the growing market for rented planes, competing with established finance firms that lease out aircraft to cash-strapped carriers from China to the United States.

Air India launches mobile app and takes off on Twitter

Mangalore: Air India started the festive season on a positive note with the launch of a mobile app to make bookings quick, simple and convenient while on the go. It also took off on the micro blogging site Twitter.
The app is initially available on the Android platform but will soon be extended to the iOS platform as well. The Air India mobile app allows the user to book tickets, manage the booking, check-in for a flight, look up fare details and also make special requests for meals and wheelchair.

Did another A-380 shake up Singapore Airlines Airbus big bird?

New Delhi: People flying an Airbus A-380 may feel very safe considering that they are in the world's largest commercial airliner. However, they would now do well to be wary of another aircraft the same size! The severe turbulence caused on a Mumbai-bound Singapore Airlines (SIA) Airbus A-380 that left 22 people injured on Saturday night may have been caused by another A-380. Preliminary investigation by the directorate general of civil aviation has indicated that another super jumbo may have been flying in the opposite direction to the SIA big bird SQ-424 which was descending to land in Mumbai.

Navigation System to Track Flights Implemented: AAI

New Delhi: ADS-B, a satellite-based navigation system to track and guide flights over vast oceanic area, has been implemented to meet the challenge of a burgeoning air traffic in the region around the Indian coastline, a top AAI official said today.

"We have been consistently upgrading the systems and procedures. We have accomplished implementation of ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata flight information regions with overlapping coverage," Airports Authority of India's Air Navigation System chief V Somasundaram said here.

Diamond barons' chartered flight service to launch today

Surat: Diamond Aeronautics, a private airlines company floated by three diamond barons, will launch their first air charter services from Surat airport on Tuesday.

The company, promoted by Lalji Patel, chairman of Dharmanandan Diamonds, Govind Dholakia, chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports and Savji Dholakia, chairman of Harikrishna Exports Private Limited - and Lavji Badsha alias Daliya, a real estate company owner, will launch the inaugural flight to Bhavnagar.

Air Costa to start Chennai-Jaipur service, cut winter flights

Mumbai: Regional carrier Air Costa today said it will launch a direct daily flight between Chennai and Jaipur from Sunday even as it has reduced capacity by 10 per cent during the winter schedule owing to several reasons.

The Vijayawada-based airline also said it will offer a special Diwali discount of Rs 500 in fares across its flights booked between October 21 and October 25 for travel up to March 28 next year.

Star Alliance to develop Delhi and Mumbai airports as its hubs

Frankfurt: Airports at Delhi and Mumbai would be developed as 'seamless hubs' by the 27-member airline grouping Star Alliance and work on it may start next year itself, a top alliance official has said.

"We are looking at developing Delhi and Mumbai as our seamless hubs for transfering passengers with ease from international to domestic flights, domestic to international and international to international," Star Alliance Vice President (Customer Experience and IT) Justin Erbacci told reporters here.

Pilots' strike hits Lufthansa services to India

New Delhi: Lufthansa operations to India have been affected by the pilots' strike.
According to an airline spokesman, today’s early morning departures from Delhi to Frankfurt and Munich had to be cancelled, as well as from Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai to Frankfurt.
Read news in full 21/10/14 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

Uttar Pradesh cuts taxes on aviation fuel

Agra: Uttar Pradesh has announced a reduction in taxes on aviation fuel in a bid to promote air travel in the state.

Officials said a policy decision has been taken according to which airlines will now pay only 4 percent VAT on aviation fuel as compared to the 22 percent they were required to pay.

They said this will promote air travel to Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi and Allahabad in the state and it should give a push to tourism in the new arc being promoted to benefit Buddhists visiting shrines in the state.

Air France to launch personalised 1st class service for Bangalore

Bangalore: Air France today said it would introduce La Premiere - an exclusive and personalised first class service during the coming winter schedule on its Bangalore route.

As an ongoing effort to raise the standards in luxury travel, from October 27 to March 2015, the first class service will be available on Bengaluru-Paris-Bengaluru route, Air France said in a release. A state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 would be operated on this route.

Departure time gets a new meaning in aviation

New Delhi: The past four years have seen a steady stream of talent from the aviation sector leaving for industries such as hospitality, financial services, travel and infrastructure companies like GMR and GVK even as promoters of airline companies have been scrambling to bring in chief executives from overseas. With opportunities in India shrinking, many aviation executives who couldn't see themselves as part of any other sector have even left the country to work for airlines overseas.

"There's no denying that the sector has seen more than its share of exits in the last few years and that's mainly to do with the state of airlines in India. The churn in the sector has led to a churn in jobs," says Kapil Kaul, CEO of Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, an aviation consultancy, who has been a witness to this trend in the past few years.

Andaman & Nicobar Administration plans to Charter flights to improve accessibility to the islands

Port Blair: In order to make Andaman Islands more accessible to tourists from mainland and that too at affordable rates, Andaman & Nicobar Administration is planning to charter flight to operate between mainland and Port Blair. Talking to media at the Raj Bhavan, Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar, Lt. Gen. (Rtd) A K Singh said that the Administration is in “advanced level of talks” with Air India to commence a Charter operations from Kolkata and Chennai. While 50% of the seats will be reserved for the islanders at a subsidized rate, remaining 50% will be offered to tourists, again at a subsidized cost.  “Air fare is a big dampener for tourism growth.  Despite our continued persuasion, the fares haven’t come down. That is why we are now thinking  of introducing charters,” LG said.

Adil Hussain denied boarding pass on a flight

Mumbai: Adil Hussain went through a harrowing time at the city airport on Monday morning as he was turned down by Air India despite having booked his ticket in advance. The actor was supposed to jet off to Delhi and had reported at the city airport 90 minutes prior to his 7am flight. His ordeal began when he asked for his boarding pass at the airline’s counter.

Forwarders and airlines up in arms as Mumbai Airport plans levy on e-AWBs

Forwarders and airlines are becoming increasingly concerned about a proposal by Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) to charge them a fee for e-AWBs.

Forwarders are claiming that MIAL is planning to make using its community portal, GMAX-GVK MIAL Air Exchange, mandatory, and charge a fee of about $6 per e-AWB.

“There is going to be a levy on the forwarder, who will pass it on to the customer, but forwarders are not sure that the levy is justified,” said Hemant Bhatia, director, Tulsidas Khimji, and vice-president of Indian forwarders’ association ACAAI.

TCS-developed data base for Star Alliance goes live

Frankfurt: A premium customer data base, which helps Star Alliance recognise customers who are Gold and Silver members more easily than in the past, went live on September 30 this year, said Justin Erbacci, Vice-President, Customer Experience and IT, Star Alliance.  The data base has been developed by TCS.

 The data base is likely to benefit Air India frequent flyers as the State-owned carrier joined the 27-member global airlines club in July this year.

Cathay Pacific announces two key appointments for South Asia

Mumbai: Hong Kong-based full service airline Cathay Pacific today said it has appointed Abhijit Abhyankar as its regional marketing communications manager for South Asia.

Besides, it also announced the appointment of Sandhya Suraj Kankanady as the airline's assistant regional corporate sales manager for South Asia.

Air India to get Rs 6000 cr capital infusion from Centre this fiscal

Visakhapatnam: State-owned Air India will get around Rs 3,000 crore more in the later part of this fiscal from the Government towards capital infusion and the ailing carrier is expected to make operational profits from the next financial year, a top official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.

V Somasundaram, Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation also said there is no proposal to build a Greenfield airport at cyclone-hit Visakhapatnam.

"Air India has a turnaround plan, under which a little over Rs 6,000 crore has to be infused this year. I think more than half of that has been given already. Another around Rs 3,000 crore will be infused by the end of the financial year," Somasundaram told PTI during his recent visit to Visakhapatnam.

Turbulence lands 8 Singapore airline passengers in hospital

Eight passengers and 14 crewmembers of Singapore Airlines (SA) flight SQ-424 were injured after the aircraft experienced sudden turbulence during landing at Mumbai international airport on Saturday evening.
The flight, with 408 passengers and 25 crewmembers on-board from Singapore, was scheduled to land at T2 at around 9.55 pm on Saturday. After the aircraft landed, the airport doctors and paramedics on duty rushed to attend to the injured. The passengers were shifted to Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri (East), while the airlines admitted 10 of their employees at Hiranandani Hospital in Powai. On Sunday, six of the eight passengers were discharged after their minor injuries were attended to. All the crewmembers were discharged as well.
Recounting the incident, Nanu Bhai Makwana, the husband of one of the injured passengers, Nirmalaben Makwana, told mid-day, “We couldn’t really understand what went wrong with the aircraft all of a sudden. She hit her shoulder on the ceiling and sustained injuries on her shoulder and stomach. My daughter and I were awake at the time. We had gone to Singapore to see my newly born granddaughter. We are from Gujarat and we were going to take a bus from Borivli at around midnight.

IndiGo bets big on Indian economy with historic 250 plane order, but faces risks

New Delhi/ Paris: Almost four years ago a handful of people gathered in Airbus sales chief John Leahy's spacious country house outside Toulouse and argued long into the evening over curry and cigars.
Last weekend they met up again at a Parisian hotel for more haggling, with breaks taken at a nearby cafe where the informality of old business friendships mingled with hard-nosed negotiations typical of the aircraft industry.
The sum total of money discussed over these meals? About $40 billion at catalogue prices, and the bill was for 430 jets, all sold to the same Indian airline -- IndiGo, the low-cost carrier which has grown to become the country's biggest airline in eight years of operating.

AirAsia India to start flights on Delhi-Mumbai route

New Delhi: The Indian unit of AirAsia will soon start flights from big cities, changing its strategy of connecting smaller cities to take on competition which followed the airline wherever it went since launch of operations earlier this year.

AirAsia India, which started with connecting cities like Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh and Jaipur from its hub in Bangalore, plans to start operations from key cities like Delhi and Mumbai. The airline had earlier announced that it wouldn't operate from these cities because of high airport charge.

IndiGo Displays Its Ambition With $40 Bn Bet On Indian Aviation Market

Almost four years ago a handful of people gathered in Airbus sales chief John Leahy's spacious country house outside Toulouse and argued long into the evening over curry and cigars.

Last weekend they met up again at a Parisian hotel for more haggling, with breaks taken at a nearby cafe where the informality of old business friendships mingled with hard-nosed negotiations typical of the aircraft industry.

The sum total of money discussed over these meals? About $40 billion at catalogue prices, and the bill was for 430 jets, all sold to the same Indian airline -- IndiGo, the low-cost carrier which has grown to become the country's biggest airline in eight years of operating.

AERA extends date for charging of tariff for Delhi airport

Mumbai:  The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) in an order dated October 14, 2014 has extended the date for charging of tariff for Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (as per its order dated April 20, 2012) till the earlier of January 31, 2015 or the determination of tariff for the second five-year control period (which started on April 1, 2014).

The revenue collected by Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) during such period would be adjusted for the aggregate revenue requirement for the second control period.

Thalassemic child not allowed to travel by SpiceJet, alleges father

Ahmedabad:  A 12-year old kid suffering from thalassemia major was not allowed to travel in SpiceJet flight from Ahmedabad to Chennai for Bone Marrow transplantation because of poor health conditions, alleged the father of kid here on Saturday.

However Spicejet officials claimed that the kid did not have 'Fit to Fly' certificate as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms.

Air India proposes shift from sale and leaseback

New Delhi: Air India is proposing to shift from sale and leaseback to outright purchase of 15 of the 27 Dreamliner aircraft it has ordered, in a bid to save about USD 225-300 million as part of the turnaround plan.
A proposal to this effect has been sent to the government for approval, as the national carrier feels that the shift to the outright purchase system would provide a much better internal rate of return, airline officials said here.
While leaseback turns out to be more expensive in the long run, an airline does not get the benefit of the residual value of an aircraft after its lease expires as it is enjoyed by the lessor, they said.
Sale and leaseback is a financial transaction where one sells an asset and leases it back on a long term and continues to use it without owning it.

Passengers stranded at Saudi airport as Air India flight gets delayed by over 40 hours

New Delhi: Over 200 passengers were left stranded at the Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia after an Air India flight was delayed by over 40 hours.
The Air India flight slated to take off on October 18 was grounded due to technical snag. A part had to be sent from Tiruvananthapuram to be replaced.

Chartered flight security manager nabbed for Rs 3.5 crore gold smuggling

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has unearthed a gold smuggling racket thriving with the connivance of staff of service providers at Mumbai airport. Officials seized 13kg gold worth Rs3.5 crore from two passengers in two instances on Sunday.

Raids at the residence of Vikas Ambokar, security manager of a Mumbai-based real estate major having its chartered flight services, led to the recovery of Rs1 crore cash besides 20 pieces of gold jewellery. Officials said Ambokar, who has smuggled 200 kg of gold into the country on 15 occasions, is the kingpin of the racket operating since December.

Ferrying 19 lakh people, IndiGo retains top slot

New Delhi:  Domestic airlines carried 58.22 lakh passengers during September this year, an increase of close to 28 per cent over the 45.55 lakh passengers flown during the same period last year.

Releasing the latest passenger traffic data, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that the increase in the number of passengers was due to the on-going festive season. IndiGo, the Delhi-based low-cost airline, remained the market leader with 19.07 lakh passengers during the month followed by SpiceJet (10.82 lakh).

AirAsia India profitable on 4 out of 5 routes: CEO

According to a report by Adith Charlie in The Hindu Business Line, Mittu Chandilya, CEO, AirAsia India, said that the airline is making profits on four out of the five routes it operates in the country. Bengaluru-Chennai is the carrier’s only loss-making route as it has to offer low fares amid high competition from other modes of transport.

Adding capacity too fast? IndiGo fills least number of seats despite being market leader

IndiGo managed to fill the least number of seats on its aircraft despite being the clear market leader in September. Last month saw almost all airlines increase aircraft occupancieis because of the beginning of the festival season. But IndiGo was pipped by SpiceJet, GoAir and even JetLite to have the lowest load factor last month among LCCs.
Only regional airline Air Costa and newbie AirAsia India had less seats occupied across their respective aircraft than IndiGo as far as LCCs go. Is IndiGo adding capacity too fast?
Every third domestic flyer took an IndiGo flight last month and the total number of passengers carried by this airline was almost twice that of SpiceJet. But SpiceJet had the maximum loads across its aircraft. As per data released by DGCA, IndiGo filled 77.9% seats across its aircraft while SpiceJet filled 85.9%, JetLite 82.7% and GoAir 82.3%. Air Costa stood at 76.4% while AirAsia India was at just 68.7%

Alliance Air flying hours halve as 14 pilots leave

New Delhi: Alliance Air, a subsidiary of national carrier Air India, has witnessed substantial attrition as 14 pilots and many other staffers have left the company in the last few months, affecting the utilisation of its eight aircraft.

As per the fleet utilisation chart prepared daily, average hours each aircraft flies, which should be which should be at least 10-12 hours a day as per aviation guidelines, has come down to around six hours. On October 12, the fleet utilisation of the two aircraft was just around three hours.

Alliance Air thus adds to the burden of already indebted Air India, as all the air-craft are on lease and the company has to pay a premium of $ 1.75 lakh for every aircraft.

IndiGo's aircraft deal is a great boost for the image of Indian business houses globally

Low-cost domestic carrier IndiGo has placed what is being billed as one of the top five aircraft purchase deals in aviation history. Its deal to buy 250 single-aisle planes from Airbus for $26 billion, with an option to buy 100 more, is significant for Indian aviation and for India's ability to impact global growth. The deal, on top of its firm orders for 100 current-generation A320s and 180 A320neos, also shows the high level of ambition that Indian companies are now displaying. Becoming global players, and achieving scale, will increase the impact that Indian companies have in the world market.

Slugging it out: AirAsia, Vistara get set to battle for Delhi flyers

Perhaps sensing stiff competition from Vistara, the full service carrier which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, AirAsia has decided to commence operations from Delhi as early as possible.

According to a report in the Business Standard, Vistara has already booked six slots in Delhi while AirAsia has been offered three. With these slots, Air Asia will become the first no-frills carrier from Delhi which will not fly from the airport that has been earmarked for the low-cost airline.

On Wednesday, the first Airbus A-320 aircraft of Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara airline, painted with its logo and livery, landed at the IGI Airport, taking the carrier a step closer to its launch. The A-320 would have to begin test flights and undergo other regulatory checks before aviation regulator DGCA grants Vistara and its aircraft an airworthiness certificate and the flying licence or the Scheduled Operator's Permit (SOP).

Emergency at Mumbai airport after AI flight develops wheel failure

Mumbai: Passengers on an Air India flight were shocked to learn that they were back in the city from where they had boarded the flight. The aircraft had to return to Mumbai airport after its pilot found out, 30 minutes before the scheduled landing at the destination, that the plane’s wheels were not functioning. The incident occurred on October 15 in Air India flight 657, which took off at the scheduled departure time of 10 am and was supposed to reach Coimbatore at 11.50 am. Around 11.20 am, the pilot tried testing the landing equipment, and to his shock, found that the wheels weren’t unfolding and coming out.

AirAsia's Mittu Chandilya in top flight

The Indian skies have turned into a boxing ring. The match is fierce: no punches are spared, and the support staff alleges foul play frequently. The pugilists are rippling with muscle. In its trademark red is AirAsia; and in elegant blue, IndiGo. The first is a global phenomenon; the second is the undisputed leader in India. At the break, the boxer in red removes his headgear and a chiselled face with bright eyes and sleek black hair is uncovered — a face made for selfies. This is Mittu Chandilya, 34, the CEO of AirAsia India, owner of the Bangalore franchise of Vijay Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League India, close friend of Bollywood hunk John Abraham and father of three boys.

Azam denies carrying bullets, calls it conspiracy

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Friday refuted reports that prohibited cartridges were recovered from his hand bag at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Thursday.

He termed it a conspiracy to malign his image. "I only had a mobile phone and my reading glasses in my hand. I was not carrying any hand bag so where is the scope of bullets being recovered from my cabin luggage," Azam told reporters here.

AAI partners with SITA to upgrade airport services in India

Mumbai: More than 50 million passengers at 25 airports across India can now use SITA’s common-use self-service technology to check in at the airport. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has collaborated with the air transport IT specialist to deploy this new technology as part of its ongoing airport modernisation programme.
The AAI has also selected SITA to provide the baggage reconciliation system for 38 airports across India. The seven-year, multi-million dollar contract was announced at SITA’s India Aviation ICT Forum in Jaipur, India. SITA’s BagManager will deliver real-time information on baggage status, helping to resolve baggage issues quickly and efficiently. The comprehensive baggage management technology has been proven to reduce the number of mishandled bags by 10 to 20 per cent.

All airports have equipment to detect Ebola: Govt tells HC

Mumbai: The Union government has informed the Bombay high court that all international airports in the country have been provided with thermal image scanners to detect the presence of 'Ebola' virus among passengers coming from African countries.

Lack of discipline and mass dumping leaves GVK-run Mumbai Airport's cargo terminal in shambles

Mumbai: Thursday, October 9, 3.30 PM. The narrow, dusty road to Mumbai airport's cargo terminal is lined with trucks as far as the eyes can see. Amol, a scraggly teenager, is asleep in a tempo he has been driving. Awakened, he says he has been in the queue since 4 in the morning. In almost 12 hours — that is, more than the time it takes to fly to any European destination — his cargo has barely moved one kilometre, and is still two trucks away from the entrance. Inside the gate, the queue scatters into several smaller lines, crawling to facilities that handle different kinds of cargo: general exports, perishable exports, imports, etc.

Gujaratis in UK want direct flights to Ahmedabad

London: Gujaratis, who constitute nearly half of the Indian Diaspora in the UK, on Friday called on the new Indian government to launch direct flight routes between Britain and Ahmedabad.

The National Congress for Overseas Gujaratis in the UK made the representation at the ongoing Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in London today.

IITians' drone may violate DGCA rules

New Delhi:  In a possible violation of a recent notice by the Director General Civil Aviation notification, IIT-Delhi students plan to fly a drone to videograph their annual festival Rendezvous.

Imposing a blanket ban on “unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)”, the aviation regulator had said it is in the process of formulating regulations for certification and operation of drones in Indian airspace.

“Till such regulations are issued, no non government agency, organization, or an individual will launch a UAS in Indian Civil Airspace for any purpose whatsoever," the DGCA said in the public notice issued on October 7.

Bihar looks for new airport

Patna: The demand for an new airport with a lengthier airstrip has gained momentum after passengers of a GoAir flight had a close shave following another bird hit at Patna’s Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport.

The state government has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to send a team of top officials, including those from the Airport Authority of India, to hold a meeting on an new airport here.

Bihar’s chief secretary has requested the civil aviation secretary to “send officials to hold discussions and visit prospective sites for development of an new airport for Patna.” The move follows Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s recent announcement that a new airport could come up near Rajgir, around 120 km from the State Capital.

SP spent Rs 100 crore on airport at Mulayam's village, 'wasted money'

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party governments have spent almost Rs 100 crore during its different tenures on the construction of a modern airport at Saifai, the native village of the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district, about 250 kilometres from here.

The revelation came in the reply to a query filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI) by a Lucknow based RTI activist Sanjay Sharma.

India Set To Become Third Largest Aviation Market In Next 20 Years

India is set to become the third largest aviation market in the next twenty years by adding 266 million passengers, thus taking over the United Kingdom.

"Currently the ninth largest market, India will see a total of 367 million passengers by 2034, an extra 266 million annual passengers compared to today. It is an exciting prospect to think that in the next 20 years, more than twice as many passengers as today will have the chance to fly," said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Air India, Jet may need fresh flying permits as DGCA tightens screws

New Delhi - When India was demoted to category II safety status by the Federal Aviation Administration of the US earlier this year, industry experts felt the American agency was being unfair. But the downgrade and its aftermath have helped Indian airlines and government agencies clean up their act, which can only be good for flyers.

Did you know that the certification process for airlines like Air India and Jet Airways - legacy carriers which have existed for decades and which have defined air travel in this country for long - has been flawed till now?

Had the FAA not downgraded India, the completely lax ways of the airline bosses and the aviation regulatory authorities would never have come under scrutiny. Re-certification basically means looking at almost all processes of an airline and providing it a flying permit afresh.

Vistara's First Aircraft Lands in Delhi, to Undergo Checks

New Delhi: Tata-SIA joint airline venture Vistara's first Airbus A-320 aircraft, painted with its logo and livery, landed at the IGI Airport here on Wednesday, taking the carrier a step closer to its launch.

The landing marked the 82nd anniversary of J R D Tata's first commercial flight from Karachi to Mumbai, as the aircraft was welcomed with a water cannon salute.

The aircraft was delivered on September 25 and had gone to Singapore for being painted with the aubergine and gold-coloured logo and livery of Vistara.

Air Costa to operate pan-India flights from next year

Vijayawada: The city-based regional carrier Air Costa on Wednesday said it plans to go national from the first quarter of the next fiscal with focus on small towns.

The company, which has completed one year of operations, plans to induct four aircraft each year till it starts getting the deliveries of its own planes, Air Costa Chairman Ramesh Lingamaneni told reporters here.

"We are looking at operating pan-India flights from the first quarter of the next fiscal (April-June 2015). We already have initiated necessary process in this regard," Lingamaneni said.

US-registered Bombardier aircraft grounded by DGCA after surprise check

New Delhi: A US-registered Bombardier aircraft and a private charter plane and its pilot were grounded by DGCA following a surprise safety check by the aviation regulator at Delhi airport, official sources said today.

Several "major" safety violations were found in the eight- seater Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft during a DGCA safety check drive after it landed here from Paris on Tuesday, they said. The plane is owned by the Nevada Global Aviation LLC and registered in Michigan state of the US.
It was found that the aircraft did not have the mandatory oxygen masks or operations manual on board while its emergency exit was blocked up with luggage, the sources said, adding that the records of instrument rating or competency checks of the pilots were also found missing.

Air One plans take-off next year

New Delhi: Alok Sharma-promoted Air One is looking at commencing operations of a national scheduled carrier by the middle of next year. Sources say, Sharma, who recently received a no-objection certificate to start a full-service airline from the government, has plans to import six or seven aircraft in the first year of operations.

At present, Air One is in the process of studying the feasibility of inducting A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft to start operations. The aircraft type will soon be determined by the proposed venture, after which, it will apply to the ministry of civil aviation for an import licence. Sharma is confident about the growth of the domestic aviation market. "Everyone is enthusiastic about the Indian growth story. So are we. It is an expanding market," he said.

AirAsia, Vistara book slots to fly from Delhi

New Delhi: The battle for domestic skies is set to shift to the national capital, with low-cost carriers AirAsia India and Vistara booking slots in the T-3 international airport here.
Sources in the know confirmed Vistara, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA), had booked six slots at the airport here, adding it was ready to fly once it secured the government’s nod.
What came as a surprise was AirAsia India, which had been eyeing six-seven slots here, was offered three slots at the T3 airport. Sources said the carrier, which had earlier planned to start operations from Delhi next year, had now decided to commence these services within a year and a half.

IndiGo’s 250 A-320neos a record in plane terms

New Delhi: India’s aviation market leader IndiGo Wednesday placed orders for 250 Airbus A-320neo planes, estimated to be worth around $25.5 billion (Rs 1.55 lakh crores), making it Airbus’ largest-ever single order.
A memorandum of understanding on this was signed at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France, by IndiGo’s co-founders Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia, who is also managing director of the airline’s parent firm InterGlobe Enterprises. This was Airbus’ single-largest order in terms of the number of aircraft, IndiGo said.

One of top five aircraft purchase deals in aviation history: Rao

New Delhi: It took five days of grueling negotiations in Paris last week for IndiGo and Airbus to sign the biggest ever single order deal for narrow body aircraft. The "very little sleep" days started Wednesday when IndiGo founders Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal and airline president Aditya Ghosh started the make-or-break talks with Airbus's top three — president and CEO Fabrice Bregier, COO John Leahy and Airbus India president Kiran Rao.

India Inc welcomes IndiGo’s new aircraft order

New Delhi: India Inc. Wednesday endorsed budget passenger carrier IndiGo’s order for 250 aircraft with Airbus as a testament to the Indian aviation sector’s potential.
According to industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the firm order for 250 Airbus A-320neo aircraft — the single largest order by a single airline — reaffirms the confidence in Indian aviation growth story.
“India is one of the least penetrated markets in terms of aircraft. The sector is just taking off and the order reaffirms the confidence in Indian aviation growth story,” FICCI secretary general A. Didar Singh told IANS.
“The sector is expected to grow at a fast trajectory as the economy improves.”
According to the Commerce Ministry’s India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India’s aviation market is expected to become the third largest by 2020 and largest by 2030.
By market size, the Indian civil aviation industry is amongst the top-10 in the world with a size of around $16 billion.

On offer 'lowest' airfares by Indigo, Air India, Spicejet, Go Air, Jet Air, others

New Delhi: Fact. Aviation sector is not buzzing with airfare discounts as much as e-commerce sites, which are offering huge price cuts in ecommerce space, this festive season. But the anomaly ends there as the fact is that air travellers can travel at the cheapest rates this peak season thanks to the overall low ticket prices which are on offer by both full service carriers such as Air India, Jet Airways and budget carriers such as SpiceJet, Indigo and Go Air.
The October to December period is considered peak season for air travel with a jump in occupancy levels for airlines. Due to this, the trend has been for airlines to increase fares during his period between 10-30% every year. However, fares are ruling about 20% lower this year as compared to same period last year, according to travel portal Cleartrip.

Ebola-infected flyers can still sneak in despite checks

New Delhi: The rapid spread of Ebola has raised questions over whether passengers flying into Indian airports from African countries are being put through an efficient detection process and suspected cases quickly quarantined.
Every day, 12 planes land in Delhi from African countries.
Ever since the epidemic's outbreak, routine announcements are made in all aircraft taking off for India. Passengers must fill forms that ask them if they've recently travelled to Africa and are suffering from fever, cough or cold.

Vistara signs agreement with SITA

Jaipur: India’s newest airline Vistara has signed an agreement with IT provider for the air transport industry SITA for aircraft communications, airline operations and network connectivity.

Maneesh Jaikrishna, Vice President-India and Sub Continent, SITA, made the announcement on Thursday at the India Aviation ICT forum.

“SITA is enabling them to be prepared to start operations. We are going to provide them network connectively, airline communications and airline operations services, automatic flight plan, etc,” he told reporters.

Jet Airways deploys wide body planes on local routes

Mumbai: Jet Airways has said it is deploying wide-bodied aircraft on domestic routes. This follows a shortage of pilots for its Boeing 737 fleet, which has resulted in flight delays through the past few days. “It is also working on a stepped-up training and transfer schedule of pilots from JetLite to Jet Airways, in line with DGCA (Directorate of Civil Aviation) guidelines,” the airline said.

UP minister Azam Khan questioned at Delhi airport for carrying live bullets

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Urban development minister Azam Khan was on Thursday stopped by security officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) after he was found carrying four live rounds of bullets in his hand baggage before boarding a flight to Lucknow.

Officials said Khan was intercepted by CISF security personnel at the airport terminal after they detected four live rounds of .32 bore bullets in his baggage during scanning.

Eight JetLite pilots quit, join Jet Airways

New Delhi: Eight JetLite pilots have quit to join Jet Airways. Confirming this development a spokesperson of Jet Airways said that these pilots have joined Jet Airways after obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC) from JetLite.

“This is entirely in line with Civil Aviation requirement regulations,” a spokesman for Jet said, adding that the airline offered JetLite pilots a number of options which give them flexibility, expanded career opportunities and growth prospects.

Centre urged to start direct Muscat-Goa flight

Panaji: Goa NRI commissioner Wilfred Mesquita has written to Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati urging his intervention to start a direct flight from Muscat (Oman) to Goa for the benefit of over 10,000 non-resident Goans in Muscat.
Mesquita said that he had earlier taken up the issue with NACIL in July 2012, but, got no response. His office did not pursue the matter in the belief that Oman Air was starting a direct flight from Muscat to Goa.

Airbus to Sell 250 A320neo Jets Worth $26 Billion to IndiGo

Airbus Group NV signed an agreement with India’s IndiGo for 250 A320neo single-aisle airliners, in what will be the planemaker’s largest order by number of aircraft as travel demand in the country grows.
IndiGo, the biggest domestic carrier in India by market share, has a right to buy another 100 jets as part of the deal, President Aditya Ghosh said in a phone interview today. While Airbus didn’t provide a value of the latest accord, the A320neo has a list price of about $102.8 million, giving the entire transaction a value of $25.7 billion, not including discounts.

IndiGo Signs Deal for 250 Airbus A-320neo Aircraft

Mumbai: Budget passenger carrier IndiGo Wednesday signed a deal for 250 Airbus A-320neo aircraft - making it Airbus’ single largest order by number of aircraft.

The Memorandum of Understanding for Airbus’ leading single-aisle aircraft family was signed by its co-founders Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia, group managing director of InterGlobe.

IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said that the new additional aircraft would enable the airline to continue bringing its low fares and hassle-free service to more customers and markets, besides creating more jobs and growth.

“This new order reaffirms IndiGo’s commitment to the long-term development of affordable air transportation in India and overseas,” Ghosh noted.

Delhi meeting to decide on Kerala's aviation sector

Thiruvananthapuram: The next few days could prove decisive for Kerala's dream project, Air-Kerala, the southern state's very own airline.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told IANS that he along with his cabinet colleague K. Babu, who looks after airports and the proposed airline, will discuss the floating of the airline with the aviation ministry in New Delhi on Thursday.

"We are meeting the Union Civil Aviation Minister with our dream project Air-Kerala, that has been pending following the strict rules of giving license to new airlines. We have been given to understand that the Centre is mulling to relax rules and if that happens, it's only a matter of time when our own airline will be airborne," said Chandy.

As others cut back, IndiGo, GoAir to operate more flights this winter

New Delhi: Budget airlines IndiGo and GoAir will go against the grain and fly more this winter. Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet will cut flights.

Departures per week this winter will, however, climb 3.5 per cent to 12,305 from 11,886 in 2013. Apart from IndiGo and GoAir, new airlines Air Costa, AirAsia and the yet to be launched Vistara will be adding to winter flights. Competition from the new airlines is expected to keep fares in check during the season despite a moderate rise in departures. IndiGo, the country's largest budget airline, will increase flights by 25 per cent to 3,733 a week, up from 2,987 last winter.

3 aircraft fleet to be mandatory for commercial air charter

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA is proposing to bar air charter operators from commercial flying if they do not have a three-aircraft fleet within a year of operations, provoking consternation among business jet firms.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has come up with a proposed rule which would permit a non-scheduled operator (NSOP) to launch operations with one plane or a helicopter, but raise its fleet size to at least three within a year of securing the air operator's permit.

JetLite pilots seek 6-month notice period waiver

Disgruntled with the Jet Airways’ management, pilots of subsidiary JetLite have sought a meeting with regulator Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday to seek a one-off waiver of the mandatory six-month notice period before leaving the company. Over 70 of the 189 JetLite pilots want to quit and move to rival airlines like IndiGo and Vistara at the earliest, as earlier reported by FE. “We have already sent a letter to Prabhat Kumar (director-general, DGCA) asking for the waiver of the notice period. Alternatively, Jet should be mandated to deposit our six month salaries with a government agency, so in case JetLite is closed down, our wages are assured. Jet already owes wage arrears of about R15 lakh for senior commanders and R7-8 lakh for the first officers,” a JetLite pilot told FE.

DGCA bans smaller aircraft at Delhi airport to prevent delays during fog season

New Delhi: Passengers flying to smaller cities such as Bhuj, Dehradun or Shimla from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport are unlikely to get any air connectivity this winter, as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will ban operations by low-capacity turboprop CAT–IIIB non-compliant Bombardier Q400s, ATRs and CRJs out of Delhi airport during the fog season.

Aircraft fitted with devices matching CAT- IIIB Instrument Landing Systems can operate in low visibility conditions during fog, minimising diversions and delays.

Three Jet Airways pilots found holding expired line check certificates

New Delhi: Jet Airways' troubles with documentation of pilot records and licences doesn't seem to be ending. The airline has now found that some pilots have been flying without valid annual line check certificates.
An internal check by Jet Airways has discovered that three pilots' certificates had expired, prompting airline officials to raise the alarm. "This is not just a safety issue and the fear is that there may be many more such pilots flying with the airline," said a Jet Airways executive with knowledge of the matter.

Pilot shortage hits Jet Airways operations

New Delhi: Over 150 Jet Airways flights have been delayed since Sunday, some by over two hours, largely due to an acute shortage of pilots, with flights originating from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport hit the hardest, reports Roudra Bhattacharya in New Delhi.
The development comes against the backdrop of regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation suspending two Jet pilots last month after issuing notices to 131 pilots for not meeting mandatory licensing requirements. Jet has over 1,000 pilots, while subsidiary JetLite has 189 pilots.

Rohit Nandan To Continue As Air India Chief

Air India Chairman Rohit Nandan was on Monday granted extension till August next year, ending a phase of uncertainty in the national carrier which is going through a difficult process of financial restructuring.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension of Nandan as the airline's Chairman and Managing Director "till August 21, 2015 or till the appointment of a regular incumbent, whichever is earlier," an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

SpiceJet still needs funds as turnaround takes hold: COO Sanjiv Kapoor

Singapore: Budget carrier SpiceJet's top official warned the loss-making airline still needs new funding to anchor its turnaround efforts, even as its operating performance improves with higher revenue per seat amid reduced capacity.

"Our challenge is our legacy losses and this cannot be solved by operational cash flows alone, but by funding or recapitalisation," Sanjiv Kapoor, chief operating officer at India's No. 3 airline by market share as of August, said in an interview. SpiceJet previously said it was in "advanced" talks with an external entity to get funding.

Pantnagar-Delhi flight launched

Rudrapur: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today launched a flight from Pantnagar to Delhi.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held at Pantnagar airport, Rawat said start of the flight operations between New Delhi and Pantnagar will earn the state recognition at the national and international level besides giving a boost to tourism.

DGCA clears schedule, 60 extra flights daily this winter

New Delhi: India's largest domestic airline by market share, IndiGo, is now also the fastest growing one. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) Monday cleared the schedule of domestic flights this winter which will be effective by this month-end.

We've right to be represented by lawyers: Kingfisher Airlines

New Delhi:  Ailing Kingfisher Airlines, facing proceedings initiated by lending bank PNB to declare it and its guarantors Vijay Mallya and UBHL as wilful defaulters, today told the Delhi High Court that it has the right to be represented by lawyers before the bank's panel.

"Unless, a law specifically bars, a person or a company has every right to be represented by lawyers before a quasi- judicial panel or other committees," the counsel for the firm told a bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw said. The court asked senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for the airlines, to advance arguments also on the rights of lawyers to appear before different panels under the Advocates Act.

Flight Service from Vizag Airport to Resume In A Week

Visakhapatnam: Flight services from Visakhapatnam airport will take at least a week to resume as the airport is closed for repairs after the damage caused by Hudhud.

Though the estimation of damages caused by the cyclone is yet to be taken up by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Navy, official sources said the losses could be at least Rs 100-150 crore. However, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the airport suffered a loss of Rs 500.

The airport was shutdown on Saturday as a precautionary measure ahead of the arrival of cyclone Hudhud.

Government sounds terror alarm at airports

New Delhi: Acting on intelligence inputs relating to plans being hatched by terrorist outfits to hijack aircraft and launch attacks at Indian airports, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has directed all commercial airlines, including Air India, to beef up security with additional manpower for carrying out their day-to-day operations.

A top government official told MAIL TODAY that the security agencies were working on plans to depute sky marshals on board commercial flights to the Gulf, Europe and South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) countries.

Second airport for Goa: Massive land scam, say protestors

Panaji: The movement against a second airport for Goa, proposed to come up at Mopa in north Goa, has announced its plans to go back to the villages to convince people through awareness drive that the tiny State does not need a second airport.

Addressing a press conference in the city on Tuesday, Fr. Ermito Rebello, who is spearheading the Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) movement, reiterated the charge that the proposed Mopa airport for which the State Government is acquiring over 84 lakh sq. m of land is a massive land scam.

He said Goa must continue with an expanded, existing Dabolim International airport.

British Airways adds Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Chennai-London route

Chennai:  Commemorating its 90th year of service in India, British Airways would induct another Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its service on the Chennai-London route, a top official said today.

Currently, British Airways operates Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Hyderabad-London route.

Now fly to Kumaon; Flights to Pantnagar resume after 3 yrs

Haldwani: Tourists visiting Kumaon in the state will finally have something to rejoice as much awaited flights from Pantnagar Airport to Delhi and vice-versa will resume after three years. Chief minister Harish Rawat may also attend the opening ceremony on Tuesday. The airport was scheduled to open on October 1, but was later shifted to October 14.

The first flight with 48 seats from IGI Airport, Delhi will land at around 3.20pm at Pantnagar. Air India Alliance has planned flights on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A one-way ticket from Delhi to Pantnagar is priced at Rs 5,656.

Odisha Tourism Pitches for Flight Extension to Phuket

Bhubaneswar:  Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju on Monday assured the Tourism Department of looking into the extension of the New Delhi-Bhubaneswar-Port Blair Air India (AI) flight to Phuket.

The assurance came after Minister of State for Tourism  Ashok Panda and Secretary Arvind Padhee met the Union Civil Aviation Minister here and submitted a list of demands regarding aviation needs of the tourism sector.

Aviation conclave in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:  Top global defence and aerospace industry, including Airbus, Eurocopter, EADS, Dassault, Honeywell, Lokheed Martin, UTC, Israeli Aerospace Manufacturing Federation etc. will take part in a 3-day event being hosted by the Government of Telangana in Hyderabad during November 12-14.

The aviation conclave aims to showcase Telangana as the new investment hub in the Defence and Aerospace Engineering domain and highlight its investment friendly policies. It will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao.

IndiGo's Rahul Bhatia Has Redefined A Budget Airline

Rahul Bhatia
Founder and MD, IndiGo
Age: 54
Rank in the Rich List: 5
Net Worth: $1.9 billion
The Big Challenge Faced in the Last Year: Rising cost of aviation fuel and weaker rupee were big challenges for the aviation sector, but IndiGo has stayed on course
The Way Forward: Rahul is unperturbed about competition from AirAsia and Vistara. He is keen on making a name in the hotels business

In early October, InterGlobe Enterprises, a $2.6 billion (revenues) travel and hospitality group, best known for its efficient budget airline IndiGo, will have completed 25 years. No huge celebrations are in store to mark the milestone. Group managing director Rahul Bhatia will address an all-staff meeting broadcast from InterGlobe’s headquarters in Gurgaon, near Delhi, and then it will be business as usual. “Why spend all that money?” shrugs Rahul.

DGCA clears schedule, 60 extra flights daily this winter

NEW DELHI: India's largest domestic airline by market share, IndiGo, is now also the fastest growing one. The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) Monday cleared the schedule of domestic flights this winter which will be effective by this month-end.

Only low-cost carriers IndiGo and GoAir will be operating more flights this winter than they did last year. All other Indian carriers have cut flights. But thanks to these IndiGo and Go and new launches Tata Group's AirAsia India, this winter will see almost 60 more flights everyday — something that is expected to help check help the steep hike in fares in the coming peak travel season. 

Airlines’ security procedures under lens after AI stun grenade incident

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has begun a comprehensive security audit for all airlines, after the recent Air India episode which saw various arms tying themselves up in knots. A senior official in the ministry said all airlines will be evaluated on their security procedures by senior ministry officials over the next few weeks. The ministry will examine whether airlines have adequate manpower to conduct mandatory security checks before each flight and whether airlines are following guidelines laid down by BCAS - Bureau of Civil Aviation Security - in this regard.

The official also said that in the case of Air India, inspection revealed close to 1,000 vacancies in the department which oversees aircraft security. "We have asked the airline to fill these up soon", he said without elaborating.

Airlines' insurance costs shoot up globally after a spate of accidents

New Delhi: The cost of insurance for airlines is on the rise with international reinsurers charging a hefty premium for underwriting both war and hull insurances due to a spate of air accidents across the world in the recent months.

In July alone, there were three major crashes. Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing some 300 people. A TransAsia Airways flight crashed in Taiwan and an Air Algerie flight crashed in Mali on two consecutive days. Earlier, in March alaysian Airlines' MH370 went missing with some 240 people on board.

Hudhud grounds 3 flights

Bhubaneswar: ith cyclone Hudhud making a landfall at Visakhapatnam on Sunday forenoon, three flights at Biju Patnaik International Airport here were cancelled. Airport authorities said since the wind speed was more than the permissible limit for flying they cancelled the flights.
Two Chennai and Kolkata bound Indigo flights were cancelled as they go en route Visakhapatnam. Air India cancelled it flight to Delhi. It flies through Port Blaire. Two Indigo flights were also cancelled a day before.

Vizag airport badly hit by Hudhud, won't be operational soon

Hyderabad: Air connectivity to Visakhapatnam, which was hit by cyclone Hudhud on Sunday afternoon, remains badly hit.

With the radar and navigational aids destroyed, it may take a few more days for the Vizag airport to become operational.

The runway is under water and the roof of the airport has been ripped apart by the 195kmph cyclone.

Indian Hajis fly home after a delay of 49 hours

Jeddah: After a long wait of 49 hours, 235 Indian pilgrims bound for Kolkata on Air India Flight AI 5008 finally boarded the craft at  around 8.00 p.m. on Sunday.

Passengers, who were scheduled to have departed at 7.40 p.m. on Friday, told Saudi Gazette that they were shifted from their hotel to the Haj Terminal in Jeddah on Sunday afternoon.

However, another 470 pilgrims also bound for Kolkata are stuck here as their flights — AI 5018 and AI 5020 — are delayed.

Villagers resort to ‘blood’ to oppose new airport

Vasco: Villagers of Cansaulim, Arossim and Cuelim passed a resolution at a gram sabha on Sunday rejecting the proposed airport at Mopa and initialed the resolution with their thumbprint in blood.

Pilots Allege AI Insuring Grounded Aircraft, Airline Denies

Mumbai: Pilots of cash-strapped AI today alleged that the company was insuring grounded aircraft at an annual cost of USD 6 million, a charge denied by the national carrier.

The state-run airline's recognised pilots union, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), has sought an independent probe into these allegations and fix the accountability on individuals those responsible.

"Six Boeing 737-200 Fs, which have been out of service for more than three years, were still being insured at USD 1 million each per annum or USD 6 million, for more than the past three years. We demand an immediate, time-bound investigation by an external agency to look into this huge financial irregularity," ICPA General Secretary Shailender Singh said in a letter to Air India Chairman Rohit Nandan.

In festive season bargain, Air India buys insurance for cheap

New Delhi: If e-commerce sites vied for eyeballs this festive season, insurers lined up with an array of offers for national carrier Air India, with the carrier walking away with an extremely lucrative $28 million cover for its 122 aircraft fleet valued at nearly $10 billion.

"We had a tough time in getting a good deal for insuring the fleet. As the market has been aggressively priced after the tragic Malaysia Airline incidents and bombings at airports, the premium charged by insurers in the international market was very high," a senior Air India official told IANS.

The Indian capacity to bargain saw the airline come out smiling in the main London-based insurance market.

SC raps government over state of affairs in Air India

New Delhi: With Air India grappling with financial crisis, the Supreme Court has rapped the government for giving “profitable routes” to private carriers and asked it to plan a turnaround in the national carrier saying it “faces extinction” if things continued like this.

“Why many lucrative routes have been given to private carriers,” a bench comprising justices Vikramjit Sen and Kurian Joseph observed while expressing concern over Air India taking a beating against private airways, post merger of Air India and Indian Airlines.

UP's state plane, two choppers to go up for sale

Lucknow: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has decided to sell off the state plane that skidded and nosedived with his uncle and cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav on board in New Delhi's IGI airport two years ago.

Kingfisher Airlines faces scrutiny for accounting lapses, possible violations of Companies Act

New Delhi: Grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines is facing a close regulatory scrutiny over suspected lapses in its accounting practices and the Corporate Affairs Ministry is looking into possible violations of Companies Act. The airline, part of Vijay Mallya-led UB Group, has been grounded since October 2012, after being bogged down by huge and mounting losses.

Global airlines' chiefs to meet in Delhi in December

Frankfurt:  Star Alliance has exuded confidence that its latest entrant Air India was putting into place the high service standards set by the largest global airlines grouping.

The 27-member airline club has also decided to hold the meeting of its Chief Executive Board (CEB) in Delhi in December this year, Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab said here.

Greed led to exposé of gold smuggling racket

Bangalore: A fake abduction drama enacted by a greedy employee of a private hotel here has led to the busting of an international gold smuggling racket.
A native of Bangarpet, Arun Kumar (29), who acted as a ‘gold carrier’ for a Chennai-based gold smuggler Mohammed Masood and his associates, had staged an abduction and robbery drama soon after he landed at the Kempegowda International Airport last Monday.
Arun Kumar along with his associates, Harish and Santish ,worked for Masood, who lured people by offering free foreign trips and pocket money in return of smuggling gold biscuits for him.

Supreme Court wakes Air India up with May Day alarm

New Delhi: Reminding Air India that its image has hit rock-bottom, the Supreme Court warned the cash-strapped national carrier on Friday that unless it pulled up its socks and turned things around, it could completely lose out to private airlines and even become non-existent.

In its harshest comments yet on the status of Air India, the court sternly told the government-run airline riven by labour disputes that it will "continue to bleed" if its management and employees unions do not sit together and thrash out differences "once and for all". Strikes by employees had become a routine affair in Air India, leaving the airline in a precarious condition, it said.

AI staffer kills himself after losing job

New Delhi: A former Air India employee committed suicide at his home in Najafgarh last week apparently due to a financial crunch. He was among 800 people whose services had been terminated over a month ago.

Police said Rajesh Kumar (46) was found hanging from a ceiling fan. While cops did not recover any suicide note, family members alleged that Rajesh was depressed over losing his job. They said he worked as a driver of a loader vehicle at the airport. His son had taken admission Delhi University recently and he had to borrow money for his education.

Air India to increase fuel hedging

Mumbai: Air India will step up fuel hedging to guard against future volatility in the crude price.

Globally crude price fell below $ 90 a barrel and is expected to be bearish for next few months but airlines in Asia are looking to increase the hedge volume against future risks.

"We plan to hedge about one lakh barrel a month of our next year requirement,'' said an Air India spokesperson.

AI, spicejet fly in to bail out BCCI in Dharmashala

The fourth India v West Indies ODI will be staged in Dharamshala as scheduled. However, arranging flights for the teams has turned out to be an astroturfing exercise for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Its officials ran form pillar to post and pulled the right strings to make it happen. A bit of emotional blackmailing too was undertaken to make sure the series schedule remained unchanged.

Ahmedabad gets direct flight to Abu Dhabi from Nov 14

Ahmedabad: Business and tourist travellers from Ahmedabad have a reason to cheer as Gujarat government today announced that from November 14, an international flight connecting Ahmedabad and Abu Dhabi will be launched. While those flights that were discontinued on select international routes including Ahmedabad-London will also be resumed, informed a state government statement.

Airport scan on storm, virus

Ranchi: The coming few days will be hectic for Birsa Munda Airport, which is gearing up preparations to face a cyclone from Bay of Bengal as well as screen a virus from the Middle East.

Airport authorities today started readying up contingency plans in the wake of the alert on cyclone Hudhud, likely to skim through Jharkhand but hit Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Sunday afternoon while they have already prodded the state on testing Haj pilgrims returning from Jeddah for Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Missing flight MH370 maybe controlled by somebody, doubts Emirates CEO

Berlin: Emirates Airline CEO Tim Clark expressed doubts about Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 investigation and said in an interview that he believes that someone took control of the plane and maintained it till the end.

According to Spiegel, Clark said that the missing flight MH370 remains a great aviation mystery and that everyone would keep it at that and move on.

Did Aamir Khan break queue at Chennai Airport?

Chennai: Actor Aamir Khan was spotted at the Chennai airport recently. But Mr. Perfectionist’s behaviour at the terminal was surprisingly brusque.

An eyewitness claims that in the early hours of Tuesday, the actor and his entourage simply brushed passed waiting queues to skip the line. The eyewitness added that it was surprising to see the actor, who is known for his show Satyamev Jayate, behave in such a manner.

KFA Employees May Join Vistara, Indigo

Former employees of the defunct carrier Kingfisher Airlines are applying for jobs at soon-to-be launched Vistara airline, a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Goup and Singapore Airlines.

"The counsel for Kingfisher Airline has told us that since the airline has not been operating, no revenue has been generated and hence they cannot pay us. It is good news for us that Vistara is coming up because most of us have joined the new airline," said a former employee of the beleaguered carrier.

IndiGo to take 12 Airbus A320s on lease from Tigerair

Mumbai: No frills airline IndiGo, which reported it sixth annual profiit in fiscal 2014, will take on lease 12 Airbus A320 planes from Tigerair to support its expansion plan.

Currently, IndiGo has 81 Airbus A320 planes and the airline operates some 500 flights daily. Between December 2012 and now it has added 15 aircraft.

In 2005, IndiGo placed an order for 100 Airbus A320s followed by another order for 180 planes (150 A320neos and 30 A320s) in 2011. This is the first time that IndiGo is taking planes on sub lease from another airline

New regional route policy likely before Dec end

New Delhi: The government plans to roll out new guidelines for regional and remote air connectivity by end of the year, a senior civil aviation ministry official told FE on Wednesday. While new airlines like Tata-SIA's Vistara and AirAsia India will likely be permitted to start overseas operations in return for meeting local obligations, the broad policy outline is expected to see little changes from the draft guidelines that has already come under sharp criticism from domestic carriers like Jet Airways, GoAir and Spicejet.

Encourage PPP, devp 20 airports in Tier II, III cities, says Yes Bank, ASSOCHAM report

New Delhi: YES Bank, India?s fourth largest private sector bank, in association with ASSOCHAM, India’s apex industry body, on Wednesday released the 'Civil Aviation - Developing Remote & Regional Connectivity' report. here are some key recommendations:
*Encourage the growing private sector participation essentially through Public Private Partnership (PPP) models.
*Lay more emphasis on 'Aerotropolis' model to enhance revenues, especially from non-aeronautic avenues like retail, advertising and vehicle parking.

Etihad Airways unveils partnership with six airlines

Etihad Airways today unveiled Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand which brings airlines together to offer customers greater choice through improved networks and schedules alongside enhanced frequent flyer benefits.

The airline said that in the initial phase, six airlines will participate in the new partnership, which includes airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, India's Jet Airways, and Darwin Airline.

It added that any airline can become an Etihad Airways partner even if it is part of an existing alliance, such as airberlin, which is a member of oneworld.

The real cost of low-cost fares

All of us have been tempted by the low fares that airlines keep offering. A ticket for a mere ?100 does sound tempting and a ?1 ticket sounds even better. Many of us have also used such low fares for impromptu holidays or weekend getaways.

However, how low are these low-fare tickets? Not very, and for some unlucky ones, they can also mean spending a lot more for the same journey.

First of all a ?100 ticket does not mean that the actual amount you pay is ?100 as over and above this you will also have to pay a number of taxes on which there are no discounts offered. In most cases, these work out to be quite a significant part of the final fare. The discount is only offered on the base fare and the fuel surcharge. A ticket, however, also includes statutory taxes such as passenger service fees, user development fees, airport development fees and service taxes which are not offered on a discount.

Air India stops free airlifting of Kashmir-bound relief material

Srinagar:  In a move that could strike a deadly blow to humanitarian works in the flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir, India's national carrier Air India Wednesday stopped free airlifting of relief material for the survivors of the State's worst ever deluge.

"It has been decided by the competent authority (Air India) to withdraw the free transportation of relief material to Kaahmir with effect from 8 October 2014," the airline said in an electronic communication, a copy of which is with Greater Kashmir.

Cop's dummy check fools security at Air Cargo Complex

Serious lapses in security at the Air Cargo Complex (ACC) were exposed when, in a dummy check conducted by Sahar police, a police official was able to sneak in a service pistol three times, through three different methods and gates.
The checks have revealed that neither is the metal detector working properly, nor are the security agencies taking their job seriously. The complex, a part of Mumbai Customs, is responsible for handling of import and export of cargo from Mumbai via air.
On September 30, Sachin Rokade, a constable attached with the Sahar police station, arrived at the ACC main gate (called wicked gate) at around 10 am. Rokade was in civil clothes and was carrying his service pistol on his person.

Ishana wellness spa to open in airports across India

The Spa Group which owns and runs the Ishana wellness spa at Terminal 3 of the Departures area of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, will soon be expanding and establishing outlets at other airports across India and possibly abroad.
The Spa Group's MD Amar K Agrawal. Agarwal told TravelBiz Monitor “We consider Ishana as a perfect model to promote India ‘s tourism. We want to design our stores as the experience centers of India’s varied tourism offerings.”

Indian Customs Dept whips up efforts to tackle gold smuggling

Mumbai: Gold seizure at Chennai International Airport during the initial nine months of the current year has touched record highs. The Airport Intelligence Unit (AIU) under the Customs Department has seized gold worth 71 crores so far this year. This is when compared with the gold seizures worth 51 crores during the entire year 2013. In a bid to fight the increasing incidents of gold smuggling, India Customs has decided to double its manpower at the airport.

Game Over for Mobile Phone Thief at Airport

Chennai: Not-so-instant karma. That’s what the Airport Police would have felt after they spent close to two months tracking and collaring a thief, only to find that he had been arrested for the same offence 13 years ago. Except, when Jayachandran (38) was busted for stealing 40 mobile phones in 2001, they were an expensive rarity, now they’re expensive, but commonplace.

It all began three months ago when the cops spotted a pattern in the complaints from international passengers who landed in Chennai - every two weeks, someone was grabbing handbags off the trolley, just as they were speaking to relatives or car drivers outside the arrival gate. “It became clear that someone was waiting there and watching people to see who appeared rich enough to keep mobiles, laptops or jewels in their carry cases or handbags,” explains Airport S2 Station Inspector Mahimaiveeran.

IndiGo's net profit declines 60% in FY14

Mumbai/New Delhi: In an indication of competition in the sector impacting severely the margins of domestic airlines, the country’s largest no-frills air carrier, IndiGo, has reported a 60 per cent drop in net profit at Rs 317 crore for the financial year ended March 2014.

This was despite a 17.5 per cent rise in revenue to Rs 11,117 crore. IndiGo had a five-fold increase in net profit to Rs 787 crore in 2012-13, on revenue of Rs 9,458 crore.

Experts say the margin was impacted primarily due to currency depreciation, rise in the price of aviation turbine fuel and pressure on account of fare wars in the home market.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation starts process of re-certifying airlines

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated the process of recertifying all airlines in the country in an attempt to ensure full compliance from all stakeholders during the audit by Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in December this year.

"The process for recertification of Air India and Jet Airways is on, and all other airlines will have to go through it. The DGCA has started with these two airlines because these two are the only carriers which fly to the US.The DGCA does not want to take chances with FAA audit this time and the recertification process will ensure that that the airlines have all the documents in place according to current standards," said a senior government official in the know, adding that this process will not hamper the operations of these airlines.

Civil aviation policy under stakeholders' consideration: Official

New Delhi: The government is working to formulate a comprehensive civil aviation policy which includes all aspects of the industry, senior official said Wednesday.

According to Anil Srivastava, joint secretary in the civil aviation ministry, the government has worked upon the first draft of the policy which is under the consideration of stake-holders.

"We have a draft policy which is ready and is under stake-holders' consideration. We have worked upon all aspects like ground handling, regional connectivity, airports and other issues in the policy," Srivastava told IANS on the sidelines of an industry summit organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) here.

Air Odisha ready to take off

Bhubaneswar:  The intra-state air connectivity is soon going to get a boost. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has approved the flight schedule of Air Odisha, which will fly its nine-seater plane within the state.

The regional private carrier will be able to start operations after the in-flight inspection to be done by the officials of Director General of Civil Aviation. The state government has agreed to provide a hangar for small aircraft.