Kingfisher Airlines caused Rs 290 crore loss to AAI, says CAG

Airports Authority of India's failure to take timely action against now defunct Kingfisher Airlines for non-payment of dues and allowing it to operate on credit basis led to losses worth Rs 290 crore, CAG has said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has also said that the Civil Aviation Ministry diluted its stand by allowing Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) to continue operations despite the carrier being a "wilful defaulter".

AirAsia India and Air Costa ties up with SITA

World’s leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology SITA would provide its aircraft communications and flight tracking technology to domestic carriers AirAsia India and Air Costa.
Under the tie-up, announced here today, the deployment of the two technologies would help these airlines track flights in real time throughout their entire route network and streamline operations.
“Aviation industry in India has indeed witnessed a transformation over the last decade and SITA is focused on improving air navigation efficiency and safety by delivering real-time flight tracking to enable airlines to meet the industry requirements,” SITA vice president for India and sub-continent Maneesh Jaikrishna said in a release.

India: Private carriers in financial stress, asked to take corrective steps: Minister

New Delhi: Private domestic carriers are in varying degree of financial stress and have been told to take corrective measures to strengthen their balance sheet without compromising the safety of operations, Indian Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma informed Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Minister was responding to a question on the financial health of the airlines and the measures taken to mitigate the problems.

Kannur gears up to take flight

Kannur: Kannur’s wait to figure on the international aviation map will soon be over. If everything goes as planned, the first flight would land on the brand new runway at Moorkhanparambu in December.

About thousand workers, including technical experts, are working on a war-footing to meet the deadline at the site located in Keezhallur panchayat in Mattannur municipality. The period between August and December is going to be crucial in completing the construction of the airport.

8/Eight senior Air India Dreamliner pilots resign, more may follow

In a huge setback for National carrier Air India (AI), eight senior Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilots, on whom the airline had spent about Rs 40 lakh each on training, have resigned.

Six of them, sources said, are headed to budget carrier SpiceJet, whose flight operations chief, SPS Suri, was previously AI’s head of operations.

Jet Airways Takes on SpiceJet, Offers Discounted Tickets

et Airways has launched a promotional scheme on flights within India, offering tickets as low as Rs 1,257 (all-inclusive). The offer is valid on economy class travel and bookings are open till July 30, 2015. This Jet Airways offer is applicable on travel between August 4, 2015 and October 15, 2015.

Air India Express flights to Sharjah from Varanasi

LUCKNOW: Air India Express (AIE) announced on Wednesday its plan to add Varanasi to its route network from August with direct flight service to Sharjah to cater to flyers in and around the temple city.

AIE, which is the international budget arm of the national carrier Air India, would also roll out special discounted fares on the new route, the airline's chief executive officer K Shyam Sunder said in a release.

India may open skies to countries more than 5,000 km away

New Delhi: The government is considering a proposal to open up the skies in a limited way, by allowing unlimited civilian flights from countries that are more than 5,000 km or seven hours of flying time away. It will also insist on reciprocity from countries with which it agrees to have an open sky policy.

The proposal, if cleared, will prove to be a bonanza for European carriers such as Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It will also open up the market for airlines from Australia, Africa and South America.

Don't cheer SpiceJet's remarkable turnaround just yet; there are red flags in this growth story

Is SpiceJet actually witnessing a remarkable turnaround through historically high load factors and shrinking of operations to bring in more effeciencies? Or are there red flags still in its growth story?
First of all, a note of caution for investors. There is significant uncertainty in SpiceJet's ability to continue on a "going concern" basis due to several factors, the airline said in its own post-results statement. These factors include delays in payments to vendors and repayment of statutory dues by the airline over the last 12-18 months, continued pricing pressures due to competition and a weak rupee. SpiceJet has accumulated losses of Rs 313,895.4 lakh or Rs 3138.95 crore as of June 30 against shareholders funds (including advances towards subscription securities) of just Rs 119,611.4 lakh or Rs 1196.11 crore. "As on date, the company's total liabilities exceed its total assets by Rs 114,284 lakh," the statement said.

SpiceJet turnaround shows clear skies for carriers

New Delhi: Budget airline SpiceJet Ltd, which was on the verge of collapse in December last year, has not just survived but made a sharp turnaround reporting a profit for the second consecutive quarter under its new owner Ajay Singh.
On Tuesday, the no-frills carrier announced its June quarter results posting a profit of Rs 71.8 crore compared with a net loss of Rs124.1 crore in the same quarter last year.

SpiceJet In Talks With Boeing, Airbus To Buy 100 Aircraft

Budget airline SpiceJet Ltd is in talks with Boeing Co and Airbus Group to acquire about 100 new narrow-body aircraft, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday, in a deal worth about $11 billion at list prices.   SpiceJet wants to buy more Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max aircraft, Kiran Koteshwar told Reuters. He said the company plans to place an order by the end of this financial year and would look to raise fresh equity or debt to pay for the planes once it had decided how many to buy.   "We have to place an order so we have a long-term business plan in place. The focus is now on sizeable growth," he said.  

A global alliance, but is it made in heaven?

A year after being a part of the international Star Alliance, which operate more than 18,500 daily departures and serves 193 countries around the globe, there are many who are not satisfied with what Air India has to offer — at least going by the tweets of passengers.

Take the case of Aravind Ganesh V who tweeted: “when compared to the kind of on board service other members of Star Alliance are offering Air India is a disgrace to the alliance” or MarC R F Delhem who tweeted: “customer service is either unknown or a blacklisted word with Air India. This is so not Star Alliance like.”

Now, another security check before entering a plane

Lucknow:  Passengers might now undergo an additional security check just before a entering or leaving an aircraft to ensure foolproof safety of a flight.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation and Security (BCAS) has asked national and private airlines to introduce the extra layer of security in the wake of Monday's terrorist attack in Punjab.

Legacy carriers still fighting for India's 5/20 rule

ndia's legacy airlines are fighting to protect the government's long-standing 5/20 rule - where an airline must have been flying for five years and have at least 20 planes in its fleet before it can fly international routes - to ensure new carriers can't take advantage of any loosening of the rules.

Indian flyers add to the Dubai airport growth story

Mumbai: India continued to play a major role in growth of Dubai International airport as it handled a total of 5.9 million passengers in June according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports today.

Jet Airways changes timing for Hong Kong-New Delhi flight

Jet Airways said it has rescheduled its daily flight from Hong Kong to New Delhi from October 25, 2015.

Jet Airways flight 9W 77 will depart Hong Kong at 1205 hrs. (Local Time), and arrive in Delhi at 1600 hrs. On the return, Jet Airways flight 9W 78 will depart Delhi at 0230 hrs, and arrive in Hong Kong at 0955 hrs. (Local Time).

Tiruchi airport clocks 25 per cent growth in international passenger traffic

Tiruchi: With a robust growth recorded in passenger and freight movement, the Tiruchi international airport has emerged as one of the fast growing non-metro airports in the country.

Catering essentially to select South, South East Asian, and West Asian destinations this profit-making airport has seen a steady rise in overseas flight services of certain low-cost foreign carriers spurring growth.

Qatar Airways Says It Is in Talks to Buy Stake in IndiGo

Qatar Airways Ltd. is in talks to purchase a stake in IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier, according to an e-mailed statement from the Gulf carrier today.
The “only airline” it is talking to is IndiGo, the Doha-based company confirmed, without elaborating, denying local media reports it was negotiating with rival SpiceJet Ltd. InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., the owner of IndiGo last month filed a draft red herring prospectus to sell shares in an initial public offering.
“It could possibly be they take a minority stake,” Kapil Kaul, the South Asia chief executive officer for the CAPA Centre for Aviation, said in an interview on Bloomberg TV India. But beyond that, he said he didn’t see what “value addition” Qatar would bring to IndiGo.

Now SpiceJet, Jet Airways and IndiGo offer flights starting at Rs 999!

Mumbai: No-frills airline SpiceJet, Jet Airways and IndiGo Airlines are offering airfares starting at Rs 999. This is exclusively for the economy class.

With limited seats available on a first come, first serve basis, the travel period for this booking will start from 4th August 2015 to 15th October 2015.

AirAsia Now Offers Flat Discount On All Flights

AirAsia India is now offering a flat discount of 20 per cent on base fares for all flights, the budget carrier said on Monday.

The booking period to avail the AirAsia offer is between July 27 and August 2, and the travel period is between July 28 and November 30.

The offer is valid on all domestic routes and over 100 destinations across Asia, AirAsia said.

SpiceJet reports $11.2 million net profit in Q1

New Delhi: budget airline SpiceJet Ltd reported on Tuesday a net profit of 718 million rupees ($11.2 million) for the three months ending June, after cutting costs and flying more passengers.

SpiceJet made a net loss of 1.24 billion rupees in the same quarter a year earlier.

flydubai denies SpiceJet deal talk

Mumbai: Low cost airline flydubai has denied it is in talks with SpiceJet for a stake purchase in Indian carrier. The Dubai-based airline issued a statement following a media report, which said SpiceJet and flydubai are in discussions for a possible deal.

"Following recent press reports, flydubai confirms that it is not in talks with SpiceJet," an airline spokesperson said in an email response.

DGCA Gears Up for ICAO Audit Towards the End of the Year

New Delhi: With the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) set to conduct an audit of Indian aviation capabilities, the country's civil aviation regulator has launched the process of filling vacancies in its ranks and re-certifying airlines and training institutions.

Director general of civil aviation (DGCA) M. Sathiyavathy on Tuesday said ICAO is likely to conduct its audit in November or December.

KPMG caught in old vs new airlines’ crossfire

NEW DELHI: The fight between 'old' Indian carriers and start-ups — Tata Group JVs Vistara and AirAsia India Pvt Ltd (AAIPL) — over relaxing rules for desi airlines to fly abroad has intensified.

The aviation ministry has engaged consulting major KPMG to provide inputs for new aviation policy. 'Old' airlines have told the ministry that KPMG has been 'involved' with Vistara and allege a conflict of interest in the consulting firm being asked to give inputs for the new policy, which is expected to lay a relaxed roadmap for Indian carriers to fly abroad.

Vistara has engaged KPMG for some projects in recent months. Industry sources, however, say KPMG has worked with almost all Indian airlines, airport operators and the aviation ministry.
The old airlines are not in favour of relaxing the so-called 5/20 rule — under which an Indian carrier must be at least five year old and have 20 planes in its fleet to fly abroad. The new airlines, on the other hand, want that rule to go as soon as possible so that they can start overseas flights.

Private domestic carriers in financial stress, asked to take corrective steps: Civil Aviation Minister

Private domestic carriers are in varying degree of financial stress and have been told to take corrective measures to strengthen their balance sheet without compromising the safety of operations, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma informed Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Minister was responding to a question on the financial health of the airlines and the measures taken to mitigate the problems.

An assessment of impact of financial stress on safety of operations of private scheduled airlines has been carried out by the aviation regulator DGCA last year, he said.
"It has been found that all private airlines are in varying degree of financial stress," he said.

The domestic aviation sector is a capital intensive one with high operating costs and dollar dominated, and hence affected by fluctuation of exchange rate, he said, adding the airline in particular are affected by the cost of aviation turbine fuel in India.

Air India Cuts Losses to Rs 5,547 Crore

New Delhi: India's national carrier Air India has reduced its net loss by more than a quarter to INR 5,547.47 crore in the previous fiscal as compared to a net loss of INR 7,559.74 crore in FY12, government said on Monday.

Air India has achieved the target set out in the Turn Around Plan (TAP), and has made substantial progress in both operational as well as financial areas, Indian Minister of State for Civil Aviation Minister Mahesh Sharma told Lok Sabha on Monday.

Civil Aviation: Govt proposes rescue board

The government proposes to set up a search and rescue board in the civil aviation sector in the country. On Monday, the civil aviation ministry told Parliam-ent, “The objective of the National Aeronautical Sea-rch and Rescue Services is to search for a missing aircraft, its crew and passengers and to provide aid and organise the rescue of survivors of aircraft accidents.

Number of trainers in domestic airlines less: Minister

Strength of trainers in the domestic airlines is less than the number of trainers recommended by the aviation regulator, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma informed the Lok Sabha today.

During the last three years and the current year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has conducted 21 regulatory audits on scheduled airlines during which it was found that the strength of trainers was found to be less than the recommended strength in the DGCA operations circular as well as operators' training manual, Sharma said in a response to a question.

Flight time shortens as AAI opens up defence airspace for civilian flights

A Kolkata-bound flight taking off from Hyderabad first flies eastward to reach the coast and then takes a northerly route with more deviations to reach its destination. The route has been designed to avoid military installations at Begumpet near Hyderabad and at Barrackpore near Kolkata. But with the restricted military airspace being opened up for civilian flights last month, pilots can now take a direct northerly path.

Soon, check in time at Ahmedabad airport to be reduced

Soon, passengers travelling from city airport will get their boarding passes from any counter irrespective of the airline they are flying, saving them from standing in long queues. Recently, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for civil aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has under taken slew of works for upgradation and modernization of passenger facilities at various airports including Ahmedabad airport.

Among various work taken up, one of them is check in counters with common user terminal equipment (CUTE). The CUTE system will ensure smooth passage of passengers at the check-in points. This will cut short the lengthy process that passengers have to pass through at the check-in points.

Air India Express to hire trainee pilots from IGRUA

New Delhi :Budget carrier Air India Express today said it plans to recruit 40 trainee pilots and majority of them would be from Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA).

Rae Bareli-based IGRUA, which comes under Civil Aviation Ministry, has not seen placement activity since 2012 when some students were hired by Air India.

10 Air India planes always remain grounded

Around 10 narrow body aircraft of Air India (AI) always remain grounded due to maintenance and aircraft-on-ground (AOG)—problems that are serious enough to prevent an aircraft from flying.
The carrier has a fleet of 62 narrow body aircraft—the backbone of domestic air travel. The officials said that three narrow body aircraft are more than 20 years old, and have reached their maximum age, technically called the design service goals.

How the man behind Modi’s popular slogan resurrected SpiceJet

At the end of last year, SpiceJet – once India’s second largest airline by market share – was on the verge of shutting shop.

All its aircraft were grounded by December 17. Lessors and debtors were knocking on the company’s doors for repayment; and oil companies refused to refuel any of its aircraft.

The situation was so dire that some predicted the airline was going belly-up, like Kingfisher Airlines, once India’s second largest airline, that shut down business in 2013 after it was unable to repay its debt.

But SpiceJet has survived – and how.

Air India flight diverted due to storm

NEW DELHI: An Air India flight coming from Bengaluru was diverted to Lucknow after a thunderstorm hit Delhi on Saturday evening.

"After hovering over Delhi for a while, the pilot announced that the aircraft was running low on fuel and had to be flown to Lucknow," said a passenger flight 503. The diversion led to many passengers missing connecting flights.

Airport sources said this was the only flight to be diverted and all other flights managed to land at IGI during the storm between 7pm and 8pm, which is the peak arrival time for domestic flights.

Ready for 3 yrs, Jaisalmer airport yet see a take-off

JAISALMER: Businessmen related to tourism and hotel owners of Jaisalmer are losing their patience as the civil airport, which is ready for the last 3 years with all modern facilities, has not operated a single flight till date. As a result tourism in the city is getting affected. Although the civil aviation department is in touch with many companies providing air service, for starting flights to Jaisalmer but no company has shown any interest in starting flights from Jaisalmer.

Navi Mumbai airport work to commence in six months

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that work for the Navi Mumbai International Airport will commence within six months. According to him, all formalities have been completed and the tender bid will be opened soon.

No eateries, meat shops in vicinity of airport

No eateries and meat shops will be allowed within one kilometre radius of the Gannavaram airport. This instruction was issued by Krishna Collector Babu A. at the environmental committee meeting convened by Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the airport on Friday.

The decision came in the wake of a bird hit that occurred at the airport when an Air Costa flight was taking off on Wednesday evening, causing panic among passengers. Apart from Mr. Babu, Airport Director M. Rajkishore, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation G. Veerapandian, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and representatives from airline operators were present at the meeting.

Air India recruits 800 additional cabin crew for better on-board services

Air India has said that the airliner has recruited 800 people to join its cabin crew staff.

These 800 additional cabin crew members will likely be inducted into the company by October 2015, to help the airline tide over massive shortage and improve its on-time performance.

"We have completed the recruitment process of hiring 800 cabin crew. Of these, a batch of 311 cabin crew have already joined the duty while another batch of 270 cabin crew, which is currently undergoing the mandatory training, will be joining soon," sources close to the development told PTI, adding that the process would be completed before the Winter Schedule.

Foreign Airlines Under Scanner for Alleged Service Tax Evasion: Report

New Delhi: Six foreign airlines have come under the lens of revenue authorities here for alleged underpayment of service tax believed to be worth several crores.

An inquiry has been initiated by Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) officials against these airlines for allegedly not paying service tax of 12.36 per cent (now 14 per cent) on fee charged by them from customers on excess baggage, additional fare difference, date change, reissue of ticket, no show and refunds, official sources said.

Price caps on airline fares: Is the aviation ministry divided on pricing regulation?

If the airlines want more people to travel, they need to have a realistic pricing system,which means price caps on domestic airfares. That appears to be the government's logic for fixing the maximum and minimum limits on airfares in the economy class.
While civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju is said to be in favour of leaving commercial decisions to airlines, his junior, Mahesh Sharma, has been advocating a proactive government role.
According to Sharma, the price capping could be done through three ways:
1.Consultation with airlines to arrive at a fair range within which the maximum and minimum airfares will fall

Government initiates move to cut airport charges

NEW DELHI: In a move that will reduce airfares and airlines' cost of operations, the civil aviation ministry has asked the airport regulator to follow a normative approach to decide airport charges and do away with the current costplus method, an official said.
"It was decided that the cost-plus model approach is a wrong method to decide on airport charges, as all sectors prefer normative approach over cost plus and the airport regulator has been asked to work it out within the limitations of the existing agreements of private airports like Delhi and Mumbai," said the official who was present in a meeting between officials of the ministry, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and airlines last week.

New Chennai Airport Arrival Hall to Miss GIM Date

CHENNAI:When investors and captains of industry from abroad arrive for the Global Investors Meet (GIM) at the end of September, they’ll have to make do with the humble old Anna International Terminal. Owing to an acute staff crunch, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken the decision to spruce up and refurbish the old arrival terminal as the newly constructed one could not be operationalised before the event.

“Despite their best efforts both Customs and Immigration do not have the requisite strength to begin operating from the new arrival hall,” said a senior AAI official. “This has prompted us to work on bringing the old terminal up to par so that the GIM is not affected,” he added.

Air India Facing Tremendous Financial Stress: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju

NEW DELHI:  National carrier Air India is under "tremendous" financial stress and needs to ensure that its team works in a more "cohesive" manner, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Thursday.

"Financially, if you look at Air India, it is under tremendous stress. Historically, it has got a legacy and we need to outgrow it," he said.

Air India, which is in the red, has a debt burden of around Rs. 40,000 crore and is surviving on a bailout package approved in 2012.

Anand Mahindra says no to commercial aviation!

Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group has no plans to enter the commercial aviation business, its chairman said on Thursday, after a local media report said the company was planning to launch an airline.
"Mahindra Aerospace has no plans to enter commercial aviation. It is restricted to the manufacture of utility aircraft and aerostructures," Anand Mahindra said on Twitter.

Proposal for 2nd airport in NCR cleared, says Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi, Jul 23: In a flip flop, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the government has taken a decision to set up a second airport in the national capital region. The remarks are in stark contrast to his written reply to Rajya Sabha on July 21 that the Civil Aviation Ministry has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in NCR. Sharma, who is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said the government has taken a decision for having a second airport in the region during a meeting last month. (Read:  Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma says norms can be found to regulate airfares)

In a first, Air India set to raise $330 m via external commercial borrowings

Air India will, for the first time, raise $330 million (Rs 2,000 crore) through the external commercial borrowings (ECB) route. The money will spent on aircraft maintenance, said civil aviation ministry officials.
“Once this money is raised, Air India will utilise it on improving fleet maintenance,” said officials. At any point of time, Air India has only 52-54 of its narrow body aircraft in working condition, in an overall fleet strength of 62 aircraft. Air India has hived off its aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services division into a separate subsidiary, which now provides services to other airlines too. The money raised will be utilised by this subsidiary.

Air Vistara to start Delhi flights in Sept

BHUBANESWAR: Air Vistara, a new domestic carrier, will start operations from the Biju Patnaik International Airport from September. It will fly from here to New Delhi, airport sources said. Vistara has already carried out a pre-feasibility study.

A delegation also met the airport director on July 9 in connection with the schedules. "We will have another scheduled flight to Delhi. After Vistara's operation, there will be eight daily flights to the national capital. The airline is yet to submit its schedule," said director Sharad Kumar.

HAL invites private airlines to exploit Nashik air service potential

NASHIK: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is planning on inviting private airline operators for a conference likely to be held in the first week of August. The objective behind the initiative is to attract airline companies to commence air services from Ozar terminal.

HAL had organised a similar conference in November last year in which around 12 private airline operators operators — including Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways, Sovika Group, Go Airlines (India) Ltd, Indigo Airlines, Spicejet, Shirke and Air Asia — were invited. The air service, however, could not be launched back then as the new airport terminal building had not been transferred to HAL by the state government. Meanwhile, Shrinivas Airlines, a small aviation company, has started a six-seater aircraft — Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai from July 13. The flight is operational from Monday to Saturday.

SpiceJet Now Offers Air Tickets On EMI

SpiceJet is now offering EMI or equated monthly instalment payment option to customers. The EMIs can be paid over a period for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.

SpiceJet on Thursday launched the 'Book Now, Pay later' scheme for customers in partnership with select banks. The offer can be availed by credit card holders from Axis Bank, HSBC Bank, Kotak Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank. More banks will be added shortly, SpiceJet said.

Flyer missing, flight returns

NEW DELHI: A Colombo-bound Air India flight had to return to IGI Airport on Tuesday afternoon when the staff realized that the plane had left with the baggage of a passenger who had not boarded the flight.

AAI prepares plan on night-landing facility at Juhu airport

In a development which could give a boost to use of helicopters, for example as medical ambulance, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is finally giving final touches to the draft plan to start night-landing facility at Juhu airport.
The plan will have to be okayed by the AAI headquarters before being implemented. The facility has been a long pending demand of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and private charter companies.

Jet Airways bags Henry Spira Humane Corporate Progress Award

Jet Airways, has bagged an international award in recognition of the private carrier's policy to enforce a ban on shipments of shark fins as cargo to curb illegal trade.

Jet Airways is the only Indian company to receive '2014 Henry Spira Humane Corporate Progress Award' award from the Humane Society International, a release said.

"Jet Airways has always been at the forefront in implementing best practices in the aviation industry. As a responsible corporate citizen, Jet Airways recognises the universal concern with the conservation of sharks and we have stepped forward by lending our support to this cause.

Air India plans to raise over Rs 1,900 crore through External commercial Borrowing

NEW DELHI: With the government infusion reducing to Rs 2,500 crore annually from this year, national carrier Air India is looking to raise $300 million (over Rs 1,900 crore @ Rs 64 to a dollar) through External commercial Borrowing.

"The money will be part of its working capital requirements," said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified.

The official added that the government will provide guarantees for the issue by tomorrow.
The government, which has committed a bailout package of Rs 30,000 crore till 2020-21, will pay only Rs 2,500 crore as promised under the package.

Air Pegasus to connect Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorn and Puducherry

BENGALURU: Low-cost carrier Air Pegasus today said it is planning to soon connect Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorin and Puducherry from Bengaluru.

Since its inception, it has connected Bengaluru to the four cities of Hubli, Trivandrum, Madurai, Kadapa and flying over 30,000 passengers with an ontime performance rate of 94 per cent (99 per cent in June), the company said in a release.
"To serve the increasing number of sectors, we intend to lease in three more aircrafts (ATR aircrafts with 66 seats) in the next six months, taking our fleet size to five," Air Pegasus Managing Director Shyson Thomas said.

Kerala seeks easing of norms for starting intl airline

Keen on having a state- sponsored airline, Congress-led Kerala government has again asked the Centre to waive certain norms that will pave the way to start 'Air Kerala', an international budget carrier catering mainly to Gulf countries.

As the Centre has denied the state's earlier requests, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy once again wrote on June 8 to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Small fleet and regulations hamper AirAsia India

Having belatedly taken the decision to fly into Delhi beginning May this year, AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes is a happy man – to a certain extent.
Delhi has been a fantastic experience,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s profitable.”
The Indian capital was not in AirAsia’s flight plans when it first launched its Indian associate airline in 2013. Neither was Mumbai.

Sharma does a U-turn, Jewar airport grounded

NEW DELHI: It's official now. The much-awaited second airport for Delhi at Greater Noida's Jewar is not going to be a reality anytime soon.

Doing a U-turn, Union minister of state for aviation Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday told Rajya Sabha that the government has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in the national capital. On June 26, Sharma had said that the aviation ministry had cleared the Greater Noida airport and that the proposal would be sent to the Union Cabinet for clearance.

PMO to Take Call on Chennai Airport's PPP Plan

CHENNAI: For an airport that’s perennially in the news for the wrong reasons, the previous financial year’s balance sheet will offer some cheers: Chennai Airport posted a healthy revenue of Rs 1022.80 crore, a substantial 50% jump over the Rs 690 crore posted in 2012-13. While this coincides with the period following the opening of the newly constructed terminals, all the attention is now on whether the airport will go under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) hammer on August 1.

Hyderabad airport implements e-boarding

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here has become the first in India to successfully implement as a pilot project an end-to-end e-boarding process.

The civil aviation ministry selected the RGIA to pilot this project for a three-month duration from April.

The RGIA in collaboration with Jet Airways implemented this process. So far, more than 7,000 passengers have used this service, said a statement by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

The unique passenger workflow designed for the e-boarding pilot not only provides an enhanced passenger experience but also ensures a high level of security.

CHAOS AT AIRPORT; FLIGHT DELAYED AS PILOT ARRIVES LATE

The heavy showers in Mumbai led to chaotic scenes at the airport with four morning flights forced to abort landing at the last minute, two being diverted to Ahmedabad and Baroda, and a Kolkata flight being delayed as the pilot failed to turn up in time. Routine maintenance closure also contributed to air traffic congestion.

Passengers of Air India flight AI 675 to Kolkata spent two and a half hours in the aircraft after the pilot reportedly did not make it on time. Passenger Sameer Mathecha, 43, said, "Originally scheduled to take off at 9.30 am, the flight departed only at noon to reach Kolkata at 2.50 pm."

IndiGo flies high on Indian air in June too, but SpiceJet’s PLF surges to 93%

IndiGo retained its leadership in the domestic sector in June with a 38.4% market share despite its performance dropping month-on-month, even as most airlines’ recorded lower passenger load factor (PLF) due to the end of the tourist season.
In this period, SpiceJet registered the highest PLF — at 93.2% — ahead of several other airlines including market leaders IndiGo that recorded PLF of 86.6%, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data. The high load factor can be attributed to various discounts and offers rolled out by SpiceJet in previous months.

Airfares set to take off for funding regional connect

Mumbai: You will soon have to pay more every time you fly as the government wants to fund non lucrative regional routes. The civil aviation ministry has proposed a 1per cent cess on airfares and hopes to generate at least Rs 240 crore per year to encourage regional connectivity.

"The focus is to improve regional connectivity in the country and a collection from the cess on tickets will be used in funding the losses of operators on loss-making smaller routes," civil aviation secretary R N Choubey said.

Now, IB objects to Metro III station near ATC tower

Mumbai: Months after dna reported about airport security division of Airports Authority of India (AAI) objecting to coming up of Metro III railway station near the new ATC tower in Vile Parle, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has now raised a similar objection to it.

The Metro station's entry and exit points are dangerously close to the tower, which manages the air navigation system around Mumbai airspace.

Airlines need 558,000 new pilots over 20 years: Boeing

Commercial airlines will need to recruit and train 558,000 new pilots over the next 20 years to meet rising travel demand, according to a Boeing forecast released today.
About 40 per cent of the new commercial pilots, or 226,000, will be needed in the Asia Pacific region, according to the report.

Before filing IPO, IndiGo pays dividend to promoters

Mumbai: Eleven days before filing the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on June 30, 2015 to raise $400 million through an initial public offer (IPO), the board of directors of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. that owns low-cost airline IndiGo approved the payment of final interim dividend of Rs.99.7 crore to promoters for 2014-15.

The board also approved a dividend payment of Rs.1,002.90 crore to the promoters for 2015-16 as well.

SpiceJet takes delivery of another Airbus plane on wet lease basis

New Delhi: No-frills carrier SpiceJet, which is looking to expand its fleet, has taken delivery of another Airbus plane on wet lease basis.
The first Airbus aircraft, wet-leased from Czech company CSA, was inducted into the fleet by SpiceJet in June.
Expanding fleet. Image courtesy SpiceJet Expanding fleet. Image courtesy SpiceJet
The second Airbus A319 on wet lease has arrived, SpiceJet's chief operating officer (COO) Sanjiv Kapoor today tweeted.

SpiceJet's Ajay Singh Pledges Over Half of His Stake

New Delhi: At least more than one-fifth of SpiceJet shares have been pledged, with its promoter Ajay Singh pledging nearly 34 per cent of his stake in the low-cost carrier.

Mr Singh, the original co-founder, took back the reins last December amid SpiceJet facing turbulent times. He has already pumped in more than Rs 800 crore and continues to explore various investment options for the carrier.

The promoter holding in the company stood at little over 60 per cent at the end of June quarter and out of the total, about 34 per cent were pledged by Mr Singh, according to latest data available with the stock exchanges.

Akhilesh Yadav plans an airstrip with a VIP lounge in wife Dimple’s constituency

In yet another development project in an area associated with his family, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has now planned an airstrip with a VIP lounge in his wife Dimple Yadav’s parliamentary constituency Kannauj, which he, too, had earlier represented as a Member of Parliament. About 115 hectare of land in Rasulabad area of Kanpur Dehat district has already been identified for the project. To speed up the process, government has decided to directly purchase the land from the farmers as per its new policy rather than going in for land acquisition process. Sources inform that officials have been asked to complete the purchase and start the work as soon as possible.

AAI, IATA join hands to train 4000 officials in Airport Mgmt

Jammu: An agreement was signed between AAI and IATA for imparting training to 4000 AAI officials for skill development in Airport Management as per Global Standards.
The agreement was signed in the presence of RK Srivastava, Chairman, AAI and Victor De Barrena, Director, ITDI, IATA by Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director Finance, AAI and Ayaz Hussain, CFO, IATA, at IATA Headquarters, Geneva.

TruJet to get reservation system tech from Bird group

New Delhi: Technology provider Bird Information Systems will provide airline inventory and reservation system to regional carrier TruJet.

In this regard, Bird Information Systems Pvt Ltd (BIS) has entered into a strategic partnership with Turbo Megha Airways, which operates TruJet.

BIS would provide the booking technology for the airline inventory hosting, reservation at all city and airport offices, call centres and Internet booking engines.

Flights from Nashik to Pune, Surat from August 3

Nashik:  Despite seaplane service operator MEHAIR's inability to sustain the service between Nashik and Pune, the district's air connectivity is slowly taking wings. Shrinivas Airlines, which started its Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai flights from July 13, on Monday announced the commencement of Nashik-Pune and Nashik-Surat return flights from August 3.

Earlier, the company had decided to commence air service from Nashik to Pune and Surat from Wednesday (July 22), but deferred it due to some technical reasons. The company started the Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai service from July 13 with two flights daily from Monday to Saturday from Ozar airport terminal.

Khandelwals: A Family of Pilots

Though having an unusual name for a man, Sheetal Khandelwal an ex-Air India pilot, had such a great passion for flying that he inspired his two sons and a daughter to become commercial pilots. Lo behold, his daughter even got married to a pilot bringing the tally to five pilots in the family.

Khandelwal is a soft –spoken and humble man; he is a first generation aviator with 25,000 flying hours in his career. He also had the rare honor of flying the Late PM Rajeev Gandhi in HS-748 aircraft. He picked up the passion for flying at the time as a NCC cadet in Indore where he got an opportunity to fly a Tiger Moth aircraft for his ‘C’ certificate and that was a turning point of his life for his love for flying which blossomed into his becoming a commercial pilot.

All of the above pilots are residents of Powai, making it a unique feat. The story began when a young Khandelwal, third of the eleven siblings at Indore ran from his family to pursue his dream of flying. He muses, “I used to help my father in his sugar retail shop and for a child who was just studying in 6th standard and I used to come directly to shop just after school and worked there till the shop closed at night. On Sunday I had to do all pending shop work. Rest of the time which I got went in completing my school homework and I got very little time to sleep.”

Sri Lankan Airlines exhibits packages at IITM Bangalore 2015

SriLankan Airlines participated at the India International Travel Mart (IITM) 2015 to showcase the airline products, services and new packages to the Indian market, at the event held in Bangalore from 10 - 12 July.

Rath rush prompts airports to ask for more flights

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport authorities would request Air India to use two more feeder flights for international operations, encouraged by the overseas passengers during the ongoing Nabakalebara Rath Yatra festival.

The authorities want to start one flight from here to Mumbai and the other to Delhi. There is already one Air India flight taking international passengers to the national capital.

Court summons SpiceJet, Kalanithi Maran as accused in IT cases

New Delhi: Budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd, its the then Chairman Kalanithi Maran and a former top company official have been summoned as accused by a Delhi court in two tax evasion cases for their alleged failure to deposit over Rs 147 crore TDS with the Income Tax (IT) Department.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh issued summons to Maran, the company and its the then Managing Director S Natrajhen after taking cognizance on two complaints filed against them by the IT Department. The court directed them to appear before it on August 21

DGCA to undertake surprise inspections to monitor passenger safety

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation is mulling one-time surveillance for all domestic airlines to monitor passenger safety. “We have taken permission for one-time surveillance from the Director General to monitor flight operations quality assurance (FOQA),” said a senior DGCA official.
This action was taken after state-owned Air India was unable to provide the required data for its flight AI-513, which risked passengers’ lives on its Bengaluru-Hyderabad flight. The aircraft touched and bounced off the runway while making a landing attempt.

Wait for new airport terminal in Mohali continues

Though there is still no official confirmation on the date for inaugurating the new international terminal in Mohali, the airport is expected to take another three weeks to be operational.
There is a lot of work to be done at the airport still. This includes deployment of CISF officials, formal handing-over of the airport from Larsen & Toubro to AAI and setting up aviation turbine fuel tanks.
Speaking to Newsline, Suneel Dutt, chief executive officer, Chandigarh International Airport, said the construction of the terminal building has been completed, but flight services cannot be availed by public immediately.

Only 1 incident of offloading at Leh airport in last 1 year: Government

NEW DELHI: Some passengers of the flight from Leh to Delhi, in which Union Minister Kiren Rijiju was accommodated, could not be informed of flight preponement resulting in their delayed arrival at the airport, the government said today.

The incident, involving an Air India flight, that happened on June 23, had created a huge political controversy.
The flight was apparently delayed by about an hour and three members of a family were offloaded from the plane to accommodate Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Rijiju, his aide and, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh.

No proposal cleared for 2nd airport in national capital: Govt

In a U-turn, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the government has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in the national capital, less than a month after saying that Civil Aviation Ministry has approved a second airport in the national capital region.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Sharma -- Minister of State for Civil Aviation -- responded in the negative to a query on whether the government has cleared a proposal for setting up a second airport in the national capital.

10 Visibility Measuring Devices Installed at Delhi Airport

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi Airport has installed 10 indigenous visibility measuring devices - 'Drishti' - on its three runways to ensure safe landing and take-off of aircraft in poor visibility conditions.

Developed by Bengaluru-based CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), 'Drishti' will be used for reporting runway visual range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off in poor visibility (25 to 2,000 meters).

"Drishti Transmissometers have been installed at this airport recently, as part of the first-phase installation of 20 such systems in 10 airports across the country.

Heavy winds damage Air India Boeing-787 Dreamliner and one more plane at Delhi IGI Airport

Two Air India aircrafts including a Boeing-787 Dreamliner had to be grounded after their engines hit an aerobridge and a container. The mishap was caused by strong winds at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on 12:15 PM on 18th July, 2015.

The two planes included a Boeing 787 and Boeing 777. Both the aircraft engines suffered damages leading to the grounding of the aircraft

Gung-ho Air India to launch 3 more int’l flights to Odisha

Passengers from Odisha flying to or coming from international destinations now have more reasons to cheer. Buoyed by the success of its first international flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on July 10, Air India has decided to start three more international flights from the city very soon after obtaining necessary approval from the Union Civil Aviation ministry, sources said.
Within just 10 days of the commencement of international flights from the city, more than 500 passengers have flown to foreign countries from Bhubaneswar, airport sources said.

No plans to privatise airports, says minister

The government has no plans to privatise any major airport in the country. However, it intends to handle the development, operations and maintenance part through partnership with the private sector, said a minister on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma informed parliament during the question hour that the government has no plans to privatise major airports, including those at Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

Airlines woo agents with hefty fees to prop up ticket sales

Faced with sluggish demand in the lean season, airlines have started offering hefty commission to travel agents for clearing inventory.

While the state-controlled Air India is offering 10-20 per cent commission on base fare to push sales in the domestic market, low-cost carrier GoAir has started giving 15 per cent commission to select agents.

An industry source said Air India was giving 10 per cent commission on base fare for economy class tickets with business class tickets fetching 20 per cent incentive.

Broken wall poses threat to Odisha’s Biju Patnaik Airport

Bhubaneswar: Even as the Biju Patnaik International Airport authorities pride themselves on the recently launched ‘international’ air operations from the airport, they have closed their eyes to the safety and security aspects. The proof: a broken wall has been lying unrepaired for more than a month allowing foxes and jackals to sneak in.

The wall that collapsed in the third week of June due to monsoon rains had been blocked by bamboos and tin sheets. The temporary arrangement, however, did not last long. The tin sheets fell off as the roots of the bamboos got damaged.

Smugglers, Drug Mafia Flock to South

Kochi:  If the current crime trend is any indication, Kochi is turning into the new heaven for smugglers and drug traffickers, with enforcement agencies struggling to contain smuggling of gold, ivory and artifacts; rave parties and wildlife poaching.

Speaking to ‘Express,’ a senior Customs official who is investigating the recent  gold smuggling cases, said the Cochin airport would be the first airport in the country where airport staff and Immigration officials colluded with gold smugglers in their operation. The Customs Department has recently unearthed a racket that smuggled around 2,000 kg of gold through the airport.   What is more worrying is that even after the arrest of 33 persons, including the kingpin of a racket, and seizure of a large quantity of gold, the smugglers are still looking for new routes to illegally slip gold into the State.

South African Woman Held After Ephedrine Haul Worth Rs 22 Crore

Kochi: Hardly a week after the Customs arrested an Irish man for trying to smuggle in 10 kg of gold into the state, the Customs officials on Monday arrested a 46-year-old South African woman for possessing 14 kilograms of white powder suspected to be Ephedrine at Cochin International Airport.

The woman has been identified as Dorcas Dolly, 46, native of South Africa. The Officers of Air Intelligence Unit, Air Customs, Cochin Airport, Nedumbassery, intercepted her when she was attempting to depart to Malawi via Doha by Jet Airways Flight No. 9W 556 on Sunday midnight.

Psychometric test at 4 levels likely for pilots

New Delhi: Following the Germanwings crash caused deliberately by its co-pilot this March, India may soon adopt a four-level psychometric test for pilots. The process will start from the time a student wants to become a pilot as he or she will have to clear the same first to be eligible to join a flying school.

The other three stages at which pilot will have to undergo and clear the tests are: at the time of joining an airline or charter company; at the time of being promoted to commander and whenever they exhibit any abnormal behaviour like picking fights in the cockpit.

DGCA orders surprise checks on airline safety

Pune: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a 'surprise surveillance' of all airlines to ensure compliance with safety norms. The order came after a recent incident when passengers on an Air India Bengaluru-Hyderabad flight had a narrow escape.

DGCA found that the carrier has not maintained any data records of safety. "A one-time surprise surveillance of all airlines will be carried out to check whether they are complying with the Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) norms. We have received approval from DGCA chief for conducting inspections," said a DGCA official. FOQA is a programme to improve aviation safety through the proactive use of flight recorded data, under which operators use the data to identify and correct deficiencies.

19.81% Rise in Domestic Passengers

Chennai: Whether the grass on either side of the runway is looking greener or not, the skies must certainly be looking bluer for Indian airline operators. In a robust turnaround after the Spicejet fracas last December, Indian air carriers flew 3.88 crore passengers within the country in the first half of 2015, registering a 19.81 per cent increase over the same period last year.

According to the DGCA’s traffic report published recently, despite the introduction of new airlines like AirAsia India, Air Costa, Pegasus and Vistara, existing airlines have surpassed their mid-year marks set in 2014.

Car park near ATC tower poses bomb threat: Airports Authority of India

Mumbai: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has pulled up authorities at the city airport for their lax security measures and not following safety norms laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
A Right to Information (RTI) request filed by an activist has revealed that the AAI has warned the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) that the car park at the domestic terminal is too close to the the vital Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, and poses a bomb threat to it.
The information came to the fore after RTI activist Vishwas Bhamburkar filed an RTI application and received a reply last week. According to a November 3 letter, written by AAI’s Joint General Manager (Security) S K Malik, an inspection of the airport was carried out on October 10 last year, which revealed that the ATC complex is separated by a boundary wall which is only 10-15 metres from the car park at the domestic terminal.

Fliers let down by limited international flights at Amritsar airport

Amritsar: Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s demand for resumption of international flights from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar, to facilitate Punjabi diaspora has found support in the region.
The area residents feel that the airport has been meted out a raw deal and a number of key international flights were either withdrawn or discontinued over the last one decade.
The airport, which boasts of an impressive infrastructure, has witnessed withdrawal of various international flights in the past.

Man buys AI ticket to be with lover at airport

Ahmedabad: A man booked a ticket to Mumbai only to stay 'grounded' with his girlfriend. This amusing love story unfolded in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport and was the talking point among other fliers. The man, around 28 years of age, bought an Air India flight ticket to Mumbai so that he could enter the boarding lounge and spend three hours with his girlfriend who was flying to Dubai.

The incident took place on Saturday night. The love-struck gentleman had with him an Ahmedabad-Mumbai Air India ticket for the 4 am flight while the girl had a ticket of Emirates EK 539 flight to Dubai, scheduled for departure at 4.25 am. But he never intended to fly. "Around 3.30 am, Air India ground staff approached the man and asked him to board the flight, saying he will miss it otherwise. So, he told them that he would board in 15 minutes and asked them to leave. When he did not, the officials again approached him. This time, he told them that he did not intend to board the flight," said a source.

Govt to help AI widen aviation agreements

The civil aviation ministry has proposed air service agreements (ASAs) with Panama and Columbia to help state-owned Air India enter into marketing alliance with their flag carriers.

Official sources familiar with the development said the ministry had already sent the proposals to the external affairs ministry.

With national carrier planning to have code-share agreement with most Star Alliance members, the aviation ministry has scrambled to facilitate the partnership.

Air India tops the list in flight cancellations, delays

What are the chances that the domestic flight you book gets cancelled? Nearly 1 in 100, show data from aviation regulator DGCA. Excluding the winter months between November and January when flight cancellations spiked due to low visibility and SpiceJet’s troubles, the overall cancellation rate of domestic airlines, on an average, was 0.83 per cent over the last year. But if you were flying with national carrier Air India, the cancellation percentage more than doubled to 1.85 per cent.

Between July 2014 and June 2015, flight cancellations by Air India affected more than 63,000 passengers, accounting for nearly half the total number of passengers affected across airlines. At a distant second, Jet Airways’ flight cancellations affected almost 34,250 passengers. Next in line was SpiceJet which saw a sharp rise in cancellations during its near-death days between November and January.

US' Boeing open to picking up stake in Indian aerospace company

Mumbai: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is open to picking up a stake in an Indian aerospace company, its India head said on Saturday. "We are open to it. The investment environment in India has improved," said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India.

Kumar added however that a strategic partnership in this space would entail a host of regulatory approvals. He didn't elaborate on whether Boeing was in talks with any aerospace company in India. A strategic partnership would considerably expand the manufacturer's role in India's aerospace industry, apart from developing Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative. Boeing primarily has sourcing or technology sharing relationships with companies in India.

Hindus welcome “Yoga Room” launch at Sioux Falls Airport

Nevada: Hindus have applauded launching of “Yoga Room” at South Dakota’s largest Sioux Falls Regional Airport (SFRA), calling it a “step in the positive direction”.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Burlington International Airport Vermont and Chicago Midway International Airport —all in USA, and Helsinki Airport in Finland, already offer yoga facilities.

Recently opened “Yoga Room” at SFRA, in partnership with CPMFITness, carries yoga mats and a chart showing yoga poses which even the inexperienced passengers can follow and practice, reports suggest. SFRA Facebook post says: Passengers using Sioux Falls Regional Airport can now squeeze in some yoga.

Protest brewing against shifting of domestic terminal

Thiruvananthapuram: The airport action council has decided to launch intense agitation against shifting of the domestic terminal from Shanghumugham to Chackai. As part of the agitation people of Valiyathura, Shanghumugham, Vallakadavu and Vayyamoola will take out an assembly march on July 27.

A convention called by the action council protested against breaking the promises given by chief minister Oommen Chandy on this issue. The action council members had met the chief minister, health minister V S Sivakumar and MP Shashi Tharoor for discussing the issue. The CM had assured the action council members to have a high-level meeting to discuss the issue on July 15 which was postponed in the last minute.

After Mishap, Aerobridges to Get Additional Sensors

Chennai: Aerobridges at the city airport may soon have additional sensors installed on them that will auto cut off docking procedures if the operator is going too fast.

This was among the measures discussed at a stakeholders consultation held in the wake of last week’s incident — where a GoAir plane had a hole knocked into its fuselage by a careless aerobridge operator. “We have asked the aerobridge provider Bukaka, from Indonesia, to examine whether an additional sensor can be put into each and every one of our aerobridges to avoid an incident of this sort in the future,” said Chennai Airport Director Captain Deepak Shastri.

Indigenous visibility measuring system Drishti installed at Delhi airport

New Delhi: An indigenous visibility measuring system Drishti, designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bangalore, has been made fully operational at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The sophisiticated instruments in the system as used for reporting the runway visual range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off of aircraft in poor visibility conditions (<25 to="">2000 meters), an official press release siad.

Two CIAL hydel stations to be ready by next year

Kochi: Riding on the back of its stated objective to become power neutral by 2016, at least two of the eight small hydroelectric power stations to be set up by CIAL Infrastructure — a subsidiary of the Cochin International Airport Limited — are set to become operational by May next year.

Land acquisition for the two projects, coming up at Kakkadam Poyil (21 MW) and Kokkamkallu (2MW) in Kozhikode district, are already under way. “The agency is now working on a schedule to generate power from these two projects alongside the launch of the upcoming international terminal at CIAL, expected in May 2016,” official sources said.

Chennai team to repair broken airport ceiling of Goa airport

Panaji: Work began in full swing to repair the damaged portion of the false ceiling at the Goa International Airport, Dabolim, with Consolidated Construction Consortium, the company that designed and built the new terminal also undertaking an inspection of the entire false ceiling, airport director Srinivasa Rao said. "Work began this morning and we are determined to see that it won`t happen again," Rao said. On Saturday, nearly 80 feet of false ceiling, reportedly perforated metal, collapsed in the security hold area, injuring two passengers. A team of consultants from Consolidated Construction Consortium, including one of the directors, flew in from Chennai to inspect the damage and oversee the repair works, Rao said.
Read news in full20/07/15 Nyooz

Sri Lankan national held in Tiruchi for smuggling gold

Tiruchi: A Sri Lankan national was arrested by the Customs authorities at the international airport here on Sunday after he was found smuggling a little over one kg of gold in various shapes in the rectum. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs caught Prasad Indika (43) after he landed here from Colombo by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL-133 in the afternoon.
Airport sources said the officials grew suspicious by his walking style and detained him for questioning.
Read news in full20/07/15 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

Two Air India planes damaged at Delhi airport due to thunderstorm

New Delhi: Two Air India planes were grounded after being damaged in a thunderstorm at the Delhi airport on Saturday afternoon. The planes, a Boeing 787 and a Boeing 777, were parked at bay 18 and 22.

The right engine of Boeing 777 was damaged after it was hit from behind by a cargo container that was blown due to strong wind. According to sources, the Boeing 787's left engine was damaged as it was hit by an aerobridge.

Jet Airways unveils special Monsoon Offer, ticket prices start Rs 6,999

Premium service airline Jet Airways has announced a special ‘Monsoon’ Offer on ‘Premiere’ fares  on its domestic network – all-inclusive ticket prices start at Rs 6,999 for distances less than 750 kms and Rs 8,999 for distances between 750 kms and 1000 kms. The offer is applicable on all domestic destinations.
Jet Airways says this offer is valid for travel on both direct and ‘via’ flights and is available with travel validity from July 20 to October 15, 2015.

Jet Airways slashes business class fares for domestic flyers

New Delhi: Private carrier Jet Airways today lowered its business class ticket prices by a flat 20% for long-distance travel (above 1,000-km) on its domestic network under a special monsoon offer which opens tomorrow.

In another similar scheme, the Mumbai-headquartered airline has offered lower fares, starting at an all-inclusive Rs 6,999 for travel up to 1,000 km, a release said today.

Lack of pilots postpones 3 international AI flights from Mumbai

Mumnbai: Air India's shortage of pilots forced the airline to reschedule three flights from Mumbai on Saturday, affecting 200 passengers.
The national carrier has been battling pilot shortage for a while now as it lost a number of its A320 pilots to rival airlines. It also has a shortage of Boeing 787 pilots. On Saturday, the airline realised that it did not have cockpit crew to operate its flights to Dubai and Hong Kong, said an airline source.

Indian carriers may not need prior govt nod to import aircraft

New Delhi: Indian airlines will no longer require prior permission to import aircraft as the Civil Aviation Ministry plans to do away with the norm to facilitate ease of doing business.

The move is part of a slew of initiatives taken to improve business conditions in the domestic aviation sector.

The Ministry also expects to soon unveil the much-awaited aviation policy that would help attract more investments into the sector, which is bleeding for years together due to red tapism and over regulations.

Is Ashok Gajapathi Raju ready to resign?

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is considered to be a close confidant of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is ready to resign, reports suggest. According to reports in some sections of the media, Ashok Gajapathi Raju informed Chandrababu Naidu that he will resign if the latter desires.

Indian aviation going regional will help us: Patrick de Castelbajac

New Delhi: France-based aircraft manufacturer ATR has 30 aircraft in operation in India. ATR’s turnover stood at $ 1.8 billion in 2014 against $1.63 billion in 2013, and increased its aircraft deliveries to 83 aircraft globally from 74 in 2013. On his first visit to India, ATR Chief Executive Officer Patrick de Castelbajac tells Somesh Jha that the company is in talks with other airlines to provide regional connectivity. Edited excerpts:

How have been ATR’s relations with India so far?

ATR’s journey with India started in 1999, when Jet Airways took the first ATR aircraft. Two-three years later, Air India too started. Then, we had the Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan chapter, which started well but ended not on a good note as the company went down — nothing to do with ATR — but that’s what happened.

Boeing says it's open to picking up stake in Indian aerospace firm

Mumbai: US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is open to picking up a stake in an Indian aerospace company, its India head said Saturday. "We are open to it. The investment environment in India has improved," said Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India.

Kumar added however that a strategic partnership in this space would entail a host of regulatory approvals.

Airport selloff shouldn't lead to steep hike in user fees: IATA

Mumbai: Voicing concerns over the government's plan to privatise the four state-run airports which might result in a steep hike in user fees, global airlines body IATA has said an all-out sale will only benefit the operators.

"My suggestion is that the government should carry out a rigorous cost-benefit analysis before taking a decision on these four Airports Authority-run airports in Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur," International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General and Chief Executive Tony Tyler told a group of reporters here.

Air crash victims memorial to be ready by October

Mangaluru: Work on the proposed memorial park for the 2010 air crash victims would be completed by October, a top district administration official has said.

The memorial would come up on 90 cents of land of the New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) at Tanneerbhavi near the city, the spot where unidentified victims of the crash were buried, an official release here said.

Juhu airport redevelopment plan may see revival

According to ministry sources, new aviation secretary RN Choubey, during a recent meeting with industry stakeholders, said the plan to redevelop the airport is very much on. Choubey could not be contacted for a comment.

The previous central and state governments had prepared plans to run small aircraft, like ATR, from the airport by extending the runway into Juhu beach. However, initial study and surveys done on the project reveal that it would be very difficult to get the necessary permissions for the extension of the runway into the sea. Public opposition is another important factor to be taken into consideration.

False ceiling collapses at Dabolim airport

Dabolim: Two passengers suffered minor injuries after over 25 feet of the metallic false ceiling near the departure hall of the Dabolim Airport collapsed on Saturday. This is third major incident reported at the new terminal building of the airport in the last six months.
Sources said the incident occurred at 12.15 pm on the second floor which is the security hold area where Spicejet passengers were waiting to board the aircraft. However, a few minutes before boarding could commence the false ceiling collapsed.

New system makes Port Blair flight safer

Chennai: Flying to Port Blair has become safer as Airports Authority of India has started to use modern surveillance to track planes flying over Bay of Bengal which is not covered under radar.

Air traffic controllers can now see on their monitors aircraft flying in a 250miles radius of Port Blair over the sea as ADS-B (Automated Dependence Surveillance - Broadcast) surveillance has been introduced at the airport

India's first private air freight station to open from August 1

Chennai: Providing relief to the long winding queues of cargo near the airport gateways, Indev Air Freight Station, India's first private air freight station (AFS,) has announced commencement of its operations in Chennai on Friday. Spread over an area of around 20,000 sqft near Iringattukottai, the AFS is an extension of the airport or an off-terminal facility where all import formalities can be completed without hassles for cargo transmit.

Crackdown on expatriates smuggling gold to India

Dubai: There has been an increase in arrests this year of passengers from Dubai smuggling gold into India as airport customs officials clamp down hard on the practice, media reports in India show.

Incidents of smuggling gold on Dubai-India flights have been rising as India continues to enforce a record high 10 per cent import duty on gold as part of measures to offset a weakening rupee.

Traders say Dubai is possibly the world’s cheapest place to buy gold as there is no tax on the precious metal and “making charges” on jewellery are low. The arrangement makes it very profitable for smugglers to buy gold in Dubai and sell it in India at a handsome premium — if they don’t get caught.

Govt mulls allowing airlines pool aircraft orders

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is likely to allow domestic airlines to pool their orders to purchase aircraft. This would reduce costs for carriers because it would help them negotiate better terms with aircraft manufacturers and bring down the overall associated costs.

“It is a good idea, where airlines can come together and place their orders for aircraft,” said a senior official with the aviation ministry. He added that the matter was being discussed with the carriers and International Air Transport Association, among others.