22 airports to get connected under regional connectivity scheme: AAI

New Delhi: About 22 airports to get connected under regional connectivity scheme in the first phase, Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman G P Mohapatra told media persons today.

"In the first phase, there are 22 airports that are already in place and flights can start as and when airlines plan to," said Mohapatra.

Chennai Metro Rail adds service to airport

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today inaugurated metro rail service (through video conference) from Chennai Airport to Little Mount in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan.

The St Thomas Mount metro station, which is Corridor II of the project, was also inaugurated. Operations on Corridor I on the lower level of the Alandur metro station will also commence from today, she said.

Oman reaches out to Indian tourists

Hyderabad: After establishing presence in four metro cities of India, officials from Oman’s tourism ministry conducted roadshows in Hyderabad to expand their presence. They said that Oman received 2,99,022 Indian travellers in 2015, reflecting a 17 per cent increase from the year 2014.

“Our strategy has been to position Oman as a high quality destination attracting evolved travellers from India. It was never a mass destination or a backpackers destination,” said

Lubaina Sheerazi, Indian respresentative of Oman’s tourism ministry, at a press conference here on Monday, in association with Oman Air.

Jet Airways promotes Jayaraj Shanmugam as Chief Commercial Officer

Since joining Jet Airways’ in mid-2015 and as Sr. Vice President of Products & Services, Shanmugam has been instrumental in sharpening the organization’s focus towards delivering superior guest engagement experience together with a host of outstanding, innovative initiatives, the airline said.

He will be based at Jet Airways’ headquarters in Mumbai and report to the CEO.

Aviation corner at planetarium soon

Thiruvananthapuram: The Priyadarshini Planetarium, which is considered to be a treasure trove of information, will soon have much to cheer for aviation enthusiasts. The decks have been cleared to establish an aviation corner with extensive details on aeronautics.

The gallery, which will adjoin the existing one on aerospace, will trace the history of airplane and explain the principles of aerodynamics.

“The prime goal behind the endeavour is to create greater awareness among people of all age groups regarding the operation of aircraft.

“Not all are aware of the underlying concepts,” said Arul Jerald Prakash, Director, Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM).

Airport Authority of India working on priority basis for starting day flights

Kolhapur: Initiating steps towards starting day operation flights from the Kolhapur airport, the officials of Airport Authority of India (AAI) spoke with member of parliament Dhananjay Mahadik on Monday about the ongoing developments.
"V S P Chinchan, general manager of Aero drum, western division and A Razaq, in charge of the Kolhapur Airport have provided the details about the work of developing a low cost airport, according to the government's plan," Mahadik said.

Indian airlines charge for meals, baggage to up profits

New Delhi: Indian airlines are shifting their focus to non-ticketing income, such as charging for meals and excess baggage, to widen profit margins in a highly competitive industry.

They are now pushing add-ons such as food and drink and paid seat selection. Airlines have been keen to boost such "ancillary revenue" to offset cheaper tickets as more operators join the industry. Travel executives said that a New Delhi-Chennai flight can now cost as low as 4,100 rupees ($61), or half the price of three years ago.

Mumbai airport runway to be closed for repair in Oct-Nov

Flight operations at the Mumbai airport will come to a complete halt for five hours on Mondays and Thursdays between October 31 and November 28 due to repair work on the runways.
Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd., which owns and operates the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, said that both the intersecting runways will remain closed from noon to 5 p.m. on both days to undertake carpeting work for strengthening the runway. “We will undertake micro-surfacing of the runways, and airlines have been informed in advance to plan their winter schedule accordingly,” said a senior official of the Mumbai airport.
To Read the News in Full 20/09/16 The Hindu

SpiceJet's hub in Kolkata to start more flights

Kolkata: SpiceJet will make Kolkata its hub both for domestic and international flights, airline chairman & managing director Ajay Singh said on Monday . The city will be the low cost carrier's third hub after Delhi and Hyderabad and will be a base for both Boeing B 737-800 and Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. Emerging from a meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Singh who had started the airline in 2004 and scripted its turnaround after it went into a tailspin and crash-landed in 2014, said the airline was now ready for expansion and had decided to start with Kolkata as the mar ket was under-served and offered great potential.

SpiceJet launches Delhi – Jodhpur daily flight

SpiceJet, India´s low-cost carrier will start its direct flight on Delhi – Jodhpur – Delhi sector from 30th October 2016 under its winter schedule.

With introduction of this flight Jodhpur will be connected with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The airways is already operating daily flights to Jaipur and Udaipur.

Jet Airways to equip pilots with iPads

Jet Airways will provide its pilots with iPads in an effort to improve operations and move towards completely paper-free cockpits.

Under the new scheme, pilots on Jet’s fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, which commonly operate on domestic and short-haul international routes, will have the ‘Electronic Flight Bags’, which contain all the necessary route maps, charts, aircraft manuals and associated paperwork in a digital format.

This forms part of Jet’s “less paper” cockpit plan which was instigated in 2007 and has so far been rolled out to its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Yatra.com offers Rs 1000 off on domestic, 10% off on international flights

New Delhi: The online travel space Yatra.com has come up with some excited offers for the air travellers, both domestic and international.

The travel agency is giving Rs 1000 off on domestic flights and 10% off on international flights.

To avail the discount, customers need to apply the code FLY.

Vistara yet to take a call on providing Wi-Fi on domestic routes

New Delhi: Vistara is yet to take a final call on providing Wi-Fi services to passengers flying on domestic routes although it is keen to provide the service when it is allowed to fly on international routes. Vistara is the brand name of the airline jointly promoted by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.

Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, told BusinessLine that he had spoken to many corporates some of whom were even prepared to pay for the service, which was a good sign, as it is not cheap to install Wi-Fi.

“It is not something that you want to rush. Sometimes in product launches you do not want to have the first mover advantage. But it is a long-term commitment. We just want to be extra careful that it is something worthwhile doing for domestic flight. Internationally without a doubt,” Phee Teik said when asked if there was any time frame by which the service will be available.

IndiGo Launches Discount Offer, Tickets Start Rs. 900

IndiGo has announced a discount offer with fares starting Rs. 900 on select routes. The offer is available for limited seats only, the airline said.

The Rs. 900 offer is applicable on Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur-Delhi, Guwahati-Bagdogra, Chandigarh-Srinagar routes, among others.

Fares on Hyderabad-Coimbatore and Delhi-Dehradun routes, for example, start from Rs. 1,299.  
Among the metro-to-metro route, Delhi-Chennai fares, for example, start from Rs. 3,199.

IndiGo Continues Its Dominance In Aviation With 38% Market Share

IndiGo Airlines maintained its leadership position in the domestic aviation industry with a 38.2 percent market share in August 2016, according to data released by the regulatory body Directorate General of Civil Aviation. This was marginally higher than the revised figure of 38 percent in July.
In contrast, rival SpiceJet had a 12.7 percent market share, unchanged from July. At second place, Jet Airways’ market share in August also remained nearly unchanged at to 16.9 percent from 17 percent clocked in the previous month.

IndiGo signs its first ever GDS agreement with Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform

IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline by market share, and Travelport, a leading Travel Commerce Platform, have announced a strategic partnership which will see IndiGo distribute all of its fares and ancillary products to Travelport-connected customers worldwide.

This is the first time that IndiGo has struck a deal with a global GDS and the choice of Travelport as its distribution partner reflects the value the airline sees in Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform.

The platform offers fully integrated, industry leading merchandising capabilities and is used extensively by travel agencies in India as well as other key target markets for IndiGo.

Gulf Aviation Academy enters the Indian market

Mumbai: The Gulf Aviation Academy on Friday said it has entered the Indian market through an agreement with domestic aviation training institute SpeedJet Aviation.

The Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA) is part of the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the investment arm for the Kingdom of Bahrain.


According to GAA, the new partnership offers Indian students a competitive advantage in the aviation industry that is at par with international norms.

Lucknow to Saudi Air India flights soon

New Delhi: Air India has decided to introduce a direct flight from Lucknow to Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia from October, to meet a long-standing demand of people in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The flights will be operated thrice a week.

The sale of tickets would commence once an announcement is made in this regard, said an Air India official.Passenger traffic to Saudi Arabia has risen exponentially over the years, especially the Haj traffic.

Air India doubles weekly Delhi-SFO flights

Air India will double the number of weekly Delhi-San Francisco flights it operates from three to six starting Nov. 21.

Air India launched 3X-weekly nonstop Boeing 777-200LR flights between the Indian capital and San Francisco (SFO) at the end of last year. SFO became the fourth US airport served by Air India after New York JFK, New York Newark and Chicago O’Hare.

Air Arabia Introduces EMI Option For Indians

Air Arabia, one of the largest low-cost carriers in the Middle East & North Africa, is offering a comprehensive Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) payment options for Indian travellers. Staying in-line with the airline’s philosophy of offering value-for-money options to their customers, this facility offers passengers an easy and seamless booking experience.

Budget carriers refuse to shift from Delhi's Terminal 1D

New Delhi/Mumbai: The GMR-led Delhi International Airport’s (DIAL) major expansion plan faces a fresh hurdle, as low-cost carriers have opposed the move to shift base from Terminal 1D (T1D) to Terminal 2 (T2), citing operational constraints.

SpiceJet and GoAir, asked to shift to T2 from T1D, have opposed the move, citing passenger inconvenience. The no-frills carriers feel this will lead to drop in passenger count. While SpiceJet has sent out a missive to the airport consortium, GoAir has verbally communicated its decision to the airport operator. The resistance might lead to delay in DIAL’s expansion plans, given the private airport operator will have to convince the carriers or find a suitable alternative, before going ahead with the development work. At present, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir are based out of T1D.

Air Carnival plans flight service from Tiruchi

Tiruchi: Domestic operation at the fast-growing Tiruchi International Airport is expected to improve with Air Carnival expressing its interest to launch a service in the Chennai-Tiruchi– Chennai sector.

The regional airline has conveyed its proposal to the airport authorities here to start a morning flight service from Chennai to Tiruchi and back. In a recent communication to the Tiruchi Airport Director, the airline has sought office space at the airport. Airport Director K. Gunasekaran told The Hindu that a senior official from Air Carnival is expected to visit soon for an interaction with officials of the Tiruchi airport which witnesses more overseas flight operations than domestic services.

Bengaluru airport gets its own app

Bengaluru: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has now got an app of its own in addition to a Twitter handle. The ‘BLR Airport’ app enables users to not just track flight details on their mobile phones, but also connect to the Wi-Fi in the airport at one click. Passengers can use the navigation facility, share feedback about their experience at KIA or be guided to the ‘must buys’ and ‘must try’ items there.

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), along with its digital partner ThoughtWorks, hopes to ‘revolutionise’ the travel experience at KIA through a combination of digital technologies, people, services and data.

Spl aircraft to conduct calibration of ILS

Indore: In order to avail improved visibility to pilots during low clouds, a specially-designed-equipped aircraft will reach here to conduct flight inspection or calibration of recently installed Instrumental Landing System (ILS) at the city airport.
Due to bad weather conditions, as many as 11 flights of different airlines were diverted to nearby airports, affecting air passengers badly.

Frequency of low cloud situation has been escalated at the city airport in recent times. Due to which over 10 flights had to be diverted to nearby airports. In order to improve visibility, which is necessary during monsoon and winter seasons when clouds normally cannot move up and pose serious visibility problems for the pilots, an upgraded navigation system ILS has been installed at the airport.

MoU soon to improve air connectivity in NE

New Delhi: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon between Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and State Governments of Assam, Manipur and Tripura for better regional connectivity.
This was disclosed by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in a media interview soon after holding an official meeting with Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and Chief Secretary O Nabakishore here recently.

“We will also be taking up necessary (airport) expansion activities within two/three months so that international flights from South Asian countries could land here,” said Sinha, adding, “Upgradation of the airport is a genuine demand and our job is to facilitate it.”

Jet Airways rolls out in-flight entertainment JetScreen

Mumbai: Jet Airways has introduced JetScreen, its wireless in-flight entertainment service, which will let passengers stream movies Tv shorts, play video games, and listen to music on their devices.
Jet Airways says that the passenger will need to carry a compatible Wi-Fi device like a smartphone, table or a laptop.

Mumbai International Airport cannot demand share in airlines' profit, says Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has said that Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) cannot demand a share in the income of the airline operators under the pretext of recovering the airport levy.

The court made the observation while responding to a writ petition filed by Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) against MIAL's move to charge 13% on 'selling price' of food items by airlines against the current practice to charge it on 'cost price'. FIA is an association of airlines including GoAir, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

MIAL, on the other hand, has maintained that the levies sought by it are within the power granted to it under the law. Airline officials refused to comment on the observations made by the court.

Safety concerns trigger clearances from DGCA for defence airbases allowing commercial flights

New Delhi: In what may ensure more stringent implementation of air safety norms, at least 25 defence airbases hosting scheduled commercial flights have been asked to get safety and operational clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) by 31 December.
This comes in the wake of complaints that some of the runways at these defence airbases are unsafe for commercial flight operations.
The clearance requirement from India’s civil aviation regulator follows concerns raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations’ aviation watchdog.

Green signal for international status to Agra airport

Lucknow: A week after Uttar Pradesh government petitioned the Ministry of defence and pushed for in international airport at Jewar, Great Noida, a team of officials from the ministry arrived in Lucknow on Saturday and green-signalled expansion of the Air Force airport at Agra, and for it to be developed as an international airport. UP government has pledged to provide the additional 150 acres of land required, and also said it will fund the expenses incurred in the expansion and upgrade of the existing facility.

AirAsia sees 10% growth annually

After a strong showing in earnings in the second quarter, AirAsia group boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes says the airline can grow by 10% every year despite operating in a competitive environment.

He is looking at a 10% growth in available seat kilometre (ASK) every year for the next few years.

ASK is a measure of an airline flight’s passenger carrying capacity, basically the number of seats available multiplied by the number of miles or kilometres flown.

Air India Express turns profitable for the first time

New Delhi: Air India is likely to enjoy acche din, as its low-cost international subsidiary Air India Express has turned the corner by reporting net profits for the first time since it started operations in April 2005.

The airline reported a profit of Rs 362 crore during the 2015-16 fiscal, helped by lower fuel prices and improved revenues over the past year on the back of flying more people per flight. The airline had incurred losses of Rs 62 crore during the 2014-15 fiscal.

Mahindra May Start Plane Sales, Manufacturing in India This Year

New Delhi: The aerospace unit of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd plans to sell planes built by its Australian unit in India this year, a top company executive said. Mahindra may also consider manufacturing the planes in India if sales pick up.

"We are hoping that (regulatory) approvals will come this year; so once approvals come this year, we will start selling the planes in India," said S.P. Shukla, chairman, Mahindra Aerospace Pvt. Ltd, part of the $17.8-billion Mahindra Group, at an aerospace summit on Wednesday.

In 2008, Mahindra bought Australia's GippsAero, which makes the eight-seater GA8 Airvan close to Melbourne. About 220 of these planes are flying in 30 countries.

Agartala Airport facelift works to begin in Jan

Agartala: The facelift works of Agartala Airport, second business airport of the NE, would start from January next, according to official sources here.
The facelift works are expected to get completed by 2020 with Airports Authority of India (AAI) preparing to hand over the Rs 438 crore project to a construction agency.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanta Chowdhury, who had visited the State, held a meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and apprised him of AAI’s target.

As per the plan, there would be a new terminal building to provide service to around 1,200 passengers daily. Besides six new aprons, facilities would be created for 12 planes to stay at the airport as against only five planes now.

Aviation Ministry may adopt Railways’ model to beat higher fares during festival rush

New Delhi: The aviation ministry is discussing a railways-kind of model to provide relief to flyers from higher fares during festival season and long weekends and is considering allowing airlines to add more capacity for such short periods to bridge the demand-capacity mismatch.
"The fares do get high during seasons like Christmas coming and all. For those times, we do not have capacity (aircraft) lying idle that can be used when the demand spikes. The solution could be to bring in more capacity for a brief period to tide over the fare hike. We can ask airlines that we will allow them to bring in aircraft lease for a brief period of time," Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told ET.

Govt to ease rules for flying to the northeast, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and A&N Islands

In a bid to incentivise Indian carriers to fly to far-flung areas of the north-eastern states, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government plans to relax norms wherein an airline can stop operations to these states by giving a three-month notice, said government officials.
The ease of doing business exercise will also be applicable to Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The initiative, separate from the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), is to attract airlines. RCS is an ambitious project that aims to connect remote areas by putting unserved and underserved airports to optimum use.

Government mulling over slashing airport charges to make flying cheaper

New Delhi: In order to promote domestic flying and reduce operational expenses of airlines, the government is planning to reduce airport charges. “After the 0/20 scheme, our focus is to keep the domestic operations cost of the airlines very low so that flying becomes affordabale for everyone,” a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

“We plan to do this by reducing the airport tariff charges wherever possible and we will try to unlock commercial potential of land around airports and use these resources to cross-subsidise airport charges,” he added.

Mumbai Airport adds local seafood restaurant to dining options

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has opened a new seafood restaurant, Mahesh Lunch Home, at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2.

The Mangalorean-based Mahesh Lunch Home chain is renowned for its seafood range. The new outlet, its first in an Indian airport, offers local specialities including coconut curry.

NSDC, US-India ACP join hands for aviation skill development

New Delhi: NSDC and US-IndiaAviation Cooperation Programme (ACP) have entered into a cooperation agreement for skill development in India's aviation sector.

A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and US-IndiaACP under which they will set up a Centre of Excellence focused on skill development programmes in aviation.
"With this collaboration, I am confident that the aviation sector will start breeding best skilled talent pool from Indiawhich will not only address the skill gap in the sector but also address the requirements of other markets around the world," Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudysaid.

Jet Airways launches wireless in-flight entertainment

Mumbai : Jet Airways has begun offering wireless streaming of in-flight entertainment on its domestic flights.

At present the service is available on six Boeing 737 aircraft and it allows passengers to watch movies, television shows, listen to music or play games on their personal devices for free. Two of these aircraft operate Mumbai-Delhi sector. The service will be extended to airline's 75 Boeing 737 aircraft by next March.

Foundation-stone for new international airport to be laid around Dussehra

Agra: After a long wait of over four decades, Agra will finally get a civil air terminal outside the ambit of the Indian Airforce by Dussehra this year, following a campaign run by India Today.
Talking to India Today, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal said that the foundation stone of the international airport at Agra will hopefully be laid by October around Dussehra at Dhanauli village near Malpura gate of the Indian Airforce Base. Singhal said that preparations for the construction of the airport are complete and the central government has informed the UP government of the requisite documentation required to sign over the land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the airport's construction and operation.

India to ensure its airlines get slots in Dubai

New Delhi:  India is going to link granting of slots to its airlines at constrained foreign airports to giving more flying rights or bilaterals to these countries. India will soon hold talks with Dubai for increasing bilaterals and the issue will come up in the deliberations, aviation secretary R N Choubey told TOI.
"Dubai is a slot constrained airport and our airlines have spoken about difficulties in getting slots for more flights there. This issue will be a part of the bilateral discussions we have with Dubai," said Choubey.

India to seek airport slots for its airlines abroad

New Delhi: India will make availability of airport slots for its airlines part of bilateral seat-sharing talks with other nations. Indian airlines have complained about lack of preferred slots in busy airports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "There is a consensus in the ministry that we need to be more vocal about our carriers," said an official in the civil aviation ministry.
Indian airlines complain not having slots in foreign airports hampers their scheduling, curbing the viability of overseas operations.

As Indian economy soars, business class flight bookings see a sharp rise

Mumbai: More wealthy Indians are buying business class seats on international flights, primarily as corporates expand their business interests globally and spend on premium air travel for their senior management.
A year-on-year comparison done for every month since January by some travel firms for ET revealed bookings in the segment jumped by up to 75 per cent.

Chennai Airport segregates air traffic controllers

Chennai: Chennai Airport has segregated air traffic controllers handling arrival and departure. This would help the airline to save 1,300 tonnes of air fuel and also would reduce carbon emission, said officials.

Sylvester Israel, General Manager Air Traffic Management, Chennai said that around 1,300 tonnes of air fuel would be saved every year, besides reducing carbon emissions to the tune of 4,000 tonnes every year with segregation of air traffic controllers handling arrival and departure of aircraft.

Earlier there was a single air traffic controller who would be handling both departures and arrivals.

Air India & SpiceJet may be flying first on regional routes

India is all set to start operating regional flights, and for the first set, Air India and SpiceJet might be lending their services. The decision was taken after the aviation ministry realised that these two carriers already have suitable aircraft in their fleet.

The idea is to provide air connectivity to towns and small cities.

"Bigger jets will not be able to fly these regional routes, but airlines with smaller aircraft can... If Air India increases utilisation of its smaller aircraft, they can surely fly these routes.

GoAir offers discount to defence, police personnel

Hyderabad: GoAir will extend a 10 per cent discount on the base fare for the serving and retired personnel of Defence, Paramilitary, Police and their dependents. The offer is available across GoAir network.
GoAir CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer in a statement here on Thursday said that the gesture was in recognition of their service to the country and to extend gratitude to the forces and their families.

Chaos at Mumbai airport: Shiv Sena backed taxi union rally and Jet Airways evacuation drill

Mumbai: Passengers at the Mumbai airport faced some glitches on Saturday, due to a demonstration,an evacuation drill, an hour-long shut down of the main runway and a heated altercation between angry passengers and the staff of an airline.

Agartala Airport facelift works to begin in Jan

Agartala: The facelift works of Agartala Airport, second business airport of the NE, would start from January next, according to official sources here.
The facelift works are expected to get completed by 2020 with Airports Authority of India (AAI) preparing to hand over the Rs 438 crore project to a construction agency.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanta Chowdhury, who had visited the State, held a meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and apprised him of AAI’s target.

As per the plan, there would be a new terminal building to provide service to around 1,200 passengers daily. Besides six new aprons, facilities would be created for 12 planes to stay at the airport as against only five planes now.

Air cargo association demands increased usage of cargo facilities from industry

Panaji: The Goa Air Cargo Association is called for better utilization of cargo infrastructure in Dabolim airport from local industry.
According to GACA existing infrastructure for cargo transportation at the airport is not used enough by local industry. And industry needs to step up its goods movement from the airport for investors to think about investing in Mopa airport for cargo.
Senior members of GACA said that maximization of Daboim as gateway to air cargo is necessary for the future development of Mopa as a cargo terminal. It will minimize transit period, lower cost of transportation and result in improved inventory for industry.

India to ensure its airlines get slots in Dubai

New Delhi:  India is going to link granting of slots to its airlines at constrained foreign airports to giving more flying rights or bilaterals to these countries. India will soon hold talks with Dubai for increasing bilaterals and the issue will come up in the deliberations, aviation secretary R N Choubey told TOI.
"Dubai is a slot constrained airport and our airlines have spoken about difficulties in getting slots for more flights there. This issue will be a part of the bilateral discussions we have with Dubai," said Choubey.

Big fight over flight emission norms

New Delhi: India is likely to join forces with China to lobby for changes - and even partially block - in a UN-brokered global deal to freeze carbon emissions by the aviation industry at 2020 levels.

The United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will meet next month to finalise the deal that could slow down aviation growth in Asia, besides imposing a carbon emission fee on airlines.
The deal, backed by US negotiators, is being reluctantly supported by the European Union (EU), which at one stage wanted even tougher measures, including punitive taxes on airlines flying to Europe.

Officials said New Delhi had made it clear that it would not agree to the move, which seeks to oblige airlines with international flights to neutralise their emissions through the purchase of offset credits.

India and China also have misgivings about efforts to freeze emissions by 2020 through a structured process, which ICAO sources say will stretch till 2026.

Australia looks to increase direct flights from India

Chennai: Enthused by increasing number of tourists from India, Tourism Australia has intensified its marketing campaign in metro cities. It is planning to increase direct flights to the country from major Indian cities.
Now, travellers fly via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong. In spite of the lengthy journey, number of tourists from Chennai and other major cities has increased. Tamil Nadu comes fourth, when it comes to Australia-bound tourists. The first three states are Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan said, "Australia will lobby for more flights connecting India.

AAI adopt measures to make all airports eco-friendly

New Delhi : The Airports Authority of India, which manages 125 airports, including 18 international airports, is working towards making all its facilities eco-friendly.
Chandigarh Airport, which was inaugurated in September 2015, is the first to be built using environment friendly technology.

The airport has only natural lighting during the day, whereas 40 per cent lights at the facility are LED.

Indian arrivals and spending on the up at Sydney Airport

Indian arrivals at Sydney Airport have grown by nearly 50% and spending has increased 60% since the launch of Air India’s direct service from Delhi to Sydney.

The airport is celebrating the third anniversary of Air India’s inaugural direct service, which it says has significantly boosted tourism and trade over the past three years.

“India is our sixth largest international visitor market and one of our fastest growing markets,” Sydney Airport managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Mather said.

Scoot to start Jaipur-Singapore flight with ‘Kamascootra’ plane

New Delhi:  Singapore’s no-frills airline Scoot will launch flight from Jaipur to the city state with a plane — called ‘Kamascootra’ — from October 2 as it expands services from the country. Scoot, an arm of full-service carrier Singapore Airlines, has flights from Chennai and Amritsar. Scoot’s India chief Bharath Mahadevan said the airline will be getting its 12th aircraft, Dreamliner, in the first week of September and it will be named in a unique way. “To commemorate India services launch, we have decided to call the aircraft ‘Kamascootra’,” he said.

Punjab government’s move to increase length of Chandigarh airport runway draws a flak

Amritsar: Residents and city-based NGO Amritsar Vikas Manch have criticised the Punjab government’s decision to increase the length of Chandigarh airport runway to accommodate flights to the United Kingdom (UK).
They were reacting to the statement of Vishavjit Khanna, secretary, Civil Aviation, Punjab, in which he stated that the government was trying its best to increase the length of the runway of Chandigarh airport to 10,500 feet so that long haul flights to destinations like UK may be started for the people of the state.
A city resident Manmohan Singh said the SAD-BJP coalition government never evinced similar keenness to restart the withdrawn Amritsar – London – Toronto flights of Air India from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport.

Chopper service between Delhi, Agra to begin soon: Minister

Agra: Tourists will very soon be able to travel from Delhi to cities such as Agra, Mathura, Ayodhya, Alwar among others by helicopter. The Union tourism ministry plans to start a chopper service as part of its plans to increase the tourism infrastructure in these cities.
Union minister for culture and tourism, Mahesh Sharma, who was in the city on Sunday, made this announcement, adding that the service would start under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) and the ticket price would not be more than Rs 5,000 for a one-hour flight.

Without runway expansion, no direct Haj flights from Karipur

Kozhikode: For the second year running, there are no direct Haj flights from the Calicut International Airport as the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation is firm that no wide-bodied aircraft will touch down here till the runway is expanded and safeguards are in place.

The situation looks set to continue next year also, though Calicut airport expansion campaigners believe that at least after runway renovation in February 2017, exemption would be given for Haj flights.

The flights were shifted to the Cochin International Airport when runway renovation works began last May.

DGCA approves Air India's proposal of flying over Pacific ocean for San Francisco bound flights

New Delhi: Saving significant fuel costs and time, Air India will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from New Delhi with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new route.
The regulatory nod comes as a boost for the national carrier, which would be doubling the frequency of its Delhi-San Francisco direct flights to six per week from November.

New civilian terminal to soon come up at Agra airport: min

Agra: A new civilian terminal will soon come up at the Kheria air force base here to provide international facilities to passengers visiting the Taj city.

This was stated by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma who inaugurated a private IVF centre here yesterday.

The Kheria airport is at present under the control of Indian Air Force which allows one of its air strips to be used for civilian flights.

Scoot keen to utilize untapped opportunities in Indian aviation

Scoot which launched its services from Singapore to Amritsar and Chennai in May, intends to offer Indians the option to fly internationally at affordable fares with superior product offerings.Citing the largely untapped with promising growth opportunities, backed by a strong GDP growth, a burgeoning young population and the rising affluence of the middle class,Bharat Mahadevan, the Country Head of Scoot-India, believes that with its services to Chennai, Amritsar and Jaipur, India will become the number two market for the Singapore Airlines group in terms of the destinations after China. For Scoot alone , India will become the third market after China and Australia.

Govt notifies 2% excise duty on jet fuel at airports under Regional Connectivity Scheme

New Delhi: Government today notified excise duty of 2 per cent for jet fuel purchased from airports that come under the regional connectivity scheme, which seeks to make flying more affordable.

The concessional excise duty rate would be applicable for airlines as well as cargo operators.

Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), announced as part of the new civil aviation policy, various financial incentives would be extended to airlines that would fly to unserved and underserved areas.

Air Pegasus in talks to sell 30% stake

Air Pegasus Managing Director, Shyson Thomas, says talks are currently ongoing with an undisclosed Singaporean private-equity fund over the possible sale of a 30% stake in the struggling airline.

In an interview with The Economic Times, Thomas said he still expects the carrier, which is owned by Bangalore-based ground-handling services firm Decor Aviation, to resume operations in the coming weeks.

Talks with lessors Elix Aviation Capital and Nordic Aviation Capital have been on-going since the pair attempted to de-register their respective ATR72-500s after Air Pegasus failed to settle its leasing dues last month.

After employee's death, Air India makes use of seat belts mandatory for staff

Soon after one of its employee, a 36-year-old air hostess Shakambari Zutshi succumbed to injuries post a deadly accident on her way to Delhi's Terminal 3, Air India has issued a circular to ask its employees particularly the in-flight service department urging them to use the seat belt in the car.
The circular that was issued by Captain Sameer and has been obtained by India Today says it is meant not only for regular employees but also those who are on contract with the carrier. The circular makes it mandatory for all using office cabs to use seat belts.

India grounds Air Arabia’s designated airline status plea

New Delhi: India has declined a request, for a second time, from the United Arab Emirates’ Ras Al Khaimah to grant flying rights for Air Arabia to connect with Indian cities as its designated carrier.

“Air Arabia didn’t meet the air services’ agreement requirements,” R.N. Choubey, Civil Aviation Secretary, said in an interview. “How can an airline be a designated carrier for two emirates?”The Indian authorities have said that Air Arabia already operates flights to Indian cities from its hub in Sharjah and the same airline cannot be granted flying rights to India from another emirate.

Government offers land in Palghar for 20-seater aircraft production

Mumbai: Maharashtra government has offered 157 acres of land in Palghar district near to a private company to produce its indigenously designed 20-seater commercial aircraft.
A 6-seater aircraft developed by Captain Amol Yadav on the terrace of his building in suburban Kandivali was the centre of attraction at the 'Make In India Week' held at the Bandra-Kurla Complex here in February.

GMR Infra to develop Mopa airport in Goa

Panaji: Bangaluru-based GMR Infrastructure has won the final financial bid for construction of the greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced here today. The claims of all bidders were opened today by a committee comprising senior government officials.
"GMR has won the financial bid and it has pledged 36.99 per cent revenue sharing with the state government after the airport becomes operational," the Chief Minister told reporters.

DGCA may ask airlines to clamp down on in-flight selfies

Worried about security risks arising out of in-flight selfies, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) may soon ask airlines to strictly enforce a ban on taking pictures inside cockpit and at other critical places, including by crew members.
While existing rules also put some restrictions on in-flight photography, the regulator will come out with a detailed set of guidelines in a few days in the wake of certain cases coming to the light about possible security risks from clicking cockpit selfies.

Flights to India affected by Colombo airport upgrade

Colombo: Sri Lankan Airlines has announced the cancellation of flights from Colombo to Chennai, Trichy, Cochin and Bangalore in southern India for three months from January due to runway repair works at the Bandaranaike International Airport. The Lankan national carrier has also cancelled flights flying to Singapore and Male.

Air connectivity to boost North East's economy: Assam CM

Dispur: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said economic activities in the northeast will get a boost with the frequent air connectivity between the region and other parts of the country.

His remarks came as Spice Jet is set to launch new daily flights connecting Silchar with Kolkata, Guwahati and Guwahati with Aizawl from October 4.

Kashmir unrest aftermath: Airlines cut flights as visitors to Srinagar dip

New Delhi: This is the time of the year when flights to Srinagar used to go full. But the 50-day unrest in the valley has led to such a sharp fall in visitors to Srinagar — with hardly any tourists going there and only locals flying in and out for essential work — that airlines have started cutting down on flights to the city and deploying the freed up capacity on other routes.
A senior Airports Authority of India official said the Srinagar airport used to receive daily over 84 domestic flights — 42 arrivals and as many departures -in peak summer. Today , the number of schedule flights is closer to 70, a fall of almost 17%. The number of cancellations, say sources, could only grow if things don't improve fast. Of the six schedule airlines that operate to Srinagar, four have cut frequencies.

AAI: Surat airport capable of handling 40 flights a day

Surat: Airports Authority of India (AAI) in response to a petition filed in Gujarat high court by Surat Airport Action Committee (SAAC) submitted that Surat airport is categorized as 4C licensed airport and is capable of handling about 40 flights, including that of Airbus-320 and Boeing 737-700 daily.
The high court had issued notices to AAI, Union civil aviation ministry, aviation department of Gujarat government, Air India (AI) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) subsequent to a writ petition filed by SAAC on the issue of Surat's air connectivity.

China Airlines to resume cargo services to India

New Delhi: China Airlines , one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, said that it will resume cargo services to India amid optimism toward the fast-growing South Asian economy.

Partnering with India-based Ascent Air, CAL is scheduled to relaunch the cargo service in the Indian market, starting from Aug. 28, after the Taiwanese carrier suspended its cargo flights to India four years ago.

Soon, bunks for AI crew on long haul flights

New Delhi: Air India (AI) cabin crew on long haul flights will now get bunks to sleep on.
The airline has told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation that bunks will be provided on flights with a flying time of over 11hours. This includes mainly non-stops from India to US and, eventually , on India-Australia flights with the induction of new Dreamliners.

Airlines divided over implementing in-flight Wi-Fi

Mumbai/New Delhi: Full-service carriers were encouraged by the government’s decision to allow in-flight internet access, while low-cost carriers remained non-committal, citing pricing concerns.

While SpiceJet quoted expenses involved in upgrading the aircraft for Wi-Fi service, a senior IndiGo executive was sceptical about the viability of on-board Wi-Fi hotspots in domestic flights, given most routes are short haul. “If you ask me, I don’t think it will be sensible for an airline to invest in such facilities on routes of two-and-a-half hour duration,” said the IndiGo executive.
“In a budget airline environment, how this extra cost will affect ticket price is an aspect that needs to be looked into. This is a good initiative by the government but from the industry’s point of view, it is distant reality,” a SpiceJet spokesperson added.

Rudy gives flyers behind-the-scene glimpse of the aviation industry

New Delhi: Behind the scene activities in the Indian aviation sector were brought out in the open late on Wednesday when Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, recalled that when he was the Civil Aviation Minister at the Centre in 2003, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines had approached him asking not to allow Air Deccan to fly in the Indian skies.

“Captain Gopinath (the promoter of Air Deccan) would huff and come to my room and Air India, Jet Airways and Sahara (would) collectively come to see that this airline did not exist. But that was the game. However, when he succeeded in getting a licence and started the airline the whole landscape, the eco-system of civil aviation changed.

Now Air India planning direct flight to Singapore from Chandigarh

Chandigarh: After Sharjah, Air India is eying Singapore for a direct international flight from Chandigarh.
“I am happy to announce that our parent company is planning to start more international flights from Chandigarh. The date is not confirmed, but the intention to start the international flight is firm,” K Shyam Sundar, CEO, Air India Express, told the media on Thursday. “I believe they [Air India] are examining Singapore as the potential destination. This is something the CMD of Air India has told me to inform that Air India has plans to start operations from Chandigarh.”

Wadia group may field GoAir IPO by end 2017-18

Wadia Group-owned low-cost carrier GoAir’s initial public offering (IPO) is likely to happen by the end of FY17-18, while the airline is expected to finalise the global co-coordinators in the next three months.
Major domestic investment firms like SBI caps, Kotak Mahindra, Edelweiss and Motilal Oswal have pitched in for book-running lead managers for the issue, investment bankers privy to the development told FE. According to them, the timing of the IPO would depend mainly on the macro market conditions.

Mock exercise to check preparedness of airport agencies held

Kozhikode: An 'air crash' of a Qatar Airways airline with 20 CISF officials and airline staff as passengers and prioritisation of 'casualties' was conducted at Calicut International airport at nearby Karipur today as part of a mock drill to check the efficacy and preparedness of agencies in handling emergency situations in a real life scenario.

CMR Group chief donates 23 acres land for intl airport project

Farmers and businessmen are coming forward to relinquish their land for the international airport coming up at Bhogapuram in the district. Chairman of the CMR Group, Mavuri Venkataramana has handed over 23 acres of land in Bhogapuram mandal to the district collector for the mega project, to be developed by Bhogapuram International Airport Company Ltd (BIACL), a press release issued by District Collector office said.

Rajasthan airport to use runway for flights and road traffic

New Delhi: An airport where the airstrip can double up as runway for flights and for road traffic is being constructed in Rajasthan.

Mentioning about the construction of such an airport in Rajasthan, the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said similar projects are being planned in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and some other border districts.
According to him, an airport is being built in Rajasthan that would also have national highways' cement concrete road.

When the road is closed, aeroplanes can land and takeoff from there, then road traffic can resume, Gadkari said in New Delhi last night.

'India poised to become one of world's largest aviation markets'

New Delhi: Driven by a strong passenger traffic growth, India is poised to become one of the largest aviation markets in the world, according to a global body of airports.
The Airports Council International (ACI) said that major commercial airports in China, India and Korea remained the major driving forces for the robust air passenger growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
"India is also poised to be one of the largest aviation markets in the world in the years to come.
"The combination of a move towards a more liberalised market for aviation, coupled with stronger economic fundamentals, helped the country become one of the fastest- growing markets in the world," ACI said in a release.

Wifi to be allowed on Indian Civilian aircraft in 10 days

New Delhi:  Passengers on civilian aircraft are all set to enjoy the benefits of long elusive WiFi on board aircraft flying in and out of India, as the Home, Telecom and Aviation ministries have reached on a consensus on the issue, said a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official on Wednesday.

“We will soon, within 10 days, be allowed to allow wifi on board aircraft flying in and out of the country,” civil aviation secretary R N Choubey said at the Air Passenger Association of India’s  (APAI) silver jubilee celebrations.

He was replying to a question on how soon the government would be able to permit wifi on board aircraft in India. Choubey went on to point out that there was a security issue and the ministries of home, telecommunications and aviation ministries have almost achieved consensus on the issue.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport voted “Best Metro Airport” by Air Passengers Association of India

Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has been conferred with the award of “Best Metro Airport” in India. CSIA was voted as the best airport at the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) event held in the national capital on Wednesday. The award was presented to CSIA by Union Minister Smriti Irani. According to critics, the award was conferred upon CSIA as it offers best-in-class comfort and convenience to travellers among other airports in the league.