Domestic airlines flew 17% more passengers in August

New Delhi: Domestic airlines carried 52.60 lakh passengers in August — an increase of 17 per cent against the same period last year.
According to the latest passenger data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines increased in August due to the start of the peak season; the three holidays during the month (Janmashtami, Independence Day and Id-ul-Fitr), also helped. “Since Id-ul-Fitr fell on Friday, it created an extended weekend,” the data indicated.
Read News In full 17/09/13 Business Line

Flight operations from Mumbai set to get costlier

Mumbai: Cost of operations at Mumbai airport are set to rise with Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) fixing higher rent in upcoming international terminal and introducing a levy on packed food items sold on board low cost airlines.
Mumbai airport handled over 30 million passengers last year and is the second busiest airport after Delhi

Falling rupee adds Rs 100 cr to Air India's monthly expenses

New Delhi:The unexpected steep rise in jet fuel prices coupled with devaluation of rupee are adding a burden of almost Rs 100 crore every month to the expenses of state-owned Air India.   
However, the national carrier is hopeful that it will tide over the situation and meet the financial targets set by the government under the turnaround plan.   

Uttarakhand govt to invest Rs 200 cr in chopper landing facilities

Dehradun:Keeping in view the repeated natural disasters that frequently damage roads and bridges, the Uttarakhand government has planned to spend around Rs 200 crore to strengthen the civil aviation sector and set up 40 chopper landing facilities in the hill state.

BCAS orders check of passengers, baggage to election-bound states

New Delhi: Reports of transportation of unauthorised arms, contraband and large sums of money to the five poll-bound states on chartered aircraft, helicopters and through passengers of commercial airlines have prompted Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to modify standard operating procedures (SOPs) and issue fresh guidelines to ensure a "level playing field during the election process".

The IAS flies abroad

New Delhi:The Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government supposedly believes in personal austerity, but that clearly does not extend to the perquisites of office for India's most senior officers.

Two former Vancounver airport screeners on trial for smuggling ecstasy

The trial for two former security screeners accused of helping to smuggle drugs through the Vancouver airport began in B.C. provincial court on Thursday. Ajitpal Singh Judge and Gurvinder Singh Pahl were arrested in 2011 and charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, possession for the purpose of exporting, and breach of trust by a public officer. The pair worked for a security company contracted by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and allegedly helped a man named Dylan Green smuggle 15 kilograms of ecstasy through the airport. Police say Green was stopped in May 2011 by Canada Border Services Agency officers in the post-security section of U.S. departures. They say he admitted he was carrying drugs in his backpack. Green entered a guilty plea in court on Thursday.
Read news in full 16/09/13 CanIndia

Airports Authority of India unions write to CMs against airport privatization

Ahmedabad: The joint forum of unions and associations of Airports Authority of India (AAI) has sought the intervention of chief ministers of six states to stop the privatization of the six airports by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Airports Authority Employees' Union (AAEU) at the Ahmedabad airport last week wrote a letter to chief minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate intervention and stopping the proposed action of privatization by the Central government.

Jet Airways' commercial strategy head KG Vishwanath steps down

Mumbai: Jet Airways' head of commercial strategy KG Vishwanath has put in his papers — the second key resignation in less than four months — even as the airline awaits regulatory clearances for its stake sale to Etihad Airways.
A senior executive at the airline confirmed the development. Also, one of the airline's key directors and a key member of the promoter group, Anita Goyal, has been shifted from her current position as executive vice-president of network planning and revenue management to an advisory role, he added.

Air tickets booked in advance get costlier; cost jumps 56% in 1 month

In the latest blow to air travellers, Indian carriers have hiked fares for advance purchase, making tickets booked even three months ahead up to 56% costlier over last month.
Roiled by recent fuel price hikes, the rupee's sharp fall against the US dollar and lower margins from previous rock-bottom fares, carriers such as Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir have continuously been raising fares in September. The first hike was an average 25%; it was followed by another 15% rise. While drastic increases are usually implemented for spot or instant fares, travel company executives said the rise in advance purchase tickets was worrisome.
Read News In Full 16/09/13 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

Kingfisher Airlines case: Karnataka HC summons Vijay Mallya

Bangalore: The Karnataka high court on Monday directed UB group chairman Vijay Mallya to appear before it on Tuesday in connection with a bunch of winding up petitions filed by creditors who are trying to get back close to Rs 600 crore from his company.
Justice Ram Mohan Reddy asked Mallya to appear in court and bring along his passport.
Certain companies, including BNP Paribas, which are creditors to United Breweries Holding Limited had filed company petitions in the high court seeking winding up of UBHL as the holding company was unable to pay its debts.
UBHL, holding company of the UB group, is contesting in the court the admission of six winding up petitions filed by aircraft lessors and financiers of crisis-hit Kingfisher Airlines last year.
Read News In Full 16/09/13 PTI/Times of India

Jet-Etihad Airways deal challenged in Supreme Court

New Delhi: The controversial multi-crore Rupees Jet-Etihad Airways deal today reached the Supreme Court with senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy filing a petition seeking to quash the approval given to it by the Centre.
In a voluminous petition, Swamy also sought a CBI probe against the government officials who had cleared the deal.

Are you willing to bet on aviation?

New Delhi: The past year has seen changes in the structure of the Indian aviation industry. My views on the sector remain jaundiced. Airline stocks are always disastrous for long-term investors. Very few airlines make money consistently due to extreme cyclicality.
However, precisely due to the cyclicality, it is sometimes an attractive short-term trading play. Stock prices can crash, recover and crash again in short sharp bursts of action. If the trader is on the right side of these moves, he can make quick money.

IGI to test US body scanners at terminal 1D

New Delhi:The mundane task of scanning what gets on an aircraft from IGI Airport's low-cost domestic terminal, 1D, is all set to become an eye-popping one. The aviation authorities have decided to install body scanners at this terminal by the year-end to test and evaluate a new technology being used in the US for acceptability in India.
According to sources, the United States Trade and Development Agency offered to get one of its leading scan manufacturers to give one or two machines to India for testing, so that the country can see how useful they are and then hopefully place a big order.

HC clears trial of officer who flew family around the world in Rs 1 lakh

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has dismissed IPS officer Manoj Malaviya's petition seeking relief in a 2010 case where he was charged with corruption and possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The high court decision paves the way for the Central Bureau of Investigation to prosecute Malaviya, who as additional commissioner of the Bureau of Civil Aviation allegedly vacationed in 28 international destinations with his family by pulling favours from various quarters.
Malaviya, a 1986 batch IPS officer who was on deputation with the civil aviation ministry, allegedly used his influence with domestic and international carriers, airport operators, travel portals and various other private companies in the aviation sector.