The British transport secretary said last week images taken by new full-body X-ray scanners, which capture in detail the human anatomy, would be destroyed immediately and not pose a risk to travellers' privacy.
But Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan has inadvertently put paid to the government's claims, telling BBC talk show host Jonathan Ross that he autographed printed scans of his own body for two female security officers.
"I came out [of the scanner] and then I saw these girls and they had these printouts," Khan said.
"So I looked at them, I thought maybe it's a form you're supposed to [sign] ... and you could see everything inside.
"And then I've autographed them for them."
The scanners are in use at Heathrow and Manchester airports, with Birmingham airport set to follow suit later this month.
".. it is very important to stress that the images which are captured by body scanners are immediately deleted after the passenger has gone through the body scanner.
"Staff are, of course, properly trained and supervised who manage the body scanners," British transport secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC last week about the new system.
10/02/10 Georgina Robinson/Sydney Morning Herald, Austarlia
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Exposed: Shah Rukh Khan makes mockery of nude airport scanners
Scan safeguards no match for sex, celebrity
Airline screeners at a London airport printed and copied the full-body scan of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan even though the authorities had promised that the scans would be instantly deleted and that the staff would be unaware of whom they were screening.
Khan was good-natured about it. He said on British TV that as he was leaving the scanner, "I saw these girls -- they had printouts. I looked at them. I thought they were forms you had to fill. I said, 'Give them to me' -- and you could see everything inside. So I autographed them for them."
He was, after all, in England on a publicity tour for his new film, "My Name Is Khan," about the tribulations of an Indian Muslim couple who must cross the United States to reunite in the aftermath of 9/11.
The combination of curiosity and prurience can be overwhelming. There were the passport clerks who made unauthorized searches of the applications of film stars and prominent politicians.
Given human nature, these lapses are almost bound to happen. Most of us lack Khan's intoxicating draw of sex and celebrity, but all that stands between us and appearing nude on the Internet is the TSA's good intentions.
09/02/10 Editorial/Dale McFeatters, Scripps News
Air India to consider Dublin for European hub this fortnight
New Delhi: India and Ireland are likely to expand their air services pact to allow their flag carriers—Air India and Aer Lingus, respectively—to start flying to the two countries, said a civil aviation ministry official familiar with the development.
The move comes as Air India is set to consider Ireland’s Dublin airport as a potential new hub in Europe for its one-stop flights between India and the US, he said.
Air India, run by National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, has been scouting for an airport in Europe that’s cheaper to operate than its current hub in Frankfurt, Germany.
The airline’s chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav and senior civil aviation ministry officials will inspect the airport in the Irish capital this fortnight, the ministry official said.
The airports at Copenhagen, Denmark and Vienna, Austria are also likely hubs. But Dublin offers an advantage as the only European airport where passengers can clear immigration for the US, and avoid long queues at congested airports such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Another ministry official said it was too early to take a decision on moving to a new hub in Europe, given that Air India is fighting for a government bailout to remain afloat.
A London-based aviation analyst said the facility of US immigration clearance was drawing even European airlines to Dublin.
10/02/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint
AAI wants pedestal off statue near airport
New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked BK Birla Trust, developers of Birla Kanan near IGI Airport, to reduce the height of the 80-feet Shiva statue by taking off its pedestal.
According to the AAI, the statue is taller than the height specified in the no-objection certificate (NoC) issued to the Trust in 1993.
Senior officials said AAI has also asked the Trust to temporarily stop work on the construction of a Buddha statue, slated to be 54 feet tall, at Birla Kanan. The AAI has sought complete details of the plan before it is given a go-ahead, according to officials.
Officials said the NoC was issued to the Trust for the Shiva statue to be 74 feet above the ground. But the statue stands at a total of 80 feet — 65 feet of the statue plus the 15-foot pedestal.
After the IGI Airport’s new runway, 29-11, became operational in 2008, the statue has created an obstruction for pilots approaching the runway from the east. Pilots say they have to keep the Shiva statue in mind before beginning the final descent as it lies in the funnel area of landing, or the point where an aircraft begins to descend.
10/02/10 Geeta Gupta/Indian Express
AAI to hive air traffic off into new subsidiary
New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to hive off its Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations into a separate subsidiary company. It plans to conclude the restructuring within a year.
ATC operations provide over 60 per cent of AAI revenue. The move is to ensure focus on revamp of ATC, particularly the key area of staff hiring, where there is a big shortage.
As part of the process, AAI will have a new member on its board to monitor the functioning of ATC, said a senior official. He will be called member (air navigation service provider). Currently, the job is looked after by member (operations).
There are 1,600 ATC officers across the country, which is far below the requirement. It is one reason for increasing incidents of near-collisions in the air. According to ATC sources, they require another 800 officers. The government has plans to hire 400 retired ATC officers, from both the civil and military sides.
Hiving off ATC operations will formally bring down the revenue earning of AAI by 60 per cent. It earned Rs 4,186 crore and made a profit of Rs 687 crore in 2008-09.
10/02/10 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard
Steps to strengthen the Directorate General of Civil Aviation
New Delhi: With air traffic in India on the rise again after a year of lull, the government has initiated a series of measures to strengthen the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and give it more teeth.
While there has been a long-pending demand for segregation of DGCA's supervisory and regulatory roles, the unprecedented growth in air traffic for the past six years has made the government to give high priority to strengthening its regulatory mechanism, official sources said here today.
As per official figures, aircraft movements have risen from 7,17,597 in 2004-05 to 13,06,532 in 2008-09 and total passenger traffic from 37 million to 69 million.
Asked whether there was any move to bifurcate DGCA, they said there was "no such proposal or thinking at present. But we have already initiated steps to strengthen all aspects of DGCA and its activities".
At a meeting last week, DGCA got feedback from stakeholders on a proposal to create a Civil Aviation Authority.
10/02/10 Zee News
Porter jailed for stealing jewellery
Dubai: A former porter at Dubai International Airport was sentenced yesterday to three months in prison for stealing jewellery from luggage.
WL, 24, from India, was convicted in the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance of taking four silver bracelets from a bag destined for an aircraft on December 4.
An airport security guard told prosecutors that WL triggered an alarm when he passed through a security scanner. When he was searched, two bracelets were found in his possession.
When he passed through the scanner a second time another two bracelets were discovered.
The guard said the defendant had confessed to him, saying he stole the items while he was transporting luggage to an aircraft.
09/02/10 Awad Mustafa/The National, UAE
Ohio man charged after blowing past security at airport with no ticket, bags
Kaylan Policherla had no ticket or baggage when he walked up to a passenger security gate Monday morning at Detroit Metro Airport - and just kept going.
"He just walked into the airport, past the individual who checks your boarding pass and ID and then walked through the passenger screening checkpoint without stopping," said airport spokesman Michael Conway said.
Conway and airport police said Policherla, 27, a native of India who became a U.S. citizen in 2005 and resides in Bryan, Ohio, ignored Transportation Security Administration officers at the McNamara Terminal who repeatedly told him to stop.
Police were notified and emergency procedures implemented immediately. Security gates closed around the area and authorities ordered other passengers in the area to leave the terminal immediately. Moments of fear and some panic ensued as dozens of people grabbed their belongings and fled the terminal to the parking structure across the way.
Police said they had to jolt Policherla with a Taser to gain control. He was taken into custody and charged this afternoon with entering an airport in violation of security requirements, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison.
08/02/10 Matt Helms/Timmy Stables Battaglia/Freep.com, USA
Etihad to support worldwide premiere Of ‘My Name Is Khan’
Etihad Airways today announced it would support the Indian Bollywood film ‘My name is Khan,’ -in association with Fox Star Studios, Twentieth Century Fox International, Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Empire International - flying in the film’s major stars Kajol Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan, the film’s Director Karan Johar, and additional members of the cast and crew to Abu Dhabi for the movie’s worldwide premiere on Wednesday.
Etihad’s television commercial and branding will appear at the film premiere, and the airline will run a competition for members of its Loyalty program, Etihad Guest, offering two lucky couples the chance to meet the film’s stars. The airline will also fly members of the cast and crew to Germany for the movie’s European premiere the following day.
09/02/10 Al Bawaba, UAE
Lubna Al Qasimi meets India's Minister of State for Civil Aviation
New Delhi: Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade who is currently visiting India has discussed with Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation the bilateral cooperation and the potential for developing commercial air traffic between the two countries.
The two sides discussed the possibility of accelerating the implementation of the requests submitted from some Emirates airlines to operate flights between UAE and India.
During the meeting, Sheikha Lubna explained that the promotion of bilateral air traffic between UAE and India will contribute to enhance trade, investment and tourism since the two countries are keen to promote business partnerships for mutual economic benefits.
09/02/10 WAM, Emirates News Agency
RGIA bags three Integrated Management System certifications
Mumbai: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad has become the first airport in the PPP (Public Private Partnership) sector to achieve IMS certifications comprising Quality, Safety and Environment management systems. International Quality Management standard ISO 9001:2008, Environment Management Standard ISO – 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management standard BS OHSAS 18001:2007.
The certification follows a formal audit by external auditors, Bureau Veritas Certification (India) Pvt. Ltd., with the key areas of strengths in the assessment including companies systems and procedures, as well as staff awareness of how they contribute to overall success of these goals. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has already been certified ISO 27001:2005 (Information Security Management System) in 2009.
Furthermore, RGIA is also compatible for 2D Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mandate.
09/02/10 TravelBizMonitor
Paramount partners with Hotel Leelaventure
Chennai: Paramount Airways, India’s premium business class airline, on Tuesday, entered into a strategic alliance with Hotel Leelaventure. The alliance will benefit members of Paramount’s unique frequent flier loyalty programme “Paramount Royale”.
Paramount Royale has now been reconstructed with new product benefits and programme structure. Effective Tuesday, Paramount Royale members can earn 500 RoyaleMiles per eligible stay across any hotel of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
In addition to the RoyaleMiles, members are also entitled to a host of special benefits and privileges based on their tier status in the programme. These benefits include early/late check-out, no extra charges on room for double occupancy, upgrade to next room category and complimentary use of the health club.
10/02/10 ExpressBuzz
Bangalore airport authority reveals winners of design contest
The VisionAir student engagement programme organised by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) concluded today with 12 finalists from Bangalore’s leading architectural colleges presenting their final designs for the public space at Bengaluru International Airport.
The award ceremony was hosted by BIAL CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler.
“The designs that the participants presented were all based on very strong and unique concepts and the conclusion was a spectacular range of concepts and ideas," said Hungerbuehler.
The two winning teams, each collecting a prize of Rs50,000, were Vishwa S, Arjun Jayswal and Dundu Biswana JK from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology and Karan Shetty, Karan Singh and Prabodh Agarwal from RV College of Engineering. A consolation prize was also announced for Alok Shetty and Akash Raju from RV College of Engineering.
09/02/10 Matt Willey/The Moodie Report
Pashma selects Mumbai Airport for its first travel retail outlet
Family-owned company Pashma, the specialist supplier of luxury scarves and stoles, has opened its first self-owned and managed airport outlet.
The store, which began trading at Mumbai International Airport on 9 January 2010, aims to characterise Pashma's 'vintage minimalism' design philosophy.
The brightly lit, sophisticated fit-out started attracting travellers even while the merchandise was being put up for display, Pashma's Deepti Kumar told The Moodie Report.
"The store opened at 8pm and the first day's takings exceeded the wildest expectations of all, and the takings at the end of the week showed the trend of the first day," Kumar added.
09/02/10 Mary Jane Pittilla/The Moodie Report
