Ahmedabad: The matter of keeping the area surrounding the Sardar Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad garbage-free -- to avoid drawing birds which pose an airborne threat to flights taking off and landing -- has been on the authorities' radar for at least a decade.
However, a solution for this is yet to be found, even after a series of meetings between officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
It is believed that the increasing number of birds in the vicinity of the airport can be attributed to the absence of an effective solid-waste management system, as the waste, which is consequently thrown in open grounds, lures the birds to the area.
Now, with the aim of finding a solution for the problem, and also to understand the residents' grievances, the AMC has planned to hold discussions with those living along the periphery of the airport. On Monday, officials of the civic body will meet the residents of these areas, specifically to enquire into the reason for them not dumping their garbage in the bins provided.
The official said that the meeting is being conducted to hear out the citizens' complaints, so as to fashion a solution for their problems.
The AMC has, meanwhile, begun cleaning the areas around the airport and has sealed two butcher shops. "There are around 10 such shops selling meat in the areas, and we have sealed two of these," an official of the municipal corporation said. It is pertinent to note that it is illegal to run butcher shops within 15 km of an airport, yet these shops are operational in the surrounding areas.
22/11/09 Niyati Rana/Daily News & Analysis
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Birdbrains beat Ahmedabad airport
Saudia, Gulf Air jets avert midair collision
Mumbai: Alert Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) at the Mumbai airport averted a major mid-air collision between two aircraft that came within a vertical separation height of 800 feet, 200 feet less than what it should have been.
An ATC official told Arab News that the incident occurred on Thursday night about 120 nautical miles west of Mumbai, and was noticed when the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) of the Gulf Air flight GF 064 heading toward Mumbai alerted the pilot of an intruding aircraft — Saudi Arabian Airlines SV 601.
The Gulf Air flight, which had taken off from Bahrain, was descending to land in Mumbai with 180 passengers on board. The Saudia flight, a Boeing 747, was flying over the Mumbai airspace on way to Jeddah from Dhaka and had 377 passengers on board. The Saudia aircraft, the ATC official said, had deviated from its flight path and had climbed 200 feet without permission from the ATC. The pilot of the Gulf Air aircraft spotted the Saudi aircraft climbing into its airspace on his warning system.
The ATC intervened at this stage and asked the Saudia pilot to maintain its given altitude.
The vertical separation minima between two aircraft are 1,000 feet. The Saudia pilot informed the ATC that probably due to passenger movement in the aircraft, the center of gravity on the plane was disturbed and he had to climb 200 feet, reducing the vertical minima between him and the Gulf Air aircraft, and at that time, the Saudia aircraft was at 34,000 feet.
22/11/09 Shahid Raza Burney/Arab News, Saudi Arabia
Safety pledge as airline denies midair near-miss
Gulf Air yesterday insisted that no passengers were in danger after one of its aircraft came within 800 vertical feet of another plane during a flight to Mumbai.
GF064, with 180 people on board, was travelling towards the Indian city when the pilot was warned by an on board Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) about the proximity of an "intruding" Saudi Airlines plane.
It happened around 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai on Thursday and meant the distance between the aircraft was 200ft less than the specified industry guidelines.
"The Saudi aircraft had climbed 200 feet without permission from the Air Traffic Control (ATC)," said an airport official quoted on the Indian Express newspaper website.
"The pilot of the Gulf Air aircraft had spotted another aircraft climbing into its airspace on his warning system."
The Saudi Airlines flight, with 377 passengers on board, was flying over Mumbai to Riyadh from Dhaka.
However, ATC officials intervened and asked the pilot to maintain its altitude.
A Gulf Air spokeswoman yesterday confirmed the incident, but played down safety fears.
22/11/09 Gulf Daily News, Bahrain
AAI re-issues Dabolim tender
Panaji: Airport Authority of India has re-issued the tender for construction of an integrated terminal at the civil enclave, Dabolim, at an estimated cost of Rs 197.53 crore barely four days after a controversy broke out over the "scrapping" of the original tender.
"The tender has been released by our Delhi office and the job has been re-tendered without any change in the size and scope of the terminal building and other infrastructure being undertaken for upgradation of Dabolim airport, Goa," an AAI official said.
Meanwhile, Goa airport director Paul Manickam again clarified on the tender process.
22/11/09 Times of India
AirWorks plans to invest Rs 180 cr
Bangalore: AirWorks, a Mumbai-based MRO (maintenance, repair & overhaul) company, plans to invest up to Rs 180 crore to expand and will look at raising funds through equity or debt in the near future. The company is raising resources for building an additional hangar, a dedicated paint operation and for future engine/component MRO activities.
AirWorks, which is hoping to report revenues of Rs 100 crore by the end of this fiscal, has a commercial MRO in Hosur with one hangar capable of housing two ATR 72-size aircraft or one narrow-body aircraft (Boeing 737). It has eight service centres in India and plans to build one more wide-body hangar by the end of 2010.
AirWorks, owned by the Menon family in Mumbai, had raised Rs 100 crore from Punj Lloyd and US-PE fund Global Technology Investment in late 2007.
The 58-year-old independent aviation MRO firm recently secured the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for its Hosur unit, based on which it hopes to draw more global customers. It has been marketing its services abroad, focussing in a big way on West Asia and neighbouring Asia countries. Till now, AirWorks was constrained by lack of certification from abroad and so was unable to attract business from outside, said Chief Executive Fredrik Groth.
AirWorks, along with four-five other MROs in the country, are in a market that is estimated to be around $250 million and services mostly business jets and helicopters. Many of these are being routed to South East Asia or West Asia. The market that AirWorks is looking to tap is airlines, said to be worth over $350 million. Most of this business goes abroad to facilities that have EASA or FAA certification.
22/11/09 Praveen Bose/Business Standard
The making of India’s biggest airport
Away from some of the more visible projects in Delhi, one of the biggest construction efforts in the country is about four months away from completion. Over 20,000 workers are working round the clock everyday—among them 100 foreign nationals working in the planning and construction effort—to give wings to one of India’s most ambitious projects: Delhi’s new airport terminal, T3, that will cater to both international and domestic flights.
Work is on at a frantic pace to meet the March 2010 deadline. About 82 per cent work is over and its developers—the GMR group and Fraport (Frankfurt Airport)—are confident the airport will be ready in the next four months and ready to handle 27 million passengers a year.
With 78 aerobridges, of which 71 are already installed, the new terminal will be one of the few in the world to service all aircraft through aerobridges. Changi airport in Singapore has 64 aerobridges. The terminal building covers an area of about 5 million square feet—just the area of its roof accounts for 20 acres. While the developers have to get the terminal ready by March 2010, it may get operational only by July after all the certifications are in place.
With its scale and size, the new terminal is set to change the traveller’s perception. For instance, the forecourt where vehicles line up to drop passengers, will have 10 lanes with dedicated lanes for buses and cabs.
Once inside the departure hall, there will be six check-in islands with 168 check-in counters. This will be an integrated terminal for both domestic and international flights, which will make it easier for transit passengers. However, the plan is to allow only those domestic airlines which fly international to start operations from here.
22/11/09 Indian Express
