Jet barred from selling Sahara shares

Lucknow/New Delhi: Subrata Roy's Air Sahara on Friday staged a minor victory in its legal battle with erstwhile suitor Jet Airways, with the district court here extending its stay on the joint escrow account created for their merger, till June 30.
The court also barred Jet from selling Air Sahara's shares - which were pledged with Jet - to recover advance payment of Rs 500 crore.
___________________________________

Deal with Jet still ‘subsisting’
Lucknow: Air Sahara on Friday claimed
before a Court here that the Rs 2,300-crore
take-over deal with Jet Airways was
“still subsisting” despite the expiry
of deadline of the share-purchase
agreement on June 21.Senior Advocate
Dushyant Dave appearing for the airline
said after the agreement was signed,
everything was handed over to Jet
and now the fate of 4,500 Sahara employees
were at stake, besides the money involved
in the deal.
24/06/06 PTI/Mumbai Mirror
__________________________________
During three hours of arguments, senior advocates representing the two airlines argued over which court has the jurisdiction to hear the case.

__________________________________
Jet-Sahara case adjourned till June 30
Lucknow: The arguments of Jet Airways and Air
Sahara on the failed acquisition deal remained
inconclusive today at the District Court, which
fixed June 30 as the next date of hearing. Directing
that the interim order freezing the escrow account
will continue till further orders, District and Sessions
Judge Shiv Charan Sharma said that if needed,
the matter could be heard on July 1 also.
23/06/06 The Hindu
__________________________________

On Thursday, its chief Naresh Goyal had been advised by a couple of well-wishers to try for an amicable settlement in place of bitter litigation.
Goyal, however, turned down the advice after consultations with his lawyers in London. "You have got an excellent case,"Goyal's lawyers are learnt to have told him.
24/06/06 Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi/Times of India

Review of security clearance for Jet boss demanded

New Delhi: Former civil aviation minister Sharad Yadav has asked for a review of security clearance given to India's largest private airline Jet Airways, and said intelligence reports on its chief Naresh Goyal were ignored.
'A case should be filed against Goyal and he should be arrested immediately on the basis of information available with the government,' Yadav, a senior Janata Dal (United) leader, told a press conference here Friday.
'Till June 21, the government was undecided on the security clearance to Goyal. I would like to know what happened that in the next 24 hours that the clearance was given to him?' Yadav queried.
Jet was to execute a contract to take over Air Sahara by 21 midnight but had made it incumbent on getting a security clearance.
23/06/06 Indo Asian News Service/DailyIndia.com, US

Security clearance for Goyal is 'unconditional': Duggal

New Delhi: The security clearance given by the Union Home Ministry to Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal is "unconditional", Home Secretary V K Duggal said tonight.
"The security clearance given by the Home Ministry to Naresh Goyal is unconditional and is without any rider," he told reporters here.
Duggal was responding questions on the issue in the wake of certain charges made by JD-U chief Sharad Yadav against Goyal. The Home Ministry had yesterday stated there was nothing adverse against goyal from the security angle.
A senior Home Ministry official said the clearance for Goyal was given on the basis of inputs from the Intelligence Bureau, research and analysis wing and CBI.
23/06/06 Zee News

Air Deccan announces special fares for monsoons

Bangalore: Air Deccan on Friday launched its special 'Monsoon Hungama' offer, under which 150,000 tickets would be sold at prices ranging from Re one to Rs 1,774.
The special fares, exclusive of taxes and surcharge, will be open for travel between July one and July 31, 2006, an Air Deccan statement said.
23/06/06 PTI/Hindustan Times

Kingfisher offers business class tickets at half price

New Delhi: Kingfisher Airlines Ltd today announced a promotional scheme, First Companion, to attract more business travellers.
Under `First Companion`, the airline offers the second ticket to a business class traveller for half the original price.
A business class traveller can nominate a companion of choice and avail tickets for the companion at a 50 per cent discount, a Kingfisher release said.
The offer is valid till September 30, it said.
23/06/06 Zee News

Kanishka crash: Prayer meeting held at Gurgaon

Gurgaon: A prayer ceremony was held on Friday on the 21st anniversary of the Air India Boeing 747 Kanishka air crash at Om Indu Rural Hospital in village Dhankot on the Gurgaon-Sultanpur Road.
The meeting was organised by one of the victims of the 1985 tragedy which had claimed 329 people aboard the plane.
Chief guest for the occasion was Lucie Edwards, High Commissioner of Canada in India.
Gurgaon Senior Superintendent of Police Hanif Qureshi, Civil Surgeon Dr D V Saharan, City Magistrate Ajay Malik, First Secretary Canadian High Commission Ayesha Rekhi were also present on the occasion.
Om Indu Rural Hospital was built in memory of Om Jain, his wife Indu and their two children Ruchi and Rikki who were among those who lost their lives in the crash.
23/06/06 Delhi Newsline

Air India families attend memorial ceremony

Families of the victims of the Air India bombing gathered in Toronto Friday for a groundbreaking memorial ceremony overlooking Lake Ontario.
They were joined by federal and provincial ministers, Toronto councillors and members of the India Canada Association.
The event, which included a ceremonial groundbreaking to launch the construction of a new monument, comes 21 years to the day after Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland.
"Let this be a beacon of peace; let this be a beacon of saying 'no' to those who choose violence," Ontario Provincial Immigration Minister Mike Colle told the gathering.
A public inquiry into the terrorist bombing, which killed 329 people -- including 280 Canadians -- began this week.
23/06/06 CTV.ca, Canada

Pawan hans: two more helicopters added to fleet

Mumbai: India's national helicopter company, Pawan Hans, was honoured by Eurocopter—manufacturers of the Dauphin helicopters—in a ceremony on Friday, for clocking 3.05 lakh flying hours—a world record—in offshore operations. Two Dauphin N3s are also being given to Pawan Hans by Eurocopter. Pawan Hans now has 23 Dauphin helicopters (17 N and 6 N3 helicopters), making it the world’s biggest offshore Dauphin fleet.
23/06/06 Mumbai Newsline

Trade unions deplore decision to close down Begumpet airport

Hyderabad: Trade unions in the country would not take the increasing privatisation and disinvestment lying down and were getting ready to launch a sustained agitation, said Gurudas Dasgupta, MP and general secretary, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday.
He was speaking to presspersons after a meeting at the Begumpet airport by members of Airports Authority Employees' Union (AAEU) to protest against privatisation of airports.
AAEU national president S.R. Santhanam said it was a pity that Government wanted to close down the Begumpet airport that had Rs. 800 crore of asset value and posted revenue of Rs. 11 crores every month.
24/06/06 The Hindu

Taj Mahal may be declared as no-flying zone

Agra: With a view to protect the Taj Mahal, local authorities are considering imposing a no-flying zone over the 17th century monument, sources said on Friday.
"A proposal to impose a no-flying zone, with a radius of seven kilometre, over the Taj Mahal has been sent to Air Force authorities," sources in the Divisional Commissioner's office said.
23/06/06 Times of India

BIAL approves two catering service bids

Bangalore: LSG Sky Chefs (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Taj SATS Catering Ltd. are set to bag independent contracts for providing flight-catering services at the Bangalore International Airport, which is under construction.
The Board of Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) has approved bids submitted by LSG Sky Chefs and Taj SATS Catering on the basis of an evaluation carried out by the company management. Gate Gourmet/Ambassador's Sky Chef emerged third in the bidding process.
The BIAL has decided to award two flight-catering concessions to two independent operators. Each concessionaire will design, build, finance, operate and maintain facilities to provide flight-catering services at the international airport.
23/06/06 The Hindu

Plea to exempt Gulf sector from summer airfare hike

New Delhi: Concerned over the steep hike in airfares, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has asked Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to spare the Gulf sector from the hikes as most travellers from the region are semi-skilled and unskilled workers.
Ravi met Patel on Thursday and asked him to call a meeting of airlines to discuss the issue.
He also pointed out that the 30 per cent rise in summer airfares on the Gulf-India sector affected low-income workers in the region who travelled to India to visit their families.
"This may be distinguished from the pleasure trips undertaken by tourists in the European sector," Ravi wrote in a letter to Patel.
During his visit to the Gulf countries last month, one of the major issues brought up by Gulf Indians was the exorbitant rise in airfares of different airlines, Ravi said.
24/06/06 Gulf News, UAE

Jet-Sahara tussle takes ugly turn

New Delhi: Within hours of its Rs 2,300-crore merger with Jet Airways falling apart, Subrata Roy-led Air Sahara has written to the government to terminate their wide-body aircraft lease agreement which is now threatening to push Jet's ambitious plan to expand services to London into turbulence.
Even as this corporate battle rages, the two airlines are now preparing for a no-holds-barred courtroom battle.
Both sides have also lined up a battery of lawyers with noted advocate Harish Salve leading the Air Sahara team and Fali S Nariman appearing for Jet for a face-off in the Lucknow district court on Friday.
Besides, they have separately moved court again on Thursday seeking a hearing before any plea filed by the other is admitted.
23/06/06 Times of India

See Also:
Jet recalls executives, Sahara flies on its own
Jet may kiss goodbye to Rs880 cr
Security clearance for Jet Airways chief Goyal
Jet agents chart own course
Jet's Goyal not co-operating, say sleuths
Sky’s limited for Sahara, warn experts
Allahabad HC to hear Sahara petition
Air Sahara says no cash crunch
Merger lapse: Sahara on schedule time

---

Govt. approve proposals to amend Aircraft Act

New Delhi: In a bid to grant regulatory powers to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Government on Thursday approved a number of proposals to amend the 1934 Aircraft Act, to enable it to exercise supervisory control over several matters including communication, air traffic management and operation of foreign registered planes in the Indian skies.
The Union Cabinet decided to finalise the legislation to in consultation with the legislative department before being moved in the Parliament, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
Through the proposed amendment, the government would acquire powers to exercise supervisory control on the standards of airport, communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and air traffic management (ATM) facilities.
23/06/06 PTI/The Hindu

Digital system will ensure safer air travel

Mumbai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken a project to connect 80 airports across the country through the Digital Satellite Communication Network (DSCN). With DSCN, there will be no snapping of lines or failure of voice communication system between pilots and the Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials—a major reason for tension in the skies.
By connecting the 80 airports, a centralised network would be formed, AAI Executive Director (Western Region) SR Rao said. “We expect to complete the project in a year’s time,” he said.
This digital satellite communication network will integrate traffic control voice and data, weather data and air-to-ground radio transmissions. This system was pertinent because airports had started coming up even in remote areas, an airport official said.
23/06/06 Bhargavi Kerur/Daily News & Analysis

Rains delay 50 evening flights

Mumbai: Thundershowers disrupted flight movement at Sahar airport, delaying flights by at least an hour. More than 50 flights scheduled after 7:30pm were delayed because of cumulonimbus (Cb) clouds formation.
Overcast conditions led to the formation of Cb, or tall, dense, clouds, in the approach path of aircraft. Cb clouds carry electric charge and create internal turbulence, resulting in problems for aircraft.
23/06/06 Daily News & Analysis

Stocks: Jet, Deccan fail to keep flying; SpiceJet soars further

Mumbai: Airline stocks continued to hog the limelight for the second consecutive day on the back of reports about the planned merger of Jet Airways and Air Sahara finally taking a crash landing.
However, Jet Airways and Deccan Aaviation failed to hold onto their intraday gains and closed marginally in the red on the back of profit booking at higher levels towards the end of the trading session. Jet Airways had jumped nearly 10 per cent in the intraday trade.
In contrast, low-cost air carrier SpiceJet witnessed continued buying support from bargain hunters for the second consecutive day and settled 10.53 per cent higher at Rs 47.25.
Jet Airways closed 0.19 per cent down at Rs 704.35, after hitting an intraday high of Rs 770. The stock had moved up more than 5 per cent yesterday. Deccan Aviation also slipped into the red after paring all its intraday gains. The stock shed 0.28 per cent to Rs 89.75.
22/06/06 PTI/The Hindu

Temasek, SIA join Chinese partner to launch air cargo company

Investment company Temasek Holdings and Singapore Airlines have joined hands with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to launch China's first joint-venture air cargo company.
The joint venture firm, Great Wall Airlines Company (GWA), is based in Shanghai's Pudong Airport and started inaugural flights on Thursday.
GWA has a registered capital of RMB1 billion - or nearly S$200 million - and a total investment of RMB1.2 billion.
China's civil aviation authority has approved three international freight routes for the carrier - from Shanghai to Amsterdam, Shanghai to Singapore and Shanghai to Mumbai or Chennai.
Temasek holds a 24 percent stake in GWA, while SIA Cargo has 25 percent.
The remaining stake is held by the Chinese partner.
22/06/06 Channel News Asia, Singapore

Families hopeful as Air India inquiry starts

With 80 victims' relatives seated before him, retired Supreme Court of Canada justice John Major formally opened Wednesday the judicial inquiry into the deadliest act of terrorism in Canadian history the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182.
Major laid out his mandate to make sure the systemic failings that led to the bombing and plagued the two-decade police investigation have been remedied.
He said hopefully the inquiry will provide some answers for relatives, who have lobbied and struggled for 21 years to find out how the bombing could have happened when the suspects were being monitored by Canada's spy agency.
Family members called the opening a historic day that has come after too many years of lobbying a succession of federal governments.
22/06/06 Kim Bolan/CanWest News Service/Vancouver Sun/Canada.com, Canada

Air India Memorial Service today

Ottawa, Ontaroi: The Government of Canada and the India Canada Association are jointly hosting a memorial service in honor of the victims perished on Air India flight 182 on June 23, 1985.
The ceremony will be attended by Mr. Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Asia-Pacific and Africa); Her Excellency Mrs. Shyamala B. Cowsik, High Commissioner of India; His Worship Bob Chiarelli, Mayor of Ottawa; and members of the India Canada Association.
The event will include a ceremonial groundbreaking to launch construction of a new monument adjacent to the memorial plaque.
22/06/06 CCNMatthews (press release), Canada

Jet-Sahara deal falls apart

New Delhi: The deal worth Rs 2300 crore - the biggest in Indian civil aviation sector collapsed five months after it was announced.
After operating Sahara for some time, Jet was apparently unhappy with its liabilities and sought a discount on the deal.
Air Sahara refused to renegotiate the price sparking the collapse as the acquisition deadline ran out at midnight.
__________________________________
Air Sahara resumes operations

New Delhi: The Sahara group resumed charge
of Air Sahara from midnight on Wednesday
and started normal operations. Sahara
resumed the charge after the expiry of deadline
for transaction of acquisition of Air
Sahara by Jet Airways. When contacted a
Sahara Group official said: "We have resumed
charge and have started operating the airline
from midnight last night."
22/06/06 Times of India
__________________________________
The balance sheet of Air Sahara indicates a financial mess, which is believed to have led Jet Airways to change its mind in the deal.
At the time of the deal Sahara's losses ran up to Rs 226 crore and within two months of the takeover between 19 January and 23 March Sahara saw losses of about 164 crore.
Jet Airways also discovered that between September 2005 and January 2006 Sahara's liabilities had grown to Rs 443 crore from just 238 crore.
22/06/06 NDTV.com

Airline stocks fly higher as Jet-Sahara deal develops hiccups

Mumbai: Airline stocks were seen soaring high again today fuelled by reports that merger plan of Jet Airways and Air Sahara was about to fall apart, even as market analysts said failure of the deal would benefit Jet.
Market analysts, who have been maintaining that the deal was overvalued, said today that it would be a blessing in disguise for not only Jet Airways but also other aviation stocks if the planned deal comes apart or jet manages to lower the acquisition price for Air Sahara.
An across-the-board buying interest was seen on the airline counters today, as further reports flowed in about the Jet-Sahara deal hitting yet another roadblock.
Newly listed Deccan Aviation also got a fresh lease of life today after making a disappointing debut earlier this month.
Other three listed airline companies -- Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Jagson Airlines -- also gained significant ground.
21/06/06 Zee News

Sleuths still probing Goyal links

New Delhi: Investigations into the alleged financial sources and underworld links of Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal are still underway and Indian intelligence agencies are yet not ready to give him a clean chit. And that would further delay Jet’s plans to fly to the US.
However, the agencies have not raised any serious objections to him joining the Air Sahara board as a director, authoritative sources told DNA Money, while insisting that the investigations against Goyal was “still open” and a “separate issue.”
The US authorities had forwarded detailed questionnaire to New Delhi last year after another Jet Airways, based in Maryland, kicked up a row saying India’s Jet Airways was funded by the underworld.
21/06/06 Josy Joseph/Daily News & Analysis

HC defers hearing on PIL against Naresh Goyal

Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Wednesday deferred till June 27, the hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking court's nod to CBI to probe the alleged links of Jet Airways owner Naresh Goyal with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The court deferred the hearing as the petitioner sought time to amend his plea.
On Monday, the court had issued notices to the Central Government, the Director General of Civil Aviation, the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file replies within four weeks, in response to a PIL filed by Dr Furkan, a journalist from Delhi.
21/06/06 UNI/Hindustan Times

Kingfisher re-enters fray for Air Sahara

Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant boss of low-cost carrier Kingfisher Airlines, has once again entered the fray to acquire Air Sahara whose deal with rival Jet Airways has run into rough weather, officials said on Wednesday.Senior executives of Bangalore-based UB group, controlled by Mallya, have been directed to negotiate with the Subrata Roy-managed Sahara group, even as last minute talks are underway with Jet Airways to salvage the deal, officials added."It would make sense for Kingfisher to acquire Air Sahara since it would give the carrier access to overseas markets. Kingfisher has ordered some wide-bodied aircraft and needs overseas access to deploy them," an industry analyst said.
21/06/06 Indo-Asian News Service

InterGlobe to launch IndiGo in August

Bangalore: InterGlobe Entreprises — is gearing up to launch its budget carrier. IndiGo Airlines will be launched after the company gets “pending approvals” from the government by the end of July, comapny officials said.
“As we had said earlier, we will be launching our airline in the first week of August after taking the delivery of the first A-320 in July.” an IndiGo Airline spokesperson said.
An industry source said that InterGlobe managing director Rahul Bhatia and the company’s vice-president, human resources, were doing the rounds of Guwahati, Pune and Bangalore to recruit airline staff.
The airline, which is jointly promoted by Rakesh Gangwal and Bhatia, has drawn up ambitious plans to enter the aviation sector with 100 aircraft.
Also, as per unconfirmed information Kingfisher Airlines has already lost a senior executive to IndiGo.
21/06/06 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

Canada opens full inquiry into Air India bombing

Ottawa: Major flaws in Canada's criminal justice system were revealed by the bombing of an Air India airliner in 1985 that killed 329 people, the judge heading an official inquiry into the attack said on Wednesday as the inquiry opened.
Air India Flight 182, originating in Canada, blew up off the Atlantic coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, in what was the deadliest ever bombing of a passenger airliner.
Representatives of about 80 families of victims attended the formal opening of the inquiry, which is being held in Ottawa's old city hall. Hearings will start on September 25 and Major is due to issue his final report in September 2007.
The initial Canadian criminal investigation into the attacks was marked by controversy, including charges that infighting between various branches of the justice system had led to the destruction of potentially key evidence.
21/06/06 David Ljunggren/Reuters/Washington Post

DGCA likely to get more teeth on airport security, safety

New Delhi: In a significant move, the Civil Aviation ministry has put its stamp of approval on the long-standing suggestion to license Air Traffic Controllers. The ministry has moved a cabinet note seeking an amendment in the Aircraft Act, 1934, for the same.
Through the proposed amendment, the Civil Ministry is looking to arm DGCA with powers to not only control the standards at the airports but also the CNS (communication, navigation and surveillance) and ATM (air traffic management) systems. These are presently handled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
If the proposed amendment goes through, DGCA will have the power to not only licence ATCs but also certify, inspect, and regulate CNS and ATM systems.
22/06/06 Raghvendra Rao/Indian Express

Indian offers special fares to Bangkok

Kochi: Indian has announced special low fare of Rs.8,950 (plus taxes) to Bangkok via Chennai from Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
The airlines has also offered special package fares starting from Rs.12,215 (plus taxes).
The package includes airfare, airport transfers, breakfast and sightseeing.
No visa restrictions are imposed for the travel to Bangkok and visa can be obtained on arrival, according to the airlines.
22/06/06 The Hindu

Pune’s hopes of flying high grounded

Pune: The much-hyped Chakan airport has officially been grounded with the Indian Air Force (IAF) clearly stating that it has withdrawn permission for development of the alternative international airport. In a letter referring to a question raised at a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting in April, IAF said it withdrew the permission in May last year as the flight path of the proposed airport would clash with flights originating from the Air Force-controlled Lohegaon airport.
Despite knowing for one year that IAF will not clear the Chakan project, none of the stakeholders — Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) — made any realistic efforts to identify a site for developing an alternative greenfield airport.
21/06/06 Pune Newsline

IAF circular puts operators in piquant situation

Chennai: An Indian Air Force circular issued for all defence-controlled aerodromes has put civil airline operators in a piquant situation.
The May 18 circular, issued by Squadron Commander Wg.Cdr. S.K. Dhyani, is said to be in violation of two major safety clauses. One refers to passenger-window shutters. The civil aviation requirement is that window shades be kept open for all takeoffs and landings, so that the crew can identify the location of a fire in case of crash-landing. If the shutters are closed, passengers will face the danger of being evacuated into a live fire.
The second clause pertains to the fire-fighting category of the airfield. For all jet operations, the International Civil Aviation Organisation requires a minimum fire-fighting category. The circular mentions that the required fire-fighting category may not be available as their priority is only for Air Force planes and not for civil aircraft.
22/06/06 T.S. Shankar/The Hindu

AI CMD on IATA'S governing body

Mr V. Thulasidas, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India, has been elected to the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its 62nd Annual General Meeting held recently in Paris.
The Board of Governors. which has 261 airlines as members, will be headed this year by Mr Chew Choon Seng, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines.
20/06/06 Moneycontrol.com

Frankfinn students fly high

Panjim: Frankfinn has the widest network of more than 60 centers spread on over 45 cities across the country. It has plans to open overseas branches in Sri Lanka and Gulf countries soon.
Frankfinn offers BTEC HNC (Higher National Certificate) in aviation, hospitality and travel management. BTEC HNC is a qualification awarded by Edexcel, UK, on of the largest awarding bodies in the world. This qualification is recognized in over 110 countries. The duration of the course is 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. In addition to BTEC HNC Frankfinn also offers its own diploma on successful completion of the course.
Frankfinn Institute of Airhostess Training Goa in its first year of establishment itself has achieved many a rare feats and the ratio of success of its students is par-excellence.
21/06/06 Herald Publications

Clear picture on Sahara, Jet deal likely today

New Delhi: Uncertainty over the take-over of Air Sahara by Jet Airways, India’s largest private carrier, is likely to clear on Wednesday after the Union Home Ministry takes a decision on various issues, including those relating to security.
As speculations were rife that Jet has threatened to walk out of the Rs 2,300-crore deal, sources in the aviation industry also did not rule out the possibility of another three-month extension of the deadline for escrow account, which would expire midnight Wednesday.
While both the airlines were tight-lipped over developments, sources said Sahara has ruled out any negotiations on the valuation of the deal. It may, however, agree on an extension of the timeframe for the share purchase agreement, they said.
21/06/06 Mumbai Mirror

A Jet-Sahara war building up

New Delhi: With Naresh Goyal’s Jet Airways wanting to fly out of its deal to buy Subrata Roy-promoted Air Sahara unless the transaction value is reduced, Sahara has lined up a battery of lawyers to make Jet honour the purchase agreement.
It’s learnt that Jet, which so far was holding back on the deal unless Goyal got government security clearance (as reported by TOI on Tuesday), sent a feeler to Sahara on Tuesday evening seeking a 10-20% reduction in the value of the deal, fixed earlier at Rs 2,300 crore. Sahara is believed to have immediately sent back word that any cut in the price was not acceptable, although it was willing to wait for another 15 days for Jet to conclude the deal.
The home ministry, which is to give the clearance to Goyal, is slated to meet on Wednesday evening to take up the report submitted by IB to home secretary V K Duggal on Tuesday afternoon. The report recommends a clearance to Goyal with a few riders on which the home secretary will have to take a call.
21/06/06 Times of India

Neither here, nor there; Sahara crew suspended in mid-air

New Delhi: Moving from one employer to another is easier said than done for Air Sahara's crew, who are all dressed up in Jet Airways' colours but do not know where to go.
With Jet's takeover of Air Sahara hitting a security roadblock, employees are a bit confused about what would happen if the deal falls apart.
Employees of Air Sahara, especially the crew members, are all set to fly with Jet on the Amritsar-London sector after having undergone training by the new employer in Mumbai.
Even the new uniforms for Air Sahara's employees have been prepared and delivered to them.
But the "environment is absolutely normal in offices... Jet Airways is fully in control of Air Sahara's offices and their (Jet's) policies are being implemented," employees said.
20/06/06 PTI/The Hindu

Jet linked with terrorists, Sharad Yadav alleges

New Delhi: Former Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav has written to the Prime Minister asking him to 'stall any move to give security clearance to Jet Airways', alleging that the airlines had "close links with terrorists".
"When I was Civil Aviation Minister, the matter was also under consideration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) at that time. The clearance was not given because Ministry of Home Affairs had disturbing information about Jet Airways," he said.
Yadav said a Home Ministry report on Jet had found that Goyal and his airlines had been "steady recipients of large dubious investments originating from Gulf sheikhs" and had intermittent contacts with "underworld dons Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim to settle financial disputes."
When contacted, a Jet Airways spokesperson declined to comment.
20/06/06 PTI/Financial Express

Bomb scare: IA flight makes emergency landing at Kolkata

Kolkata: An Indian (Indian Airlines) plane carrying 123 passengers from Delhi landed in emergency conditions at the international airport here last night and was searched by anti-explosive experts looking for bombs after an anonymous telephone call said the aircraft would be blown up.
A Hindi-speaking caller rang up the Airport Authority of India office here at 7.30 p.m. to say that a bomb would be planted in the IC 402 flight when it returns to Delhi.
Soon after the IC 264 flight landed at 10.30 p.m. Central Industrial Security Force personnel surrounded the plane and all the passengers were frisked before being taken out of the aircraft, airport sources said.
The plane was then searched by the bomb disposal squad, aided by sniffer dogs, but no explosive was found, the sources said adding the aircraft went back to Delhi as IC402 flight at 0013 hours with 56 passengers on board.
21/06/06 Afternoon Dispatch & Courier

Air Deccan hits snag in Jharkhand

Ranchi : The Jharkhand government’s move to invite a private carrier to connect this state capital with New Delhi has run into rough weather over the flight timings and funding.
The aim was to have a flight that would reach New Delhi in the morning and return in the evening, allowing ministers, businessmen and officials to attend to work in the national capital.
Six companies put in bids and the low-cost, private carrier Air Deccan was selected by the state. However, the timing proposed by Air Deccan for the flight is not to the liking of the government.
According to a senior official, Air Deccan planes were to depart from Ranchi at 9.20 a.m. ‘The timing does not suit us. We want to reach New Delhi by 10 a.m.,’ the official told IANS.
To make Air Deccan’s service viable, the government had proposed to reserve 25 seats by paying for them. According to officials, Air Deccan wants that the government reserve 60 seats and pay for them.
21/06/06 India eNews.com

Delta Air Lines to launch nonstop services to Mumbai and Accra

Delta Air Lines is to launch nonstop flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Mumbai, India, and Accra, Ghana, effective 1 November and 11 December 2006, respectively.
The 268-seat Boeing 777-200ER aircraft will be used to Mumbai while the 214-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft will fly to Accra.
With the start of this new nonstop service, Delta will discontinue its one-stop service to India via Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Delta’s new nonstop service to Mumbai will replace existing one-stop service to Mumbai and to Chennai, effective 1 November. Delta will continue to serve Chennai with codeshare service via Paris on SkyTeam partner Air France, once codeshare approval is obtained. Additionally, Delta will offer direct, same-plane service between its largest international hub in Atlanta and Mumbai with these schedule enhancements.
21/06/06 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand

Jet to start direct flights from Amritsar to London

New Delhi/ Amritsar: Come June 28, and Jet Airways will start six direct Amritsar-London flights a week from the Rajasansi International Airport.
The service is specially aimed at Punjabi NRIs and there will be daily flights except on Tuesday. The airport has already allotted a slot to Jet Airways, which will be operating Boeing 747 aircraft on this route.
Experts says nearly half the passenger traffic from the state to Europe, US and Canada on Air India preferred to travel from Amritsar.
At present, there is no direct flight to London and three airlines -- Uzebekistan, Air Slovakia and Turkemenistan -- operate flights to London from here and passengers have to go via Arab countries or Russia. The direct flight will take about nine hours to reach London, compared with 12-15 hours now.
21/06/06 Vijay C Roy/Business Standard

Etihad Airways flights connect India with Kuwait, Sudan

Mumbai: The UAE national airline Etihad Airways Tuesday announced the launch of flights connecting India with Kuwait and Khartoum with a stopover at Abu Dhabi, .
The new flights will start July 1 and July 5 respectively, the IANS reported.
Etihad Airways currently operates seven weekly flights from Mumbai and three weekly flights from New Delhi to UAE capital Abu Dhabi, and will add six flights a week to Kuwait.
Etihad Airways has recently launched flights from India to Jeddah, Casablanca and Doha via Abu Dhabi.
20/06/06 Sudan Tribune, Sudan

GE to put $250m into India’s infrastructure

Fairfield: General Electric Co. will invest $250 million into India's infrastructure, and will work on areas like aviation, health-care, energy, and water to help India continue its strong economic development.
GE's chairman and chief executive officer, Jeff Immelt, made this announcement late last month at the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said GE plans to substantially increase its presence in India. He added that the Indian market is "set to realize its potential."
GE is involved in several energy projects in India, and the company said it will continue its investments.
GE Aviation spokesman Dan Kennedy said he has seen tremendous growth in India over the past three years and the country has become an enormous customer. Over this period of time, Kennedy said GE Aviation in India has received orders for over 100 engines that total about $5 billion in revenue. This past February, he said Air India ordered $2.2 billion worth in GE engines.
20/06/06 IndUS Business Journal, US

Centre to consult Karunanidhi on Chennai airport expansion

Chennai: The Civil Aviation Ministry will hold discussions with all the stakeholders on the proposed expansion and upgradation of Chennai airport.
'Modernisation of Chennai airport is imperative. But prior discussions with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and political parties will be held,' said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel. Talking to presspersons here yesterday, he informed the preliminary estimate for the project stood at Rs 2,500 - Rs 3,000 crore.
Modernisation of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports have already begun and work on Chennai airport would commence by the end of this year, he said.
20/06/06 News Today

Air Deccan ties-up with SBI for online ticket booking facility

Bangalore: Air Deccan on Tuesday, announced its tie-up with the State Bank of India for on-line ticket booking facility.
The facility would be available to all internet registered users of SBI and over a million customers will benefit from the joint initiative, it was revealed at a joint press conference here.
SBI, the country's largest commercial bank, has 3500 internet banking branches across the country.
The agreement was signed by SBI Acting Chairman and Managing Director T S Bhattacharya and Managing Director of Air Deccan G R Gopinath.
21/06/06 The Hindu

Aviation industry: Patel rues lack of manpower

Chennai: The civil aviation industry in the country was facing problems due to the serious shortage of trained manpower, according to Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel.
Releasing 'Wheels and Wings', the autobiography of K C G Verghese, founder of India's first airline Air Asiatic, here yesterday, Patel, said that though the aviation industry was much sought-after, there was a short supply of manpower - from a skilled pilot to good marketing person.'The industry should be developed for the better of the nation,' he added.
Patel further said that the 'government can be a facilitator but people's active participation is necessary for a meaningful difference. We should offer sincere tributes to a pioneer like Verghese as he had thought ahead of time and overcame all odds and enhanced both automobile and aviation industry.'
20/06/06 News Today

Jet-Sahara deal cancelled?

It is not official yet but Indian civil aviation's biggest takeover deal may not happen after all. Investment banking sources say the proposed acquisition of Air Sahara by Jet Airways for $500 million (Rs 2,300 crore) could be off.
Aviation industry sources said Jet Airways is rethinking the deal after its due-diligence revealed some startling facts. Jet, which was allowed to do the due-diligence only after the MoU was signed, found that Air Sahara had been posting mounting losses.
_____________________________________

Jet and Sahara deny that
marriage is off

New Delhi: Both Jet Airways and Air
Sahara on Monday played down the
speculation about their $500-million
marriage in the skies hitting a
rough patch.The speculation was
sparked off by Jet Airways promoter
Naresh Goyal not yet getting the
security clearance from the Union
home ministry - a pre-requisite for
him to be on the Air Sahara board.
The deadline for the Jet-Sahara share
purchase agreement and the escrow
account created for the deal ends in
three days, on June 22.Jet Airways
spokesperson refused to comment on
market rumours about the deal being
called off.
20/06/06 Times of India
_____________________________________
The sources said Air Sahara had made losses to the tune of Rs 226 crore till January 18. Between January and March, it suffered a loss of around Rs 160 crore.
But even if it cancels the deal, Jet stands to lose money -- Rs 100 crore already paid to Air Sahara. The amount, given upfront after signing the initial agreement, was paid without any guarantees.
Also, Jet paid an advance of Rs 500 crore against guarantees in March. Sahara will have to return this amount if the deal falls.
Sabarinath M and Ranju Sarkar/Hindustan Times

Seven firms bid to prepare A-I, IA merger roadmap

New Delhi: State-run carrier Air-India has received responses from seven consortia evincing interest in preparing a roadmap for the proposed merger of Air-India and Indian Airlines.
The last date for submission of expression of interest was May 31.
According to a release from Air-India, the firms that have responded include Accenture and Ambit Corporate Finance, BOB Capital Markets and Airline Capital Associates, Karnik and Associations and Anmol Sekhri and Associates, Ernst and Young and IDBI Bank, Lufthansa Consulting and Luthra and Luthra.
Other firms that have applied include ICICI Securities in association with Deloitte Touche Tomastsu, NM Rothschild and Sons, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and MV Kini and Co, JM Morgan Stanley and AT Kearney with Amarchand Mangaldas, Price Waterhouse Coopers and SBI Capital Markets with Simant, Hilliesen and Eichner, Trilegal and Lodha and Co.
20/06/06 Crisil Marketwire/Business Standard

Sri Lanka's budget airline to take off by December

Flights to Trichy, Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut

Colombo: Recruiting local personnel has delayed HolidayAir, Sri Lanka's first ever budget airline, from taking off as scheduled, with the company now hoping to get off the ground by the first week of December.
"We have now tentatively scheduled to take off during the first week of December this year to several Indian cities including Trichy, Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut," Chief Executive Officer for the airline company Arjun Ruzaik told the “Asian Tribune.”
Mr. Ruzaik assured that the HolidayAir tickets in comparison to an average fare could be anything between 20% to 60% cheaper.
It is also learnt that the company is in deep discussion with a major regional airline (not Indian) in a bid to strike a deal to utilize that company's expertise in HolidayAir's technical department.
The Government in December 2005 gave the green light to three local based airlines to fly international flights to India. The three companies are Deccan Aviation Ltd., Expo Aviation Ltd., and HolidayAir
20/06/06 Munza Mushtaq/Asian Tribune, Thailand

King Rotors helicopter charter service launched

King Rotors launched a helicopter charter service on 15 June serving destinations within the state of Kerala in southern India. One helicopter will initially operate between Kovalam and Kumarakom. New aircraft and services will be added as demand dictates, says the Kerala State Tourism Department.
20/06/06 Flight International

Being mobile in air still a distant call

New Delhi: Speaking over your mobile phone while flying might still remain a distant dream as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) does not seem to be in favour of implementing of the technology onboard immediately.
The idea of using mobile phones onboard an aircraft has been there, but the technology is not in use extensively as the radio signals emitted by the cell-phones interfere with avionics and radio navigation.Safety information from the DGCA air safety guidelines shows that “use of mobile telephones inside an aircraft cabin had caused erratic performance of aircraft airborne equipment leading to serious safety hazards”.
Air to ground communications major Arinc Inc. had recently tied up with its regional partner Bird Group to launch the inflight mobile service in India.
The European Commission has already given its approval for inflight use of personal wireless gadgets.
20/06/06 Atreyee Dev Roy/Financial Express

Helicopter team drafts safety plan

New Delhi: The newly formed Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (JHSAT) is examining the details of the nearly 600 rotary-wing aircraft accidents that occur annually worldwide to derive a strategy for improving helicopter safety by 80% within 10 years. The plan is based on the strategy successfully used to enhance airline safety since the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) began its work in 1998.
Speaking at the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) regional conference in New Delhi, India last week, US Federal Aviation Administration rotorcraft manager David Downey said that, despite the lack of flight data or cockpit voice recorders (FDR/CVR) fitted on helicopters, the JHSAT is going to use the accident reports to identify the greatest risks to this industry sector.
India’s fleet of 140 civil helicopters is predicted to grow by 15% a year, says the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The industry reports 14 months without a rotary-wing accident, says head of the DGCA’s helicopter group P K Chattopadhya, but between 2001 and early 2005 there was a surge in serious and fatal accidents, 2003 being the worst year with seven.
20/06/06 David Learmount/Flight International

Finnair takes delivery of first wide body Airbus

New Delhi flight to start in November

Finnair’s first Airbus A340 had its inaugural flight on Monday morning 19 June from Helsinki to Kuopio in central Finland.
The wide-bodied, former Virgin Atlantic 295-seat aircraft joined the Finnair fleet last week and will begin operating in Finland. The aircraft will fly 30 domestic flights before it is transferred to its actual route between Helsinki and Shanghai.
This first Airbus A340 is the launch for Finnair’s long-haul fleet renewal during which the airline will acquire 12 new Airbus wide-bodied aircraft.
The number of destinations in Asia will increase by 1-2 each year. This year the route network has grown with Nagoya in Japan in the beginning of June and Delhi, India will be added in November. Summer 2007 will see the launch of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. With these new routes Finnair will have a total of 11 destinations in Asia.
19/06/06 Boarding.no, Norway

Malaysian Airlines considers domestic interline partner

Chennai: Malaysian Airlines is rationalising its routes internationally, including India and is toying with the idea of a tie-up with a Indian domestic carrier to ferry passengers from the B cities to metros from where they operate direct flights to Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian Airlines is currently focusing on the southern cities of India, apart from the metros of Mumbai and Delhi, which have higher volume of traffic. From 33 flights a week from India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Airlines has brought it down to 27 flights. Earlier, the airline used to fly to seven cities and now it has restricted its span of operations to daily flights from Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi and thrice a week from Bangalore and Hyderabad.
19/06/06 Preeti Kannan/Express TravelWorld

Air France increases services to India

New Delhi: Air France on Monday said it will add three new weekly flights from Chennai to Paris to its existing network in India and will also increase the capacity on other Europe-bound flights.
The flights, which were earlier being operated by Delta Airlines on a code-share basis, would now be operated directly by Air France using its own aircraft, an Air France statement said.
The carrier would operate through Airbus A340 with a seating capacity of 291 passengers, it said.
In addition to launching the new flights, Air France would increase capacity on other flights between Europe and India.
19/06/06 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

South African Airways Implements IBS' Solution

Bangalore: IBS Software Services, a leading provider of software solutions to the travel, transportation and logistics industries, has announced the successful implementation of iFly, (the IBS product for managing staff travel requirements of airlines) for South African Airways (SAA). SAA is the second customer for IBS' iFly, the first being Air New Zealand.
Travel concessions are one of the most sought after benefits for airline staff. iFly is a web-based solution built on new generation technologies that automates the airline staff travel process. iFly facilitates a self-serviced environment for staff to use concessions and make bookings directly through its comprehensive booking module. The rules manager module of iFly helps staff travel administrators to define and maintain staff travel policies and rules centrally.
19/06/06 India PRwire (Press Release)

‘India is United Airlines' largest offline market worldwide’

Mumbai: United Airlines has deemed India as its biggest offline market and plans to ramp up its sales and marketing activity in the country even though the airline is not likely to fly into India in the near future. United Airlines managing director, Sales - Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India, Marcel Fuchs told Express TravelWorld in an exclusive about the high priority the airline accorded to the Indian market.
United Airlines is keen to push its economy plus product in India as well as low-fare carrier Ted.
The Airlines is also looking at driving growth of Indian traffic through international gateways, apart from Western Europe like Singapore and Japan. Regarding the likelihood of operating flights into India, Fuchs said, "Air fares need to stabilise in the wake of massive capacity addition following the deregulation on the Indo-US route. These are simply unviable at current levels."
19/06/06 Bhisham Mansukhani/Express TravelWorld

Delhi Airport modernisation first phase to be over by 2010

New Delhi: The Phase I modernisation of Delhi airport will be completed by March 2010, well before the Commonwealth Games, GMR Group officials informed during an interaction here with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Delhi State Council on Monday.
GMR Infrastructure Limited General Manager P. Pannicker said the master plan for the airport would be completed by September this year and by January 2007 construction would start.
Pointing out that passenger traffic at present was 16.2 million and was expected to grow at 15 per cent over the next five years, Mr. Pannicker said Phase I of the project on completion would have one integrated terminal catering to about 30 to 35 million passengers.
20/06/06 The Hindu

Chennai airport modernisation after consultation only: Patel

Chennai: The modernisation and expansion of Chennai airport is preliminarily estimated to cost between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 crore, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here today.
Stressing that it was "imperative for Chennai airport to be modernised," he told reporters here that all sections including the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, political parties and public would be consulted before the project was executed.
He said it was not "advisable" for constructing a new airport here, with a lot of good infrastructure already available in the existing one.
On the protests by some section of the public here against the expansion, he said similar problems existed in places like Delhi also.
Patel said 35 non-metro airports across the country, including Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Madurai, had been identified for upgradation to world-class standards.
19/06/06 PTI/The Hindu

Shortage of pilots: AI to hire fresh graduates for training

In a bid to tide over the shortage of pilots, Air India will be shortly recruiting fresh science and engineering graduates to be trained as pilots, reports Business Line.
The airline would hire in batches about 100-200 graduates after a flying aptitude test. These graduates will be trained at least for six months at flying institutes abroad. The airline is now scouting for suitable training institutes.
The training scheme being worked out would ensure that the trained pilots would work for Air India for at least five to seven years.
The cost of training, till the candidates get the commercial pilot licence (CPL) is estimated to be about Rs 25-30 lakh per pilot. Normally, it takes 2-3 years to get a CPL, as it involves six months ground training plus minimum 250 hours of flying.
19/06/06 Myiris.com

AI, Indian see opportunities in merger

As the global civil aviation scenario undergoes rapid changes, Air India and Indian (erstwhile Indian Airlines) strongly believe that their proposed merger by this year-end will endow them with a distinct competitive position but thorny issues of manpower and operational integration may still pose challenges.
Already there is a move to set up at least four joint working groups to prepare a business plan with a combined fleet, a common schedule and a single balance sheet as one organisation. Consultants will be appointed soon to suggest a road map for the merger.
With a combined fleet strength of 160-plus aircraft after merger, AI-IA will be better able to compete with global players like Air France-KLM with 480 aircraft, Lufthansa-Swiss with 401 aircraft, British Airways with 284 aircraft, Singapore Airlines with 126 and Jet-Sahara with a fleet strength of 80 aircraft.
19/06/06 The Hindu

It's raining airfares!

Airlines are falling over themselves to slash airfares, and you could buy yourself the perfect deal, reports CNBC-TV18.
"We're tying with the Taj, the Park and Raddisson in terms of offering room nights free for certain sectors that we'll run this promotion on. " Girish Shah, General Manager Sales, Kingfisher Airlines said.
Passengers are practically deluged with offers. One can purchase return tickets on any of the 50 flights of low-cost carrier SpiceJet from Rs 99-499 under their monsoon mega-sale.
Go Air seems to have gone a step ahead, and like an FMCG company giving the second ticket free on purchase of one under its 'Buy One, Get One' scheme.
And if you're on the country's most expensive business class Kingfisher First, your companion gets to accompany you by paying just half the fare.
Passenger traffic drops by up to 20% during this time of the year, which is a trend that country's airlines are now trying to correct.
19/06/06 Moneycontrol.com

Govt mulls JV for modernisation of Kolkata, Chennai airports

New Delhi: In a proposal that could annoy its Left supporters, the Centre is considering the joint venture route for modernising the Kolkata and Chennai airports, where the Airports Authority of India would be a minority shareholder, with a private consortium as the lead partner.
Further, the AAI may get only 10 per cent of gross revenue share from Kolkata and Chennai as against 45.99 per cent in Delhi and 38.7 per cent in Mumbai.
"The equity infusion by AAI for Chennai and Kolkata joint venture companies has been estimated as approximately 50 per cent of the equity investment in case of Delhi and Mumbai. The equity infusion by AAI during 2008-09 to 2013-14 will be Rs 150 crore," official sources said.
The equity share of private players together with borrowings would be about Rs 5,550 crore, sources said, indicating that AAI could retain only a minority stake in the two joint ventures.
18/06/06 The Hindu

Hyderabad may get an aerospace park

Hyderabad: An aerospace park is being planned near the upcoming international airport at Shamshabad. The proposal was mooted recently by aerospace companies and the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) during a meeting with chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
"The chief minister responded positively and the aerospace park may soon become a reality," chief controller (R&D) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) V K Saraswat said here on Sunday.
The park would require about 400 to 500 acres and house at least 40 to 50 aerospace companies. It would manufacture spare parts and also provide logistic support to airlines.
The park could be built on a public-private partnership basis and would require investments close to Rs 30,000 crore, Saraswat said.
19/06/06 Times of India

Air Arabia increases flights to Mumbai

Air Arabia LLC announced that effective June 20, 2006 it will increase its frequency between Sharjah and Mumbai by an additional six flights per week.
The total number of flights to Mumbai will go up to 13 flights a week.
The additional flight will operate every day of the week except Monday and will depart from Sharjah at 0010 hours local time, arriving in Mumbai at 04:40 hours Indian Standard Time. The regular flights to Mumbai continue as normal with a daily departure of 1630 hours UAE time from Sharjah and a 2145 hours departure from Mumbai Indian time. The early arrival in Mumbai provides good connections to all domestic points in India.
The additional flights will be in operation from June 20, 2006 until July 16, 2006 and the starting fare for these flights is AED 500/- one-way, exclusive of taxes and surcharges.
18/06/06 AME Info, United Arab Emirates

Air India concessions for Bangladesh travellers

Dhaka: Air India has offered concession fares to London-bound travellers from Sylhet in northeast Bangladesh with national carrier Bangladesh Biman developing problems.
The travellers would have to pay the same fare as Dhaka-London flights, Air India's manager for Bangladesh A.K. Mitra announced, the Bangladesh Observer reported.
The one-way Dhaka-London fare is $US 1,250 in the First Class and $US 2,500 return, $US 800 one-way and $US 1,500 return in Business Class and $US 400 one way and $US 800 in the Economy Class return.
Air India has slashed fares for London, New York, Chicago and Toronto by five to 10 percent. Biman has been forced suspend its flights to the US, both for security and financial reasons.
18/06/06 IANS/Telugu Portal

Air India considering leasing aircraft

New Delhi: Air India is examining leasing about six wide-bodied aircraft to add capacity and replace some planes whose leases expire in the next few months.
The national carrier was looking at dry-lease as well as the wet-lease route, in case aircraft were not available through the former, AI CMD V Thulasidass told.
Announcing that tenders were expected to be issued shortly, he said wet-leased aircraft would be taken only from airlines and not from any leasing company.He also clarified that this route would be taken only if dry-leased planes were not available and wet-lease would only entail pilots and not the cabin crew.The AI chief said the airline planned to launch flights to Mauritius with the leased aircraft. Besides, Air India also plans to launch flights from Mangalore and -- to Dubai in the near future.
18/06/06 Times of India

UAE Kannadigas seek direct flight to Mangalore

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Kannadigas, through their apex forum, the Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha headed by Dr B R Shetty, have appealed to Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to announce the introduction of a direct flight from UAE to Mangalore when the Prime Minister kickstarts the ONGC project at Mangalore on June 23.
The United Arab Emirates has a population of about 4.5 million out of which Kannada speaking people constitute 1.5 lakh. A majority of them are from the coastal districts of Mangalore and Udupi. One of their long-standing demands has been the introduction of a flight from the UAE to Mangalore.
18/06/06 DHNS/Bellevision

Relieving pilots at will impairs national security: IAF chief

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) says it cannot relieve every pilot who wants to quit service as this would impair its mandate to preserve national security.
Neither does it agree to the suggestion that pilots wanting to quit pay a lump-sum amount to cover the cost of their training because it was impossible to put a value to this.
All this in a scenario in which the IAF admits that it is short of about 250 pilots.
'If we do this (relieve every pilot who wishes to leave), national security will be impaired and that is not acceptable,' the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, told IANS in an interview.
Media reports some weeks ago said some 200 IAF pilots had put in requests to quit, citing harsh service conditions and fat pay cheques being offered by private airlines.
18/06/06 Vishnu Makhijani/Indo-Asian NewsService/DailyIndia.com, NY

Air India announces attractive fares for London, New York from Dhaka

Dhaka: Air India announced attractive fares for London, New York, Chicago and Toronto, a day ahead of its completion of resumption of flights to Dhaka on June 18, 2005.
AK Mitra, Manager of Air India in Bangladesh said that Air India is the only airline connecting Dhaka with three international cities - London, New Delhi and Kolkata.
The one-way Dhaka-London fare is US dollar 1250 in the first class and US dollar 2500 return, Us dollar 800 one-way and US dollar 1500 return in business class, US dollar 400 one-way and US dollar in the economy class, he added.
The one-way Dhaka-Chicago fare is US dollar 2000 in the first class and US dollar return, US dollar 1600 one-way and US dollar 3000 return in business class, US dollar one-way and US dollar in the economy class, he also added.
The one-way Dhaka-Toronto fare is US dollar in the first class and US dollar return, Us dollar 1400 one-way and US dollar return in business class, US dollar 700 one-way and US dollar 1200 in the economy class.
17/06/06 The New Nation, Bangladesh

Dithering at the airport will cost you Rs 500

Mumbai: The Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) has now got permission to deploy two additional towing vehicles at both departure and arrival terminal gates.
Their job: Any vehicle idling or static in front of the terminal gates after dropping the passengers, is to be towed and fined Rs 500. This move follows a survey which revealed that there are anything between 18 (non peak hours) and 109 (peak hours) cars parked in front of the terminal building on any given day.
The survey, commissioned by the JV for better curbside management, also talks of utter chaos, lack of lane discipline and high decibel levels due to continuous honking that lead to periodic traffic jams in front of the terminal.
But after a week of strict monitoring by a private security agency, the JV reports there have been some improvements.
17/06/06 Mumbai Newsline

Jet flight to London

Jet Airways would operate six flights a week providing direct connection between Amritsar and London. According to a spokesperson of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Rajasansi International Airport has already allotted a slot to Jet Airways. Jet Airways will operate Boeing 767 aircraft on this route. The flights will operate daily from June 28, except Tuesday.
17/06/06 The Tribune