Airlines working on no-poaching pact

Mumbai: The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), the newly formed pressure group of domestic carriers, is planning a non-poaching agreement on licensed category technical staff and standardisation of salaries.
The FIA, which met for the second time here today, is believed to be working out the modalities of a non-poaching agreement on pilots, technicians, and engineers.
The body, formed last month, is also drafting guidelines for co-operation in sharing of human resources, ground handling, maintenance, and training.
When contacted, FIA Chairman and Air-India CMD Vasudevan Thulasidas declined to comment on the agreement, adding, “the airlines are in the process of identifying areas where technical know-how and human resources can be shared.”
Sources close to the development said the FIA would seriously look into standardisation of salaries to arrest poaching. Earlier, Air Deccan had accused Kingfisher Airlines of poaching on its trained staff, which, it said, had affected its operations.
04/11/06 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

EU law on air service gets Govt in tizzy

New Delhi: A new European Union (EU) law that allows for the sharing of available air service agreements among its member states has the Indian government in a tizzy.
The EU law allows member states to make use of unutilised air traffic routes under bilateral agreements. In other words, if India has a bilateral agreement with Germany to allow 10 flights into the country, and Germany utilises only five; the remaining five can be used by any other EU country.
The proposal under the new law has been presented to the Indian government, which is frankly uncomfortable with it. Government sources believe it will be an unequal contract with no special benefits to India. In other words, India will appear to be conceding far more than it gets.
The government has also issued an inter-ministerial note on the issue. While the proposed agreement will improve the overall utilisation of traffic rights by the EU as a whole, the EU has not offered any reciprocal benefits to India, the note states.
03/11/06 Nandini R Iyer/Hindustan Times

A mystery behind the history plane

Pune: It has all the makings of a classic mystery — a World War II German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter which flew in the Battle of Britain vanished into thin air from the storage yard of a college campus in Karnataka’s Gulbarga town, where it lay forgotten for over 60 years. Four years and an unsuccessful police investigation later, aviation experts hunting for clues on the priceless aircraft have stumbled upon it in Europe.
Research by aviation enthusiasts based in India and the UK points out that the vintage aircraft has re-emerged on records of the United Kingdom civil aviation register as belonging to a mysterious company in the Channel Islands.
The single-seat fighter aircraft, gifted to the Nizam of Hyderabad by the British Empire in 1941 for sponsoring two RAF squadrons, was rediscovered at PDA College in Gulbarga by an Indian expert in 2002. It disappeared from the college campus — apparently picked up by a millionaire British aircraft collector. The plane was valued at over Rs 7 crore in the antiques market.
Aviation enthusiasts took up the hunt and traced the manufacturing number of the Bf 109 through photographs taken before it was stolen. Using the markings and registration numbers on the aircraft, England-based expert Lynn Ritger found that it belonged to German pilot Xavier Ray who crash-landed during a raid on the outskirts of London in 1940 after engine failure.
The breakthrough came early this year, when experts discovered an entry in the UK civil aviation registry in December 2005 matching to the stolen Messerchmitt.
“The manufacturer and construction number of G-CDTI (the new entry) is the same one traced by Ritger to the Gulbarga aircraft. As two aircrafts cannot have the same construction number, it is the missing Bf 109,” Jagan Pillarsetti, whose website www.warbirdsofindia.com, keeps a track of vintage aircraft in the country, told The Indian Express.
03/11/06 Manu Pubby/Indian Express

Airbus to hold talks with IA on aircraft financing prospects

New Delhi: A delegation from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will hold consultations with the state-owned domestic carrier Indian Airlines (IA) on Monday regarding the financing prospects of all the 43 aircraft recently ordered by the company, sources said.
IA bought the A-320 family of aircraft at a list price of $2 billion.
IA has already finalised the financing programme for the first 10 aircraft, the delivery of which will be completed by mid-2008. German national bank, KFN, will provide $540 million to the airline company. The financing plans for the remaining planes will be finalised upon the completion of the delivery of the 10 aircraft by early 2008. The carrier has already received its first aircraft in October this year. The government has granted a sovereign guarantee on 36% of the entire amount loan amount to be taken by IA.
Earlier, Indian had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ICICI Bank for part funding of the pre-delivery advance payments.
04/11/06 Atreyee Dev Roy/Financial Express

Airlines flying high as ATF slashed

New Delhi: The airports are full and so are the flights. However, every airline is in the red this quarter. Still, there's hope, softer crude has led to a fall in aviation fuel prices.
The prices are down by up to Rs 3,000 per kilolitre for the second time since October. Fuel prices on Friday make up almost 40 per cent overall cost. So these cuts could shore up their margins.
"Earning margins are expected to improve by four-five per cent," said Kapil Kaul, CEO, CAPA India.
However, don't expect any cut in ticket prices as airlines have gone ahead and hiked prices by 15 per cent to 20 per cent.
Most airlines these days don't have fixed ticket prices and keep juggling them based on demand. Besides, most passengers don't even know that the tickets they are booking now are more expensive.
However, this is expected to further boost their revenues, which will lead to better earnings in the third quarter.
03/11/06 Arijit Banerjee/NDTV.com

Paying by plastic not safe anymore

Mumbai: Supratik Chakraborty was shocked after receiving a credit card bill of about Rs 1,20,000, all spent on buying as many as 22 air tickets in just 30 minutes.
Chakraborty, a young IIT Powai computer sciences professor, was billed for 21 Kingfisher airlines tickets and a Spice Jet ticket bought on September 29, a purchase, he says, he never made.
To make it worse, no one at his bank found this unusual.
“Such suspicious transactions of over Rs 1 lakh took place within half an hour and there were no alerts from Citibank,” Chakraborty said.
03/11/06 Jency Jacob/CNN-IBN

Cox & Kings tie-up with Indian for Direct Reservation Interface

Mumbai: Cox & Kings (C & K) has tied up with Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) for a direct online interface wherein the tour operator major's portal will have real time access to the airline's inventory.
This, John Nair, national head, business development and sales, says will be a considerable value add for C&K's business travel clientele as well as help Indian shore up distribution costs.
Additionally, Karan Anand, director contracting, C&K told ETW that C&K was to open offices in Taiwan and Singapore in light of the growing business on the inbound and outbound front. C&K's direct online interface with Indian will give C&K clientele direct real time access to latest, updated IC fares as opposed to the time lag it usually takes on the GDS.
C&K is also talking to other domestic carriers about a similar, direct interface. "The direct interface will also help cut down manpower costs and make e-ticketing more commonplace, thereby making travel more efficient and sophisticated," Nair said.
03/11/06 Expressindia.com

Fake currency seized at airport

Chennai: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have seized fake Indian currency notes in the denomination of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 with a face value at Rs.29.53 lakh from a passenger who arrived from Colombo by an Air Sahara flight at Anna International Terminal on Wednesday last.
DRI Additional Director-General P. Babu told presspersons that the Central agency acting on intelligence, intercepted the passenger hailing from Kerala.
The passenger identified a person from Tamil Nadu waiting outside the arrival hall of airport who had come to receive him. The passenger had brought two corrugated carton boxes as checked in baggage in which boxes containing cheap crockery items were kept.
03/11/06 The Hindu

Airline CEOs to discuss fare hike today

New Delhi: The stage seems set for another battle in the airline industry over fuel surcharge. The recently-formed aviation industry body Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) will meet in Mumbai on Saturday to decide a fresh flight path for fuel surcharges.
The meeting, airline industry sources said, will see the airlines crossing swords again over the contentious issue of fare hikes and fuel surcharge. While some full-service carriers have been building a case for effecting another hike in fuel surcharge, the low-cost airlines have been against any such move.
While international airlines have already begun reducing the fuel surcharges on their tickets, the domestic airlines in India are yet to follow suit. Sources said some of the airlines felt it would help them wipe off some of the losses.
The CEOs of the 11 Indian carriers are also trying to give their newly-formed association a neutral, professional face. They are also expected to discuss appointment of a head-hunter who will be entrusted with the charge of finding a professional secretary general for their association.
04/11/06 Byas Anand/Times of India

Heroin worth 40 lakh seized in city

Chennai: Heroin, weighing 400 grams and valued around Rs 40 lakh in the international market, was seized from an air passenger bound for Colombo at the airport here late last night, a senior customs officer said today.
The passenger had been detained.
Customs Commissioner, Airport, C Rajan, said here in a release that Jalil Bazirali, hailing from Puducherry, was intercepted at the security lounge of the Anna International terminal. He was to board an Air Lanka flight.
On being questioned intensively, he admitted to carrying the narcotic, which he had swallowed in the form of 101 capsules that were later ejected by him. Each capsule weighed four grams, he said.
03/11/06 Chennai Online

One of India's first hostesses dead

Kolkata: Pranati Niyogi, one of the first five airhostesses of independent India's first airlines and a Congress leader, died here today following protracted illness, her family said.
Niyogi (79) was survived by her husband and two daughters.
She was among the first airhostesses in Airways India.
Niyogi was a former President of West Bengal Pradesh Mahila Committee and a member of State Social Welfare Advisory Board.
03/11/06 PTI/The Hindu

Kuwait Airways plans to spread its wings further

Kuala Lumpur: The Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) officially celebrated the inauguration of the Kuwait-Kuala Lumpur flight at a reception held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur over the weekend. The inauguration of this new flight enhances the strong relations between Kuwait and Malaysia.
KAC is launching two new destinations during this month. "As a part of expanding our operational networks, we will inaugurate other new destination besides the Kuala Lumpur destination. This magnificent city is enriched with modern culture. It has a number of museums, shopping arcades. The second new destination is to glorious Indian city of Ahmadabad, a city filled with historical details, magnificent culture and is a true reflection of incredible India," Sheikh Talal added.
Over the past 52 years, KAC has achieved several notable accomplishments, international awards and has created a long pathway of success for itself. KAC achieved international certificates like JAR 145 and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The latest achievement was obtaining the IOSA certificate, hence adding to its honourable records for safety and security. The KAC also received several awards for its 'Sate of the Art' in-flight services, entertainment and hospitality.
More services will be offered by the KAC before the end of this year.
04/11/06 Nawara Fattahova/Kuwait Times, Kuwait

DGCA mulls removal of flying time limits to address pilot shortage

New Delhi: With the problem of pilot shortage in the country assuming alarming proportions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now mulling allowing pilots to fly five more hours per week on both domestic and international routes.
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Madras Flying Club permitted to offer aviation maintenance course

Chennai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has permitted the Madras Flying Club (MFC) to offer aviation maintenance engineering (AME) course and set up an engine overhaul workshop.
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Malaysian aircraft grounded at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 has been grounded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport since Wednesday night after one of the aircraft’s engines was damaged when the aerobridge brushed against it while being retracted.
The incident occurred a few minutes before midnight, after the doors of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH 195 to Kuala Lumpur were shut for take-off.
“Some of the 170 passengers were put on a Singapore Airlines flight and others were accommodated in hotels,’’ said M Shaifuddin Kamaruddin, Area Manager (western region), Malaysia Airlines.
While the airline declined to quantify the loss, airport sources reveal that the damage will be to the tune of Rs 5 crore. “The plane was significantly damaged, and strips of silver-rimming of the engine actually came undone in the incident,’’ said a source.
Meanwhile, the aerobridge operator in question, S Jaiswal, aged about 50, has been taken off duty. Sources say that Jaiswal, a diabetic patient, has been experiencing problems with his vision because of his sugar levels which could have resulted in the incident.
However, the Airports Authority of India Employees’ Union to which Jaiswal belongs alleged that the aerobridge was faulty.
03/11/06 Expressindia.com

Paramount Airways extends network

Chennai: With the induction of another jet taking the fleet strength to five, Chennai-based Paramount Airways will offer 48 daily flights, covering most of the important towns in the South. It will carry over 3,500 passengers.
Unveiling the expansion plans at a news conference here on Friday coinciding with the completion of one-year of operations, M. Thiagarajan, managing director, said the airline would introduce a fourth service between Hyderabad and Bangalore, a mid-day flight between Chennai and Coimbatore and an early morning flight from Chennai to Kochi from November 8.
Apart from linking Coimbatore and Hyderabad, the airline will introduce a new direct flight between Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram from November 18. The other new routes are: Hyderabad-Bangalore, Hyderabad-Vishakapatnam, Bangalore-Hyderabad- Coimbatore-Bangalore.
Mr. Thiagarajan said the airlines would have 20 jets by 2009.
04/11/06 The Hindu

Passengers suffer as govt, airlines dodge fog blame

New Delhi: It's that time of the year again when dense fog grounds flights and passenger inconvenience takes off.
Even as the government is busy cracking the whip on airlines and directing them to train pilots on using CAT-2 and CAT-3B landing assistance system, they seem to be ignoring one fact: None of the fog-hit airports in India, besides Delhi, have a CAT-2 system installed for assisting flights.
So, if a CAT-2 trained pilot was to take off from Delhi during fog, it cannot land at any of the dozen-odd fog-hit airports as they are not equipped with the systems that assist such an operation.
A CAT-2 system enables pilots to land and take-off when runway visibility drops to 500 metres, while the CAT-3B system can assist flight operations at runway visibility levels of mere 50 metres. It's not that the government has never tried to upgrade the fog-hit airports, it's just that the efforts hit on-ground turbulence.
04/11/06 Byas Anand/Times of India

Faulty seat delays groom

On Thursday, a bridegroom almost missed his wedding when his flight got held up at Santacruz airport due to a faulty seat.
Accompanied by his elder brother Ali Zulphekari who is a Tata Power Company employee and two friends, the bridegroom boarded Indian flight IC 7561 around 7.30 am. The flight was scheduled to depart at 8 am. The duo expected to reach Hyderabad by 10 am in time for wedding-related functions.
When the flight crew asked passengers to buckle their seat belts, one passenger refused. He complained that the seat was shaking. Fearing it may cause trouble during take-off or landing, the crew immediately called the ground staff to repair the seat. Three technicians spent 20 minutes trying to fix the seat, but failed.
Since there were some unoccupied seats, the crew offered an alternate seat to the disgruntled passenger, and two others sitting adjacent to him.
The bridegroom and his brother were just heaving a sigh of relief when another passenger drew the attention of the air-hostesses. He was sitting behind the rickety seat. He too wanted to shift fearing that the breakfast served to him might spill all over his person.
He too was offered an alternate seat and the flight finally took off at 8.30 am.
The bridegroom and his brother managed to make it to the venue, but embarrassingly late.
04/11/06 K A Dodhiya/Mumbai Mirror

Small towns flying onto aviation map

Mumbai: Time was when flying overseas meant a mandatory trip to the nearest metro to board an international flight. No more, however. A320s and B737s are now at the doorstep of the humblest small towns, and the latter promise to be increasingly on the agenda of international airlines.
In 2003, no more than three non-metros were linked to foreign cities by direct flights. The number has now gone up to an impressive 15, with international flights going to Trichy, Gaya, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Calicut, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Coimbatore. According to civil aviation ministry sources, Kanpur, Madurai, Mangalore will join the list in the coming months.
There are 35 Indian cities with a population of over one million which makes them an ideal catchment area for flights to the Middle and Far East.
Little wonder that international carriers are salivating at the market opportunity in hitherto sleepy towns .
03/11/06 Manju V/Times of India

Parking rates slashed, non-metro airports park themselves here

Ahmedabad: Not being a metro does have its perks. With the Airport Authority of India (AAI) lowering parking charges at ‘non metro’ airports by half, private airlines are now queuing up to these airports to set up their bases.
With three such airlines already operating from Ahmedabad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport is now revamping its infrastructure to meet the rising demands for parking space.
‘‘We have already spent Rs.46 crores to build the existing domestic terminal,’’ said SD Awasthi, Director, SVPI Airport. Awasthi informed Express Newsline that as of now, private carriers like Spice Jet and Air Deccan have started parking their planes at the airport here, while Kingfisher has reserved space but has not started parking yet. Indian Airlines too is setting up a sub-base here, he added.
Meanwhile, Air Deccan started its aircraft base at Ahmedabad here on Thursday.
02/11/06 Ahmedabad Newsline

Turnaround times prove costly for Indian carriers

Mumbai: Delhi and Mumbai airports may be in for a sea change as their modernisation plans get off the ground, but travellers and airlines still have to bear with costly delays at all Indian airports. Poor airport design and obsolete air traffic control (ATC) systems ensure that airlines in India have the highest turnaround time—the time between an aircraft’s landing and take-off.
Globally, airlines keep their turnaround time at a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 20-25 minutes. But Indian carriers take double the time.
The aircraft turnaround process consists of passenger processing, baggage unloading/loading, catering and refuelling, and flaws in airport design and ATC laws lengthen the procedures significantly.
03/11/06 Sagar Malviya/Financial Express

SriLankan Airlines Cargo launches regional charter service

SriLankan Airlines said Thursday that it would launch a regional charter service carrying cargo to South Asia, even reaching destinations not connected by scheduled flights.
SriLankan Cargo currently offers scheduled services to 50 destinations in 28 countries, serviced by dedicated freighters and 14 mainline Airbus Aircraft.
With the new service, businesses can now fly their cargo to any destination across South Asia, the airline said in a statement on Thursday, even points not connected by regular scheduled services on short notice.
All landing clearances would be obtained by SriLankan Cargo. The airline's cargo arm is the largest foreign carrier into India and the Maldives with over 100 weekly flights.
In India alone SriLankan cargo operates regular schedules to 10 destinations.
03/11/06 Lanka Everything, UK

Hospitals seek to launch helicopter ambulance service

New Delhi: Some major hospitals in the country have sought the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's permission for launching helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), but the DGCA is yet to take a final decision.
"We have received applications from some big hospitals seeking approval for construction of rooftop helipad and other infrastructure", DGCA chief Kanu Gohain said at a seminar on HEMS here, adding that a final decision was yet to be taken.
Maintaining that DGCA has already issued guidelines for developing HEMS facilities as well as those for constructing make-shift helipads, he said choppers should also conform to the laid-down standards, especially relating to noise pollution when they are operating near hospitals, besides installation of life-saving equipment.
03/11/06 PTI/The Hindu

Aviation giant projects a surge in helicopter market

New Delhi: Bidding for Indian army's $ 700- million deal for sale of 197 light helicopters, American aviation giant Bell Helicopters is exploring setting up of the first-ever helicopter pilot training institute and chopper servicing and maintenance facility here.
Bell's 407 helicopter is in contention with Eurocopter for the deal, under which 60 choppers would be bought in fly away conditions and the rest 137 manufactured under technology transfer at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India.
Projecting a surge in demand for helicopters in India, Redenbaugh said outside military, India had yet no facility to train helicopter pilots. Estimates are that there are at present only 150 helicopters operating in commercial sector in India, which would rise almost ten fold in next few years.
"We are exploring possibilities of setting up a helicopter pilot training institute here. We are also prepared to look at setting up a helicopter maintenance and spares service," said Redenbaugh whose company, though a latecomer to the Indian market, has a fifty per cent share in the commercial sales here.
03/11/06 PTI/The HIndu

FedEx acquires Indian cargo airline

The global division of Memphis-based FedEx Corp. said the agreement, pending Indian government approval, will further FedEx's position in one of the world's fastest growing markets.
As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India presents enormous opportunities for our customers," Michael L. Ducker, president of FedEx Express International, said in a statement. "With this acquisition, we would ensure continued outstanding customer service through increased access for our customers doing business to and from India."
Privately held Parkash is one of India's largest express companies, with 384 offices and depots serving nearly 4,400 destinations. Its network covers every major city in India. The company has been in operation since 1986 and has served FedEx in India since 2002.
02/11/06 Memphis Business Journal, TN

Austrian Airlines not to launch India service

Vienna: Austrian Airlines AG said Thursday it will eliminate its fleet of four Airbus A330 long-haul jetliners in 2007, a move the national carrier said will save it about €40 million (US$51 million) a year.
The reduction of the long-haul fleet means scheduled service to Shanghai will end on Jan. 7, flights to Phuket, Thailand, Mauritius and Colombo/Male, Sri Lanka, will stop at the end of April, and service to Katmandu, Nepal, will cease in May, Austrian Airlines said in a statement.
Prospective new routes to Karachi, Pakistan, and Chennai, India, will not be launched, the carrier said, adding that it would go ahead with a new U.S. destination —Chicago— in May.
02/11/06 The Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, France

UAE airline opts for Technopark IT firm's system

Avient Solutions UK, an IBS Group company headquartered at the Technopark campus here, entered the Middle East market for their integrated flight operations system with a deal signed with RAK Airways of UAE.
The agreement signed for TopAir with RAK Airways, the national airline of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, makes it the first customer for the flight operations system in the Middle East, according to a press release here Thursday.
TopAir is an integrated solution for automated airline operations, including flight scheduling, fleet planning, crew management, flight operations, fuel management, catering management, aircraft checks planning and finance control.
V.K. Mathews, CEO and managing director IBS Group, said that they are focused on developing a market for TopAir in the Middle East after their successes in north America and Asia.
02/11/06 India eNews.com, India

Season’s first Condor flight arrives

Panaji: The president of Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, Mr Ralph de Souza has said that this year (2006) has been a year of reckoning for the tourism industry of Goa, as a new beginning has been made with the arrival of scheduled international flights to the state.
Addressing a press conference here this afternoon to announce the arrival of first scheduled flight of Condor from Frankfurt (Germany), Mr de Souza, who also heads the tourism committee of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that this would give freedom to choose their travel and accommodation.
He also said that besides three international airlines (Condor, SriLankan Airlines and Transair), Emirates have also been granted landing and take off slots on Fridays. He also said that some more scheduled airlines would also come to the state in the future. “It was Condor which brought foreign tourists to Goa directly in 1984 and put it on international map, when its first charter flight landed here,” said the TTAG chief.
02/11/06 Navhind Times

Middle East traffic boost to airline biz

Mumbai: International carriers are increasingly landing in sleepy airports across the country. Among the reasons for this is the fact that emigration from these regions to the Middle East has been spiralling among the middle and lower middle class.
"Nagpur was centrally located and was closer to these regions than Hyderabad. It did not have a busy runway, which meant our flights could land and take off in 45 minutes — a vital factor in low-cost operations."
Air Arabia's narrow-bodied aircraft got a tremendous response in the very first week of its launch. In two months, the frequency was increased to five times a week.
Like with Trichy, which probably became the first non-metro to see an international flight when Sri Lankan Airlines connected it to Colombo way back in 1981.
But in 2004, as the lure of jobs in the Middle East spread, the airline launched daily flights.
Another town which will see a secondary business avenue opening up is Jaipur, which was linked to Sharjah this year by Air Arabia's direct flight.
There are scores of similar destinations with high potential like Bihar.
03/11/06 Manju V/Times of India

Middle East traffic boost to airline biz

Mumbai: International carriers are increasingly landing in sleepy airports across the country. Among the reasons for this is the fact that emigration from these regions to the Middle East has been spiralling among the middle and lower middle class.
"Nagpur was centrally located and was closer to these regions than Hyderabad. It did not have a busy runway, which meant our flights could land and take off in 45 minutes — a vital factor in low-cost operations."
Air Arabia's narrow-bodied aircraft got a tremendous response in the very first week of its launch. In two months, the frequency was increased to five times a week.
Like with Trichy, which probably became the first non-metro to see an international flight when Sri Lankan Airlines connected it to Colombo way back in 1981.
But in 2004, as the lure of jobs in the Middle East spread, the airline launched daily flights.
Another town which will see a secondary business avenue opening up is Jaipur, which was linked to Sharjah this year by Air Arabia's direct flight.
There are scores of similar destinations with high potential like Bihar.
03/11/06 Manju V/Times of India

Govt to GMR: need to up Delhi airport passenger figure to 35 m by 2010

New Delhi: The masterplan for modernising and restructuring the Delhi airport has hit a roadblock with the passenger traffic growth projections made by the GMR Fraport-led consortium falling way short of government estimates, both till 2010 Commonwealth Games and over 20 years.
Having already pulled up the consortium over its passenger traffic estimates for 2010, the Civil Aviation Ministry is now seeking major “corrections” in the proposed figures before freezing the masterplan.
A top official told The Indian Express that the ministry has told the builders that their figure of 28 million passengers by 2010 is unacceptable and asked them to ensure that infrastructure by that year should be able to cater to 35 million people.
Asked by the ministry to evaluate the proposals made in the masterplan submitted on September 29, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has found huge gaps in the passenger forecasts made by the joint-venture and government during various phases of the new airport’s development.
03/11/06 Raghvendra Rao/Indian Express

Indian launches first direct flight to Male

Bangalore: Flag carrier Indian today introduced a direct flight from this Indian technology hub to the Maldivian capital, Male.
Indian, which would operate an A-320 aircraft on the sector, would fly between the two destinations five days a week.
The airline is offering an introductory return fare of Rs 10,000 on the sector. The inaugural service was flagged off by Union Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed.
The flight would also offer convenient connections for passengers from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, airline officials said.
Indian has also decided to lease five A-320S and six regional jets for its subsidiary Alliance Air to step up capacity and connectivity, its Chairman and Managing Director Vishwapati Trivedi said.
02/11/06 Zee News

RAK seeks air accord with India

Dubai: RAK Airways, UAE's fourth national airline, will receive its first two aircraft — a Boeing 757-200 and 737-300 — by the end of this month and hopes to conclude a separate aviation accord with India in time for launching services by the first quarter 2007.
The newest UAE airline, which will make its debut by flying to five Indian destinations and four Iranian destinations, is also in talks with several Indian carriers for an interline agreement.
Dr Khater Massaad, CEO of RAK Investment Authority and Managing Director of RAK Airways, said the airline expected to secure regulatory approvals for flying into India by the first quarter 2007.
Initially, RAK Airways will operate weekly three flights to New Delhi and Mumbai and two weekly flights to Trivandrum, Cochin and Chennai. It will operate thrice weekly services to Teheran and twice weekly flights to Shiraz, Isfahan, Bandar Abbas in Iran, Dr Massaad said.
03/11/06 Issac John/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

Patel for public-private partnership

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said on Wednesday that the public-private partnership model should be adopted for airport infrastructure development in the country.
The Minister was addressing the gathering before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled the plagues marking the commencement of construction works on the new International Terminal Complex and Air India Maintenance Base at the Thiruvananthapuram airport here.
Mr. Patel noted that the Kochi international airport showed the success of the public-private partnership model.
He added that the Airports Authority of India would be strengthened and most of the airports would remain under its control.
He said the proposed Kannur airport might become a reality. The Central Government had approved the proposal in principle, and it was likely to get the Cabinet nod.
02/11/06 The Hindu

Direct flights to Singapore from Goa soon

Panjim: Goans could soon be flying directly to Singapore, the smallest country in South-East Asia which has the highest standard of living in Asia.
Barely days after Sri Lankan Airlines began its bi-weekly Goa-Colombo-Goa flight, Singapore’s Tiger Airways has announced plans to fly to Goa and four other destinations in India by 2007.
Tony Davis, the chief executive of the Singapore-based budget carrier, told the Straits Times that Tiger Airways had already filed necessary applications with the India authorities and Sri Lanka and was keen to start flights from next year.
Tiger Airways is eager to fly to Goa, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode, besides Colombo in Sri Lanka.
02/11/06 Herald Publications

Projects near BIAL yet to see light of day

Bangalore: Prestigious aerospace and other engineering projects have been planned near the upcoming Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) that will redefine the industrial landscape of Bangalore.
Yet, they may not take off on time owing to the "very difficult and complex process of land acquisition"and the "necessity to avoid acquiring cultivable land".
The government has, in principle, approved the setting up of a hardware technology park near BIAL. It has also okayed a private party’s offer to build the park in 1,300 acres of land.
The preliminary notification for land, which was forwarded to the government, has also been cleared. "The question now is to notify farmers.
The government has to convince them why it needs the land and what is in it for them? There will have to be spin-offs from the hardware park in some way or the other to persuade farmers to part with the land.
03/11/06 Prashanth G N/Times of India

No-frills EasyGroup eyes Cyprus hotels sector

Easygroup, which owns British low-cost airline easyJet, plans to branch out on the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus with its easyHotels franchise, a company spokesman said last Wednesday.
EasyHotels is looking for business partners on the picturesque island, which is visited by more than 2.3 million tourists a year.
The tourism sector represents about 15per cent of Cyprus's gross domestic product.
``This is an opportunity to expand the brand,'' said Marios Missirlis, a spokesman for the chain in Cyprus.
``We are now expanding rapidly. There are two hotels, one in London and one in Switzerland. Another two will open in London by the end of this year and we have signed contracts with a Dubai-based firm to open 38 easyHotels over the next five years in North Africa, the Middle East, India and Pakistan.''
03/11/06 The Brunei Times, Brunei Darussalam

Radar defect at Delhi airport to upset flight plan

New Delhi: Government`s efforts to ensure that pilots of private carriers are trained to navigate through fog may come to a naught, as a key radar at the airport here is out of service and could lead to congestion in the air and delays on ground even on a clear-sky day.
Congestion would also be witnessed in Mumbai, though it is not affected by fog, as the main runway would remain closed till November 24 for repairs, resurfacing and construction of rapid exit taxiways.
Though the alternate runway would be available during this period, major delays in flight movements are expected.
In the national capital, the situation is different. The surface movement radar is under major maintenance and would not be available for the next several weeks, airport sources said.
Due to this, both runways at Delhi airport are not available for simultaneous operations, they said.
02/11/06 Zee News

Port city on regional map of Air Deccan

Visakhapatnam: Air Deccan has launched daily flights between Visakhapatnam and Bangalore. The first flight took off on October 30.
Air Deccan has already launched flights connecting Visakhapatnam with Hyderabad and Chennai. The newly introduced flight connects the City of Destiny to the temple town of Tirupati, besides India’s own Silicon Valley, Bangalore.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Air Deccan marketing manager (AP) S Ramakrishna Reddy said Air Deccan was the only airliner, which provided connectivity to Bangalore from Visakhapatnam.
Visakhapatnam-Bangalore flight service was part of the company’s focus on regional connectivity to small towns having high traffic potential.
02/11/06 Newindpress

From next year, airport visitors to be under CCTV scanner

Pune: Keeping in mind the increasing threat of terror strikes at key installations in the country, the city airport will soon get a closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system.
The security upgrade, to be taken up by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in six airports across the nation, will be in place early next year after the current terminal expansion works are completed.
Close to 100 CCTV cameras will be installed at all vital spots including the terminal building, apron area, car parking, immigration and customs area, visitor’s lounge and entry and exit points. A central control room with multiple screens will be used to monitor the movement of all visitors and passengers within and outside the airport.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which handles airports security in the country, will operate the CCTV system. CISF personnel will receive enhanced training to man the system.
01/11/06 Manu Pubby/Pune Newsline

Bell Helicopter looking at maintenance unit, alliances in India

New Delhi: Texas-based Bell Helicopter, which awaits government nod to sell 197 Bell 407 choppers to the Indian Army, is planning a maintenance, repair and overhaul unit in the country at an investment of $60-$100 illion.
The company, headquartered in Fort Worth, is also looking at strategic partners for the maintenance unit, and may also enter the business of pilot training and assembly of choppers eventually, a top official said.
'We have made helicopter deliveries worth $20 million in India this year. And we have firm orders for another $20 million. India is a strategic market for Bell Helicopter,' said Michael A. Redenbaugh, chief executive of the company.
According to company officials, Bell has sold 76 helicopters in India to date and clients include companies like state-run Pawan Hans, Air Deccan and Global Vectra, as also some state governments. It commands a 50 percent market share.
02/11/06 Monsters and Critics.com, UK

British Airways keen to tap premium class passengers

Chennai: British Airways sees "India as a dynamic and vital travel market" and the European carrier is planning to tap the growing number of premium air travellers with high disposable income, especially from the Information Technology (IT) sector.
Mr. Coby, who inaugurated a travel and hospitality industry lab set up by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on the IT corridor at Karapakkam, said the European carrier was keen to tap the growing premium air traffic from India to the U.K. and beyond.
The British Airways currently operates 43 flights per week, with a double daily service from London Heathrow to Mumbai and Delhi, a daily service to Bangalore, thrice a week to Kolkata and five times a week to Chennai.
Noting that the BA had a long-standing and enduring relationship with the TCS in India, Mr. Coby said all-out efforts were on to make the airlines domain traveller-friendly and more interactive.
02/11/06 T.S. Sankar/The Hindu

Tiger set to add destinations in India, Sri Lanka

Singapore- Tiger Airlines is seeking to fly to five destinations in India and one in Sri Lanka after receiving approval from Singapore authorities, the budget carrier said Thursday. Among the cities are exotic Goa on India's west coast, the commercial centre Kozhikode in the state of Kerala, Kolkata (Calcutta), Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
"We have filed the necessary applications with the authorities in India and Sri Lanka and hope to progressively add the six new points to our network from next year," The Straits Times quoted chief executive Tony Davis as saying.
Tiger's foray into India comes as competitor Jetstar Asia is scaling back flights to Bangalore after dropping Kolkata six months ago and adding flights to Indonesia.
01/11/06 dpa German Press Agency/Raw Story, US

Airports regulator Bill unlikely to be cleared in Winter session

New Delhi: Before moving as External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee virtually forced the Union Cabinet to push the far-reaching Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) to a newly constituted Group of Ministers (GoM) by saying that the Defence Ministry’s suggestions on the subject had been given a short shrift by the Civil Aviation Ministry. With the Cabinet still to clear the proposal, the crucial AERA Bill is unlikely to be cleared by Parliament this winter session. The new GoM to be headed by Mukherjee is still to hold its first meeting.
The AERA proposal came before the Union Cabinet on October 16. With private players coming up to manage airport infrastructure, the proposal empowers the proposed regulator to fix tariff, including landing charges, for each airport on the basis of existing facilities so that investors gets a fair return.
02/11/06 Shishir Gupta/Indian Express

Praful Patel asks national carriers to wake up

Thiruvananthapuram: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Wednesday asked the management and employees of the national air carriers to wake up and put their act together soon.
Patel accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the foundation stone laying for a new international terminal here. A hangar unit of Air India is also being set up near the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Patel had switched airlines from Air India to Jet Airways last week for flying from London's Heathrow airport to Mumbai as the national carrier's flight was delayed because the crew turned up an hour late.
Patel also thanked the efforts of the prime minister for going ahead with the purchase of 18 new aircraft for the national carriers.
I am also happy to say that the Thiruvananthapuram airport would now act as the base airport for (Boeing) 737 aircraft,' said Patel.
He added that efforts were under way to build a new airport at Kannur in north Kerala.
01/11/06 India eNews.com

All on board, but where’s the pilot?

New Delhi: In a rare event, flight number 402 of Indigo Airlines, scheduled to leave for the Capital from Mumbai this morning didn’t have a pilot to fly it. The aircraft had 110 passengers on board.
According to airport sources, the aircraft which was to depart at about 6 a.m. had to be scrapped. The chief executive officer of Indigo Airlines, Mr Bruce Ashby, told The Statesman: “We didn’t have the pilot to fly the aircraft which was scheduled to depart for Delhi and then return to Mumbai. Therefore, we had to cancel the flight.”
Mr Ashby added that such a thing had happened for the first time.
Officials said that most of the airline’s pilots had fallen sick and there were no stand-by pilots available to fly the aircraft. Around 30 flights are flown by the airline daily across eleven cities.
Sources said the passengers were upset, panicky and angry in turn.
01/11/06 Mohit Sharma/The Statesman

Hindalco forms venture with Almex of the U.S.

Mumbai: Hindalco has entered into a joint venture partnership with Almex of the U.S. to make high strength aluminium alloys for aerospace applications, sporting and surface transport industries.
According to a company statement, the joint venture is to be named `Hindalco-Almex Aerospace Ltd.' with Hindalco holding 70 per cent of the equity and Almex the balance 30 per cent.
The joint venture envisages a capital outlay of Rs. 155 crore at a production level of 46,000 tonnes. This volume is likely to be reached in phases over three to four years Production is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2008.
According to Debu Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Hindalco, "this is a great opportunity for Hindalco at a time when the aviation industry is slated to be on an upswing".
02/11/06 The Hindu

Delta flies non-stop between New York and Mumbai

New York: Delta Air Lines tonight will make history when it inaugurates the first and only nonstop service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Mumbai, India. The new route is the latest milestone in the ongoing restructuring of Delta's route network to connect more global centers of commerce to the United States nonstop, replacing routes that previously required flight connections in Europe.
"We understand that our customers' most valuable commodity is their time, and we are giving back thousands of hours each year to customers flying between the United States and India who previously had to make international connections to reach Mumbai," said Bob Cortelyou, Delta's vice president - Network Planning.
01/11/06 Delta Airlines/PrimeZone (press release), US

Kingfisher adds two aircraft to its fleet

New Delhi: Domestic carrier Kingfisher Airlines today said it has leased two new Airbus 321 aircraft from Pegasus Aviation Finance company and will start operating them on domestic routes from November 5.
The sale and lease back transaction would take the number of aircraft in its fleet to 15, Kingfisher said in a release.
"Kingfisher will be the first airline to introduce the Airbus A321 aircraft in India", Kingfisher Airlines Chairman and CEO Vijay Mallya said.
02/11/06 Zee News

Etihad lifts lid on loyalty scheme

The Etihad Guest initiative allows members to collect bonus miles by flying with the carrier.
Etihad air miles are redeemable against a range of gifts from partner retailers, financial service providers, leisure companies and car rental outlets.
The airline is also thought to be looking to partner with Indian airlines, such as Air India, to further expand the loyalty scheme.
Campaigns promoting the Guest service, which received more than 3000 applications on its launch day last week, will be handled by the airline's direct marketing agency, Carlson Marketing.
The loyalty scheme is being supported by a dedicated website that will allow members to redeem their air miles against partners' goods.
02/111/06 DM Bulletin, UK

AI’s Kerala maintenance base to open in 2008

Bangalore: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of Air India’s maintenance base near the Thiruvananthapuram airport. It would be the second-largest maintenance base after Mumbai.
It would be built on a 15-acre plot gifted to Air India by the Kerala government and have the facility to carry out major checks on the B-737-800 aircraft of its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express’. The national flag carrier will also be building hangars for line checks of other aircraft types, like the B747-400s and A-310s.
Air India officials said the project, which is estimated at Rs 50 crore, would be completed in 18 months after the construction begins.
This is Air India’s fourth base in India, The other three are in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.
Air India opted for Thiruvananthapuram to set up the base on account of the large tract of land near the airport which it got for free.
“At Delhi and Chennai, we carry out only line (minor) checks. Thiruvananthapuram, like Mumbai, will have full-fledged facility for all major checks along with line checks,” informed Venkat.
02/11/06 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

Kingfisher Enters into Interline Agreement with Delta

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines, India’s fastest growing airline and winner of several prestigious national and International awards today announced that is has entered an agreement of extended cooperation with Delta Airlines. Kingfisher concluded an extensive interline agreement with Delta Airlines. This agreement would allow Kingfisher Airlines to carry all Delta Airlines guests arriving into Mumbai to their final destinations in India.
The announcement was made at a Grand Luncheon hosted at Manhattan to announce Delta Airlines’ introduction of non-stop flight from New York (JFK) to Mumbai. The Delta Airlines – Kingfisher Airlines partnership is an extensive partnership including the Interline passage / baggage & SPA.
01/11/06 Business Wire India/

Now, fly past Hyderabad traffic chaos

Hyderabad: While the chaos on city roads during peak hours is worsening by the day and is bad news for most, a privileged few may soon be able to zoom from one point to another in a matter of minutes — in a helicopter charter taxi.
The service is being planned by Status Helicopter Services (SHS) and is likely to be operational in a few months. It's target: Corporate and VIP travellers.
"We have already applied to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for permission to operate three helicopters. We expect the licence to operate the air charter taxi very soon,"SHS director Gurmeet Singh Dua told TOI.
Dua plans to lease three Bell-407 single-engine choppers from the manufacturing company. The five-seater, including pilot, costs Rs 16 crore apiece. According to Dua, the Bell-407 chopper is the only one not involved in any accidents in Indian conditions.
02/11/06 Ganesh S Lakshman/Times of India

Denied quick aid, man dies at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: A Bharuch resident, who suffered a heart attack at the Mumbai International Airport, died on Tuesday due to the delay in timely medical attention.
According to sources, two hospitals near the airport turned away the patient before he got admitted to a nursing home 90 minutes after he suffered the attack. And the delay proved fatal for Qutbuddin Banglawala (68). He landed around 12.30 pm after visiting his daughter in London. He was travelling alone in a Virgin Atlantic flight.
After clearing immigration while he was standing near the conveyor belt, he suffered the cardiac arrest. "The airport doctor was informed about at 12.50 and when he reached the spot, Banglawala was lying on the floor," said an official.
Bharat Trivedi, a doctor on AAI's panel, was the only doctor present, and he tried to revive the patient with cardiac pulmonary resusciation and defibrillator shocks.
02/11/06 Sachin Parashar

Tata Consultancy Services Launches Innovation Lab for Tranvel

Chennai: Tata Consultancy Services announced the launch of the TCS Innovation Lab dedicated to the travel & hospitality industry. The TCS Innovation Lab for Travel & Hospitality provides a unique experience center for the airlines, hotels, resorts and travel companies where new domain solutions can be developed incubated and piloted using the latest technologies in a cost-effective environment before enterprise-wide deployment.
TCS Innovation Labs give TCS customers 'on-demand' access to innovation and creativity with a team comprising of domain experts, business process analysts, technology specialists and a R&D team. The TCS Innovation Lab for Travel & Hospitality is building a wide range of 're-usable assets and components' that help airlines retain their differentiators as well as achieve high productivity and significant cost savings from technology investments.
01/11/06 PR Newswire (press release), US

Indian court returns Israeli backpacker's passport

An Indian court decided on Wednesday to return the passport of Noa Haviv, the Israeli tourist who was arrested in September at the Mumbai Airport after customs officials discovered an ammunition clip in her backpack, and allow her to leave for Israel, Army Radio reported.
Haviv spent six days in jail, and her passport was confiscated until the end of legal proceedings against her.
The ammunition clip belonged to Haviv's brother, who had used the backpack while on reserve duty.
01/11/06 Jerusalem Post, Israel

Duty-free shopping may be hit by EU baggage rules

New Delhi: Security fears are back to spoiling the duty-free shopping party for international air travellers. European Union has decided to tighten the norms for carrying hand baggage and duty-free items for all flights operating in and out European airports, beginning November 6.
Under the fresh regulations, all liquid and gel products like toiletries and cosmetics must be carried together in a transparent, resealable (zip-lock) plastic bag. These have to be presented separately at the security check counters for a thorough screening.
For liquid and gel products purchased at duty-free shops, the passengers must carry an invoice along with the products, providing details related to the purchase and also the passport number of the customer.
The new norms, airline officials said, are applicable for hand baggages on all flights originating in EU countries and for connecting flights from Europe.
01/11/06 Times of India

HAL to revamp Bangalore airport's air traffic control

If you are flying in or out of Bangalore, you're in for a more pleasant journey because the airport will soon be better equipped to handle those 2 lakh travellers a day, reports CNBC-TV18.
Hindustan Aeronautics, or HAL, which owns and operates Bangalore airport, has modernised its air traffic control systems and will soon install an Airport Surveillance Radar.
It has nearly doubled the number of its air traffic controllers and renovated the terminal building. All that will allow the airport to handle 30 flights an hour. That's 50% more than the 20% it now handles. Bangalore airport handles 120 domestic and 20 international flights daily and about 2 lakh passengers.
In April things came to a head and HAL had to ask the Airport Authority of India to stop issuing licences for new flights. So, although traffic was growing, the airport had to actually refuse business.
02/11/06 Moneycontrol.com

Kerala's Airport connectivity to be improved: PM

Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the Centre would assist Kerala in its plans for developing airport connectivity and improving the agriculture and plantation economy of the state.
Speaking after inaugurating the construction work of the new international terminal complex at the airport and laying the foundation for Air India's maintenance base, Singh said the Centre had decided to improve airport infrastructure considering the importance of connectivity at a time when tourism was registering growth.
01/11/06 PTI/Financial Express

Cafe Ritazza launched at airports

Mumbai: Food services company, RKHS (formerly Radha Krishna Hospitality Services)has tied up with European company Select Service Partner (SSP) to enter the travel concessionaires business (setting up eateries at airports or railway stations) in India. Under this agreement, RKHS is launching Cafe Ritazza at Indian airports. SSP, which owns the Cafe Ritazza brand, has a presence at 120 airports across 23 countries.
Sunil Nayak, CEO, RKHS said that this was the company’s first foray into the travel concessionaires business and that over the next two-three years, it was expected to contribute upto eight per cent of the company’s total turnover. RKHS expects to end this financial year at Rs 300 crore and aims to become a Rs 1,000 crore company by 2010.
02/11/06 Priyanka Sangani/Business Standard

AAI doesn't own 45% of Mumbai airport land

Mumbai: When Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) took over Mumbai airport from the Airports Authority of India in May this year, little did it realise that AAI did not own 800 of the 1,800 acres that it claimed belonged to it. A survey conducted by the state government for MIAL has revealed that of the 150 property cards, AAI's name does not figure in as many as 41. A property card provides proof of ownership.
"Land records for huge tracts were never updated and still show the 800 acres as agricultural land. The column which indicates the owner of the land is blank," B D Deshmukh, the superintendent of land records, Mumbai suburban district, told TOI on Tuesday.
Sources in AAI said surveys were never done in the operational areas of the airport, and that was why the property cards could have been left blank.
01/11/06 Yogesh Naik/Times of India

Fog rules eased for airlines

New Delhi: As winter sets in Indian aviation authorities have slightly eased fog rules for airlines not equipped to fly in fog conditions.
The decision was taken at a meeting on Monday to avert large scale disruption of air services.
Only state-owned Indian or Indian Airlines is certified as Category 3 (CAT 3) carrier, which allows take off and landing in heavy fog or low visibility. Most private airlines, which fill Indian skies, have not acquired even Category 2 status, which allows take off when visibility is 350 meters.
Easing of rules for flying in low-visibility solves only a part of the problem, as airports also need to upgrade to become compatible with Category 3 and 2 systems.
01/11/06 NDTV.com

Airlines lacking CAT III trained pilots in trouble

With winter fast approaching, the government has decided to crack the whip on airlines that fail to appoint the required number of pilots adequately trained to navigate jets in thick fog.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a meeting on Monday to review the preparedness of the airlines.
“The airlines, who fall short of the required number of pilots trained in CAT II and CAT III instrument landing systems (ILS), would either have to voluntarily reschedule their flights that land and take off from the Delhi airport during day time when the visibility is much higher or employ more trained pilots,” said a top civil aviation ministry official.
In the case of private airlines, most pilots are trained in CAT II. A CEO of a private low-cost airline said the DGCA circular issued last year makes it mandatory for all operators to qualify for CAT I for one year and within the next six months CAT II training has to be given.
An airline has to invest Rs 7,50,000 per head in training their pilots, besides the recurring costs of Rs 2,50,000 annually per pilot to keep the licence running.
31/10/06 Gaurav Choudhury/Times of India

Foundation stone laid for Thiruvananthapuram's new terminal

Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has laid the foundation stone for the new terminal at the international airport here today morning around 10.40 am.The project will cost Rs.245 crore and would be taken up on a fast-track mode.
Dr. Singh also inaugurated the construction of the Air India's air craft maintenance base.
The new terminal would be able to handle the passengers of two A 300s and one Boeing 747 aircraft at a time.
Meanwhile, the proposed base will help Air India to undertake the maintenance of B737-800 aircraft in Kerala itself, from where most of the flights of Air India Express are being operated.
The three-storey terminal with an area of 20,000 sq. metres.
01/11/06 Kerala Online

PM to lay foundation stone of new Air India maintenance base

New Delhi: The foundation stone of Air-India's new aircraft maintenance base will be laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh near the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Wednesday, coinciding with the golden jubilee celebrations of Kerala's formation.
The new maintenance base would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore and the project will be completed in 18 months after all the required clearances are granted, an Air India spokesman said.
The proposed base would be built employing the latest technology and used primarily to maintain and repair boeing 737-800s being operated by AI subsidiary, Air-India Express.
The base would also be used for the maintenance and checks of other aircraft in Air-India's fleet like Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A-310
01/11/06 Zee News

Loss figures don’t fly

Bangalore: Accounting engineering may have helped Deccan Aviation Ltd, operator of budget carrier Air Deccan, to show a 61% reduction in losses in its first quarter ended September 30 on a sequential basis. But if the Rs 129 crore ($28 million) income earned from the funds raised from two European banks is taken into account, then its losses are up by 55%.
The airline operator has shown the first tranche of term loan raised through a special purpose company (SPC) by pledging rights to take delivery of 60 aircraft (Airbus) as profit in its books. This has brought down its losses to Rs 43 crore as against the fourth-quarter ended June 30 losses of Rs 110 crore (figures of the last year’s first quarter have not been published).
Its turnover for the same quarter is up 186% to Rs 536 crore from Rs 188 crore (unpublished figure) in the corresponding quarter last year.
31/10/06 Praveena Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

AI to wet-lease 4 planes to replace defective aircraft

New Delhi: Air-India has decided to take four aircraft on wet-lease to replace as many that were plagued by snags.
The state-owned carrier would wet-lease three Airbus A340-300s to be operated on the prime routes to Europe and the US Boeing B767-300 (extended range) for operations on the Kuala Lumpur sector as well as the umbai-Bangkok-Hong Kong route, Air-India sources said.
The decision comes in the wake of recent instances of flight cancellations and undue delays, which prompted Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to fly private carrier Jet Airways from London-Heathrow to Delhi last week.
The airline is also understood to be in talks with private carrier Air Sahara to lease a wide-body aircraft.
31/10/06 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Air France launches Chennai service

Air France has launched a new three-times weekly flight from Paris to the Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras).
Operating on an Airbus A340 aircraft with 291 seats, flights depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10.25am on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Chennai at 12.20am.
The return flights leave Chennai at 2.40am on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving back in Paris at 9.05am (all times are local).
From Heathrow, the flight time to Chennai is 12 hours 20 minutes. An example price is £357.70 return, including taxes, for a February 1 departure, returning on February 6.
Air France works to ensure that transfers at Charles de Gaulle Airport are smooth. Passengers receive an information pack at their original departure airport that contains information of transfer routes within each terminal.
31/10/06 Cheapflights.co.uk, UK

Arrested Pakistani militant was trying to join flying clubs in India

New Delhi: Karachi-based Mohammed Fahad, one of two Pakistani militants arrested in Mysore last week, was trying to join some flying clubs in India to learn aircraft flying, official sources said here today.
Fahad, who had come to India on a regular 45-day visa on the pretext of meeting his Malayali grandparents, was also enquiring about the procedure to join a flying club and about the time taken to learn flying, the sources said.
The parents of Fahad, who was trained by Pakistan-based al-Badr militant outfit, had migrated to Karachi in 1971. After joining the militant ranks, he was used by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI for its operations of targeting important installations in Indian hinterland, especially in the southern part of the country, they said.
Fahad, having a fair knowledge of Malayalam, had got his visa stamped for Karanatka and Kolkata after arriving at the Mumbai international airport in February this year.
31/10/06 Zee News

Four-lane to ease airport ride

Hubli: Finally, the authorities here have decided to take on head-on the mess caused by traffic jams on Airport Road, popularly known as Gokul Road.
The National Highways department and PWD will jointly take up a project to convert the present two-lane road into a four-lane stretch from Hosur to Airport. Giving this information, Dharwad (North) MP Prahlad Joshi said the design has been finalised and work is expected to be taken up within the next two months. The whole project is estimated to cost Rs 9 crore, he added. He said the frequent traffic jams on Gokul Road had become a very serious problem that required an lasting solution. Four-laning of the road appeared to be the only viable solution, he added.
01/111/06 Times of India

Airblue has lessons for local airlines

Mumbai: It’s a company which calls itself a low-cost carrier (LCC) and yet offers piping hot meals on at all its flights, has dual class seating arrangements, and surprise! surprise! made operational profit in the first two months of its operations.
Meet Shahid K Abassi, chief operating officer of Airblue, Pakistan’s low-cost airline. In three years, it has carved a third of the marketshare in the sectors it operates domestically.
Airblue has a fleet of six aircraft and it connects seven cities in Pakistan.
Like most LCCs, Airblue puts its entire ticket inventory on the Net and direct internet booking accounts for 15% of its sales.
Abbasi, an ex-parliamentarian, says he has applied to fly to India.
Under the civil aviation agreement between the two countries, there are slots for 12 flights a week between India and Pakistan, which is utilised entirely by PIA now.
31/10/06 Rabin Ghosh/Daily News & Analysis

Oil firms slash ATF prices by 8%

New Delhi: Public sector oil firms on Tuesday slashed aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices by 7.9% in line with fall in international oil prices. Jet fuel or ATF prices for domestic airlines, which have to pay local sales tax, was cut by Rs 3,179.9 per kilo litre to Rs 37,123.92 per kilo litre in Delhi, an Indian Oil Corp (IOC) official said.
In Mumbai, the prices were cut from Rs 45,837.72 per kilolitre to Rs 42,511.80 per kilo litre. The reduction comes into effect from October 31 midnight.
For international airlines, which do not have to pay sales tax, ATF prices were cut by $53.62 per kilo litre to $621.68 per kilo litre in Delhi, while in Mumbai, they fell from $704.48 per kilo litre to $650.64 per kilo litre.
Public sector companies—Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL)—revise ATF prices on the first of every month in line with movement in international prices.
31/10/06 PTI/Financial Express

World's longest jet to fly in Indian skies

Britain's second-largest long haul airline Virgin Atlantic Airways Tuesday announced the arrival of its maiden Airbus A340-600 flight - the world's longest commercial plane - into India.The A340-600 will operate on the Delhi-London sector.
'The A340-600 offers almost 30 percent more seats onboard compared to Virgin Atlantic's current aircraft. The return fares to London start at just Rs.20,000,' said Joe Thompson, country manager, Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic is the only airline operating the A340-600 in India. At 247-ft (75.3m) long, the A340-600 is longer than any other commercial plane. The aircraft is part of a $4.7 billion order for 25 aircraft, fitted with Rolls Royce Trent 500 engine series. Virgin Atlantic currently operates 14 flights every week between India and Britain, with daily services to London from Delhi and Mumbai.
31/10/06 Indo Asian News Service/India PRwire (Press Release)

Passenger-Official Scuffle at Patna Airport

Patna: An all-out brawl broke out at Patna's Jai Prakash Narain International Airport on Monday after a passenger with a valid Patna-Delhi ticket was denied boarding on a Jet Airways flight apparently due to late arrival by the passenger.
According to the reports, Ritesh Mohan, an NRI from the USA, engaged in a verbal argument with the jet Airways officials after they refused to allow him on the plane due to late arrival by him.
The argument soon took a violent turn as Mohan, according to the airport authorities, assaulted the officials while also verbally abusing him. Security officials rushed to the scene and separated the fighting individuals.
01/11/06 Patna Daily

After new service, Finnair to bring Santa to India

New Delhi: After launching its maiden air service from Helsinki to the Indian capital Tuesday, Finnair has drawn a major promotional campaign that will see Santa Claus, the real one from the Arctic Circle, arrive here Nov 9.
The Finnish airline announced that its new service - which started with a frequency of three flights a week - will be expanded by the summer of 2007 to either five times or even a daily service.
"We have the traffic rights for a daily service to New Delhi and a daily service to Mumbai. So we will expand our operations based on the response. We'll also be looking at adding Mumbai," said Henrik Arle, Finnair's deputy chief executive. "Chennai and Bangalore are also very much on our radar," Arle, who arrived from the Finnish capital Tuesday morning on Finnair's maiden air service to India, told IANS in an interview.
31/10/06 Telugu Portal

Emirates holiday packages a big hit

Months after Emirates launched its operations from Calcutta, the city has topped in the country in buying the holiday package of the airline, Emirates Holidays.
“Calcutta has topped among all destinations in India in buying the package,” Nabil Sultan, senior vice-president (commercial operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean) of the airline said on Tuesday, during the launch of their new office in the city on the EM Bypass-Parama Island Connector.
The airline has sold more than 500 packages since April, with 128 packages having been sold in September alone. Emirates flights started taking off from the city in March.
“Calcuttans opting for Dubai as a holiday destination are increasing by the day. They are also buying packages for other destinations, like Mauritius, Seychelles, London, Paris, Cairo, Istanbul and South Africa,” said an official of the airline.
01/10/06 Calcutta Telegraph

Air India Selects Thales IFE for New B-777s

Air India will have Thales TopSeries IFE (in-flight entertainment) line fitted on its 23 new B-777s. The airline's Thales TopSeries i-5000 will feature digital audio and video on-demand with 23-inch displays in first class, 15-inch displays in business class and 10.6-inch displays in economy class seats. All of the displays will be in a 16:9 widescreen format, and use touch screen controls. Each seat will also have laptop power and a noise cancelling module for high fidelity sound.
31/10/06 Flt Tech Online, US

Dubai - Mangalore AI Express : Mind Your luggage

Dubai: Air India Express, which operated to Mangalore on October 3 the very first International flight at Bajpe is currently experiencing heavy rush from the Dubai - Mangalore passengers as well as heavy baggage.
Over the last two weeks or so, passengers are carrying heavy baggage despite of restriction of 30kg per person. Now that the hassle of changing the aircraft in Mumbai has been totally eliminated, it is possible that passengers are carrying extra luggage even by paying excess fare. Though such passengers willingly pay the excess fare, the aircraft's infrastructure and handling facilities at Mangalore airport appear to be unable to cope with the excess.
Recently some of the passengers who travelled by the direct flight have faced inconvenience with part of their luggage arriving on later dates. Excess luggage is being despatched by Air India Express' next available flight because of the capacity problem or local handling problem at destination port.
01/11/06 Daijiworld.com

Patel assuages AI, Indian staff fears on merger

New Delhi: With Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel making it abundantly clear that he wants the proposed merger of national carriers Air India and Indian to go through before the end of the current fiscal, his ministry, in a confidence-building exercise, has asked the top management of both the airlines to circulate a detailed note on the proposed merger to every single employee of theirs.
The integration of the workforce of both the airlines being a major area of concern, the note is primarily aimed at explaining the rationale behind the proposed merger and the benefits it will result in for both the carriers.
Significantly, the note explicitly reiterates the government’s earlier stated stand that the merger will not lead to any “retrenchment of personnel” and that “a fair and objective approach to handling people’s concerns will be adopted”. The ministry has further tried to assure employees of both the carriers that the merger process will be tailored in way so as to ensure that it protects the “remuneration, perquisites and status of all the employees”.
31/10/06 Raghvendra Rao/Indian Express

Low-cost airports in major towns will fuel growth: Gopinath

Bangalore: G.R. Gopinath, managing director of Deccan Aviation, which operates the country's second largest airliner in terms of market share, Air Deccan, believes that States can pioneer the next wave of the aviation revolution if they build low-cost airports in major towns.
A typical low-cost airport with no frills can be built at an approximate cost of Rs. 16 crore, excluding the cost of land, he points out.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Friday, he argued that equitable growth could be achieved only through air connectivity, though one could not hope to match the economies of scale, say at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Bangalore, at the district level.
A typical low-cost airport should be all-weather, functional with regard to safety and reliability and have night-landing facility.
A low-cost airport with a 4,500 ft by 80 ft runway, a 300 ft by 80 ft taxiway, a 300 ft by 200 ft apron for two aircraft, an Air Traffic Control tower, a windsock, communication equipment, night-landing instruments and a passenger terminal can be built at Rs. 16 crore. This excludes the cost of around 70 acres of land required, says Capt. Gopinath.
30/10/06 Anil Kumar Sastry/The Hindu

Aerospace deals buoy IT firms

Mumbai: The offset policy of the government of India has opened up a huge opportunity for domestic companies that offer design, engineering and software services to the aerospace sector. The policy entails that any order by a defence entity or state-owned civilian carrier to a foreign supplier of Rs 300 crore or more will have to ensure an offset (reinvestment) of at least 30 per cent of the order through procurement of components and services from India. Given that the deals, those cleared and still in the pipeline, amount to $20 billion – most of them for defence and civilian aircraft orders – a 30 per cent business opportunity translates to over $6 billion.
Industry sources say the State Trading Corporation (STC), official authority for monitoring or controlling the offset activity, has received 15-20 applications from Indian companies for registration. Major IT companies like TCS, Satyam, Infosys, HCL, Wipro and PSUs like Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Bharat Electroncis Ltd. (BEL) and some niche knowledge-based engineering companies like Taneja Aerospace, Triveni High-tech, CADES and the Maini group besides majors like L&T, Godrej, the Tatas and Kirloskars are in the queue to get a chunk of the offset orders.
31/10/06 Bibhu Ranjan Mishra/Business Standard

Sri Lankan budget airlines struggle to get off ground

Sri Lanka's first budget airlines to fly international routes are struggling to get off ground, with approvals pending from Sri Lanka?s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The island?s airline regulator, the CAA says the process has been stalled due to delays by potential new operators in supplying all the necessary technical information.
The race to fly international routes has been narrowed down to two potential applicants Holiday Air and domestic carrier Expo Aviation that were given provisional licences to fly to India subject to technical clearances such as safety standards.
A third applicant Deccan Air that runs a local helicopter service, has not progressed beyond the initial stage despite being also given a provisional licence, Nimalsiri said.
Holiday Air said earlier this year that it was in talks to tie up with Malaysian budget carrier Air Asia for technical and operational support and would also be the Malaysian airline?s first entry into Sri Lanka.
30/10/06 Lanka Everything, UK

Singapore Airlines keen on Hyderabad airport project

The ground-handling arm of Singapore Airlines (SIA) is keen on a new airport project in the Indian city of Hyderabad, the chief executive said in a published report Tuesday.
Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) has 'expressed interest' in the project, Ng Chin Hwee told The Straits Times, adding that it is in discussions with potential partners.
SATS recently won all three contracts it had bid for at Bangalore's new airport in cargo, passenger handling and catering.
Hyderabad's airport is scheduled to open in 2008.
SATS' overseas business earned 15.6 million Singapore dollars ($10.1 million) in the quarter, which ended Sep 30, a 1.3 percent hike over the corresponding period a year ago.
It has 16 joint ventures in eight Asian countries, including India and China.
31/10/06 ndia eNews.com

Thai Airways launches its Bangkok-Gaya-Varanasi service

Gaya: In a bid to promote Buddhist circuit tourism, Thai Airways today launched its Bangkok-Gaya-Varanasi tri-weekly service.
The airline's inaugural flight carrying 125 passengers touched down at the international airport in Gaya, about 15 km from Bodh Gaya, the highest seat of the Buddhism.
The airliner will run the service every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Airport Director R N Sen told news agency.
'Indian' runs its services touching Gaya and Bangkok four times a week, while 'Druk', a Royal Bhutan government undertaking, has flights on Gaya-Bangkok route thrice a week.
Srivastava said subject to government of India's norms and approval, a direct Delhi-Gaya flight of the 'Indian' may also be introduced in the near future to cater to both foreign and domestic tourists.
31/10/06 Zee News

Deccan Aviation to enter air cargo business

Mumbai: Deccan Aviation Ltd. plans to launch air cargo services through a new subsidiary and a top official said on Monday it would sell a 1.96 percent stake for up to 295 million rupees to Investec Bank (UK) Ltd.
Investec, which had funded Deccan Aviation's aircraft, was offering to buy 1.96 million shares at 150 rupees each, Managing Director G.R. Gopinath told Reuters.
Shares of Deccan Aviation, which runs budget airline Air Deccan, fell 5.6 percent to 101 rupees in the Mumbai market.
"We have a long association with Investec and they wanted a stake," Gopinath said. "The funds will be used for expansion."
He also said the company's cargo operations should start operations in six to nine months.
The cargo subsidiary would have its own fleet but subcontract engineering and maintenance to Air Deccan, he added.
30/10/06 Reuters/NDTV.com

Deccan Aviation posts Rs 42.94cr Q1 loss

Bangalore: Bangalore-based Deccan Aviation, operator of low cost carrier - Air Deccan, has posted a loss of Rs 42.94 crore for the first quarter(Q1) of financial year 2006-07 (the company's FY is July to June). Net income from operations for Q1 stood at Rs 358.70 crore.
The company's profits was mainly hit by huge aircraft fuel expences to the tune of Rs 240.11 crore and other direct operating expences like aircraft lease rentals at Rs 229.33 crore.
Deccan Aviation's board of directors at their meeting approved in-principle, a foray into the air cargo business through a wholly owned subsidiary and formation of a company for the same. The board also approved the issue of 19.63 lakh equity shares of Rs 10 each which shall be 1.96% of post issue capital to Investec Bank (UK) on preferential basis, subject to approval of shareholders.
30/10/06 Business Standard

AI-Indian merger: New business model mooted

New Delhi: As the process to merge Air-India and Indian gathers momentum, a business model that is understood to have found acceptance among officials has recommended creation of the post of a group CMD for the merged entity with special business units (SBUs) headed by separate CEOs.
These SBUs or divisions, to be run as independent profit-centres, are proposed to be set up in the areas of integrated passenger service covering both domestic and international operations, cargo business, ground handling, MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), low-cost carriers and other allied activities, official sources said.
This proposal forms the basis of a note for the union cabinet, which has to give its final stamp of approval before the merger process can go ahead. The cabinet would act on the recommendations of a group of ministers, which is meeting here on November 13.
The focus of these SBUs would be to maximise revenue in the single operating company by joint sales strategy, common distribution network and outsourcing plans.
30/10/06 Zee News

Mohan Meakins chief to turn aviator

New Delhi: Mohan Meakins chief Kapil Mohan is set to join the high-flying league of Indian aviators with his new low-cost feeder airline Indus Air set for take-off next month. Indus Air will start operations within the next 10 days with a fleet of Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets.
"The first aircraft has already arrived and we will receive our second plane next week. In all, we will have five CRJs on an eight year lease," Brig Mohan said. In the second phase, the airline plans to induct 10 Boeing 737-800 and 737-900 jets on a hire-lease-purchase model for 10 years.
Floated in a JV with Beri & Beri, Indus Air will use Delhi and Chandigarh as the operating base for its aircraft. "The first flight will be on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Mumbai route, while the second will be deployed on other sectors connecting Jammu, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Bangalore," he said.
This will make Mohan the second liquor baron to step into the aviation field after Vijay Mallya.
30/10/06 Times of India

Air India may defer IPO until 2008

Singapore: Air India, the nation's largest international carrier, could push for an initial public offering in 2008, at least a year after it plans to merge with the government-owned Indian Airlines.
The two airlines, which were earlier seeking separate listings, are on course to complete the merger by March 2007, according to the chairman and managing director of Air India, Vasudevan Thulasidas. He said that the first year after the merger would be spent integrating the staff and network of the combined entity, which will become one of the 10 biggest Asian carriers, with more than 110 planes and 111 aircraft on order.
Indian carriers are selling shares and bonds as growing demand for air travel prompts them to increase their fleets. Thulasidas is tasked with the creation of an airline that will have a fleet large enough to fend off competition overseas and in India, where four new carriers have started in the past three years.
30/10/06 Chan Sue Ling/Bloomberg News/International Herald Tribune, France

Changi Airport welcomes Air India Express

Singapore Changi Airport received the maiden flight of Air India Express (AIE) from Chennai. AIE is the first Indian low-cost carrier to operate to Singapore. Singapore is also the airline’s first international destination in the Asia Pacific.
Passengers and crew onboard the flight were warmly welcomed by the High Commissioner of India to Singapore, His Excellency Alok Prasad, and Acting Director-General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Mr Chiang Hai Eng.
For a start, AIE will operate 10 weekly flights between Singapore and Chennai from Changi Airport’s Terminal 1.
30/10/06 Vicky Karantzavelou/Travel Daily News International

Dublin Airport Authority unit in Indian JV for duty-free business

Mumbai: Aer Rianta International, a unit of Dublin Airport Authority, and Flemingo India are planning a joint venture company to operate duty-free outlets in Indian airports, said the Economic Times.
The report quoted unnamed industry sources as saying the Aer Rianta-Flemingo consortium has already submitted its bid for space at Delhi airport, as the lease granted to India Tourism Development Corp (ITDC) expires in December.
Public sector ITDC is the only major duty-free operator in India apart from Flemingo.
31/10/06 Life Style Extra, UK

Airlines industry owes 349 mn pounds in delay compensation

London: Airline industry owes business class travellers 349 million pounds in compensation for delayed and cancelled flights every year along with increased demand for seats in that class in flights to India, Middle East and China, a global travel information company said today.
The increase, touching a five-year high in travel, has led to many airlines facing late-flights lawsuit as per regulations imposed by the European Union last year, according to the global travel information company OAG.
Under the rule, travellers from any EU airport are entitled to compensation ranging from 250 euro to 600 euro depending on the length of the delay and the destination. But quite often, no claims are made as the airlines have made the procedure legally complicated.
The number of compensation cases also highlights the fact that the industry has failed to deliver service either on time, or at all, 30 per cent of the time.
30/10/06 Zee News

Continental Redesigns BusinessFirst Meals

Houston: The gourmet meals, which first debuted on trans-Atlantic and South American flights Oct. 29, were created by members of Continental's Congress of Chefs, including: Michael Cordua of Americas of Houston; Paul Minnillo of the Baricelli Inn at Cleveland; Tim Keating of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla.; and James Canora of NYC Culinary Events in New York City.
"We've taken the best and most popular dishes from some of the world's greatest chefs and blended their wonderful regional cuisines into our BusinessFirst menus, creating a fusion of international flavors," said Continental's Executive Chef Siegfried Lang.
Tailoring its product for specific routes, Continental's dining experience includes regional touches in various markets. For example, a sushi appetizer and a complete Japanese meal are options on Tokyo flights, and an Indian- Vegetarian entree is one option offered on flights to Delhi.
31/10/06 Continental Airlines/TouristikPresse.net (Pressemitteilung)

Blue Dart adds new aircraft

Indian air express carrier Blue dart plans to induct an eighth aircraft to its fleet of seven Boeing freighters in May 2007. At present, the all-cargo airline's fleet consist of five Boeing 737 and two Boeing 757 freighter aircraft.
Two Boeing 757-200s were already added to the fleet this year. The flights are primarily operated at night to provide overnight delivery to its customers.
Blue Dart Aviation is a subsidiary of Blue Dart Express that was acquired by DHL Express (Singapore) in 2005.
30/10/06 Air Cargo News.net, UK

Indian to fly twice daily on Dubai-Delhi sector

Indian, the state-owned airline of India, yesterday said it would introduce its second daily flight on Dubai-Delhi sector next week.
Pankaj Srivastava, Indian's Regional Manager for the Gulf, said with the new flight, the carrier would be boosting weekly operations on Dubai-India sector to 42 flights while operating a total of 81 flights per week from the UAE to India. "The capacity growth in terms of number of flights over the past two years in the UAE has been more than 100 per cent," he said.
From Dubai, Indian currently operates to destinations including Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Calicut and Mumbai. The airline also operates from Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah to other Indian destinations including Trivandrum and Cochin.
31/10/06 Khaleej Times/Middle East North Africa Financial Network, Jordan

Emirates Airline launches service from Bangalore

Bangalore: Dubai-based Emirates Airline has launched eight flights-a-week service to Bangalore, marking its fifth footprint in the south and eighth in the Indian skies.
The first flight EK 516, an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, touched down at the Bangalore airport last evening.
In an expansion drive in India, Emirates, wholly-owned by the Dubai government, has already commenced services to Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata and added capacity to its Kochi, Chennai and Delhi routes earlier this year.
Emirates currently operates 71 flights a week to India, its second largest destination after UK with 91 flights, company's senior vice-president commercial operations, West Asia and Indian Ocean, Nabil Sultan, told reporters today.
Southern region commands 39 flights to Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Bangalore. The new service links Bangalore to Emirates key Middle-East cities, apart from North American and European cities, he said.
31/10/06 Zee News

Emirates to expand Mumbai call centre

Emirates Airline has decided to expand its global call centre facility in Mumbai and treble the number of staffers to around 400.
Emirates' Vice-President for India and Nepal, Mr Salem Obaidalla, told a news conference that the airline would spend around Rs 8 crore to set up a new facility in Mumbai and increase the number of employees to around 400.
"Because of the increase in the number of destinations and traffic globally, we have decided to expand the facility," Mr Obaidalla said. The call centre covers India, North America, the UK, Dubai and Australia.
Emirates has also started its flights to Bangalore from Dubai adding a total of 2,000 seats from the Indian city per week in each direction. The airline will fly eight times a week.
31/10/06 Moneycontrol.com

Gulf Air flight delayed by eight hours

Chennai: Passengers of a Gulf Air Boeing flight to Muscat complained of inconvenience, after the departure of their flight was delayed by about eight hours this morning, airport sources said.
The flight was scheduled to leave at 7.30 a.m , but now it is expected to leave around 3.30 p.m , the sources said adding that there was delay in the arrival of the flight from Muscat and hence the delay in departure also.
All the 191 passengers, who had reported at 5 a.m to board the flight, were not even provided breakfast.
30/10/06 Chennai Online

Gulf Air names key official

Manama: Gulf Air has appointed Richard Hirsch as the regional general manager for the Indian sub continent.
Hirsch comes to Gulf Air bringing with him a wealth of experience of over 18 years gained from British Airways (BA) in various commercial roles.
He has held several positions at BA's headquarters and overseas, which include strategic sales roles in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
He played a key role in the commercial strategic development and direction of BA in the region for the last five years.
Hirsch also oversaw the airline's commercial contingency plans for the Middle East post 9/11 and the successful move to offline selling in Saudi Arabia after the suspension of BA flights to the region.
31/10/06 Trade Arabia, Bahrain

Israeli national arrested for carrying cartridges; permitted to return to Israel

Despite the chargesheet not being filed against an Israeli for possession of live cartridges and a magazine, the Bombay High Court has permitted Noa Haviv (29) to return to her homeland.
Taking an exception in the case, Justice Roshan Dalvi on Monday directed the police to release her passport in order to facilitate her return. Haviv, a German descent, has another German passport which will remain in the custody of police.
Haviv was arrested at the Sahara international airport on September 21 after she landed from Tel Aviv. When her baggage was being scanned before boarding a Jet Airways flight for Delhi, 16 cartridges and a magazine were discovered. She was later released on bail on September 26 against Rs 15,000.
Her advocate Haresh Jagtiani said that by mistake Haviv had taken her brother's bag, which contained the cartridges, who holds a valid license in Israel.
30/10/06 Urvi Jappi/Hindustan Times

ViaSat Receives $12 Million Order From ARINC

"The small, lightweight, and extremely cost-effective avionics developed by ViaSat have been key to the success of SKYLink," said Robert B. Thompson, senior director, ARINC Business Aviation Systems. "We continue to see a very high level of customer satisfaction and an increasing demand for the product."
"Our in-flight broadband technology continues to advance rapidly," said Bill Sullivan, ViaSat managing director for Mobile Broadband Systems.
Earlier this month ARINC announced that SKYLink has been selected by Dassault Falcon Jet as the factory broadband communications option for the new Falcon 7X ultra-long-range corporate aircraft. The Falcon 7X is due for certification in 2007 and Dassault Falcon has already received more than 90 orders for delivery between 2007 and 2010.
ViaSat has locations in Carlsbad, CA, and Duluth, GA, along with its Comsat Laboratories division in Germantown, MD. Additional field offices are located in Boston, MA, Washington DC, Australia, China, India, Italy, and Spain.
30/10/06 Earthtimes.org

Thailand and India tap into pilgrimage air-travel segment

Buddhist pilgrims heading for the holy sites in India are set to benefit from a bonanza of new flights connecting Bangkok directly to the cities of Bodhgaya and Varanasi as of the winter schedule 2006-07, effective this week.
The thrice-weekly flights each by INDIAN (formerly known as Indian airlines) and Thai Airways International will boost the position of Bangkok as an Asian aviation hub and allow both Thailand and India to tap into one of the fastest-growing segments of air travel _ pilgrimage tourism.
Both airlines will be operating to Bodhgaya on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, INDIAN using a 146-seat A320 and THAI a 149-seat Boeing 737-400. Larger aircraft cannot be used because of runway restrictions and inability to make night landings. Varanasi will be operated only by Thai Airways, but faces the same airport restrictions.
The flights will be entirely new for THAI and an upgrade for INDIAN, which has been operating a single weekly frequency to Bodhgaya from Bangkok since 2003, only during the winter season.
30/10/06 Imtiaz Muqbil/Bangkok Post, Thailand

Designer wear for AI crew grounded

New Delhi: With the government close to finalising wedding plans for its grand union with Indian Airlines, the septuagenarian Air India has grounded the much-touted exercise of getting its cabin crew uniforms redesigned by the fashion gurus of India.
Air India had roped in five top-notch fashion designers — the likes of Ritu Beri, J J Vallaya, Tarun Tahiliani, Satya Paul and Lifestyle — to give its cabin crew and staff a designer look.
While AI and the designers had held several meetings — and ramp walks — in the past to discuss various designs, a final cut on the uniform is yet to come through.
The designers, officials said, have already been informed about the change in plans. "Since the merger would create a new, single entity, it was felt that Indian officials should also be taken on board with the redesigning of crew uniform," an official said.
This redesigning process, the official said, will be revisited by the end of the current fiscal — the deadline set by civil aviation minister Praful Patel for merging Air India and Indian.
30/10/06 Times of India

KD 5 on Jazeera to all destinations

Kuwait: Jazeera Airways turned one year old Sunday, marking a key milestone in the region’s aviation industry.
As part of the celebrations, the Jazeera Airways has announced a special anniversary offer featuring a single price of KD 5 to any destination on any flight from Oct 30 to Nov 2, 2006 for travel from Nov 12 to March 24, 2007. Customers can book their tickets through their chosen travel agents, over the phone by calling the Jazeera Airways call centre 177, or online at jazeeraairways.com, where travellers can book and pay for their flights and reserve seats in the convenience of their home or office.
Travelers are able to book via jazeeraairways.com, travel agents or call or SMS the Jazeera Airways reservation number 177 (or *177 for SMS) — Kuwait only — to receive a booking reference number for easy, ticket-free check in.
30/10/06 Arab Times, Kuwait

Emirates unveils more flights to Africa and India

Dubai: Emirates yesterday launched services to new gateways in North Africa and India and added capacity to its New York and Zurich routes, all in the span of 24 hours, a company statement said.
Yesterday the carrier said it marked the beginning of five weekly flights to Tunis, eight flights a week to the Indian IT hub Bangalore, a third daily service to New York and a second daily service to Zurich.
Emirates is blazing ahead with its ambition to serve 100 international destinations by 2012. Since January 2006 the airline has added nine passenger destinations - Abidjan, Thiruvananthapuram, Addis Ababa, Kolkata, Hamburg, Nagoya, Beijing, Tunis, Bangalore - and one cargo-only gateway, Malawi, to bring its network to the current 87 cities in 58 countries.
To Tunis, Bangalore and New York, special economy class return fares of Dh1,900, Dh1,100 and Dh2,900 respectively are available to UAE-based passengers for outbound travel between October 29 and November 30.
30/10/06 Gulf News, UAE

Air Arabia to launch holidays' division

Dubai: Air Arabia has turned 3 and announced that it will shortly launch its holidays' division as part of its efforts to further augment its market reach and provide its customers with seamless quality travel and hospitality experiences.
In a statement on its third anniversary, the airline also announced 3 new destinations (Chennai, Thiruvanthapuram and Kathmandu) and that it will spruce up its fleet by adding one more aircraft in November.
The airline's fleet, which started with two leased Airbus A320s on October 28, 2003, will comprise eight brand-new A320s with the new addition.
29/10/06 Trade Arabia, Bahrain

Air India's low-cost carrier launches inaugural flight to Singapore

Air India's budget arm, Air India Express or AIE, launched its inaugural flight to Singapore on Sunday.
The first Indian low-cost carrier to fly to Changi, AIE will operate five weekly non-stop services between Singapore and Chennai in India.
AIE's average return fare can go as low as $600.That is at least 25-50 percent lower than what is currently available on other full service carriers such as Jet Airways and Singapore Airlines.The flight takes about 4 hours and includes free boxed meals and some in-flight entertainment.
The Singapore-Chennai route also saw a 15 percent increase over the same period.
But Air India Express does not plan to just stop at Chennai.
It may consider places like Hyderabad and Bangalore, according to Air India's chairman, V Thulasidas.
29/10/06 Asha Popatlal/Channel News Asia, Singapore

Indian launches flight service from Delhi to Tirupati

New Delhi: State-owned airline company Indian on Sunday launched its first flight service from Delhi to the temple town of Tirupati.
A320 flight with 143 passengers on board was flagged off by Indian CMD Vishwapati Trevedi, the company said in a release.
At an attractive inaugural one-way fare of Rs 2,875 till November 7, the daily flight will depart Delhi at 9:50 am and reach Tirupati at 1:25 pm via Hyderabad, it said.
It also offers attractive Tirupati Darshan holiday package which includes return airfare, airport to hotel transfers, one-night stay at a luxury hotel and guide services.
29/10/06 Zee News

State proposes third airport at Kalyan, Navi Mumbai

Mumbai: Not satisfied with a second airport sanctioned at Navi Mumbai, the state government has proposed a third airport—on what used to be a World War II airfield at Kalyan.
The Maharashtra government sent a proposal to this effect to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry last week.
The state government justifies the need for a third airport by pointing to the ever-increasing passenger numbers.
"There is a World War II airfield lying unused at Kalyan (50 kms from Mumbai), which has a vast stretch of land but no airstrip. We are trying to see whether it can be converted into a full-fledged airport", said Maharashtra Civil Aviation Secretary Sanjay Ubale.
But the Centre is less than enthusiastic. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel felt that three airports within a 100 kms radius were impractical.
29/10/06 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

Finnair launches New Flights to Delhi

The launch of flights to the Indian capital Delhi is the highlight of Finnair's winter timetable that came into force yesterday, Sunday October 29. The number of flights to Tokyo will also double at the beginning of December to four a week, while the 30th anniversary of flights from Helsinki to Bangkok – Finnair’s first Asian destination – is celebrated on Thursday 2 November. On its European network, Finnair will be adding new daily flights from Paris, Munich, Copenhagen and Vilnius, and increasing frequencies on St Petersburg, Budapest and Warsaw routes.
The inaugural flight to Delhi is today, Monday 30 October. To start with, the flights will run three times a week using Boeing MD-11 wide-bodied aircraft, but next spring the frequencies will be boosted to five a week.
The flight time between Helsinki and Delhi is just six hours and 30 minutes, with outward departures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and return flights on the following days.
30/10/06 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand

Bangalore is a key destination for Emirates SkyCargo

The announcement of Emirates Airline's new passenger service to Bangalore commencing October 29th is good news for cargo customers eager to increase services through Southern India's largest city and tech hub. The service will provide a substantial 120 additional tonnes of cargo capacity in both directions: an essential improvement needed to meet demand jumps across the gateway.
The new service, operated on both the A330-200 and Boeing 777-200 aircraft, gives Emirates a full eight, non-stop, direct weekly frequencies in addition to its existing weekly freighter flight.
Typical exports from Bangalore including computer equipment and garments will continue to constitute large proportions of freight out of the city. Shipments into Bangalore are expected to include growing quantities of consumer goods as well as personal effects.
"Bangalore is a key destination for Emirates SkyCargo and we have noted increasing demand for capacity over recent years," said Ram Menen, Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.
30/10/06 Fibre2fashion.com

SriLankan Makes Maiden Landing at Goa

Dabolim, Goa: The SriLankan Airlines have finally made it to Goa and made it its 10th destination in India. The SriLankan Airlines landed on the Dabolim Airport in Goa on Monday, October 30 morning at 7.30 am thus making Goa its 10th destination in the country. The flight will be operating between Colombo and Goa and back, with convenient connection flights to the Middle East.
The duration of the flight between Dabolim and Colombo will be two hours.
Chief Minister Rane, in his inaugural speech, invited the the Sri Lankans to strengthen the cultural bond between the two culturally rich places upon sending performing artistes from Goa to Sri Lanka and vice versa.
The Sri Lankan high commissioner accepted the offer and promised to improve on the cultural relationship and also build up a strong chain in the tourism sector.
30/10/06 Rajtilak Naik/Daijiworld.com

More Qantas IT dollars fly offshore

Already under fire for sending IT support jobs offshore, Australia's largest airline, Qantas, has procured a Web analytics solution from a US company to measure the behaviour of its online visitors.
Qantas selected the SiteCatalyst Web analytics software from Utah-based Omniture to identify trends in the online travel space and leverage "behavioural information" to improve the customer's experience.
A Qantas spokesperson told Computerworld the company looked at what was available in "proven outsourced providers" capable of handling a large Web site.
The solution was implemented last year and the value of the deal was not disclosed by the airline.
The announcement comes only a week after Qantas said it will outsource internal applications support to Indian firms Satyam Computer Services and Tata Consulting Services, resulting in the loss of some 340 local IT staff.
30/10/06 Rodney Gedda/Computerworld Australia, Australia

Woman on flight suffers heart attack after plane returns

Chennai: A 30-year-old woman air passengeron a Visakhapatnam bound Air Deccan flight from here suffereda heart attack after the flight returned to Chennai followinginclement weather in that city, airport sources said.
The Air Deccan turboprop flight, with 37 passengers, tookoff from here at 9.25 am but was forced to return here at12.45 noon. The flight is yet to take off, they said.
29/10/06 PTI/The Hindu

Air ticket booking at your doorstep

Last week, low cost airline GoAir teamed up with SBI Card to launch the GoAir SBI Credit Card. Amongst the target audience for the card is the kirana store. The tickets can be booked on the baniya’s card and then delivered to the passenger— a boon for the non-credit card holders.
GoAir is the latest domestic airline to announce an innovative distribution channel for their tickets. In the past, pioneer Air Deccan made tickets available via call centres, the internet, Reliance Web Worlds and petrol pumps among others.
“For those who don’t have access to a credit card, it’s easier to buy the ticket from a retailer as they would save on the travel agent’s commission. Our regular customers will have access to great schemes on all purchases made on this card,” says Jeh Wadia, MD, GoAir.
29/10/06 Gouri Shah/Daily News & Analysis

Soon, travel to N-E, Himachal by helicopter

New Delhi:With tourism ministry planning to commence helicopter tourism services to popular destinations, people could tag convenience with a sense of adventure as well as pack in the utility of quick travel.
Helicopter services will be started in the North East, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal in the first phase. The ministry has already submitted a proposal to Planning Commission regarding the service.
"We have some ambitious proposals for the eleventh five year plan. Creation of helipads and starting a helicopter services is one of them,"tourism minister Ambika Soni said.
According to officials, the helicopter service may be expensive but is likely to grow in popularity."We will be targeting both domestic and foreign tourists. There are keen adventure enthusiasts who would like to travel to inaccessible mountain peaks for trekking, paragliding, hang-gliding and bungee jumping,"an official said.
29/10/06 Himanshi Dhawan & Mahendra Kumar Singh/Times of India

MIDC for early start to work on Pune airport at Rajgurunagar

Pune: There is no clear answers as yet on where Pune’s international airport is coming up but Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is keen that work on the site near Rajgurunagar starts by the end of next year.
MIDC CEO Rajiv Jalota told Newsline that a 1,000 hectare site has been identified six km north of the original site at Chakan and that they hope to get the requisite clearances from the Indian Air Force and Airports Authority of India (AAI) within the next two months.
“The regional offices of AAI and Air Force authorities here have supported the new site and submitted a positive report to the Government of India. We expect final clearances to come in within the next one to two months,” said Jalota. Once the green signal comes in, MIDC hopes to start the land acquisition process, which may take a year to be completed.
29/10/06 Expressindia.com

Parents seek help for finding Japanese student missing from airport

New Delhi: Delhi Police today said search was continuing for the 21-year-old Japanese student, who was reported missing since early this month, even as his parents, currently in India, distributed photographs of the youth along with his description to the media.
Kota Shinozaki, an economics student from Japan, had landed in the Capital by a Cathay Pacific flight on September 3.
Mr Ryuji Noda, first secretary, embassy of Japan, said Kota had an open ticket from September 23 which expired on October 2. When he did not return to his country in October, his worried parents contacted the foreign ministry in Tokyo. The ministry contacted the embassy in Chanakyapuri which lodged a complaint with the local police station. After enquiries which confirmed that he had been missing from the airport, a case was registered and investigations taken up by the IGI Airport police.
Any information on Kota may be forwarded to Station House Officer, IGIA Police Station at 011-2565-2325, 011-2567-5325 or to the Japanese embassy at 011-2687-6564.
28/10/06 Expressindia.com

Air India Express starts flights from Chennai to Singapore and Dubai

Chennai: Low cost airliner Air India Express tonight announced the launch of flights from Chennai to Singapore and Dubai.
Air India Regional Director P K Gupta said Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala would flag off the inaugural flight to Singapore from here on October 29.
The flights would operate from Chennai to Singapore five times a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from October 29. It would depart at 11.55 am and return from Singapore at 8.50 pm the same day, he said.
Air India Express flight from Dubai would arrive at Chennai at 8.40 pm and depart for Dubai at 9.40 pm. It would operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from October 30, he said.
Air India Express would serve passengers onboard free standard meals, Gupta said adding limited entertainment facilities would also be available on the flight.
28/10/06 Chennai Online

A-I flights to new destinations

Kolkata: Air-India will be introducing flights to new destinations and increase frequencies in some routes as its 68 new Boeing aircraft start coming in between 2007 and 2009. The new aircraft will also have specially designed seats for all classes in the aircraft. Italian interior major Avio Interiors has designed the seats, at an estimated cost of more than Rs 225 crore.
Boeing 777-200LRs, three of which are coming next year, will fly daily on non-stop flights from Mumbai to China, Delhi to New York, Mumbai to New York and Mumbai to Chicago. The Boeing 777-300ERs will be used to operate in long distance routes to the USA and Canada with stopovers at European destinations. “There will also be 14 new non-stop flights to London every week. There will be 27 flights per week of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners serving the domestic sector and short and medium trips to Europe, East Asia, South East Asia, Australia, Africa, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf,” said Mr S Venkat, company secretary, Air India.
28/10/06 The Statesman

IA adds flight to Delhi in winter schedule

Kolkata: Indian Airlines Ltd has introduced another flight to Delhi from Kolkata in its winter schedule, effective from October 29. Indian, said it would also operate an Airbus A319 to Agartala and add a flight to Bangalore.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays IC204 will leave Kolkata at 8.35am and reach Delhi at 10.35am. In the return direction, IC203 will leave Delhi at 5.35am and arrive in Kolkata at 7.35am.
On the Agartala sector, the Airbus A319 to be operated on IC243 would leave Kolkata at 7.20am and reach Agartala at 8.10am. The return flight would reach Kolkata at 9.40am. On Fridays and Saturdays, the airline would operate the smaller ATR aircraft on the sector. Flight CD7727 would leave Kolkata at 5.15pm and return here at 7.45pm.
Flight CD7542 on the Kolkata- Bhubaneshwar- Chennai sector would now operate up to Bangalore daily, leaving Kolkata at 2.30pm.
28/10/06 Kolkata Newsline

Dabur Foods to increase focus on institutional sales

Dabur Foods Ltd, the foods and beverage arm of FMCG major Dabur India Ltd, in an effort to increase its focus on the food services market has recently launched four new products catering specifically to institutional channels.
"We have recently launched four new products — pineapple slices, peach and pear halves and litchi wholes — to cater to institutional channels such as hospitals, hotels, airlines, restaurants and caterers," Mr Amit Burman, CEO, Dabur Foods Ltd, said. The four products, priced at Rs 70-Rs 100 for an 850 gm tin, have been launched under Dabur's Nature Best brand that exclusively caters to the food services sector.
The company is looking at developing its product portfolio by foraying into products such as tomato-based dressings for snacks, other sauces and dips. The company already caters to Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, the India Hotels Company and the Oberoi group of hotels and resorts, amongst others.
28/10/06 Moneycontrol.com

Biggest airport, but no pre-paid taxis

Mumbai: It's one of the basic amenities at airport terminals—a pre-paid taxi service. Yet the domestic terminal of the country's largest airport lacks one. After disembarking at Mumbai airport, if you need a cab, you better hope the cabbie does not mug or fleece you.
Though the international terminal of the Mumbai airport has a pre-paid taxi stand, the domestic terminal, where about 1,600 taxis operate in a day, is yet to get one.
With the growth of the low-cost airline industry, coupled with the stupendous rise in domestic passenger traffic, the number of fliers who hire a cab/rickshaw after arriving at the Mumbai airport has been on the rise. Then there are quite a few domestic flights that arrive after 10 pm, making the need to have a pre-paid taxi service also a security concern.
28/10/06 Times of India