Jet to restart Shanghai flights

New Delhi: Naresh Goyal-controlled Jet Airways plans to revive its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco air service following a recovery in international air traffic.
The airline had earlier withdrawn its long-haul flight due to economic downturn resulting into poor demand on the sector.
“We can start our flight to Shanghai any time,” an airline official said on condition of anonymity. The airline would also launch a flight to Johannesburg next month. The official said the airline already has government nod to operate daily flights to Shanghai.
Jet Airways has seen a significant jump in traffic on its foreign routes and is currently managing a load factor of over 80% on several routes including the long-haul flight to Europe and North America. Jet Airways also plans to introduce Mumbai-Colombo flight. It already has a Chennai-Colombo service.
With the world economy rebounding in recent months, demand for air travel has significantly improved encouraging airlines to add capacity on their network.
01/03/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

ATF price increased by 3.5 pc

New Delhi: After two straight cuts, state-owned oil firms today raised aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price by 3.5 per cent. Jet fuel or ATF rates in Delhi were raised by Rs 1,325 per kilolitre to Rs 39,307 per kl with effect from midnight tonight, an official of the Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said. The hike comes on back of 5.5 per cent reduction on February 1 and 2.5 per cent cut on February 16.
Jet fuel constitutes roughly 40 per cent of the operating cost of an airline and today's increase in fuel rates would put extra burden on Indian carriers.
28/02/10 Press Trust of India

Airlines to pass on new burden to travellers

Mumbai: Air travel is likely to become more expensive as domestic carriers deal with the double blow of an expanded service tax regime and a levy on crude imports from 1 April.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget for 2010-11 has proposed a 5% customs duty on crude petroleum, up from zero until now. This will make aviation turbine fuel (ATF), which accounts for almost 40% of an airline’s operating costs, pricier.
Service tax on air travel is also being expanded to include domestic travel, and international flights in any class; it was earlier applicable only to international first and business class travel.
Airlines, which had been hoping for lower sales tax on ATF across states and special concession for midsize planes in the Budget, will now pass on these new expenses to the travellers.
“This is an inclusive Budget with special focus on infrastructure...but as far as aviation is concerned, there has been no major announcement in terms of concessions,” said M. Thiagarajan, managing director at Paramount Airways Ltd.
The levy on crude imports and service tax on domestic travel “will only increase the air fares”, he said. Aloke Bajpai, chief executive of travel website IXiGO.com, said there was little for airlines to rejoice about.
28/02/10 P.R. Sanjai/Live Mint

Low-cost flying pushes up food & beverage sales

Bangalore: With food not being part of the ticket price in low-cost flights, air travellers are busy stocking up on food at airport restaurants and cafes, before boarding their flight.
Says a spokesperson for BIAL, the promoters of the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), “We have seen a 28% increase in F&B sales over last year at restaurants located after the security-check area.”
As per CAPA (Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation) estimates, the ratio of low-cost flights to full service flights at present is 60:40, which last year at the same time was around 45:55.
Kingfisher Red, the budget class of Kingfisher Airlines, serves passengers a basic meal, but in all other low-cost carriers, passengers have to pay for what they eat or drink.
“Even though passengers can buy food on board a low-cost airline, the choices are very limited,” says Sanjay Coutinho, COO, Barista Coffee Company, a subsidiary of Lavazza.
01/03/10 Anshul Dhamija/Times of India

Jaish terrorist with Kandahar hijack link nabbed in Dhaka

Bangladesh nabbed five Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists, including Belal Hosain alias Nanu Mondal, in a major counter- terrorism operation early on Sunday.
Belal is suspected to have played a key role in the December 24, 1999, hijacking of the Air India flight IC- 814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
The arrest of Belal, along with Rezwan Ahmed (a Pakistani national from Karachi), by Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is being considered as a major success by the local authorities, sources in the Bangladesh government said.
The online edition of the largest circulated Bangla daily Prothom Alo, quoting a senior RAB official, reported on Sunday that Belal was an accused in the IC- 814 flight hijacking. Belal has given Shylet, a north Bangladesh town, as his native place, but the government is unsure about his claim.
During interrogation, Belal is said to have admitted to his role in the hijacking episode. Sources said the authorities were now ascertaining the role Belal might have played in the terror operation.
01/03/10 Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury/India Today

Air India Delhi-Bangalore flight makes unscheduled landing in Bhopal

Bhopal: A Bangalore-bound Air India flight from Delhi with 88 passengers on board made an unscheduled landing at the airport here after pilots detected a problem with the cabin pressure.
All the passengers are safe, an Air India spokesman said after the flight AI 403 landed at the Raja Bhoj Airport at 6.05 pm.
The flight took off from New Delhi at 4.40 pm this evening and mid-way pilots detected that the cabin pressure was less, the spokesman said.
He maintained that it was not an emergency landing.
28/02/10 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Visa confusion leads to airport drama

London: I am New Zea land passport holder. I had booked on Virgin Atlantic flight VA300 from Heathrow to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on January 31, 2010.
I did not obtain a visitor visa in advance, since I had read a news item that all New Zea land passport holders will be given visitor visas on arrival in India on payment of $US60 with effect from January 1, 2010.
But I was told at Heathrow that I cannot board the flight since I did not have a visa.
I told an official at the immigration counter about the new Indian Government directive.
He said he had no information and that he would not be able to verify from the Indian High Commission in London since it was a Sunday.
“You can rebook you flight for tomorrow (February 1),” he said.
I was aghast at this suggestion because, apart from having to pay an additional charge of £120 plus excess fare, I stood to lose on all my flight and rail reservations and other bookings already made in India.
I booked a seat on another flight the next day but continued my efforts to travel on the same day (January 31).This time I was successful, but not before a helpful official and my son in New Zealand searched for the relevant information on the Indian High Commission website to determine that I was speaking the truth.
“You are the first passenger travelling to India mentioning this new visa facility announced by the Indian Government,” she said.
I am not sure of the procedures to follow when such change in rules happens. Three hours of anguish and convincing helped me to board the flight.
The situation at the New Delhi International Airport was different.A poster at the arrival lounge directed New Zealand passport holders (and nationals of Finland, Japan, Luxemburg and Singapore) where to go to obtain their visas. The officials were efficient and professional.
28/02/10 Suman Kapoor/Indian Newslink

Continental Airlines launches mobile boarding passes

New Delhi: Continental Airlines announced the expansion of its mobile boarding pass service to London’s Heathrow Airport, becoming the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on nonstop flights from the United Kingdom to the US.
The service allows customers to receive boarding passes electronically on their cell phones or PDAs and eliminates the need for paper boarding passes.
“We are pleased to add Heathrow to the growing list of airports we serve with mobile boarding passes,” said Martin Hand, Continental’s vice president of reservations and eCommerce. “Customers have told us this is the type of product improvement they want, and we will continue to expand the self-service technology to more of our domestic and international destinations.”
Mobile boarding passes display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information, which scanners at the security checkpoint and boarding gate validate. The technology prevents manipulation or duplication of the boarding passes and heightens security.
In addition to boarding passes, Continental provides access to enhanced flight information through mobile devices. Customers may view onboard amenities and standby lists, as well as track the status of their flights.
28/02/10 Financial Express

Passenger dies while waiting to board flight

Chennai: Dihind Pomudy, a 54-year-old passenger, who had undergone treatment for cancer, died at the airport lounge today while waiting to board Indian flight to Kolkata. He had undergone treatment for cancer at a hospital in Vellore, about 100 km from here.
28/02/10 Press Trust of India

Shoe trafficker' faces dope rap

An overseas visitor will appear in Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Court today charged with drug trafficking.
The man, 23, was intercepted at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday evening after arriving from India via Bangladesh.
Customs officers allegedly found about HK$100,000 worth of cannabis resin in his shoes.
A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department warned the maximum penalty for drug trafficking is life imprisonment.
The arrest came on the same day that the Narcotics Division said more than 90 percent of schools surveyed in 2008-09 reported substance abuse among their students.
01/03/10 The Standard, Hong Kong