Pilot, there’s a radio jockey yakking in the cockpit

It’s a mix of communication which is causing untold confusion. at the Kolkata airport in Rajarhat area, pilots coming in to land have been facing a rather curious problem. Every day, between 5pm and 6pm, the crackling sound of transmission from All India Radio (AIR) has been intercepting voice communication between the cockpit and the Air Traffic Control (ATC).

And this has been happening for quite some time, said sources at the airport, adding that it has been leading to confusion for many flights.

The problem, said a source, is that AIR transmission encroaches upon the contact between pilots and the ATC. Due to this, the airport has been forced to change the direction of landing.

01/08/11 Jayatri Nag/Bangalore Mirror

Airline Alliance Puts Air India on Standby, Indefinitely

New Delhi: A key part of the Indian government’s turnaround plan for Air India, the country’s unprofitable national carrier, has collapsed.

Star Alliance, a global network of airlines that caters to frequent international travelers, said Monday that Air India’s pending membership had been suspended.

“Air India has not met the minimum joining conditions that were contractually agreed in December 2007,” Star Alliance said in a statement. The alliance had said earlier this year that Air India would need to be ready to join by the end of July at the latest.

Air India has been struggling, as customers have turned to more efficiently run private airlines in India. The company has a reputation for late flights and poor customer service, and it is hemorrhaging money.

Many employees have not received their full paychecks in more than a month, and former and current pilots have complained in recent months that the company is not following internationally recognized safety norms.

The Center for Asia Pacific Aviation estimated that the company had lost $1.75 billion in the most recent business year, which ended March 31. Air India reported a loss of $1.25 billion for the previous business year.

01/08/11 Heather Timmons/New York Times

Arrested Lankan flies out of Delhi, lands in Hyderabad

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Kathirkam Thasinthan, 24, of Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, from Colombo. While he was trying to board a connecting flight to New York, immigration officials at the IGI airport found that Kathirkam was travelling on a forged passport and apprehended him.

They also seized the forged Indian passport in the name of Adesh Goel. He was handed over to the IGI airport police. However, while he was being questioned by the Delhi airport police, Kathirkam managed to slip out of the police station located right next to the airport and sneaked back into the terminal.

Meanwhile, the IGI airport police, who realised that the Sri Lankan had escaped, sounded an alarm and started a frantic search for Kathirkam on all the roads out of the airport. While they were looking for him outside, Kathirkam checked in and boarded the flight to Hyderabad. The FRRO and CISF were informed of the incident only at around 7am on Saturday.

Police was sent an official complaint at around 2.30 pm. When security agencies started looking through the CCTV footage, they managed to identify the passenger and saw him first change his clothes and then leave for Hyderabad in another Air India flight at 5.40 pm.

A police team was dispatched to Hyderabad at 6 am on Sunday to bring the Lankan back to Delhi-. Kathirkam was immediately apprehended after he disembarked from the flight and was escorted.

01/08/11 Times of India

Bengal government's Asansol airport plan likely to hit BAPL's Andal project

Kolkata: Bengal Aerotropolis' 10,000 crore airport city project at Andal in Bardhaman district, in which Singapore's Changi Airport holds a 26 per cent stake, is in jeopardy.

The West Bengal government has decided to develop another airport about 40km away at Asansol in the same district, putting the viability and technical feasibility of the project in question.

Subrata Paul, chief executive officer of BAPL said, “We have heard about the state government's plan. We do not want to comment on that. So far, our project is concerned we are going ahead with it. We are expecting to make the airport operational by September next year.”

“The Cabinet recently approved setting up of airports at Balurghat, Malda, Asansol, Digha and the Sunderbans. The land for setting up the airports has been identified,” said law minister of the state Moloy Ghatak, adding, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently wrote to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) seeking permission for setting up the airports. According to Ghatak, who is also an MLA from Asansol (North) constituency, the government will not have acquire any land to rebuild the Asansol airport as it already owns over 550 actres of land around it.

02/07/11 Business Standard

Mahindra Aerospace plans to build 10 and 18 seater airplanes

New Delhi: Mahindra Aerospace, the aircarft and aero-structures arm of the the Mahindra Group, today said it plans to build 10 and 18 seater airplanes to tap the rising demand in general aviation segment in the country, including organised tours and pilgrimages.

Besides, it plans to test during this quarter, the prototype of a 5-seater aircraft -- NM5 -- that it is building jointly with National Aerospace Laboratories, Mahindra Group Director Hemant Luthra told reporters here.

The 10 and 18-seater planes will be built by GippsAERO, the Australia-based aircraft manufacturing division of Mahindra Aerospace.

Luthra added that it expects the Bangalore plant, which would attract an investment of Rs 280 crore over three years, to begin operations in the next 13 months.

The Rs 280-crore investment is part of the Mahindra's plan to invest Rs 450 crore over the next three years, including acquisitions, and acquiring land for more facilities.

01/08/11 PTI/Economic Times

India to oppose EU's emission trading system for airlines

Mumbai/New Delhi: The Indian government will oppose the European Union's proposal to make airlines buy carbon credits for using its airspace on the grounds that it is unilateral and unfair on carriers from developing countries.

EU's proposal to cap planet-warming gases under its emission trading system (ETS) makes it mandatory for airlines to buy carbon credits equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted by their aircraft while flying over the region. This is likely to force airlines to pass on the cost to passengers. India also says the arrangement would allow European carriers to manipulate the taxation system after it comes into force from January 1 next year.

"India is protesting the imposition of this system because no ETS measure can be imposed without bilateral negotiations. Tomorrow, they (EU) may impose another tax and nobody would be able to do anything," a top government official said.

India will take up the issue with the authority concerned in the European Union.

01/08/11 Manisha Singhal & Anindya Upadhyay

In hospital after emergency landing, woman claims airline didn’t pay bill

Mumbai A woman from UAE has alleged that Emirates refused to pay her hospital bill after she was admitted to Nanavati Hospital following an epilepsy attack she suffered during an emergency landing last week. Hawa Maye Omar (41), who suffered the attack after the emergency landing of the Mumbai-Dubai Emirates flight (EK507) in the city on July 27 following a fuel leakage, alleged she was forcibly given “unnecessary treatment” at the hospital.

Omar, who was in Mumbai on vacation, alleges she was cheated by both the airline’s staff and the hospital. “I was going to Dubai when I fell unconscious after the flight made an emergency landing in Mumbai. When I gained consciousness, I found myself in this hospital. A woman employee of Emirates who was with me at the hospital assured me that the medical bills would be taken care of by the airline. On Friday, I requested the hospital authorities to discharge me. However, they told me that I cannot leave the hospital unless my bills are cleared. The officials from the airlines had later refused to pay the bills and so I was not allowed to leave the hospital.”

01/08/11 Expess India/Dipti Sonawala,Ranjani Raghavan

Airport upgrade stalled by security ‘paranoia’

New Delhi: The installation of aerobridges at modern airports is a routine affair, not normally associated with security threats. Except in India, that is. With the government taking up modernisation of metro airports like Chennai and Kolkata, and non-metro airports, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) wants to install aerobridges to allow passengers a smooth entry and exit from their aircraft. Unfortunately, the ones it has zeroed in on are made by Chinese firms and the absence of security clearance means its plans have hit a roadblock.

Even after one-and-a-half years, AAI has not yet received the green signal from the Union Home Ministry to place an order for nearly 40 aerobridges which it needs, causing considerable delay in the modernisation projects of airports.

“Clarifications from the Home Ministry have not come for one-and-a-half-years now. There has been considerable delay. The Ministry has not communicated either ‘yes' or ‘no' to us,” official sources said.

The difference in prices between aerobridges produced by Chinese firms and those from the West was said to be substantial. While the cost of an aerobridge produced in Europe or the U.S. is about Rs. 6 crore, it was Rs. 2 crore for those from China, sources said.

31/07/11 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

Turkish Airlines plans to expand operations in India by '12

Istanbul: Turkish Airlines plans to expand operations in India in 2012 by doubling weekly flights to 28 and adding Hyderabad as its third Indian destination.

Turkey's flag carrier, which currently operates one flight daily to Delhi and Mumbai, also aims to extend its code share with Air India, India's national carrier, to get more passengers from Indian towns to fly to or through Turkey to other destinations. "We are looking at Chennai and Kolkata after Hyderabad. India is a very important market for us and we need to fly to at least five cities there," Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil said.

Turkish Airlines' 170 aircraft cover 74 European cities through 144 routes, making it the 17th largest carrier in terms of fleet. It uses its Airbus 330-200 and Airbus 330-300 aircraft for its India operations, registering average load factors of 70-75%. The CEO said the airline aims to make Istanbul, Turkey's capital, the preferred transit point between Asia and Europe, as it takes only three to four hours to fly to any European city from there.

01/07/11 Economic Times

Oil PSUs hike ATF prices by 2.7%

New Delhi: After a brief lull, state-owned oil firms today hiked jet fuel, or Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), prices by a steep 2.7%, in line with firming rates in international markets.

The ATF price in Delhi has been hiked by Rs 1,520 per kilolitre (kl), or 2.69%, to Rs 57,844 per kl with effect from midnight tonight, an official of Indian Oil Corporation, the nation's largest fuel retailer, said.

ATF in Mumbai, home to the nation's busiest airport, will cost Rs 1,597 per kl more at Rs 58,628 per kl from tomorrow, as against the current price of Rs 57,031.66 per kl.

31/07/11 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Union trouble hits work culture at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Work culture has deteriorated significantly at Kolkata airport with the heavily unionized staff neglecting basic duties and instead squabbling with each other. The deterioration in the cleanliness and passenger service has become unpleasantly visible in the past few weeks with leaders of rival trade unions encouraging their members to indulge in politics instead of work.

"I have noticed a sharp decline in the airport's upkeep. The terminals are cleaned less often, toilets are dirty and luggage trolleys hardly available, either at the departure foyer or at the arrival lounge. Though steps have been taken to decongest the airport by adding more lounges and reorganizing the taxi and bus parking bays before the domestic terminal, the cleanliness has taken a beating. Staff don't seem interested to work," said frequent flier Anirban Dey.

Though the trolley crunch and terminal littering has been pronounced during morning rush hours for quite some time, overflowing toilets and littered lounge floors have now become a regular feature at the airport throughout the day.

And the situation is only set to worsen with the rival unions planning a string of activities to shore up support ahead of the crucial November 2012 referendum.

01/08/11 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

Govt reconsiders land for Dimapur Airport expansion

After cancelling acquisition of land from Aoyimti Village for the expansion of Dimapur Airport in 2010, the Government of Nagaland is once again reconsidering buying the same land. It is learnt from reliable sources that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is under pressure to meet international norms for all airports in India. The land is being acquired to qualify aviation norms. Dimapur airport does not have landing facility for big aircrafts which is a requisite for AAI as per the international aviation norms. Sources informed that AAI must meet the criteria if it wants to retain the license for Dimapur Airport.

The government approached Aoyimti Village Council during the first week of July and a meeting was subsequently held with the Deputy Commissioner, who is negotiating on behalf of the government for AAI. It is learnt that the government once again requested the land owners to reduce the land rate. However, the land owners have said that it will not reduce the rate since it was fixed by the government @ Rs.450 per square feet last time. Aoyimti Village Council stated that the rate is “not negotiable” this time and it will be submitting a presentation to the Deputy Commissioner on Monday.

01/08/11 Y Merina Chishi/Morung Express

Ahmedabad airport fails to detect fake travellers

Ahmedabad: Three persons, a woman and two men, managed to reach Dubai by using forged documents at the city airport. When the authorities at Dubai airport detected the fraud, they deported the trio back on Friday.

Sardarnagar police are investigating the case. During the daylong questioning of the accused, the investigators could not get much out of them due to language barrier.

While the trio speaks Tamil, police failed to find someone who could properly interrogate them. Officials, however, found that the links of transnational immigration racket originated from Chennai.

01/08/11 Times of India