Happy New Year

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Security beefed up in Goa on New Year's eve

Security has been strengthened in Goa in the wake of terror threats, as lakhs of tourists, including foreigners and some high-profile visitors, have arrived to party and usher in the new year. Hotels and restaurants have been decorated with lights and special menus are being prepared to attract the customers. Gun-wielding Central Industrial Security Force and Goa police personnel have been posted at major beaches. "We are frisking or scanning visitors. We are doing it for your own security," a senior police officer said. CISF personnel, summoned during recent International Film Festival of India, were retained in the state for maintaining the security alongwith 3,000 Goa policemen. With the Tourism Department giving an official figure of four lakh domestic leisure-seekers, along with 20,000 foreign tourists holidaying in the state, the roads are almost choked with traffic.

While people will be partying throughout the night on December 31, midnight masses would be held at 140 churches and chapels in the state. The prayers would begin at 11.30 pm and culminate into celebrations as traditional new year dances are organised by various clubs across the state after the mass. Airport sources said several celebrities have already started arriving in the coastal state, the first one to be sighted being the Gandhi siblings -- Priyanka and Rahul-- along with Priyanka's husband Robert Vadhera. "Anil and Mukesh Ambani would arrive by special flights on Saturday while business tycoon Vijya Mallya is also scheduled to arrive on Saturday or Sunday," airport sources said. Mallya would organise a party at his residence, Kingfisher, at Candolim village in north Goa, which is considered one of the best among high-profile parties, attended by filmstars, politicians and celebrities, many of them ferried by private jets. The media has been kept away from the party, citing security and privacy reasons.

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Breaking News: Saddam Hussein executed

A small group of Iraqis witnessed the execution inside a building at an Iraqi compound known by the Americans as Camp Justice, a secure facility in the northern Baghdad suburb of Khadimeya. They watched as a judge read out the sentence to Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi leader was carrying a copy of the Koran and asked for it to be given to a friend. Footage broadcast later on Iraqi state TV showed a subdued Saddam Hussein being led to gallows by a group of masked men. He was dressed in a white shirt and dark overcoat, rather than prison garb. Saddam Hussein was led up onto the gallows platform and a dark piece of cloth placed around his neck, followed by the noose. When the hangman stepped forward to put the hood over his head, Saddam Hussein made it clear he wanted to die without it. The hanging itself was not broadcast. The execution procedure took just a few minutes.

DGCA plans to hire 250 foreign pilots

Faced with a mounting shortage of over 500 commercial pilots every year, action has been initiated on several fronts to mitigate the problem. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will reduce the period for acquiring a commercial pilot licence (CPL) from 16 to 12 months, and will introduce an multi-engine pilot licence (MPL) in 2007. The DGCA will also grant CPL to about 250 foreign pilots in Q1 next year. Besides, DGCA will acquire about 11 trainer aircraft from the Aero Club of India, and distribute them to top aviation training academies at a cost of Rs 1 crore per aircraft. “A new pilot training institute in Gondia near Nagpur will also be opened for which expressions of interest (EOIs) have already been invited from foreign companies for collaboration.

The intake per session for the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) will be increased to 100 from 40 at present,” DGCA director general Kanu Gohain said. Currently, about 500 pilots are needed per year, whereas only 200 pilots are being produced in India. With these measures, DGCA plans to increase the availability to about 400 pilots. There are about 39 pilot training schools in the country now. “We will do a performance evaluation and give trainer aircraft to 11 best performing schools. This is an important move, as it will help in better and speedy training of the pilots,” Mr Gohain said. “Overseas, pilot training schools have 12-month courses. We have decided to bring it at par with global standards by cutting the training duration. DGCA will also introduce the MPL,” he added. The industry seems buoyant on the DGCA measures.

“India will require about 3,000 pilots in the next five years. Currently, 2,500 pilots are working with 11 airlines in India. MPL will be of tremendous help as it will save the pilots the number of flying hours required to shift from one type of rating to another,” says the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation India CEO Kapil Kaul. About 250 foreign pilots will also be granted a CPL by DGCA. Currently, India has about 475 expat pilots. Pilots from the US, South Africa, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia and East Europe are currently being interviewed by DGCA. The average salary of an Indian pilot is about Rs 5 lakh. On the other hand, hiring an expat pilot costs around 20% more than an Indian pilot (including the cost of accommodation and travel).

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Jaipur International Terminal Building inauguration today

Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will lay the foundation stone of a new International Terminal Building at Jaipur's Sanganer Airport later in the day. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will be the chief guest. Union Minister of Mines Sis Ram Ola, Union Minister of State, Environment and forests Namo Narain Meena, Former Chief Minster of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, Minister of Education, Law and Judicial Ghanshyam Tiwari, Leader of Opposition (Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha) Ram Narain Choudhary, MP (Lok Sabha) Girdhari Lal Bhargava and MPs (Rajya Sabha) Ramdas Agrawal and Krishan Lal Balmiki, Member of Legislative Assembly Kalicharan Saraf and Mayor Ashok Parnami will be the guests of honour. Once completed, the terminal building will accommodate 500 passengers at a time and is equipped with all modern passenger-related amenities, including customs and immigration facilities to handle international chartered flights.

On December 29, 2005, the Central Government had granted international status to the domestic airport in Jaipur. With this, Jaipur will become the 14th international airport in the country. The Sanganer Airport belongs to the Airport Authority of India (AAI). It is one of the 12 modern airports where passenger friendly facilities have been upgraded and modernized by the AAI. Since February 2002, Indian Airlines has been operating international flights from Jaipur to Dubai and Bangkok. The runway length at Jaipur Airport is 9000 feet. The civil apron can accommodate four AB 320 type aircrafts at a time. There is also a plan to extend the runway to 12000 feet and construct nine in contact parking stands with aerobridges. Currently, there are over ten international airports in the country, including those at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Goa and Ahmedabad.

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Oriental Insurance to provide fog coverage to Air India

Oriental Insurance has won the mandate to provide fog cover to Air India ahead of two other private and pubic sector insurance companies that were in the fray. This is the first time that Air India has gone in for fog insurance. "Oriental Insurance will provide up to Rs 20 lakh in the event of fog affecting normal operations of Air India flights. The funds would be used to cover expenses incurred by the airline on account of re-routing of the aircraft and providing hotel accommodation for passengers," official sources said. The cover is to remain in place till the end of February next year and is effective on flights being operated only from Delhi. The insurance cover, however, does not include the first three days of fog and the total liability permitted under the cover is Rs 1.5 crore.

During the current year, there have been at least two days during which normal flight operations have been affected due to inclement weather conditions over Delhi. On the night of December 26 and during the early morning hours of the following day, visibility was so poor that normal flight operations were affected for more than 11 hours. Airline officials were, however, tight lipped on the premium being paid. "The premium is reasonable," a senior airline official said when asked on the payout that Air India would be making for the cover. In earlier years, Air India had transported passengers from Delhi to Mumbai before carrying them onwards to their international destinations so as to mitigate fog problems faced in the capital.

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Maharahtra to train tribals as air hostesses, stewards

Drunken men and women dancing to primal drumbeats is passé. Young tribals in the state are getting ready to greet you as air hostesses, flight stewards and ground handlers at airports. Cashing in on the aviation boom, the Maharahtra state government has decided to train tribal youth to tackle unemployment. It will train 100 people through a programme likely to commence mid-January, which will be funded by the Maharashtra State Tribal Development Department. The department will invest Rs 1 lakh per student. “We are looking at candidates who have completed the Higher Secondary Certificate and have received 500 applications,” Maharashtra State Tribal Development Commissioner Rajesh Kumar said. The state has held talks with several training academies for training candidates. Trade analysts believe the aviation sector, which is growing exponentially, will need an additional 5,000 cabin crew over the next few years. Kumar said his department has also spoken to airlines, which have shown a willingness to absorb adivasi candidates. “It is a very good experiment and airlines will have no problem in recruiting young tribal people. We will provide them further training,” said Regional Director of Indian (Airlines) NR Phatak.

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Airline employees union threatens strike

A union of Indian (Airlines) on Friday said it would go on strike to protest against the government’s delay in raising salaries. Though no final decision on the strike was announced, the Air Corporation Employees' Union (ACEU) said the delay by the Indian management in implementing the 1997 Demand Charter could lead to employees staying away from work, an ACEU statement said. It said the responsibility for strike action would "totally lie with the management which was not showing any interest for settlement of the genuine demands", ACEU Regional Secretary S D Bhatt said. The employees, who have been wearing black-badges and observing hunger strike for the past few days, on Friday staged a lunch-hour demonstration at their office near the Delhi airport.

The ACEU would continue sit-ins and hunger strikes near the airport entry gate on December 30 to January one, the statement said. The ACEU would chalk out its future course of action after January 1. Their demands include immediate settlement of the Demand Charter of 1997, higher wages, career progression and a pension scheme. "On wage revision and career progression, everything has been negotiated and settled, but the management is unnecessarily causing delay," the ACEU had said in a circular to its regional affiliates recently.

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Fog disrupts road traffic in Punjab

Road transport was badly hit in Punjab as a thick fog reduced visibility to a substantially low level today. Vehicular traffic was badly hit on the national highway connecting Amritsar this morning, with the state's traffic police struggling to guide motorists. "Today, it's really cold, there is so much fog that it took me one and a half hour to come to Amritsar from my home town. Here also there is so much fog...thankfully we reached here on time and are trying to help people avoid accidents. Tourists are here, they don't know where it's no entry, and they can't see, so they go in wrong directions. We are hoping people don't lose their way...we are trying to help them," said Harjinder Singh, a Punjab Traffic Police constable. Several regions of Punjab and Haryana experienced foggy conditions. Temperatures in Amritsar were two degrees below normal.

Locals said they had a tough time negotiating their way through the dense fog to their respective destinations, and felt that it was perhaps the coldest day in the season. "Today, it's very cold, there is so much fog. It's the coldest till date," said Rosy, a local. Foggy conditions across northern India over the past few days have resulted in scores of flights and trains getting either delayed or cancelled. Apart from transport delay, the poor visibility on the roads has led to some serious road accidents. While the mercury levels in South Asia are mild compared to Europe, they can prove deadly in India where thousands are homeless or live in shacks without heat. The lack of good food also worsens the impact of the cold, lowering body heat and leading to hypothermia.

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Low-cost train Poorabia Express to be flagged off today

Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav will dedicate a low-cost train, especially launched for the labour class, from the Adarsh Nagar Railway Station in Old Delhi till Saharsa in Bihar. The Poorabia Express will be flagged off at 3.00 pm from the Delhi station. The weekly train will have air conditioned three-tier, general and sleeper class coaches. Ministers of State for Railways, R Velu, and Naranbhai J Rathwa, besides Members of Parliament, Dr Karan Singh, Sajjan Kumar and Sandeep Dikshit among others will be present on the occasion. The train will pass through Bareilly, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Siwan, Chhapra, Barauni and Begusarai before reaching Saharsa.

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Breaking News: Saddam Hussein executed

Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging shortly before 6 a.m. (10:00 p.m. EST) on Saturday, U.S.-backed Iraqi television station Al Hurra and Arabic satellite channel Arabiya said. Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abbawi also said the execution had taken place. "I believe so, yes. He has been executed. It has been officially announced that he has been executed," Abbawi said, speaking by telephone to BBC News 24. The former Iraqi president ousted in April 2003 by a U.S.-led invasion was convicted in November of crimes against humanity over the killings of 148 Shi'ite villagers from Dujail after a failed assassination bid in 1982. An appeals court upheld the death penalty on Tuesday and the government rushed through the procedures to hang him by the end of the year and before the Eid al-Adha holiday that starts on Saturday, coinciding with the haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Earlier, senior officials told Reuters they were expecting to see the former president hang between 5:30 and 6 a.m. (0230 and 0300 GMT).

U.S. television showed scenes of cheering and flag-waving Iraqi-Americans in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest U.S. Arab-American community. Arabic satellite channel Arabiya said Saddam's half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former judge Awad al-Bander were also executed by hanging on Saturday. The Iraqi government had kept details of its plans shrouded in secrecy amid concerns it could spark a violent backlash from his former supporters with Iraq on the brink of civil war. The execution will delight Iraq's majority Shi'ites, who faced oppression during Saddam's three-decade rule, but may anger some in his resentful Sunni minority. Some Kurdish leaders had sought a delay so they too could see justice for the man they accuse of genocide against them. Saddam's conviction on November 5 was hailed by President Bush as a triumph for the democracy he promised to foster in Iraq after the invasion almost four years ago.

With U.S. public support for the war slumping as the number of American dead approaches 3,000, Washington is likely to welcome the death of Saddam, despite misgivings among many allies about capital punishment. But the hanging could complicate efforts by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to heal Iraq's sectarian divisions with violence spiralling out of control and threatening to pitch the country into full-scale civil war. Once the belligerent strongman of the Middle East, Saddam's power crumbled when U.S. tanks swept into Baghdad in April 2003. He fled and was captured in December that year by U.S. soldiers who found him hiding in a hole near his home town of Tikrit. During his three decades in power, Saddam was accused of widespread oppression of political opponents and genocide against Kurds in northern Iraq. His execution means he will never face justice on those charges. Defiant to the end, Saddam insisted during his trial that he was still the president of Iraq.

He said in a letter written after his conviction in November that he offered himself as a "sacrifice". "If my soul goes down this path (of martyrdom) it will face God in serenity," he wrote in the letter. Defense lawyer Issam Jhazzawi earlier told Reuters Saddam's exiled daughters in Jordan were bracing for his imminent death. "The family are praying for him every minute and are calling on God that He let his soul rest in peace among the martyrs," he said. His daughter Raghd, who is exiled in Jordan, "is asking that his body be buried in Yemen temporarily until Iraq is liberated and it can be reburied in Iraq," a source close to the family said by telephone before the execution.

courtesy: Reuters

Cochin International Airport plans expansion

The Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) has recorded a sharp growth in passenger traffic and revenue earnings even as it has charted out a Rs 5000 crore expansion and modernization plan. At the 12 th AGM of the company held at Kochi, Chief Minister V.S.Achutanandan, who is also the chairman of the company, said considering the impressive growth in passenger and aircraft movement, the concept of developing an airport city around the airport appeared to be feasible. The total passenger traffic for the April-November 2006 period showed a 38.25 % rise over the same period in the previous year. The domestic sector recorded a growth of 59.19 % while passenger traffic in the international sector went up by 26 %. The total aircraft movement shot up by 49.08 % to 19,557 during the period from 13,118 in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to CIAL MD S.Bharath.

CIAL’s aeronautical revenue jumped by 26.3 % to Rs 21.57 crore as against Rs 17.08 crore last year. Cargo operations revenue increased by 24 % and that from duty free shops went up by 37.5 % to all-time high of Rs 21 crore. Mr Bharat said the first phase of the expansion and modernization plan involving an investment of Rs 1000 crore will be completed by 2009. This includes an IT park, maintenance hangar and golf course. CIAL will float a subsidiary company for the establishment of an IT park for which a consultant will be appointed. CIAL’s modern centre for perishable cargo which can handle 40,000 tonnes and the new international departure terminal that will cater to 1200 outgoing passengers are expected to be ready by 2007.

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ITDC to shut down duty-free shops at Delhi Airport

The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has decided to shut down duty-free shops at the Delhi airport, sources said. The ITDC's announcement came after the Government’s decision on disinvestment of the ITDC. The duty-free shops are stepping out of airports and coming to town. The state-owned India Tourism Development Corp is close to finalising deals to set up downtown duty free shops - outlets in the heart of the city to retail branded imported liquor, cigarettes, fashion apparels, cosmetics and personal care products.

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CSE International contracted to upgrade Delhi airport

The award of a multi-million contract to a Lincolnshire-based computer firm to undertake part of the modernisation of Delhi's international airport has been received with much enthusiasm. CSE International Ltd, the Flixborough-based company, specialises in the assessment and management of high-risk computer projects and is a leader in its field worldwide. Its contract involves the design, development and delivery of all the computer-based systems, including airfield ground lighting control, baggage handling and screening. The firm was part of a consortium led by Larsen and Toubro Ltd to secure the contract to design and build a state-of-the art passenger terminal and one of Asia's biggest runways at the Delhi international airport. The contract is expected to be complete in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. CSE Chief Executive Phil Bennett said: "As a company with a worldwide reputation for work on airports, we see this contract as a major part of our strategic plans alongside our work on air traffic management and rail systems.

"We are delighted to participate in providing a world class airport for the country's capital in one of the fastest-growing economies." Bennett said the 38-month contract had to be completed in time for the prestigious Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. He said the project manager had flown to India last week and would be joined in the new year by seven other members of the team. "We have an excellent professional relationship with the other developers and look forward to playing our part in building a magnificent gateway for international visitors to India," Bennett added. The new terminal in Delhi will handle 37-million passengers a year - more than double the present level. The building will cover 4.8 million square feet and will have more than 130 check-in counters and 70 immigration desks. The new runaway, stretching 4.43 kilometres, will be equipped with a system that enables landing with a visibility of only 50 metres.

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Fares to Goa skyrocket on New Year's eve

Fly Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai on low-cost carrier Air Deccan this weekend for Rs 19,500 or Delhi-London on British Airways for Rs 16,330. In the run-up to the year-end, domestic air fares this season are literally sky high, reflecting an unprecedented shortage in supply in select sectors. Ironically, economy fares on India’s first low-cost carrier Air Deccan are currently higher than those charged by full-service carriers like Jet Airways and Indian Airlines. While through the year you could travel Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai for around Rs 5,000 on a low-cost carrier, Jet Airways is currently offering the sector for Rs 12,205, Kingfisher Airlines has priced it slightly lower at Rs 10,300. And executive class travel on Indian Airlines on the route would cost Rs 14,440.

Other low-cost carriers aren’t far behind. On SpiceJet, a return ticket on the route would set you back by Rs 10,848, and on GoAir by Rs 6,450. Low-cost carriers, especially Air Deccan, have been offering huge concessional fares with tickets priced at Rs 2, Rs 3, Rs 6 and Rs 9 this year, while SpiceJet and GoAir gave promotional offers worth Rs 99 and Rs 500. According to the latest figures, low-cost carriers have a market share of 43% in the overall domestic air pie. Clearly, the al-Qaida threat to target foreigners in Goa, especially Israeli tourists, has had little impact on the foreign tourist inflow. Hotel industry sources in Goa said that occupancies are at 100% as usual and room rates are up by over 10% across the state, compared to last year.

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Car hits fuselage of Air India Express aircraft !

Cars have rammed into trees, trucks and even trains this month but on Tuesday night, a car rammed into an aircraft at the old airport complex, Kalina, Mumbai. In an incident that begs an explanation, a Maruti Omni van rammed right into the fuselage of a Boeing 737-800 parked in Air India's major maintenance hangar at Kalina. No one was seriously injured. According to sources, the incident occurred around 8 pm when the van, operated by an AI employee, sped towards the Air India Express aircraft, which was parked in the fourth hangar along with another one in the AI engineering complex for maintenance and repairs. "The accident is inexplicable, the van sped straight towards the parked aircraft and rammed into the area near the right wing. Thankfully, the aircraft was not damaged badly. The van though, is a mangled mess," the source said. The vehicle driver escaped with minor injuries.

Incidentally, no one seems to have seen the accident happen as the place was quite deserted at the time. Though the four AI hangars, that stand one beside the other cover about half a kilometre in length, there was only a security guard posted for the three aircraft docked inside. "From the impact, it seems the vehicle was speeding," said the source. Apron driving rules dictate the speed limit for vehicles at 2-5 kilometre per hour, when approaching an aircraft. It was also not known whether the driver had a airport driving permit. "The skid marks on the ground under the aircraft's belly show that the van swirled before it hit the aircraft," said the source. The incident was a part of the series of unfortunate accidents that have happening in the AI maintenance hangar for some time now. In the earlier incidents, a senior service engineer fell off a work ladder and had to be hospitalised with multiple fractures on December 23.

Then, last month, a Boeing 747-400's winglet got damaged after it hit an obstacle while it was being docked inside the hangar. But it's the latest accident that has cast a gloom over the AI engineering set-up. AI spokesperson confirmed the incident saying that there was minor damage to the flap of the aircraft. "But it will be ready for operations by Friday. An enquiry has been ordered into the incident," the spokesperson said adding that AI Express's flight schedules will not be affected due to the incident. He added that the driver, who is an engineer was not injured.

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Air Deccan announces partnership with GAMCO

Air Deccan has announced plans to contract all its A320 checks to GAMCO, Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company. The Middle East based leading aircraft, engines and components maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical support services provider recently completed “C” Check maintenance and modification work on two A320 Airbus aircraft operated by Air Deccan, India’s first low cost carrier. “GAMCO team has delivered an exceptional job and we are pleased with the quality, workmanship, and efforts put towards this input,” said Air Deccan’s technical representative who accompanied the aircraft. “All maintenance and support departments involved, have proved to us that GAMCO were the right maintenance partner for Air Deccan.” GAMCO general manager Saif Al Mughairy said: “We are very happy to welcome another Indian operator to our facility. “We greatly appreciate the trust Air Deccan is placing in us; and will continue to work with them to ensure that they get the service levels needed to support their operation.

“India shows one of the most ambitious patterns of growth and we are keen to even further support this market with our proven record of professional aircraft maintenance services.” Senior management in Air Deccan were extremely pleased with GAMCO services and have expressed their desire to contract all their A320 checks to GAMCO. Air Deccan is India’s fastest growing airline and the second largest airline in the country, formed in 1995 with a market share of 21.2 per cent (June 2006). Air Deccan has the largest network in India today covering 55 airports, flying 270 flights a day. The airline currently operates a brand new fleet of 14 Airbus A 320 aircraft, with an average age of 1.5 years and 21 ATR turboprop aircraft. Since its inception in August 2003, Air Deccan has carried over 6.6 million passengers and the numbers and growing everyday. The airline has recorded an on time performance (within 1 hour) of 98.33 for August 2006.

Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (GAMCO) is an established MRO provider strategically positioned adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport to serve world-leading airlines. GAMCO provide complete technical support to more than 150 commercial and military clients from the entire world, and has full overhaul capabilities on Boeing families (except 747-400), Airbus families and the Lockheed L1011/C130 aircraft. Its workshops overhaul the GE CF6-80C2, CFMI CFM56-5A, and Rolls Royce Trent 700, PT6 engines, the GTCP-331 APUs and most of the Components installed on these aircraft / engine types.

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New International Terminal Building at Ahmedabad soon

If all goes as planned, the construction of a new International Terminal Building (ITB) along with a city-side approach road, car park and an apron at the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport will begin by the end of this month, said Airport Director S D Awasthi. The proposal for the building along with city and air-side development was approved by the Government of India and Cabinet on Economic Affairs chaired by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on December 21. The two-phase project, to be funded by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Central Government, is expected to be completed in 18 months from the date of sanction, said Awasthi. ‘‘The estimated cost of Phase I has been pegged at Rs 196 crores and Phase II at Rs 95 crore. The total cost will be Rs 291 crore plus an additional Rs 27.35 crore in foreign exchange (in Internationalised Normalised Ratio for 2005-2006) for Phase I.

After taking inflation into account, the total cost of the project will be around Rs 313.22 crore,’’ said Awasthi. ‘‘At present, based on international resources generated during the previous year, the cash reserves available with the AAI are Rs 1,400 crore (approx). AAI expects to generate Rs 1,127 crore in international resources for 2006-2007. This will be sufficient to meet the project requirements,’’ he added. ‘‘The new terminal building has been planned to handle 1,000 passengers (500 arrival and 500 departure). It will have 13 parking spaces, which will be brought up to 70. In Phase II, the capacity will be enhanced to 1,600 passengers. On completion of the project, the peak hour passenger traffic will be enhanced to 800 arrivals and 800 departures,’’ said Awasthi. ‘‘The ITB will be a modern structure and will provide facilities like duty free shops, escalators, lifts, childcare centers, tourism counter etc at concessional rates.

Once ready, international operations will be shifted to the new building. The existing building may be used to cater to international cargo operations. We are keeping our options open,’’ he said. ‘‘Phase II will be a linear expansion. Phase-II execution will be taken during 2011 and will be completed in 2012 as the capacity of Phase I Terminal Building will be saturated in 2012-13,’’ Awasthi added. The Airport Authority of India had appointed Global Technical Advisors and Indian Financial Advisors to make suggestions for the overall development of the airport. The project has been planned according to International Airport Transport Association norms.

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Health data disclosure may become mandatory

Soon, it may become mandatory for a flight passenger to disclose his or her medical history to book a plane ticket. In fact, a passenger may also be required to be certified 'fit to fly' by a doctor if he or she had any adverse medical history. A sharp rise in the number of passenger deaths on flights has alarmed the civil aviation industry in India, so much so that the Federation of Indian Airlines is now asking the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for enforcement of such a measure even as rush to airports becomes bigger and bigger thanks to the low-cost air travel boom. According to Federation of Indian Airlines, in Mumbai alone there were six deaths on air in the past two months. The death of a passenger on an Air-India flight from Delhi to Birmingham last week has again brought the issue to the fore. While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is understood to be considering the issue, it however insists that the airlines cannot implement such a measure arbitrarily. All Airlines need to get prior approval of DGCA before implementing such norms.

The airlines’ apex body is, however, insistent on its demand. "There must be mandatory disclosure of health details," Vijay Mallya, the owner of Kingfisher Airlines, said. An Air-India official said,“airlines will ask passengers to fill a form and declare their ailments before they fly just like insurance companies. If a passenger has a problem, he/she must furnish a medical certificate. Then we will have the right to refuse such passengers." Air-India witnessed three passenger deaths on flight in the last two months. Other people connected with the aviation sector, however, call such a measure "unjustified and impractical". However, people across the industry do agree that such disclosure is a must for passengers suffering from chronic diseases or heart ailments. The passenger who died on the A-I flight last week was also believed to have suffered a heart attack in the air.

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Big Mac to start at Indian airports and railway stations

Fast food chain McDonald’s said it is planning to invest about Rs 400 crore in India in the next three years to expand its presence in the country, which includes setting up outlets at railway stations and domestic airports. The company would set up outlets in McExpress and kiosk formats and is looking at tieups with Indian Railways and Airports Authority of India, McDonald’s said in a statement. “After making its presence felt in petrol pumps via strategic oil alliances, this phase of expansion will witness McDonald’s further venturing into unexplored destinations such as the domestic airport in Delhi and look at tieups with the Indian Railways,” the statement said. Nearly 70 per cent of the investments would be toward the expansion of the brand’s presence and introduction of new formats while 30 per cent of the amount will be spent in strengthening back-end operations, the statement said.

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Air Sahara flies Kolkata to Delhi in 17 hours !

Against the scheduled two and a half hours, it took the S2-303 Air Sahara flight around 17 hours to reach New Delhi from Kolkata. After taking off from Kolkata at 7.40 pm yesterday, the plane was scheduled to arrive in New Delhi at around 10 pm last night, but it finally landed this noon. Needless to say, the passengers, who kept shuttling between Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow and back to Kolkata and then Delhi again, were angry when they finally touched the Delhi ground today. “The airline is ill-equipped to handle passengers,” said Vishwas, an angry passenger. The pilot was reportedly directed by the air traffic control of the Delhi Airport not to land because of poor visibility. “The plane kept hovering over the Delhi airport for about an hour,” said Kamal. The plane was then taken to Lucknow airport for landing, but with no accommodation arranged for the passengers the flight was taken back to Kolkata, said the passengers.

The flight reached from where it started at around 3.30 this morning. As if this was not enough, the airlines staff refused to arrange accommodation for the passengers. “In a very rude manner, the staff asked us to arrange our own accommodation,” said Aman, another passenger travelling on the route. The airline allegedly asked people who booked their tickets from Kolkata itself to go home and come back next day, not realising that many of them were tourists and didn’t belong to the city. However, on persistence, some of the passengers were finally given accommodation in Hyatt Regency, Kolkata, along with the taxi fare. When some passengers, like Kirti, asked for refund of the fare, the airline expressed their “inability to do so immediately”. Similar harassment were seen with passengers on other routes as well. It was a long wait for Rahul Verma, trying to board a flight to Bangalore.

“The airline is not giving accurate information about the time and whether I will be able to board the plane or not. I’m stuck with no accurate piece of word from the authorities,” he said. Rahul was to join a Bangalore firm today. Not being from Delhi, he spent his last night in the visitors’ lounge, hoping to board a plane this morning. Meanwhile, only four Indian flights managed to take off while two could land under CAT 3B. With the backlog getting longer and passengers getting impatient, the airlines and airport staff are having a tough time convincing the passengers for the delays caused and arranging alternate flights.

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DGCA planning new measures to tackle fog delays

Though the Delhi airport seems to be on everybody’s hate list at the moment, the DGCA on Wednesday brushed aside allegations by private airlines like Kingfisher, that though they have CAT 3B trained pilots, they are being sidelined. “Even if you have pilots who are CAT 3B trained, you need to get proper authorisations, which has not been done,” said Kanu Gohain, director general, DGCA. The DGCA is also toying with the idea that when pilots come in for their licence renewals, the course be altered to an extent that they all become CAT3 trained. CAT 3B trained pilots can take off if the visibility is between 50-200 metres. Though the fog is playing havoc causing massive delays and cancellations of flights almost on a daily basis, the DGCA is finally ready with a plan of action. They are ready with a plan to lower the take-off norms by reducing the Low Take Off Minima (LTOM). At present, flights can only operate if the LTOM is about 550 metres. Internationally, the LTOM is in the range of 150 to 175 metres. What airlines now want is that the LTOM should be reduced to international standards. The DGCA was reluctant to take the step because though flights can take off in lower visibility, they will face problems if they are not CAT 3B enabled in case of emergency landings.

“The problem with lowering the minimum visibility is that even aircraft, that are equipped to operate in CAT I and II Instrument Landing System (ILS) conditions, can take off in low visibility. But in case, the aircraft develops a snag and has to come back, it cannot land in such low visibility,” said a senior official. The DGCA are now on the verge of finalizing four airports that are an hour away from Delhi. A twin-engine plane can land on a single engine, thereby eradicating the risk there. This could result in reducing the effect of fog on flights by almost half, said sources. A new link way called the Bravo 3, which is CAT 3 enabled has also become operational at the Delhi airport. Besides this, other measures are also being taken at the Delhi airport for passenger comfort. This includes having students from airline institutes at the airport to help passengers. Call center executives are functioning out of the airport to send sms’s and provide flight schedules to passengers. However, the DGCA said more than 30 per cent passengers do not leave their contact details.

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No flight delays due to fog at Delhi today

After disrupting holiday travel plans the city woke up to a clear morning on Thursday. No flight delays have been reported due to fog and the runway visibility is 1,300 metres, which is well above the normal range. Meanwhile, in order to do away with the annual ritual of fog delays and flight cancellations, the Aviation regulator DGCA has started a series of meetings with airlines and airport operators. At present planes flying out of Delhi need a take-off minima or visibility level of at least 500 metres. Internationally, however, the take-off minima is about one-third. So, the DGCA is planning to allow take offs under much lower visibility conditions. In case there's an emergency, the planes will be allowed to land in neighbouring airports like Jaipur, Lucknow. Even the Defence Ministry allows it, the Agra and Gwalior airports will be available for emergency landing.

DGCA officials say lowering the take-off minima will also help decongest the Delhi airport. It will allow passengers going to places with better weather to reach their destinations on time. But to ensure that the take offs under foggy conditions are absolutely safe, the DGCA is also coming out with stricter flying norms for both airlines and airport authorities. Only pilots trained to take off in low visibility will be allowed to fly. Airport staff will have to undergo special training for low visibility take offs and the DGCA might set a higher take off minima than what's accepted internationally. The picture is still a bit hazy on how soon the norms will be in place. Airlines have already been asked to get ready with low take off minima procedures. Hopefully, the new take-off rules will be in place before the fog lifts for this year.

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Uttar Pradesh planning to develop Mahabharata tourist circuit

Inspired by the success of the Buddhist Circuit, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department is planning a Mahabharata Circuit connecting places in the state mentioned in the epic. The Centre has agreed to provide an assistance of Rs five crore for the proposed project, state Tourism Minister Kokab Hameed said. Asserting that Mahabharata was not all about "Kurukshetra (present day Haryana) and Hastinapur (present day Meerut)", he said there were a number of places in Uttar Pradesh where significant events recorded in the Mahabharata are believed to have occurred and cited the districts of Baghpat, his native place, and Bijnore. He said a tunnel believed to be of the Mahabharata period and which was used by Pandavas had been found in Baghpat.

The minister added that the Japanese bank JBIC had contributed a whopping Rs 680 crore for developing the Buddhist Circuit in Uttar Pradesh, where places like Sarnath, where Buddha delivered his first sermon, and Kushinagar, where he breathed his last, are situated. The circuit attracts thousands of tourists annually from the country and abroad. Hameed, who was here to review preparations for the Ardh Kumbh beginning next week, said the tourism department has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh to facilitate the visit and stay of people from around the world. "One of the major attractions would be a tent hotel, comprising 40 double-bed swiss cottages equipped with 3 star facilities, three dormitories having 10 beds each, and a vegetarian restaurant," he said.

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Air-India receives second Boeing 737 aircraft

Flag carrier Air-India took delivery of a brand new Boeing 737-800, the second of the 68 aircraft it has ordered from the US manufacturer, for use by its low-cost subsidiary Air-India Express (AIE). While the first Boeing 737-800 was inducted on December 1, today's delivery would increase AIE's fleet size to nine, seven of which are on lease, Air-India said in a statement. The B737-800 can seat 162 to 189 passengers. "With the induction of this aircraft into the fleet, Air India Express can now commence operations between Bahrain, Doha and Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode from January 2007," Air-India Charters Ltd Chief Operating Officer P P Singh said in the statement. Air-India Express commenced operations in April last year and presently operates 57 weekly flights from nine Indian cities.

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SpiceJet in talks with Tata-AIG for fog coverage

Forget about losses due to low fares and stiff competition, now fog delays have further left the aviation industry bleeding. Only a few days after Air-India became the first airline in the country to invite bids from insurance firms for coverage against losses arising out of foggy conditions, the low-cost airline, SpiceJet, is also in advanced talks with Tata-AIG for an all-delay cover to minimise losses due to fog delays. SpiceJet is likely to charge between Rs.15-50 per ticket for providing insurance for delays, a source said. However, the insurance cover will be optional for passengers. The airline has already got in place an insurance cover for loss of baggage but passengers, at present, are not being charged for it. SpiceJet has a fleet of 10 new generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Industry sources say the fog-related delays are particularly hurting the low-cost carriers as they have higher flying hours and tight schedules.

A low-cost career loses anything between Rs.4-7 lakh per aircraft per day due to fog-related delays. "Usually an aircraft is utilised by low-cost careers for 12 hours in a day. During fog days the utilisation comes down to eight hours, which means loss of four hours of flight time with two-hour flights getting cancelled," the source said, adding, "For busy routes like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, the losses can go up to Rs 9 lakh per aircraft." This winter season is expected to have a longer fog span, spanning December and January. The industry is expected to make losses to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore in 2006, of which Rs.150 crore losses is likely to be because of fog-related delays. International public sector carrier Air India for its fog insurance coverage has sought a risk coverage of Rs.10-15 million with an average daily losses to the tune of Rs two million.

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Fuel Surcharge cut may not benefit passengers soon

Following a reduction in the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), most airlines are adopting a wait-and-watch policy before taking a call on whether to pass on some quantum of the drop to passengers. Though Delhi-based low-cost carrier SpiceJet announced a 50% reduction in fuel surcharge, legacy carriers such as Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Air Sahara are unlikely to drop fares immediately to help cushion a part of the fog-related costs due to higher fuel burn, flight disruptions and cancellations over the next couple of months. Reacting to the ATF price cut, SpiceJet announced that it would slash fuel surcharge by 50%. From December 1, fuel surcharge for long-haul destinations will be Rs 200, as against Rs 400 earlier, while for any travel less than 1,000 km, the surcharge will be Rs 100.

Jet Airways COO Peter Luethi said fogrelated flight delays and disruptions in the months of December and January could easily lead to 5% to 7% jump in operational expenses, largely due to fuel burn while circling airports. “We have to factor in the additional expenses due to traffic congestion in mid-air before taking a call,” he added. Air Deccan, too, has no immediate plans to tweak fares. “We did not impose any fuel surcharge, so there is not much scope for reduction in fares. We also have to factor in costs due flight disruptions owing to fog,” said Air Deccan’s Captain GR Gopinath. Industry analysts said only if market leaders like Jet and Indian Airlines juggle fares will other players react. More so, in the peak travel season of December and January, when demand for air travel is more than supply, industry executives feel that at best there could be some special holiday offers in the coming weeks.

“Only post January 15, when there is some easing of demand, will we see fares going southward. That too, if ATF prices continue to remain low,” said Centre of Asian Pacific Aviation’s Kapil Kaul. The Centre of Asian Pacific Aviation is an industry think tank. Going by their bookings, most legacy carriers expect to report near 80% load factor in December, with low-cost carriers hovering in the 90%-mark. With cheap tickets already sold out, air fares are now in the top fare basket. So despite the Rs.4,000 drop in jet fuel prices, there is only likely to be marginal drop in passenger fares, if any.

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Indian Airlines plans to hedge fuel costs

Indian Airlines is planning to start hedging its international fuel purchase in the wake of spiralling aviation turbine fuel (ATF) cost that is eating into its profits. Currently, the annual fuel bill of the airline is around Rs 1,500 crore. Sources close to the development said Citigroup has made a detailed presentation before Indian Airlines as a preliminary step towards hedging. “International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also made a similar presentation as a prelude to the fuel hedging for this PSU airlines,” they said. Indian Airlines Chairman and Managing Director Vishwapati Trivedi confirmed the development adding, “We are exploring the options of hedging our international fuel uplifts, but nothing has been finalised.” Senior airline executives said the airline is also in the process of securing approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for hedging. Fuel cost constitutes 35 per cent of an airline’s operating cost. Currently, fuel hedging is allowed only for international fuel uplifts.

Air-India, Indian Airlines, Air Sahara and Jet Airways are the domestic carriers operating on international routes. Air-India, which had started fuel hedging, has recently extended its hedging limits from 10 per cent of its international uplifts to 25 per cent. This would, therefore, give flexibility to the airline to hedge up to 75,000 barrels per day, up from the current limit of 30,000 barrels. Air-India’s fuel bill in 2005-06 was to the order of Rs 3,134 crore, which constituted nearly one-third of its total cost. Following the Reserve Bank of India’s approval, Jet Airways has also launched hedging for international fuel uplifts. Budget carrier Air Deccan Managing Director G R Gopinath said the government is working out a hedging instrument, which will make domestic carriers to hedge themselves from the increase in jet fuel prices. “Hedging is not by airlines or oil companies. The actual hedging is done by banks. India should have banks, which are capable of undertaking hedging for domestic airlines,” industry analysts said.

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Air Deccan ordered to pays damages for flight delay

Private air carrier Air Deccan has been asked to pay Rs 75,000 to a passenger whose flight was delayed due to a technical snag. The order will cheer lakhs of air passengers who feel airlines treat them in a highhanded manner during delays. The order of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission comes on the heels of an order by the same court, asking all airlines to pay compensation to passengers for delays due to technical snags. The court, in its December 23 order, asked all airlines operating from Delhi to pay Rs 10,000 to every domestic passenger for flight delays of more than two hours. The penalty on Air Deccan came on a complaint by Rakesh Kawtra, who had to wait at the Delhi Airport for seven hours because his flight was delayed. Kawtra complained to the court that the airline did not make any effort to make him and other passengers feel comfortable as they waited for the flight.

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Work at new Bangalore airport speeds up

India's largest greenfield airport will become operational in Bangalore's Devanahalli area in just about a year's time. According to sources in the Bangalore International Airport Limited, about 45 per cent of the work on the international airport has already been completed and work was progressing as per schedule at the terminal building since the work started 17 months ago. Situated just about 35 km from Bangalore, this is going to be the largest greenfield airport in the country. Construction works of some of the buildings have already reached the roof level in some portions. Approximately, 23 per cent of the roof elements had been completed. The BIAL authorities are confident that the airport would begin commercial operation in April 2008.

The airport will have a 4,000-metre-long and 45-metre-wide runway and work was progressing rapidly on this stretch. Asphalting work on the runway and laying of final top pavement quality concrete had commenced in the apron area. Construction work at the Air Traffic Control tower and other auxiliary buildings was nearing completion. All services works had commenced in the auxiliary buildings, he added. On the manufacturing front, Mr Brunner said part of the passenger boarding bridges and the equipment for baggage handling was nearing completion, while other works such as manufacturing of the central air conditioning equipment, apron flood light masts and fixture of electrical poles for urban lighting continued to progress.

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Delhi Metro signs MoU for airport line

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd signed an agreement with a consortium consisting of Pacific Consultants International (Japan), Parsons Brinckerhoff International, Inc. (USA), Japan Railway Technical Service (Japan), Tonichi Engineering Consultants, Inc. (Japan) and RITES Ltd. (India) for providing General Consultancy for the new High Speed Airport Metro line. The line will connect the Indira Gandhi International Airport to New Delhi Railway Station via Moti Bagh and Rajiv Chowk, covering a distance of 19.5 kms in 16 minutes. Trains on this modern line will run at a maximum speed of 135 km/hr. The agreement was signed by Mangu Singh, Executive Director (Airports) of DMRC and M. Taga, President of PCI in the presence of E. Sreedharan, Managing Director, DMRC. The general consultants will provide consultancy in tender management, project management and construction supervision. This line is expected to cost Rs. 3,294 crore and DMRC intends to complete it by June 2010 before the Common Wealth Games. At present similar High Speed lines are available in Tokyo, Kuala Lampur, Hongkong, Singapore, London, Oslo and Bangkok.

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Jet Airways aircraft grounded after bird-hit

A Jet Airways aircraft suffered major damage after a bird-hit and was grounded at the Hyderabad airport on landing Tuesday night, airline sources said. The Boeing 737, carrying 116 passengers and crew, was on a flight from Delhi to Hyderabad. When the aircraft landed and reached the arrival bay safely at about 1930 hours, it was found that five blades of the aircraft's engine were damaged, the sources said, adding it could not be ascertained where the bird-hit occurred. The aircraft was then grounded at Hyderabad airport. As a result, about 40 passengers booked on its return flight were accommodated on a flight of the state-owned carrier Indian, the sources said.

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Airbus in talks with HAL for MRO facility

The rush to float new aircraft repair facilities in India is getting thicker. European aircraft maker Airbus Industrie is in talks with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for aircraft airframes. And, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has also initiated talks with Indian Airlines for setting up a similar facility in a JV at the existing Hyderabad airport. "With the number of aircraft flying in the country rising, MROs for both engines and airframes are turning out to be a big business opportunities here. It's a $800 million and growing market, and companies are now rushing in to cash in on this potential demand," a source said. Sources said Airbus is exploring avenues for an alliance with HAL as part of its couter-trade initiatives for winning the $2.2-billion Indian Airlines aircraft order. Airbus had also been in talks with Indian for a similar venture, and is now also looking at HAL as part of plans to have a more comprehensive alliance in the market.

A final decision on the alliance partner will be made early next year. "The decision to initiate talks with HAL doesn't mean that we have decided to tie-up with them. We have also held discussions with Indian. We hope to put everything together by early next year so as to make a formal announcement," Airbus India president Kiran Rao said. Sources said even this venture is expected to based in south India with Bangalore being the most likely candidate as the current airport would offer huge tracts of land once commercial flights are shifted to the new airport next yearend. Prior to this, the Ruias-promoted Essar group had also proposed to set up an aircraft MRO to tap the growing need for aircraft maintenance and service. The company has already shortlisted Thiruvananthapuram as the site for the facility, and proposes to establish it along with AAI. With this facility, Essar intends to also tap the demand from nearby markets like Gulf.

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Air Deccan rethinks plans to fly to Salem

Air Deccan, which was reported to be keen to connect Salem till recently, seems to be reluctant now. Lack of enthusiasm in the locals to fly has dampened the interests of airlines. Consequently, it does not seem to be a 'win-win situation' for both passengers and the flight operators. As a result, there is some reluctance to operate flights from Salem. While Air Deccan wants an "underwriting commitment" for traffic viability from the industry and the trade community, citizens claim that the airline is yet to submit a viable package of its operations that include destinations, timings and fare structure. So, the momentum, which has been gained after a prolonged lobbying for the resumption of flight services to Salem, has suffered a setback.

In fact, everything looked rosy till a few months ago when the Joint Inspection Committee of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), comprising officials from the Regional Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Directorate of Civil Aviation and the AAI and accompanied by an officer from Air Deccan inspected the airport to ascertain the feasibility of reviving domestic operations. Sources say that the airport has been cleared for it. But that initiative seems to have lost steam. The Regional Manager, South (Marketing), Air Deccan, R. Balaji, said that the airline was still 'keen to fly' from Salem. "But we need solid commitment from the trade and industry community of Salem, Namakkal and Dharmapuri districts, to ensure us a minimum of 25 tickets both ways," he says. He, however, concedes that the feasibility of operating thrice a week services could be studied. Mr. S. S. Yuvaraj, Secretary, Association of Garment Exporters, says that a day's flight to Chennai connecting either Mumbai or New Delhi from Salem could bring adequate patronage.

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Pune on track for new international airport

The city seems to be finally on track to get its own independent single runway international airport as the state government has appointed a private consultant to see the project through and initiated the process to notify close to 1,000 hectares of land near Rajgurunagar for the airport. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the nodal agency for developing the greenfield airport, has appointed Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) as consultants and it will notify the required land within a month for fast track clearance of the project. With the new site — nicknamed Chakan II — receiving the vital in-principle approval from the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the form of a letter on November 9, MIDC is concurrently working on several fronts to speed up the project. This gains significance as the earlier project to develop an airport at Chakan was scrapped at an advanced stage after IAF refused to grant permission. “The in-principle approval by IAF has come as a major boost for the project. A decision has been taken by the high-powered committee to notify the land for the new site.

Several steps are going on concurrently and once the land has been acquired, we will be able to move fast,” MIDC chief executive officer Rajiv Jalota said. MIDC also hopes that by appointing IL&FS, it will be able to hasten work as the firm was also the consultant for the scrapped Chakan airport. “The decision has been to basically extend their contract for the new project. A lot of time will get saved as they have already generated a lot of data on Chakan,” Jalota said. The firm is experienced in handling greenfield airports and was the consultant for the Bangalore airport, he added. While IL&FS will create a detailed techno feasibility report on the project, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) will give the final nod to the airport. According to the conditions laid down in the IAF letter of November 9, a joint working group of IAF, AAI and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials will need to be structured to draw out the air routes and alignment of the runway. With MIDC also planning an Inland Container Depot (ICD) near the airport, officials say that the project has top priority, as it will boost investments in the region.

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Air India plans to lease 12 aircraft

Air India has been forced to re-enter the market to lease up to 12 long-and-medium haul aircraft after it was unsuccessful in its earlier attempt to acquire them. Sources indicated that with global demand for aircraft outpacing supply, the global leasing market was firming up there by making it difficult for airlines seeking to acquire aircraft. Air India, however, plans to attempt to dry lease up to three aircraft and is looking at either taking a Boeing 747-400 or Boeing 777-200 Extended Range aircraft. Besides, the airline plans to wet lease four long range and five medium range aircraft to operate its scheduled flights to the US, the UK and Far East. While a dry lease involves leasing just the aircraft, in a wet lease the airline also takes the cockpit crew.

To meet its long-range requirements, the airline is to wet lease aircraft from among the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 747-300, Boeing 777-300 Extended Range, Boeing 777-200 Extended Range apart examining the feasibility of leasing the Airbus A-340-600, A 340-300, Airbus A-330-200 and the MD-11. Air India plans to acquire two such aircraft for up to 11 months while two aircraft will be taken for periods ranging from 21-to-26 months. Similarly, for medium range aircraft AI is to wet lease five aircraft from among the Airbus A-310-300, Airbus A-330-200, Boeing 767-200 Extended Range, Boeing 767-300 Extended Range and the Boeing 757-200 aircraft. Air India plans to lease these aircraft for two to five years. The airline is looking at leasing as a short-term measure to overcome the immediate shortage of aircraft as some of the existing leased aircraft are going back on expiry of their leases. To overcome such problems Air India has ordered 68 Boeing aircraft the first two of which have already joined the airline fleet.

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Nagpur Airport readying to be a major cargo hub

With a view to developing the Nagpur airport into a cargo and passenger hub, the civil aviation ministry has proposed a five-year exemption on all airport and navigation charges. This is for airlines undertaking cargo operations to and from the Nagpur airport. The exemption extends to both domestic and international sectors. According to civil aviation minister Praful Patel, work on the new cargo terminal will start in a few months and the objections raised by defence authorities on land-related issues have been sorted out. Earlier, at an IATA summit, he said the government was looking at opening up the aviation sector more and was already deliberating allowing 74% FDI in air cargo, non-scheduled operation and sea planes, among others. Air cargo has not even scratched the surface of cargo industry in India.

According to the Airbus market outlook for the next 20 years, the number of dedicated freights in India will go up from the current dismal figure of eight to around 165 aircraft by 2025. Public sector carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India, have already firmed up their plans to convert some of their ageing fleet into dedicated cargo freighters and use Nagpur as the centre of their cargo operations. Buoyed by the opening up of the retail sector, private sector low fare carriers-Air Deccan, Go Air, SpiceJet and Indigo, also plan to launch cargo operations soon. A joint venture company of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) will develop the cargo hub.

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Government likely to upgrade Goa's Dabolim airport

Goa's Dabolim international airport, located in the port town of Vasco, about 30 km from the capital city Panaji, is expected to join the league of modern airports. The government is planning to upgrade the airport with state-of-the-art facilities by 2008. Highly placed sources said that the government was in the process of acquiring nine acres of land from the Navy for the purpose. According to the plan, the runway would be expanded and a parking space for around five aircrafts would be constructed in order to ease the congestion. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will expand the building, which will have an international standard state-of-the-art facility. This is expected to be completed by 2008. Besides escalators, seven aero bridges are being planned. “It will be a new concept in Goa and that seven big aircrafts would be able to park together along these aero bridges,” sources added. The Dabolim airport was handed over to the Indian Navy by the government after the exit of the erstwhile Portuguese regime.

The airport is facing severe congestion problems especially with more and more charter flights coming to Goa. More than 850 charter flights are expected to land in Goa during the current season that would bring in over two lakh foreign tourists, compared with last year’s over 700 charter flights bringing in around 1.5 lakh tourists. Charter flights from UK, Germany, Denmark, Russia, Sweden, Finland and Spain have been arriving in Goa every year. Sri Lanka Airlines has already started its direct flights from Colombo from this year. Over the past few months, several foreign private airlines including Virgin Airlines from Europe, Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Midland from Manchester and Air Arabia from Sharjah are ready to run flights directly to Goa. As part of the talks between the Navy, which controls the Goa airport, and the AAI, the Navy has agreed to allow direct landing of all scheduled flights in Goa instead of Mumbai even as Air-India is considering starting a direct flight between Dubai and Goa.

Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area and Flag Officer Naval Aviation Rear Admiral (FOGA), Sanjay Vadgaonkar, stated that the night operations are yet to find takers at the Dabolim airport, even as civil flights enjoy most of the flying time at the airport. “Military flights operate from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm. Almost 84 per cent of the time has been given to civil operators, though they do not utilise it. Civil operations take place from 6.30 am to 8 am and from 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm. The night slot remains totally unused,” he said. The Navy has spent around Rs 75 crore to upgrade facilities at the Dabolim airport. Rear Admiral Vadgaonkar said the Navy had also spent around Rs 40 crore for the expansion of the runway, which is extended to 3.1 km to cater to any aircraft. “Exclusive radars for civil aircraft are installed and most of the operations are carried out for civil air traffic,” he added. “The AAI will soon be pressing into service the instrument landing facility to operate flights during nights,” assures Goa deputy chief minister, Wilfred D’ Souza, who also holds the tourism portfolio. According to D’Souza, these steps would strengthen the airport to meet the projected future traffic, which is expected to touch 4,308 international flights and 17,480 domestic flights by the year 2013-14 as against 1,402 and 7,422 flights, respectively, in 1995-96.

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Smoking before long-haul flights may be dangerous

The biological effects on air passengers mainly involves the poor absorption of oxygen in blood, due to low oxygen pressure in a pressurised cabin of an aircraft. "People with lung, heart and cerebro vascular diseases are bound to have problems while flying as the oxygen absorption in the blood decreases, aggravating their condition," says Dr Anil Mehra of an air ambulance company. Even patients who have suffered myocardial infarction without any complications need to wait for two weeks before flying. Smoking before a long-haul flight can be dangerous as the blood haemoglobin absorbs carbon monoxide present in smoke and converts to carboxy haemoglobin, hampering oxygen absorption and thus increasing the risks of hypoxia. For the same reason, those with a haemoglobin count of 8.5 or low infact are unfit to fly. "If you tell this to an airline, they won't let you fly and so people risk their lives," he says.

Apart from pressure differences, humidity levels are low inside an aircraft cabin. While the percent humidity in Mumbai, for instance, would be about 60-70 %, its 8-10 % inside an aircraft. Dehydration occurs if you don't have water or if you have a drink too much. Dehydration is one of the many factors that could lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and people with high amount of cholesterol/triglycerides in their blood and female flyers, who are on oral contraceptives run a high risk of DVT. "Contraceptives increases the viscosity of blood—so does cholesterol and other fatty acids—leading to DVT when combined with other factors like sitting cramped in a position for hours," he says. The solution would be to have an aspirin tablet—if you are not allergic to it— before a flight. Medical practitioners also criticised the facilities at the airport. Says Dr Lata Nakhwa, GM, medical, Air India: "The facilities need to be upgraded and there is scope for upgradation." She stresses the need to have emergency management doctors in the airport.

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Delhi airport shrouded in dense fog once again

Delhi airport has been shrouded in dense fog since Tuesday night, and as a result several flights have been delayed. The backlog of flights, which could not take off last night due to the fog, has added to the delays. With runway visibility falling to just 175 meters, eight flights have been cancelled - among them are Kingfisher flights Delhi-Kolkata IT-601, Kolkata-Delhi IT-602 and Delhi-Mumbai IT-306 have been cancelled. Indian Airlines flights from Delhi-Nagpur IC-871, Delhi-Jaipur IC-896 have been cancelled. Only aircrafts that are equipped with CAT 111 A and CAT 111 B instrument landing systems can operate in such foggy conditions.

Currently, only Indian and Kingfisher flights are equipped with these landing aids and its pilots trained in their use. The fog in Delhi has also led to disruptions in train schedules as well with many trains running several hours late. The trains that have delayed due to the existing conditions are, Janata Express from Howrah to New Delhi which is late by three hours, Farakka Express from Malda to New Delhi is late by six hours, Lichavi Express from Samastipur to New Delhi is late by 10 hours and K V Express from Varanasi to New Delhi is delayed by more than two hours.

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Saudi plane makes emergency landing

A Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing at the Nagpur international airport, after a passenger onboard complained of chest pain on Tuesday morning. The airline, which had around 343 Haj pilgrims and 18 crew members on board, was flying to Jeddah from Dhaka. It was forced to land at the airport after 58-year-old Maroor Nisa complained of discomfort in her chest. The aircraft made the emergency landing at around 8.45 am. On receiving the call, a medical team from Arneja Heart Hospital had already reached the airport. Dr.Jaspal Arneja treated the woman in the aircraft itself. "She (Maroor Nisa) was suffering from hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and angina (discomfort or pain in chest)," Dr.Arneja said. "We corrected her sugar level and treated her discomfort in the chest. The patient was suggested to take prolonged treatment but she insisted on continuing her journey after feeling comfortable."

The aircraft left the airport at around noon after re-fuelling at the terminal. Airport authorities and CISF security had made required arrangements for the ambulance to make an emergency entry to the terminal. Nikhil Balankhe, who got the first call about the medical emergency, referred the case to Dr.Jaspal Arneja. "Thankfully, immigration and custom officials were present at the airport as the weekly flight to Bangkok was supposed to leave around the same time. Otherwise, there could have been more delays,"said an airport official. "We ensured that every care was taken as it was a serious issue. The patient was declared fit to travel and after taking expert advice the pilgrim was allowed to fly."

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Airline companies start promoting Heli-tourism

Animal gazing from a height of 1,000 feet or a helicopter joy ride over the Kanchenjunga mountains, a visit to the heritage site of Hampi-Belur or a Buddhist Circuit tour in Kerala or simply island hopping in the Andamans — all this and much more on a helicopter. The exciting and good news is that it’s happening. Indians are taking to the skies for some exciting helicopter tours. And cashing in on this growing concept of heli-tourism are companies, who have found a business opportunity in this segment of aviation industry. At a time, when both full service and low-cost carriers in India are bleeding with losses, there are heli-charter firms — like Pawan Hans Helicopters, Deccan Aviation’s heli-charter arm, United Helicharters, Jagson Airlines and Global Vectra Helicorp — which are raking in the moolah by providing heli-tourism services.

A countryside view or animal gazing from a height of around 1,000 feet is a feast for tourist eyes. No wonder heli-tourism, a high-end product, is gaining popularity in India. “Helicopters fly around 175 km per hour slower than airplanes giving tourists the time to enjoy the countryside view,” says head (sales & liaison) of Deccan Aviation, Lt Col Arun Rao. Deccan Aviation, which also operates the low-cost carrier Air Deccan, offers various heli-charter packages. For example, a package visit to the heritage sites of Hampi-Belur from Bangalore is available for Rs 3,90,000 for six people (including accommodation, meals and helicopter ride from Jakkur to Belur and back). Heli-tourism operations account for over 7% of the annual revenue of Deccan Aviation. “More and more Indian customers are now interested in heli-tourism which for long has been popular among inbound travellers,” said Mr Rao.

Helicopter charter services are mainly used for medical evacuation, off-shore business and heli-tourism. As the concept of heli-tourism is gaining popularity, heli-charter companies like Jagson Air-lines and Global Vectra Helicorp among others are planning to expand their operations. Jagson Airlines, which uses some of its helicopters to offer services for various pilgrimage sites, is now targeting inbound pilgrims. The airline will be adding two more helicopters to its fleet by May 2007 at an estimated investment of Rs 20-25 crore. “These copters will be used to expand our tourism operations,” said a Jagson Airline official. Another player, Global Vectra Helicorp, plans to add eight new 13 seater helicopters to its existing fleet by May 2007. The firm already provides helicopter services to various off-shore oil and natural gas companies.

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