Air Deccan adds 20th Airbus to its fleet

Low-cost airliner, Air Deccan today added its 20th brand new Airbus A-320 to its fleet taking the airline’s fleet strength to 44. An Air Deccan statement said the new Airbus would be based in Kolkata and would help in Air Deccan’s expansion plans of providing enhanced low fare travel options and increased connectivity. The Airbus had an all economy seating with a seat capacity of 180. The new aircraft would be inducted into the schedule on July 10 with introduction of new flights out of Kolkata. The new aircraft would increase frequency from Kolkata to Vishakapatnam, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Bhubaneshwar. A new sector Kolkata-Vishakapatnam would be introduced by the airline. This route was not serviced by any other airline and Air Deccan would be the only airline connecting Kolkata to Vishakapatnam.

Bookings for the new flights would open tomorrow. Air Deccan Chief executive officer statement, Ramki Sundaram said in the, "safety and on-time performance is the most important commitment to our passengers. The induction of brand new aircraft with increased efficiency will ensure that we deliver our promise. The A-320 comes with the latest technology, powered by the IAE V 2527 A5 engines and is a highly dependable aircraft ensuring complete safety and reliability". He said Air Deccan had the largest market share in the Kolkata region with over 70 flights and loads averaging 85 per cent. At present Air Deccan had seven aircraft based at Kolkata and the new airbus would be the eighth. Kolkata was the largest base for Air Deccan’s ATR operations.

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GoAir connects GoDestinations at Zero Fare

GoAir, India’s leading smart fare carrier today announced its ‘Book Smart Fly Free’ offer, starting tomorrow that allows passengers a chance to plan and book tickets for free on first come first basis across select GoAir destinations. The unique offering begins from June 28 to July 2, 2007. Passengers can now avail this unique offering by logging on to the GoAir website, www.goair.in and instantly book their tickets to fly to their favourite GoDestinations. GoAir is a “smart fare” carrier promoted by The Wadia Group. Principles that have been incorporated in the Wadia Group for years - Trust and Integrity - have now also been inculcated into the airline venture. GoAir took off on 4th November 2005 with scheduled services from Mumbai.

Currently, GoAir operates across 59 flights a day across 11 destinations in the country covering Srinagar, Jammu, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa, Bengalooru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Cochin. GoAir operates CAT III compliant A320 aircraft with a single class, 180-seat configuration, and plans to expand its fleet to 33 aircraft in three years. With Brand Ambassador Preity Zinta on board, GoAir aims to be the preferred low-fare airline in India and will provide passengers a comfortable and affordable option to popular holiday and business destinations across India. GoAir is also India’s first low fare carrier to win the prestigious international award for "Excellent Services" by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA).

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Pilots' flying time to be increased

In a bid to tide over the massive pilot shortage the country is facing, the flying hours for pilots are going to be increased marginally to see that they don't get stressed while being able to fly more. Currently pilots are allowed to fly for a maximum of 1,000 hours annually with a monthly cap of 125 hours. Now the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is revising the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms that could increase flying hours between 50 to 100 hours a year. This would allow all airlines to fly more. "The new norms are going to be finalised shortly.

They have been decided after several rounds of discussions with medical and aviation experts as safety cannot be compromised for increasing capacity," said highly placed sources. Indian currently has about 2,600 pilots, including 600 foreign pilots. "There's a shortage of about 300 pilots and this figure could get worse in coming years. The FDTL norms are likely to be increased by 50 hours and then 100 hours and this will be a good decision as it would allow improve crew productivity. Crew cost here is very high and better utilisation would help both the airlines too," said Kapil Kaul, CEO (Indian subcontinent) of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Pilot shortage is badly affecting airlines expansion plans. A leading airline's official said some carriers are now deferring their deliveries. While this involves paying penal charges to aircraft manufacturers, "it is cheaper than bringing planes here and then keeping them on ground". The main problem is of getting experienced captains as an eight-month training is adequate to make a newcomer a co-pilot. The main problem is that the shortage means airlines don't have pilots for hold. Which means that when airlines send pilots for further training, say for using instrumental landing system in fog, they don't have a backup for them.

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Kuwait hopeful of ending flight row with India

Kuwait has expressed optimism that the row over a possible ban on landing of state-owned Indian airliners in its capital will be resolved amicably as the two countries prepare to hold talks on the issue. A high-level Indian delegation comprising joint secretary of the Aviation Ministry, R K Singh and representatives of 'Air India' and 'Indian' will arrive in Kuwait later today for talks which will last until Friday. "An Indian delegation will arrive in Kuwait and we will begin negotiations about the issue. We will reach an agreement and the results will be announced before or on Saturday," a senior official of Kuwait's Department of Civil Aviation, Salah Al-Armeni was quoted as saying in Kuwait Times.

The airline row comes at a time when thousands of passengers are preparing to fly to India for summer holidays. Kuwait had issued a notice to 'Air India' and 'Indian' saying it will not receive flights of the airlines from July 1 in the capital, alleging that New Delhi was going back on commitments in the air bilateral agreement between both countries. A bilateral agreement was signed between the states last year allowing for 5,200 seats per week for both states. Kuwait has requested the limit be raised in addition to requesting that Kuwait's carriers be allowed to pick up passengers from third countries. While Kuwait Airways and Al-Jazeera operate daily flights to India, Air India and Indian maintain a total of seven flights per week out of Kuwait.

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Deccan Aviation gets contract for Amarnath Yatra

Deccan Aviation Ltd has been awarded a three-year contract by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board to provide helicopter services for Amaranath Yatra organised every year by the J&K government during July and August. Deccan Aviation helicopter service to the holy cave is available from Srinagar and Baltal. The flying time from Srinagar to Baltal is around 45 minutes and from Baltal to the holy cave around eight to ten minutes, a company release said. G R Gopinath, Executive Chairman, Deccan Aviation said, "More than 1.25 lakh devotees visited the Amarnath Shrine last year which indicates the growing number of religious travelers in India."

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Jet Airways launches India's first SMS Check-In facility

Jet Airways India Ltd has announced that the Company has launched yet another pioneering passenger-friendly service "SMS Check-in" for its Jet Privilege members, following the successful launch of its mobile-ticketing solution. Designed to operate on an SMS platform, this user-friendly self-service check-in solution will make travel more comfortable and convenient to its discerning passengers, making it the first airline in the country to launch SMS Check-in. SMS Check-in allows only the individual JetPrivilege passenger sending the SMS to check-in.

If there are more JP members in a single PNR, the individual member will have to send a separate SMS with his / her JP number to check-in. SMS check-in allows check-in for all segments booked for travel on a given day with a single SMS i.e. customers traveling between two cities on a single day can check-in with one SMS. Highlighting the initiative, Mr. Gaurang Shetty, Vice President-Marketing, of the Company said, "Jet Airways has set another milestone in enhancing customer service and SMS check-in will be valued by all our JP members. With this benefit, customers can now report to the check-in desk at least 30 minutes prior to departure, assured that their seats have been pre assigned with a single SMS.

Customers doing a day trip can do an SMS check-in for both their outbound and return flights through one SMS ". The Company will be the only airline in India to offer Kiosk check-in, Web check-in and SMS check-in. This innovative program is available for JetPriviiege members with a confirmed, valid e-ticket only and for all domestic and International flights departing from airports in India that are online with the Company’s check-in system. All boarding and check-in timelines, followed currently at the airport, will be applicable for SMS check-in as well. The service is currently available to mobile users in India only.

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Air India starts cargo operations with Airbus planes

Air India Ltd., the nation's biggest overseas carrier, started freighter operations with two Airbus SAS planes to tap rising demand for transporting goods in the world's second-fastest growing major economy. Air India started flights to Europe with the freighters, converted from old A310 passenger planes at a cost of $16 million, it said in a statement released in Mumbai today. Growing exports of gems and jewelry and imports of technology equipment have boosted demand for cargo flights in the South Asian country. India has one cargo airline, Blue Dart Express Ltd., and existing airlines plan to start cargo flights by buying new planes or converting passenger aircraft.

India should have 500 cargo planes within the next 15 years, Praful Patel, the country's civil aviation minister, said in Mumbai at a function in connection with the start of state-owned Air India's cargo operations. State-owned Indian Airlines Ltd. is converting five Boeing Co. 737 aircraft to start cargo service while Deccan Aviation Ltd. and GoAirlines (India) Pvt. are also planning freighter services in India. Air India has a share of about 11 percent of cargo export from the country and 7 percent of imports, it said. It now moves cargo in passenger planes. The carrier will initially operate four flights a week to Frankfurt and Paris with the two A310s. The first cargo flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt will have stopovers in Bangalore and in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, it said.

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IAF to allow some bases for civilian flights

The defence ministry had given an in-principle nod to allow the use of some of the Indian Air Force (IAF) bases by civilian domestic carriers at peak flying hours, KN Srivastava, joint secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said today. “Hopefully, the Hindon air force base would be the first one from where the commercial aircraft would take off,” Srivastava said. The move is aimed at easing congestion during peak hours at Delhi where air traffic movement during peak hours has increased to nearly 60 flights every hour after the boom in the civil aviation sector in recent times.

He said the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and private airport developers would invest Rs 36,000 crore to develop six new and 50 smaller airports in the next four years in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar and the North-East. “While the AAI would invest Rs 12,000 crore from internal accruals, the private developers would invest the remaining Rs 24,000 crore,” he said. A committee, headed by Planning Commission member Anwar Hoda, will also suggest measures to establish rail linkages from airports in 10 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, the official said.

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Goans celebrate San Joao festival

Goans this weekend had a gala time celebrating annual Monsoon festival, which marks 'San Joao', the feast of John, the Baptist. Monsoon festival is a legacy Goans have inherited from the Portuguese, who ruled the State until it was liberated in 1961. During the celebrations, Goans jumped into rivers, ponds and wells amidst persistent rains. In villages, the festival was celebrated with much traditional fervour. At Loutulim in south Goa, men wearing 'copel' or crowns of flowers and grass, sung traditional songs and danced to merry tunes before jumping into a pond. Maendra Alvares, one of the participants, said: 'We celebrated San Joao, the feast of Saint John's, like how it was in the olden times. We celebrate it by jumping in the ponds. People wear crowns and have all the traditional food '. Alister Fernandes said, 'Everybody makes merry on this day. They wear hats specially made at home with flowers. To enjoy, they jump into wells'.

'It is San Joao's peace... 'Viva San Joao,' said Fernandes. In Navelim, young men and teenaged boys, were seen diving into a well and splashing around. Men, women and children donning colourful headgears made of flowers sang and danced, as they made merry on the occasion. Hundreds of people gathered in the picturesque village of Siolim, to watch heavily decorated boats row up the Chapora River from several areas in Goa. It is believed that 'San Joao' revellers from across Goa, first converged in front of St. Anthony's Church in Siolim over 150 years back. According to the Biblical legend when Saint John was in his mother's womb, Mother Mary visited his mother in her dream. Saint John supposedly leaped inside her womb in joy. Portuguese traditions still have a strong presence especially in the coastal areas of the State. Goa's balmy beaches, tropical climate and its unique charm attract thousands of international tourists every year.

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Air Deccan to sell tickets from post offices

Low-cost carrier Air Deccan is all set to land and take-off from a territory that has virtually no tarmac. The budget carrier will now be present in rural India through the multitude of post offices, encouraging farmers to experience a plane journeys. Sources said that the airline is tieing up with the postal department to offer e-tickets. This is the first time that any airline is attempting such widespread reach, since post offices are present in just about every village and town. The airline will initially leverage the 500 internet-enabled post offices in Karnataka, of the total of over 2,500 post offices in the state, to reach out to the common man. The services will be launched in Karnataka by the month end or the beginning of July.

By the end of the year, the airline is hopeful of tieing up with seven other state postal departments. The way it works will be simple. A farmer will just have to walk to his taluk post office and purchase an e-ticket, paying cash up-front. The airline's back-end support ensures that a central server monitors the daily ticketing sales. On a daily basis the postal department will transfer the overall ticket sales to the airline. By facilitating ticket sales, post offices earn a commission similar to that of travel agents. Already, a 1,000 postal personnel have been trained by the airline to access the website of Air Deccan and issue e-tickets. If the company had to reach out to the masses via the conventional channel (of setting up an office and other infrastructure), it would have had to spend several hundreds of crores of rupees.

"Here, the only expenditure the airline has incurred is the training costs," said the source. Currently, internet booking through its website accounts for 40% of Air Deccan's ticket sales; its partners like BPCL, HPCL, Reliance Web World, agents and web-portals bring in an equivalent share; and the rest of the 10% is done at airports. Capt G R Gopinath, executive chairman of Air Deccan, had recently said that even carpenters and autorickshaw drivers have been flying his airline. With the latest initiative, an even wider section of Indians may experience the joy and convenience of flying.

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Jet Airways net plunges 94% in FY07

India’s largest private carrier, Jet Airways Ltd, on Tuesday said it posted a 94% decline in net profit at Rs 28 crore for the fiscal ended March 31, 2007, compared to Rs 452 crore the previous fiscal, weighed down by heavy losses in the first two quarters and higher operating costs. However, total revenues for the current fiscal stood at Rs 7,400 crore, compared to Rs 6,090 crore the previous fiscal. Net profit for the fourth quarter stood at Rs 88 crore, against Rs 227 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, down 61.2%. Operating revenues stood at Rs 1,978.3 crore for the quarter ended March 2007, compared to Rs 1,605 crore for the same period last year. The company’s board has recommended a dividend of 60% (Rs 6 per equity share of Rs 10 each). Jet Airways stock closed marginally higher (0.69%) on the BSE on Tuesday at Rs 808.50. Explaining the slump in profits, Jet Airways CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said, “Overall, the aviation sector is not performing well.

Looking at the current scenario, we have performed better.” The average staff numbers increased from 8,727 to 10,590 on account of the expansion at various levels of operations. New hires among pilots, engineers and cabin crew constituted an increase in the company’s operating costs in the fourth quarter.” However, he added that the average fuel rate was Rs 36.55 a litre in the fourth quarter, compared to Rs 36.05 in the previous year’s fourth quarter. The Jet board has also approved its rights offering of up to $400 million. Further decisions, including pricing, will be taken by a committee of the board, which has been empowered to do so. On the company’s international operations, KG Vishwanath, general manager—finance, said that the company was close to break-even and that international losses are down to $2.5 million from $42 million in the first half of the financial year.

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Air India plane lands under emergency conditions

A Bangkok-bound Air India flight from Mumbai with 154 passengers on board today landed at the international airport here under emergency conditions after it developed a problem in its hydraulic system. The pilot of Air India's flight 348 detected the technical glitch and landed the Airbus 310 safely at around 12 pm as emergency personnel were kept on standby, airport officials said. All the 154 passengers on board are safe, they said. "The pilot felt there was some problem in the hydraulic system and decided to land. The landing was normal.

The aircraft was taxied to the technical area for a check," the carrier's northern India regional director D S Kohli said. He said the "passengers would be flown to Bangkok and Tokyo in the evening and to other destinations thereafter". They were being accomodated at the airport and and served refreshments. However, angry scenes were witnessed at the airport after around 125 passengers who were to take the flight to Bangkok from here found themselves stranded and entered into heated arguements with Air India staff. "The flight has been indefinitely delayed and they are not able to say anything," a passenger claimed.

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Parking at Goa airport to be restricted

Parking of vehicles will be restricted at Dabolim airport premises due to security consideration from July 1.In his order, Airport Director Paul Manickam stated that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) would restrict parking of vehicles in the existing car parking area located east of the terminal building which is declared as a no-parking zone. ‘Vehicle in restricted area will be allowed to drop or pick passengers during short period of arrival and departure,’ Manickam stated. AAI terminal Manager Utpal Baruah informed that only two buses of commercial airlines and hotels are allowed to bring their passengers during arrivals and departures.

He further added that airport staff vehicles would permitted with stickers in specified areas. Parking of black and yellow taxies would as per the ordered regulated in April 1 2005 and the VIP and other categories of vehicles would be permitted for a certain period and that too at a specified area. Baruah informed that the parking area has been shifted outside the airport and adjacent to highway, where parking will be permitted on payment of fees. ‘Vehicle owners breaching the notified order and regulation of AAI would be penalized with fine which may extend to Rs 500,’ he added.

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Finnair begins direct flights to Mumbai

Finnair Tuesday began a direct flight from Helsinki to the commercial capital of India, its second destination in the country. It will operate five times a week with an Airbus A-340 aircraft. The first Helsinki-Mumbai flight will land here at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. In the other direction, the flight will depart at 8.15 a.m. the same day and arrive in Helsinki at 1.50 p.m. local time. Finnair began its operations from New Delhi on Oct 31, 2006, and has been flying to the national capital every day since May 19. "The new route also opens numerous possibilities to tourist traffic from Europe to India. Near Mumbai there are several interesting destinations for travellers, for example Goa, known for its magnificent beaches, and the culturally rich state of Kerala," a Finnair statement said.

"Apart from Mumbai, this flight would be very convenient for passengers from neighbouring cities like Pune and Ahmedabad. The Mumbai route also gives Finnair more onward connections to destinations all over India," said Taina Törnström, Finnair director for the Indian subcontinent. "Finnair is strengthening its partnerships with Indian air carriers to make these connections as smooth as possible," she added. The flights to Mumbai are part of Finnair's Asian strategy. "In response to a strong demand from the Asian market, the number of weekly flights to India has increased from seven to 12. Flights to other Finnair destinations in Asia have also been continuously increased," the airline said. Besides New Delhi and Mumbai, Finnair now flies to eight other destinations in Asia: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong in China; Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan; and Bangkok in Thailand.

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SpiceJet suitors queue up meetings this week

The race for buying a strategic stake in Delhi-based budget carrier SpiceJet is hotting up with three full-service carriers Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Paramount Airways lining up crucial meetings with investment bankers and target company executives this week. Paramount Airways had meetings with investment bankers and company executives on Saturday in south India. The airline also has the backing of a leading merchant banker, which is expected to partly fund its bid. Sources close to the development said Jet Airways had a preliminary round of discussion with SpiceJet last week in London. Kingfisher Airlines has also evinced interest and has lined up meetings for this week.

Though executives of the airlines continued to deny any consolidation move, sources confirmed that various meetings were lined up by Jet Airways and Paramount Airways this week. “The rounds of negotiations are progressing. The key criterion in the race will be the price offered by airlines. Financial investors are keen on exiting the airline business but at a reasonable price,” they added. About 25 per cent of the shareholding in SpiceJet is locked-in investments that still cannot be sold. The airlines are eyeing shareholding scattered among a group of stake holders. A solution is supposed to emerge from the meetings scheduled for this week. According to SpiceJet’s website, locked-in shares of investors include those of Ewart Investments (5.82 per cent), BNP Paribas (5.43 per cent), KBC Financial Products UK (0.87 per cent), Istithmar (PJSC) (13.42 per cent) and Tata Investment Corporation (0.42 per cent).

The big investors who are not locked in include the promoters, the Kansagra family, who hold 12.91 per cent, SpiceJet Director Ajay Singh, who holds 4.16 per cent, and some others. The public holds around 24.27 per cent. SpiceJet, according to sources, has constituted an investors’ committee to monitor and supervise operations and accounts. This committee includes representatives of investors and directors. SpiceJet has a fleet of 11 aircraft and operates 64 flights a day. It plans to add five extended range jets to its fleet soon.

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Qantas, Jet Airways expand code share

Qantas Airways Ltd will expand its code share arrangement with Indian carrier Jet Airways, as the low-cost airways of Asia increasingly target routes to and from Australia. The deal enables Jet Airways customers to travel on Qantas flights between Australia and Singapore and then connect to India on a Jet Airways' flight, starting Monday. "The Australia-India route, a key market for Qantas, continues to grow, reflecting strengthening trade links and increasing numbers of tourists and business people travelling between the two countries," said Qantas group general manager for sales and distribution Rob Gurney. "Qantas is pleased to partner with India's leading carrier, Jet Airways, to further grow this important market." Qantas already flies the Sydney-to-Mumbai route three times a week.

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Jet Airways to operate Chandigarh-Mumbai flights

Jet Airways, currently operating a single flight from Chandigarh to Delhi, will soon link Chandigarh with a direct flight to Mumbai. According to an official of the company, the Jet in this regard has sent a proposal to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), New Delhi. “The Jet Airways has long been planning to start its Mumbai operation from this city but the project got hauled up for some reason or the other. Finally, we are all geared up for the project now and are very hopefull of getting the DGCA clearance very soon,” said a Jet official. He added that the airlines would employ a Boeing aircraft for its Mumbai services.

“There is not a single direct flight from Chandigarh to Mumbai in spite of large commuters between Mumbai and Punjab and Haryana. We hope to take advantage of this vaccuum and launch a full fledged flight to Mumbai,” he added. The details about the time slot is yet to be finalised though the airlines has asked for an early morning flight. Indus Airlines was the first one to start direct operation between Chandigarh and Mumbai in December last year. However, Indus had to stop its operation after certain objection from the DGCA. At present, only Indian Airlines is operating an indirect flight to Mumbai via Delhi.

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Kuwait threatens to stop India flights

Kuwait has threatened to stop all its flights to India from July 1 in protest against New Delhi's alleged backtracking of its commitments in the bilateral aviation agreement between both countries, revealed the Kuwaiti Arabic daily, Al Watan. This could disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers during this peak summer season. The decision could also affect the services of India's national carriers Air India and Indian to Kuwait. According to Al Watan, the threat has been made by the civil aviation authorities in protest against the Airports Authority of India (AAI)'s denial of a Kuwaiti request to increase the weekly seat capacities of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) and Jazeera Airways between Kuwait and India. Kuwait has a remarkably huge Indian expatriate population of 520,000, which is larger than those in some other GCC countries.

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Air France may fly in Airbus A380 to Delhi by 2010

The modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports is attracting international carriers. Air France may become the first international airline to fly the superjumbo Airbus A380 connecting Delhi and Mumbai to Paris by early 2010. The only Indian carrier which has five A380s on order, Kingfisher Airlines, will start getting delivery by 2011. Air France has placed orders for a dozen-odd A380 aircraft, with delivery schedules starting 2009. To start with, Air France plans to connect long-haul destinations such as New York, Montreal and Sau Paulo, to Paris which will serve as its hub. Its next stop would be Asian cities in India, China and South-East Asia. “We hope to fly the Airbus A380 to Delhi and Mumbai by 2010,” said KLM executive vice-president commercial PSM Gregorowitsch. Air France and Dutch airline KLM merged globally in 2004 and run joint operation. In India, the Air France KLM combo have 42 weekly flights out of major metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai.

There are plans to add Kolkata to its network by next year and add two additional flights by year end from Hyderabad and Chennai. Until two years ago, Air France-KLM combine had less than 30 weekly flights out of India. Delhi and Mumbai airports, which are currently getting upgraded, are expected to be A380-compatible, capable of handling scheduled flights by 2010. Airbus conducted demo A380 flights last month in Delhi and Mumbai airports. Incidentally, greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore, which are set to become operational in 2008, would also be able to handle the double-decker A380 aircraft. In a three-class configuration, an A380 aircraft can carry 555 passengers. Mr Gregorowitsch said the Air France-KLM combine plans to use its current interline agreements with domestic carriers such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, to tap smaller Indian cities. Air France-KLM together connect over 240 destinations worldwide, with 2,400 flights a day and a fleet size of 569 aircraft, the largest in the world.

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Jupiter Aviation buys flight simulators from Thales

European aerospace major Thales has been contracted to supply a range of flight simulators for a new aircrew training centre being established in Bangalore in India, it was announced Friday. Under the deal with India's Jupiter Aviation, Thales will initially provide two Full Flight Simulators (FFS), one configured to the Airbus A-320 and the second to the Boeing 737. Lower level training devices, including Thales Formation Systems Trainers (TFST) and Thales Flight Management System Trainers (FMST), will also be provided. "These devices provide full aircraft systems simulation in a classroom," a Thales statement said. Jupiter's new training centre will complement its existing network of facilities and will also act as a recurrent training and Type Rating facility for India's leading airlines.

The company will be obtaining a second tranche of training equipment, including two FFSs, as also TFSTs and FMSTs from Thales at a later date. Commenting on the deal, Chris Gane, vice president of the Thales simulation business, said: "This success further emphasises our recent success in India, a country that is seeing major growth in the aviation sector. According to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, chairman and CEO of Jupiter Capital, the contract is part of a significant investment for setting up an MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility, and aviation training and knowledge centres. "We selected Thales because they are the market leaders in their field and most importantly, they share our passion and will to succeed," he added.

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Jet Airways to provide new service from Chicago to India

Chicago will get new daily round-trip service to India next year on Jet Airways, a full-service, business-oriented carrier based in New Delhi. Using new Boeing 777 widebodies, Jet Airways plans to connect Chicago to several cities in India through its hub in Brussels, Belgium. "A lot of Indians are living in the Chicago area. Plus, business is increasing between the Midwest and India," says Naresh Goyal, chairman and 80% owner of Jet Airways (India) Ltd., which he founded 15 years ago. Chicago is third on his list for new U.S. routes after Newark, N.J., starting in August, and San Francisco, starting in September.

One of the airline's new 777 widebodies was on display at this week's Paris Air Show. It features a distinctive 312-seat, three-class interior with an eight-seat first-class section, designed by Mr. Goyal and his wife. Those seats unfold into 83-inch beds, and each private, first-class pod has a 23-inch flat-screen television. Aspiring to the high standards of Singapore Airlines and other Asian carriers, Mr. Goyal says he wants Jet Airways to be considered "one of the five best airlines in the world in five years, if not sooner."

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Jetlite says sorry to disabled man

Jetlite, a division of Jet Airways and was formerly Air Sahara, on Thursday apologised to cerebral palsy patient Rajiv Rajan for refusing to let him board a Delhi-bound flight in Chennai on Monday. The airline also said it would sensitise its staff to the special needs of people with disability. "We regret the inconvenience caused to Rajiv Rajan. We will train our staff to be sensitive towards people with special needs. We apologise for the inconvenience," Jetlite said in its public apology. Rajan was made to wait three hours at the Chennai Airport on Monday and was not allowed to board the flight because airline officials considered him unfit for travel. The officials told him that he needed a medical clearance or an escort. Rajan was flying to Delhi to attend a seminar on disability as an invitee of the Government of India.

Disabled rights activists protested at Delhi Airport on Thursday and at Chennai on Wednesday against the way Rajan was treated. Jetlite is the new name for Air Sahara, which was recently bought by Jet Airways. There was a public uproar and condemnation against the incident. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday asked the airline to explain why it barred Ranjan. "We have seen media reports about this. Based on these reports we have asked the airline about the circumstances under which the passenger was offloaded and what it proposes to do about this," a spokesperson of the DGCA said. Rajan, who heads an NGO for the disabled, was to attend a meeting of the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities to discuss a training programme to be launched in the country.

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Flyington Freighters orders more A330 freighters

Flyington Freighters, the Reddy family’s air freight company have ordered an additional six Airbus A330-200F. The agreement takes their total order for the aircraft to 12. Flyington Freighters confirmed an initial order for six A330-200Fs in May 2007. The company was the first cargo airline to buy the A330-200F, and will be the world's first operator.

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IndiGo signs maintenance contract with Air France

IndiGo has signed a maintenance and pool agreement with Air France Industries for the support of its fleet of A320 aircraft. Under the terms of the contract, Air France Industries will provide IndiGo with door-to-door logistics support, pool access, repair management and dedicated on-site management in support of the airline’s operations throughout India.

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Rolls-Royce wins $1 billion Trent order from Kingfisher

India’s Kingfisher Airlines has ordered two versions of the Rolls-Royce Trent to power 25 new Airbus widebody airliners. The value of the engine business at list prices is $1 billion. The order, announced at the Paris Air Show, consists of 20 firm A350 XWB-800 twinjets, which are offered with the Trent XWB, and five A340-500s, for which the Trent 500 is the sole engine.

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Kingfisher Airlines agrees to buy 50 Airbus aircraft

Kingfisher Airlines, the carrier headquartered in Mumbai, India has agreed to purchase up to 50 aircraft from Airbus. The Memorandum of Understanding is for 15 A350-800 XWBs in addition to the five converted from their original order for the A350, 10 A330-200s, five A340-500s and 20 A320 Family aircraft.

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Jet Airways to receive more ATR 72-500s

ATR unveiled orders for 13 new ATR 72-500 aircraft that will be operated by the Indian carrier Jet Airways. Agreement for six of these ATR72-500s has been concluded directly with the Irish-based leasing company AIR (Aircraft International Renting), a subsidiary of TAT leasing. In order to reserve aircraft delivery positions, Jet Airways has concluded purchase agreements for the remaining seven aircraft. Prior to delivery, Jet Airways intends to conclude lease agreements for these aircraft also. The total value of the two contracts is $238 million.

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IndiGo inducts 10th Airbus A-320 aircraft

Private budget carrier IndiGo has inducted its 10th Airbus A-320 aircraft into its stable and will buy five more by the end of this year to take its fleet size to 15, the airline said in a statement Wednesday. IndiGo will operate the new A-320 to connect Nagpur with Delhi and Pune and the same aircraft will then continue its service to Bangalore. With this aircraft, the airline will operate 70 daily flights to 14 destinations. The airline, promoted by Gurgaon-based travel trade and aviation firm InterGlobe Enterprises and former US-based airline executive Rakesh Gangwal, eventually intends to induct 40 aircraft and fly to some 30 Indian cities by 2010. "Our 10th aircraft is one of the first A-320s to include a redesigned interior with additional space, as well as redesigned overhead cabins, ceilings and windows," said Bruce Ashby, president and chief executive of IndiGo.

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Summer special trains from New Delhi

Northern Railway will run summer special trains between New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Udhampur for convenience of the rail passengers. The special train between New Delhi and Varanasi will halt at Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Barielly, Lucknow, and Sultanpur stations enroute in both the direction. The train no 4258A New Delhi-Varanasi special will depart from New Delhi at 1530 hrs on June 26 and July 3 to arrive at Varanasi at 0500 hrs the next day. In the return journey, the 4257A Varanasi-New Delhi special train will depart from Varanasi at 1000 hours on June 27 and July 4 to arrive at New Delhi at 1130 hrs the next day.

The second special train between New Delhi and Udhampur will stop at Jind, Jakhal, Dhuri, Ludhiana, Jalandhar Cantt, Chaki Bank and Jammu Tawi stations enroute in both the directions. While the 0403 New Delhi-Udhampur special will depart from New Delhi at 2150 hrs on June 21, 28, July 1 and July 5 to arrive Udhampur at 1130 hrs the next day, in the return direction the 0404 Udhampur-New Delhi special train will depart from Udhampur at 2115 hrs on June 22, 29, July 2 and 6 to arrive at New Delhi at 1150 hrs the next day.

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Jet Airways to consider $400 million issue

Jet Airways Ltd. will consider a rights equity issue on June 26 to raise up to $400 million, the country's top private carrier said on Tuesday, as it seeks to expand overseas and rehaul a recent acquisition. Jet, which has nearly a third of the Indian market, is launching more overseas routes in the face of growing competition in the fast-expanding domestic aviation market. An estimated 35 million domestic passengers took to the skies in the fiscal year to March 2007, an increase of 39 percent from the previous year, on the back of cheap fares and new flights. The market is forecast to expand at more than 20 percent a year till 2010.

Jet, which acquired domestic carrier Air Sahara in April for 14.5 billion rupees, has said it would raise up to $400 million for its international expansion and aircraft acquisition plans, as well as to overhaul Sahara. Sahara, now named JetLite, operates as a discount carrier. Tough competition is forcing consolidation, with Kingfisher Airlines owned by UB Holdings Ltd buying a stake in low-cost leader Deccan Aviation Ltd. and persistent interest in discount carrier SpiceJet. Jet will also announce its fourth-quarter and full-year results on June 26, it said in a statement.

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Final test of GAGAN later in 2007

The final test of India's ambitious Gagan air traffic management and aircraft navigation system will be conducted later this year following the integration of a satellite with ground-based centres across the country. The Rs 644 crore project, being jointly executed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India, is meant to provide augmented information for satellite navigation to aircraft flying over Indian airspace. Officials of US defence major Raytheon, which integrated the ground-based systems with the INMARSAT geo-stationary satellite, said the final technology demonstration test of the Gagan system would be conducted later this year.

"The integration of the systems is ongoing and the final test will be conducted this summer or in the third quarter of this year," Jack Costello, vice president of Raytheon's Network Centric Systems, said at the Paris Air Show. Once the test is completed, Raytheon will work with ISRO and AAI for the complete implementation of the system, the officials said. They made it clear that a final decision in this regard would have to be taken by the Indian authorities. Costello said tests following the integration of the satellite with the uplink stations had been completed successfully. The Gagan system also envisages providing information to aircraft for navigation over the seas bordering India, where it is difficult to provide conventional navigational signals.

The Gagan system will have eight reference stations, including centres in Delhi, Guwahati, Jammu and Port Blair, and a mission control centre in Bangalore. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is involved in the training process for the certification of the system. Costello also said Raytheon was keen on expanding its "very healthy partnership" with ISRO, especially in view of the growth of the satellite launch market in India. Walt Doran, president of Raytheon Asia, said the company was working on a mini-radio frequency payload that would be put by the US Navy on Chandrayaan-I, India's first unmanned mission to the moon. This package of sensors will map the permanently dark lunar polar regions and look for potential water ice deposits.

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Indian aircraft makes precautionary landing at Changi airport

An Airbus A-320 aircraft of state-owned airline Indian today returned to Singapore's Changi airport after take-off and made a precautionary landing after a problem relating to its avionics was detected. The pilots of the aircraft detected the problem 30 minutes after take-off and sought permission for a precautionary landing from the Singaporean ATC, Indian sources said. The aircraft was taken to a remote bay after landing and was going through checks, the sources said. The flight IC-860, carrying 109 passengers, was on its return flight to Delhi.

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EgyptAir plans more direct India-Kuala Lumpur flights

Spurred by overwhelming response to its recently launched direct flights between Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur, EgyptAir plans to add more direct flights to Malaysia from major Indian cities. EgyptAir’s Mumbai-based regional manager Ahmed Wasfy said the airline will operate direct flights from New Delhi and Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, to Malaysia from next year. Due to strong demand from Egyptian and Indian passengers the airline will also increase its present twice-weekly services to thrice a week to Kuala Lumpur from July. “Malaysia is a new market for us and our flights are already 90 per cent full on the Mumbai-KL route. People trust EgyptAir as it is safe, cheap and direct to KL, so we expect the demand to be there all season,” Ahmed said. The 75-year-old airline flies its Airbus 330 to Malaysia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and vice-versa.

Ahmed said the number of people travelling from Malaysia to the Middle East is gradually on the rise while Malaysia is a favourite destination among Egyptians, hence the Cairo-Mumbai-KL route serves as a vital air link connecting these destinations. “KL has been in our long term plan for a long time but due to high operational costs we did not operate but now via Mumbai, we can fly cheaper to KL,” he added. “By adding this route, we are offering convenient connections to the people of Malaysia to fly to Cairo as well as to Mumbai. We see a lot of potential in this route.” EgyptAir, added Ahmed, plans to modify the current schedule of the Cairo-Mumbai-KL route so that the onward connections to Europe and the US will see shorter transit times, such that within two hours of arriving in Cairo, passengers could connect to the European sector. EgyptAir targets about 12,800 passengers to fly the Mumbai-KL sector by year-end.

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Singapore Airlines 50th flight to India from June 24

Singapore Airlines on Monday announced its 50th service to India with the commencement of a flight on the Singapore-Chennai-Singapore sector from June 24 and to commemorate the milestone the airline will offer upto 50 per cent discount on return economy fare to select destinations in South East Asia. The airline manager for Southern India Bharat Mahadevan said that bookings for the special fares would be open for three days from June 19 on the internet only and for outbound travel from June 24. The destinations for promotional fares were Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

In addition, the airline had brought out a 'boarding pass privileges programme for its Indian customers,underwhich those presenting their airline boarding pass within seven days of their journey would enjoy value added benefits and discounts ranging from dining, shopping, tourist attraction, hotel accommodation to car rental, he said. The airline operates to eight destinations in the country viz double daily flights to Mumbai, eight times a week to Chennai, daily flight to Delhi and Mumbai, four times weekly to Kolkata and Hyderabad and three times a week each to Ahmedabad and Amritsar, he said adding in addition the airline's subsidary regional airline operated daily flights to Kochi and four flights a week to Thiruvananthapuram. Replying to a question,he said the airline hoped to double the number of flights to Chennai from next year.

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DGCA issues notice to Air Sahara

The government has reacted strongly to a report of a disabled person who was not allowed to board an Air Sahara flight on Monday evening in Chennai without first getting a fit-to-fly certificate. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a notice to the managements of SpiceJet and JetLite (Air Sahara's new name) asking for an immediate explanation. The airlines could face action if the DGCA is not satisfied with its reply. Rajeev Rajan is someone who fights for the rights of the disabled worldwide but Air Sahara denied him a boarding pass to fly from Chennai to Delhi. He suffers from cerebral palsy but does not require an escort for travel. Rajan says the airline authorities insisted on an escort and a fitness to fly certificate and called the police to evict him.

His repeated pleas that he is a frequent flier and ought to be treated with dignity went unheard. When Rajeev contacted another airline, SpiceJet, they too refused him a ticket. "This is a gross violation of a person's basic human rights. He had a valid ticket and was on time. This is an apartheid of a different kind," said Rajul Padmanabhan, director, Vidya Sagar. Doctors say cerebral palsey patients ought to be allowed to fly independently. Only those in extreme condition and who travel for treatment will require a doctor's certificate and an escort. This is the second such incident in the recent past. Last year an autistic child was denied admission into an Air Deccan flight in Bangalore. However, there is more shocking evidence of the shocking discrimination. It said the airline will not be responsible for their life and property.

Rajiv also recounts his experience three years ago when he was forced to take a sedative pill on board. But what is even more shocking is that there is no clear guidelines on who shouldn't be allowed to board the aircraft. There are just directives in terns of priority to the physically disabled and every airline determines its own policy towards those with motor or neuro disability. Now Rajeev has decided to approach the consumer court and file a PIL as well. While so much is being talked about making our airports disabled friendly, what is urgently required is a change in mindset. JetLite said that the passenger Rajeev Rajan was left at the Chennai airport counter by someone. It said that when the ground staff asked about his destination and other details he could not reply. "After several attempts the airline staff, it seems, found out that he had to travel from Chennai to Delhi but by then the flight had left.

So he was shifted to SpiceJet but then again the passenger could not 'satisfactorily' answer their queries," it added. "Assuming he would not be able to understand the safety instructions on board, or read the airport signages he was 'advised' against travelling alone," the airlines further clarified. After a day of silence, SpiceJet has said that Rajeev did not approach them directly but Air Sahara had asked SpiceJet if a wheel chair passenger could be accommodated but they turned down the request because of no inter-airline passenger agreement. SpiceJet also says on its 83 flights a day around 1.5 wheel chair passengers fly per flight per day. Now, there is a call from disabled rights activists for clear cut guidelines. With no awareness on disability among ground level staff it is an insensitive discrimination apartheid of a different kind. Airliners often look at disabled people as a nuisance to fellow passengers. With the Ministry of Civil Aviation stepping in, activists are hoping that this will protect their rights and give them the dignity they deserve.

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Airlines can avail engineering services from Air India

Following its merger with Indian Airlines, national carrier Air-India will throw open its engineering services to other domestic and international airlines as well. Currently, many domestic airlines send their aircraft to the Middle East for engineering services. According to Air-India officials, the company’s engineering market cell is geared towards undertaking third party work of various international airlines. The cell has already started receiving queries about various services like maintenance of airframes, aircraft furnishing, line maintenance, major maintenance and providing certification of aircraft. V Thulasidas, CMD, Air India said, “Post merger, we shall have a complete support service that can handle our own requirements as well as those of other airlines.”

He added that various international and domestic airlines are in touch with Air-India for engineering facilities, which would be offered at competitive rates as compared to other countries. Air-India’s department for engineering and maintenance has expertise covering all types of aircraft, from Lockheed Constellations to Boeing 707, 747-200/300, B747-400 and the Airbus A310 and A300B4. Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel adds, “The time has come for the national carrier to enhance its engineering capacity to more and more airlines for revenue generation." For example, Bangladesh-based Biman Airlines recently signed an MoU for their engineering requirement with Air India. The operations of Air India and Indian will be merged in July, although some legal processes are to be completed yet, Thulasidas added. It may be noted that the three hangars belonging to Air India are one of the best in the country and with the technical know-how of both the merged entities, the airline can avail of services of a significant scale.

“I do not remember the names of the airlines that we are servicing currently, but with the merger, we will be extending a wide spectrum of engineering facilities to renowned airlines," says Thulasidas. However, Patel is keen to bring world class engineering and ground handling facilities in India can be gauged from the fact that the new aviation policy includes hiving off engineering services of the two state run carriers into joint ventures with foreign firms including airlines. “Once the ground handling business gets started, the merged entity may be able to effect cost saving of nearly $400 million over 10 years," said an official from the Air India department of engineering and maintenance.

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Lufthansa wins contract to maintain Kingfisher's aircraft

In a sign of India's growing importance as a market for the global aviation industry, German aircraft-maintenance giant Lufthansa Technik AG expects to announce today a contract with India's Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. valued at more than $100 million over 10 years.Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance and repair subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa AG, will maintain Kingfisher's growing fleet of Airbus A320 single-aisle aircraft and their engines.Kingfisher, a unit of Indian conglomerate UB Group, has grown rapidly since its first flight in May 2005. Recent deregulation of the airline market in India, the world's second-most populated nation, has spurred creation of many new airlines.

Yet India lacks much of the infrastructure needed to support a modern aviation industry, such as adequate airports and air traffic control systems. Most carriers must send planes to maintenance facilities in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.With demand growing, Lufthansa Technik is looking to build operations with India. It is setting up an Indian unit with domestic infrastructure group GMR Group. The facility will offer basic maintenance services for single-aisle aircraft from Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., and U.S. rival Boeing Co.

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Paramount Airways eyes SpiceJet

The Chennai-based all business class airline Paramount Airways, promoted by the diminutive M Thiagarajan has started to bare its fangs. A few days after it was reported that Paramount is in talks to acquire a controlling stake in Jeh Wadia’s Go Air, sources say Thiagarajan has now set his sight on Delhi-based low cost carrier SpiceJet. This, sources said, is because the Wadia family is undecided on whether or not they ought to let go of control over Go Air. The Wadia-promoted airline’s official line is that they have no intentions to exit. Sources at Paramount said that the airline has reached an informal agreement with some of Spice Jet’s shareholders who are keen to exit the airline. Once, Paramount acquires 26% in Spice Jet, it will make an open offer for another 20%. Sources said this investment may need at least Rs 500 crore. This values the Delhi-based Spice Jet in the region of Rs 1,000 crore.

On SpiceJet’s part, a spokesperson for the airline said ‘‘SpiceJet is one of the best funded airlines in the country with large cash reserves...Our financial strength can be gauged from the fact that we have recently placed orders for 10 Boeing 737-800 at a cost of $700 million at list price.’’ Added Khaled Al Khamda, vice chairman, Istithmar Holdings, a Dubai-based private equity player with investments in SpiceJet, ‘‘I am not aware of Paramount interest in buying 26% in Spice Jet; nor are we in a dialogue with any third parties over this issue.’’ Sources at Paramount, however, stuck to their stand. They pointed out that close to 62% of Spice Jet’s shares are held by financial institutions. Each of these institutions hold small stakes of around 3-5% in the airline. Apparently, the airline has been talking with a clutch of these investors and are hoping to complete the transaction by July. ‘‘Once the due diligence is completed by the end of this month, the deal should come through, unless the premiums on the share price goes beyond expectations,’’ they added.

Thiagarajan remained unavailable for comment. According to the plan, Paramount would acquire the shares in block deals. The stock price of SpiceJet closed at Rs 59.65 at the BSE on Monday, up by 3.83% over its previous close. Spice Jet is listed on the domestic stock markets with the Kansagara family, promoters of the airline, holding around 12%. Dubai-based private equity fund Istithmar also has a considerable stake in the airline, while the Tata group holds nearly 10%. ‘‘All these stakeholders, including the promoters have a lock-in period until next February. Both the promoters and the Tatas have evinced an interest to exit the company after the lock-in period is completed. This fits into Paramounts strategy as it can up its stake gradually,’’ the source said. Paramount will primarily fund the acquisiton through internal accruals.

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Air Arabia to fly additional flights on Mumbai-Sharjah route

Sharjah-based budget airline, Air Arabia today announced it would fly two additional flights a week from June 22 between Mumbai and Sharjah to meet the increasing traffic. However, the additional flights will remain in operation only till September 15, a company release clarified. The two extra flights added, will depart on Friday and Saturday from Sharjah at 0935 hours and arrive at Mumbai at 1400 hours. It will depart from Mumbai at 1445 hours, to arrive in Sharjah at 1605 hours, local time. According to the release, the regular frequency between Sharjah and Mumbai will continue as normal with daily departure at 1630 hrs UAE time from Sharjah and a 2145 hrs (IST) departure from Mumbai.

"The additional flights reflect our commitment to the India market in catering to the increased traffic between Sharjah and Mumbai. Demand to the UAE and the rest of the Gulf is high, with a large number of Indian expatriates keen to get back to the Gulf after their summer holidays. With many families facing difficulties in obtaining seat confirmations during this period, we are glad to operate these flights especially to cater to their needs," Adel Ali, Board Member and Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia said. With a fleet of nine Airbus A320 aircrafts, Air Arabia serves 35 destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. It also flies to Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.

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Two flights return to Chennai airport after takeoff

The Chennai-Kolkata Alliance Air flight with 89 passengers on board returned to the Kamaraj domestic airport today following a crack on the cockpit window of the aircraft. Airport sources said the flight via Bhubaneshwar took off at 1135 hrs after a delay of about an hour. When the pilot noticed the crack and informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) , the ATC directed the pilot to return to Chennai as the Bhubaneshwar airport lacked emeregency landing facility. Following this, the pilot landed the flight safely at 1240 hrs.

A total of 34 passengers bound for Bhubaneshwar were sent there at 1415 hrs by the Chennai-Bhubaneshwar Air Deccan flight, while the remaining passengers bound for Kolkata were sent by a scheduled Indian flight at 1515 hrs, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Chennai-Port Blair Jet Airways flight with 145 passengers aboard also returned to the Kamaraj domestic airport here as it could not land at Port Blair due to bad weather condition. The aircraft, which left at 1025 hrs, reached Port Blair around 1300 hrs, and after hovering some time over the airport, returned to Chennai as the weather condition worsened further. All the passengers were accommodated in different hotels and would be sent to Port Blair tomorrow after the weather improves, the sources said.

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