AVIATION
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Thulasidas to pilot A-I, Indian merged entity
According to the order issued on Tuesday, V Thulasidas, former chairman of Air-India will be the chairman and managing director of NACIL, while Vishwapati Trivedi will be the joint managing director of the company, a government release said on Tuesday.
Raghu Menon, additional secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and RK Singh, joint secretary, have been appointed as non-official directors of the company. According to the release, other than Thulasidas, V Trivedi, Raghu Menon and RK Singh all the other directors have been appointed to the board of NACIL for the balance period of their tenure as directors on the respective boards of erstwhile Air-India and Indian Airlines. Jet Airways bags international awardBy Sushma Arora
“Jet Airways was judged on the basis of its commitment to excellence in creating one of the most comprehensive in-flight entertainment systems in the world with some of the most special and unique programming features,” according to a spokesperson of the company. The award was given at the 28th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) in Toronto on Monday. Jet Airways was adjudged the best airline by Skytrax, the leader in airline passenger opinion studies about in-flight entertainment, which assessed the winners from a two-month survey of more than 36,000 airline passengers worldwide. Ms. Ranjani Krishnamurthy, Manager – IFE, received the award on behalf of Jet Airways. WAEA, a non-profits organisation, is the official worldwide network representing nearly 100 airlines and over 250 airline suppliers, committed to excellence in in-flight entertainment and communications and the continual improvement of the airline passenger environment. Jet gets nod to fly to GulfBy Deepak Arora
Hitherto, only Air India and Indian (now merged to form Air India) were allowed to operate on the Middle East and Gulf route. As per the decision of the government, scheduled Indian private airlines were not permitted to operate international flights to and from Gulf till the end of 2007. The Gulf routes were served only by the Indian public carriers till then. Jet Airways was granted traffic rights on the Gulf and Middle East routes at a meeting of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday evening.
Jet has been granted traffic rights to carry 3,682 passengers to Kuwait per week from three destinations in India. Of the 3,682 seats, 1,582 would be from the Delhi-Kuwait route while an equal 1,050 on Trivandrum-Kuwait and Kochi-Kuwait routes. Besides, Jet can also fly 3,150 passengers to Oman per week on three routes Kochi-Muscat, Trivandrum-Muscat and Calicut-Muscat with 1,050 seats each.
Jet can also take 2,100 seats to Bahrain of which 1050 are in the Mumbai-Bahrain and 1050 in Kochi-Bahrain route. Jet Airways already flies to South and Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada, London and Brussels and plans to add more routes to Europe and North America.
The Jet Airways had applied for traffic rights on the India-Gulf/Middle East routes on July 18 this year. They had asked for rights on routes to Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The airline’s request for grant of traffic rights on India-Dubai and India -Abu Dhabi routes is under the consideration of the Government.
The utilization by Indian carriers of the available Gulf routes is 49348 seats per week of which 20002 are for Dubai, 3313 for Abu Dhabi, 8690 for Sharjah, 3475 for Kuwait, 1526 for Qatar, 3475 for Oman, 1526 for Bahrain, and 7341 for Saudi Arabia. Jet Airways, the Spirit of New IndiaBy Deepak Arora
This five times a week flight also provides connectivity to Jet passengers traveling to New York (Newark) via its international hub in Brussels. At Brussels, flights will be synchronized in order to provide passengers seamless transfer and access between Delhi and Newark and Mumbai and Toronto. Significantly, this service links for the first time, Delhi with the Capital of the European Union, Brussels. As part of its inaugural offer, Jet has introduced a promotional economy class return airfare of Rs 37,000 to Toronto. The flight to Canada will be on the next generation aircraft, Airbus A330-200, and offers a wide choice of in-flight entertainment.
The new economy seat has a seat pitch of 32-inch. It has been custom designed using the science of advanced ergonomics to create arguably the most comfortable economy seat in the sky. Of course, the flight offers the finest of in-flight dining and service, featuring vintage French Champagne in Premiere, and carefully selected wines from around the world and a wide selection of Indian and Non-Indian cuisine. The Première cabin in this widebody aircraft also sports a unique bar.
Belgium Deputy Head of Mission Anne-France Jamart said the flight to Brussels would help increase bilateral trade and economic and cultural relations between the two countries. The Chairman said “we will soon be starting international flights from Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. We are also looking at 50 points in Europe to be served by a code-share agreement with Brussels Airlines.” He said Jet will start flying to New York by October 28. By February 2008, it will operate to San Francisco and Shanghai as well.
He said the airline is acquiring 25 wide-bodied aircraft to fuel its international operations. The Chairman also said that Jet Airways was open to partnership with Air-India for international flights. He said Jet plans to launch a dedicated cargo airline and is in discussions with international players for a possible tie-up. “We will be announcing our plans for the cargo airline before the end of this year. We are in talks with several players. We will definitely launch a separate cargo airlines.” He also confirmed that the liquidity crunch in global markets following the crisis in the US sub-prime mortgage business will delay a $ 400 million rights issue which the airline had initially planned for October. "This does not mean that there is any lack of investor interest. We have decided to delay the issue because of US market conditions." Goyal was conferred the TAFI-Abacus Award at the closing ceremony of the International Travel Convention 2007 in Kota Kinbalu, Malaysia. The Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI) said that it was indeed a fitting tribute to the immense contributions made by Goyal toward civil aviation in India and for achieving world-class standards in service excellence. In 14 years, Jet Airways under the leadership of Chairman Naresh Goyal and his management team has emerged as India's largest private sector airline and has been acclaimed by both domestic and international travellers. Jet also bagged the excellence awards for its 'first class' product on its long-haul flights. Jet Airways is the first India airline to have created the first airline 'suite', offering its customers the ultimate in privacy and luxury. Air India Express to expand operationsBy Deepak Arora
Addressing the third business session on “Managing Growth in Aviation and Tourism” at the just concluded IATO’s silver jubilee annual convention, Mr Thulasidas said from the winter schedule the low-cost carrier of Air India would launch flights to Maldives, Dhaka, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The fares would on average be 25 per cent less than the ticket in the full service carriers. The airline already had a fair revenue model. “We are already offering substantial discounts on fares. On some tickets, fares are even 50-55 per cent discounted.”
Mr Thulasidas said the merger of the national carriers would make Air India as one of the largest carriers in Asia and a leading airline of the world. “We will enhance our values,” he added. Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla talked about unshackling the growth in the aviation and tourism sectors. “The two sectors have tremendous complementarities that should help us meet the increased aspirations of the people.” Mr Chawla said the aviation market will see the growth from present 60 million to 100 million by 2010 and 300 million by 2020. “This makes India the fastest growth market in the world along with China.”
Mr Chawla said the airport infrastructure in the country would see a sea change in the next couple of years. He also called for harnessing hotel room capacity and development of new circuits so that tourism could match aviation growth in the country. “We must harness the energy of the two sectors as has been done by our neighboring South East Asian countries,” he added. Mr Sanjay Kothari, Additonal Director General, Ministry of Tourism, emphasized that tourism and aviation sectors were complimentary to each other. He said India’s fast rising billionaire’s club, the huge middle class, its own super market and double digit economic growth were attracting tourists and businessmen to our ancient civilization. He said the Government was ensuring addition of over 1.51 lakh additional rooms by 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was encouraging Buddhist, Medical, MICE and Shopping tourism. Mr Kothari asked the tourism industry to ensure that hotel rooms get filled up during the off season from April to September. “Please ensure that off season occupancy increases from the current 55 per cent by selling monsoon and MICE packages.”
Mr Hill said issues like terrorism, epidemics, natural disasters and inadequate infrastructure and fuel prices affect profitability of airlines. Other issues like infrastructure, over capacity and internal airline issues also impact the profitability. Despite all these constraints, he said SriLankan Airlines had been continuously making profits for the past five years. He regretted that aviation was one of the most highly taxed industries in the world. He warned that the overcapacity would see a “shake out” in the Indian aviation industry. He advised airlines to exit markets where is no potential, switch to e-ticketing to save costs, nurture staff and build up long-term relationship with the partners. Emphasizing on the role of travel agents and tour operators, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spice Jet, Siddhanta Sharma, said 33 per cent of its tickets were sold by the travel agents. Mr Sharma said his airline has always emphasized on on time performance, which was the best in the industry. SpiceJet had also kept sufficient gap between the flights to enable the industry to hire charters. He said the airline planned to add Port Blair to its operations next month. The airline had also been offering reasonably priced meals since May this year. Indian (now Air India) Commercial Director Anita Khurana said the code of the two airlines would continue for a while. She said on the demand of the industry duel tariff has been removed. Ms Khurana said the e-ticketing penetration of the airline has reached 60 per cent. Haryana Seeks Airport at BahadurgarhBy Deepak Arora
While urging the Centre to sanction the airport at Bahadurgarh, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the aviation sector had witnessed phenomenal growth in the last few years. In spite of the upgradation of present Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), it would fall far short of the future requirements of the National Capital Region (NCR). “There is a definite need to have an additional airport in the vicinity of Delhi,” said Mr Hooda while speaking at the recent meeting of NCR Planning Board (NCRPB). He said that the State Government had submitted a proposal for an airport at Bahadurgarh which would have excellent connectivity with Delhi and other areas of NCR through the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway being built in Haryana. He urged the Board to impress upon the Ministry of Civil Aviation for early sanctioning of this project. Mr Hooda also stressed the need to speed up work on various roads and rail links between Delhi and NCR towns and to the new and old airports. The Chief Minister stressed the need for strengthening the road infrastructure in NCR Sub Region of Haryana as it would be helpful and it would prove a vital importance for economic development and growth of other sectors also. He said that besides the roads of the states in NCR Sub Region are acting as corridor routes and cater to high intensity of traffic in terms of volume and axle load. GUIDELINES FOR REGIONAL AIRLINESNEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has notified the minimum requirements for grant of permit to operate scheduled regional air transport services. For regional airlines, which have been described as a scheduled airline that operates primarily in a designated region, the country has been divided into four regions. The guidelines specify one metro airport in each region except for south where Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have been designated. The airline, on grounds of “operational and commercial exigencies”, may be allowed to operate from its designated region to airports in other region, except the metro airports of other regions. Technically this means that an airline can operate between Delhi and Coimbatore but would not be allowed to fly between Delhi and Mumbai. The notification has identified 12 routes on which regional airlines would not be allowed to operate. The only exception appears to be Mumbai-Thiruvananthapuram which, going by laid down guidelines, a regional airline should have been given permission to operate. The guidelines stipulate that airlines operating with three aircraft having take-off mass not exceeding 40,000 kg would need a paid-up capital of Rs 12 crore. The promoters would be required to pump in Rs 4 crore into the paid-up capital for each additional aircraft subject to a maximum of Rs 20 crore. This provision is likely to give a push to the operation of smaller aircraft such as the Canadian Regional Jets, Embraers and the ATRs that carry between 80 and 90 passengers and can land on smaller airfields. With the Government providing incentives to smaller jets not only in terms of waiver of landing and parking charges but also aviation turbine fuel attracting a uniform sales tax of 4 per cent only throughout the country, it is generally felt that the operations of such airlines would meet with success. Airlines operating with larger aircraft would also need to have a paid-up capital of Rs 30 crore. For every additional aircraft inducted they would be required to pump in Rs 10 crore into the paid-up capital, subject to a maximum of Rs 50 crore. FLYING INSTITUTESNEW DELHI: The government has received 37 proposals for setting up flying training institutes in various parts of the country. Of these five were from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, four from Rajasthan, three each from Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, two each from Karnataka and Chhattisgarh and one each from Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Currently, there are 42 flying training institutes in the country of which 26 are operational, providing training for various licences like private pilot licence and commercial pilot licence, according to Praful Patel. The minister said 14 of these operational institutes are run by various state governments, while the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) is an autonomous society under the central government. The remaining 11 institutes are run by private entrepreneurs. All the institutes have to conform to the requirements laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Patel said 16 flying training institutes were found to be not conforming to the DGCA guidelines and their licences have therefore not been renewed. These institutes have been advised by DGCA to take corrective measures for their revival. Jet Changes the Way You FlyBy Deepak Arora
Jet Airways executive director Saroj Datta said the airline would fly from Delhi to Toronto with a stopover at its European hub in Brussels five times a week starting September 5. The airline earlier this month launched its flight to Newark, New York from Mumbai via Brussels. It is also planning to start its services to Johannesburg in October and to the JFK airport in New York in November. “We would soon start our services to Johannesburg in October and to JFK by November. We are also looking at starting our services from Bangalore by the end of this year. Once that is done, the Delhi-Toronto flight would be changed to Delhi-JFK and the Bangalore one would connect Toronto,” said Datta. Jet would be using these three destinations as a common platform to provide connectivity from all points of India.
For its Toronto flight the airline will use Airbus 330-200, which has been especially designed and configured for international operations with 30 premier class seats and 190 economy class seats. It is offering an inaugural return fare for economy class at Rs 35,000, while for the premiere class the return fare starts at Rs 1,57,500. First class return fares are priced between Rs. 3,45,000 and Rs. 4,15,000. Jet, which went for image makeover with a new logo, has also given its crew a new look with elegant and graceful uniforms designed by Italian designer Roberto Capucci. The airline now offers a fully flat bed that can be converted into in a private bedroom for total privacy, 40,000 ft about the earth, in its luxurious new First Class. Then there is also a private wardrobe. Other luxuries include a five-course meal with the offer of finest champagne and award winning wines. Each passenger in the First Class has an individual access to in-flight entertainment on 23-inch flat screen TV.
The new Economy Class seats are more spacious with new hammock headrest and unique foot net that is designed to help you relax. Jet is the first airline in the world to install this new economy seat with a seat pitch of 32 inches. Of course, each passenger has access to 10.6 inch touch screen TV. With its debut flight from Brussels to India on September 6, it may be mentioned that Jet became the first private Indian carrier to fly to and from continental Europe. The flight to Mumbai was flagged off by the Indian ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Dipak Chatterjee from the Brussels National Airport on Monday morning. Jet Airways established an operational hub in Brussels in May to provide enhanced connectivity between India, Europe, Africa and North America. The airline has also entered into a codeshare agreement with Brussels Airlines - Belgium's main carrier - for flights from Brussels to Delhi, Mumbai, Toronto, Stockholm, Oslo, Birmingham, Geneva and Madrid. The airline expects to expand the agreement to include 25 routes ex-Brussels, according to Bernard Guisset of Jet Airways Belgium. Guisset, who heads the 35-people strong Europe office, added that the airline's future plans include 10 daily flights from Brussels to cities in India and the US, Canada and mainland Europe. "Jet Airways was looking for an opportunity to combine its expansion plan to USA and Canada with an efficient hub in Europe together with a stronger national carrier offering a wide network ... we have found it all at Brussels," according to Naresh Goyal, airline's chairman. "The India-US market is dominated by European carriers who between them carry over 50 percent of the traffic between the two countries via their hubs," Goyal said. Brussels Airlines operates to 50 destinations in Europe and Africa and Jet will channel this traffic into the US, Goyal said. Besides Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Jet also has plans to operate flights from Ahmedabad and Chennai to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York (JFK) via its Brussels hub. Currently seven EU carriers fly to India, while two Indian carriers - Air India and Jet Airways - fly to Europe. Each week more than 130 flights operate between India and EU. According to the European Commission report on civil aviation relations with India, the number of seats available on scheduled nonstop flights between the EU and India has increased by 70 per cent to about 5 million since 1990. A total of 17 city-pair routes operate between India and the EU, where Germany holds the biggest share of the nonstop scheduled traffic, followed by the UK, France and the Netherlands. This is expected to change as the Brussels-hub becomes more important for Indian carriers. The city is a major cargo-hub for the European region. India's state-owned international carrier, Air India, is negotiating to create an operational hub in Brussels. Air India, which has started its Mumbai-New York non-stop daily fights, is offering limousine services at the JFK airport and a shower facility at 'The Lounge' on arrival. Meanwhile, aviation authorities in the US and EU have agreed to an open skies agreement between the two continents that will allow airlines virtually unrestricted point to point flights connecting the two. European carriers are likely to benefit substantially from the new flights. Currently seven EU carriers fly to India, while two Indian carriers - Air India and Jet Airways - fly to Europe. HELI-AIR TO LAUNCH COPTER SERVICEBy Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, July 10: Vectra Aviation Private Limited (VAPL) has announced the launch of Heli-Air, a division aimed at providing dedicated On-shore Helicopter Charter services across the country. Commenting on the occasion, Ms. Severine Rodosavljevic, Marketing Manager, Heli-Air said, “it would offer the last mile convenience and comfort unparalleled by any other mode of transport and that includes even fixed wing aircrafts. India with its diverse terrain and varied weather conditions is ideally suited for helicopter travel with many applications like private and corporate charters, heli-tourism, religious tourism, medical and emergency services. We intend to make helicopter travel affordable, accessible and hassle-free.’ Being the first dedicated on-shore helicopter charter service, Heli-Air would be distinct from other air charter services operators with its operations primarily based from its own captive facilities that include highly experienced pilots, heli-pads, hangars and support staff. In fact, the Heli-Air base at Greater Noida is already in possession of three helicopters to start services with effect from July 15. ‘Our fleet of helicopters includes both the single and twin engines. Whilst the AS350B3 is especially suitable for higher altitude operations, the twin engine EC155B1 is technologically one of the most advanced with more seating capacity and best suited for a longer range flight without the need to re-fuel in between’, said the Marketing Manager. In the first phase, Heli-Air aims at covering locations like Agra, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Chandigarh, Shimla, Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath and Kedarnath. 'On chartering our helicopters, customers will be able to use the services of flying out from our facility at Greater Noida without the hassle of going through the tedious procedures at the Airport.’ It has already started receiving enquiries for the chartering of their helicopter fleet and is actively seeking tie-ups with Hotels, Travel Agents, Corporate Organization and Event Organizers to further harness the demand. On future plans of Heli-Air, Ms. Severine said, ‘We would be starting similar hubs in other major metros around India. These will act as regional hubs with dedicated helicopters and our own captive facilities aimed at developing similar operations across the country. We intend to induct a further 11 EC135, twin-engine helicopters.’ This 6 Million Euros dedicated facility in Greater Noida is the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul centre for helicopters in India. The facility boasts of a state of the art Hangar, parts storage, training rooms, tool rooms, helipads and training facilities. Vectra Aviation provides complete after-sales support, spare parts logistics and distribution for Helicopter owners in India. The team at Vectra Aviation comprises of qualified and trained engineers, technicians and logistics support personnel to cater to the needs of the rapidly growing Aviation market in India. Indian wrests numero uno positionBy Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, July 5: The national carrier, Indian, has been going great gun for the past couple of years. This time the flag carrier has wrested the number one position in domestic passenger carriage for the first time in over five years. It has recorded a passenger market share of 21.4 per cent in May 2007 displacing its nearest competitor. The airline also recorded the maximum monthly carriage of 1.01 million passengers during the month. While the airline has been the market leader in terms of Revenue Passenger Kilometres recorded in March and April, May has seen the airline achieve the unique double – in both RPK and passenger carriage terms. In fact, the airline continues to be number one in RPK for the third month in succession, achieving 21.7 per cent market share in May. Indian has also been consistently recording high seat factors on its domestic network. Seat factors recorded by the airline in March (71.8 per cent), April (78.1 per cent) and May (77.9 per cent) were much higher than the industry average. This performance has been achieved as a result of aggressive marketing initiatives like Premium Economy Fares, Surf and Save, Corporate Super Saver scheme and others besides product upgrades in both technology and in flight service, improved on-time performance and operational efficiency, increased reach and connectivity through participation with global distribution systems. Indian also leads the competition in providing constant upgrades in passenger related facilities. Its web-based services enabling simple internet booking, check-in and ticketing have won it the NASSCOM "Best IT User Award 2006" in the Travel and Hospitality segment. The award was presented to Indian in the national Capital recently. KINGFISHER, CONTINENTAL TIE-UPNEW DELHI: An Indian private carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, has tied-up with the world's fifth largest carrier, Continental Airlines for providing better customer service to passengers travelling from India to US. The two airlines would share a comprehensive partnership in areas of frequent flying, airport lounge access and future code sharing to facilitate smooth transfer between the carriers. From October 1, 2007, members of the frequent flyer programmes of the two airlines, Continental's OnePass and Kingfisher's King Club, will be able to earn and redeem miles on all flights operated by the other carrier. "The relationship will benefit both the airlines as well as our guests. We value our guests who have been loyal and what better way of expressing our gratitude than to offer them miles redemption on the international sectors with the help of Continental," said Vijay Mallya, chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Kingfisher Airlines currently operates 187 flights a day across 29 key Indian destinations with a growing fleet of 31 brand new aircraft. Air China to link Delhi-Beijing daily from October 31By Deepak Arora
At present, China’s leading airline and national flag carrier has four flights between the capitals of two most populous nations of the world. At present the airline operates Boeing B767-200s and 300s offering little over 200 seats between the two cities. However, Mr Zhao said from October we plan to introduce mint fresh Airbus A330-200s on the route, which is becoming increasing popular with the Indians. The airline has commenced operations on October 31, 2006 with three flights per week. By mid-March, it added another flight taking the total to four per week. The new Airbus aircraft will have state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, seats and more space. It would have 30 business and 250 economy class seats. Mr Zhao said “we are adding bigger aircraft and increasing the flights from four to seven per week as the relations and traffic between the two countries is growing by leaps and bounds.” Last year on October 31 when we had launched a flight to New Delhi it coincided with the India-China Year of Friendship. “It was matter of great honour that the flight took off in the India-China Friendship Year reinforcing the bond between the two nations,” he said. The two countries this year are celebrating the Friendship through Tourism Year. And our daily flight will help boost tourism between the two nations. He said in the months to come we also plan to cater to other Indian cities.
They said “China National Tourist Office will also come up with very competitive packages and brand strategy in India soon.” Mr Zhao said “Air China is numero uno airline of China. It connects over 100 domestic and 36 international routes. Our domestic market share is 35 per cent and international share is 70 per cent. Our fleet strength is 211 and is a mix of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.”
The popularity of Air China can be gauged from the fact that within short span of over seven months of flights into India, the airline has achieved over 80 per year round load factor. Mr Li Hubing, Press Attache, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, said that over five lakh Indians had visited China last year. “In 2006, we had issued 60,000 visas from Delhi and 40,000 from Mumbai. We expect to issue one lakh visas from Delhi and 60,000 from Mumbai this year.” Mr Li said the trade between the two countries is growing at 50 per cent. The growth in tourist and business visits is 20 per cent. He said the bilateral trade last year was US $ 25 billion and till May this year was US $ 18 billion. Mr Zhao said Air China offers convenient onward connections to the US, Canada, Far East Asia, Australia and Europe from Beijing. “Our flights to the US and Canada are very popular with the Indians.” In India, Air China has two GSAs -- Bird Travel for North and East India and Stic Travel for South and West India. Air China was founded in 1988. However, its new avatar with the same name came into existence on September 30, 2004. The new company Air China Limited emerged after several mergers after aviation reforms started taking shape in China beginning of 2002. Air China’s logo consists of an artistic phenix – its Chinese version written by Deng Xiaoping and the English translation being “Air China”. Phenix is a divine bird in the ancient Chinese legend. It is also a lucky bird adored by the Chinese people since the ancient times. According to the record in Shan Hai Jing, the phenix, born from an oriental country called Junzi, flies across the great Kunlun Mountain and over all the oceans. Wherever she flew she brought luck and peace. The logo is also the artistic transfiguration of the word “VIP”. Its color is the traditional Chinese red which implies luck, roundness, auspiciousness and happiness. Air China, whose headquarter is in Beijing, also takes the responsibility of flying Chinese national leaders abroad. The airline also takes care of flights of foreign dignitaries and governmental leaders during for their visit to China. In order to strengthen and expand its domestic and international network, Air China has signed code share agreement with 11 domestic and several foreign airlines such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Finnair, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, ANA, Dragon air, Macao Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. Holiday in Sri Lanka for 1 Rupee!By Deepak Arora
Sri Lanka is one such country that is offering amazing packages and this one is a stunner with once in a life time opportunity. SriLankan Airlines is offering a holiday package for two nights at Rupee One. The catch is that one has to first take a very reasonable package to Negombo and Colombo for three nights and four days starting from Rs 13,599 and to Kandy and Bentota (South Beach) for three nights four days starting from Rs 15,599. Says Sharuka Wickrama-Adittiya, airline’s Manager (North India, Nepal and Bangladesh): “Those who want a longer stay to experience the enchantments, SriLankan offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to stay back at your chosen destination for 2 nights for just 1 rupee.” Package rate includes return economy class airfare, all taxes, airport transfers, and accommodation on bed and breakfast twin sharing basis. The offer is valid for all bookings made till September 30. Wickrama-Adittiya said SriLankan Airlines is offering these packages in collaboration with Sri Lankan Tourist Board and Sri Lankan Inbound Travel Organisation (SLITO). SriLankan is the largest foreign airline operating to India. It has 95 flights per week to 10 cities in India, flying daily to almost all of them with over 90 per cent load factor. The number of seats offered from India are 16,000 per week.
“We offer exceptional levels of service and quality, number of Indian cuisines, world’s friendliest cabin staff, best overall in-flight entertainment and connecting flights to onward destinations from Colombo within two hours of landing,” he said. Sri Lanka’s national carrier has also recently introduced a state-of-the-art passenger handling system at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), further enhancing the level of convenience for travellers.
Besides catering to cuisine of each region of India, Wickrama-Adittiya said an Indian is given free Visa on Arrival. There are also special discount shopping coupons given to a traveler. The shopping is also Value for Money as Indian one rupee equals 2.3 Sri Lankan rupees. He said a large numbers of Indian shoppers descend on Colombo throughout the year to enjoy the nightlife, snap up branded clothing at bargain prices, as well as the island’s traditional products of tea, gemstones, and exotic handicrafts. When asked if the terror attacks have affected tourist inflow into the country, Wickrama-Adittiya said “terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon and we, like everyone else, is affected by it. However, we as a nation have come of any disaster – be it Sars, Tsunami, terrorism or slump in travel after 9/11 attacks – much faster and we are proud of that and that’s our strength.” On June 1, a programme to Prevent, Protect and Delight domestic and foreign tourists was kicked off at the Sri Lanka Tourism’s Headquarters as the Inspector General of Police re-commissioned the Sri Lanka Tourist Police Division. Trained personnel will protect tourists from being hassled and in turn prevent conflict between traveller and locals making room for the enjoyment of a pleasant and delightful stay in Sri Lanka. Those who go to Sri Lanka for a vacation can experience its mix of 2,500-year-old culture, wildlife parks, breathtaking scenery, and golden beaches. One can also try water skiing, wind surfing in the river or take a cooling, lazy boat ride up stream and through the mangroves. It may be mentioned that SriLankan Airlines has become the only airline in Asia to be awarded the prestigious Imperial Mark, a global accolade of excellence in recognition of its exceptional levels of service and quality. SriLankan joins the ranks of prestigious companies that have been awarded the Imperial Mark, which include such exclusive global brands as Omega watches, Clive Christian perfumes, and Tiffany & Co. of New York.
Less than 1 per cent of companies which are nominated for consideration are awarded the Mark, following a stringent evaluation process. The Imperial Mark is one of the world’s oldest accolades, dating back over three hundred years, which honours organisations that demonstrate commitment to high standards. The Imperial Mark is presented by the Imperial Mark Commission, based in London and Philadelphia, after thorough consideration of candidate organisations. The Mark is seen as a sign of exceptional quality which denotes the highest levels of service in the world. A team from the Imperial Mark Commission reviews the operations of each organisation and compares it with standards prevailing in the relevant industry. In its report, the Commission’s team noted: “SriLankan Airlines has managed to find a unique balance, infusing its service with a sense of the SriLankan culture and friendliness while maintaining a professional operation.” Sri Lanka’s National Carrier now flies to 51 destinations in 28 countries across the globe. Its modern fleet consists of Airbus A340, A330 and A320 aircraft. Swiss connects Delhi to ZurichBy Deepak Arora
Similarly, India is also popular with the Swiss as Switzerland is among the top 10 foreign investors in India. About 150 Swiss companies are active in India and the trade volume has increased eightfold since 1990 and still offers sizeable growth potential, says Olaf Kjelsen, Minister and Deputy Head of the Switzerland embassy. To participate in the world’s fast growing economy, SWISS International Air Lines has decided to reconnect Zurich to New Delhi with a direct flight from November 25, says Urs Schmid, General Manager of the airline. Right now, it takes passengers to Zurich via Mumbai daily using an Airbus A330 aircraft. SWISS has its own office located in Mumbai with representations in major cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Pune and Vadodara. A cabin crew base in Mumbai for the Indian crew compliment is foreseen in the very near future, said Desmond Chacko, Marketing Manager (India). In 2006, on the Mumbai-Zurich route, SWISS carried over 60000 passengers. The flight to Delhi was stopped in October 2003 after successful flying for 12 years when the earlier avatar of the airline, Swiss Air, faced financial crunch and was shut down in 2002. In March same year, SWISS International emerged as Switzerland’s national carrier. Mr Schmid said “successful restructuring, cost cutting initiatives and prudent management over recent years have resulted in SWISS consolidating its position. This has enabled SWISS to make progressive investments in fleet, network expansion and product development.”
He said the turnaround has resulted in addition of two new destinations, Delhi and Shanghai, to be served daily on the route network. He said “Delhi was always out Number One destination and we are happy to back in India’s national capital.” It may be mentioned that Delhi with 39 per cent share is India’s top boarding destination with Mumbai capturing 34 per cent of the market. He said “there will also be increase in frequency from six times a week to daily flights between Zurich and Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and Santiago de Chile via Sao Paulo.” Until a few weeks ago, Swiss offered a code-share service between Delhi and Zurich operated by Star Alliance partner Air Canada. The decision of Air Canada to discontinue service between Zurich and Delhi created a void in this fast growing market. SWISS now closes this gap, said Geeta Kapil, Manager, Northern India. Combined with our partner Lufthansa, Ms Kapil said the customers will now have a choice of 59 weekly departures from India to our three European hubs at Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich. In five short years since commencement of operations on March 31, 2002, SWISS has been winning “Best airline” awards under various categories. “Best airline for Europe” in the coveted Business Traveller awards for 2006. India unveils new mega carrier as 'Air India'By Deepak Arora
The new mega airline will retain Air India's Maharaja Mascot. However, the design components of the new logo and livery have been drawn after merging some of the current features of both Air India and Indian Airlines. The logo of the new airline has a Flying Swan with the Konark wheel placed inside it. The Flying Swan has been morphed from Air India's Centaur logo, whereas the Konark wheel is reminiscent of Indian's logo. The rebirth of Air India would happen on July 15. The new company will be called National Airline Company Ltd. The new carrier will have 25 brand new Airbus and Boeing aircraft by the year end, said Mr Patel. "The first aircraft, Boeing 777-200 LR, with new logo and colours will arrive in the national Capital on July 10 from Seattle, USA. It will have the latest in-flight entertainment system etc," Mr Patel said in presence of the three top officials of his ministry - Secretary Ashok Chawla, Air India CMD V Thulasidas and Indian CMD V Trivedi. The Minister said by the end of the year, the airline would receive seven 777s (both Range and Extended Range), 11 Airbus A230 family aircraft and four Boeing 737s. The airline has already received five brand new 737s. Mr Patel said Air India will launch a direct flight from Mumbai to New York from August 1. A direct flight from New Delhi to the Apple city will follow shortly thereafter, he added. With the launch of the direct flight to the US, he said Air India will be ahead of the competition as Private airline, Jet Airways, is beginning its Mumbai-Brussels-Newark flight on August 5. The new logo will feature prominently on the aircraft tail, while the Konark Wheel will also feature on all the engines. The choice of colours, red for the swan and orange for the wheel are meant to signify vigour and advancement, he said. This apart, "the colours also have a strong association with the two carriers thereby retaining the earlier imagery of traditional hospitality and service." While the aircraft will be ivory in colour, the base will retain the red streak of Air India. Running parallel to each other will be orange and red lines from the front to the rear door, subtly signifying the individual identities merged into one. The brand name Air India will run across the tail of the aircraft. Mr Patel said the new company's registered office will be in New Delhi and its corporate office will be in Mumbai. Its office for domestic operations as well as the strategic business units will be mostly based in Delhi. Asked about the name of the chief of the new Air India, he said the Ministry has "sent proposals to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which will take a final decision". Airbus to bag 20 more A380 orders in 2007By Deepak Arora
Airbus Chief Operating Officer (Customer) Johan Leahy said that the European company hopes to win 20 orders for its A380 this year and is in talks with new airlines in India to sell the plane, the world's largest passenger aircraft, a senior executive said on Monday. Speaking to newsmen along with Kingfisher Chief Executive Vijay Mallya and Airbus President (India) Kiran Rao, the COO said "we are talking to various airlines in India and around the world." Toulouse-based Airbus has spent more than $10 billion on developing the A380 and said in March it had 156 orders from 14 customers. “The first aircraft is set to enter service with Singapore Airlines in October,” said Dr Kiran Rao of Airbus. Leahy also announced it would invest more than $1 billion in India's aviation industry, one of the world's fastest growing, over the next 10 years and said it would increase the amount if needed. The investment would cover training, maintenance facilities, and design and engineering centres, he said. So far, Kingfisher Airlines is the only Indian airline to have ordered the A380. It has ordered five A380 aircraft and has an option for five more. Deliveries are to begin in 2011. Dr Rao said Airbus hopes that Indian firms would place orders for 1,100 passenger and freighter aircraft valued at about $105 billion over 20 years. Vijay Mallya said that Kingfisher was in talks with Airbus for more planes, including exercising the option. He also urged the government to review its policy of restricting new airlines from flying abroad until they complete five years of operations. "The current policy ... is completely outrageous," said Mallya, who is also a member of Rajya Sabha. "I have made an extremely compelling case to the government on why this entire policy needs review." The A380 is in India on a promotional flight for India's Kingfisher Airlines, which celebrates its second anniversary on Wednesday. Responding to a question, Mallya said Kingfisher was interested in buying low-cost carrier Air-Deccan but an offer was not imminent. "Am I interested? Yes. Am I imminently acquiring? No," he said. On A380s, he said Kingfisher would operate these for non-stop long-haul flights -- from Delhi and Mumbai to New York and Chicago. Super jumbo A-380 in Indian skies!By Deepak Arora
Much to the delight of the large number of people who had gathered at the airport and those taking the closest possible view from the National Highway 8 touching the airport, the 550-seater super jumbo in three-class configuration made a ceremonial fly past. It has a passenger capacity of 850 seats in all economy configurations. Upon reaching the parking bay, the pilot of A380 waved the Indian flag to the cheering crowd. A traditional aviation welcome of water spray was extended to the aircraft before it moved into the parking bay. The A 380 is on its maiden voyage to mark the second anniversary celebrations of Kingfisher Airlines, which has ordered five of super jumbos. It has a list price of over 300 million dollars per aircraft. The super jumbo aircraft is powered by four Trent engine manufactured by Rolls Royce and can fly 15,000 kilometres non-stop. During its India visit, it would be taking some VIPs on a flight of fancy over Delhi and on Tuesday the 80-feet tall aircraft will fly off to Mumbai. The Airports Authority of India and advance teams of Airbus Industries had been on the job in Delhi to prepare for various facilities including navigation of the super jumbo plane in the country which takes three Boeing 737 or Airbus 320 space. Currently, only the Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi airports are capable of landing the A380. The size of the aircraft, as well as its passenger load, means that airports around the world are trying to figure out ways to accommodate the plane and handle the sudden rush of traffic that the arrival and departure of each such plane entails. For instance, an airport’s runway has to be 60 paved metres, with 7.5m grass shoulder on each side, if it is to allow an A 380 super jumbo to take off or land. The existing runway at the Delhi international airport is about 45 paved meters, with a 15m grass shoulder on each side and this has now been increased in length for the aircraft’s arrival. The country’s new airports, being built in Bangalore and Hyderabad, will ensure that they can handle the giant. The launch customer for the A380 is Singapore Airlines, which will take delivery of the first aircraft in October this year Delhi will be building a new Code F runway in 2008 that will be capable of handing wide bodied aircraft like A 380. GMR Hyderabad airport would perhaps be the first airport to be ready with a code F runway in early 2008. Kenya Airways plane with 115 people on board crashesCAMEROON, May 5: Kenya Airways has confirmed that a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane with 115 people on board, that disappeared after taking off from Douala airport in Cameroon on its way to Nairobi from Douala in Cameroon has crashed. It took off from Douala at 5 minutes past midnight, local time and was due to arrive in the morning. The Kenya Airways Managing Director told a news conference that the company had set up a crisis centre to monitor events and a passenger information centre at a local hotel. The flight departed from Douala and was to arrive in Nairobi. The flight originated in Ivory Coast but stopped in Cameroon to pick up more passengers, the airline said. SAARC capitals to be linked with direct flightsBy Deepak Arora
Addressing the recent 14th SAARC Summit here, Dr Singh said “connectivity – physical, economic and of the mind, enabling us to use fully our geographical and resource endowments, has historically been the key to our region’s peace and prosperity. South Asia has flourished most when connected to itself and the rest of the world.” It was in the same breath that the Indian Prime Minister offered “Open Skies” and proposed that “we link all our capitals through direct flights.” Highly placed sources said that the SAARC capitals are expected to be linked with direct flights by the end of the year. “Let us aim to double the intra-SAARC flow of tourists in the next five years,” said the Indian Prime Minister, who also assumed Chairmanship by virtue of India hosting the SAARC Summit. The fellow nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – welcomed New Delhi’s proposals that would not only boost the flow of tourists but would also help in economic development of the region. India had mooted the “Open Sky” policy at the Dhaka Summit in November 2005 and offered its six metro cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderbad and Kolkata and 18 other tourist popular airports. If accepted, it would bring unlimited flight between New Delhi, Kabul, Thimpu, Kathmandu, Male, Dhaka, Islamabad and Colombo. India’s offer has since been followed up with formal proposals, which include an offer for Fifth Freedom Rights (To take traffic from another country to a third nation). India's proposal provides that the ultimate destination need not necessarily be a SAARC country. The proposal also fits in with the government's future vision for India as an air transport hub once the Delhi and Mumbai airports are modernised. The 18 destinations that the PM has offered are Amritsar, Jaipur, Guwahati, Lucknow, Patna, Gaya, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, Khajuraho, Goa, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Cochin, Trichy, Vishakhapatnam, Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior. Sri Lanka is the only country in the region that has taken advantage of this offer. Today SriLankan Airlines operates over 100 flights per week into India and has become the largest foreign operator in the country. The SAARC member countries are unanimous that transport integration in South Asia would help land-locked states of Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and North-East India and strengthen connectivity with island countries. Among the hurdles faced by the region in air connectivity are capacity constraints for both passengers and cargo, limited number of direct flights and high air fares and airport charges as compared to other regions.
Mr Mishra also urged the Governments to Open Skies without any restrictions and improve the infrastructure like airports and hotels under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Welcoming the proposal, IATO President Subhash Goyal said the SAARC airlines must offer 30 per cent discount to passengers who cover at least three countries.
“This would help in faster movement of traffic and give a sense of belongingness among people,” he added. As of now, India is the largest player in the aviation sector in the region. The other airlines were too small in their operations to pose any kind of competition to India. But the bottom-line, it was pointed out, is reciprocity. “For instance, Pakistan has not agreed to multiple designation of carriers,” an official said. All the SAARC member nations will have to work out with their airlines to find the best way out. Bangladesh Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed also called for intensifying SAARC efforts to promote the South Asia region as a common tourist hub. "South Asia has a rich history... it has been a melting pot of diverse cultures since time immemorial. We are home to all of the world's great religions... SAARC should increase its efforts to promote the region as a common tourist destination," he said. Passenger Demand Continues Strong Start to YearBy Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, March 31: International passenger demand in February continued its strong start to the year with an increase of 6.8 per cent year–on–year and up from 6.1 per cent growth in January. Demand for international freight rose 2.4 per cent following a 3 per cent increase in January continuing an 8-month trend of slower growth. Average international passenger load factors were 73.3 per cent, up 0.5 per cent year–on–year, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) released February traffic results. “Passenger demand continues to exceed expectations," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “And over two years of improving load factors are proof that airlines are more efficiently meeting demand.” The Middle East continued to lead all regions with year–on–year passenger demand growth of 18 per cent. African airlines saw an above average demand increase of 9.4 per cent boosted by the development of new routes within Africa and to Asia and the Middle East. Stronger than expected economic growth drove demand growth in Europe (7.4 per cent), North America (6.8 per cent) and Asia (5.7 per cent). Latin America continues to be affected by industry restructuring with a 1.3 per cent rise in passenger demand in February. Air freight demand rose sharply in the Middle East (15.4 per cent) boosted by oil-led economic growth and increased capacity. However, high fuel costs and strong competition from other modes of transport continue to limit air freight demand in Europe (-0.6 per cent) Africa (-2 per cent) and Asia (4.4 per cent), particularly on shorter haul routes. North American airlines saw freight growth decline 0.5 per cent in February compared to 6 per cent in 2006 as the impact of last year’s redeployment of capacity to international markets decreases. Latin America saw a 20.2 per cent decline due to restructuring. “The numbers say it all. People want to travel. Liberalisation is key to meeting demand for international air travel. Last week’s US-EU agreement on open skies is a welcome step in the right direction—giving airlines greater freedom to efficiently meet consumer demand. We have a new relationship in the most important bilateral market in the world. Now it is the responsibility of the US and EU to facilitate the change that this agreement needs for it to be successful. Both sides must move on to address ownership, security, and other issues,” said Bisignani. New duty free shops at Delhi airport By Deepak Arora NEW DELHI: The international passengers arriving at Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi can now experience a new duty free experience with the Alpha Future opening newer and bigger stores. The duty free shops now offer world’s most famous brands. The Alpha-Pantaloon consortium that has won the contract for Delhi comprises the UK based Alpha Airports Group Plc and Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, a Future Group venture. Mr. Peter Williams, CEO Alpha Group, informed that the new Alpha Future duty free shops will run from one outlet in arrivals and four in departures covering an area, in total, of about 8,000 square feet. The range includes products never before seen in duty free at Delhi, with key product categories being liquor and tobacco; perfume and cosmetics; fashion and accessories; and confectionary. With a range of over 200 product lines In the liquor and tobacco section, Alpha Future brings to India, the widest range of products ever sold at Delhi duty free, including premium Malts and standard whiskies, exclusive Vodkas and a choice of Cognacs. The new Perfume and Cosmetics section is spread over 900 square feet, and includes a range of must-have beauty essentials and fragrances from leading brands, including Estee Lauder, Chanel, complemented by the offer of makeovers and sampling, creating a new interactive shopping environment for Indian duty free customers. The fashion and accessories store covers approx 1100 square feet and offers a range of stylish products from sunglasses and watches, to pens and stationery, as well as crystal ware, fine and fashion jewellery, and men's accessories. The confectionary offer creates another first for India, with a wide range of over 15 everyday basics as well as exclusive selections of premium fine chocolates. GoAir bags awards By Deepak Arora NEW DELHI: India’s smart fare cost airline, GoAir, has bagged two prestigious awards. The celebration started when GoAir became India's first low fare carrier to win the prestigious international award for "Excellent Services" awarded by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA). This award was presented to GoAir at Berlin Federal Republic of Germany during the world renowned tourism event - ITB. Adding to the excitement, the creative print campaign of GoAir won the Grand Prix and the Best Ad in Services Category at the Pink Slip Awards 2007, which are India's first awards show for excellence in creative recruitment advertising. The PATWA is the world's biggest travel writers' organisation representing members from 70 countries across the world. The PATWA International Awards is organised every year at ITB Berlin during the world's biggest travel fair attended by several thousand exhibitors from 180 countries and over 7000 journalists. The PATWA award is given in cooperation with Messe Berlin, to recognise individuals, organisations involved in promotion of tourism from various sectors such as aviation, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, government agencies and the like. Parliamentary panel urges 'futuristic' aviation regulation bill By Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, March 24: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has asked the Government to draft “futuristic” and “comprehensive” measures to regulate India's burgeoning aviation sector. The Parliamentary panel, which dealt with the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill that was introduced in the Lok Sabha Aug 7, 2006 and was referred to the committee for its examination, said that the bill is a “piece meal effort” on the part of the Government. The Committee felt that no proper thinking has gone into the preparation of the Bill and that it has been hastily drafted. Holding that the bill contained “ambiguities” on the role, powers and functions of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the panel said the government should “clear its position” on the issue. “It is not clear as to who will be solely responsible to perform the safety oversight functions,” the panel noted. Thus, the government should also ensure whether the powers of the AAI or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would prevail “in case of any controversy”. With these observations, the panel has thus shot down Civil Aviation Ministry’s move to give more powers to the Director General of Civil Aviation, which said it would result in "overlapping" of powers and compound "confusion". "The Bill, if enacted, will result in overlapping of powers of both governmental organisations (DGCA and AAI)... Without amending or repealing the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994, the government simply cannot confer the same powers to another body through a different Act," it observed. It said “the government should come up with comprehensive legislation (covering issues) like overcrowding at the airports and in the sky, infrastructure, safety issues, (and) social responsibilities of airlines.” The bill “should not leave any area uncovered pertaining to civil aviation,” it observed. The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2006 among other things seeks to regulate foreign registered aircraft operating in or over India, safeguarding civil aviation against unlawful interference and empowering DGCA for performing its oversight functions. It also seeks to enlarge the Government’s scope of powers to license personnel engaged in air traffic control, inspect and regulate communication and to impose penalty for contravention of the Chicago Convention. The objectives behind the Bill are commendable but the legislation introduced for the purpose is found to be lacking in many accounts, it stated. First airframe MRO facility in India By Deepak Arora NEW DELHI: National carrier Indian has signed an agreement towards the setting-up of an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility for aircraft airframe maintenance. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus/EADS has authorized Bangalore-based Jupiter Aviation and Logistics to enter into the joint venture with Indian to set up the facility. EADS will provide necessary support. Earlier in February, EADS had signed an MoU with Jupiter Aviation and Logistics to collaborate in aviation ventures focusing on Aircraft Lifecycle Support and Training, which would cover MRO and training. A strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at Indian's corporate office in Delhi for setting up the facility, initially to cover Airbus A320 family aircraft. Indian is a major operator of Airbus aircraft and is all set to induct 42 new Airbus A320 family aircraft into its fleet. Currently, it operates 48 A320s, 6 A319 and 3 A300 aircraft. The MoU was signed between Indian’s Chairman and Managing Director Vishwapati Trivedi and Jupiter Aviations’ CEO and Managing Director Ravi Narayanan. Also present at the signing ceremony were Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Chairman, Jupiter Aviation, Yves Guillaume, CEO, EADS India and Kiran Rao, Executive Vice President, Airbus. After the signing, Mr. Trivedi said, "This first of a kind joint venture Airframe MRO in the country is of immense importance in today's growing aviation market. With the setting up of this facility, Indian will see an increased availability of aircraft following a nearly 50 per cent reduction in major maintenance check times.” Besides catering to our Airbus aircraft, Mr Trivedi said the facility will also be able to attract other airline jobs, thus not only leading to savings but also generate earnings for the company." Mr Narayanan said, "we are excited about this public-private partnership which is a milestone, being the first of its kind in the MRO field. The growth in the aviation sector is creating the need for world-class providers of services and we think our partnership will deliver the same to Indian." Under the MoU, the joint venture company will undertake airframe maintenance, overhaul and repair of Airbus aircraft of Indian, to begin with. Later, it will extend the facility to Airbus aircraft of other airlines and also to aircraft other than Airbus family. In addition to the DGCA, the MRO will also obtain approvals from FAA/JAA/EASA which will help it undertake outside party work. Congestion surcharge, peak-hour penalty opposed By Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, March 17: There is a hue and cry over the congestion surcharge and move to introduce peak hour penalty at the major airports. While only private carriers like Jet, Sahara and Kingfisher introduced the congestion surcharge, the same airlines are opposing the move to introduce peak hour charges to decongest airports. After the intervention of the Delhi High Court, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all the private airlines to consider withdrawal of the congestion surcharge of Rs 150 being charged by them per passenger. In response to a petition, the Delhi High Court asking the Civil Aviation Ministry the reason why private airlines were charging the amount. Private airlines had decided to impose the surcharge claiming that the aircraft had to hover over major metro airports for about 30 minutes to an hour. Public-sector Indian (Airlines) has, however, not imposed the surcharge. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has also spoken against the congestion surcharge saying "travelling public should not be burdened. Beyond that, it is for the industry to decide." The airlines had introduced Rs 150 congestion surcharge on the ticket last December in an attempt to recover Rs 350 crore lost every year due to the choked airspace. “When the Civil Aviation Ministry is to be blamed for the congestion in the air and on the ground, why should the passengers pay?” the court asked the ministry’s counsel, Anjana Gosain. The division bench of justices Swatanter Kumar and HR Malhotra asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to look into the matter and submit a report by April 17, suggesting what could be done. There is also opposition to Government’s move to impose peak hour penalty to discourage flight movements during morning and evening peak hours a country’s three busiest airports. However, this is not likely to work as airlines are unlikely to let go off their lucrative prime-time slots. Therefore, the hike is unlikely to ease congestion and the airlines could pass the increased cost to the travelers. The international airlines lobby has also opposed such a proposal. International Air Transport Association (IATA) having membership of world's leading 260 passenger and cargo airlines disapproved of the government's proposal on imposition of a peak hour levy to decongest airspace over Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. IATA has asked the government not to impose peak hour charging and rather address the underlying causes of congestion. "Peak hour pricing will also place a short term constraint on passenger and freight demand, and in the long term, lower benefits generated for users and the wider economy," the statement added. Since IATA has a current pricing agreement with Airports Authority of India (AAI) it has asked the government to formally consult with it on any proposed changes. It has also urged the ministry to form a Working Group, including IATA/airline representatives, to examine all options to address current issues such as congestion and to better facilitate the growth in aviation in India. Opposing the move, Air Deccan chief Captain Gopinath said that separate charges would not have much impact on easing congestion "but would mean more money to airport operators" in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. “The government should have lowered off-peak charges without hiking peak charges. Indian airports efficiency is very low and charges are very high. A single runway in Delhi can't handle over 35 flights in a hour and the need is to increase capacity," he said. GoAir offers 1,00,000 free tickets NEW DELHI: GoAir, India's leading smart fare airline has introduced GoFly Free Offer to all its valued customers. As part of the initiative, GoFly Free offers passengers an opportunity to avail of 1,00,000 free tickets to any of GoAir destinations. The offer is valid for bookings made by March 21, 2007 for travel between April to August 2007. Jaypee Group buys Bell helicopter NEW DELHI: Jai Prakash Associates (JayPee Group) has taken a delivery of Bell 407 helicopter that will be used in the corporate role and will support a wide range of activities within the JayPee Group. The 407 is one of the most popular helicopters and is well suited for a variety of roles because of its versatility, price and range. Wing Cdr. B.S. Singhdeo (ret), Managing Director of Bell’s operations in India stated, “We are pleased that such a diverse and well-respected group like Jai Prakash Associates has selected the Bell 407 for their corporate helicopter. The 407 continues to win customers and they know they can count on Bell for unmatched customer service.” JayPee Group has interests in engineering and construction, cement, hydro and thermal power, information technology, hospitality and real estate and expressways. Mr. JP Gaur, chairman of Jai Prakash Industries said: “This Bell 407 will increase the productivity of our executive team and we are looking forward to putting it to work.” The Group prides itself in operating under the philosophy of “Growth with a Human Face.” Bell Helicopter is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tilt rotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell’s global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries. Patel meets PM, seeks sops for aviation industryNEW DELHI, March 15: Taking up the cause of the aviation industry, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and suggested that steps be taken to reduce taxes on jet fuel prices, which constituted as much as 40 pc of the total ticket cost. "The Ministry of Civil Aviation fully supports airlines and the aviation industry that fuel prices need to be rationalised," Patel told reporters after he met the Prime Minister along with Tourism Minister Ambika Soni. "Oil PSUs must reduce ATF prices and state governments must slash sales tax on ATF. Those states which are doing so are the beneficiaries as they are enjoying more air traffic," he said, adding "I am unhappy with oil PSUs for not reducing ATF prices and not encouraging competition in its supply". The two ministers raised issues relating to the budget proposals, including making aviation more affordable to encourage tourism. The 2007-08 budget proposes to amend the central Sales Tax Act to treat ATF as a 'declared good' only for small aircraft, which the aviation industry wants to be extended to all types of planes. Patel, is also understood to have raised the concerns of the aviation industry about the imposition of withholding tax on aircraft and aircraft engines leased from foreign countries. The aviation industry is exempted from paying this tax till 31st March and wants the exemption to continue. The budget proposal to impose three per cent import duty on aircraft, along with a 16 percent countervailing duty, has also come in for criticism from the industry. Kingfisher Airlines launches flights to AgattiNEW DELHI, March 5: Kingfisher Airlines today announced the launch of one direct and six stop over flights to Agatti (Lakshadweep), taking its operations to a total of 29 cities across the country. The airline today launched a direct flight from Kochi to Agatti besides announcing launch of stop over flights to Aggati from Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, according to a company release here. The guests who arrived on the maiden flight from Agatti were treated to a cultural extravaganza comprising a traditional welcome ceremony followed by a dance performance, it said. "The addition to this new route is part of Kingfisher Airlines' plan to rapidly expand the network by providing connectivity between important destinations, which have huge potential for growth in air traffic, given the overall growth in passenger traffic in domestic aviation," the release quoted Chairman and CEO of the airlines Vijay Mallya as saying. Govt may increase charges on airlines in peak hoursNEW DELHI, March 5: In a bid to decongest airspace over three major airports, the government is planning to increase charges on airlines which operate flights during peak hours and reduce it during the non-peak timings. The burden on airlines due to the increase in airport and navigation charges could in turn be passed on to consumers travelling during peak hours. "We are working on a clear system of incentives or disincentives for airlines operating services during three peak hours in the morning and four in the evening," Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla told reporters here. The airports on which these charges would be effective are Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The peak hours have been identified as 0700-1000 hours in the morning and 1800-2200 hours in the evening. Chawla, who took over a month ago, indicated that airport and navigation charges could even be doubled during peak hours and halved between midnight and 0500 hours. Chawla said the increase in these charges would be effective from the last Sunday of March, when the summer schedule of airlines begins. He, however, said the hike in charges would "essentially be a short-term solution". "In the long-term, we have to provide more facilities like additional runways and rapid-exit taxiways to overcome congestion. This should be in place by June 2008," he said. Asked about the "grandfather rights" of the airlines to operate in peak hours, the secretary agreed these airlines had a right "but the charges can always be calibrated". Grandfather rights are those under which airlines operating on peak-hour slots for several years can claim their right on them. He said the three airports were handling between 15 to 20 per cent of excess traffic during peak hours compared to their capacities. Chawla also said there would be no difference in the charges for low-cost carriers and full-frill ones during peak hours, though these would vary for different types of aircraft they operate during this period to these airports. Cabinet clears merger of Air India, IndianNEW DELHI, March 1: The mega-merger of state-run carriers Air India and Indian received the final government nod on Thursday night, with the Union Cabinet giving a go ahead to the proposal of the Group of Ministers in this regard. The merger would turn the new entity into a large airline, with a combined fleet of about 120 aircraft and a staff strength of 30,000, capable of taking global competition head-on. The public sector character of the merged airline would continue. By 2010-11, when all the new aircraft ordered by the two carriers are inducted into the fleet, the merged entity's employee-aircraft ratio would come down to about 200:1, comparable with any major global airline. While Air India has ordered 68 Boeing planes, Indian has finalised the acquisition of 43 Airbus aircraft. The Group of Ministers headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had on 21st February decided to complete the merger process by 31st March. With the Union Cabinet's nod, work on legal formalities of the merger process would begin. This is likely to be completed within the next three months. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who has been holding meetings with employees' unions of the two airlines, has assured them that their interests, including employment conditions, wages, seniority and career progression, would be taken care of and a grievance redressal mechanism would be in place to protect their interests. Five-fold increase in allocation to civil aviationBy Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, Feb 28: The Union Budget has proposed more than five-fold increase in allocation for state-owned airlines, treating jet fuel for all types of small aircraft as 'declared good' and a three per cent duty on private import of planes. The total allocation for all public sector enterprises under the Civil Aviation Ministry, including Air India, Indian and Airports Authority of India, rose from Rs 2256.36 crore to Rs 12,192.09 crore, most of it meant for the fleet acquisition plans of the two state-owned carriers.
Earlier, this facility was available only for turbo-prop aircraft. Now all small aircraft, including regional jets operated by scheduled airlines, would be covered by the provision.
Observing that plane and helicopter imports by public and private schedule airlines were exempt from all duties, Chidambaram said this position would continue. "However, there is no reason to allow the exemption to other private importers", he said and proposed to levy an import duty of three per cent on "all private import of aircraft including helicopters". The three per cent import duty was the rate bound by the World Trade Organisation and added that such imports would also attract countervailing duty of 14 per cent and additional customs duty of four per cent. Similarly for import of aircraft parts as well, customs duty of 3 per cent, CVD of 16 per cent, and 4 per cent additional duty of customs has been imposed. Imports by Government and scheduled airlines would be exempt. The statement lay before Parliament said the government strategy to pursue fiscal consolidation included the restricting of exemption from tariff to aircraft imported by government-owned and other scheduled airlines. However, aircraft, not registered in India, which are brought for the purpose of flight to or across India and ultimately removed within six months from the date of arrival, would be exempt from all customs duties. This move is aimed at providing some cushion to planes leased by airline companies. The allocation of Air India rose from the 2006-07 revised estimate of Rs 490.84 crore to Rs 6337.01 crore, while that of Indian airlines from Rs 350 crore to Rs 2507.7 crore. The outlay for Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited was raised from Rs 180 crore to Rs 246.5 crore, while that of AAI from Rs 1149.82 crore to Rs 1961.41 crore. There has also been a massive increase in the outlay for Directorate General of Civil Aviation from Rs 39.6 crore to Rs 108.86 crore, while that of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security from Rs 7.08 crore to Rs 18.43 crore.
Capt Gopinath said “if India has to be competitive globally, you need to get aviation integrated to the economy. The largest employer globally is tourism, both domestic and international. I don't think tourism in this country will take a leap unless aviation becomes affordable and profitable for the airlines.” Air Sahara launches flights to Kuala Lumpur, Male
The private carrier will commence its Kuala Lumpur flight on March 19 from Delhi and from Thiruvananthapuram to Male on March 10, according to Mr Alok Sharma, Air Sahara President. The Delhi-Singapore flight would now stop at Kuala Lumpur and then go onwards to Singapore, which was connected earlier, he said and pointed out that attractive packages would be offered to the passengers on the international route. On the domestic front the company would extend its Delhi Bangalore flight to Coimbatore, besides flying three flights daily from Delhi to Cochin including one non-stop from March 10, he added. ‘Intelligent’ airports in the offingBy Deepak Arora
To meet these challenges, the two major gateway airports -- Delhi and Mumbai – are being modernized through a joint venture route and two additional Greenfield airports are being developed through joint venture route in upcoming metro cities Bangalore and Hyderabad. Besides this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken up gradation of 35 of its non-metro airports to bring them at par with world standards, said Mr Chawla, while inaugurating “Inter Airport India 2007” international conference. Dr Ramalingam said the future modernized major airport terminal buildings would not only be aesthetically appealing but would be “intelligent terminals" fitted with sensors to operate various facilities such as lighting and air-conditioning with automatic sensors and close circuit TVs. He said the control room would be able to adjust the temperature and lighting automatically depending on the number of passengers in the building and the time of the day could soon become a reality across the country. In other words, “we will have an IT-enabled building management system.”
Besides, he said AAI has also introduced other measures to facilitate passengers' journey like implementing Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE), which allows a passenger to check in at any counter at the airport. The Chairman said high-tech equipment would be deployed for the security and air traffic control systems covering a wide range of activities - from access control to perimeter security. Besides, he said, the communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management system would be modernized and linked to the satellite-based system called GAGAN, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). To begin with, Dr Ramalingam said “we will have a VSAT network to cover eight major airports.” He also said the baggage x-ray and screening mechanisms would be upgraded considerably. Over 130 companies from 18 countries, including two large contingents from the United Kingdom and Germany, converged at the first-ever Inter Airport India being held in the Capital. Highlighting the huge growth that the aviation sector was witnessing in India, Mr Ashok Chawla said “during April-December last year, domestic air traffic grew by 40.9 per cent over the same period in the previous year. Similarly, international passenger traffic grew by 14.9 per cent while freight movement grew by 10.7 per cent during the same period." The Civil Aviation Secretary said that tremendous opportunities to the tune of US $ 350 billion existed for Indian and foreign firms to participate in the development of a variety of infrastructure projects, including airports. There was a “colossal requirement” of an estimated $10 billion to modernize airports across the country and the focus now is on public-private partnership. As a policy response, Mr Chawla said the foreign investment regime in airport development and air services have been made liberal. “We are open to further liberalisation based on the needs of the industry.” Kuldip Nar, a delegate at the conference from AMS Acoustics, which is a multi disciplinary UK based acoustic consultancy having works at Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport, found the to be a very timely and a positive move towards providing safer and state of the art services. "With such trade shows and the full steam ahead of the modernization and privatization drive, a new chapter for the aviation industry is foreseen that will bring in technologies and equipments providing a safer, reliable and quality service to the Indian traveler," said Kuldip Nar. Besides aviation experts, Uddesh Kohli, Chairman, Consultancy Development Centre, Dieter Heinz, President, GATE, Stephen Brooks, Chairman, Mack Brooks Exhibitions, organizer of the event, and Rajan Sharma, Managing Director, Inter Ads Ltd, were present at the inauguration ceremony. The inauguration was followed by seminars spread over three days with interactions by the aviation stalwarts and discussed issues ranging from the civil aviation policy perspectives and the modernization of Airports technology. An insight of the global scenario of development of airports was also provided. This was an exciting opportunity to share the learning of the many services and equipments that are available for the modernization of airports that are planned in India. Visitors and delegates who visited the Airports Exhibition and Seminar found this to be fruitful for partnerships and an eye opener on some new technologies being introduced world wide in the fields of security, logistics and services. Indian poised to scale greater heightsBy Deepak Arora
With the leasing of two wide-bodied Airbus A330 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engines, the public-sector airline plans to expand its operations to Melbourne in Austalia and Guanghzou in China from October, according to Dr Vishwapati Trivedi, Indian's Chairman and Managing Director. Currently, Indian’s international operations cover SAARC, Gulf and South East Asian regions, which currently amount to about 225 flights per week. Dr Trivedi said "It is a matter of pride to be the first to be inducting the high performance wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft. Indian has been setting standards in civil aviation over the last 50 years, and is synonymous with efficiency and reliability. The induction of the A330 will allow us to further raise our standards of performance." Indian is also on the threshold of a major technology upgrade. Dr Trivedi said the airline plans to introduce superior in-flight services and entertainment services like in-seat video displays on each seat, with choice of audio and video channels on all the new aircraft that join its fleet. The new aircraft will help the airline phase out the ageing B737s and add to domestic services in line with passenger requirements. Keeping in tune with the latest technology, the airline has launched its online web-check-in facility, I-check-in, enabling passengers to choose their own seat and receive boarding pass even before reaching the airport. The facility has been introduced in collaboration with global distribution systems company Amadeus and is be available on e-tickets and will ensure complete security of ticket details while checking-in online. The airline is also introducing self check-in kiosks at airports. Indian also has a dedicated 24/7 call centre covering its huge network, offering dial-a-ticket facility. It continues to offer Easy, Unchecked and Spot Fares and special group discounts for tour operators. It also offers 350 holiday package combinations, in 30 domestic and 9 international destinations. Delhi-Kochi Flight LaunchedTo keep in mind the demand for direct flights from the Capital to God’s Own Country, the national carrier has launched from Sunday a direct non-stop connection between Delhi and Kochi. The airline is offering a special introductory one-way fare of Rs.3000 (taxes and levies extra) besides the other attractive fares like Unchecked Fares and Spot Fares already available on this route. $ 500 m contract with German BankCarrying forward its aircraft purchase exercise, the State-owned airlines recently signed a contract with German bank KfW IPEX-Bank, commissioning the bank for financing the purchase of the first batch of 10 Airbus A-320 family aircraft to be delivered this year. Indian's CMD Vishwapati Trivedi and Peter Klaus, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of the bank signed the contract in Frankfurt recently wherein KfW will lend $500 million to the airline with repayment tenure of 12 years. Indian, country's leading airline for over 53 years, has an annual turnover of over US $ 1 billion and carriage of over 8 million passengers. Despite sharp increases in fuel costs, Indian has registered net profit for the last three consecutive years. Alliance Air, Indian’s wholly owned subsidiary airline, is also in the process of leasing six regional jets in 2007. Indian has a fleet of 74 aircraft including 48 Airbus A320s, 6 A319s, and 11 B737 aircraft operated by subsidiary Alliance Air. The airline operates over 300 flights every day to 54 destinations within India and 18 abroad carrying nearly 30,000 passengers a day. Dedicated Freighter Services from JulyDr Trivedi said the state-owned airline plans to start dedicated freighter services from July. "We are likely to call the new operations Indian cargo. The launch of the new service will not affect the ongoing merger process. When the merger process gets underway, Indian cargo can be merged with the new entity," he added. The airline will convert five of its oldest B737 aircraft, at present flying with its Alliance Air, into freighters. It is looking at tying up with courier major GATI and government owned India Post for its cargo business. MoU with CFM InternationalIndian has also decided to get into the engine maintenance business. It has signed a MoU with CFM International to set up an engine repair and overhaul facility in Delhi.There are about 200 CFM engines being used presently by various Indian airline companies and Indian's newly ordered 43 aircraft would also come with these engines. With the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) also expected to service airlines in other Asian countries, Indian expects that the MRO will be able to service more than 40 engines annually. Dr Trivedi said this landmark agreement would benefit not just our fleet but the aviation industry in India. “For Indian, it would mean significant savings, better engine turnaround time and increased engine availability for operations," he added. Sonia lays foundation stone for Delhi airport's new terminalBy Deepak Arora
After laying the foundation stone for a new integrated terminal building and runway at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here on Saturday, Mrs Gandhi said aviation has flourished during the successive Congress governments. “Today travel by air has become affordable. The entry of new airlines has resulted in slashing of fares.” However, she said that much more needs to be done. “We need better connectivity for the North-East. Cities of great importance need to be brought on air map.” The UPA Chairperson said the UPA government is in the process of modernizing at least 35 airports that will enhance regional connectivity. She said “this create more jobs and intensify economic activity where there is stagnation.”
The UPA Chairpersons said “we are at a threshold of different kind of modernization where public-private partnership was playing an important role. This can be well understood in the case of Delhi airport which is a joint venture between the public-sector Airports Authority of India (AAI) and GMR Group. Before the foundation stone laying ceremony, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, inaugurated an aviation exhibition. Besides Mrs Gandhi and Mr Patel, those present on the occasion included the Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Delhi and Andhra Chief Ministers – Sheila Dikshit and Rajshekhar Reddy, Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) Chairman G M Rao, and Managing Director DIAL Srinivas Bommidala.
Asking the Finance Ministry and the Planning Commission to ‘revisit’ the policy on airports, the Minister said land acquisition for Special Economic Zones was facing major hurdles at present. "The problem is how do we allot new airports to different states or develop infrastructure, without acquiring land. If entrepreneurs can get the land with the support of the local people, this would help solve the problem," said Mr Patel. He said there was a need to ‘revisit’ the policy on airports as almost every airport expansion project was facing problems relating to land acquisition. Mr G M Rao said IGI Airport, on completion, will have 130 check-in counters, 74 aerobridges, automated passenger movers, restaurants, shopping joints and a high-speed train connection to the city. Mr Bommidala said phase one of the master plan includes construction of a new passenger terminal (Terminal 3) which will cater to both domestic and international passengers. “It will be ready before the Commonwealth Games in 2010,” he added. Remaining 26 per cent is with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) which will continue to manage air traffic control - a crucial component of any airport -- and oversee security and fire-control related issues. DIAL also has partners like Fraport, Eraman Malaysia and India Development Fund. In its first phase, the airport will be capable of handling 37 million passengers per annum. The total project outlay for this phase will be close to Rs 6,700 crore. Ultimately, it will have a capacity of 100 million passengers per year. Bangalore to have pilot training centresBy Deepak Arora NEW DELHI, Feb 10: To meet the acute shortage of pilots in India, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and CAE of Canada and ATR and Air Deccan have announced setting up of training centres in Bangalore. At Aero India 2007, Airbus and CAE of Canada decided to further strengthen their cooperation by announcing the establishment of an Indian aviation training centre based in Bangalore, Southern India. The centre will be at Devanahalli, close to Bangalore International Airport, and will open at the end of 2007. When fully operational, the centre will train up to 1,000 pilots per year. Similarly, Southern France-based regional aircraft manufacturer, ATR, and Air Deccan announced the opening of a new joint Training Center in Bangalore in order to prepare future pilots for the ATR fleet of the airline. This center counts a Full Flight Trainer ( |
NEW DELHI, Sept 19: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has named the board of directors for the recently-constituted National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) that came into being after state owned carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines were merged.
Other directors of NACIL include VK Verma (commercial) Anup Srivastava (personnel), S Chandrashekhar (finance), Shri S Punhani (special business unit head, ground handling), Amod Sharma (special business unit head, related business), KM Unni (special business unit head, MRO, Airframe), VK Sharma (special business unit head, MRO, engineering and components, and Anita Khurana, special business unit head for cargo and N Vaghul, Chairman ICICI.
NEW DELHI, Sept 17: India's largest private airline, Jet Airways, has been honoured with the prestigious Avion Award for the “Best Overall In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) for small airlines” worldwide for the second consecutive year. 
NEW DELHI, Sept 14: Jet Airways has become the first private airline to get nod from the Government to fly to the lucrative Gulf region from January 1 next year.
Indian carriers are currently entitled to 85,481 seats per week on Gulf routes, of which the public-sector airlines are using 58 percent, the ministry estimates. 
The airliner has been given permission to connect Calicut and Mumbai to Qatar's capital city Doha, where it can carry a maximum of 2,100 passengers per week equally divided from the two Indian cities.
It aims to get half its total revenue from overseas operations by 2009 as the domestic market becomes increasingly competitive. 
NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal is back in action. So is the airline. In early August, India’s premier airline had launched a flight to Newark, USA, from Mumbai. This month it has introduced a new flight linking Delhi with Toronto via Brussels.
The new Première lie flat beds represent the absolute latest in airline seat technology. It features a 73-inch bed length that electronically converts to an enormous 180-degree flat bed with lumbar support and massage systems.
Welcoming the flight, Canadian Deputy Head of Mission Kenneth Macartney said Tornoto is the financial capital and largest city of Canada with 33 million population. 
“We are also looking at Iran and Tel Aviv and examining the possibility of connecting Tel Aviv with the US. Besides, we plan to fly to Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa.”
NEW DELHI, Sept 5: Air India Express plans to expand its operations to South East Asia, Central Asian republics and South Asian Association of Regional Countries (SAARC), according to V Thulasidas, Chairman, Air India.
The Chairman said Air India would continue to offer premium quality service. He said the new Air India, which has emerged after the merger of Air India and Indian (Airlines), would offer seamless travel between its vast network of domestic and international routes.
He said India was ranked as number 7 in 2006 in the international market as compared to rank 11 in 2005 making us ahead of France, Canada and the UK. “This has happened due to the open sky policy of the government.”
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines, Mr Peter Hill, said the biggest challenge for the aviation industry was how to sustain profits.
NEW DELHI, Aug 25: ‘Big Brother’ Delhi could soon have two ‘sister’ airports on its either side. Soon after the demand of the Uttar Pradesh Government for an airport at Greater Noida, now Haryana has sought an international airport at Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district to cater to the future needs of air travel from the region. 
NEW DELHI, Aug 11: While unveiling new international product, logo and uniforms, India’s largest private carrier Jet Airways has announced that it is expanding its operations to the US, Canada, Europe, China and South Africa.
While growing the US sector, Jet would develop Brussels, which provides easy connectivity throughout Europe. The airline expects that the US sectors would break even ahead of the expected 12-18 months period.
The redesigned Premiere Class has a revolutionary lie-flat bed, the most spacious seats in the sky and 15.4-inch flat screen TV for endless entertainment.
NEW DELHI: Air China plans to offer daily flight between Delhi and Beijing beginning October 31 next, according to Mr Zhao Quanzhen, airline’s Country Manager. 
Ms Suny Yang and Ms Wang Xian Yun, Director and Deputy Director of China National Tourist Office respectively, said that they were planning to open their representative office in Delhi next month to give a fillip to tourism between the two countries.
He said Air China is the sole and formal airline partner of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 
NEW DELHI, June 16: Indians love traveling, especially to the foreign shores if there are good deals. Keeping this in mind, several neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China are making all out efforts to woo over 7 million Indians, who travel abroad, by offering them great travel packages. 
The airline has also positioned itself as the link between India and the rest of the world. Through its leisure arm, SriLanka Holidays, it offers special hotel packages to Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Beijing, Maldives and other countries. It also offers attractive fares to London, Frankfurt and Paris in Europe.
Commenting on the Rupee one package, Shyana Wijayaratne, SriLankan Holidays’ Sales & Marketing Manager (Inbound) said: “It’s a perfect package for all vacationers, who just can’t get enough of your holiday! As always SriLankan Holidays has kept up to its mission to offer ‘best quality at best prices’! 
Peter Hill, CEO of SriLankan said: “We at SriLankan are honoured to receive this accolade, which is indeed a special one among the many that we have won in recent years. The Imperial Mark is not a subjective popularity poll, but is an expert evaluation of our service excellence. It is a tribute to the professionalism of our staff around the globe.”
NEW DELHI, June 2: Switzerland continues to be a popular tourist destination with the Indians. Last years a record number of over 30,000 Indians from Delhi alone went there. The first four months of this year, which happens to be off season for tourists, have already shown a jump in traffic ranging to 40 per cent.
NEW DELHI, May 22: Announcing the merger of two public sector carriers – Indian and Air India , Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here on Tuesday that the new entity will be known as "Air India".
NEW DELHI, May 7: On the second day of its presence, the “gentle green giant” – the super jumbo Airbus A380 continued to makes waves in the national capital. Some of the lucky few from the trade and industry, including Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, had the privilege to take a flight on the world’s largest passenger aircraft.
NEW DELHI, May 6: It was a breath taking sight when the world’s largest aircraft, Airbus A380, touched down at 10.50 am at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here on Sunday. 
NEW DELHI, April 9: The time and opportunity have come to realize the goals of SAARC charter: “to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) President Rajesh Mishra termed the proposed Open Sky policy as dynamic thinking of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said air connectivity should be extended to all important cities of SAARC.
Mr Goyal said the “open sky” policy would encourage competition within South Asia while encouraging private sector investment. He also called for setting up separate immigration counters at the airports for the SAARC nationals as is being done in the EU countries. 
Finance Minister P Chidambaram also proposed to amend the Central Sales Tax Act to treat aviation turbine fuel (ATF) as a 'declared good' for all small aircraft, with a maximum take-off mass of less than 40,000 kg, operated by scheduled carriers.
Welcoming the move, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said "it will truly give a fillip to connecting smaller towns and cities across the country.” 
Deccan Air Managing Director Capt G R Gopinath said that aviation was still not found on the radar of the Finance Minister or the Central Government. “It somehow appears aviation has not deserved the attention it should deserve. It is still considered a peripheral activity. It is not treated as integral to the economic growth of the country and somehow there is a feeling it is still meant for the rich.”
Responding to the Budget, Mr Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, The Bird Group, said "the duty reduction on Aviation Turbine Fuel will play a vital role for reducing ticket prices and catalysing air travel for the end consumers." 
NEW DELHI, Feb 27: Expanding its presence in the international sector, aviation major Air Sahara on Tuesday announced launch of its flight to Kuala Lumpur and Male.
NEW DELHI, Feb 22: The huge growth in air traffic has resulted in urgent need for development of airport infrastructure to meet the growing demand that involves challenging situations both in the air and on the ground, according to Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla and AAI Chairman K Ramalingam.
Though, Dr Ramalingam said development of intelligent terminals is in the conceptual stage but it will soon become a reality. He said AAI would also be introducing new facilities for screening of passenger bags that would not be visible to the passenger but would be very effective. 
This new flight will reduce the flight time from 5 hours to just 3 hours. This flight will be in addition to the existing daily morning A320 flight IC 165/166 on the Delhi-Kochi sector via Mumbai.
NEW DELHI, Feb 17: UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that the Congress-led coalition Government at the Centre was committed to ensure that infrastructure does not become a bottleneck in ensuring economic development of the nation.
While laying stress on the importance of the public sector, Mrs Gandhi said that we also need cooperation from the private sector. “Both are partner for fulfillment and aspirations of our people,” she added.
In his address, Mr Patel suggested that private entrepreneurs, who possess the required amount of land, be allowed to build airports in the country to overcome problems relating to land acquisition.