Eurocopter forms India subsidiary

NEW DELHI, Oct 20: Eurocopter, which belongs to European consortium EADS, on Wednesday, announced the setting up of a new subsidiary in India, sensing a huge business potential and aiming to capture 50 per cent of the market share in helicopters.

Established as the 25th worldwide subsidiary and 10th in Asia, Eurocopter India Private Ltd. has decided to take an aggressive plunge. It hopes to expand its market share from the current 30 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015.

“The Indian helicopter sector has been growing at an annual rate of 20 per cent and our ambition is to become the country's number one supplier for the civilian, government and para-public markets,'' Executive Vice-President (Commerical Helicopters) Joseph Saporita told a news conference here.

Eurocopter is also competing for the Indian Army/Air Force bid to procure 197 light utility helicopters. Mr. Saporita said Eurocopter had taken part in the trials and awaits the process to be completed. However, the Indian subsidiary would not been associated with the bid since the military affairs were handled by the main company.

At present, Eurocopter said, its AS365 Dauphin was serving for off-shore, para-public and government transport, while it offered the EC135, EC145 and AS350 Ecureuil for medical emergency and law enforcement duties including in naxal-affected areas.

Eurocopter India CEO Marie-Agnes Veve said the company was the world's first major helicopter manufacturer to establish a subsidiary in India. She said Eurocopter had now 23 civil and government customers and had been operating in the country for the last four decades.

Ms. Veve said at present Eurocopter had 30 per cent market share with U.S. Bell having majority 50 per cent. However, over the next five years, Eurocopter India aimed to increase its share to 50 per cent. The company estimated to sell at least half of the 50 helicopters that the civil sector was expected to buy each year.

Through the Indian subsidiary, the company hopes to address current and future operators' needs for maintenance and support by offering cost-effective solution for spares management and technical documentation and develop a country-wide maintenance, repair and overhaul network. The company plans to expand industrial cooperation building on the 40-year relationship with Hindustan Aeronautics, which has produced 600 of its Lama and Aloutte III helicopters under licence.

152 die in Pakistan plane crash

ISLAMABAD, July 28: A Pakistani aircraft with 152 people on board crashed into the Margalla Hills skirting the capital in the north on Wednesday morning; leaving no survivors and an entire hillside charred. Though hopes of survivors were kept alive for some hours after the crash, the government announced six hours later that all on board were dead. Efforts were afoot to get the bodies till late in the evening.

The Airblue flight ED 202 was flying in from Karachi to Islamabad and had been asked to await landing clearance at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. While circling through heavy rain, it flew very low over the capital before it headed off towards the thickly wooded Margalla Hills which, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, is a “no fly zone”.

Eye-witnesses claimed to have seen the aircraft fly very low over Blue Area — the commercial quarters of the capital — and from all accounts, the Airbus 321 had its landing gear down. According to a statement put out by Airblue, the flight crashed due to poor weather and thick fog.

The plane lost contact with the control tower shortly before the crash and late in the evening television networks reported that it had been warned against heading towards Margalla Hills.

An enquiry has been ordered into the crash and the government announced a day of mourning for the victims of what is being billed as one of the worst tragedies in Pakistan's aviation history.

While the crash site itself was a good kilometre-and-a-half from the nearest road, rescue operations were further slowed down because much of the debris fell into a gorge.

Accessing the debris and the site was made more difficult by the steady rain since Tuesday rendering the terrain slippery and slow to negotiate. Helicopters were pressed into service to send commandoes into the gorge with ropes to cut through the debris and pull up the bodies.

To ensure against a traffic snarl on the approach road, only rescue vehicles were allowed up. Since the crash site was visible from much of Islamabad — particularly Margalla Road — cars were lined up through the picturesque avenue as people tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Several Islamabad-based relatives of passengers on the aircraft could be seen trying to access the site from other pathways suitable for trekking.

Emergency was declared in all hospitals in the city soon after the crash in anticipation of survivors.

However, as the day wore on, hopes faded and the focus changed towards identifying the bodies that were being brought in charred and mutilated. The deceased include two American nationals besides a couple of other foreigners. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani made an aerial survey of the crash site along with senior Cabinet colleagues and Chief Ministers of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa who were present in the capital for a Cabinet meeting which has since been postponed as the terror-struck nation steeled itself for another pile of body bags.

World's largest passenger plane A380 lands at IGI's T3

NEW DELHI, July 15: The T-3 is fully functional and now to add another feather on its cap, the Indira Gandhi International Airport saw its first Emirates Airbus A 380, the largest aircraft in the world, taxi into its runways.

The Emirates Airbus A 380, flight EK 516 that arrived from Dubai, was received with a welcoming water cannon salute as it carried in its passengers. The T-3, large enough to hold 9 such aircrafts, is said to be better equipped than the Heathrow airport.

The 4 storey tall plane boasts amenities such as television with over a thousand channels, spas, mini bars, great many choices of food and drink and personal satellite phone fitted to each seat. Emirates' A 380 has given flying a whole new definition.

T3 has a capacity to handle 34 million passengers per annum and will be fully operational from July 28.

Osama Bin Laden gets a boarding pass from British Airways

LONDON, June 1: The name of international terrorist and fugitive Al Qaeda boss Osama Bin Laden has surfaced in an unlikely spot, and apparently he's flying British Airways first class to Washington.

It seems that somebody in London with a bad sense of humor is causing the U.K. airline a bit of a headache after inserting a graphic of a boarding pass bearing bin Laden's name into a company-run magazine.

A cover story in LHR News -- a British Airways staff magazine covering London's Heathrow Airport -- about a new service allowing passengers to download paperless boarding passes to their iPhones includes close-up cover photo a white boarding pass emblazoned with the name "Bin Laden/Osama."

Apparently bin Laden likes to fly -- or at least knows the value of loyalty -- because the boarding pass features a frequent flier number. And don't worry about his leg room. The world's most-wanted man is apparently flying pretty up in first class, seat 7C.

It is unclear how the name of the leader of al Qaeda, the organization responsible for enlisting the Sept. 11 hijackers to steal commercial planes, got on the faux British Airways boarding pass. The company acknowledged that the magazine graphic was a mistake and said it is investigating the its source.

"A mistake has been made in this internal publication and we are working to find out how this occurred," spokeswoman Michele Kropf said.

British Airways is currently in the middle of a prolonged labor dispute with some of its unions, and some travel bloggers have speculated that the insertion of bin Laden's name may have been a prank by a disgruntled employee or former employee.

"You would think they would know better," said John DiScala, a blogger known as Johnny Jet. "Someone who worked there was obviously leaving the company or they were not thinking."

"It has to be a disgruntled employee. That person is an idiot," DiScala added. "What's wrong with John Doe or Joe Smith? They could have even put the queen's name on there. That would have at least been funny. There's nothing funny about Osama Bin Laden."

US Department of Transportation to release new rules on airline bumping

WASHINGTON, June 1: If you've ever been bumped from a flight at the last minute and cried foul, it seems the Department of Transportation has heard your complaints (or at least thousand others like you.)

On Tuesday morning, the DOT is to release new rules on airline bumping, the practice of knocking a passenger off a flight without their permission. According to spokesman Bill Mosley, the announcement will include new rules on a range of issues, not just bumping, as part of the overall effort to improve consumer protections on airlines.

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the new plan on bumping is expected to raise the maximum amount that airlines must pay passengers who get bumped off an oversold flight, currently at $400 or $800 depending on how long a trip is delayed. The Associated Press also reported that bumpings rose in three of the past four years and jumped 10 percent to 762,422 (passengers) in 2009, the highest total since 2002. Bumpings hae also soared to 17 percent in the first quarter of this year.

For anyone who has ever tried to board an oversold price, you know the routine. First, you hear the announcement asking for someone to "voluntarily" give up their seat in exchange for a free ticket at another time, etc. The growing problem is one of overbooked flights. And as the busy summer flying season approaches, some passengers may be more nervous than ever. Airlines for years, have oversold flights under the guise that some passengers won't show up. That happens less and less frequently now, because there are fewer flights. The fact there are fewer flights then forces more bumping and causes more problems for the "bumped" passenger, i.e. fewer options to get to their destination.

Again, the DOT announcement is expected to give airline customers additional protections, including in how prices are advertised, especially online.

A400M to make its first public appearance at ILA Berlin Air Show 2010

PARIS, May 27: Celebrating its 40th anniversary of ongoing innovations, Airbus will be at the ILA Berlin Air Show, taking place at Schönefeld Airport from June 8th to 13th.

Visitors will be able to get an exclusive first glimpse of the A400M, the all-new airlifter for the 21st Century and Airbus Military’s latest development. The airlifter, which is capable of performing tactical, strategic and tanker missions, will be on static and flying display during the first two days of the airshow, leaving on the 10th June.

From June 11th, the “new Queen of the Skies”, the A380, will take over. During the A380 flying display you will be able to experience the unique quietness of this all-new eco-efficient airliner – a true good neighbour for each and every airport.

On the EADS stand (Hall 7), visitors can learn more about Airbus and Airbus Military products and innovations. They will find an interactive tool featuring all Airbus commercial aircraft family products including Airbus Military’s, as well as a cut-away model of the A320P2F (Passenger to Freighter conversion). A full scale cross section of an A400M fuselage and a full scale mock-up of the A350 XWB’s cabin housing an audio-visual theatre showing Airbus’ latest innovations “shaping efficiency” are also on display. Airbus experts and specialists will be available to discuss innovations at the Forum on the stand.

Throughout the ILA week Airbus will be holding events designed to give students and recent graduates in an aerospace, engineering or an engineering-related business discipline the chance to discuss career opportunities at Airbus.

Ash cloud has cost world economy five billion dollars: Study

PARIS, May 26: Not only world aviation, but the global economy as a whole were adversely affected by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud problem over the past month, a British economic research group reported Thursday.

Oxford Economics, in a study prepared for Paris-based Airbus, said that through May 24, the ash cloud problem had inflicted 5 billion dollars' worth of damage to world gross domestic product (GDP).

It was not only the aviation sector which was hurt through airport closures and flight cancellations in the wake of the April 14 volcanic eruption, the report said.

Companies linked to the air cargo industry were also hurt, the report said, citing such wide-ranging examples as Kenyan flower traders unable to despatch their products to Europe, and carmakers in

Europe and mobile phone firms in Korea hit by components shortages. Oxford Economics said that in the week of April 15-21, it was above all European aviation which suffered, with over 100,000 flights cancelled and airlines losing 2.2 billion dollars in revenues.

Black Box of crashed Air India plane recovered

MANGALORE, May 25: Two days after Air India flight IX-812 that was coming from Dubai crashed, investigators today found the crucial Data Recorder, the black box.

The black box has recorded tapes of air traffic control contact with the aircraft in its final moments.

DGCA has said that the black box is intact, though it is charred.

Meanwhile, bodies of 22 persons were yet to be identified prolonging the agony for grieving families waiting to claim their loved ones and the results of DNA tests were awaited.

A preliminary replay and analysis of the audio taped conversation between the Air Traffic Control at the Bajpe Airport and the pilots of the Boeing 737-800, moments before the crash, was carried out yesterday, official sources said.

On Sunday, the investigators had recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Digital Flight Data Acquisition Unit (DFDAU) from the wreckage of the ill-fated flight from Dubai that crashed at Bajpe airport in Mangalore on Saturday killing all but eight of the 166 persons on board. DFDAU is similar to the 'black box' Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) but stores information only for a shorter period of time.

The two on-board devices would be brought to New Delhi soon for a detailed analysis to help determine the causes of the country's worst air accident in a decade.

The CVR and DFDAU, which record the cockpit audio and most of the aircraft's technical details, would be brought to the DGCA headquarters in New Delhi for analysis, the sources said.

The airline meanwhile denied lax safety claims saying Air India Express meets all regulatory requirements and has been always well equipped to handle the operations and maintenance of its fleet to established standards.

Pilots and engineers were fully trained and qualified, while regulators had audited and cleared every aspect of its work, the airline said in a statement while describing Air India Express as a "world-class international low-cost carrier".

Mangalore crashed aircraft's black box found; AI announces compensation

MANGALORE, May 23: Investigators on Sunday recovered the 'Black Box' and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the wreckage of the ill-fated Air India Express which are expected to provide vital clues about the cause of the Saturday's crash that left 158 passengers and six crew dead.

Top Civil Aviation Ministry officials said the Digital Flight Data Recorder or the Black Box and the CVR, which record cockpit conversation and all technical details, have been traced from the debris of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which overshot the runway and burst into flames after plunging into a ravine.

Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav announced an interim compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the victims, above 12 years of age, Rs five lakh for those below 12 years and Rs two lakh for those injured.

"This will be over and above the relief of Rs two lakh to the families of each victim announced by the Prime Minister," he told reporters in Mangalore.

Teams, probing the worst air tragedy in the country in a decade, continued sifting through the wreckage to find all material required for the investigation being carried out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The Black Box will be brought to Delhi on Monday where it will be examined by Air Safety Directorate of the DGCA to ascertain what went wrong, official sources said.

Experts of the US Federal Aviation Authority, Boeing and air safety firm Kenyon will assist in deciphering the Black Box and the CVR.

A forensic team from Hyderabad carried out DNA tests on the bodies that have been charred beyond recognition.

158 passengers and six crew members were killed in India's worst air disaster in a decade when Air India's budget carrier's flight IX-812 from Dubai crashed at the Bajpe airport on Saturday morning after overshooting the 8,000 feet runway.

Eight persons had a miraculous escape.

All the eight survivors of the crash were responding well to treatment at various hospitals in Manglore.

Doctors said the victims who had suffered cuts, bruises and burn injuries, were out of danger.

Air India arranged for counsellors for the relatives of the victims as well as their own crew and staffers, who were traumatised and shocked by the scenes of devastation.

As operations to retrieve the twisted and charred wreckage continued for the second day, the throttle in the cockpit was recovered by investigators.

It was found in a forward position suggesting that the pilot may have attempted a final thrust before the crash.

Heavy machinery was also being used to clear the debris scattered over a wide area.

Regarding the compensation package, Air India said it was in talks with insurance companies, including Reliance Insurance and General Insurance Company.

Mangalore crash: Sarkozy conveys condolences to PM

NEW DELHI, May 23: French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh his nation's "sincere condolences" on the death of 158 people in the Mangalore air crash.

"As India is struck by an air tragedy near Mangalore, in the state of Karnataka, I wish to convey to you my great sadness and to offer my most sincere condolences in the name of the French people and in my own name," Sarkozy said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

"My thoughts also go to the families of the deceased. I would be very grateful to you for conveying to them the solidarity of France in this painful ordeal," he added.

In his message to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner said, "I wish to offer my sincere condolences, along with all members of the government. In this ordeal, Ishare in the sorrow of the families of the victims."

The Air India Boeing 737-800 plane on way to Mangalore from Dubai overshot the runway and crashed at the Mangalore airport in Karnataka on Saturday, killing 158 people in the first major plane crash in India since 2000.

US, Britain, Russia, Germany, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pak offer condolence

The US, Britain, Russia, Germany, Pakistan and several other countries on Saturday condoled the death of 158 people in an Air India plane crash in Mangalore, the worst air disaster in the country in a decade.

US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer, offering his heart-felt condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the crash, said Washington stands ready to provide any support in this time of tragedy.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected. We have reached out to the Government of India to express our condolences and to offer any appropriate assistance," Roemer said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent his condolence messages to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his deep shock.

"I am shocked at the news about the tragedy: With the people of India we also are grieved at the multiple loss of human lives. I request you to convey our sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and wishes of speedy recovery of the injured in the air crash," a Kremlin release in Moscow quoted Medvedev as saying.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also offered their deep condolences.

"Our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families and all others affected by the tragic plane crash in Mangalore. We wish those who have been injured a full and quick recovery," Hague said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a message to Singh said, "I was deeply shocked to learn of the tragic crash of an Air India Express aircraft this morning in Karnataka, resulting in the loss of many precious lives."

"On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan and on my own behalf, I would like to convey our deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families," Gilani said.

In her condolence message to Singh, Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina conveyed her heartfelt sympathy to the members of the bereaved families, prayed for the departed souls and early recovery of the wounded survivors.

"In a message sent to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, she expressed her deep shock," Prime Minister Hasina's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told the news agency in Dhaka.

"She expressed the hope that India would be able to overcome the shock soon," he said.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa condoled the loss of lives and said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and all the people of India on this difficult day."

In his message to Singh, Rajapaksa said, "The news of the grievous loss of life arising out of the aircraft crash in Mangalore early this morning has deeply saddened me and the people of my country".

"On behalf of the Government and people of Sri Lanka, I offer sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this accident," he said.

158 killed in Mangalore air crash, 8 survive

MANGALORE, May 22: As many as 158 persons were killed when an Air India Express Boeing plane from Dubai with 166 passengers and crew on board overshot the touchdown point during landing at the Bajpe airport in Mangalore early Saturday, crashed down a cliff and burst into flames.

Eight persons miraculously survived the crash after the two-and-a-half-year-old Boeing 737-800 with an experienced Serbian pilot in command missed the touchdown area at the 8,000-feet 'table top' runway (air strip on a hilly terrain) at Bajpe airport.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who flew to the crash site, told reporters that of the 166 persons on board four persons escaped with minor injuries while three sustained major injuries. One person also escaped unhurt, he said.

Police said 146 charred bodies have been recovered nearly nine hours after the crash which occurred at 6.30 AM. A majority of the victims were Keralites.

The entire six-member crew including the two pilots perished in the accident that occurred at about 6.30 am. The passengers comprised 105 men, 32 women, 19 children and four infants.

An Airport Authority of India(AAI) official said there was no distress call from the pilots, who were very experienced and familiar with the hilly terrain, when they got clearance for landing the Air India Express flight, about seven km away from touchdown.

The wind was calm, visibility at a comfortable six km and it was not raining at the time of the incident, the official said.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), also known as the black box which could give vital clues to the cause of the crash, was yet to be recovered from the wreckage, Patel said.

He said the plane overshot the touchdown area of runway and went into a cliff because spillover area was short.

One of the wings of the aircraft hit the concrete localiser instrument, a navigation aid, and fell in that area itself.

The localiser is located at the end of the spillover area, which is about 90 metres, Patel said, adding the aircraft plunged into a ravine 200 to 300 metres down but did not immediately catch fire.

The plane broke into two and smoke billowed from the main fuselage. The plane was almost completely burnt with only its tail visible.

The commander Capt Zlatko Glusica(53) had 10,000 hours of flying experience and had made 16 previous landings at Bajpe airport while the co-pilot H S Ahluwalia with 3,650 flying hours had previously landed here 66 times.

The two pilots last flew into Mangalore on 17th May, an official said. Two air hostesses were among the four-member cabin crew.

Patel said preliminary observation showed there was no problem with the four-year-old runway or the aircraft but the plane had overshot by about 2000 feet.

An inquiry has been ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) into the crash and an Air India team will assist it in the probe.

The team headed by Executive Director (Operations) will establish the circumstances, collect data and assist the DGCA inquiry.

Mangalore airport, which is in a hilly area, was shut down immediately after the mishap but reopened after about eight hours.

Charred bodies, strewn luggage and mangled remains of the aircraft bore a grim testimony to the tragedy.

"The plane shook with vibrations before it split into two. As soon as it hit the ground, I managed to get out and jump into a pit. There was smoke all over as the plane caught fire. After ten minutes, there was an explosion," said Pradeep, one of the seven survivors.

"I can't believe I survived the crash," he said reliving the moments minutes before the aircraft went up in flames.

About 150 CISF personnel, airport officials and fire service personnel along with civilians and local police were quickly pressed into service to pull out any survivors out of the burning plane.

Saturday’s air mishap was the first major plane crash in the country in nearly a decade.

61 people were killed when a Boeing 737 aircraft of domestic airline Alliance Air, crashed into a residential area near Patna airport in July 2000.

The country's worst aviation accident occurred in 1996 when two passenger planes collided in mid-air near New Delhi with the loss of all 349 on board both flights.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi condole loss of lives in Air India Express flight crash in Mangalore.

The Prime Minister announces a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those killed in Mangalore air crash and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM's National Relief Fund.

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