Kerala airports handle more international passengers than domestic
The growth in India’s domestic air travel is among the key benchmarks the sellers of global commercial jets would keenly track. But, curiously, some airports in the peninsula cater to more international than domestic passengers, illustrating the traffic potential from the Gulf and the ASEAN cities in the South. Data from the state-run aviation property company Airports Authority of India (AAI) show that Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode, and Tiruchirappalli hosted more outbound passengers than those travelling within the country in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. “These international airports have more international flights. Look at the case of Tiruchirappalli airport, which is connected by five international destinations directly, but only one domestic destination,” said Habeebullah Ubaidullah, a Trichy-based aviation analyst. This airport, with flights to Colombo and connected domestically to Chennai by ATR aircraft, has 14 narrow-bodied international departures per day with 15,078 weekly seat capacities and more than 90% of load factor. There are only three ATR local departures to Chennai. “Tiruchirappalli International Airport has clearly been neglected by Indian carriers and South East Asian airlines have benefited from that,” adds Ubaidullah. This trend is in sharp contrast to the passenger break-up at the nation’s two biggest cities and aviation hubs — Delhi and Mumbai — where domestic passengers outnumber those going overseas three to one. Delhi airport catered to 42 million domestic and 15 million international passengers in FY17: For Mumbai, home to Bollywood and India’s top bankers, the figures were 32 million and 12 million, respectively. Last fiscal, Indian airports catered to about 100 million domestic passengers and 59 million international passengers. Semyon Varlamov Jersey
Government to form panel to monitor National Energy Policy
The government will soon constitute a committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to oversee implementation of the proposed National Energy Policy which aims to promote energy independence. The National Energy Policy, prepared by government think tank NITI Aayog after extensive consultations over the last one-and-a-half years, will replace the Integrated Energy Policy of the UPA regime, and lay the road map for the government push aggressively towards clean energy and reduce fuel import. “The National Energy Policy envisages interventions across multiple ministries over an extended period of time till 2040. This will call for a standing arrangement for overseeing its implementation,” a senior NITI Aayog official told ET, adding that the idea is to monitor progress of the proposals contained in the National Energy Policy and also coordinate the efforts of different ministries. The top-level steering committee will include ministers of the relevant ministries and will be serviced by the NITI Aayog. Asecond panel, comprising secretaries of concerned ministries and headed by NITI Aayog’s CEO Amitabh Kant, will help in inter-ministerial coordination for smooth implementation of the proposals. According to the draft NEP, which is up for public view, the period 2017-2040 is expected to witness a quantum leap in the uptake of renewable energy, drastic reduction in energy intensity, doubling of per capita energy consumption and tripling of per capita electricity consumption. “It is expected that implementation of the NEP would cater to wider consumer choices, and provide level playing field, competitive economy and energy security to India by 2040,” the draft policy has said. The overarching policy recommendations are based on India’s energy targets for 2040. The policy has proposed early action to achieve Modi’s bold announcements in the energy sector for the year 2022, as well as India’s NDCs (nationally determined contributions) for which the target year is 2030. The broad objectives of the NEP are enhanced energy independence, increased access at affordable prices, greater sustainability and higher economic growth. The policy has proposed interventions across sectors to rapidly reduce the gap on energy consumption parameters between the rural and urban areas, including 100% electrification and clean cooking coverage by 2022. The policy recommends increased commerciality for energy producers, transporters and distributors, and envisages reduction in energy prices through efficient markets. The policy also lays emphasis on energy efficiency, technology, regulatory oversight, effective overseas engagements, air quality considerations and human resource development in the energy domain. Joel Iyiegbuniwe Womens Jersey
India building natural gas trading hub: Dharmendra Pradhan
India’s natural gas sector will see more market-friendly reforms which will help create a trading hub in the country, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told a gathering of investors at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. “We are in the process of reforming the gas market in India where you can sell your gas through a gas trading hub,” said Pradhan. ET had reported on June 15 that the government was working on a plan to build a natural gas trading hub that could aid better price discovery for domestic as well as imported gas, and could eventually become Asia’s pricing hub competing with Singapore, Shanghai or Tokyo. India is the 4th biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer in the world, sourcing nearly half of its gas requirements from overseas. Rates of most of its long-term LNG contracts are linked to crude oil and those of domestic gas decided by the government-set formula. A market-driven pricing is considered necessary for the domestic market to mature, and a local trading platform could help in that. An electronic trading platform is expected to be ready by early 2018 which will allow only physical trading, according to people familiar with the plan. The country has four LNG terminals with a combined capacity of 27 million tonnes per annum. The capacity is expected to rise to 47.5 million tonnes by 2022. The gas pipeline network is also expected to double to 30,000 km in the next few years. Pradhan also invited investors to participate in the country’s exploration and production sector, where a new policy allows companies the freedom to carve their own blocks, use just one licence to exploit all forms of hydrocarbons, and the liberty to price their gas. “We have opened up 2.8 million sq km of area for your investment, and I extend the commitment of the government of Prime Minister Modi that you will receive a red carpet welcome if you decide to invest in it,” Pradhan said. The rising middle class of emerging Asian countries like India will drive the demand for energy both in terms of electricity and cooking and transportation fuel, Pradhan said, adding that India is the only country where the demand will continue to rise for more than a decade. The minister said that in the current oversupplied market, it is important for producers to understand the perspective of consumers and demand centres and the changes that have taken place in these demand centres. Pradhan held bilateral talks with Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, discussing issues of bilateral energy cooperation, including in renewable energy. Patrick Maroon Jersey
Natural gas sector will see more market-friendly reforms: Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
India’s natural gas sector will see more market-friendly reforms which will help create a trading hub in the country, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told a gathering of investors at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. “We are in the process of reforming the gas market in India where you can sell through a gas trading hub,” said Pradhan. ET had reported on June 15 that the government was working on a plan to build a natural gas trading hub that could aid better price discovery for domestic as well as imported gas, and could eventually become Asia’s pricing hub competing with Singapore, Shanghai or Tokyo. A market-driven pricing is considered necessary for the domestic market to mature, and a local trading platform could help. An electronic trading platform is expected to be ready by early 2018 which will allow only physical trading, according to people familiar with the plan. Pradhan invited investors to the exploration and production sector, where a new policy allows companies the freedom to carve their own blocks, use just one licence to exploit all forms of hydrocarbons and the liberty to price their gas. “We have opened up 2.8 million sq km for your investment and I extend the commitment of the government of Prime Minister Modi that you will receive a red carpet welcome,” Pradhan said. The rising middle class of emerging Asian countries like India will drive the demand for energy both in terms of electricity and cooking and transportation fuel, Pradhan said, adding that India is the only country where the demand will continue to rise for more than a decade. Bruce Matthews Authentic Jersey