AirAsia India reports 42 per cent increase in passenger traffic
Budget carrier AirAsia India (AAI) flew 5.89 lakh passengers in three months ended September, 2016, a 42 per cent increase from the number of passengers who flew in the airline in the year-ago period. The airline during the quarter added three new destinations in its route network while capacity (number of total seats flown) increased by 23 per cent to 6.72 lakh, AirAsia said in a statement today. The number of passengers carried (by AirAsia India) increased 42 per cent YoY to 0.59 million (5.89 lakh), while the capacity increased by 23 per cent in July-September quarter of the current year, AirAsia said. In AAI, while Tata Sons and Malaysian no-frills airline AirAsia Berhad each holds 49 per cent stake, two of the airline’s directors, S Ramadorai and R Venkataramanan, hold 2 per cent stake. Three new routes –Bengaluru-Guwahati, Bengaluru-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Goa were added in the flight network during the quarter while frequencies were scaled up on the Bengaluru-Goa route. The airline also increased its seat factor by 12 per cent to 88 per cent from 76 per cent recorded in the quarter ended September 2015, it said. As on September 30, AirAsia India had eight Airbus A32O aircraft in its fleet against five in Q3 2015, it added. Significantly ousted Tata group chairman Cyrus Mistry, in a letter written a day after his abrupt removal had raised “ethical concerns” in Tata group’s jv with AirAsia and alleged that forensic investigation revealed fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore involving non-existent entities in India and Singapore. “Board members and trustees are also aware that in the case of AirAsia, ethical concerns have been raised with respect to certain transactions as well as overall prevailing culture within the organisation. “A recent forensic investigation revealed fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore involving non-existent parties in India and Singapore,” Mistry said in the letter. The Government has already said that “all issues (regarding AirAsia India) would be looked into and law of the land will have to be followed in case of any violation.” Madison Bumgarner Authentic Jersey
Civil Aviation Ministry awaits Home Ministry inputs on drones policy
After stakeholder consultations, the Civil Aviation Ministry is now awaiting final inputs from the Home Ministry for deciding the regulations on commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including drones. Aviation regulator DGCA banned the use of UAVs for commercial purposes in October 2014 amid concerns over security. In April 2016, the watchdog came out with draft norms for public consultations but there is yet to be a final decision the issue. Recently, officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry held discussions with their counterparts in the Home Ministry about the proposed regulations for UAVs, including drones and others. A senior official said views from the Home Ministry are awaited on the matter. “We had a meeting with the Home Ministry officials. We have requested for inputs on our proposed policy on drones and expedite the matter. As soon as we get their inputs, we will be putting out the policy on drones,” he said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in its draft regulations had proposed that drone users would have to secure a permit and a unique identification number for their operations. In the wake of technological advancements in UAVs over the years and their increased use, it has become necessary to develop guidance material to regulate their activities, according to officials. There have been growing instances of drones and other UAVs coming into the flight paths of aircraft, especially near busy airports, leading some of these countries to formulate rules to regulate these operations. “Civilian use of UAS (unmanned aircraft system) includes damage assessment of property and life in areas affected with natural calamities, surveys; critical infrastructure monitoring, among others… “UA (unmanned aircraft) operations present problems to the regulator in terms of ensuring safety of other users of airspace and persons on the ground,” it had said. In October 2014, the government had banned the use of UAVs by any non-government agency, organisation or an individual. Clint Boling Jersey
DGCA asks airlines to put in place electronic cigarette policy
Domestic airlines have been asked by the civil aviation regulator to formulate a policy on handling of electronic cigarettes, and display warnings inside lavatories and passenger briefing cards as part of the cabin safety measures. Under the new cabin safety circular, effective tomorrow, the operators would have to develop procedures to “ensure passengers are advised to remove electronic cigarettes (valet/ sky check) or in cases where excess carry on baggage must be placed in the hold”. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), popularly known as e-cigarettes, produce an aerosolised mixture containing flavoured liquids and nicotine that is inhaled by the user. The system is powered by lithium batteries. “Electronic, simulated smoking materials (cigarettes, pipes, cigars) are prohibited from use by both passengers and crew at all times. Operators should not permit the use of any item which could insinuate that smoking is permitted on board aircraft,” said a circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). These products are not yet regulated nor approved for smoking cessation by the US Food and Drug Administration and the long-term health effects to users and bystanders are still unknown, it noted. The DGCA said that since e-cigarettes are a potential health hazard with safety implications, airlines need to develop policy and procedures to ensure their non-usage as well as proper stowage onboard an aircraft. “Airlines should develop inflight procedures by way of placards/warnings inside the lavatories, safety announcements, passenger briefing cards etc.,” the circular said. The operators have also been asked to communicate their electronic cigarette policy to passengers by various means including through website and during ticket purchase. The circular would be applicable to all Indian operators, which are into scheduled and non-scheduled commercial air transport, as well as state government plane and general aviation aircraft. Apart from known as e-cigarettes, ENDS are also called personal vaporisers, vape pens, e-hookah or vaping devices. According to the watchdog, e-cigarettes can be accepted on board in the passengers carry on baggage provided they remain stowed and unused at all times. Riley Reiff Jersey
Get realistic; have professional consultants vet your wish list: Aviation ministry to industry
The civil aviation ministry is unlikely to seek tax concessions from the government in the budget for 2017-18, a change of stance that officials said has been prompted by reasoning that realistic demands are more likely to be accepted by the finance ministry. The ministry has for the first time asked the industry to get professional consultants to vet its wish list, in line with an idea mooted by the minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha, who had called a meeting of all industry representatives to discuss Budget demands last week. “It was discussed in the meeting that instead of sending a list of demands to the finance ministry that is never accepted, the industry should compile a list of doable things which the finance ministry can accept or look into,” an official present at the meeting said on condition of anonymity. It was also decided that the Budget wish list should focus on items that do not lead to revenue decline for the government, he said. “The demands are likely be items that do not lead to a revenue loss to the exchequer since such demands are unlikely to be accepted,” the official said. SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh has been given the responsibility to submit the list of demands by November 20, after getting them vetted by consultants. The ministry has called the next meeting on November 25 to discuss the demands.A few requests discussed in the meeting included demands to slash high tax on fuel and reduce excise duty on fuel that was hiked in the budget for 2016-17. Malcolm Jenkins Womens Jersey
Optimal utilisation runways: Govt ropes in global firm
IGI Airport may be India’s busiest airport but “poor” utilisation of its three runways is causing concern. A worried government has asked a leading global air traffic control (ATC) agency to see how the hourly aircraft handling capacity of IGI’s runways can be increased. “Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) has asked UK-based NATS (one of the best known air traffic control and airport performance firms globally) to do a study for optimising use of runways at the behest of the aviation ministry…. there has to be further improvement. The available space can be redesigned to increase the number of aircraft movement per hour. Our air navigation services are also trying to find ways of doing that,” said Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra . With two cross runways, the Mumbai Airport handles 45 flights an hour. But the Delhi airport, which has two parallel and a third merging runway, falls way behind—relatively speaking—with 67 aircraft movement an hour. Of these, 62 are for commercial flights and five are for VVIP, defence and charter aircraft. Michael Del Zotto Jersey
‘India to get electricity from offshore wind energy in 5 yrs’
India will get electricity generated by wind-propelled plants installed in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in about five years as part of the country’s green energy development programmes, an energy expert has said. “We are preparing India for offshore wind (and) providing MNRE a road map for offshore wind for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,” said Mathias Steck, Executive Vice President and Regional Manager at DNV GL, an international renewable energy group. “It would take three to five years that we see commercial offshore winds projects in India,” said Steck who is an expert in renewable energy at DNV GL, which has a 30-consultant team in India and made its entry into the Indian market in 1989. A 100-megawatt pilot project will likely be installed in ocean off Gujarat in about three years, he said on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week held last week. It is to kick start a new power generating sector under the Facilitating Offshore Wind in Industry (FOWIND) programme funded by the European Union. A FOWIND consortium has done a series of report on wind conditions for wind-generated electricity and its integration into a grid along the coastlines of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. FOWIND is supported by Euro 4 million grant from the Indo-European Cooperation on Renewable Energy programme and Euro 500,000 contribution through the Gujarat Power Corp Ltd (GPCL). The consortium, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), comprises GPCL, DNV GL, the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), and the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE). The project is being implemented in close cooperation with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and National Institute of Wind Energy. “Over the time DNV GL has been in India, we have looked over 50-gigawatt of onshore wind projects,” he said, adding “this is a market leading position” as DNV GL works for a large number of clients in renewable energy projects. DNV GL is also looking at prospects in solar and tidal wave energies in India, Steck added. Aaron Rodgers Authentic Jersey
Offshore wind power to grow over six times by 2030 globally:IRENA
Globally offshore wind could grow more than 6.5 times by 2030, becoming a key power generation technology, International Renewable Energy Agency has predicted. The agency says that offshore wind power has the potential to grow from just 13 gigawatts in 2015, to 100 GW in 2030. Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General of IRENA said: “Offshore wind power is poised to become a leading power generation technology in a decarbonised global economy. Now that onshore wind power is cost-competitive with conventional power generation technologies, more attention is shifting to offshore applications, characterised by high technical power generation potential.” According to IRENA technology innovation will be a key driver of the offshore wind boom. The report highlights upcoming innovations that will enable sector development, including next generation wind turbines with larger blades, and floating turbines, which will open up new markets in deeper waters. These advancements, combined with other sector developments, will reduce average costs for electricity generated by offshore wind farms by 57% over time – from $170 per megawatt hour (MWh) in 2015 to USD 74 per MWh in 2045. “The potential for offshore wind is enormous, but to realise it, governments must support technology innovation, and implement mechanisms to reduce technical risk and finance costs,” said Stefen Gsaenger, Secretary-General of the World Wind Energy Association. “This report from IRENA helps lay the foundation for this needed action.” Wesley Walker Womens Jersey
200 ‘power farmers’ to light up Uttarakhand with solar energy
Around 200 individuals in the state will now be known as ‘power farmers’, thanks to Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) that has roped in natives to set up solar power generation plants on their land. These farmers will directly supply the renewable energy to the state government at a fixed price of Rs 4.35 per unit. Under the scheme, solar power plants will be set up in all the 13 districts of the state. “Right now, 200 individuals have been selected to set up solar plants in villages, while we we are still getting proposals from people living in urban areas in the plains to set up solar panels on rooftop of their house. We plan to establish over 300 such plants in urban areas,” an officer said. The infrastructure for the plant, like solar panels, battery banks and grid-tie metre, was already put in place in the villages four months ago. Chief project officer of UREDA, Arun Tyagi, said “The individuals will be called power farmer. The solar power plant will be set up on their land and a power purchase agreement will be signed for selling the energy generated. They will generate power and earn from directly selling it to the state government.” Tyagi said that the selection process for the scheme has been completed and all the plants will be operational in next five months. “70% of the funds are been provided by the central government, while the state government is giving 20%. For the remaining 10%, individuals will have to take loans from banks,” he said. The solar plants, between 5 KV to 500 KV in capacity, will be set up depending on the space availability. The cost of solar plant is Rs 70,000 per KV and people opting for the scheme, will earn money by selling the power to state government. The officer claimed that under the village-level scheme, UREDA is expecting to build solar power plants with a total capacity of 1,000 in the next four month. “Each individual will be able to earn Rs 1,500 to 2,000 per month, after paying off loans and other expenses.” He further said that all the technical assistance and know-how to set up the plant will be given by UREDA. For commercial solar power production in plains, the UREDA office in Dehradun is flooded with over 300 proposals to set up plants in different districts. Leonard Fournette Jersey
Thane villages get electricity this Diwali
Two remote villages in neighbouring Thane district emerged out of darkness for the first time this Diwali, after they were electrified with the installation of a 2.5 kilo watts micro grid system. Sri Sri Rural Development Program (SSRDP) in collaboration with Rupantar training and consultancy brought solar electricity to Dapurmal and adjoining Khorgardwadi, literally lighting up the lives of 285 people there. “When we started working in the villages, we felt road connectivity and electricity were their biggest challenges. We immediately started looking for resources to help us implement this. We want to do this in many more such villages,” Snehal Naik, director, Rupantar Training and consultancy said, in a short film made on the project. Rupantar’s objective was to electrify the villages through solar micro grids and establish a self-driven system in the village for long-term maintenance. “Our team took the initiative to do solar electrification in the village just before Diwali. The team has brought electricity to many far-flung villages in India,” Rudresh Kumar Singh, Faculty, Art of Living said. Marcus Cannon Jersey
Over 30 hydel power projects left in limbo
More than 30 hydel power projects with an envisaged capacity of almost 10,500 megawatts have been held up due to agitations by local communities fearing dislocation and ecological damage and lack of funds. Preliminary surveys could not be carried out in some areas due to resistance by residents. “These projects have not been shelved and are very much on the priority list. The government is trying to evolve ways and means to make sure that the projects turn into reality,” said Central Electricity Authority, chairman SD Dubey. “The Centre along with local authorities is trying to persuade locals so that these projects can be taken up. For the ones that have faced financial crunch, the government is trying to solve issues faced by the project developers.” An example is the Lower Subansree project in Arunachal Project that’s now adequately funded following government intervention. A similar move by the central and state governments will ensure that finances won’t be a hurdle for the 1,200 MW Teesta III project in West Bengal. The 1000 MW Naba project in Arunachal Pradesh has been held up. The project site is in a remote area and local law and order is seen as a problem. The 815 MW Tamak Lata project in Uttarakhand has run into legal hurdles and is now in the Supreme Court. The 800 MW project in Arunachal’s Niare project is also located in a remote area and facing protests. The 10,500 MW in question is part of the government’s plan to set up a total hydel generation base of 50,000 MW in the country. Hydel power is cheaper than either solar or thermal energy but the impact of flooding vast areas is being questioned by the people who will be worst hit. Calvin Ridley Womens Jersey