Mumbai-bound SpiceJet SG 154 forgets over 40 flyers
The series of misadventures involving SpiceJet flight SG 154 from Kochi to Mumbai began after it was delayed by 75 minutes. “The airline attributed the delay to air traffic congestion at Mumbai.We were to land in Mumbai at 8.55pm; instead the departure was moved to 8.10pm,” said Karthik Ramani, who travelled on that flight. When the passengers were being ferried from the terminal building to the aircraft by coaches, around 7.50pm, there was a sudden, heavy , downpour. “I was in the last bus that was carrying about 40-50 passengers to the aircraft. It stopped at a spot on the apron and remained there for close to 30 minutes,” said Ramani. The passengers could see two SpiceJet aircraft parked ahead of them, a Boeing 737 and a smaller Q400 aircraft that was bound for Chennai.As the exasperated passengers waited for their bus to move, their aircraft started moving instead. “We saw the bigger aircraft moving and were worried that this was our flight, since ours was the Mumbai flight and so it would be operated by the bigger aircraft. But since it’s not possible that they would leave passengers behind, we weren’t sure,” ” he said. The bus went up to the smaller aircraft and the driver opened the doors. The flyers disembarked and showed their boarding passes to the ground crew at the ladder point but were told that that particular aircraft was going to Chennai, Ramani recalled. By this time, the Boeing 737 bound for Mumbai had begun taxiing and the bewildered and angry passengers started shouting. The panic-stricken SpiceJet ground staff started making calls even as the Boeing 737 continued to taxi to wards the runway . “Finally , it came to a halt. It stayed there for about 20 minutes before it taxied back,” said Ramani. The passengers then boarded. “The commander was very angry about the goof-up, he was shouting at the crew. He said he wouldn’t operate the flight, and the crew had to pacify him,” he added. “It’s strange that they didn’t realise that one-fourth of the aircraft was empty , though the flight was fully booked,” he said. The aircraft finally departed at 10pm. SpiceJet did not respond to the questions sent by TOI. P Mohanan, a former ICAO security auditor, said: “In 1985, Air India’s Kanishka bombing took place only because the terrorists had checked-in their bags, but they didn’t board. Since then passenger-baggage reconciliation has been made mandatory . Even if one passenger has not boarded and hisher bag has been checked in, it has to be removed before the plane can depart. This is a major security breach and an inquiry should be conducted.” Sam Mills Jersey
13 cities with aerodromes told to go online for building plans
To enable easy take-off of construction projects in the proximity of airports, Union Urban Development Ministry has directed 13 cities with aerodromes to go online with regard to approvals for building plans by March next year. These 13 cities are among the 15 cities for which the Airports Authority of India has already evolved Colour Coded Zoning Maps for according ‘No Objection Certificates’ in respect of height of construction projects. The other two cities, namely Delhi and Mumbai, have already enabled online approvals based on a Common Application Form. Urban Development Ministry Additional Secretary Durga Shankar Misra today reviewed the status of these 13 cities in this regard with Municipal Commissioners of most of these cities and urged them to facilitate integrated online approvals during this financial year, an official release said. Cities that were encouraged to go online included Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Nagpur, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Patna, Aurangabad, Chennai, Kochi, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. Tyler Johnson Authentic Jersey
Alliance Air to operate flights from Hyderabad to Jabalpur, Bhopal
Alliance Air, the wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, will commence operations to Jabalpur and Bhopal from Hyderabad with effect from May 24, on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The flights will be operated with 70-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft. The flight AI 9864 will leave Hyderabad at 12.50 p.m. and arrive in Jabalpur at 2.50 p.m. and will depart from Jabalpur at 3.20 p.m. and arrive Bhopal at 4.25 p.m. The flight AI 9863 will leave Bhopal at 08.45 a.m. and arrive in Jabalpur at 09.50 a.m. and will leave for Hyderabad at 10.20 a.m. and to reach at 12.20 p.m. Willie Stargell Womens Jersey
AirAsia India hits 2.5 million passenger milestone
AirAsia India has flown 2.5 million passengers as of today, the airline said. “We at AirAsia India are thrilled beyond words on having flown 2.5 million guests as of today,” AirAsia CEO designate Amar Abrol said in a statement here. AirAsia India reached its 1 million passengers milestone in August 2015 and in a little more than six months, the number of passengers flown by it has grown to 2.5 million, it said. To celebrate this occasion, AirAsia India is offering 50 per cent off on return fares for 50 hours across the AirAsia Group network. The 50 per cent off is also valid on international destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Phuket, Singapore, Melbourne, Auckland and many more connected by the Group airlines, AirAsia Berhad (Flight code AK), AirAsia X (Flight code D7) and Thai AirAsia (Flight code FD). Seats are available for booking from today till May 18 for the travel period from August 1 to November 30, it said. AirAsia India started its operations on June 12 2014 with an Airbus A320. The airliner currently has a fleet of six aircraft with 10 destinations and 12 routes in India spanning Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Kochi, Vizag, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati and Imphal. Ray Lewis Womens Jersey
Reliance Defence plans to make 80-seater passenger aircraft with Ukraine’s Antonov
Reliance Defence , part of the Anil Ambani-led Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), is looking to manufacture 50-80 seater passenger aircraft in India soon with the help of its Ukraine joint venture partner Antonov . This makes Reliance the first Indian company to do so in the last 25 years after Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), which discontinued production. The move by Reliance Defence to make passenger aircraft in India also comes in the backdrop of HAL proposing to form a joint venture in India with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to produce and supply 50-80 seater aircraft. Reliance Defence’s president M.Matheswaran said their JV would also work with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics to produce low cost passenger aircrafts aimed at meeting the growing demand for connectivity to nearly 400 tier-II and tier-III Indian cities. He was speaking to journalists in Hyderabad on the eve of world’s largest cargo aircraft of Antonov, Mriya-The Dream, landing in India. Plan of action The 51:49 joint venture between Reliance and Antonov would initially start assembling aircraft with completely knocked down (CKD) units at its aerospace park in Nagpur, coming up at Rs 6,500 crore, and complete the indigenisation over the next 15-20 years. The Reliance’s Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park in Mihan near Nagpur hopes to begin work on making aerospace components at the earliest possible. Reliance Defence had in March last week signed an agreement with the Ukraine based state corporation Antonov to cooperate on dual version transport aircraft for military, para military and commercial use in India. First response submitted “We have submitted the first response to RFI (request for information) (called for by HAL) and will be followed by RFP (request for proposal), which we expect in two-three months’ time,” said Matheswaran. “When they issue the RFP, we will respond. Once we are confident we’ll win that, then entire set up will come in.” Off-the-shelf buying Further, the Reliance Defence chief said, “There will be some initial offthe-shelf buying and supply to Indian airline operators first to show the strength and capabilities and (will) then follow it up by taking orders from them.” Matheswaran said the joint venture with Antonov would not only confine its business just to the Indian continent but also address the growing needs of the regional market for low-cost aircraft and subsequently, explore opportunities that are available across the globe. Jalen Mills Authentic Jersey
Six companies get NOCs for non-scheduled air services this year
At least six companies have received preliminary approval from the government for launching non-scheduled air services in the first four months of this year, mirroring the rising demand for private charters . In the whole of 2015, just ten entities received the No-Objection Certificate ( NOC ) from the civil aviation ministry. The uptrend in granting NOCs comes against the backdrop of government making efforts to bolster the domestic aviation space, which has high growth potential. Procuring an NOC is the first step in the approval process for starting air services in the country and, subject to fulfilment of conditions, the final nod in the form of Air Operator’s Permit (AOP) is granted by the aviation regulator, DGCA. Latest data from the Civil Aviation Ministry shows that six companies received initial NOCs till early April this year in the ‘Non Scheduled Air Transport Services’ category. The firms are LMCS Infra Holdings, U Y Aviation, River Engineering, Chipsan Aviation, AVV Skyshuttle and TAAL Enterprises. Out of them, LMCS, U Y Aviation and River Engineering got the approval in February while Chipsan and AVV Skyshuttle received the nod in March. The NOC to TAAL Enterprises was given last month. From January 2014 to April this year, as many as 34 entities have been given NOCs under the ‘Non Scheduled Air Transport Services’ segment. During this period, four companies — including Tata SIA Airlines — got the initial nod for starting ‘Scheduled Air Transport Passenger Services’ while four others received the approval in the ‘Scheduled Air Transport Regional Services’ category, as per the data. Tata SIA Airlines launched services in January 2015. According to the data, a total of 43 NOCs were issued in January 2014-April 2016 period across the three segments. However, just six entities have got the AOPs. Going by estimates, there are nearly 130 registered private charter operators in the country. Cody Parkey Womens Jersey
Civil Aviation Ministry to appoint people on deputation to AAIB
In order to provide adequate manpower to deal with exigencies, the Civil Aviation Ministry is looking to appoint personnel on deputation to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau ( AAIB), which has now become an independent body. The Ministry has written to the Department of Personnel and Training ( DoPT ) in this regard, a senior official said. While the regulatory framework has been put in place for functioning of AAIB as an entity independent of aviation watchdog DGCA , the recruitment rules are yet to be finalised. As many as 21 positions at AIIB, including the post of Director General (DG), have been notified. According to the official, the Ministry is awaiting approval of DoPT for taking people on deputation at AAIB. Such an arrangement would help carry out the functions of the board pending finalisation of the recruitment norms which would take some more time, he added. Discussions have been completed with DoPT on the draft recruitment rules for AAIB and the document would be put up for public comments soon. AAIB was under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and making it an independent body was required under ICAO norms. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is a specialised agency under the United Nations which has the mandate to ensure that local civil aviation operations and regulations in different countries are in conformity with global norms. With AAIB becoming an independent body, concerns about possible conflict of interest would be addressed. The bureau, which was made a separate division under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2012, has the responsibility of investigating all major aircraft incidents and accidents in the country. The AAIB takes the help of experts on a case-to-case basis while probing aircraft accidents. Travis Kelce Womens Jersey
Kishangarh airport likely to be operationalised by July next year
The new airport at Kishangarh , which is being developed to cater to the historical city of Ajmer, is likely to be operationalised by July next year for which airlines have evinced interest to operate flights from Mumbai and Delhi. Located in the biggest marble market of Kishangarh, the airport building’s construction work is most likely to complete in December after which the process for DGCA approval to commission the airport will begin and inspection by teams of air safety directorate will take place, Airport in-charge Sanjeev Jindal told PTI. He said nearly 85 per cent of the civil and electrical work of the terminal building, which will have a capacity to handle 200 passengers at a time, has been completed and the 2000 meter long runway has also been constructed. 441 acres of land was handed over for the project in 2013 but possession of 69 acre of land is still pending due to compensation issue to be handled by the state government. Due to the problem of acquisition of the 69 acre land, four km long boundary wall and other important works are still pending. “Series of meetings took place with the state government and the district administration to resolve the issue and hopefully the piece of the land will be handed over in coming days,” he said. “Because of this issue, we are not able to install important equipment and communication set up. So far, runway of the length of 2 km and 60 per cent of the boundary wall along with perimeter road has been completed. “However, some runway work and safety area work for about 300 meter has not been completed in spite of various attempts and efforts by AAI because of the continuous agitation by villagers of Rathoron ki Dhani from more than a year, he said. The project comprises main terminal building which is being constructed to handle small aircraft operation, technical block, fire tower, Air Traffic Control Tower, electric sub station, rain water harvesting, sewerage treatment plant, horticulture and tree plantation. “After the construction of the infrastructure, approval of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is required.This has been targeted to receive by July 2017 thereafter the commercial operations will begin,” he said. The officer said that the airport will be based on a white theme. “The building will have installation of murals made of marbles which will give a 3D effect, ‘Bani Thani potrait’, the painting of the Kishangarh school of paintings, use of marble stone inside the building and other stones outside the building, fountains and other items will give the project a local touch. Apart from this, green cover in the area will be increased and 2000 trees are targeted to be planted in the monsoon season, he said. “Approximately 2000 small trees are proposed to be planted in the first phase so that at the time of starting flight operations, there will be a green belt to welcome passengers when they enter airport premises,” he said. Ajmer, which is visited by lakhs of tourists every year, is 135 kms from the state capital and the airport is near NH-11 and at a distance of 25 from the city of Ajmer. Ezekiel Elliott Jersey
Air India Group to add 100 planes to fleet in 4 years: Chief Ashwani Lohani
Switching into expansion mode, the Air India Group has decided to add 100 planes to its current fleet of 132 in the next four years. All airlines within the group — parent AI, AI Express and Alliance Air — will get more aircraft under the plan. This time the airline will opt for leasing, unlike the 111-aircraft order of UPA-I when planes were bought. “By March 31, 2020, AI group will have 232 planes. While nine aircraft (six Boeing 787s and three B-777) are from the previous order (of 111 planes), the rest will be new orders for leasing planes. We are going to grow aggressively and fight for leadership across segments,” AI chairman Ashwani Lohani told TOI. The parent AI currently has 41 wide-body aircraft of Boeing including 747, 777 and 787. “We will induct 14 more wide-body aircraft. By the end of this year when we get some Dreamliners, we will add Delhi-Madrid and have direct connectivity between India and Spain. This will be a first for India,” Lohani said. AI is looking at launching one-stop flights to US, apart from its trademark non-stop. AI will take on lease 40 more Airbus A-320s for the erstwhile Indian Airlines that serves domestic and nearby international routes. It currently has 66 Airbus family narrow-body planes. AI’s regional arm, Alliance Air, currently has 12 turboprops and five of them will return by the year-end, leaving it with seven planes. “We will order 35 more turboprops,” said Lohani. The airline will get 10 more ATR-72 by the end of this fiscal and is aiming for a fleet size of 43 by the end of 2018. “AI Express, which currently has 17 Boeing 737s, will get 18 more B-737s,” the chairman said. He added the airline will simultaneously start working on crew recruitment and finalising other logistics for the proposed fleet expansion. AI is going to have a small operating profit this year and is focussed on increasing its revenue. However, the annual debt servicing of Rs 4,000 crore remains a sore point with the airline. Air India chief Ashwani Lohani had recently told AI employees in a letter that the Maharaja’s “survival will remain at stake” till it is able to cover the annual debt servicing cost of Rs 4,000 crore. “This (operating profit) is just the first milestone and the airline still has a long way to go to meet its total costs…. The target for full turnaround is FY 2018-19, maybe a year earlier and till then our financial position shall continue to remain tight,” he said in the letter to employees. AI has loans of Rs 48,400 crore. Ryan Fitzpatrick Authentic Jersey
World’s biggest aircraft An-225 Mriya likely to make India debut on Friday
The world’s largest wide body cargo aircraft-Mriya (Dream), an An-225, is expected to make its India debut with its landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad on Friday. The Ukraine-based, Antonov Company’s aircraft is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest airplane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes. Built first in the 1980s, it also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operations. Specially built to undertake transcontinental route airlifting load between 180-230 tonnes, the aircraft will be coming in to Hyderabad from Turkmenistan, according to a press release. Partnership agreement Reliance Defence had last month signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Ukraine firm for assembly, manufacture & MRO of Antonov platforms in India, both for the commercial and military markets. India needs over 200 medium lift turbofan aircraft valued at Rs. 35,000 crores which is the backbone of all tactical Logistic Transport Support Role as well as Route Transport Role of the Air Force, Army and Para military forces, the release said. The joint venture between Reliance-Antonov will address various requirements including the 50-80 seat passenger aircraft programme of HAL, in its basic configuration and in all its variants such as transport, maritime patrol and other military roles. Antonov aircraft Antonov or An class of aircraft have served the Indian Air Force and Navy for over five decades. Currently, the IAF has more than 100 An-32 aircraft on its inventory. The joint venture would provide the benefits of quality and low-cost solution for 50-80 seater aircraft. It also envisages design and manufacture of the medium lift dual use turbofan aircraft in India with transfer of niche technologies. Low level tactical missions by this aircraft are aided by modern day avionics and navigation systems powered by fly-by-wire systems in all weather round-the-clock operations. Jordy Nelson Womens Jersey