BCAS suspends IndiGo’s security training centre licence
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has suspended the licence of budget carrier IndiGo’s aviation security training facility for alleged lapses in the examination system conducted by it. The orders issued by the apex aviation security agency BCAS last week bar the Gurgaon-based airline from conducting security training programme for its employees any further, sources said. The training academy is run by IndiGo’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation. BCAS has suspended the licence of IndiGo’s aviation security training centre on Friday after several lapses were detected in the examination procedure that it was following. This is a serious issue, the sources said. Following the suspension of licence, IndiGo would have to outsource the training programme, which would result in additional cost for the carrier, they said. When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson said the airline was in discussions with BCAS to resolve the issue. “Any lapse on the security front can have major ramifications for the country’s aviation sector. At sensitive airports like Srinagar, a secondary ladder point check of passengers is carried by airline security staff,” sources said. “This major responsibility is entrusted on the airline security staff on the premise and assurance that they would execute this duty in a responsible manner,” the sources said. “If security training is being compromised, it raises serious questions,” they added. The move comes at a time when the airline is already facing frequent glitches in its aircraft, resulting in delay in its flights and inconvenience to the passengers. Regulations make it mandatory for all scheduled airlines to impart aviation security training to its security staff, cockpit and cabin crew either through their own BCAS approved facility or any other similar authorised centre. Besides, BCAS also conducts such training programmes for airlines and other stakeholders at all its regional offices. While cockpit and cabin crew are imparted a one week training in various aspects of airline and airport security, for those deployed in other jobs it runs for more than a week. Russell Wilson Womens Jersey
IGI airport first in India to cross 5 crore flyer mark
In a first for any Indian airport, IGI Airport crossed the 5-crore passenger mark last year. The airport with three runways and as many terminals handled 5.5 crore passengers: 4 crore domestic and 1.5 crore international flyers. Mumbai was a distant second at 4.4 crore. This was 21% higher than 4.6 crore passengers IGI had handled in 2015, according to figures furnished by the Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL). Delhi’s record comes at a time when the country set new highs for both domestic and international air travel last year, primarily because of low international oil prices that allowed airlines to offer cheap fares. Almost 10 crore domestic passengers flew in India in 2016, up 23% from 2015’s figure of 8.1 crore. The number of international flyers last year is likely to be over 5.2 crore, up almost 9% from the previous year’s 4.8 crore. India’s international flyers generally grow at 10% year-on-year while domestic travellers, dependent on oil prices that determine airfares, has grown at over 20%+ in the recent past. With Delhi and Mumbai alone accounting for almost 10 crore of the total (domestic-cum-international) traffic that is expected to be just over 15 crore in 2016, the two mega cities account for twothird of entire air traffic in India. But with both these places facing challenges – Mumbai is majorly low on airport capacity while Delhi is seeing bottlenecks at its domestic budget terminal -the growth is bringing its own challenges. Carlos Correa Womens Jersey
Civil Aviation Ministry Gives Push to Executive Development for the Aviation Sector
The first Executive Development Programme of Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University was inaugurated by the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju in the capital today. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the Aviation University should play the important role of spreading knowledge and see that it is applied practically in the growth of the Aviation sector. Shri Raju pointed out that skill development was a key of the growth of the Aviation sector which is likely to see an increase in demand for skilled workers in the years to come . He also asked the University to co-ordinate its activities with the Aviation Academy. The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Shri Jayant Sinha said that to have better infrastructure and transportation facilities in the country, it was necessary to close the gap of increasing demand for trained and skilled people in the Aviation sector. In the present scenario people are looking for jobs and airlines are looking for trained persons, he added. Shri Jayant Sinha also advised the university to be innovative and include research programmes. Secretary for Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri R.N. Choubey said that the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University should not only organize training courses but also act as a think tank for the Aviation sector. The Vice Chancellor of the University Shri Nalin Tandon in his welcome address said that the Executive Development Programme and Management Development Programme had been structured after conducting detailed workshops with the industry and other stakeholders. He informed that the first Executive Development Programme on Aviation Management is being conducted by the University in collaboration with Indo US – American Cooperation Program. The programme is being attended by senior leadership from the Indian aviation sector to include air operators, airport operators, ancillary service providers and regulatory authorities. India is on the cusp of exponential growth in the aviation sector and a critical need was felt for India to invest in research and innovation in the aviation milieu in order to ensure that the growth is protected and to develop into a global aviation hub. The establishment of Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University is therefore a step by the Ministry of Civil Aviation towards promoting this growth on a sustainable basis and building a foundation on which India’s aviation sector shall be showcased to the rest of the world. Key learning outcomes from premier Indian institutions have been drawn to build Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University into a world class university and a centre of excellence for aviation education and research that is focused at meeting industry needs and skill requirements. This University is the first of its kind in the country that has been established to promote aviation studies and research to achieve excellence in areas of aviation management, policy, science and technology, aviation environment, training in governing fields of safety and security regulations on aviation and other related fields to produce quality human resources to cater to the needs of the aviation sector that is witnessing a massive transformation and growth. The University is planning the launch of its flagship programme in 2018 at its campus in Fursatganj, Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. A number of Management Development Programmes have also been planned and shall be conducted in subsequent years. Mike Wallace Womens Jersey
AAI can monetise 2000-3000 acres of its land, says Ashok Gajapathi Raju
Civil Aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday said the national airports operator AAI could monetise around 2000-3000 acres of its land and utilise the funds raised in airport infrastructure development. Under the current norms, airport land could be used only for limited purposes. Raju’s comments came a day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in the 2017-18 Union Budget that “the AAI Act will be amended to allow monetisation of land assets owned by AAI.” “AAI can easily monetise 2000-3000 acres of land… The amount (raised) from this should contribute to infrastructure (development),” Raju said. He also said the move to monetise the land assets of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would benefit the fliers as well. AAI owns around 55,000 hectares of land in urban areas across the country. Significantly, the AAI chairman too had last year said the authority would focus on monetisation of its huge chunk of land on the city side across airports in the country as part of AAI’s larger efforts to enhance non-aeronautical revenues. AAI’s non-aeronautical revenue currently account for around 19 per cent of its annual top line. Asserting that the government’s ambitious regional connectivity scheme UDAAN was going in the “right” direction, Raju said the first flight under the scheme was likely to take off in March. Jose Iglesias Authentic Jersey
PPP spells bright prospects for Lucknow airport
Flyers may be in for better services with Union government making budgetary provision for operation and maintenance of airports in tier-II cities on a PPP (public private participation) model. Aviation experts said the provision actually replaces the privatisation scheme proposed earlier that could not take off on account of low profitability of relatively smaller airports. In UP, for example, Lucknow and Varanasi airports were proposed to be thrown open for privatisation in 2013. The government, however, stepped back and cancelled the mandatory request for quotation (RFQ) after not many private players reached out. The PPP model, however, may evince interest amongst private parties that may get involved in only a section of airport operation/maintenance while not having to bear the burden of the whole setup. A senior AAI official said how the model is executed will have to be worked out in terms of profitability. Ryan O’Reilly Authentic Jersey
Expansion by Indian carriers to help aviation sector overcome cash ban impact
Continuous addition of capacity by India’s airline companies will help the country’s aviation market overcome the impact of demonetisation, says airline body International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA’s observation came, as it announced that ‘the domestic India market topped the growth chart for the second year in a row; passenger volumes surged by 23.3% in 2016 – twice as fast as the next fastest growing market, China.’ “It has not all been positive news over recent months; indeed, the seasonally-adjusted (SA) traffic trend slowed in H2 from its stellar upward trajectory, and business confidence has fallen following the withdrawal of large-denomination banknotes in November. However, airlines are scheduling strong flight frequency growth in 2017, which will translate into time savings for passengers and will have the same stimulatory impact on demand as a cut in fares,” IATA said in its Air Passenger Market analysis for 2016. The analysis showed that domestic air travel globally rose by 5.7% in 2016. “All major markets except Brazil showed growth, but India and China, with RPK expansion of 23.3% and 11.7% respectively, were the stand-out performers,” it said. IATA said that demand in the domestic sector globally (revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 6.3% compared to 2015 (or 6.0% if adjusted for the leap year). “This strong performance was well ahead of the ten-year average annual growth rate of 5.5%. Capacity rose 6.2% (unadjusted) compared to 2015, pushing the load factor up 0.1 percentage points to a record full-year average high of 80.5%,” it added. Russell Martin Womens Jersey
India sees highest domestic air passenger growth in 2016: IATA
Emerging as a stand-out performer, India witnessed the highest growth of 23.3 per cent in domestic air travel demand worldwide in 2016 twice that of neighbouring China, according to IATA. The global airlines’ grouping today said domestic India market topped the growth chart for the second year in a row with passenger volumes surging twice as that of China. “Domestic air travel rose 5.7 per cent in 2016. Capacity rose 5.1 per cent and load factor was 82.2 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points over 2015. “All major markets except Brazil showed growth, but India and China, with RPK expansion of 23.3 per cent and 11.7 per cent, respectively, were the stand-out performers,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. Revenue Per Kilometre (RPK) is a measure of passenger volumes. Both India and China have been underpinned by additional routes and increasing flight frequencies, the grouping said, while adding that the latter is likely to continue this year. Reflecting strong growth, Indian carriers flew nearly 100 million passengers on the domestic routes last year, as per latest data from aviation regulator DGCA. To boost the domestic aviation sector, the government is working on various initiatives, including upgradation of airports as well as enhance regional air connectivity. With respect to India, IATA said it has not all been positive news over recent months. “… seasonally-adjusted traffic trend slowed in the second half from its stellar upward trajectory and business confidence has fallen following the withdrawal of large- denomination bank notes in November,” it said. In November 2016, the government scrapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes as part of continuing efforts to crack down on illicit fund flows. The move has impacted the economy, including travel segment. On India, IATA also said airlines are scheduling strong flight frequency growth in 2017, which will translate into time savings for passengers and will have the same stimulatory impact on demand as a cut in fares. Globally, passenger traffic demand grew 6.3 per cent last year — much higher than the ten-year average annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent. International passenger traffic alone rose 6.7 per cent in 2016. “Air travel was a good news story in 2016. Connectivity increased with the establishment of more than 700 new routes. And a $ 44 fall in average return fares helped to make air travel even more accessible. “As a result, a record 3.7 billion passengers flew safely to their destination. Demand for air travel is still expanding,” IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.
Air India to use government dole to trim aircraft loans
National carrier Air India is set to reduce its aircraft loans after finance minister Arun Jaitley allocated Rs 1,800 crore toward retiring debt that has been raised to fund fleet expansion of the debt-laden airline. New Delhi-based Air India, which is battling both full-service and low-cost private carriers for market share at home and the country’s immediate neighbourhood, has debt of about Rs 45,000 crore on its balance sheet: of the loans, Rs 14,000 crore are aircraft loans, while the rest are working capital funds that include non-convertible debentures of Rs 7,500 crore. Founded in 1932 and a near-monopoly until the 1990s, Air India has lost market share to more nimblefooted private carriers in one of the world’s fastest-expanding aviation markets. A reduction in fuel prices and efforts to pare down costs helped Air India turn in a better financial performance, although the carrier still accounts for the biggest quantum of industry losses. In FY16, the airline posted a net loss of Rs 3,837 crore as compared to .Rs 5,859 crore in the previous year. While the allocation for the 2018 fiscal is about Rs 1,000 crore lower than Air India’s demand of .Rs 2,800 crore, the national carrier expects the government will release more funds later. “Of the Rs 2,800 crore we had sought, Rs 1,800 crore is for repaying aircraft loans and the rest was for compensation on account of the rupee’s movement against the dollar, something that has increased the cost of servicing our aircraft loans,” a senior Air India executive, who did not want to be identified, told ET. He said the infusion will be used to repay aircraft loans. Against the US dollar, the rupee has fallen significantly over the past five years as periods of sputtering economic growth and global quest for safe stores of value have strengthened the US currency in which most global loans are denominated. In the current financial year, the government had initially allocated Rs 1,713 crore, while the carrier sought.Rs 3,300 crore. In the supplementary grants, the government allotted a further .Rs 752 crore, more making a total allocation of Rs 2,465 crore. The Rs 46,000-crore debt continues to be a drag on the carrier, and Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani had recently told ET that the government’s financial support was needed to prevent a further pile-up of loans. C. J. Prosise Jersey
Government Allocates Rs 1,800 crore as Budgetary Support to Air India
The government has put aside Rs 1,800 crore as budgetary allocation for Air India for the financial year 2017-18, less than what the national carrier asked for, in an indication the government continues its squeeze on fund handouts to the loss-making carrier. In the last financial year, the government had allocated Rs 1,713 crore while the carrier had asked for a total of Rs 3,300 crore. In the supplementary grants, the government allotted Rs 752 crore more making it a total of Rs 2,465 crore. A reduction in fuel prices and its own cost cutting measures has helped Air India reduce losses but it still accounts for the biggest chunk in the industry. In FY16, the airline posted a net loss of Rs 3,837 crore as compared to Rs 5,859 crore in the previous year. The bigger bother for the carrier however is its Rs 46,000 crore debt. Lohani had in a recent interview with ET said the government’s squeeze of financial support will lead to further pile-up of loans. “The government is giving us support to the extent of servicing loans raised for the procurement of planes as desired by it. It is always the owner who pays for the capital invested. These funds don’t even fully cover the loan repayments. These are not subsidies,” he said. “What will happen is that the money I owe to other organisations, including banks, will rise. We have to meet our costs: either by borrowing from banks, or delaying payments. That has been happening for several years,”he added. Henrik Sedin Womens Jersey
Civil Aviation Ministry gets 22% more budgetary funds for 2017-18
The Civil Aviation Ministry today received a substantial increase of over 22 per cent in budgetary allocation at Rs 5,167.60 crore for the next financial year. In the Union Budget 2017-18, presented by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament today, out of the ministry’s total allocation, a good chunk will be for Air India, which is to get Rs 1,800 crore. The amount will be extended to the national carrier as part of the bailout package announced by the then UPA government in 2012. Besides, the airline will be given Rs 508 crore as part of investment in public enterprises. National airports operator AAI (Airports Authority of India) has been allocated Rs 2,543 crore, apart from a budgetary support of Rs 100 crore. Meanwhile, the budgetary funds for aviation watchdog DGCA has been stepped up significantly to Rs 230.56 crore for 2017- 18. The amount is at Rs 29.67 crore for the current fiscal. Significantly, UN aviation watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is scheduled to audit India’s air safety preparedness in the second half of this year. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the country’s apex aviation safety agency, has been allocated Rs 214.50 crore in the latest Budget. Eric Kendricks Jersey