Puducherry airport may be revived by January: CM
The territorial administration is hopeful of operationalising the defunct airport here by January next year, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said here on Monday. Addressing a press conference here, he said following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Government of Puducherry and the Union Government, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had revived projects to operationalise the airport by next month. The Ministry had come to the conclusion that a 70-seat aircraft operating from the airport here to Bengaluru could get full occupancy if routed through Tiruchi. Along with Puducherry-Bengaluru sector, the Ministry was considering operating flights from here to Tirupati, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Hyderabad, he said. The Ministry had floated tenders inviting private players to operate flights from here, he said. Max Pacioretty Womens Jersey
DGCA notice to GoAir for scant remote-area flights
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a showcause notice to Mumbaibased low-cost carrier GoAir for reportedly not operating adequate flights to remote areas. Scheduled airlines in India have to operate at least 10% of the number of their metro flights (category-I) to remote areas like Jammu & Kashmir, northeast, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep (category-II). “GoAir has not been meeting this mandatory rule of route dispersal guidelines (RDG) for some time now. DGCA has taken a serious note of this as the rule is meant to ensure adequate connectivity. GoAir management met senior regulatory officials to request them not to take any action on this issue,” said a source. Adam Cracknell Jersey
Robots to Reduce Turnaround at India’s Busiest Airport
India’s busiest airport, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, is embracing robotics for cleaning aircraft. The Nordic Dino robot, to be procured from Sweden’s Aviator, will first be used at Terminal 3 of IGI for washing narrow-body aircraft. The first machine is expected to arrive in February next year and start operations by April. Around 100 airplanes are washed at the IGI every day. It takes at least 10 hours, 20 persons and gallons of water as well as high lifts, ladders, hefty brushes and quite a bit of muscle to clean one aircraft. Cutting labor costs and water consumption and above all minimizing the ground time for exterior washing has been a priority area for flight operators. Cory Schneider USA Womens Jersey
2016: For aviation sector, new year heralds business in smaller cities
The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) proposes initiatives for new airports, a separate set of regulations for helicopters, and a boost for skill development. It wants every Indian to fly at least once a year with a fare cap of Rs 2,500 for a one-hour flight. A keenly awaited announcement was about the controversial 5/20 rule, which said a domestic player must have completed five years and run a fleet of 20 aircraft to be eligible to start foreign services, and as expected, it was scrapped but not to the satisfaction of new players. The government overruled the objections of old players like Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo, but did not completely go ahead and appease new players like Vistara and AirAsia India, waiting in the wings. Now, a domestic airline can fly overseas any time if it deploys 20 planes or 20% of their total capacity, whichever is higher, for domestic operations. The change in the rule will not result in immediate starting of foreign flights by any existing Indian carrier, and some still feel the rule is not forward looking. One of the main challenges before the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) will be the kick-starting of the Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN in January. Domestic players have reservations about the idea of a cess on metro routes to fund flights to unserved and underserved destinations. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Womens Jersey
Gajapathi Raju flies in face of CIDCO deadline, says Navi Mumbai airport to take 8-9 years
It will take eight to nine years for the Navi Mumbai airport to be built, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told FE. The minister’s statement is in direct contrast to the ones made by the Maharashtra government body City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), tasked with the pre-development work for the airport, which has repeatedly said that the airport will become operational by the end of 2019. For the record, the pre-development work is yet to be completed and the bidder that will partner CIDCO in constructing and maintaining the airport is yet to be finalised. “The capacity constraint at the current Mumbai airport is a concern for all of us but constructing the new airport will take at least four years if the development work takes place efficiently. If we take into consideration the time taken to build a greenfield airport in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, it was more than eight to nine years. More so, this airport will be based on a marshy land unlike Bengaluru and Hyderabad, hence it will take more time,” Raju said in the course of an interview. Speaking about the development of airports in the country, the minister said that R15,000 crore will be spent by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) towards this task in the next few years. According to him, the financial condition of debt-ridden state carrier Air India is a matter of concern and the prevailing condition is a kind of ‘debt trap’; some kind of financial reconstruction is the need of the hour to bring down the interest cost. At present, Air India has a total debt of R50,000 crore and an annual interest outgo of almost R4,000 crore. Thomas Steen Authentic Jersey
India keeping away from CORSIA a major concern: IATA
Expressing disappointment over India not being part of the global pact to reduce emission in the aviation sector, global airlines grouping IATA has said it will be a “major concern” for Indian operators, but hoped that the country would join the framework in coming years. The Carbon Offsetting and Reporting Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) was agreed upon earlier this year under the aegis of ICAO. “The point on which we are disappointed… is that India didnt draw into CORSIA agreement,” IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said even as he expressed hope that India would join the scheme. In a recent interview to PTI, Juniac said CORSIA would not be a major disruption in terms of competition for airlines operating to and from India since it is not a route-based system. “But it is a major concern for Indian operators not to be able to contribute to the carbon neutral growth or reduction in CO2 emission in the next 30 years,” he noted. CORSIA, which seeks to reduce emission in the aviation sector by way of carbon offsetting mechanism, is to be implemented in five phases. The scheme is to run from 2021 to 2035. Shane Prince Authentic Jersey
Pune Airport To Boast NewTerminal Building
Pune Airport is set to have a new terminal replete with high-tech infrastructural facilities. The move comes after the Airport Authority of India (AAI) approved plans to build a new building for a terminal under the expansion scheme. Speaking about the development plans, Ajay Kumar, director Pune Airport, told Mirror, “The AAI approval came through only earlier this month. The AAI has sanctioned Rs 408 crore for the new terminal building. The new building, equipped with high-tech infrastructure, will be built in a 35,000 square metres space. Work will begin in the new financial year, which is April 2017 and we will try to finish before the end of 2019.” On May 15, 2016, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had allotted 15.84 acres of land under the air force to Pune airport on a 30-year lease. Curley Culp Womens Jersey
Government to airlines: use Gagan GPS or face consequences
The government has warned domestic airlines of `consequences’ if they did not adopt the Rs 774 crore GPS-Aided Geo Aug mented Navigation system. The warning came during a meeting called by the DGCA earlier this week with all stakeholders, including the airlines, who have not availed of the system even 18 months after its launch.Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs 774 crore, the GAGAN system was officially launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in July last year. It is said to make airline operations more efficient and cut down costs as it reduces separation between aircraft, increases air safety and fuel efficiency. The National Civil Aviation Policy, announced by the government in June, makes it mandatory for all aircraft registered in India from January 1, 2019 to be GAGAN-enabled. A notice issued by the DGCA dated December 19 stated that most aircraft registered in India are still not equipped with this technology. “This assumes significance as many airlines and operators have placed orders for many more aircraft which may not be equipped with necessary airborne equipment and thus not be GAGANcompliant,” DGCA director general B S Bhullar said. However, in order for the domestic airlines to availing of the GAGAN system, they would have to make their aircraft GAGAN-compliant, which would entail a huge investment on their part. Lamin Barrow Jersey
Something is lacking, Raju tells Air India staff
Sending out a stern message to Air India staff, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said something is lacking when it comes to commitment shown by them, compared with rival airlines. While acknowledging that Air India, which turned operationally profitable last fiscal, has “done better”, the Minister emphasised on the need to ensure more cohesiveness at the national carrier. Raju, who has been generally supportive of Air India, is of the view that the carrier has definitely done better but there is always scope for improvement. “The cohesiveness still has to be built in (at Air India)…you have the advantage of different types of airlines, competition is there,” Raju said in an interview. “Commitment shown by some of their staff and the commitment shown by Air India staff — there is still something lagging.” It is a good airline and has served the country well, he noted, but “see, everywhere job is assured if that institution is there. If the institution goes, what happens to your job?” “Everyone will wish them well. Its financial books are bad and it needs to improve on. They have to develop strategies. They are on the right track,” he added. Vincent Taylor Authentic Jersey
Something is lacking, Raju tells Air India staff
Sending out a stern message to Air India staff, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said something is lacking when it comes to commitment shown by them, compared with rival airlines. While acknowledging that Air India, which turned operationally profitable last fiscal, has “done better”, the Minister emphasised on the need to ensure more cohesiveness at the national carrier. Raju, who has been generally supportive of Air India, is of the view that the carrier has definitely done better but there is always scope for improvement. “The cohesiveness still has to be built in (at Air India)…you have the advantage of different types of airlines, competition is there,” Raju said in an interview. “Commitment shown by some of their staff and the commitment shown by Air India staff — there is still something lagging.” It is a good airline and has served the country well, he noted, but “see, everywhere job is assured if that institution is there. If the institution goes, what happens to your job?” “Everyone will wish them well. Its financial books are bad and it needs to improve on. They have to develop strategies. They are on the right track,” he added. Johnny Hekker Authentic Jersey