GMR eyes Greece airport development
GMR Airports Limited (GAL), a subsidiary of GMR infrastructure Limited, along with its partner GEK Terna Group of Greece, has submitted a bid for the development, operations and management of New International Airport of Heraklion at Crete Island, Greece. GEK Terna Group is a leading Greek Infrastructure company having presence in construction, energy, mining and other areas. According to GMR, this is the sole bid for this concession. The project scope covers Design, Construction, Financing, Operation and Maintenance of the airport for a concession period of 35 years. Under the Bid conditions, it is mandatory for the airport operator to hold a minimum of 10 per cent equity stake in the consortium. A GAL spokesperson, in a statement, said: “The bid submission is in line with the GMR Group’s asset light growth strategy with value build up from this project coming to GMR more from leveraging the airport platform, leading to enhanced revenue based services, than just equity.” Crete is the largest and most visited island in Greece. Heraklion airport, located in Crete, is the second largest in Greece and has witnessed steady traffic growth in the last 3-4 years. The current airport is facing capacity constraint and is not able to cope with growing traffic demand. The existing Heraklion airport will be closed once the new airport is operational. GMR had recently secured mandate to develop and operate of Goa’s Greenfield Mopa airport. GMR Infrastructure in partnership with Megawide Construction Corporation is developing Mactan Cebu International Airport in Philippines. Armani Watts Jersey
Investors eye up to 49% of GVK’s stake in Mumbai airport
US buyouts firm TPG Capital is competing with Singapore sovereign fund Temasek, Canada’s CPP Investment Board and Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Financial Holdings to acquire as much as 49% of Mumbai’s airport operator from the GVK group. A possible deal will value Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which manages the country’s second-busiest airport, at Rs 12,500-15,000 crore, multiple sources close to the negotiations told ET. The transaction would be similar to the arrangement that GVK has done in Bengaluru earlier this year, when it sold a 33% stake to India-born Canadian billionaire Watsa’s Fairfax for Rs 2,200 crore, they said. A stake in MIAL would give these financial investors a piece of the nation’s fast growing civil aviation market. For Secunderabad-based GVK, which owns 50.5% of MIAL, selling the stake would bring funds to reduce debt but could also see its near exit from the operator of the prestigious Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in the commercial capital. Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are running a formal process to help GVK find an investor, sources said. “A process is on. The negotiations are to find an investor to a specific operational asset — something that we have done in Bangalore. We hope to conclude it as soon as possible, perhaps in this calendar year itself,” a person close to GVK said. Wayne Gretzky Authentic Jersey
Efforts to bring new airport to Khed take off with renewed vigour
WITH protests taking place in Purandar against the Maharashtra government’s plan to set up an airport there, industrialists and political leaders from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khed and Maval taluka have decided to renew their demands for setting up the airport in Rajgurunagar area, in Khed. Local industrialists, MPs and MLAs have sought a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the issue. They want to “convince” the Chief Minister to set up the airport in Rajgurunagar as, according to them, it is the most ideal and convenient location for Puneites from different sections of society. The Chief Minister’s Office has said it is looking into the objections against the move to set up the airport at Purandar. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Small Scale Industrial Association has decided to hold agitations, carry out signature campaigns and set up a Kruti Samiti (action committee) to press for their demand. Meanwhile, Shirur MP Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil has decided to present “full facts and information” before the CM about how setting up an airport in Purandar will result in “tremendous loss” to the government. According to Adhalrao-Patil, almost 20,000 industrialists in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Talegaon, Chakan and Rajgurunagar will be affected by the move. John Johnson Womens Jersey
Guwahati airport to be developed soon
The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati will soon get a facelift as part of the new civil aviation policy of the NDA government. In a letter to MP Wansuk Syiem, Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Wednesday the airport in Guwahati will be expanded and modernised to improve air connectivity to the North East. “The Airport Authority of India will soon develop the Guwahati airport as an inter-regional hub and Dibrugarh, Imphal and Agartala airports as intra-regional hubs,” he said. Syiem, in a special mention during the last session of the Rajya Sabha, had criticised the Centre for ignoring the landlocked northeastern region and not improving the international airport in Guwahati. She had also stressed on the need for expanding and improving the only operational airport in Shillong. “The airport in Guwahati has been declared as an international one and there is tremendous increase in traffic. But the facilities remain the same as when it was a domestic one,” Syiem had said and added that the Guwahati airport was a hub for domestic flights to the North East. Giovanni Fiore Womens Jersey
Air India mulls leasing ten Dornier aircraft to boost regional services
Flag carrier Air India is mulling leasing ten Dornier aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to boost its regional operations as the government looks to make flying more affordable under the ambitious UDAN scheme. State-owned HAL is already making the Dornier 228 planes under licence from Swiss technology company RUAG for the defence forces and European markets. To evaluate the feasibility of inducting a new type of jetliner into its fleet, Air India has set up three committees and a final decision on the matter would be taken after receiving reports from the panels, the airline’s Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said. Currently, the government-owned carrier operates aircraft manufactured by Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and ATR. “We have set up three committees, one each from finance, operations and engineering. These committees will study all aspects of the proposal and any decision (whether to lease or not to lease) will be based on the outcome of their reports,” Lohani said. However, he did not divulge further details. Air India, which has turned operationally profitable last fiscal after nearly a decade, would operate more regional flights through Alliance Air. Alliance Air, which mostly connects Tier II and III cities to metro hubs, currently flies to 34 destinations and has 39 daily departures. Eric Tangradi Womens Jersey
‘Make in India’ Fighter Choice May Be Limited To Single-engine Jets
After confirming the acquisition of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters off-the-shelf from France, India has invited proposals from the U.S., Sweden and Russia to transfer technology and produce a single-engine fighter in-country. The latest move seems to preclude any “Make in India” offers from Dassault for the twin-engine Rafale, as well as Eurofighter (for the Typhoon) or Boeing (for the F/A-18). India has a requirement for approximately 100 more fighters. The invitation was in the form of letters handed to the ambassadors of the three countries. Lockheed Martin has already responded, offering an upgraded “F-16 Block 70.” It is believed that Saab will follow, with an offer for the Gripen E. It is unclear what Russia might offer, since both the MiG-29/35 and Sukhoi Su-30/35 series are twin-engine designs. “What we have offered, we believe is unprecedented,” said Randy Howard, head of F-16 business development for Lockheed Martin. The company has committed to transfer F-16 production from Fort Worth to India in phases. The proposal would make India the world’s largest supply base for F-16s. Lockheed Martin has sold 4,588 F-16s to 29 customers, and many of those aircraft have a 30-year life that requires the continuing supply of spares and support. “Bringing the production to India will have a positive impact on affordability for India and the global fleet,” said Howard. Tony Dorsett Jersey
Slot allocation process fair, independent: Dubai Airports
Amid Indian airlines raising concerns over slots, Dubai Airports today said allocation of slots to airlines is an independent and fair process that also depends on availability. The operator of one of the world’s busiest aerodromes, Dubai Airports also emphasised the slot allocation process applies to all airlines. Dubai International (DXB) airport, which has around 1,100 flights daily, saw around 8.5 million passengers from India during the January-September period this year. In 2015, the number of such passengers stood at 10 million. While most of the established Indian carriers have flights to Dubai, which is also a lucrative market considering the Indian expat population, there have been concerns about these airlines not getting adequate and proper slots at the airport there. In this regard, the Civil Aviation Ministry had written to the Dubai authorities. Besides, negotiations are expected between India and Dubai over bilaterals — the number of seats allotted to carriers from both countries. Against this backdrop, Dubai Airports Director of Corporate Communications Lorne Riley emphasised that slot allocation is done in an independent manner. “We are not party to the negotiations on bilaterals but what I have explained is that slot allocation process is based on international standards and is independently adjudicated according to those guidelines. It applies to all airlines…,” he told reporters here. Slot allocation process is applied fairly to all airlines and it also depends on what is available, he added. Between India and the Gulf, around 4.2 lakh seats are available every week, with Dubai leading the chart with 66,504 seats each per week. Earlier this year, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had said the government is ready to open negotiations with the Gulf nations in general and Dubai in particular to enhance the bilateral air traffic rights between the two markets. “For the past two years, there has been a tremendous improvement in the utilisation levels of the bilaterals by our airlines with the Gulf nations. While it is 80 per cent for the region as a whole, with Dubai it is over 90 per cent now. “And with the limits being reached, we are ready to open negotiations with them again,” he had said. Apart from DXB, Dubai Airports also operates Dubai World Central (DWC). DXB saw little over 78 million passengers in 2015 and the number is expected to touch 83 million this year. In 2017, the airport is anticipated to see around 90 million passengers. Meanwhile, the annual capacity of DWC — which is the second airport in Dubai — would increase to 26 million passengers by 2017 from the current level of 5 million. Riley said expansion works worth over USD 32 billion would be done at DWC in the coming decades to increase the total annual capacity to more than 240 million passengers. Donald Penn Jersey
Civil aviation ministry joins Smart India Hackathon 2017
Ministry of Human Resource Development is set to organize the Smart India Hackathon 2017 where the Ministry of Civil Aviation will also actively participate. The aim of the initiative to harness the creativity and technical expertise of young minds studying in technology institutes to think out of the box and come up with innovative and disruptive tech solutions for some of the daunting problems faced by the country. R.N, Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation told ANI that the ministry of human resource development in Government of India has taken an excellent initiative called Hackathon 2017. The civil aviation industry is on a high growth trajectory. India is poised to become the third-largest aviation market by 2030. “The Hackathon 2017 is to engage the young and vibrant minds for problem solving and for various parts of the government functioning. In the case of minister of civil aviation we have identified 43 issues that we call it problem statements and these 43 problem statements will be made available to group of young people who will be constituted into 50 teams,” he said. “We expect each problem statement will be given to about two teams so that there is some competition between the teams for giving the best possible solutions,” Choubey added. Harrison Butker Authentic Jersey
Real Time Tracking of Bags to Save Industry $3 Billion
The global deployment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, which can accurately track passengers baggage in real time across key points in the journey, can enable the air transport industry to save more than US$3 billion over the next seven years. Global IT provider SITA and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that the highly accurate tracking rates of RFID technology could reduce the number of mishandled bags by up to 25% by 2022, mainly through efficient tracking. The SITA/IATA business case, released at the IATA World Passenger Symposium in Dubai, outlines how this will provide a major saving for airlines and deliver more certainty for passengers. Initial deployments of RFID by airlines, such as Delta Air Lines, show a 99 percent success rate for tracking bags. In particular, RFID will address mishandling during transfer from one flight to another, one of the key areas identified by SITA and IATA where the technology could help improve baggage handling rates. RFID technology will ensure that airports, airlines and ground handlers are able to keep track of bags at every step of the journey and ensure the right bag is loaded onto the correct flight. The technology also supports IATA’s Resolution 753 that requires by 2018 airlines keep track of every item of baggage from start to finish. The deployment of RFID would build on the already significant savings delivered by the smart use of technology for baggage management. According to the SITA Baggage Report 2016, technology has helped reduce the number of mishandled bags by 50% from a record 46.9 million mishandled bags in 2007, saving the industry US$ 22.4 billion. This improvement comes despite a sharp rise in passenger numbers over the same period. Tony Esposito Authentic Jersey
Air India looks at a bigger operating profit in FY 17
Air India is confident to substantially increase its operating profit in the present financial year after clocking its first operating profit in the last fiscal since the merger between AI and Indian Airlines. AI made an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in the last fiscal as compared to an operating loss of Rs 2,636 crore in 2014-15. With fuel prices remaining low and AI set to add new planes – Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A320 Neos – things should only get better for the national carrier, believe industry experts. AI, under Ashwani Lohani, has expanded both its international and domestic network since August 2015 adding destinations like San Francisco and Vienna. Montae Nicholson Womens Jersey