Vadodara’s Airport Became the Country’s Second Green Airport
The Indian Prime Minister inaugurated a new integrated airport terminal in Vadodara recently. The airport has now become the country’s 2nd green airport after Kochi being the first. Taking proud, the P.M said, such projects will encourage people and promote an environment-friendly construction interests. After since holding the PMO, Modi had arrived at the city for the first time. Modi told, “I am happy that after the formation of the new NDA government, two airports in the country have become a part of the green movement.”The first was in Kochi and the second such airport is being dedicated to the nation at Vadodara. This airport will be zero discharge, waste to wealth, energy saving, and environment-friendly.” “The airport will be considered as one of the top-class airports of the country,” Modi said. He added that the airport has been constructed on the principle of green infrastructure using bricks of fly ash, and it will surely add another bright spot to the city. Chris Hubbard Womens Jersey
Mumbai’s search for a new terminal
There is little doubt that Mumbai needs another airport — the one that serves it now just can’t handle the skyrocketing traffic growth. Consider this: By 2034, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will have traffic of 100 Million Passenger Per Annum (MPPA). As per forecasts, passenger traffic for MMR is set to cross 45 MPPA by fiscal 2018. Mumbai airport has already handled 42 million passengers in fiscal 2016. Considering airside constraints, Mumbai airport may not be able to handle peak traffic above 45 MPPA. The opinions, however, are divided as to where the new airport should come up. Should it be in Navi Mumbai, the first choice that has many things going against it, including some environmental concerns? Or should it be set up in Kalyan, the new favourite among the experts but not exactly next door? Both have their pluses and minuses and different groups rooting for them. But whatever the decision, it has to be made quickly as the existing airport in Mumbai is bursting at its seams. Joe Staley Authentic Jersey
Decks cleared for Birsa Munda airport expansion
The expansion of Birsa Munda airport for vehicle parking, which was on hold because the land was occupied by the defence, is all set to get clearance from ministry of civil aviation. Minister of state for civil aviation and Lok Sabha MP from Hazaribag Jayant Sinha, while addressing media persons in the state capital on Tuesday, said he recently met the Union minister and there was an agreement with the ministry of defence (MoD) in this regard. “We are planning to expand the airport area for parking,” Sinha, who was here to inaugurate Air India-Star Alliance regular flight service for Kolkata-Ranchi-Kolkata route and a stall of the Jharkhand Khadi Gramodyog Board, said. Morning and evening flight services by Jet Airways between Kolkata-Ranchi were stopped last year in October, causing inconvenience to passengers. While the new Air India evening service was inaugurated today, the minister assured connectivity with Bhubaneswar and Raipur as well. Cameron Meredith Womens Jersey
With big airlines in, smaller cities start flying
As regional airlines are struggling to sustain their services, low cost carriers like Indigo and SpiceJet and full service carriers like Jet Airways and Air India have started to connect smaller cities in a bid to make the most of the new market. Civil aviation ministry is aggressively pushing regional connectivity across the country. Coimbatore, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Port Blair now have better frequency at affordable fare from Chennai as low cost carriers have added more flights in the last two months. Varanasi, Vadodara, Bagdogra and Dehradun have also been linked to Delhi. Air India extended a Delhi-Chennai flight to Coimbatore recently and has plans to connect more smaller towns in the coming months. Unused airports at Puducherry and Vellore are expected to benefit from the new trend. The ministry is also aiming to develop small airports at Salem and Thanjavur. Though the ministry of civil aviation is encouraging regional carriers, new airlines are not able to sustain the services. Air Pegasus has run into trouble while Air Costa had to suspend services briefly a few months ago because of operational reasons. SpiceJet in a statement said, “With regional connectivity as the macro theme, the airline has been constantly focusing on the agenda while undertaking network expansions and has most recently introduced three new flights to northeast.” Aaron Nola Jersey
AirAsia India’s internal battles dent performance
Low-cost airline AirAsia India has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since its launch over two years ago. The latest revelation by the airline that an investigation was being carried out against former executives which confirmed former Tata Sons’ Chairman Cyrus Mistry’s statement in an e-mail to the board that a probe had revealed fraudulent transactions worth ?22 crore, clearly shows that the airline was busy fighting internal battles which reflected on its overall performance. Source inside the airline told BusinessLine that the ongoing probe did not prevent the board from giving its then CEO Mittu Chandilya additional charge. In August last year, the airline board not only gave him the additional post of managing director but also inducted him into the board. This, however, did not prevent Chandilya from quitting the post during February this year. The investigation was carried out for nearly six months. Background to the venture The probe related to allegedly buying furniture for personal use, hiring drivers for personal use of the car and for frequent overseas travel all at the airline’s expense. In his e-mail to the board, Mistry claims that though he could not prevent the Tatas from partnering AirAsia Group to float AirAsia (India), he was able to extract a promise of not raising stake in the venture. Giving a background to how the Tatas got into the airline venture, Mistry said the foray into the aviation sector began when Ratan Tata ushered him into his office and handed him a report on AirAsia by Bain & Co. He had concluded negotiations to partner with AirAsia and wanted the proposal tabled at the forthcoming Tata Sons board meeting. “My push-back was hard but futile. However, I was able to extract a promise of no debt to be raised at the level of the JV as well as limiting Tata Sons investment to 30 per cent of the $30-million equity.” Increase stake However, Tata Sons increased its stake initially from 30 per cent to 41 per cent buying half of another partner, Arun Bhatia’s (Telstra TradePlace) stake. It went on to increase its stake further to 49 per cent after it bought the remaining stake from Bhatia. AirAsia India’s Chairman S Ramadorai as well as board director R Venkataramanan also pitched in by buying 2 per cent stake in the airline. AirAsia Berhad owns 49 per cent stake at present. Since its inception, the airline has struggled to remain solvent even though Chandilya continued to make claims that it would turn around within three months of its operations. It continues to remain unprofitable though for the first time it has been able to reduce losses during the April-June, 2016 quarter to ?20.36 crore compared with ?44 crore during the same period previous year. Its revenues, however, have grown 73 per cent to ?189 crore. The foray into the airline sector did not stop at floating AirAsia India. The Tatas went on to float another airline venture Vistara picking up 51 per cent in a $100-million joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which Mistry termed it as a fait accompli. Cameron Sutton Womens Jersey
CII seeks reactivation of Salem airport
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Salem district has urged the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to take effective steps for the reactivation of Salem airport. A delegation of the Salem district CII called on V. V. G. Raju, Regional Executive Director, Airports Authority of India, Southern Region, Chennai, during his recent visit to the city and appraised him on the immediate need for the reactivation of the Salem airport for the overall development of western region. Selvakumar, Director, Salem airport, was also present on the occasion. The CII delegation which called on Mr. Raju comprised P. Vimalan, Chairman, CII Salem district, and Sundar Ramaswamy, mentor, Entrepreneurship Panel, CII Salem district. According to CII sources here, Mr. Raju informed the delegation that the Salem airport was a full-fledged facility in the region and could resume flight operations at any time. He said that the signing of memorandum of understanding between the State Government and the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India will enable in reviving the airport under the recently introduced Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the Civil Aviation Ministry, without any delay. Mr. Raju said that the AAI had already written to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu inviting the State Government to participate in the RCS. Brendan Leipsic Authentic Jersey
Delhi’s IGI airport to witness more flight cancellations, delays this foggy winter
With 21 per cent more flights allowed by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), advancing foggy conditions this winter in addition to no new nearby airports to fall back on for flight diversions, India’s largest and busiest Indira Gandhi International Airport (DIAL) in New Delhi could witness more flight delays and cancellations during the ensuing foggy cold season. A top official with DGCA told Express that two of the nearest airports — Amritsar and Lucknow — operated by state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) have missed two deadlines in their bid to be CAT III-B compliant by October 30. The CAT III-B level of instrument landing system (ILS) enables aircraft to land when the visibility is down to 50 metres. It guides an aircraft in approaching and landing on a runway by a combination of radio signals and high-intensity lighting arrays. Besides, ILS also helps pilots while landing during heavy rainfall. The DGCA official explained that they expect Amritsar airport to be CAT III B-ready by December-end or January next year. But by then, most of the mess due to the winter fog would be nearing its end, the official added. A thick blanket of fog starts building up over Delhi and other parts of northern India around the third week of December and continues for over a month. Last winter, foggy conditions prevailed at the IGI airport for over a month from the third week of December 2015 to the first week of February 2016. Many morning flights were either cancelled or delayed due to extreme fog conditions during this period. Currently, the Jaipur airport is the only nearby option for incoming flights which could be diverted there in case of extreme foggy conditions as it has CAT III-B-level ILS. Von Miller Womens Jersey
Need more time on 5th-gen fighter jet, India tells Russia
In the latest round of India-Russia military talks, New Delhi has told Moscow that it will need more time to examine the proposal to jointly develop the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). The FGFA, which is under development, is very much a future requirement for the Indian Air Force (IAF) upgrade programme, the Russian side was conveyed last week at a meeting between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu in New Delhi. “We have asked for greater details with regards to the work India will be doing in manufacturing the plane and also technology transfer,” a top source in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. India and Russia have been working to conclude a pending agreement to co-develop the FGFA. New Delhi has told Moscow that it wants a new engine and the plane must have super cruise ability, a 360-degree radar ability, added stealth features among 40-odd other India-specific modifications over the existing prototype. A plane called the ‘T-50’ built by the Russians under the PAK-FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) programme as FGFA is already being tested as prototype in Russia. Giovani Bernard Womens Jersey
India to become 3rd biggest aviation market by 2026: IATA
India will displace the United Kingdom to become the world’s third largest aviation market by 2026, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. IATA, which represents some 265 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, expects 7.2 billion passengers to travel in 2035, a near doubling of the 3.8 billion air travelers in 2016. These findings are part of IATA’s 20-year air passenger forecast. “People want to fly. Demand for air travel over the next two decades is set to double. Enabling people and nations to trade, explore, and share the benefits of innovation and economic prosperity makes our world a better place,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. The forecast confirms that the biggest driver of demand will be the Asia-Pacific region. “It is expected to be the source of more than half the new passengers over the next 20 years. China will displace the US as the world’s largest aviation market (defined by traffic to, from and within the country) around 2029. India will displace the UK for third place in 2026, while Indonesia enters the top ten at the expense of Italy,” IATA said. Houston Texans Womens Jersey
Government mulls to remove anomaly restricting FDI in civil aviation
The government is considering to remove an anomaly restricting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the civil aviation sector to attract more overseas funds. The sector is faced with an odd situation wherein a foreign investor, excluding overseas airlines, can acquire up to 100 % stake in a local carrier but not seek a scheduled operator’s permit. The permit can only be given to a company which has substantial ownership and effective control in the hands of Indian nationals. “As this condition restricts and prevents foreign investors to take 100% stake in a domestic airline, there is a need to amend this rule in order to facilitate FDI in the sector,” sources said. They added that due to this anomaly, the moment foreign investors buy 51 % or controlling stake in a domestic airline, the schedule air operator permit gets withdrawn. Roger Maris Jersey