CISF gears up to thwart terror strikes at Indian airports
The Central Industrial Task Force has deployed quick reaction teams (QRTs) at airports, trained its personnel and strengthened its capability to counter terror strikes. “We are gearing up to counter any attack in the manner of Istanbul or Brussels (terror attacks). Our people are already trained. We have deployed QRTs behind bullet-resistant (bullet-proof) ‘morchas’, so that if terror elements fire they will not be able to get us,” a senior CISF official said. After the Istanbul and Brussels incidents, the CISF has formulated strategies to thwart such attacks at Indian airports guarded by it. “With the recent attacks in Brussels and Istanbul, attacks from the city-side have become more prominent. So, we are devising ways and means to counter such attacks,” the official told PTI. “We have started checking at the ‘nakas’ now. Any suspicious vehicle going to airport will be stopped and checked with the help of sniffer dogs and electronic explosive detectors,” he said. In addition, QRTs have been deployed at the arrival and departure side of airports. “If they (QRTs) find any suspicious person coming out with weapon or attempting to fire, our teams have been instructed to fire back to counter the terrorist attack. We have the capability to fire back at them and neutralise them. We are going into that mode now,” he said. Coty Sensabaugh Womens Jersey
Punjab government’s move to increase length of Chandigarh airport runway draws a flak
Residents and city-based NGO Amritsar Vikas Manch have criticised the Punjab government’s decision to increase the length of Chandigarh airport runway to accommodate flights to the United Kingdom (UK). They were reacting to the statement of Vishavjit Khanna, secretary, Civil Aviation, Punjab, in which he stated that the government was trying its best to increase the length of the runway of Chandigarh airport to 10,500 feet so that long haul flights to destinations like UK may be started for the people of the state. A city resident Manmohan Singh said the SAD-BJP coalition government never evinced similar keenness to restart the withdrawn Amritsar – London – Toronto flights of Air India from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport. Amritsar airport is catering to international flights since 1960. At present five international airlines — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Malindo of Malaysia and Scoot of Singapore — are operating 42 international flights per week, along with Air India Express and Spice Jet, which have flights for Dubai from the holy city. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that even now Air Inida’s Amritsar– Delhi – London indirect hub and spoke flight has won the distinction of being number one among its all international flights operating from Delhi in 2015-16. Rashaad Penny Jersey
CMR Group chief donates 23 acres land for intl airport project
Farmers and businessmen are coming forward to relinquish their land for the international airport coming up at Bhogapuram in the district. Chairman of the CMR Group, Mavuri Venkataramana has handed over 23 acres of land in Bhogapuram mandal to the district collector for the mega project, to be developed by Bhogapuram International Airport Company Ltd (BIACL), a press release issued by District Collector office said. Venkataramana voluntarily handed over the 23 acres of land and also urged the farmers to come forward to relinquish their lands to the district administration for the project, which will boost development of the district and was essential for it. According to the release, farmers in Kavuluwada village in the district have so far handed over 23 acres of land, while more farmers were willing for acquisition by the government. Shea Weber Jersey
India to summarily reject ICAO’s proposed carbon emission tax
As part of its strategy to counter the carbon emission tax proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations’ aviation watchdog, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will seek a formal response from the Indian carriers on the issue. India expressed its disagreement to ICAO president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu during his visit to New Delhi earlier this month, according to a senior official from the ministry of civil aviation who did not want to be named. The official said the Indian government would reiterate its discomfort when the ICAO Council meets in Montreal, Canada, next month to address these carbon emission issues and would again point out that Indian carriers are not willing to abide by the proposed tax. According to ICAO, the tax is meant to control emission in the aviation sector. India has also pledged to reduce emissions, as committed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris last year. Though the aviation sector was not included in the Paris agreement adopted by 195 countries in December 2015, all the member countries have been asked to take measures voluntarily as per their national climate action plans. Tremaine Edmunds Jersey
Airstrip in Kalyan alternative site for new airport? Aviation min does aerial survey
Eyebrows have been raised after aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju conducted an aerial survey on Tuesday of the site in Navi Mumbai earmarked for the international airport and an airstrip belonging to the defence authorities. Problems with rehabilitation of project-affected people in Navi Mumbai may have forced the government to survey the land in Kalyan to send out a message, said a source. “The only drawback is that the land available in Kalyan is smaller than that in Navi Mumbai, which ultimately reduces the scope for international operations. On the Kalyan plot, there is an airstrip built during the Second World War,” the source added. Vinod Geete, a real estate consultant, said any move to shift the airport out of Navi Mumbai would jeopardize the realty boom, which areas like Ulve, Belapur, Kharghar and Panvel have been witnessing. Nearly all clearances for the airport are already in place and contractors were to start the pre-development work soon. When asked why the project-affected were reluctant to leave their houses to pave way for the ground-levelling work to start, BJP legislator from Panvel Prashant Thakur said, “Going by their past experiences, they were uncertain whether or not Cidco would hand over plots with all civic amenities within 12-18 months.” He added, “The government had sanctioned the project-affected rent for 12-18 months, but it was not sufficient as developing the plots would take longer. Even today in Sector 35 there are no civic facilities despite the area having tall residential towers.” Tyrone Crawford Womens Jersey
Wifi to be allowed on Indian Civilian aircraft in 10 days
Passengers on civilian aircraft are all set to enjoy the benefits of long elusive WiFi on board aircraft flying in and out of India, as the Home, Telecom and Aviation ministries have reached on a consensus on the issue, said a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official on Wednesday. “We will soon, within 10 days, be allowed to allow wifi on board aircraft flying in and out of the country,” civil aviation secretary R N Choubey said at the Air Passenger Association of India’s (APAI) silver jubilee celebrations. He was replying to a question on how soon the government would be able to permit wifi on board aircraft in India. Choubey went on to point out that there was a security issue and the ministries of home, telecommunications and aviation ministries have almost achieved consensus on the issue. The celebrations were attended by several Union Ministers including Ram Vilas Paswan, Consumer Affairs Minister, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Textiles Minister Smriti Irani. APAI founder D Sudhakar Reddy said that they have travelled a long way during this period and made significant contributions in protecting the interests of passengers. Hailing all stakeholders for their unstinted support in making APAI a success, he said that the organisation was successful on many fronts to ensure consumer rights. “Because of our hard lobbying, compensation for wounded passengers were raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1 lakh and air taxes were reduced for handicapped and disabled passengers.” Aaron Ekblad Womens Jersey
‘India poised to become one of world’s largest aviation markets’
Driven by a strong passenger traffic growth, India is poised to become one of the largest aviation markets in the world, according to a global body of airports. The Airports Council International (ACI) said that major commercial airports in China, India and Korea remained the major driving forces for the robust air passenger growth in the Asia-Pacific region. “India is also poised to be one of the largest aviation markets in the world in the years to come. “The combination of a move towards a more liberalised market for aviation, coupled with stronger economic fundamentals, helped the country become one of the fastest- growing markets in the world,” ACI said in a release. In June, passenger traffic grew 9.9 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region, higher than 8.8 per cent year-to-date growth rate. As per ACI, international and domestic passenger traffic were strong during the first half of 2016 at 10.1 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively. “Major commercial airports in China, India and Korea remained the major driving forces for the robust air passenger growth in the region (+12.1 per cent, +17 per cent and +14.1 per cent, respectively),” the release said. Kelly Hrudey Authentic Jersey
Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of Maharashtra and Airports Authority of India sign MOU on Regional Connectivity Scheme
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, State Government of Maharashtra and Airports Authority of India today signed a tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), thereby kicking off the collaborative process of the three agencies coming together for successful launch of the Regional Connectivity Scheme. The MOU was signed at Mumbai in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation Sh. Ashok Gajapathi Raju and the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sh. Devendra Fadnavis. With today’s development, the State Government of Maharashtra has formally agreed to provide the concessions required from the State Governments in the Regional Connectivity Scheme, thereby becoming the first state in the country to do so. The agreement was signed by Chairman, Airports Authority of India, Principal Secretary Civil Aviation (Maharashtra) and Joint Secretary (Ministry of Civil Aviation). Earlier during the day, Sh. Raju and Sh. Fadnavis discussed various other aviation related issues in the State of Maharashtra at length. The meeting was attended by Sh. R. N. Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Sh Swadheen Kshatriya, Chief Secretary of the State and other officials. Amongst others, the subject of rehabilitation of slums (that have come up right next to the Mumbai International Airport) was deliberated upon in details. Early operationlization of several available airports and airstrips in the State (like Shirdi, Kolhapur, Nasik, Sholapur etc) also figured prominently in the discussions. Later, Sh. Raju undertook an aerial survey of the proposed airport site for Navi Mumbai and took a status briefing from the officers concerned. He laid emphasis on timely completion of the project and conveyed that this can be achieved only if timelines for all sub-activities are adhered to. Sh Raju conveyed that he will be undertaking similar visits to several other States across the country to promote the Regional Connectivity Scheme and discuss other related issues in the States. He expressed hope that several airports in the State will see activity as flights take off from these places as a part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme. Danny Etling Authentic Jersey
Regional connectivity scheme may be delayed
The National Democratic Alliance government’s ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS), planned to be operationalised by the year-end, has been delayed and is now expected to take off next year. The government is currently working on framing a roadmap for the RCS that aims to connect remote areas by operationalising unserved and underserved airports. In the first phase, the government plans to make 60 airports operational over the next three years. Of the 60 airports in the first phase, 10 are owned by the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) and 50 are owned by state governments. Currently, 65% of India’s air traffic is handled through 12 metro airports. A senior civil aviation ministry official, requesting anonymity, said the final RCS policy will be finalised by the end of this month, but it would take another month to formulate the roadmap for implementing the RCS project. Brandon Mebane Authentic Jersey
India highest growing aviation market, says Minister
Aviation growth in India has gone up to 20 per cent as opposed to China’s nine per cent, making it the highest aviation growth market in the world, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said here on Sunday. He was speaking to journalists after visiting the memorials of freedom fighters as part of the Centre’s ‘Freedom 70’ initiative. Mr. Raju said that as the country was rapidly growing in the aviation sector, the Central government was keen on sustaining this pace and progress further. To improve connectivity, the Union government had recently come up with the regional connectivity plan which envisaged viability gap funding, he said. The plan was to connect airports. For this, the State government’s participation was necessary. The Centre, he said, had planned to convert 31 “inactive” airports across the country with no flight operations into performing assets besides setting up new airports. In the next two to three years, the Centre might set up around 50 new “no frills” airports to connect the geographically unconnected areas. However, the Centre had not chosen the places for the new airports as yet. Nate Hairston Jersey