Salaam Goa

TPG Capital eyes stake in IndiGo

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:34:00 +0000

Leading global private equity fund TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific) is in talks with budget carrier IndiGo to pick up a 10-15 per cent stake in the airline. Top executives of the airlines have started negotiations and the deal is expected to happen in the next few months, according to investment banking sources. "IndiGo is considering dilution of promoters�?? equity and are is in talks with TPG for a possible sale of shares," a source said. When contacted, Rahul Bhatia, managing director of InterGlobe Interprises, which owns the airline, said that the company was not looking at any dilution of promoters�?? equity. "We do not have any plans to dilute equity. We have enough funds to take care of the future requirements of the airline," he said. InterGlobe Enterprises and the former president and chief executive officer of US Airways, Rakesh Gangwal, had jointly promoted IndiGo.

However, sources close to TPG said that that the private equity firm is exploring investment opportunities in the aviation sector in the country and Indigo is one of its target companies. "As the ATF (aviation turbine fuel) prices went up and airlines were forced to reduce fares, valuation of the industry came down in 2006. Though airlines were interested in PE placements, not many players were interested. Now its the time of consolidation and global PE firms will have a major role to play," said an analyst from Lehman Brothers. If successful, the transaction will make TPG's first aviation investment in India. TPG was in talks with Air Deccan before Kingfisher air chairman Vijay Mallya acquired a 26 per cent stake recently. The group was also in talks with SpiceJet. However, these transactions failed either due to differences over valuation or the airlines were not ready to offer a higher stake in the company.

Mallya had offered Rs 550 crore for 26 per cent stake in Air Deccan while ICICI Ventures had invested $50 million for 19 per cent stake in Air Deccan in 2005. TPG, which manages over $30 billion assets across the world, is one among those PE players that have made substantial investments in the aviation sector. It has invested in Continental Airlines, Rynair, Australia's Qantas and has also placed a bid for Midwest Airlines. IndiGo is expeccted to use private equity finance for its expansion plans. It has placed a $6 billion order to acquire 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft. The airline has so far received 11 Airbus A320-200 and another 89 are on order. It receives one brand new plane every four to six weeks. By 2010, IndiGo plans to serve 30 Indian cities with a fleet of 40 A 320 aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines to launch new flights to India

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:30:00 +0000

New flights are expected to be launched by Ethiopian Airlines which will tap into the growing markets in China and India, says Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Girma Wake. Mr Girma announced that the airline was considering increasing the number of weekly flights to China from 11 to 14, along with plans to make Addis Ababa its gateway to Africa. Last week, the airline estimated a 106% increase in pretax profits for 2007 �?? 2008 to 448 million birr (USD 49.3 million). Despite the rising competition in the region from other foreign carriers such as Emirates, British Airways and KLM, Girma has remained supportive of Ethiopia�??s �??open skies�?? policy. "Despite their entry, our (revenue) growth has been in the region of 20-25 percent.

Small African carriers should learn that there are very few African countries whose home traffic is big enough," he said. Mr Girma also believed that Ethiopian Airlines would look to the Far East to increase its growth in the future rather than the U.S or Europe. "India and China will have a lot of traffic to Africa in the future. They are investing more in Africa and their people are getting richer. Now they will look for tourism," he said.The carrier is currently one of three African airlines, including South African Airways as well as Kenya Airways, responsible for changing Africa�??s expanding airline industry through their use of current model planes as well as their safety records.

Jet Airways trying to shape up JetLite

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:26:00 +0000

Jet Airways is facing a tough time to turn around Air Sahara, after acquiring it for $340 million around three months back. While a part of the difficulties lies in the poor condition of Air Sahara�??s fleet, a different work culture of Sahara employees is only adding to the problems, according to Garry Kingshott, CEO of JetLite (new name of Air Sahara). For Kingshott, the primary focus is on issues like revamping the condition of poorly kept fleet and jets grounded for years and make employees fit into Jet Airways�?? vision of a professionally-managed airline. And, Kingshott�??s problems only increased with aviation ministry�??s finding last month that JetLite had the maximum number of delayed flights. To deal with all these and put the airline back on track, the Australian CEO has charted out a turnaround roadmap and started working towards this goal.

To start with, JetLite has retained only 2,300 of Air Sahara�??s 4,100 employees who it felt could fit into Jet�??s vision of ontime passenger-friendly performance. Then, it is also going to lease up to 15 planes till 2009, before deliveries of the previously ordered 10 Boeing 737s begin. "Of these, four will replace classic 737s and the balance eight to 11 will be added to the fleet for expanding service. We have offers from three leasing companies," he said. Sahara had a fleet of 24 leased aircraft, 17 Boeing 737s and seven Canadian Regional Jets (CRJs). "When Jet acquired the airline, only 10 737s and two CRJs were flying. Obviously the fleet was not in a terrific condition. We have tied up with Bombardier and Air Canada Technical Services for the CRJs. Today 15 Boeings and three CRJs are flying. By October-end, we expect a majority of the fleet back in air," Kingshott said, with his focus mainly on improving ontime performance.

Pilots now have to report an hour before departure time instead of earlier 45 minutes. "Thanks to better maintenance, our ontime performance is much better now," he said. Currently the airline operates just under 100 flights daily to 34 cities and this number will climb to 147 from September, when all Boeings are expected to be flying again. Kingshott refused to give any figure on how much will the turnaround cost. "This will be an insignificant amount to what we can earn by having the planes in air, on time," is all he said. The on-time performance is weighing so heavily on JetLite that it is not pulling out planes from flying to either paint them in new livery or reconfigure them in a single class seating. Only five of the 17 Boeing 737s have got a single all-economy configuration. "We can't pull out aircraft to replace three rows of seats," Kingshott said.

New civil aviation requirements for disabled passengers

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:18:00 +0000

The Office of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued new civil aviation requirements for disabled passengers that are scheduled to come into effect from Wednesday. According to the new requirements, "no airline shall refuse to carry physically challenged or incapacitated persons or persons with disabilities," as long as they "do not pose a threat" to the safety of other passengers or the evacuation procedure for the aircraft. Airlines will also not be permitted to limit the "number or types" of disabled passengers on a particular flight, except "where required for operational reasons." The procedure for limiting disabled passengers will also be documented. Airlines will now also have to run "sensitisation and developing awareness" training programmes for staff.

There have been increasing calls from rights groups for clearer guidelines on the transportation requirements of disabled passengers following the prevention of Rajeev Rajan a cerebral palsy patient and activist with Vidyasagar, a non-governmental organisation for the disabled from boarding an Air Sahara flight in Chennai on June 18 for failing to produce a medical certificate. In an effort to clarify aviation requirements for disabled passengers, the DGCA issued a draft on July 25 on its website, specifying the new guidelines for airlines and "inviting comments" on the new recommendations. The DGCA said the new recommendations were to come into effect on August 15. Dhanasekharan, a representative of Vidyasagar, said that the August 15 deadline did not give disabled rights groups enough time to respond to the recommendations.

"We were shocked to discover that the deadline was August 15," Mr. Dhanasekharan said. "By just putting it on the DGCA website, how can they expect all of us to be aware of it?" Vidyasagar has written to the DGCA asking it to extend the deadline for implementing the new requirements. "Before they put the requirements into effect, the DGCA has to have a consultation with disabled groups as after all we are the stake-holders," Mr. Dhanasekharan said. "They clearly seem to not want any suggestions from us." Mr. Dhanasekharan alleged the new requirements were "ambiguous." "They have used the word 'incapacitated' to define the disabled," he said. "What do they mean by incapacitated? And what is 'severe' disability? All this needs to be clarified with the stake-holders before they are implemented."

Mihin Lanka unveils flights to Buddhagaya

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:15:00 +0000

Mihin Lanka will expand its route map to Buddhagaya, India. The low cost carrier will launch a new non-stop service between Colombo and Gaya international airport from September 2. The route will be served by an Airbus A320 in economy and premium economy. The new service to Buddhagaya comes as a result of Mihin Lanka�??s philosophy, "Where new doors of opportunity to the people to explore and experience the wonders of the world." Buddhagaya emerged as Mihin Lanka�??s sixth destination for giving travellers access to low fares and unique onboard services. New route will be ideal for pilgrims and holidaymakers around the world. "We are excited to expand to Buddhagaya, one of the holiest places of Buddhism and bringing our growing network to the Indian State of Bihar," said head of commercial for Mihin Lanka Sugath Rajapakse. Gaya becomes third Indian city to be served from Colombo following launch of flights to India two months ago. Mihin Lanka will offer one round trip flight on Sunday to Buddhagaya beginning September 2 with the option of second frequency.

Kingfisher Airlines to paint Air Deccan red

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:09:00 +0000

In the next few months Air Deccan will become synonymous with its parent Kingfisher Airlines. Its entire aircraft fleet, livery, cabin crew and the ground handling infrastructure would be in colour red (against the current light blue) to bear a close resemblance with the existing format of Kingfisher Airlines. According to a source in the airline industry, the Air Deccan name would be retained, but its bare hand logo will be replaced by the logo of Kingfisher (bird). Additionally, the flying horse logo of the UB Group would don all Air Deccan aircraft. The brand Air Deccan would also be re-written in red against white background. "These changes are part of our marketing research exercise which has shown that brand Air Deccan had tremendous recall in the economy class air traveller. However, except the name, all the existing infrastructure of Air Deccan would be changed to be in line with the Kingfisher Airlines format, which is perceived as a premium carrier," sources said.

A Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson refused to comment on the issue. "We cannot comment on any of the changes, but these would be in conformity with the result of the massive market research activity undertaken to refurbish Air Deccan," the spokesperson said. In the next few weeks, the ticketing counter of both the airlines would sell common tickets and maintain joint ground handling operations. The other activities include flight synergy, where both the airlines would re-schedule their operations to avoid any cannibalisation. The executives of these airlines are framing a joint 'winter flight schedule' to utilise the fleet efficiently. "We are working on a joint-winter schedule, which would soon be submitted to the regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation, for necessary approval. The flights on common destinations and on similar timings would be changed for better utilisation as the joint-fleet that would go up from the current 73 aircraft to 87 aircraft in the next few months," sources said. Air Deccan would be positioned as a performance carrier in the long run.

YouTube.com showcases India's tourism potential

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:56:00 +0000

The Tourism Ministry has tied up with the Google's video-sharing platform, YouTube.com to showcase the country's tourism potential. The Ministry, known worldwide for its "Incredible India" campaign, have made promotional videos available to the YouTube, the eighth most trafficked website. From the Himalayas to the sun kissed beaches of Goa, or the boat ride in the backwaters of Kerala are now just a click away. Launching the videos on the YouTube, Tourism Secretary Shilabhadra Banerjee said the venture would help boost India's image aboard. "This is to maximise the reach of the Incredible India campaign worldwide. It is important to not only project what India was and what India is today, but what attractions it holds for the people of the world. I think it is an excellent example of using technology for projecting India's image abroad," Banerjee said. At present 18 film and other videos have been uploaded on the site. Shailesh Rao, Managing Director, Google India said the arrangement, the first of its kind with any government, would help boost India's tourism income.

"Videos that have been placed here are wonderful depiction of the wonder that India is today. And we really hope that we can play a small part in helping the world to understand how attractive India is as a place... a destination for visiting," Rao said. According to a recent survey, YouTube.com has about 48 million users in the US itself. YouTube, started in early 2005, was taken over by Google in October last year. Apart from giving the net users a vast bank of videos from across the globe, it also gives registered users, option to upload unlimited number of videos. Tourism arrivals to the country have increased by 78 percent and foreign exchange earnings by 122 percent over the last five years. In the first seven months of 2007, foreign exchange earning through tourism stood at 4.51 billion dollars, which is 18.2 percent increase from 3.95 billion dollars from same period last year. The World Travel and Tourism Council has predicted India's annual growth rate at 8.8 percent over the next decade, the highest in the world. India is targeting 10 million tourist arrivals by 2010.

Air Deccan to phase out old ATR aircraft

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:21:00 +0000

As part of the plan to phase out older ATR aircraft and replace them with new generation ATR 72-500 fleet to achieve overall efficiency, Air Deccan has returned two older 48 seat ATR 42-320 aircraft. As a start up airline in August 2003, Air Deccan had to rely on a small fleet of old ATR aircraft, ATR 42-320 and ATR 42-500 as these had lower lease rentals, were affordable, and well suited for non-metro routes. The airline�??s rapid growth in terms of operations, network, and passengers has led to induction of new aircraft. The new aircraft consist of the brand new 180 seat Airbus A320 aircraft and the latest generation turboprop, ATR 72-500 aircraft.

Air Deccan now has a fleet of 43 aircraft comprising 20 brand new Airbus and 12 brand new ATR 72 aircraft. The new aircraft have been credited with increased cost optimization and time efficiency. It was found that the older ATRs (42�??500 and 42 -320) used by the airline were plagued with incessant technical snags and maintenance issues. Chief Executive Officer, Air Deccan, Ramki Sundaram, said the airline has decided to replace the ageing ATR fleet with brand new ATR 72-500 aircraft in a phased manner. In July, 98.7 per cent of all flights took off on time (within one hour).

Etihad Airways to increase flights to India

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:14:00 +0000

Etihad Airways is to increase its flying programme by 21 per cent at the end of October when the airline will also bid to attract more travellers with the introduction of new flight timings to improve connecting services. The Abu Dhabi-based airline will boost its weekly flights from 564 to 716 for the global aviation industry's winter season which starts on 28 October with most of the increases set to take-off in the GCC, Europe and the Indian subcontinent. The extra flights will improve 17 routes across Etihad's global network including Bahrain, which doubles from 14 to 28 flights a week and Muscat jumps from seven to 21 flights a week. Etihad's strong network across the Middle East will be strengthened further with increases on routes to Doha, from seven to 14 flights a week, Amman from six to daily and Damascus from five to daily.

Etihad flights to Frankfurt will increase from seven to 10 a week, Geneva moves from three to four flights a week, Dublin goes from four to six flights a week and London Heathrow rises from 14 to 19 flights a week. James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive, said, "Customers will benefit tremendously with the extra number of flights and a much improved timetable which will see better, shorter and more frequent flight transfer connections at our Abu Dhabi base. By adding depth and frequency to our expanding route network we are able to offer a simpler, more convenient travel experience for the flying public." The airline's services to the Indian subcontinent will receive a significant boost as Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, Etihad's two Kerala routes, and the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, will all increase to daily flights.

Wipro set to enter JV with Boeing for MRO

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:01:00 +0000

Wipro Technologies is shoring up opportunities in the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business with the US-based Aviation major Boeing. Wipro Technologies will be providing software tools and technological support to carry out an array of aircraft checks and maintenance programs in Boeings MRO facility, which is slated to come up in Nagpur, Maharashtra. "We will make an entry into MRO space. That's the space for which we are going to consolidate all our strengths in Wipro now," said Partha Sarthi Guha Patra, Vice President Strategic Initiatives and Offset Programs. Boeing has already signed an MOU with the national carrier Air India to develop an airframe MRO. The JV of Air India and Boeing is also on a lookout for another partner with hardcore with MRO experience.

Boeing has announced to invest 100 million dollar into the Nagpur MRO facility in India. "25 per cent of 100 million dollar will go in setting up IT services applications. That's the piece we are looking at," says Parthasarathi Guha Patra. Most of the players jumping into the MRO bandwagon in India believe India has the capacity to grow as an MRO service and training hub in the region, not just for India, but even to cater MRO service to the Gulf countries, and Central and South East Asian countries. According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, the estimated $400-million (Rs 1,625 crore) Indian MRO market in engine overhaul, heavy checks, line maintenance, component maintenance and major airframe modifications is expected to grow at a compounded annual jump of 4.8% and is predicted to touch $1.1 billion (Rs 4,470 crore) by 2015.

Air India aims for 200 strong fleet

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:56:00 +0000

Air India is aiming for a fleet strength of 200 aircraft in order to match its peers such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Emirates. The merged Air India-Indian entity is presently in the process of acquiring 111 Boeing and Airbus aircraft which will take its fleet strength to 140 after phasing out some of its old aircraft by 2011. Even as this project is underway, the airline is now mulling an acquisition of 60 more aircraft from Boeing and Airbus which will make its fleet 200-aircraft strong. This is to support its ambitious plan to create a European hub, start more non-stop flights to the US and Canada besides new destinations like Australia, Switzerland, Sao Paulo and more destinations in the SAARC region. Air India's Board is expected to take a decision on acquiring more aircraft by September which would then be put up before the government for approval, Air India Chairman V Thulasidas said. The airline recently started a non-stop daily flight from Mumbai to New York with the acquisition of two Boeing 777-200 LRs and has already scheduled similar flights from New Delhi to New York and later on from Bangalore to San Francisco with the delivery of six more Boeing 777-200 LRs.

Jet Airways Cargo targets Irish market

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:54:00 +0000

Jet Airways Cargo has introduced an overnight express road feeder to all major airports in Ireland. Following the introduction of a route from London to Mumbai, the Indian carrier is now able to offer customers the option to transfer cargo to various destinations in Ireland. Consequently, Jet Airways has employed International Airline Marketing (IAM) to act as sales agent in the region. "Jet Airways is still a relatively unknown quantity here, but we aim to change that. This is a quality carrier with a very young fleet and a determination to make its mark," said Ian McCool, managing director of IAM.

Air India and Jet Airways turn heat on Delta

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:52:00 +0000

Intense competition by Indian carriers Air-India and Jet Airways in the Mumbai-New York sector has forced established US carrier Delta Air Lines woo business-class passengers by offering complimentary helicopter rides. Air-India started its daily non-stop service to New York (JFK) on August 1, and private carrier Jet Airways began its daily Mumbai-New York (Newark) service with a stopover at Brussels from August 5. They are aggressively wooing passengers by offering introductory fares as well as brand new airplanes saddled with added comforts and the latest in-flight amenities. Expecting a drop in passenger numbers, Delta has launched its complimentary helicopter service for BusinessElite customers. This is the same class as Air India's Business Class and Jet's Premier Class. This service is available between heliports in downtown Manhattan or at 34th Street and John F Kennedy International Airport on a non-stop ticket between New York and Mumbai. Passengers flying from Mumbai will also get this facility. The scheme is on for travel up to December 31.

"The benefits of the US helicopter service include an approximate 8-minute travel time between New York City heliports in midtown and downtown Manhattan and JFK, federally regulated security clearance at the heliports before arriving at JFK for departing flights and convenient check-in and boarding passes to final destinations," Delta said. The airline said its non-stop service saved passengers up to four hours in each direction when compared with flying to the US via Europe. "Delta's flights are very conveniently timed," the airline added. Incidentally, Delta was the first airline to fly non-stop to Mumbai 10 ago. Apart from Air-India and Jet, Delta is also facing competition from another Continental Airlines, which is scheduled to commence its non-stop service to Mumbai shortly. "We have recorded a very strong performance with load factors in the mid 80 per cents," Delta said. Recently, the airline suspended a non-stop service to Delhi. "The service to Delhi did not meet market expectations. The JFK-Mumbai route is much more profitable," it added.

Air Arabia adds new security layer to online bookings

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:48:00 +0000

In an effort to deter identity theft, Air Arabia said it is adding new security measures to its online booking system. The airline will begin requiring customers to include the PIN code while booking tickets on its website as an extra security measure, the company said. The use of stolen credit cards to purchase plane tickets is a small but thorny problem for airlines, which absorb the fraudulent bookings as a loss. Currently, many airlines allow customers to purchase tickets using their credit card or ATM cards on behalf of another person. This capability has been exploited by identity thieves, who purchase tickets using someone else's stolen card. In the Indian subcontinent, Air Arabia requires ticket holders to present the credit card at the airport.

In Sri Lanka, this effectively cut the number of illegally purchased tickets down to zero, according to airline officials. While the airline said the number of fraudulent tickets bought by identity thieves each year is in the hundreds, or 0.1 per cent of overall transactions, other carriers have suffered greater misfortune. According to reports in the Indian press this week, Kingfisher Airlines lost $5 million in revenues from fraudulent online bookings. One criminal outfit booked more than 15,000 tickets on the carrier's website, each using a separate stolen credit card.

India plans air services pact with Latin American, African nations

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:45:00 +0000

Air travel to Chile, Mexico and Libya is likely to become easier with the government planning to have bilateral air service agreements with these countries. Talks are in line with the government�??s aim to have direct link with all countries. "We have received proposals from these countries and are currently negotiating the terms with them. India already has air service agreements with 105 countries including the US, the UK and countries in Europe and the Middle East. We hope to have more such agreements," a senior official of the ministry of civil aviation said. "We would soon meet civil aviation authorities in the nations concerned to further discuss the agreement," he added. When contacted, a Mexican government official said, "We are pursuing a bilateral air service agreement with the Indian government. The talks are at a preliminary stage now."

India maintains an open sky policy with other countries for all cargo services without any restriction. A bilateral air service agreement between two countries enables them to designate any number of airlines as they wish to operate in their countries. India recently signed air service agreements (MoU) with Jordan, Singapore and the United Arab of Emirates (UAE).In the wake of the recent growth in air passenger traffic between India and Nepal, the government is also planning to increase capacity entitlement of each side from the current 6,000 a week. "We will meet the Nepalese aviation authorities shortly to increase the seat entitlement," the official said.He added that India had agreed to give maximum seat entitlement to the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) countries under the Dhaka Declaration.

Air India reduces fare on Mumbai-New York flight

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:41:00 +0000

Competition is taking its toll on Air India but passengers have reason to rejoice. Air India has been forced to drop its fares substantially for all classes of its non-stop Mumbai-New York flight, within first week of launching the service (first by an Indian carrier). In a price-sensitive market, lower fares offered by airlines like Delta, and Jet (while Delta offers a non-stop service, Jet offers the service with a stopover in Europe) have proved to be a bigger pull than the �??unprecedented' comfort promised by AI on its mint fresh long-range jets. AI has reduced economy class fares by Rs 4,000 to Rs 50,700. But the business and first class tickets have taken the biggest hits in the range of Rs 66,000 to Rs 90,000. A business class ticket now costs Rs 1.59 lakh, instead of Rs 2.25 lakh. And flying first class will now cost Rs 3.6 lakh, instead of Rs 4.5 lakh.

The first flight of the 238-seater Boeing 777 LR on August 1 took off from Mumbai with just 80 passengers. Over the week, this number may have more than doubled but AI has realised that price - and not pampering - is more important to lure customers. The website of Delta offers an economy class seat in its nonstop Mumbai-NY flight for upwards of Rs 43,000. Jet Airways, which launched its Mumbai-Brussels-Newark flight on Sunday, offers economy fares in the range of Rs 22,000 to Rs 55,000. AI admits that other airline are giving discounts and cashbacks but is sure that its �??premium' product will soon become the preferred choice of US-bound travellers. It is banking on the fact that nonstop flights save passengers the hassle of getting down at their European stopover (and getting a visa for that country) and then going through a rigorous security procedure all over again before boarding flight to US.

Thiruvananthapuram Airport gets fire fighting and rescue vehicles

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:39:00 +0000

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has procured two Airfield Fire Fighting and Rescue Vehicles from Austria as part of modernising its fire station functioning on the premises of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The two modern vehicles that were shipped from Rosenbauer in Austria, was brought to the AAI�??s fire station on a trailer by road from Mumbai. Costing over Rs.1.5 crore each, the vehicles are equipped to tackle all types of aircraft crashes efficiently. The vehicles will be formally inducted on Monday. The personnel who arrived from the manufacturing unit in Austria are providing training to the AAI fire and rescue service personnel in batches here to handle the newly procured vehicles. The vehicles are among the 15 being imported from Austria by the AAI to handle any exigencies in the airport.

The vehicles are fully equipped to take care of the safety of the aircraft and passengers, Airport Director K. Natarajan said. The premier airport of the State will be getting two more vehicles being imported from Austria before the close of the current financial year. The vehicles are being shipped in batches from Austria. Four modern fire fighting vehicles will be sufficient to take care of the needs of Thiruvananthapuram airport. The idea is to phase out the existing fire tenders in the AAI fire station, Mr. Natarajan said. The induction of the vehicles coincides with the observation of the Aviation Week from Monday. The strength of the personnel of the fire station was increased from 120 to 135 last year.

Dwell-time at Indian airports may be reduced

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:37:00 +0000

A group of senior government officials will meet on August 16 to discuss how to prevent airports from becoming waiting halls for passengers and cargo. The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), comprising officials from the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Home, Commerce and Finance, Customs and Immigration departments, Planning Commission and Airports Authority of India, has already recommended reduction in check-in time for international flights from three to two hours. On the passenger side, the IMG has suggested increase in the number of counters for check-in, immigration, security and baggage conveyor belts, besides the use of Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE), official sources said. The second meeting on August 16 is likely to take stock of security aspects of the entire gamut of issues and seek the industry views, the sources said.

As per standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the dwell-time for passengers is 90 minutes for departure and 45 minutes for arrival. India does not score well in the IATA passenger survey in terms of people's perception on issues like ease with which they could find their way through airports and connect with other flights, eating facilities and comfort at the waiting rooms, the sources said, adding that there was a scope for considerable improvement in these areas. About cargo, the sources said that all planning and development in the aviation sector was focused on passenger traffic and there was no overall vision to develop cargo facilities. So far, only one airport is being developed as a cargo hub although the country needs at least four more, the sources said. Acknowledging that the dwell-time for cargo compared poorly with world standards, the sources said this reflected a lack of adequate capacity or cumbersome processes, which added to transaction costs.

The cargo dwell-time at Delhi airport was 40 and 165 hours respectively for export and import, while that in Sharjah, Singapore and Frankfurt was between 4-6 hours for export and 7-17 hours for import. Keeping this scenario in view, IMG has suggested reduction in the period for which importers could store goods for free from five to two days, simplification of procedures, computerisation and electronic filing of forms and reduction in time for clearance of goods after custom clearance. Suggestions have also been made to set up cargo villages at key international airports by setting up integrated cargo infrastructure, including airline terminals, forwarders bonded terminals and security screening based on latest technology.

Air India and Indian yet to integrate systems

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:33:00 +0000

Air India and Indian continue to operate as two entities despite their recent merger, with separate reservation systems and codes. The merged entity, National Aviation Company (NACL), is handling operations under the banner of NACL-AI and NACL-I for the two businesses respectively. The merged entity also continues to operate two codes even though globally, airlines use only one code. "It will take at least six months for the integration and till then, the entity will operate like two airlines," a senior civil aviation ministry official said. However, industry estimates indicate that the process could take longer. It could be anywhere between 18 and 24 months, they said. Integration of IT systems is considered a significant aspect of airline mergers.

Not linking the two booking engines means that marketing efforts are not fully integrated. For customers, it means no assurance of seamless connectivity. "Both of us (Air India and Indian) use different ticketing systems. While we use IBM, Air India uses Unisys and hence it will take us at least 12 to 18 months to have an integrated ticketing system," a source in Indian said. Civil aviation ministry sources said Air India�??s booking system could not be linked to Indian�??s in the current form. Starting from the scratch for a new reservation system means delay in integrating the operations of the two airlines. The sources said NACL would operate as two entities till outstanding issues are resolved.

Ritu Beri to design uniforms for Air India

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:30:00 +0000

Eminent Indian fashion designer Ritu Beri has been roped in by national carrier Air India to design the new uniform for its cabin crew and ground staff. The national carrier, which has been formed by merging Air India and Indian, has gone in for a complete makeover to reflect its aspiration to be a "powerful" global entity. The colour palette of the uniform is red, orange, black and white, with red standing for strength and orange for cultural roots. The design of the new uniforms draw inspiration from the Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa, yet maintains a modern outlook. The colour palette of the uniform is red, orange, black and white, with red standing for strength and orange for cultural roots. "The endeavour is to combine our rich Indian colours and motifs from the Sun Temple with the powerful and more modern combination of black and white in the borders," a statement from Air India said. The uniform for the female employees, both ground staff and cabin crew, would include sarees, tunics, scarves, jackets, coats, aprons and shoes, while there would be specially designed ties for the male staff.

Regional airlines to get fuel and landing subsidies

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:51:00 +0000

The government on Thursday notified separate norms and incentives for regional airlines aimed at providing better air connectivity in remote areas and small towns. According to the notification, new airline companies will undertake operations between airports of any of the four regions �?? north, south, west and east/north-east. "Airline companies can initially start operations with one aircraft but within one year they must have a fleet of three. In two years from start of operation, they need to have five aircraft," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said. Norms to give better connectivity to small towns, remote areasA separate category of operator permit �?? Scheduled Operator Permit for Regional Airlines �?? will be given to such airlines. These airline companies should have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs 30 crore for operating bigger jets, while airlines operating turboprops should have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs 12 crore.

"On grounds of operational and commercial exigencies, the companies will be allowed to operate flights from airports in their designated region to all airports in any other region except the metro airports," Patel said. These airlines will be exempted from paying parking and landing charges in airports and will pay a uniform 4 per cent tax on jet fuel. "The matter regarding regional airlines was being considered in view of the fact that there was a need to expand air services to Tier II and Tier III cities to meet the unfulfilled demand which the existing operators are unable to cater to," Patel said. The minister said the regional airlines would not be permitted to operate on Category I routes. Since the southern region has three metro airports, the regional airlines of the southern region will be allowed to operate out of the designated metros, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Jet Airways starts Delhi-Toronto flight

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:49:00 +0000

Expanding its wings further to overseas destinations, private carrier Jet Airways said it planned to start daily flights from Delhi to New York's JFK Airport as well as to South Africa by this winter."By the end of October or early November daily flights from Delhi to JFK Airport will start," Jet Airways Executive Director Saroj Datta said. "We also intend to start flights to east coast of US from Chennai or Bangalore," he said, adding the carrier would also start flights to Johannesburg by this winter. The airline today announced the launch of its new flight linking Delhi with Toronto via Brussels, five times a week. The carrier will operate flights to Toronto with an Airbus 330-200 aircraft and has offered an inaugural return fare for economy class at Rs 35,000, while for the premiere class the return fare starts at Rs 1,57,500 (excluding taxes). Jet, which went for image makeover with a new logo, has also given its crew a new look with uniforms designed by Italian designer Roberto Capucci. Asked if the airline was planning to join any international alliance, Datta replied in the negative. "There are no immediate plans to join an alliance considering our domestic requirements. We will continue to have bilateral relations with individual carriers," he said.

Errant airlines risk losing slots

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:47:00 +0000

The aviation ministry has issued stern warning to airlines whose flights get unduly delayed. Both JetLite and Air Deccan �?? found to be slack �?? operate from the nearly choked Terminal-1B. On the other hand, "good performers" operate from the spacious Terminal-1A where queues for everything �?? baggage X-ray, check-in, security and boarding �?? are much shorter, an official pointed out. The aviation ministry is going to call airlines for a meeting on this issue once it gets a report from Mumbai where a similar study is under way. "We will tell the operators in no uncertain terms that if they don't improve their ontime performance, they may be moved out of their prime peak-hour slots. Their performance will be watched for another month or two before this step is taken," said a senior official. Ever since the controversy over congestion surcharge, aviation minister Praful Patel is learnt to have asked agencies like DGCA to study the issue of overcrowded skies in Delhi and Mumbai.

While airport infrastructure is woefully inadequate in both cities, airlines not sticking to schedules were found to be compounding the problem. The government chose the 6 am to 8 am slot for the study as all departing flights are already on the ground and any delays could easily be attributed to airlines' 'inefficiency'. ATC officials say if a flight has to leave on time, its doors must close 15 minutes before scheduled time of departure. This time is used for pulling back the plane, taxiing to the runway and for cabin crew to go through the pre-flight safety drill. Many airlines are found looking for passengers or bags even at departure time. Once the first morning flight is delayed, the entire day's schedule goes haywire. But what about delays caused by the fact that passengers are stuck in serpentine queues at Terminal-1B when they should be inside the aircraft? "Building infrastructure will take time. The ministry must make it mandatory that boarding will close 45 minutes before take-off time. This will give enough time for passengers to clear all queues in time," said a senior ATC official.

Air India all set to join Star Alliance

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:44:00 +0000

Air India is all set to join the Star Alliance, a club of 17 international airlines, by the end of this year. The move which will help increase its connectivity worldwide through code-sharing. The members of Star Alliance include Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, US Airways, Air Canada and Air New Zealand among others. The members of the alliance together fly to 855 destinations in 155 countries. "The heads of member airlines of the alliance would meet in December this year and would unanimously induct Air India," a civil aviation ministry official said. The civil aviation minister Praful Patel met the Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht on Tuesday to discuss the issues involved in joining the alliance.

Air India chairman and managing director V Thulasidas would also meet Mr Albrecht on Wednesday to further discuss the modalities of joining the league. With the merger of Air India and Indian, the new airline would have a total fleet of 125 aircraft. By joining Star Alliance, Air India would have access to member airlines�?? common facilities at airports across the world and code-sharing with other member airlines. "After joining the Alliance, the member airlines can collaborate on various fronts such as marketing and sourcing of spare parts jointly, leading to huge savings," an industry watcher said. Air India is already in expansion mode and plans to add more destinations with the introduction of more and more aircraft. The company has ordered 68 aircraft valued at $11 billion.

Honeywell to provide avionics suite for Air India B777, B737NG

noreply@blogger.com (Salaam Goa) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:39:00 +0000

Honeywell announced that it has been selected by Air India to provide a full suite of avionics products for its fleets of B777 and B737NG aircraft. Air India will receive 18 B737NG aircraft between 2006 and 2009, and 23 B777 aircraft between 2007 and 2010. The avionics suite to be provided for these aircraft will include the RDR-4B weather radar (for the B737 aircraft); the next-generation RDR-4000 weather radar (for the B777 only); QuantumTM Line Comm Nav Surveillance (CNS); high-frequency radio; Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS); Solid State Flight Data Recorder (SSFDR); Solid State Cockpit Voice Recorder (SSCVR); Flight Data Acquisition and Management System (FDAMS); Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) (for the B737 only); MCS 7000 Satcom (for the B777 only); and Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).

"Air India�??s investment in Honeywell�??s avionics suite will provide enhanced reliability and better performance, and will optimize their operations worldwide," said Chao Jing, Honeywell Aerospace Vice President, Airlines �?? Asia Pacific. "Leading-edge technologies like the RDR-4B and -4000 weather radar systems expand weather information and enhance crew awareness. Our products help assure Air India�??s investment in these aircraft will result in safer, more cost-effective and efficient operations." The RDR-4000 weather radar�??s patented 3-D scanning technology introduces new capabilities including Terrain-Based Digital Ground Clutter extraction for removing ground returns without the losses and delays associated with ground suppression filters, automatic compensation for the earth curvature to present a true weather picture out to 320 nautical miles. The advanced digital signal processing techniques and use of pulse compression technology increases performance of the system and reduces pilot workload.