SpiceJet to launch New Delhi-Kabul flight from Aug 14

Expanding its network on international routes, no-frills carrier SpiceJet will launch its direct flight to Kabul from New Delhi starting from August 14.

"The launch of Kabul services is a milestone for the airline as SpiceJet would be the sole private Indian carrier to operate services to this country," an airline spokesperson said.

The Kalanithi Maran-promoted airline currently operates in three international destinations with four routes – Delhi- Kathmandu, Delhi-Dubai, Chennai-Colombo and Mumbai-Dubai.

The sale of ticket will be open from today and the commercial flights would start from August 14, he added.

"Kabul is a very important destination for us. India and Afghanistan have ancient cultural connections and the launch of new services would bridge the distance between the two countries and help to enhance this old relationship," SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills said.

The airline would be initially operating flights three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) on the route, which would be serviced by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, it said.

In the domestic market, SpiceJet connects 37 cities with a fleet of 47 aircraft comprising Boeing's 737 and Bombardier Q400 NextGen Turboprop.

http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/spicejet-to-launch-new-delhi-kabul-flightaug-14/31703/

 

 

No-frills carrier SpiceJet to launch New Delhi-Kabul flight from Aug 14

NEW DELHI: Expanding its network on international routes, no-frills carrier SpiceJet will launch its direct flight to Kabul from New Delhi starting from August 14.

"The launch of Kabul services is a milestone for the airline as SpiceJet would be the sole private Indian carrier to operate services to this country," an airline spokesperson said.

The Kalanithi Maran-promoted airline currently operates in three international destinations with four routes - Delhi- Kathmandu, Delhi-Dubai, Chennai-Colombo and Mumbai-Dubai.

The sale of ticket will be open from today and the commercial flights would start from August 14, he added.

"Kabul is a very important destination for us. India and Afghanistan have ancient cultural connections and the launch of new services would bridge the distance between the two countries and help to enhance this old relationship," SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills said.

The airline would be initially operating flights three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) on the route, which would be serviced by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, it said.

In the domestic market, SpiceJet connects 37 cities with a fleet of 47 aircraft comprising Boeing's 737 and Bombardier Q400 NextGen Turboprop.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/no-frills-carrier-spicejet-to-launch-new-delhi-kabul-flight-from-aug-14/articleshow/14863985.cms

Aranmula airport: CM’s remarks ignite protest

The statements by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday and Friday on the proposed private international airport project at Aranmula have created confusion and invited strong protest among the villagers as they were ignorant of the notification of 2,500 acres.

“The statements by the Chief Minister have substantiated our earlier stand that the company was trying to grab 500 hectares in place of 500 acres as notified by the LDF government. We had clearly marked the area coming under the notified survey numbers and briefed the same to the Chief Minister long ago. But there was no action.

However, the recent statements of Chief Minister raise doubts about the functioning of his ‘transparent office’,” said P Induchoodan, convener, Aranmula Palliyoda Pallivillakku Samrakshna Samity.

The extraordinary gazette notification by the Industries Department of the LDF government on February 24, 2011, just four days before the election notification, had declared “approximately 500 acres of land specified in the schedule below I at Aranmula, Mallappuzhassery and Kidangannoor villages in Pathanamthitta district, to be an industrial area of the state and constitute a single window clearance board for the said area to be known as Greenfield Airport, Aranmula Single Window Clearance Board”.

“A denotification as stated by the Chief Minister is not legally valid and if the government wants to initiate an action, all it could do is to cancel the earlier notification and issue a new notification. Then another serious question arises, whether an airport is needed for the people of Aranamula. The Chief Minister who swears on the mass contact programme should consider the sentiments of the people of Aranamula, as they are also citizens of this state,” said Mullakkara Ratnakaran, former minister and a member of the Legislative Committee on Environment which submitted a report of the environmental issues raised by the local population in connection with the project.

He said the government has acted against the spirit of democracy by concealing the Cabinet discussion and even the Chief Minister is well aware of the perilous consequence of regularisation of converted paddy fields and wetlands prior to January 1, 2005, which is evident from the justification of the delay in making the decision into public.

“The whole idea is to cool off the protestors and nothing else. It looked as if the Chief Minister has cancelled something which even the promoters did not demand,” Said Kummanam Rajasekharan, patron of the Aranmula Heritage Village Protection council. He ridiculed the claims of the airport promoters that the project would be beneficial to the Sabarimala pilgrims.

“If they are so much bent on an airport for the pilgrims, they can make it at nearby Chengara or Cheruvally at the cost of some rubber trees and without evicting anybody from their land,” he said.

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article566578.ece

Chandy’s claim on Aranmula airport land ‘suspicious’

It was virtual ‘land war’ over the proposed Aranmula airport between the government and the Opposition in the Assembly on Thursday. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cornered Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan over notification of 2,500 acres of land for the purpose during his reign, but Achuthanandan surprised everyone by saying that the airport is not necessary at all. Chandy also announced denotification of 2,000 acres out of the 2,500 acres notified and said ‘‘only 500 acres are enough for the project and renotification will be issued accordingly.”

The VS Government had notified acquisition of the land, including vast stretches of paddy fields in Aranmula, to develop the airport by a private consortium.

Chandy made the announcement on denotification while the Opposition members created an uproar over a Cabinet decision taken on February 8 this year giving the nod for regularisation of converted paddy fields and wetlands prior to January 1, 2005 after imposing a heavy fine up to 15 percent of the fair value of land in various categories.

The Chief Minister also turned the tables on VS by laying a directive issued by the latter as Chief Minister to the Pathanamthitta District Collector on January 12, 2010, to initiate immediate steps to ensure land transfer for the Aranmula airport and facilitate construction activities and report the matter to him accordingly.

Allegations of the Opposition on attempts of the UDF Govt to dilute the provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008 and thereby help the land mafia led to heated counter-allegations in the course of discussions on a notice for adjournment motion given by Mullakara Ratnakaran (CPI).

Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said former Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac, in his budget speech on 2009-10 and 2010-11, had proposed restricted regularisation of the reclaimed paddy fields and wetlands with a cut-off date. The proposal was to allow such regularisation after slapping a one-time heavy fine.

Small holdings of less than five cents meant for construction of buildings have been totally exempted, which is being retained now also.

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article565704.ece

High aircraft parking charges at Mumbai flayed

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) Business aircraft operators Friday decried the sharp hike in parking penalties for planes at Mumbai airport, terming the move as "illegal and beyond jurisdiction" of private airport developers.

According to Business Aircraft Operators Associaton (BAOA), the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) has started levying between Rs.1,000-15,000 per hour compared to Rs.20-70 metric tonne per hour charged by the Airports Authority of India.

BAOA president Rohit Kapur said the move is "completely unacceptable, illegal and beyond the purview of private airport developers" as the hike has been effected without the sanction of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority.

He pointed out that it is the duty of the government to create adequate infrastructure for aircraft operations and if the existing facilities are insufficient, no agency can penalize the private operators.

"In fact, we have been urging the government to create the needed infrastructure in terms of parking space, separate terminals and hangars since many years, but to no avail," Kapur said.

Referring to MIAL, Kapur claimed that there was parking space available in the Lima bay at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Aiport which is lying waste.

He suggested that it could be utilised for parking private business aircraft and if needed, MIAL could create temporary taxiways to make the bays accessible.

Since July 2, MIAL had imposed penal charges on overstaying of private jets which are registered outside Mumbai.

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/07/13/363--High-aircraft-parking-charges-at-Mumbai-flayed-.html

Plea for Haj flights from Tiruchi

Tiruchi District Muslim United Jamaath had pleaded for introduction of direct flights from Tiruchi to Saudi Arabia for the benefit of Haj pilgrims of the regionduring Haj season.

In a communication to All India Haj Committee and Tamil Nadu Haj Committee, M. Mohamed Ansary, president of Jamaath said a large number of Muslims pilgrims of central and southern districts, who perform Haj, have to go to Chennai for boarding flights.

Direct Haj flights from Tiruchi would benefit them, he added.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article3638780.ece

New DGCA chief asks airlines to adhere to safety standards

Newly-appointed chief of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation Prashant Sukul on Friday asked all airlines to strictly adhere to prescribed safety standards.

Mr. Sukul reviewed safety issues in civil aviation at a meeting here with the CEOs and representatives of the airlines. Some of the key areas which came up for review included 15-point surveillance, operational issues and the recently-conducted audit that included financial matters.

The airlines were asked to take action on the deficiencies pointed out and asked to properly conduct the internal audit in the prescribed manner, official sources said.

Among the operational issues, the airlines were apprised of passenger complaints received by the DGCA and were asked to prominently display and include in their tariff sheets the convenience charges or charges for printing second ticket, if levied by them.

“We have asked the airlines to address any deficiencies or passenger complaints,” Mr. Sukul later told reporters. He said progress made by the carriers to correct the deficiencies found in the audit was also reviewed.

Meanwhile, E.K. Bharat Bhushan, who was abruptly removed as the DGCA earlier this week, is being posted as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Steel Ministry, official sources said.

Mr. Bhushan, a Kerala cadre IAS officer of the 1979 batch, will be swapping positions with S. Machendranathan, who will join the Civil Aviation Ministry in his position as Additional Secretary. Mr. Machendranathan is also from the 1979 batch of the IAS. He belongs to the Tamil Nadu cadre.

On Tuesday, Mr. Sukul, a joint secretary in Civil Aviation, was given additional charge as chief of the DGCA, replacing Mr. Bhushan who reportedly earned the wrath of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh for taking a tough stand against private carrier Kingfisher Airlines. The government and the private carrier have both denied such charges.

Mr. Bhushan’s extension till December-end had been approved by the Prime-Minister-Manmohan-Singh-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet only a week ago.

The Aviation Ministry has recommended Arun Mishra, now with the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation, for appointment as a full-time DGCA chief.

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·  E.K. Bharat Bhushan will be Financial Adviser in Steel Ministry

·  Progress made by carriers to correct deficiencies also reviewed, said Sukul

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3638113.ece

Airlines asked to display charges for conveniences prominently

New Delhi, July 13:

The domestic airline industry has been asked to prominently display and include in its tariff sheets the charges for providing conveniences such as online bookings or printing of tickets, if it is levied by them.

This was one of the issues that was raised at a meeting that the newly appointed Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Prashant Sukul, had with Chief Executive Officers and senior officials of the domestic airlines here on Friday.

Payment of salaries

Airlines were also asked to ensure timely payment of salaries to their staff. At least two airlines —Air India and Kingfisher Airlines — have defaulted in payment of salaries to their staff. Sections of Kingfisher Airlines’ pilots recently struck work to protest against the non-payment of five months back-wages. Similarly, employees of Air India are owed at least two months back-wages.

Safety standards

The airlines were also asked to strictly adhere to the prescribed safety standards.

Briefing newspersons after the meeting, Mr Sukul said that the airlines were asked to adhere to their flight schedules which had been approved by the DGCA. “By and large, almost all airlines are following the schedule approved by the DGCA. There are always some cancellations but it is nothing alarming,” he said.

The airlines were also asked to keep a close watch on safety and security and if there were any apprehensions with regard to financial stress affecting the carrier, the DGCA should be immediately informed, it was said.

The Chief Executive Officer, SpiceJet Airline, Mr Neil Mills, Executive Director, Air India, Mr Vipin Sharma, the Senior Vice-President, Kingfisher Airlines, Mr Hitesh Patel, were among the senior airline officials who attended the meeting.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-economy/article3636785.ece