Compensation ordered for Emirates' passenger

The Ernakulam Consumer Disputes Redressel Forum (CDRF) has ordered  Emirates Airline to pay Rs 2.8 lakh as compensation to a person who sustained injuries following the mid-air turbulence of its flight from Dubai to Kochi in April 2010.

The petitioner Siju Paul, native of  Cherkunnam, Ernakulam and working in Ireland, had approached CDRF against Emirates Airline. The drafted order of the case came out on Thursday. As per the petition filed by the complainant, he along with his family boarded the aircraft on April 25, 2010 from Dubai to Kochi. While airborne, the aircraft suddenly stooped from 20,000 ft to 5,000 ft owing to air turbulence. No advance information was given to the passengers to fasten the seat belt. Following the impact, Siju Paul sustained right clavicle  fracture. The airline company did not provide medical service to the complainant and his family at Kochi Airport.

The complainant went to a hospital at Chalakkudy and was advised rest for  four months. Though the petitioner issued a legal notice to the opposite party in this regard, there was no response initially. The complainant  had incurred a total damage of `4,89,864.

However, the counsel of Emirates Airline submitted that the incident  occurred due to bad whether which is totally beyond its control. Though  warning for fastening seat belts was given, the petitioner did not adhere to it. On arrival at Kochi International Airport, all passengers were offered medical facilities. However, the complainant and his family opted not to avail themselves of the medical facility and decided to go home and be treated at a local hospital.  For the legal notice, they had duly sent a reply to the lawyer expressing their willingness to reimburse medical expenses.

The Emirates Airlines could not provide cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder in the black box to substantiate the contentions before the CDRF. The forum also received no documents on the inquiry  conducted by the company after the incident which is regular with reputed airline companies.

Following this, the forum ordered the company to pay Rs 1 lakh to the complainant towards damages, Rs 1.08 lakh towards loss of his salary for six weeks and Rs 764 towards the treatment expenses incurred by the complainant.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article1278145.ece

Tiruvananthapuram Airport: Now, next gen Air Traffic Control

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is adding Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) technology to its air traffic control system. The facility, touted to be a next generation air transportation system, is intended to replace the conventional radar surveillance system.

 ‘’The new facility which will ensure more safety in surveillance operations will be launched on Saturday,’’ an AAI official said.

When compared to the radar surveillance system, ADS-B offers a lot more safety-related information to air traffic controllers. While a radar gives only basic information like aircraft position, the ADS-B gives additional information like rate of climb, air temperature, flight routing and more.

 The ADS-B will complement Indra, the advanced air traffic control system in place in the airport. Once the new system is in place, Indra will provide the air traffic controllers an integrated feed of radar and ADS-B information. The GPS-based ADS-B is also more advantageous than the radar data, which could be obstructed by physical barriers. The low installation cost of ADS-B is another factor which makes it more popular in the aviation industry.

Airport Adjudged Best in Country

The Airports Council International has adjudged the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as the best maintained international airport in the country.

The airport won 4.48 in a maximum of five scores in the Airport Service Quality Survey conducted by the council. Calicut International Airport came second with a score of 4.19.

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/article1278750.ece

Airport at Aranmula won’t be a threat, says P J Kurien

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien has said that the reservations on the Aranmula airport are just misconceptions. Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said that the project will not be a threat in any way.

“Apprehensions regarding developmental activities are natural since every project has its pros and cons. However, if the advantages far outnumber the disadvantages, we should welcome the developments. The so-called ecological issues being raised by the protestors of Aranmula airport have to be viewed in perspective. People should understand that when calculated, environmental pollution being created by vehicles that ferry passengers from this area to Nedumbasserry or Shankumukham airports, comes out to be much higher than what would be caused by the building of the airport. The airport will, in fact, expedite the development of this area. Tourism will get a major boost in the region, with the iconic Aranmula boat race garnering more audience. Besides, Sabarimala pilgrims will have speedy access to the shrine once the project is implemented,” he said.

He denounced the reports suggesting foul play in getting the nod from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for the project.

“Those who suspect any foul play can approach the Ministry or the courts for further clarification,” he said.

Kurien also said that the Air Kerala project, presented at Emerging Kerala 2012 investors’ meet, holds the potential to resolve the difficulties being faced by non-resident Keralites (NRKs). “The project can provide a permanent solution to the problems being faced by NRKs. The project can be commenced by incorporating the NRKs and other potential investors, he said.

On queries regarding the revamp of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), he said that the decision in this matter has to be taken by the KPCC, but added that a revamp would certainly lessen the problems in the party.

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article1274685.ece

Aircraft crash kills 19 in Nepal

An aircraft crash in Nepal’s capital on Friday morning led to the death of all 19 people on board.

A Dornier aircraft of Sita Air, a private airline operator, crashed minutes after taking off from the capital’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on the banks of the Manhara river in the adjacent Bhaktapur district. The aircraft was headed to Lukla, the entry point for the Mount Everest region. Seven of the victims are Nepali, seven are British and five are Chinese.

According to TIA general manager Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, preliminary investigations showed that the aircraft hit a bird while taking off. The Air Traffic Control had given the plane clearance at 6.17 a.m. local time. A minute later, pilot Bijay Tandukar reported a bird had hit an engine and he would attempt an emergency landing back at the airport on a single engine. He was, however, unable to do so and the aircraft crashed a few hundred metres away from the runaway on the river banks, near a squatter settlement.

“In such a situation of single engine failure in a twin-engine aircraft, if the plane has reached a safe altitude and attained a certain speed, it can continue to fly while the pilot plans his next move. This is conjecture, but in today’s case, the pilot seems to have panicked as is natural under the circumstances. He may have tried a turn a little too early and too low,” aviation expert Hemant Arjyal told The Hindu

While Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai pledged to improve air safety, and the government constituted a five-member committee to investigate the causes of the crash, commentators were sceptical of results given the spate of recent aircraft crashes, and said the new report may well “gather dust”.

Friday’s accident could have been due to factors beyond human control, but as the Nepali Timesweekly said in a special report on its website, “most crashes in Nepal are caused by pilot disorientation while flying through the mountains in cloudy weather”. It pointed out that this is the fifth instance of a domestic airliner crashing in the last two years, besides four helicopter crashes. Aircraft crashes have caused 114 deaths in the last six years.

In May this year, another Dornier aircraft hit a mountain near Jomsom airport; last year, a mountain flight crashed near Kathmandu, killing all passengers on board —many of whom were from Tamil Nadu.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/aircraft-crash-kills-19-in-nepal/article3947519.ece

Vizag airport to function 24X7

Defence Ministry approves deployment of over 380 officers, sailors of the Navy

The Defence Ministry has approved the deployment of more than 380 officers and sailors of the Navy at its base in Vishakhapatnam for enabling round-the-clock operations at the military and civilian airport there.

“The Defence Ministry has sanctioned additional manpower of 24 officers, 356 sailors and 27 civilians for INS Dega at Vishakhapatnam for ensuring that the airport is operational on a 24X7 basis,” Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said here.

The airport, which is under the Navy, is operational only for 12-hours every day at present and there is an increasing demand for extending the flying hours in both civil and military spheres.

Recently, Minister of State for Defence M. M. Pallam Raju had said that his Ministry has given its nod for operation of international flights from the Vishakhapatanam airport which is under the control of the Navy.

He said the timing of flight operations has been extended by three hours and international flights will start operating from October 1.

Kar said with the increased number of flight operations from the city, it is expected that its connectivity with the rest of the world and the country would improve considerably. - PTI

Visakhapatnam Staff Reporter adds:

A communication to this effect was received by Union Minister of State for HRD Ms. Purandeswari who has been pursuing the case of 24-hour operation of Vizag Airport with the Civil Aviation, Defence and Finance Ministries for more than two years now. During this period she had written more than 50 letters to various dignitaries, including the Civil Aviation Minister, the Finance Minister, the Defence Minister and the Prime Minister of India and met them at least thrice in this regard, according to a statement issued by the Visakhapatnam Air Travellers Association (VATA). At all the meetings, she got positive response ensuring that 24-hour operations at Vizag Airport would soon become a reality. With the Finance Ministry clearing the proposal, the Defence Ministry will now go ahead with the recruitment process.

Ms. Purandeswari expressed her gratitude to the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister and the Finance Minister for their approvals and expressed optimism that this would be provided the much-needed impetus for the development of Visakhapatnam region.

---

·  The airport is operational only for 12-hours every day at present

·  International flights to be operated from Oct. 1

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/vizag-airport-to-function-24x7/article3948272.ece

Air India office at HACA Bhawan closed today

The Air India booking office at HACA Bhawan, Hill Fort Road will remain closed on Saturday, September 29 due to traffic restrictions on the occasion of Ganesh immersion procession, a press release said. The Air India booking office at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, will be open. Bookings and reservations can be done through Air India helpline 1800 180 1407 or by visitingwww.airindia.inor through any travel agent.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/air-india-office-at-haca-bhawan-closed-today/article3947971.ece

AI should positively respond to needs of people: VS

The CPI(M) staged marches to the Thiruvananthapuram, Nedumbassery and Karipur international airports to protest against Air India’s frequent cancellation of flights to Gulf destinations.

Inaugurating the march at the Nedumbassery airport, Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan came down heavily on Air India and blamed the State government for its failure to ensure that the flights, on which thousands of Malayalis depended, were not cancelled in such large numbers.

Strong agitation

A strong agitation would have to be built up to ensure that Air India responded positively to the travel needs of the people of Kerala, he said.

In Thiruvananthapuram, CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised Air India’s practice of jacking up its air fares to various Gulf destinations during peak season.

Very often, those travelling to and from the Gulf countries were forced to pay fares that exceeded the fares needed to travel to such destinations as London, New York and Paris.

The recent spree of cancellation of flights had come on top of this, Mr. Vijayan pointed out.

Mr. Vijayan said the situation was so bad that Malayalis were worried about their travel prospects if they booked their tickets with Air India. The worst hit by the flight cancellations was Thiruvananthapuram and there was need to fight such practices of Air India, Mr. Vijayan said.

Hundreds of CPI(M) workers and elected representatives belonging to the CPI(M) and various LDF constituents also participated in the marches.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/ai-should-positively-respond-to-needs-of-people-vs/article3948046.ece

Air India renews safety audit norm

Air India’s registration for IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations in Mumbai has been renewed. The airline said compliance with the audit will minimise the possibility of any untoward incidents; require less audits; reduce costs; unify standards and ensure greater safety and quality.

The audit exercise reviews the organisation and management systems, including passenger and baggage handling, load control, and aircraft handling among others.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-logistics/article3946714.ece

Maldivian to launch direct flights to Chennai, Mumbai

Chennai, Sept 28:  

Maldives’ national carrier is all set to launch direct flights to Chennai and Mumbai from November 15.

Maldivian, as the airline is known, will start operations on this route from the country’s capital Male. The Airbus 320 aircraft will have 14 business class, 24 premium economy and 114 economy class seats.

Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Maldives, said the new routes in India are mainly targeted at the Indian leisure market and medical tourism and trading community traffic from the Maldives. Besides, as the Chennai flight will also connect Dhaka (Male–Chennai – Chennai-Dhaka – Dhaka-Chennai – Chennai-Male) and there are a lot of people from Bangladesh working in Maldives, the passenger load in this sector is expected to be over 80 per cent.

“Besides, the growth rate for travellers from India to Maldives increased by 20 per cent from 25,750 in 2010 to 31,000 in 2011,” he said. The country hopes to see 2 per cent growth in 2012. The airline currently operates two daily flights between Male and Thiruvananthapuram, “which is doing well”. According to the Minister, Maldives is also seeking investments from India in the areas of hospitality, real estate and various other infrastructure projects.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-logistics/article3946710.ece

Kingfisher crashes as bankers deny loan

Mumbai, Sept. 28:  

Stock of debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines plunged on the bourses after bankers turned down the company's request for a loan of Rs 200 crore. Shares in the company hit the lower circuit and closed at Rs 16.12, down 4.95 per cent on the BSE. The stock, however, gained close to 90 per cent in just one month time on expectation of debt restructuring.

On Thursday, the BSE halved the permissible stock movement to five per cent for the Kingfisher Airlines stock.

Earlier, the scrip was allowed a movement of 10 per cent. Exchanges usually lower the circuit-filter to avoid excessive movement in the stock.

According to lenders, the promoter and chairman of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya failed to spell out a concrete revival plan on equity infusion into his airline, reeling under debt of about Rs 9,000 crore.

Aid till next meet

The next meeting between the lenders and airline management will be held in the third week of October. A “basic operating plan” has been asked to be prepared by investment bank SBI Capital Markets Ltd for the airline to stay afloat till the next lenders’ meet. This is the third time that SBI Capital has been asked to prepare a rejig exercise for the airline. Banks together have an exposure of nearly Rs 7,000 crore in the airline.

With a fleet size down to seven, the airline is currently operating on curtailed capacity and has suspended its international operations. The Director General of Civil Aviation said recently that DGCA will look into the cancellations of KFA flights in the upcoming winter schedule in October. “We will take into account the capacity of airlines to operate according to the schedule,” said Arun Mishra, DGCA.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-markets/article3946720.ece

Neil Mills: rewriting rules with SpiceJet

Has reconfigured SpiceJet, eked out its first profit in 5 quarters

When SpiceJet decided to fly thrice a week from Delhi to war-torn Kabul last month, many thought it was a recipe for disaster. But, for Neil Mills, the soft-spoken CEO of the airline, who had previously strategised for international low-cost carriers (LCCs), such as EasyJet and flydubai, there was a method in his madness.

Mills was cashing in on the fact that only three airlines — Air India and two other small carriers — flew this route. Yet, medical tourism traffic from Kabul into India has been booming and so has trade between the two countries. And, because of the supply constraint, airlines were charging stiff fares — Rs 10,000 to as much as Rs 29,000 for a one-way flight that took just two hours — making it one of the most profitable routes from India, with a yield per passenger kilometre that was double of what it would be if you flew to Dubai or Singapore. So, for Mills, it was a no-brainer. “Afghani carriers are panicky because we have been successful. Apart from Air India, we are the only other airline classified as a safe carrier,” says a satisfied-looking Mills.

The contrarian
Nearly two years after taking over the reins at SpiceJet, Mills has been rewriting the rules of the LCC game. In international skies, unlike most others, he has not followed the beaten path of flying only into safe routes — where it is easy to both set up operations and get passengers — like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, though the carrier flies to Dubai. The catch here is that these routes represent eroded margins, due to cut-throat competition from day one, thanks to too many players chasing the same routes.(OFF THE BEATEN TRACK)

Instead, Mills is looking at routes where he will have a first-mover advantage, where there are not too many players, and where setting up operations and getting permission, due to tough bilateral rules, is a challenge. So, next on his agenda is to fly to Guangzhou in China, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and perhaps, Hong Kong.
In the domestic skies, Mills wants to once again turn the model upside down. Here, he wants to grab first- mover advantage by connecting smaller towns and cities with multiple metros and larger cities, where no one flies at the moment. To do that, he has gambled, by acquiring the 78- seater Bombardier Q400. With a fleet of 12 Bombardiers, which fly 12 hours a day, he already connects 16 destinations, including Jabalpur and Amritsar, as well as Hubli and Tirupati, among others. Mills has also connected the smaller cities to larger ones. So, Hubli now has connectivity to Hyderabad and Bangalore, as well as to Chennai. And, after just a year in service, the regional jet network is already a force to reckon with — it constitutes one-third of its over 300 flights a day and nearly 20 per cent of its passengers.
Point-to-point
Of course, erstwhile Air Deccan also tried a similar strategy, but did not succeed. Mills says his strategy is different — he is not looking at a hub-and-spoke connectivity. For instance, his flight from Dehradun is not meant as connectivity for a passenger to Mumbai via Delhi, where the Bombardier flight’s time is synchronised with that of a Boeing Delhi-Mumbai flight. “We are looking at point-to-point connectivity. If we synergise the two operations for hub and spoke, then utilisation of both will suffer,” he says.
But for Mills, the regional jet network is key to expanding passenger base. He says currently, there are only 36 airports where you can fly narrow-bodied aircaft. But, with smaller jets, that number goes up to 96. “How many times can you fly to these 36 airports? You need to grow the market,” he argues. So far, his strategy seems to be paying off. For the first time in five quarters, SpiceJet made a net profit, of Rs 56 crore.
Flight risks
Experts, however, say that the strategy comes with some serious risks until, of course, Mills pulls it off. “By having two different kinds of aircraft, you are virtually running two LCCs,” says Kapil Kaul, who heads the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) in India. “This obviously has an impact on your costs, as you will require a different set of expertise. That is why, say IndiGo, has not gone for it”.
Also, a slight change in policy could wreck the strategy. For instance, the airport regulator in May allowed the Delhi airport to impose Rs 10,000 as landing and parking charges on each aircraft which had less than 80 seats, overturning an earlier policy where they were exempted from any payment. This decision, together with the huge rise in user development fee on passengers in Delhi, has impelled SpiceJet to delay bringing in three more Bombardiers and add four-five new destinations in North India. Mills says that the new charges would make the ticket prices too high and unviable.
The other obvious challenge is that the first-mover advantage is only limited to a few months or a year, till others jump on the bandwagon. Even Mills acknowledges that, but says that at least in the last 12 months, no other competing player has ordered smaller aircraft to take them on in the regional domestic market.
Aviation watchers say that SpiceJet, which made losses last year, has had to innovate in order to improve its margins and yields, as it is not the market leader in the LCC space. The last financial year, it made losses of around Rs 600 crore, which translates into about Rs 500 on every ticket that it sold, as it picked up 12 million passengers.
On the other hand, market leader IndiGo has been making money and is the king, with a large share in most of the key standard routes (it has a market share of 27.6 per cent, compared to SpiceJet’s 18.5 per cent) “Rather than battling directly with the profitable IndiGo on international and domestic routes head-on, and following a similar strategy, Mills is banking on innovative alternative routes, which are difficult to set up but where you have at least six months to one year of a head start,” says a senior executive of a travel company.
International play
That is what Mills is doing in the international arena, too. For instance, he wants to fly to Riyadh, where getting permission to fly, he admits, is not that easy. Saudi Arabia is a country where bilaterals are restricted. “There is only one flight, Saudia, but no Indian carrier. But, Riyadh has a big connection with Muslims in India — with large movement of labour and many big contracts won by Indian companies,” says Mills. However, everyone currently goes to the city through Dubai.
Mills’ attempt to also fly to Hong Kong on a narrow-bodied aircraft for over five hours, however, is again understandable as there are not too many flights connecting the two countries. But Kaul has a word of caution. “I have doubts whether it is economically viable to run a flight of over five hours on a narrow-bodied aircraft,” he says .
Mills is also trying to reduce costs; his will be the first private airline to import aviation turbine fuel (ATF) directly, which he hopes will save some costs. But, his detractors say that the logistics required for transportation from the Chennai airport, where the imported ATF will come, is too complicated and not worth the minor saving. Mills doesn’t agree. “Last year, we spent Rs 2,200 crore on fuel. Even if we save one per cent, it is Rs 20 crore for our shareholders”. The question is, whether his new strategy will deliver his shareholders the goods.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/neil-mills-rewriting-rulesspicejet/487869/

Banks reject KFA’s loan demand; SBI Caps to draw revival plan

Turning down a request for Rs 200 working loan by Kingfisher, the SBI-led lenders consortium on Thursday asked SBI Capitals to chalk out a fresh revival plan for the cash-strapped airline in the next 2-3 weeks.

Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya made a presentation in a meeting with lenders at Bangalore headquarters this afternoon, the first such meeting after the Government’s policy decision allowing foreign airlines to invest in domestic carriers.

According to lenders, Mallya did not offer any concrete revival plan as he could not commit on equity infusion by promoters.

An official from a public sector bank said the lenders turned down a request from Mallya for an immediate working capital loan of Rs 200 crore. Since this January, the airline has not been servicing its Rs 7,000 crore bank debt.

The official said that the lenders have asked SBI Capitals to make a new revival plan, the third one, for the airline in the next two-three weeks.

Though the company suggested a second debt restructuring, nothing was finalised, a source said.

When asked whether banks are open to a second CDR in two years, the source said that will depend on the SBI Caps proposal.

The meeting comes amidst talks of the airline talking to prospective foreign airlines to offload its stake.

At the last meeting on September 3 in Mumbai, the bankers had demanded that Mallya himself should make the revival plan and today’s meeting is the result of that.

This is the third time that SBI Caps has been asked to prepare a rejig exercise for the airline. In 2010, it had made a debt recast plan for the airline and in November that year, its Rs 6,500 crore worth loan was recast. Earlier this, SBI Caps was asked to make another revival plan.

Kingfisher shares on Thursday climbed 8.03 per cent to close at Rs 16.96 on the BSE, after touching an intra-day high of Rs 17.18 -- the highest level in a month.

NSE, BSE seek clarification

The National Stock Exchange and the BSE have sought clarifications from Kingfisher Airlines on reports that the carrier is in talks with foreign entities and domestic investors for stake sale.

Both bourses in separate notices on Thursday said they are awaiting the response from Kingfisher Airlines.

According to NSE, the media had reports that Kingfisher Airlines is in talks with foreign carriers as well as domestic investors to sell a stake.

“The Exchange, in order to verify the accuracy or otherwise of the information reported in the media and to inform the market place so that the interest of the investors is safeguarded, had written to the company,” it said.

The BSE has also sought clarifications regarding stake sale from Kingfisher Airlines.

“The Exchange, in order to verify certain news articles appearing in the various news papers/websites/television channels and also to inform the members/investors with regard to the accuracy of the news articles, had sought clarification from the company (Kingfisher Airlines),” the bourse said in a separate notice.

On Wednesday, Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya had said the carrier was in talks with foreign airlines.

However, he did not provide details citing “privacy and confidentiality” reasons.

Shares of the company today climbed 8.03 per cent to close at Rs 16.96 on the BSE, after touching an intra-day high of Rs 17.18 -- its highest level in a month.

The stock had gained 9 per cent yesterday as well, after Mallya said the air carrier is in talks with foreign airlines for possible stake sale.

In NSE too, shares of Kingfisher jumped about 8.60 per cent to close today at Rs 17.05.

The carrier, which is deep in the red, is in talks with its lenders to thrash out revival plan. Kingfisher Airlines owes over Rs 7,000 crore to 17 banks in the long-term debt and has accumulated losses of around Rs 8,000 crore.  

Banks reject Kingfisher loan demand; SBI Caps to draw up fresh revival plan

Turning down a request for Rs.200-crore working loan by Kingfisher, the State Bank of India-led lenders consortium, on Thursday, asked SBI Capitals to chalk out a fresh revival plan for the cash-strapped airline in the next 2-3 weeks.

Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya made a presentation at a meeting with lenders in Bangalore on Thursday, the first such meeting after the government’s policy decision to allow foreign airlines to invest in domestic carriers.

According to the lenders, Mr. Mallya did not offer any concrete revival plan as he could not commit on equity infusion by the promoters.

An official from a public sector bank said the lenders turned down a request from Mr. Mallya for an immediate working capital loan of Rs.200 crore. Since January, the airline has not been servicing its Rs.7,000-crore bank debt.

The official said the lenders had asked SBI Capitals to make a new revival plan, the third one, for the airline in the next 2-3 weeks.

Though the company suggested a second debt restructuring, nothing was finalised, a source said.

When asked whether banks were open to a second CDR in two years, the source said that would depend on the SBI Caps’ proposal.

The meeting comes amidst reports of the airline talking to prospective foreign airlines to offload its stake.

At the last meeting on September 3 in Mumbai, the bankers had demanded that Mr. Mallya should make the revival plan. This is the third time that SBI Caps has been asked to prepare a rejig exercise for the airline.

In 2010, it had made a debt recast plan for the airline, and, in November that year, its Rs.6,500-crore worth loan was recast.

Earlier this year, SBI Caps was asked to make another revival plan.

Circuit limit halved

Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange, on Thursday, halved its circuit limits on shares of Kingfisher Airlines and group firm United Breweries Holdings, capping their maximum movement in a day at 5 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.

The proposed changes, announced by the BSE through a circular and will be effective from Friday, follow a sharp rally in the share prices of the two companies in the past few days.

Earlier, Kingfisher shares were allowed an upward or downward movement of 10 per cent in a day, while the circuit filter limit for the group’s holding firm United Breweries (Holdings) was 20 per cent.

The exchanges generally lower the circuit filter of a stock as part of their surveillance mechanism to avoid excessive movement in the share price. Kingfisher shares, on Thursday, rose by 8.03 per cent to close at Rs.16.96 on the BSE, after touching an intra-day high of Rs.17.18 - its highest level in a month. The stock had gained 9 per cent on Wednesday as well, after Mr. Vijay Mallya said the air carrier was in talks with foreign airlines for possible stake sale.

UB Holdings had also gained nearly 11 per cent on Wednesday, although its share price settled only 1.85 per cent higher at Rs.146.05 in Thursday’s trade. Earlier in the day, UB Holdings had risen to as high as Rs.155.85 — its highest level in a year. While Kingfisher shares have been rallying sharply in the last couple of weeks, shares of other group companies have been on an uptrend for much longer period, largely on reports and speculations about stake sale in various businesses.

The National Stock Exchange and the BSE have also sought clarifications from Kingfisher Airlines on reports that the carrier is in talks with foreign entities and domestic investors for stake sale.

Both bourses in separate notices on Thursday said they were awaiting the response from Kingfisher.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/banks-reject-kingfisher-loan-demand-sbi-caps-to-draw-up-fresh-revival-plan/article3943956.ece

Air India’s Dreamliner suffers bird hit at Bengaluru

Air India’s latest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, suffered a bird hit while landing at Bengaluru International Airport on Thursday morning.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when the aircraft AI 803, with 127 passengers on board from New Delhi, was landing here. Ground engineers checked all parameters of the aircraft before allowing it to take off, sources said. The Bangalore-Delhi flight took off at 10.40 a.m. after a half-hour delay.

“It was a minor incident and no passenger was hurt,” an Air India spokesperson told The Hindu .

Air India introduced the brand-new Dreamliner on the Delhi-Bangalore-Delhi route on September 19.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/air-indias-dreamliner-suffers-bird-hit-at-bengaluru/article3944040.ece

Foul play in company’s claims over airport clearances: activists

People have reasons to suspect corruption and concealing of facts behind various clearances that the private company claims to have obtained for the proposed airport project at Aranmula, Thomas P. Thomas, Associate Professor of Botany at Kozhencherry St. Thomas College has said.

People’s representatives who blindly supported conversion of not less than 500 acres of paddy field in Aranmula were bound to explain to the common people whether the stand taken by them was on the basis of fool-proof scientific data and in consultation with experts, Prof. Thomas said at a cultural meet on the ‘Pampa river and Pampa valley civilisation’ organised by the Thiruvaranmula Paithruka Grama Karma Samiti at Aranmula on Thursday.

The government and the people’s representatives should place the environmental impact assessment report submitted by the company for a debate by experts before reaching a final decision on the same, he said.

Prof. Thomas said the report did not even mention that the land identified for the project was a paddy field and wetland.

Fr. Thomas Peeliyanickal, chairman, Kuttanad Vikasana Samiti, who inaugurated the meet, said conservation of the Pampa was a necessity and the government and the people’s representatives should ensure any development envisaged for the valley was in tune with nature. Wanton conversion of paddy fields, wetlands, and natural streams would prove catastrophic for the river, he said.

“What is the use of setting up a airport by destroying paddy fields and natural streams, and places of worship?” he asked.

Rajaraja Varma, president of the Pandalam Palace Managing Committee, presided over the function. V.N. Gopinatha Pillai, All-Kerala River Protection Council State vice-president and Kummanam Rajasekharan, Hindu Aikyavedi State general secretary participated.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/foul-play-in-companys-claims-over-airport-clearances-activists/article3944511.ece

Company claims nod for airport project

Paddy fields to be converted, no forceful displacement of families

KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd. has got all necessary clearances for developing the country’s first greenfield private airport at Aranmula, P.T. Nandakumar, the company’s executive director, has said.

Mr. Nandakumar, accompanied by Joe Scaria, communications manager of the company, was addressing a press conference on Wednesday. He said a team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) accorded full clearance for the proposed airport after visiting the site.

Mr. Nandakumar said the proposed airport project, estimated to cost Rs.2,000 crore, was expected to be ready for operation in the next two years. He said the company had already acquired nearly 350 acres of land in the three villages of Aranmula, Mallappuzhasserry, and Kidangannur. He claimed that mutation process of 232 acres of the land purchased for the project had been completed.

Mr. Nandakumar said there was no question of forceful displacement of any family in the name of the project. But, the company would offer handsome price, much higher than the prevailing market price, to acquire the land required for the project.

When asked about the revenue poromboke and the natural stream lying in between, the KGS official said the company would construct the runway over the natural stream, ensuring its natural flow.

Mr. Nandakumar said the company, if needed, would convert the paddy land required for the proposed project after obtaining all mandatory clearances in due course. However, he said the KGS Group did not have any role in the illegal conversion of the paddy fields that took place at Aranmula earlier.

The runway length of the proposed international airport would be 3,100 X 45 m and the terminal building was designed to handle as many as 1,000 passengers at a time.

Mr. Nandakumar said the company had obtained clearances for the airport in Aranmula from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Kerala government.

When the opposition raised by Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was pointed out, the KGS official said the no-objection certificate was issued by none other than the previous LDF Government.

However, the KGS official had failed to answer many pertinent questions on various environmental problems, alleged corruption, and irregularities taken place in the name of the airport project.

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·  Company already acquired 350 acres in 3 villages

·  KGS official failed to answer many queries by journalists

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/company-claims-nod-for-airport-project/article3944509.ece

Kerala tourism information counter at Mangalore airport

Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC) has opened a new information counter on tourism projects in the State.

The new counter was opened by Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay at the arrival terminal of the Mangalore airport on Thursday. The temporary counter would be turned into a permanent set up after signing an agreement with the Airport Authority of India, official sources here said.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/kerala-tourism-information-counter-at-mangalore-airport/article3944421.ece

Air India’s Dreamliner suffers bird-hit

Air India’s latest aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, suffered a bird-hit while landing at Bengaluru International Airport on Thursday morning.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when the aircraft AI 803, with 127 passengers on board from New Delhi, was landing here.

Ground engineers checked all parameters of the aircraft before allowing it to take off, sources said. The Bangalore-Delhi flight took off at 10.40 a.m. after a half-hour delay.

“It was a minor incident and no passenger was hurt,” an Air India spokesperson told The Hindu .

Newly introduced

Air India introduced the brand-new Dreamliner on the Delhi-Bangalore-Delhi route on September 19.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/air-indias-dreamliner-suffers-birdhit/article3944108.ece

Round-the-clock operations at Vizag airport soon

Round-the-clock operation of the Visakhapatnam airport will soon become a reality with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram approving the recruitment of additional manpower.

The Finance Minister, under the guidelines of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, modified the rules approving the manpower recruitment and forwarded the file to the Defence Minister on Thursday for issue of orders to the Indian Navy, according to a statement issued by the chief coordinator of TSR Seva Peetham D. Varada Reddy here.

Rajya Sabha Member T. Subbarami Reddy had convinced the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister of the need for sanctioning additional manpower for INS Dega to facilitate 24-hour operation of the airport.

Visakhapatnam Airport, which began as an airstrip during World War II, had developed gradually over the years.

The extension of the runway to 10,030 feet, provision of ILS (Instrument Landing System), wider aprons and other facilities were witnessed during 2009.

The launch of the international flight to Dubai in March this year and Silk Air announcing its schedule to operate direct flights to Singapore from October 28 have catapulted the airport into a higher plane.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/roundtheclock-operations-at-vizag-airport-soon/article3944401.ece