Indian Civil Aviation : News , Updates & Discussions

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Agartala Airport set to become 3rd International Airport in NE

June 19, 14:09, 2019, by Northeast Today
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After Guwahati and Imphal, the Agartala airport is set to become the third international airport in the northeastern region by the end of this year or by early 2020, a Minister said here.

“The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has informed us that their ongoing works to make Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport as an international one would be completed by this year-end. But if the works are hampered due to the monsoon season or any other factor, then the declaration would be made by early 2020,” Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Pranajit Singha Roy told IANS.

The AAI had undertaken a Rs 438 crore project to upgrade the Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities.

“The budgeted expenditure of Rs 438 crore is expected to be escalated. However, our government constantly asking the AAI to complete the works early and maintain the stipulated standards,” the Minister added.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb also recently discussed with the Civil Aviation Minister in New Delhi about the upgradation of the Agartala airport, which was built in 1942 by then King Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.

According to an official of the Chief Minister’s Office, Union Civil Aviation Minister Raj Kumar Singh responded positively when Deb requested him to expedite the works.

The airport in Agartala is the second busiest in the northeast after Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. The Imphal airport was declared as an international one two years ago.

During World War II, the Agartala airport was used by the 4th Combat Cargo Group of the US Army Air Forces 10 Air Force, flying Curtiss C-46 Commando aircraft over Myanmar.

It was used as a supply point from which the unit air-dropped supplies and ammunition to the advancing Allied forces on the ground.

Following the completion of the project, Singha Roy said flights between Agartala and Dhaka, as well as other Bangladeshi cities like Chittagong and Sylhet, will be operated.

“The state government had already provided 72 acres of land to the AAI for construction of the new terminal building, runway, and other necessary infrastructure.”

According to AAI officials, the Agartala airport handled on an average of nine lakh passengers per year.

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry last year renamed the Agartala airport, earlier known as Singerbill Airport, after Tripura’s last ruler Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.

Singha Roy said that the renaming of the airport came in the wake of a long-pending demand of the people of Tripura as well as the state government to rename the airport after the late Monarch as a tribute to the last ruler of the princely dynasty.

The airport is located 20 km north of the capital city and sits just along the Bangladesh border.

An informed official said that the AAI is now implementing Rs 3,400 crore projects for the up-gradation of various airports in the northeastern region.

According to the AAI North East Region Executive Director Sanjeev Jindal, Rs 720 crore project now being implemented for further up-gradation of the Imphal International Airport.

Source: The Morung Express

Agartala Airport set to become 3rd International Airport in NE » Northeast Today
 
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Two Indian airports figure in the list of world's best airports for business travellers
In a list topped by Japan's Narita International Airport in Tokyo and dominated by American airports, two airports from India have been featured in the list of world's best airports for business travellers.

Online travel agency Globehunters has compiled a list of world's 45 most popular airports and ranked them according to their suitability for business travellers.

Japan’s Narita Airport, which recorded 81.1% on-time flight arrivals, was crowned as the world's best business airport. It also boasts of 19 passenger lounges, second only to Los Angeles International Airport.
USA has the highest number of business travel-friendly airports in the top 10 list, with the Los Angeles airport being at No. 2.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is at the 38th spot while Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport finds its place at the bottom of the list - No. 43.

Globehunters team took into account several factors such as on-time arrival performance, number of airlines and destinations served, number of lounges, the price of airport parking per day, etc.

While Japan's Tokyo Haneda Airport was ranked at the top for on-time arrival performance, Mumbai airport was assessed to be the second worst airport for a low on-time arrival record.

When compared to other international airports, Delhi airport isn't as bad, according to ratings given by Skytrax, a certified airport rating programme that takes into account how happy are travellers using airport.

Delhi airport got 4 out of 5 stars while Mumbai airport got 3. The two are India's most busiest airports.
Mumbai airport was partially shut for less than 2 months earlier this year for an extensive repair of runways.

Top 5 airports for business travellers:
1) Narita International Airport, Japan
2) Los Angeles International Airport, USA
3) Frankfurt Airport, Germany
4) Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands
5) George Bush Intercontinental Airport, USA
6) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
7) Munich Airport
8) Madrid Barajas Airport
9) Tokyo Haneda Airport
10) Dubai International Airport
Two Indian airports figure in the list of world's best
 
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AAI to adopt new technology for better surveillance of aircraft over Indian ocean

By Anu Sharma
Updated : July 24, 2019 08:18 AM IST

  1. The state-run airport operator is partnering with Aireon LLC for implementing Space-Based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS–B) data services, which will provide real-time surveillance of airplanes over oceans
  2. The technology will provide complete coverage of the oceanic space of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Flight Information Regions.
  3. The AAI is planning to commence trial operations of these services from January 2020 onwards.
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Disappearance of airplanes while flying over vast oceans has baffled experts and investigators time and again. In order to be better equipped to track aircraft beyond landmass, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is adopting a new technology which will aid in more efficient surveillance of airplanes over Indian ocean, officials told CNBC-TV18.

The state-run airport operator is partnering with Aireon LLC for implementing Space-Based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS–B) data services, which will provide real-time surveillance of airplanes over oceans falling in Indian airspace.

The technology will provide complete coverage of the oceanic space of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Flight Information Regions. The AAI is planning to commence trial operations of these services from January 2020 onwards. The estimated cost towards provisioning of these services has been pegged at Rs 114 crore annually.

"There are limitations in tracking aircraft flying beyond landmass, far from land-based RADAR. Oceanic airspace remains uncovered from the eyes of RADAR making it difficult for air traffic controllers to know the exact position of aircraft. Currently, the ground- based infrastructure covers only terrestrial airspace and has limited coverage over oceanic regions," officials in the know said.

The new technology will be implemented through a constellation of satellites with 64 Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites with inter-satellite links.
Aircraft equipped with ADS-B system will beam their exact position in real-time to satellites. At any given point of time, a single aircraft will be tracked by three to four satellites. These LEO satellites will receive the signals transmitted from aircraft and downlink the data to ground-based infrastructure. Then, the ground-based infrastructure will deliver the ADS-B data compatible with AAI’s systems installed at Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.

AAI is aiming for more efficient planning and a wider array of traffic control and management tools through the partnership.

"The new technology will support the capacity enhancement of airspace which will result in more number of aircraft flying over a designated route. This will support the increased frequency of flights departing from a particular airport," an official said, adding that savings in fuel and reduction in carbon emission are also expected to be achieved.

The move is likely to result in uninterrupted surveillance and thereby help in back-up during natural calamities such as flood, cyclones and earthquake and also result in the timely detection of various emergency and distress situations, supporting search and rescue operations.

"Global aviation community is mulling over adopting technologies that can help track the planes flying over the oceanic regions in real-time thereby making air travel safer and secure... India will now be the pioneer in the Asia Pacific region to adopt the latest technology of surveillance of aircraft over oceans through satellites," another official added.

AAI to adopt new technology for better surveillance of aircraft over Indian ocean
 
India's domestic air passenger traffic beats global trend, up by 8.9% in July
New Delhi: At a time when the global air passenger growth is decreasing, Indian domestic air passenger market clocked an 8.9% growth in July this year when compared to the same month last year, international airlines body IATA said on Friday.

Moreover, India's July RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometre) growth at 8.9% was higher than what was observed in June this year at 8.2%.

RPK measures actual passenger volume and is calculated by multiplying number of passengers to the number of kilometres travelled by them.

On India, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its analysis, "The market has not yet returned to the double-digit growth rates that were the norm in the past 4-5 years."

"Yet it seems to be adjusting well to the disruption caused by the demise of Jet Airways; capacity is also back on track (7.1% year-on-year in July vs 3.4% in June)," it added.

The full-service carrier Jet Airways had shut down its operations on April 17 this year due to a lack of funds. This led to a sudden decrease in total number of flights in India, leading to a decrease in passenger growth.

IATA represents some 290 airlines, comprising 82% of the global air traffic.

On Friday, it said global passenger growth slowed in July.

"Total (global) RPKs rose 3.6%, compared to the same month in 2018. This was down from 5.1% annual growth recorded in June," the airlines' body added.

Chinese domestic air passenger market recorded an 11.7% annual growth in July this year when compared to the same month last year, said IATA.
India's domestic air passenger traffic beats global trend, up by 8.9% in July
 
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These unique air links indicate India’s growing dominance in geopolitical matters
As the little known Arkia Airlines touched down in Kochi last week, there were celebrations all around. The airline also starts flights to Goa, which means India will be connected from four destinations in Israel. Arkia has all but 10 aircraft in its fleet and these flights were possible with the increasing range of aircraft for such thin routes.

Arkia is not alone and Kochi or Goa are not unique. The country has a whole bunch of interesting air links to international destinations – both by city pairs and airlines. For the seemingly difficult and challenging international operating environment which is governed by bilateral agreements and restrictions, here’s a look at some interesting links.

Exotic destinations

The southern city of Tiruchirapally has five flights a day to Kuala Lumpur – the capital of Malaysia, which is more than the flights to Kuala Lumpur from Delhi or Mumbai! Tamil Nadu has another interesting link – that to the island of Reunion, an overseas department and region of France in Indian Ocean. Air Austral – the airline of Reunion Island flies to Chennai. With less than 10 aircraft in its fleet, that’s the only connection to India. What could be the reason? Indians migrated during the days of French East India Company and Tamils are the largest group amongst the Indian community.

Chennai is also connected to Medan – the capital of North Sumatra region of Indonesia with a direct (same flight number and aircraft) flight by Batik Air via Kuala Lumpur. While AirAsia and Lion Air group launched flights from Indonesia to India via Kuala Lumpur in rapid succession to get over the limited bilateral rights between Malaysia and India, the Chennai-Kuala Namu (Medan) connection is the only one that has survived.

Regional magnet

From the Indian Ocean Region two more airlines serve India – Air Seychelles which flies to Mumbai from Seychelles and Air Mauritius which has direct flights to Delhi and Mumbai, but if you are flying from Bengaluru, you fly via Chennai and if you are flying to Chennai, you reach via Bengaluru since the airline operates a triangular routing of Mauritius-Bengaluru-Chennai-Mauritius!

Lately, Delhi has become a regional magnet and as India’s dominance in geopolitical matters goes up – the Indian capital is becoming an important place for central Asian region, for politics, medical tourism and education.

While most do not know Afghanistan beyond Kabul and Kandahar, the country’s national carrier Ariana Afghan connects Herat to Delhi, in addition to Kandahar and Kabul while another carrier Kam Air connects Mazari Sharif to Delhi while plying daily on the popular Kabul-Delhi route.

While India has had close connects with the Soviet Union post-independence, the air connectivity had seen limited extension beyond Moscow. As the newly independent countries post fall of Soviet Union stabilised, connectivity returned from the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Air Astana, Uzbekistan airlines and Turkmenistan airlines have been operating to India for a considerable time linking Almaty, Tashkent and Ashgabat respectively. Little known airline Avia Traffic Company of Kyrgyzstan, with a fleet of less than 10 aircraft connects Delhi to Bishkek – the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Recently, Azal Airlines started flights between Delhi and Baku – the capital of Azerbaijan while Ukraine International Airlines has sustained its flights to Kyiv.

The airlines from Middle East have often been accused of stealing traffic but there are flights beyond the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As Iraq recuperates from the war and its relations warm up with India, Iraqi Airways – the national carrier of Iraq – connected Basrah to Delhi in addition to flights from Baghdad. Interestingly, the airline also connects Najaf to Ahmedabad. Najaf is a holy city and a pilgrimage centre, which is also connected from Delhi by Air India.

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Religious tourism

While IndiGo is betting big on religious tourism, Air India and Myanmar International Airlines have been operating flights between Gaya and Yangoon for years, giving a vital link between two Buddhist places.

A late addition to the scene from Africa has been a connection to Kigali – the capital of lesser known country of Rwanda is connected by Rwandair to Mumbai and extends services to Guangzhou – which acts as the only link between Mumbai and Guangzhou.

Technology has progressed in the last couple of decades and the newer aircraft with longer range and better economics like the B787 have helped airlines like Air Canada relaunch flights to India. While the mainline airlines battle it out with flights to India and addition to their hubs, these unique links sometime make a world of a difference to the territories and countries which provide them.

With all countries easing visa restrictions gradually, both inbound and outbound tourism gets a boost, apart from showcasing country’s soft power by the means of attractiveness as an education destination and medical tourism.

As airlines from India expand, one wonders who will be the first one to try these routes and make a mark as brand ambassador of the country – in addition to Air India, which has been going to the nooks and corners of the world.
These unique air links indicate India’s growing dominance in geopolitical matters
 
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Why international flights from India take off at insane hours
It’s partly because some airports in developed countries impose night curfews, and partly because some airports around the world operate 24/7/365

How many times have you taken a flight at midnight or even at 3 am, spent the rest of the night sitting uncomfortably in an economy class seat, and reached your destination bleary eyed and sleep deprived? And what about those living close to airports in metros, who complain that the noise from aircraft that are taking off and landing in the middle of the night disturbs their sleep, and more importantly causes noise pollution?

Well, this happens because airports in India, like those in a host of other countries, including Singapore, Dubai and Colombo, operate their airports 24/7, 365 days a year.

However, there are also a handful of countries such as the US, Switzerland and Germany and some airports in Australia, that follow a night curfew — these airports are shut down for commercial operations between 11 pm and 5 am. For instance the Ronald Reagan airport in Washington imposes a night curfew between 10 pm and 6.58 am. During this time, these airports only allow emergency flights to land and take off.

Night curfew

These countries have been following night curfews since the 1960s, when aircraft engines were very noisy, and, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the curfew was primarily a result of local protests about noise pollution at night.

Speaking to BusinessLine, the late Maurice Flanagan, the man who set up the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, once said: “The best way to find out if a man has really worked in the airline industry is to check if he is deaf or not. A true airline industry person would have worked around aircraft that made so much noise that everyone around them was stone deaf.” He apologised profusely for asking the same question be repeated over and over again loudly so that he could hear. Flanagan had worked at British airports in the 1960s.

However, a lot has changed since then. Firstly, aircraft are a lot quieter today — they are 75 per cent quieter than they were 40 years ago. Further, airports and airlines have changed the landing procedures to ensure less noise.

Another thing that has changed in India’s context is that the aviation industry has grown dramatically during this period. India has now become the third-largest domestic civil aviation market globally. Domestic airlines are adding more planes with the number expected to reach 1,000 in the next few years.

When India was turned down

In this context, India and a few countries felt that the night curfew imposed by some airports was not allowing it a level playing field. It approached the ICAO in 2007 seeking a more equitable system as night curfew was having a negative impact on Indian aviation’s growth. India pointed out that the unilateral imposition of night curfew by a few countries was leading to congestion on air routes and airports and under-utilisation of aviation infrastructure at destination airports in India.

India also argued that the imposition of night curfew at some European airports had led to the transfer of their night time noise burden to developing countries, where night-time noise was generated by aircraft scheduled to avoid departing or arriving during the curfew period at European airports.

It further pointed out that night curfew restricted airlines’ capabilities to offer flights at convenient arrival and departure times, reducing customer choice and affecting airlines’ level of service.

The ICAO, however, did not accept the proposal that India and a few other countries made.

Infrastructure still catching up
However, what also cannot be ignored is that while Indian aviation has grown dramatically, airport infrastructure, essential for airline operations, has not kept pace. Currently, seven airports account for over 75 per cent of the passengers carried by domestic airlines, with the metros seeing the maximum movement of passengers.

Further, private airlines in India now offer late-night Red Eye flights — globally flights that operate between 11 pm and 5 am are called Red Eye flights. Among the many advantages of Red Eye flights are the fact that fares on these are much lower than day flights and they give flyers the option of getting a full day both in their home city and in the destination city. These same reasons also hold for domestic Indian Red Eye flights.

Even international airlines that operate multiple daily flights from India offer fares that are marginally lower on flights departing at night as compared to those departing in the day.

Not an alien concept

Incidentally, operating late-night flights is not a new concept in India. It started with a low-fare, late-night flight between Delhi and Mumbai and Delhi and Bangalore by Vayudoot in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The airline, which was later merged with Indian Airlines, leased a Boeing 757 from the Royal Nepal Air Corporation (RNAC), which was parked at night in Delhi, to launch late-night flights connecting the national capital to Mumbai and Bangalore. The aircraft returned to Delhi in the morning and RNAC operated its scheduled service between Delhi and Kathmandu.

This late-night connection was a boon for travellers in those days as Indian Airlines was the only airline flying within the country. It operated a limited number of flights, offering limited choice. The Vayudoot alternative allowed passengers to re-plan their day’s activity and fly for less. It was a better alternative than a train journey that would involve travel of up to a day, one way, between Delhi and Mumbai.

With more airlines and better air connectivity this flexibility of finding appropriate and possibly cheaper fares has only improved.
Why international flights from India take off at insane hours
 
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