Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi on Thursday asked managers of state-run airports to tighten up their belts for competing with private-led ones and fulfil their customers' expectations.
The Delhi high court on Friday called for strict action against those found violating masking and hand hygiene norms at airports and in aircraft, observing that the Covid-19 pandemic has not abated and keeps rearing its ugly head.
The election authorities on Tuesday gave a clean chit to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh's son and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chowdhury who was caught on camera accepting money from a local leader in Mathura and allegedly violating the model code of conduct.
The Airports Authority of India, would be turned into a company by amending laws to enable the body raise funds from market for carrying out modernisation of a large number of major airports across the country, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday.
The interior ministry has directed the Federal Investigation Agency that no government official or other VIPs would be given protocol at airports.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said on Saturday that 149 people have been admitted to hospitals, 23 have been discharged, while three are critically injured in the B737 plane crash.
The Airports Authority of India has plans to give a facelift to the Juhu airstrip (India's first civil aviation airport) within a year. AAI will be investing around Rs 75 crore to Rs 80 crore in this project.
The visual control tower at 95 metre would provide all-round view of the airport. The complex will also have meteorological facilities, search and rescue and anti-hijacking measures.
'Airports must look at their maximum capacity to handle passengers.'
When members raised the issue of development fees being levied in privatised airports such as in Delhi and sought abolition of such fees, he said the government had already constituted the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority entrusted with the responsibility of deciding on the issue. Members pointed out that while it was the responsibility of private players to develop the airports, they were charging the passengers for the work.
AAI planned to achieve gross sales of Rs 7,760 crore (Rs 77.6 billion) in 2013-14 which is approximately 23 per cent higher than the target of 2012-13, the state-run airports body said in a release.
Overseas airlines can operate unlimited number of flights into and out of India.
After a gap of two months, domestic passenger flight operations resumed on Monday amid reluctance by various states to open up their airports in view of rising cases of the novel coronavirus.
Indian Premier League authorities on Friday dismissed media reports that Poorna Patel, IPL Hospitality Manager and daughter of Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel, leaked a confidential e-mail from the league's COO Sundar Raman's office.
The airport operations are likely to be disrupted as the employees have threatened to start an indefinite 'non-cooperation movement' from march 12 after the government today rejected their demands for continuing operations of Bangalore and Hyderabad airports. The existing airports in both the metros are to be closed down once the new greenfield airports launch their operations.
The government on Sunday said a couple of passengers onboard the Delhi-bound Indigo flight from Goa had behaved "aggressively" and threatened to "hijack" the aicraft prompting authorities to put in place an emergency drill at the IGI airport in New Delhi.
Flights from Mumbai and Kerala will also have to transit through these routes due to restrictions
In an internal communication to airlines' employees, he reflected on the urinating incident to say that "the repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress.
Construction activities for modernising and expanding the Kolkata and Chennai airports by the Airports Authority of India will begin by the end of next month, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Thursday. Replying a question on the government's recent decision to allow charging of user development fees by the private operator of the new Hyderabad airport, Patel said "We are considering the same for the new airport at Bangalore."
Two students of Bishop Cotton Boys School developed Ebender, which is scheduled for launch on December 12.
The government is likely to allow state-owned Airports Authority of India to raise Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) through infrastructure bonds to enable it to finance its ongoing programme to modernise and expand a large number of airports across the country.
Air India delayed the payment of March salary to its employees by a month as it had to meet year-end expenses for various purposes, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri Monday said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will continue to receive revenue share after the government sells its stake in the airports in Delhi and Mumbai. "Those who are raising concerns should also know that the Delhi's airport and the Mumbai airport are on a 60 yr lease. "These & the 6 other airports will be back with AAI after the lease period. So, nothing as they claim, is being 'sold out!" he said on Twitter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the government over reports that it plans to sell its residual stake in the already privatised Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports, alleging that such privatisation hurts the public and benefits only a handful of cronies.
At least one man on the plane, carrying 62 people, is believed to be armed, and explosives have been found onboard, Cypriot officials said.
Proposals for listing of AAI and Pawan Hans have been made in the Draft Civil Aviation Policy, released by Raju.
The airline not to be put on cash and carry mode
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said some of the airlines have not been settling their dues in time. The minister said several airlines, including international carriers, had outstandings to privatised airports.
The Centre will come out with a policy by next year that will prescribe guidelines to state governments, private investors and Airports Authority of India for building airports. This was announced by the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel at an Assocham function to discuss the need for building aerotropolis (cities around the airport).
The metro airports, where the ministry is thinking of restricting the number of ground handling agencies, are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The US Homeland Security has apologised to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel who was questioned by the immigration authorities in Chicago as his name and date of birth happened to match with that of a person on America's watch-list.
The first two special flights that will operate from Thursday to evacuate Indians stranded in the UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic
The DGCA's unprecedented move came after the regulator's team found that several flights operated by GMR Aviation in the last month, including one on Monday when an aircraft flew Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to Bhubaneshwar, had skipped some mandatory tests, DGCA sources said.
Aircraft pilot-in-command Captain Achint Bhardwaj spoke exclusively to ANI after landing at Delhi Airport and said that all air traffic controls, including that of Pakistan, extended support during the evacuation mission.
Announcing this in New Delhi, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said trial runs on the new third runway of IGI Airport would begin in ten days from now. Once operational, it would go a long way to ease the air traffic congestion over the Delhi airspace. The two airports, as per the recommendations of the respective state governments, would be developed by the state-owned AAI and not privatised.
Many states like Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu were opposed to opening up of their airports in view of rising cases of the coronavirus infection.
In a move which could affect the Jet-Etihad deal or start-up carriers like Tata-SIA or AirAsia India, DGCA has made it clear that foreign airlines or investors would not have the right to control the management of an Indian carrier.
Airports levy charges such as FTC, infrastructure charge, and into-plane charges on sale of jet fuel. The levy is passed through to airlines, pushing up costs.
Airlines may get to do terminal-side ground handling. Currently, it is an outsourced activity.
The Centre was still undecided whether the modernisation of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata should be done by Airports Authority of India or through joint venture, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
"We are waiting for any input from any quarter," Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said, adding, "We have not received anything so far".
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