Indian-Aviation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated the new civil enclave at Hindon airport from where commercial flights would be operated to various places, including Shimla and Kannur.  Hindon airport belongs to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has developed the civil enclave there.  Under the regional air connectivity scheme -- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) -- many airline operators have bagged routes connecting from Hindon.  Flights would be operated to Nasik (Maharashtra), Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Kannur (Kerala), Hubli, Kalaburgi (Karnataka), Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) and Jamnagar (Gujarat).  These UDAN flights would be operated from Hindon since there are infrastructure at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital which is also the busiest aerodrome in the country, according to the AAI.  The civil enclave, which cost around Rs 40 crore, can handle 300 passengers during pea

The Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has said that some of the staff guiding planes at the country’s air traffic control towers were not qualified to do so in a preliminary report on a near miss over Nagpur airspace that was released last month.  The main reason was “handling of aircraft by an untrained/unauthorised radar controller, who was only trained to handle air traffic in the non-radar environment/procedural/planning,” AAIB said, regarding the Nagpur incident.  The AAIB said this wasn’t the first time its inquiries had uncovered the presence of untrained air traffic controllers (ATCOs) guiding flights. On earlier occasions, 19 unauthorised ATCOs were found in Nagpur, 85 in Delhi and 20 in Varanasi.ET has seen a copy of the AAIB report.  “Detection of such a large number of untrained radar controllers guiding flights is a serious concern and should be looked into,” said a government official, who did not want to be identified.  The AAIB, which wa

Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), which has emerged as a prominent business district, may soon get a helipad which can be used by corporates, politicians and government agencies in case of an emergency. A bullet train terminal and the International Financial Services Centre are also coming up in BKC and the MMRDA grounds there is a popular location for rallies by political parties.  As of now, the city has helipads at Raj Bhavan, Navy Nagar and Mahalaxmi race course, besides one at Juhu aerodrome and the Santacruz airport.  Metropolitan commissioner RA Rajeev said, “There is going to be demand for such a facility in BKC and that is why we have invited expression of interest.” The helipad will come up on the one of the vacant MMRDA plots. “This will also help us earn revenue from the vacant land,” said Rajeev.  The site will be finalized as per guidelines of the Director General of Civil Aviation and all necessary approvals from the ministry of defence will be sought, said an o

Addis Ababa: A Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 crashed six minutes after an early-morning takeoff from Addis Ababa Sunday, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, Ethiopian Airlines said as world leaders offered condolences to distraught next-of-kin. Of the 149 passengers, four were Indian. People holding passports from 32 countries and the UN were on board the plane which ploughed into a field just 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, the carrier's CEO Tewolde GebreMariam told journalists in the capital, lamenting this "very sad and tragic day." The crash came on the eve of a major, annual assembly in Nairobi of the UN Environment Programme, which learnt of the crash with "deep regret" but did not say whether any delegates were on the plane. "We can only hope that she is not on that flight," Peter Kimani, who had come to fetch his sister at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), told AFP shortly aft

Government is closely" monitoring the situation at Jet Airways even as negotiations to save the financially beleaguered airline continue, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said in an interview.  The government's stand assumes significance as lenders negotiate with key stakeholders of the airline to take forward the proposal to convert a part of the company's loans into shares and iron out differences over the plan.  Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Minister Prabhu told IANS: "The Government is closely watching the situation".  When asked about any requisite approvals that the proposed deal between bankers, management and shareholders including Etihad Airways might require from the ministry, he said that appropriate action will be taken, if required.  Mandate wise, the ministry is responsible for the safe operations of the airline and to monitor, if the substantial ownership and effective control norms are being met.  The minister added tha