Sunday, September 06, 2009
Raghu with Mr Ratan TATA
Friday, April 13, 2007
Air-India to spread wings
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Lies, grief and a ticket home for illegal Indian migrants
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/04/news/migrate.php?page=2
By Caroline Brothers
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
DUBAI: Twenty-four Indian men, two of them too young to shave, were sitting under the fake palm trees in the transit zone at the Dubai airport, dressed in track suits like a sports team - but one dejected by loss.
The 24 were making the last leg of a journey home to the farmlands of Punjab. They had not meant to return so soon. Most had left six or nine months ago on a desperate voyage along the newest route of migration from Asia to Europe, going by plane to the Middle East, then across Africa and by sea up the west coast toward Europe.
But the voyage ended in disaster, leaving them stranded in a dismal warehouse in Mauritania. Now they were being escorted home.
As they headed home they told the painful tale of their failed migration, just a few stories from the vast global saga of people in motion. Some spoke of horrors at the hands of people-smugglers - drug injections, beatings and knife-fights in the dark hull of an ailing ship. Yet, for all the fear and privation, there was scant relief in their return to their villages and farms. Ahead of them lay shame, vanished livelihoods and insurmountable debt.
"For a short time my family will be happy," Naresh, 37, a sugarcane farmer from Punjab, said on the flight that took the group from Tunis to Dubai. "I feel very sad because of everything we have lost."
Ajay, 26, used to sell clothes in a Punjab market. His boy was just 15 days old when Ajay left home nine months ago. "How can I show my face to my son?" he asked.
Farmers, shopkeepers and taxi drivers, these men are all victims of a criminal network that profited from their need to survive. Misled wholesale by gang members who recruited them where they lived, they were promised a quick and safe passage to Europe, with no mention of Africa or any journey by sea.
With the active support of their families, the Indians borrowed against everything they owned to raise the average $7,000 fee for a trip to Europe in the hope of few years' work abroad. Now the individuals were returning with just $500 each from an aid agency.
Smugglers "gave us a visa to go by airplane, not by ship," said Davinda, who claimed to be 18 but looked younger. "They said it would take three days and it took six to nine months, and they behaved like Ali Baba."
The 24 were reluctant to give any details about the smugglers. Nervous after facing so many threats, they also asked that their full names not be given.
In the airport, the men stuck together in small bands, based on age or shared experience, as they wandered past Arab sheiks in flowing white robes, the Pakistan junior field hockey team in green blazers and drivers of passenger buggies in canary yellow uniforms.
Each of the men from India had an envelope with $500 from the International Organization of Migration, an intergovernmental agency that helps distressed migrants go home. It had distributed the money between flights to ease the immediate pain of return.
Amid the airport's duty-free opulence, some of them men contemplated buying cigarettes or whisky to resell on arrival in India. But facing questioning by Indian migration officials in New Delhi, and reluctant to attract more attention, none of them risked any purchases.
Although affectionate among themselves, the men were mistrustful about the world they were negotiating after their ordeal. Fearful of being robbed on the way, the men time and again sought assurance that they would be accompanied, as planned, right through the New Delhi airport by Khaled Qadir, a representative of the International Organization of Migration.
Qadir said the men, although deeply disappointed, should not bear the full brunt of their failure.
First, he said, they fell victim to smugglers.
Second, "the families have a role to play," said Qadir, adding that people from such remote regions had few resources to help them judge the smugglers' claims. "They are illiterate and uneducated, and it is very easy to give these people a rosy picture, telling them they can get to Greece or Spain and make thousands of dollars and make the family happy."Into Africa, and despair
The migrants left India on separate journeys and landed in Africa, where they were among nearly 400 men rounded up by smugglers and ushered onto a boat whose fate this newspaper has chronicled. Their decrepit shrimp trawler, the Marine I, meandered at sea for 11 miserable weeks until it was rescued in international waters between West Africa and the Canary Islands of Spain, and towed to safety on the coast of Mauritania.
After first withholding their names and nationalities, most of the larger group began to identify themselves and volunteered to go home. Issued temporary travel documents, the 24 are among 161 Indians whom the International Organization of Migration has now repatriated.
Giving new details of the risks of migration, the Indians said they had been ferried out to the corroded hulk of the Marine I by night, in small boats, 25 to 35 at a time, fear mingling with relief at being on their way.
Naresh, the sugar-cane farmer, waited six months in a house with 115 other men before embarking. He said that when they boarded, "Conakry men" tried to inject the migrants with drugs - 500-milligram doses of ampicillin - that they said would put them to sleep.
"They had injections and when we saw them we were very afraid," Naresh said. "They were very big. In India we have very small injections."
He managed to resist, he said, but some of the passengers did not.
Ajay said he was on one of the last boats to reach the Marine I. He estimated that 330 men - Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis - were already huddled in the hold. The heat grew stifling. There were no sanitary provisions and with the men below deck forbidden to come up for air, tensions quickly arose.
Some of the passengers "behaved very badly," Naresh said, adding that they were aggressive in commandeering the rations. "They hit us and wouldn't give us food." Some had knives, he said.
Fed once every 36 hours on nothing but rice, the men shared one bottle of water a day between six. It was hot, Naresh said, but "we drank just one drop at a time."
They slept where they sat on filthy mats. Some passengers smoked; some discarded their trash in the hold. The men had only salt water to wash their faces. Fever broke out. They were plagued by lice and rashes. "I wanted to die," Naresh said.
After weeks at sea the ship was buzzed by surveillance aircraft and at that point the captain took off, ostensibly to bring back food. The passengers never saw him again.
A Spanish rescue vessel towed the ship to port, where the migrants spent weeks playing cards and doing aerobics classes run by the Red Cross. Time and again the men expressed their gratitude to Spain. "The Spanish saved our lives," Naresh said.
But in the shelter, it slowly dawned on them that they would never make it to Europe, and the first of the 369 men asked to go home.
"I cried when the first group left, because I realized that we had no chance of going to Spain," said Mandeep, a bright-eyed 27-year-old who studied history and Punjabi. "Then I understood that I, too, was going back, that everything was finished, that all my money was gone, and I had risked my life."Many risks, no rewards
The roots of their tragedy in Africa developed in India, where for most of them their families had bought into their dreams of a passage to Europe. The men borrowed against their houses, their shops or the farms passed down the generations.
Deepa, 24, a taxi driver who wound up trapped in a house in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, for 18 months, had earned 2,500 rupees, or $60, in Punjab. Lured by the promise of earning $800 a month as a driver in Europe, he pawned his taxi and his home.
Ajay was sold a promise made by an agent he met "through a friend." The man told him that European immigration would never grant him a visa, whereas the agent could get him to Italy "in two or three days."
Ajay's relatives pooled their jewelry and his parents mortgaged their home to provide a "deposit" for a pawn broker who loaned him $7,000 - the agent's fee. "I don't know how to pay the money back," Ajay said in English that he had taught himself from a book. "They said I must pay in one year. If I don't pay it back, they will take the house."
He is an experienced migrant, having worked for two years in a fast-food chain in Kuala Lumpur before returning to be married in Punjab. In Malaysia he made $200 a month and sent most of it to his family. He had counted on earning more in Europe.
Naresh sold the sugarcane farm inherited from his grandparents to raise money for an agent who promised a trip to Greece.
Sonu, a wheat and rice farmer of 23, sold his buffalo and most of his farm after he "made a friend" in a Sikh temple who promised to get him to Europe for $7,000.
Mandeep sold two toy stores he had inherited. "I am going to India, but my shops are gone," he said. "What can I do? You tell me."
Despite all they lost, many of the 24 said they would make another attempt to get to Europe.
But not Deepa. "God saved my life," he said. "I'm not going to try again."
Copyright © 2007 the International Herald Tribune
By Caroline Brothers
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
DUBAI: Twenty-four Indian men, two of them too young to shave, were sitting under the fake palm trees in the transit zone at the Dubai airport, dressed in track suits like a sports team - but one dejected by loss.
The 24 were making the last leg of a journey home to the farmlands of Punjab. They had not meant to return so soon. Most had left six or nine months ago on a desperate voyage along the newest route of migration from Asia to Europe, going by plane to the Middle East, then across Africa and by sea up the west coast toward Europe.
But the voyage ended in disaster, leaving them stranded in a dismal warehouse in Mauritania. Now they were being escorted home.
As they headed home they told the painful tale of their failed migration, just a few stories from the vast global saga of people in motion. Some spoke of horrors at the hands of people-smugglers - drug injections, beatings and knife-fights in the dark hull of an ailing ship. Yet, for all the fear and privation, there was scant relief in their return to their villages and farms. Ahead of them lay shame, vanished livelihoods and insurmountable debt.
"For a short time my family will be happy," Naresh, 37, a sugarcane farmer from Punjab, said on the flight that took the group from Tunis to Dubai. "I feel very sad because of everything we have lost."
Ajay, 26, used to sell clothes in a Punjab market. His boy was just 15 days old when Ajay left home nine months ago. "How can I show my face to my son?" he asked.
Farmers, shopkeepers and taxi drivers, these men are all victims of a criminal network that profited from their need to survive. Misled wholesale by gang members who recruited them where they lived, they were promised a quick and safe passage to Europe, with no mention of Africa or any journey by sea.
With the active support of their families, the Indians borrowed against everything they owned to raise the average $7,000 fee for a trip to Europe in the hope of few years' work abroad. Now the individuals were returning with just $500 each from an aid agency.
Smugglers "gave us a visa to go by airplane, not by ship," said Davinda, who claimed to be 18 but looked younger. "They said it would take three days and it took six to nine months, and they behaved like Ali Baba."
The 24 were reluctant to give any details about the smugglers. Nervous after facing so many threats, they also asked that their full names not be given.
In the airport, the men stuck together in small bands, based on age or shared experience, as they wandered past Arab sheiks in flowing white robes, the Pakistan junior field hockey team in green blazers and drivers of passenger buggies in canary yellow uniforms.
Each of the men from India had an envelope with $500 from the International Organization of Migration, an intergovernmental agency that helps distressed migrants go home. It had distributed the money between flights to ease the immediate pain of return.
Amid the airport's duty-free opulence, some of them men contemplated buying cigarettes or whisky to resell on arrival in India. But facing questioning by Indian migration officials in New Delhi, and reluctant to attract more attention, none of them risked any purchases.
Although affectionate among themselves, the men were mistrustful about the world they were negotiating after their ordeal. Fearful of being robbed on the way, the men time and again sought assurance that they would be accompanied, as planned, right through the New Delhi airport by Khaled Qadir, a representative of the International Organization of Migration.
Qadir said the men, although deeply disappointed, should not bear the full brunt of their failure.
First, he said, they fell victim to smugglers.
Second, "the families have a role to play," said Qadir, adding that people from such remote regions had few resources to help them judge the smugglers' claims. "They are illiterate and uneducated, and it is very easy to give these people a rosy picture, telling them they can get to Greece or Spain and make thousands of dollars and make the family happy."Into Africa, and despair
The migrants left India on separate journeys and landed in Africa, where they were among nearly 400 men rounded up by smugglers and ushered onto a boat whose fate this newspaper has chronicled. Their decrepit shrimp trawler, the Marine I, meandered at sea for 11 miserable weeks until it was rescued in international waters between West Africa and the Canary Islands of Spain, and towed to safety on the coast of Mauritania.
After first withholding their names and nationalities, most of the larger group began to identify themselves and volunteered to go home. Issued temporary travel documents, the 24 are among 161 Indians whom the International Organization of Migration has now repatriated.
Giving new details of the risks of migration, the Indians said they had been ferried out to the corroded hulk of the Marine I by night, in small boats, 25 to 35 at a time, fear mingling with relief at being on their way.
Naresh, the sugar-cane farmer, waited six months in a house with 115 other men before embarking. He said that when they boarded, "Conakry men" tried to inject the migrants with drugs - 500-milligram doses of ampicillin - that they said would put them to sleep.
"They had injections and when we saw them we were very afraid," Naresh said. "They were very big. In India we have very small injections."
He managed to resist, he said, but some of the passengers did not.
Ajay said he was on one of the last boats to reach the Marine I. He estimated that 330 men - Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis - were already huddled in the hold. The heat grew stifling. There were no sanitary provisions and with the men below deck forbidden to come up for air, tensions quickly arose.
Some of the passengers "behaved very badly," Naresh said, adding that they were aggressive in commandeering the rations. "They hit us and wouldn't give us food." Some had knives, he said.
Fed once every 36 hours on nothing but rice, the men shared one bottle of water a day between six. It was hot, Naresh said, but "we drank just one drop at a time."
They slept where they sat on filthy mats. Some passengers smoked; some discarded their trash in the hold. The men had only salt water to wash their faces. Fever broke out. They were plagued by lice and rashes. "I wanted to die," Naresh said.
After weeks at sea the ship was buzzed by surveillance aircraft and at that point the captain took off, ostensibly to bring back food. The passengers never saw him again.
A Spanish rescue vessel towed the ship to port, where the migrants spent weeks playing cards and doing aerobics classes run by the Red Cross. Time and again the men expressed their gratitude to Spain. "The Spanish saved our lives," Naresh said.
But in the shelter, it slowly dawned on them that they would never make it to Europe, and the first of the 369 men asked to go home.
"I cried when the first group left, because I realized that we had no chance of going to Spain," said Mandeep, a bright-eyed 27-year-old who studied history and Punjabi. "Then I understood that I, too, was going back, that everything was finished, that all my money was gone, and I had risked my life."Many risks, no rewards
The roots of their tragedy in Africa developed in India, where for most of them their families had bought into their dreams of a passage to Europe. The men borrowed against their houses, their shops or the farms passed down the generations.
Deepa, 24, a taxi driver who wound up trapped in a house in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, for 18 months, had earned 2,500 rupees, or $60, in Punjab. Lured by the promise of earning $800 a month as a driver in Europe, he pawned his taxi and his home.
Ajay was sold a promise made by an agent he met "through a friend." The man told him that European immigration would never grant him a visa, whereas the agent could get him to Italy "in two or three days."
Ajay's relatives pooled their jewelry and his parents mortgaged their home to provide a "deposit" for a pawn broker who loaned him $7,000 - the agent's fee. "I don't know how to pay the money back," Ajay said in English that he had taught himself from a book. "They said I must pay in one year. If I don't pay it back, they will take the house."
He is an experienced migrant, having worked for two years in a fast-food chain in Kuala Lumpur before returning to be married in Punjab. In Malaysia he made $200 a month and sent most of it to his family. He had counted on earning more in Europe.
Naresh sold the sugarcane farm inherited from his grandparents to raise money for an agent who promised a trip to Greece.
Sonu, a wheat and rice farmer of 23, sold his buffalo and most of his farm after he "made a friend" in a Sikh temple who promised to get him to Europe for $7,000.
Mandeep sold two toy stores he had inherited. "I am going to India, but my shops are gone," he said. "What can I do? You tell me."
Despite all they lost, many of the 24 said they would make another attempt to get to Europe.
But not Deepa. "God saved my life," he said. "I'm not going to try again."
Copyright © 2007 the International Herald Tribune
43 off to Dubai grilled
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070405/asp/calcutta/story_7607557.asp#
Forty-three men bound for Dubai by Emirates airline missed their flight on Wednesday due to lengthy questioning by immigration officials.
The men, all of whom are from the districts of Bengal, were going to Dubai to work as plumbers, cooks and construction workers. They had the required work permits.
“On Tuesday, police received a tip-off that a group of men, aged between 25 and 30, had put up at a hotel near the airport. The cops suspected that a human trafficking network had organised their journey to Dubai,” disclosed an airport official.
The first group of 13 youths arrived at the airport around 7 am. They were stopped as soon as they produced their documents at the immigration counter. “We found out that they were from Ranaghat, in Nadia district,” said the official.
The second group arrived at the airport around 9 am, 45 minutes before the departure of the flight. They, too, were immediately taken aside for questioning.
The baggage of the two groups had to be offloaded from the plane, delaying it by more than two hours.
“The passports initially had ‘emigration check required status’, which was later upgraded to ECNR (emigration check not required) status. The men could not give proper replies to our queries about their plans in Dubai,” the official added.
The immigration officers checked the passports of the two groups with the regional passport office and found them to be in order. The men were later released. They will leave for Dubai on Thursday.
Copyright © 2006 The Telegraph.
Forty-three men bound for Dubai by Emirates airline missed their flight on Wednesday due to lengthy questioning by immigration officials.
The men, all of whom are from the districts of Bengal, were going to Dubai to work as plumbers, cooks and construction workers. They had the required work permits.
“On Tuesday, police received a tip-off that a group of men, aged between 25 and 30, had put up at a hotel near the airport. The cops suspected that a human trafficking network had organised their journey to Dubai,” disclosed an airport official.
The first group of 13 youths arrived at the airport around 7 am. They were stopped as soon as they produced their documents at the immigration counter. “We found out that they were from Ranaghat, in Nadia district,” said the official.
The second group arrived at the airport around 9 am, 45 minutes before the departure of the flight. They, too, were immediately taken aside for questioning.
The baggage of the two groups had to be offloaded from the plane, delaying it by more than two hours.
“The passports initially had ‘emigration check required status’, which was later upgraded to ECNR (emigration check not required) status. The men could not give proper replies to our queries about their plans in Dubai,” the official added.
The immigration officers checked the passports of the two groups with the regional passport office and found them to be in order. The men were later released. They will leave for Dubai on Thursday.
Copyright © 2006 The Telegraph.
A-I Express reschedules flights to India
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=142074&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Staff ReporterDUE to closure of the runway for repairs at Bahrain and Doha airports, Air-India Express has rescheduled its flights to Mangalore on Sundays and Tuesdays, and to Mumbai on Mondays and Wednesdays from Sunday. Air India Express flight IX812 Doha-Mangalore on both Sundays and Tuesdays is now non-stop and will depart from Doha at 1.55pm and reach Mangalore at 8.15pm. The return flight on Sundays IX813 will depart from Mangalore at 9.35pm and arrive in Doha via Bahrain at 12.35am on Mondays. However, return flight on Tuesdays IX 811 from Mangalore is a non-stop to Doha and will depart Mangalore at 9.35pm arriving Doha at 10.55pm. Consequently, flight IX 242 on Mondays will now depart at 1.20am reaching Mumbai at 7.05am. IX 244 will leave Doha at 11.40pm on Tuesdays, arriving Mumbai at 7.05am on Wednesdays.These new timings would continue until October, said manager Debashis Golder. “All passengers booked on these Air India Express flights from Doha to Mangalore on Sundays/Tuesdays and Doha to Mumbai on Mondays/Wednesdays are requested to note the changes and report to airport accordingly”, he said. The changes had been advised to each booked passenger through auto-generated e-mail to the address provided at the time of booking, he added.
© Gulf Times Newspaper, 2007
Staff ReporterDUE to closure of the runway for repairs at Bahrain and Doha airports, Air-India Express has rescheduled its flights to Mangalore on Sundays and Tuesdays, and to Mumbai on Mondays and Wednesdays from Sunday. Air India Express flight IX812 Doha-Mangalore on both Sundays and Tuesdays is now non-stop and will depart from Doha at 1.55pm and reach Mangalore at 8.15pm. The return flight on Sundays IX813 will depart from Mangalore at 9.35pm and arrive in Doha via Bahrain at 12.35am on Mondays. However, return flight on Tuesdays IX 811 from Mangalore is a non-stop to Doha and will depart Mangalore at 9.35pm arriving Doha at 10.55pm. Consequently, flight IX 242 on Mondays will now depart at 1.20am reaching Mumbai at 7.05am. IX 244 will leave Doha at 11.40pm on Tuesdays, arriving Mumbai at 7.05am on Wednesdays.These new timings would continue until October, said manager Debashis Golder. “All passengers booked on these Air India Express flights from Doha to Mangalore on Sundays/Tuesdays and Doha to Mumbai on Mondays/Wednesdays are requested to note the changes and report to airport accordingly”, he said. The changes had been advised to each booked passenger through auto-generated e-mail to the address provided at the time of booking, he added.
© Gulf Times Newspaper, 2007
Shoppers Stop - Nuance consortium bags GHIAL contract for duty free retail
http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=10378
Stock Report
Shoppers Stop Ltd has announced that the Nuance Group AG and the Company have on April 04, 2007 been awarded the concession to operate retail at Hyderabad International Airport. The JV partners are expecting to earn revenue of upto USD 240 million over the period of seven years. The contract will commence in March 2008, when the new airport is scheduled to open with this concession, Nuance, who has defined India as a key growth market, adds a second high-potential airport to its Indian portfolio.Hyderabad Airport has awarded the concession to operate retail at both the international and domestic terminals to the consortium of the two Companies. The international retail will be managed by Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd, the joint venture Company of The Nuance Group AG and the Company, whereat the Company will handle retail in the domestic part. The two contracts together cover retail space of approximately 28,450 sq ft for a duration of seven years. Over the contract the concession's estimated worth is USD 240 million.Hyderabad Airport is one of India's 5 largest airports and also the one with the highest growth rate. The new airport to be opened in 2008, is privately owned. In 2006, Hyderabad Airport handled 5.5 million passengers on an annual basis, out of which just 1.1 million traveled internationally.The retail offer in the international terminal will comprise a total of three stores, covering approx. 25,000 sq ft. One of these stores is approx. 12,770 sq ft arrival store. Domestic retail will consist of three stores and a total of approx. 3,100 sq ft.B S Nagesh, Managing Director, of the Company, explains: "Hyderabad airport awarding the tender to us show the confidence the airports have in the capability of the joint venture between Nuance and Shopper's Stop. We believe our customers centric approach towards retailing will bring in the best of modern retail at Hyderabad airport creating a unique shopping experience for the Indian as well as the international traveler."Further, the Company has informed that, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has awarded the licence to operate duty free and duty paid retail facilities at Greenfield Hyderabad International Airport, Shamshabad, Andhra Pradesh to Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd and the Company.Further, the license to operate aforesaid duty free retail facilities has been awarded to Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd, a consortium comprising of The Nuance Group AG, Switzerland and the Company, whereas licence to operate aforesaid duty paid retail facilities has been awarded to the Company.
copyright © 2005 - 2007
Stock Report
Shoppers Stop Ltd has announced that the Nuance Group AG and the Company have on April 04, 2007 been awarded the concession to operate retail at Hyderabad International Airport. The JV partners are expecting to earn revenue of upto USD 240 million over the period of seven years. The contract will commence in March 2008, when the new airport is scheduled to open with this concession, Nuance, who has defined India as a key growth market, adds a second high-potential airport to its Indian portfolio.Hyderabad Airport has awarded the concession to operate retail at both the international and domestic terminals to the consortium of the two Companies. The international retail will be managed by Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd, the joint venture Company of The Nuance Group AG and the Company, whereat the Company will handle retail in the domestic part. The two contracts together cover retail space of approximately 28,450 sq ft for a duration of seven years. Over the contract the concession's estimated worth is USD 240 million.Hyderabad Airport is one of India's 5 largest airports and also the one with the highest growth rate. The new airport to be opened in 2008, is privately owned. In 2006, Hyderabad Airport handled 5.5 million passengers on an annual basis, out of which just 1.1 million traveled internationally.The retail offer in the international terminal will comprise a total of three stores, covering approx. 25,000 sq ft. One of these stores is approx. 12,770 sq ft arrival store. Domestic retail will consist of three stores and a total of approx. 3,100 sq ft.B S Nagesh, Managing Director, of the Company, explains: "Hyderabad airport awarding the tender to us show the confidence the airports have in the capability of the joint venture between Nuance and Shopper's Stop. We believe our customers centric approach towards retailing will bring in the best of modern retail at Hyderabad airport creating a unique shopping experience for the Indian as well as the international traveler."Further, the Company has informed that, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has awarded the licence to operate duty free and duty paid retail facilities at Greenfield Hyderabad International Airport, Shamshabad, Andhra Pradesh to Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd and the Company.Further, the license to operate aforesaid duty free retail facilities has been awarded to Nuance Group (India) Pvt Ltd, a consortium comprising of The Nuance Group AG, Switzerland and the Company, whereas licence to operate aforesaid duty paid retail facilities has been awarded to the Company.
copyright © 2005 - 2007
Middle East gets lion's share of air travel growth
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fSetId=662&fArticleId=3764992
By AUDREY D’ANGELOCape Town - South Africa was named as a "leader in the Africa region" in a report released this week by Airports Council International that showed continued strong growth in international airline travel.The report shows 12.3 percent growth in international passengers to Africa in February, compared with the same month the previous year, and 15.7 percent growth in domestic passengers in the continent.But it also shows the Middle East far outstripped any other part of the world in attracting international passengers, with growth of 18 percent.According to Peter Harbison, the executive chairman of the influential Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation: "Middle East aviation is tipped to grow by just under 7 percent per annum for the rest of this decade - that means doubling every 10 years - making it a market the rest of the world can no longer ignore."Amanda Harrod, immediate past president of the Association of South African Travel Agents, said four Middle Eastern airlines flying into South Africa - Emirates and Etihad from the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Air from Bahrain and Qatar Airways - had taken passengers from all other international airlines including SAA by offering indirect flights to destinations all over the world at lower fares. Thulani Nzima, chief executive of SA Travel Centre - the franchised chain of travel agencies wholly owned by SAA - said it was wise that the airline had postponed earlier plans to put on more flights to India, although tourism and trade between the two countries was growing, until it was certain the additional flights would be sustainable.Nzima pointed out that Middle Eastern airlines offered a wider choice of destinations in India because they flew to a number of cities on the subcontinent compared with SAA's flights from Johannesburg to Mumbai.He thought this was why Air India seemed to be hesitating to start a promised service to South Africa.Meanwhile, SAA, like other full-service airlines worldwide, is going through an intensive restructuring process to enable it to meet increased competition. It is preparing a business plan, due to be completed in May, which it hopes will convince the government to recapitalise it.
© Business Report 2007. All rights reserved.
By AUDREY D’ANGELOCape Town - South Africa was named as a "leader in the Africa region" in a report released this week by Airports Council International that showed continued strong growth in international airline travel.The report shows 12.3 percent growth in international passengers to Africa in February, compared with the same month the previous year, and 15.7 percent growth in domestic passengers in the continent.But it also shows the Middle East far outstripped any other part of the world in attracting international passengers, with growth of 18 percent.According to Peter Harbison, the executive chairman of the influential Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation: "Middle East aviation is tipped to grow by just under 7 percent per annum for the rest of this decade - that means doubling every 10 years - making it a market the rest of the world can no longer ignore."Amanda Harrod, immediate past president of the Association of South African Travel Agents, said four Middle Eastern airlines flying into South Africa - Emirates and Etihad from the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Air from Bahrain and Qatar Airways - had taken passengers from all other international airlines including SAA by offering indirect flights to destinations all over the world at lower fares. Thulani Nzima, chief executive of SA Travel Centre - the franchised chain of travel agencies wholly owned by SAA - said it was wise that the airline had postponed earlier plans to put on more flights to India, although tourism and trade between the two countries was growing, until it was certain the additional flights would be sustainable.Nzima pointed out that Middle Eastern airlines offered a wider choice of destinations in India because they flew to a number of cities on the subcontinent compared with SAA's flights from Johannesburg to Mumbai.He thought this was why Air India seemed to be hesitating to start a promised service to South Africa.Meanwhile, SAA, like other full-service airlines worldwide, is going through an intensive restructuring process to enable it to meet increased competition. It is preparing a business plan, due to be completed in May, which it hopes will convince the government to recapitalise it.
© Business Report 2007. All rights reserved.
Sub-lease aircraft, pare lean-season losses
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1088957
Praveena Sharma Wednesday, April 04, 2007 22:24 IST
BANGALORE: Having taken a big hit on yields during the lean season (January and February), budget carrier SpiceJet will hedge itself during the next lean phase (July -September).
How will it offset the lean season? By sub-leasing aircraft from its fleet to European carriers during the lean season, it earns additional revenue.
SpiceJet will also try to increase ancillary income, CEO and chairman Siddhanta Sharma told analysts at a conference call on Wednesday.
“June-end to September is the peak season in Europe, so we will sub-lease aircraft to European airlines in that period rather than bleed locally. It will earn us good income. We will also increase ancillary income from sale onboard and in-flight advertisement,” said Sharma.
The latter’s a flight path that Air Deccan has taken for long. SpiceJet’s yields in the previous quarter slipped as it expanded its fleet from six to 11 aircraft since October.
The low cost carrier’s yield has tumbled from Rs 2.20 in December to Rs 2.16 in January. It fell further to Rs 1.96 in February.
Besides capacity addition, Sharma also blamed competition for the drop in yield.
What is surprising is that the fall in the yield has come despite a reduction in the cost per available seat kilometre (CASKM).
The budget carrier has managed to cut its CASKM by around 8% over the last one year.
“Today, we have the lowest cost in the industry. We have brought it down to Rs 2.44 per ASKM in the February quarter from Rs 2.65 per ASKM during the same time last year. We did that despite a rise in fuel cost from Rs 1.07 per ASKM to Rs 1.11 per ASKM. Our non-fuel cost for the same period is down from Rs 1.85 to Rs 1.33,” Sharma said.
This was lower than Air Deccan’s CASKM, which is at Rs 2.70 (on Airbus) and Rs 3.10 (average of Airbus and ATR), Sharma claimed.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Praveena Sharma Wednesday, April 04, 2007 22:24 IST
BANGALORE: Having taken a big hit on yields during the lean season (January and February), budget carrier SpiceJet will hedge itself during the next lean phase (July -September).
How will it offset the lean season? By sub-leasing aircraft from its fleet to European carriers during the lean season, it earns additional revenue.
SpiceJet will also try to increase ancillary income, CEO and chairman Siddhanta Sharma told analysts at a conference call on Wednesday.
“June-end to September is the peak season in Europe, so we will sub-lease aircraft to European airlines in that period rather than bleed locally. It will earn us good income. We will also increase ancillary income from sale onboard and in-flight advertisement,” said Sharma.
The latter’s a flight path that Air Deccan has taken for long. SpiceJet’s yields in the previous quarter slipped as it expanded its fleet from six to 11 aircraft since October.
The low cost carrier’s yield has tumbled from Rs 2.20 in December to Rs 2.16 in January. It fell further to Rs 1.96 in February.
Besides capacity addition, Sharma also blamed competition for the drop in yield.
What is surprising is that the fall in the yield has come despite a reduction in the cost per available seat kilometre (CASKM).
The budget carrier has managed to cut its CASKM by around 8% over the last one year.
“Today, we have the lowest cost in the industry. We have brought it down to Rs 2.44 per ASKM in the February quarter from Rs 2.65 per ASKM during the same time last year. We did that despite a rise in fuel cost from Rs 1.07 per ASKM to Rs 1.11 per ASKM. Our non-fuel cost for the same period is down from Rs 1.85 to Rs 1.33,” Sharma said.
This was lower than Air Deccan’s CASKM, which is at Rs 2.70 (on Airbus) and Rs 3.10 (average of Airbus and ATR), Sharma claimed.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Oman Air to start flights to Lucknow and Jaipur
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200704041222.htm
Dubai, April 4 (PTI): Oman Air will add two new destinations in India when it starts flight to Lucknow and Jaipur from May 1 and June 1 respectively.
Indian civil aviation authorities had been very tough in granting landing rights for new routes in the country to foreign carriers, but were "now easing a bit," said Ziyad bin Karim Al Haremi, Oman Air CEO.
He said he was not "worried" about the emergence of low-cost carriers on the Oman-India sector offering cheap fares.
"They have created a different segment. They don't affect us," he said.
Al Haremi said "Oman Air was planning to purchase a number of planes including Airbus 200/330, of which some would begin to operate in 2009."
Procedures were going on to appoint a consultant to conduct a feasibility study on the issue, he added. Some of these will be used for long haul flights to places in Europe, Far East.
Haremi said the move to re-brand the airline's image was especially aimed at bringing in more holidaymakers to the country as part of the government's push to promote tourism.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Dubai, April 4 (PTI): Oman Air will add two new destinations in India when it starts flight to Lucknow and Jaipur from May 1 and June 1 respectively.
Indian civil aviation authorities had been very tough in granting landing rights for new routes in the country to foreign carriers, but were "now easing a bit," said Ziyad bin Karim Al Haremi, Oman Air CEO.
He said he was not "worried" about the emergence of low-cost carriers on the Oman-India sector offering cheap fares.
"They have created a different segment. They don't affect us," he said.
Al Haremi said "Oman Air was planning to purchase a number of planes including Airbus 200/330, of which some would begin to operate in 2009."
Procedures were going on to appoint a consultant to conduct a feasibility study on the issue, he added. Some of these will be used for long haul flights to places in Europe, Far East.
Haremi said the move to re-brand the airline's image was especially aimed at bringing in more holidaymakers to the country as part of the government's push to promote tourism.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Deccan chief wants multiple airports
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1089011
Manisha Singhal Thursday, April 05, 2007 00:05 IST
With an impending operational break in the coming few months, Air Deccan is ready to embark on the second phase of its expansion. This and connecting the country’s wine capital, Nashik, to the other cities by air remains firmly on the airline’s agenda.
In its second phase of expansion, the thrust will be on connecting regional airports with the metro airports and on increasing non-conventional routes. Also on the agenda is connecting via air, towns which have historical, economic and tourist importance. This will be the focus of the expansion plan.
Talking to DNA, Deccan Airlines’ managing director, Capt GR Gopinath said, “Air Deccan is just a few per cent points away from becoming the one of the leading airlines in the country. The February results show that we are just 3.5 per cent below the country leader, Jet Airways, our market share is about 21.6 per cent as compared to Jet’s 25.3 per cent.”
Interestingly, Indian which is the third, has a much lower market share of 16.5 per cent.
The chief of this low cost carrier, which says it needs just Rs300 more per seat to be in the black believes, that “it would be a short sighted move to think that aviation can grow in this country by strengthening Delhi and Mumbai airports.”
Gopinath says, “The regional airports will have to come up. There has to be an integration of the small and the large towns. Ultimately you would have to integrate rural areas with urban back and forth.”
Towns like Kolhapur, Belgaun and Hubli, whose middle and business class must travel, will be connected by Air Deccan flights with reasonable fares of up to Rs2000. Also places which have a local history and scope for religious tourism like Nashik and Pushkar will be connected,” he added.
Making a departure from the established system of using a travel agent for ticketing, Air Deccan has come up with innovative and unconventional ways for expanding its ticketing network in the small towns. The company has employed non-traditional travel agents at multiple points for better reach. “If you want to build an airline you have to build it on the short tours,” said Gopinath adding that almost 80 per cent of their routes are non-metro routes revenue.
For its expansion plans, the airline will add about 100 new flights this year alone, taking its tally to 450 flights. It is also in the process of expanding its fleet and is buying about 19 Airbus A320s and 23 ATRs of which four A320s and eight ATRs will be inducted this year.
Talking about the recent controversy where people alleged that the airline over-booking its flights, Gopinath said, “Deccan Airline has filed a legal suit of Rs50 crores against the channel. We will not allow the Talibanisation by the media.”
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Manisha Singhal Thursday, April 05, 2007 00:05 IST
With an impending operational break in the coming few months, Air Deccan is ready to embark on the second phase of its expansion. This and connecting the country’s wine capital, Nashik, to the other cities by air remains firmly on the airline’s agenda.
In its second phase of expansion, the thrust will be on connecting regional airports with the metro airports and on increasing non-conventional routes. Also on the agenda is connecting via air, towns which have historical, economic and tourist importance. This will be the focus of the expansion plan.
Talking to DNA, Deccan Airlines’ managing director, Capt GR Gopinath said, “Air Deccan is just a few per cent points away from becoming the one of the leading airlines in the country. The February results show that we are just 3.5 per cent below the country leader, Jet Airways, our market share is about 21.6 per cent as compared to Jet’s 25.3 per cent.”
Interestingly, Indian which is the third, has a much lower market share of 16.5 per cent.
The chief of this low cost carrier, which says it needs just Rs300 more per seat to be in the black believes, that “it would be a short sighted move to think that aviation can grow in this country by strengthening Delhi and Mumbai airports.”
Gopinath says, “The regional airports will have to come up. There has to be an integration of the small and the large towns. Ultimately you would have to integrate rural areas with urban back and forth.”
Towns like Kolhapur, Belgaun and Hubli, whose middle and business class must travel, will be connected by Air Deccan flights with reasonable fares of up to Rs2000. Also places which have a local history and scope for religious tourism like Nashik and Pushkar will be connected,” he added.
Making a departure from the established system of using a travel agent for ticketing, Air Deccan has come up with innovative and unconventional ways for expanding its ticketing network in the small towns. The company has employed non-traditional travel agents at multiple points for better reach. “If you want to build an airline you have to build it on the short tours,” said Gopinath adding that almost 80 per cent of their routes are non-metro routes revenue.
For its expansion plans, the airline will add about 100 new flights this year alone, taking its tally to 450 flights. It is also in the process of expanding its fleet and is buying about 19 Airbus A320s and 23 ATRs of which four A320s and eight ATRs will be inducted this year.
Talking about the recent controversy where people alleged that the airline over-booking its flights, Gopinath said, “Deccan Airline has filed a legal suit of Rs50 crores against the channel. We will not allow the Talibanisation by the media.”
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Air Deccan eyes 12 m passengers by 2009
http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/newsPopup.php?fileR=20070405081833130&dir=2007/04/05&secID=livenews
Source: IRIS NEWS DIGEST (05 April 2007)
Low cost carrier Air Deccan, carrying 5.50 million passengers last year, is targeting to expand it to 12 million passengers in its next financial year starting July 2007, reports Business Line.
``This year Air Deccan will carry 8 million passengers. We need to get more Indians opting for air travel. Currently, airlines are selling only 30 million seats a year while there are potential 250 million passengers,` sid G R Gopinath, MD, Air Deccan.
He added, `At present, we are only short of Rs 200 a seat in the terms of earnings. With more set of people opting, we expect to bridge the difference in the coming months. The company may turn profitable by the December quarter though we cannot set a timeframe.`
The company, plans to increase the ancillary revenues to 25% from the current 9%, in effect to the airline business witnessing more competition, coupled with unrelenting aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices.
Air Deccan tied up with Frankfinn Institute of air hostess training for cabin crew. Under this exclusive cabin crew recruitment agreement, only Frankfinn`s students will be recruited by Air Deccan as cabin crew. Frankfinn will be providing 400 cabin crew placements each year during the contract period with Air Deccan as a part of the agreement.
The shares of the closed at Rs 92.40, up Rs 4.40, or 5.00%. The total volume of shares traded at the BSE was 158,412. (Wednesday)
© IRIS Business Services (India) Private Limited
Source: IRIS NEWS DIGEST (05 April 2007)
Low cost carrier Air Deccan, carrying 5.50 million passengers last year, is targeting to expand it to 12 million passengers in its next financial year starting July 2007, reports Business Line.
``This year Air Deccan will carry 8 million passengers. We need to get more Indians opting for air travel. Currently, airlines are selling only 30 million seats a year while there are potential 250 million passengers,` sid G R Gopinath, MD, Air Deccan.
He added, `At present, we are only short of Rs 200 a seat in the terms of earnings. With more set of people opting, we expect to bridge the difference in the coming months. The company may turn profitable by the December quarter though we cannot set a timeframe.`
The company, plans to increase the ancillary revenues to 25% from the current 9%, in effect to the airline business witnessing more competition, coupled with unrelenting aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices.
Air Deccan tied up with Frankfinn Institute of air hostess training for cabin crew. Under this exclusive cabin crew recruitment agreement, only Frankfinn`s students will be recruited by Air Deccan as cabin crew. Frankfinn will be providing 400 cabin crew placements each year during the contract period with Air Deccan as a part of the agreement.
The shares of the closed at Rs 92.40, up Rs 4.40, or 5.00%. The total volume of shares traded at the BSE was 158,412. (Wednesday)
© IRIS Business Services (India) Private Limited
Kerala minister denies corruption at Cochin airport
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/47745.html
Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 Denying charges made on the basis of a book, 'In Spite of the Gods', Kerala Fisheries Minister S. Sarma Wednesday said he had no role in awarding a tender to construct the runway of the Cochin International Airport.
'I looked into the records and the board meeting of the CIAL (Cochin International Airport Ltd) and I have found that the tender to construct the runway of the airport was made on March 10, 1995 and then the board was chaired by then chief minister K. Karunakaran and present Congress leader and legislator K.V. Thomas,' Sarma told reporters.
The allegation surfaced after a local daily reported the matter on the basis of a chapter from 'In Spite of the Gods: the Strange Rise of India', by Edward Lose, who was South Asia bureau chief of Financial Times during 2001-05.
The author spoke to then CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian, a senior bureaucrat who is presently the chairman of the Spices Board.
The book, published this year, says that Kurian said a very influential politician had approached him and asked him to see that the contract for building the runway be handed over to a particular contractor and if he does so he would be given Rs.10 million. Kurian, however, did not name the politician.
'I was not on the board when the decision on the contract was made. Moreover, I don't come under the category of a very influential politician,' said Sarma.
When contacted, Kurian said: 'I am yet to see the book and after reading it, I will think if I have to react.'
Regarding the report of a minister getting angry with him for not giving 200 people jobs at the airport, Sarma said that at that time he was a legislator from the area of the airport.
'Isn't it only natural for a politician to seek jobs for people who vacated their land for the airport? I had told the officials involved in hiring employees that if two candidates have the same qualifications, then preference should be given to those who surrendered their land for the project,' said Sarma.
The CIAL became a reality when Karunakaran was chief minister during 1992-1995 and it became operational in 1999 when E.K. Nayanar ruled the state (1996-2001).
CIAL is the first airport in the country to come up in public-private partnership.
Meanwhile, sources said Sarma was set to send a note to the state's chief secretary against the bureaucrat.
(c) 2007 Earthtimes.org
Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 Denying charges made on the basis of a book, 'In Spite of the Gods', Kerala Fisheries Minister S. Sarma Wednesday said he had no role in awarding a tender to construct the runway of the Cochin International Airport.
'I looked into the records and the board meeting of the CIAL (Cochin International Airport Ltd) and I have found that the tender to construct the runway of the airport was made on March 10, 1995 and then the board was chaired by then chief minister K. Karunakaran and present Congress leader and legislator K.V. Thomas,' Sarma told reporters.
The allegation surfaced after a local daily reported the matter on the basis of a chapter from 'In Spite of the Gods: the Strange Rise of India', by Edward Lose, who was South Asia bureau chief of Financial Times during 2001-05.
The author spoke to then CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian, a senior bureaucrat who is presently the chairman of the Spices Board.
The book, published this year, says that Kurian said a very influential politician had approached him and asked him to see that the contract for building the runway be handed over to a particular contractor and if he does so he would be given Rs.10 million. Kurian, however, did not name the politician.
'I was not on the board when the decision on the contract was made. Moreover, I don't come under the category of a very influential politician,' said Sarma.
When contacted, Kurian said: 'I am yet to see the book and after reading it, I will think if I have to react.'
Regarding the report of a minister getting angry with him for not giving 200 people jobs at the airport, Sarma said that at that time he was a legislator from the area of the airport.
'Isn't it only natural for a politician to seek jobs for people who vacated their land for the airport? I had told the officials involved in hiring employees that if two candidates have the same qualifications, then preference should be given to those who surrendered their land for the project,' said Sarma.
The CIAL became a reality when Karunakaran was chief minister during 1992-1995 and it became operational in 1999 when E.K. Nayanar ruled the state (1996-2001).
CIAL is the first airport in the country to come up in public-private partnership.
Meanwhile, sources said Sarma was set to send a note to the state's chief secretary against the bureaucrat.
(c) 2007 Earthtimes.org
Hijacked! Kingfisher poaches Jet stars
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=f1902c0d-7953-45f7-ab3b-856088e2172c
Lalatendu Mishra
Email Author
Mumbai, April 04, 2007
There is a new war for talent brewing in the aviation industry with seasoned market player Jet Airways witnessing an exodus of its senior executives. And the buzz is that these executives are being poached by rival Kingfisher Airlines.
At least five top-level officials of Jet Airways put in their papers on Wednesday and a few more are likely to resign, according to industry sources who did not wish to be named. Out of the five, three are joining Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines.
The three who have resigned include V Raja, General Manager (operations), South East Asia, and Nandini Verma, vice-president corporate communications. These executives are joining Kingfisher shortly.
Jet Airways executive director S K Dutta could not confirm all the resignations but said a few people had decided to leave. “Nobody is indispensable in an organisation and we will move on,” Dutta told Hindustan Times.
“Some people may quit if they get better offers and this is a part of the industry,” a senior Jet official said.
Nandini Verma has been associated with the airline from its inception and was one of the core team members of Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways’ chairman. She used to handle media relations for Jet Airways for more than a decade. She along with Raja are expected to help Mallya to expand Kingfisher’s base. According to unconfirmed reports, the head of training, Michel Chang and senior general manager Vijay Sethi have also resigned. But Jet officials could not confirm this.
The aviation industry has seen a number of executive movements in the recent past due to a boom in the low-cost carriers. For instance, Go Air recently hired the former chief operating officer of SpiceJet.
© Copyright 2007 Hindustan Times
Lalatendu Mishra
Email Author
Mumbai, April 04, 2007
There is a new war for talent brewing in the aviation industry with seasoned market player Jet Airways witnessing an exodus of its senior executives. And the buzz is that these executives are being poached by rival Kingfisher Airlines.
At least five top-level officials of Jet Airways put in their papers on Wednesday and a few more are likely to resign, according to industry sources who did not wish to be named. Out of the five, three are joining Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines.
The three who have resigned include V Raja, General Manager (operations), South East Asia, and Nandini Verma, vice-president corporate communications. These executives are joining Kingfisher shortly.
Jet Airways executive director S K Dutta could not confirm all the resignations but said a few people had decided to leave. “Nobody is indispensable in an organisation and we will move on,” Dutta told Hindustan Times.
“Some people may quit if they get better offers and this is a part of the industry,” a senior Jet official said.
Nandini Verma has been associated with the airline from its inception and was one of the core team members of Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways’ chairman. She used to handle media relations for Jet Airways for more than a decade. She along with Raja are expected to help Mallya to expand Kingfisher’s base. According to unconfirmed reports, the head of training, Michel Chang and senior general manager Vijay Sethi have also resigned. But Jet officials could not confirm this.
The aviation industry has seen a number of executive movements in the recent past due to a boom in the low-cost carriers. For instance, Go Air recently hired the former chief operating officer of SpiceJet.
© Copyright 2007 Hindustan Times
MIAL considers new course for Mithi river
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1089242
Friday, April 06, 2007 01:36 IST
The airport authority has proposed that an additional channel, parallel to Mithi river, be made to avoid flooding of the airport during monsoon. It is also proposing to raise roads at Air India Colony. Manisha Singhal looks at what the project entails
The Mithi River must be realigned. That is the solution the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has come up with to avoid the horrors of flooding at Mumbai’s airport. Right now, the proposal is under consideration at the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune, and a feasibility study is also being done by IIT-Bombay. MIAL met the IIT experts on Thursday.
“We do not want an airport that floods during the monsoons,” said the MIAL spokesperson. A well-placed source at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said, “Initially, the MIAL had suggested to the MMRDA that the Mithi River’s course must be altered so that it does not flow into the airport.”
But the proposal was rubbished by the CWPRS, and it also did not find favour with the MIAL as it required the closure of the runways till such time as the work is completed. So, the next course suggested by the MIAL is to get a parallel channel or an alternate channel along the current course of the river, which would be able to handle the excess drain and tail waters from the Powai and Virar Lake, thereby avoiding the flooding of the airport.
“The MIAL has proposed a realignment of the Mithi River. But it is too early for us to comment on it. We will just be giving a hydraulic feasibility about the proposal. There are lots of other socio-economic and legal issues involved,” said VM Bhendre, director of CWPRS.
Meanwhile the MIAL spokesperson expressed the authority’s concerns over the fact that the Mithi runs under the runway. He said, “Ideally, you cannot have a river running under the runway. We did not have the option of widening the river as that would require closing down the runway. The proposal is to make an additional channel which would circumvent the runway. This way the excess water will be channelled through it, and this will deal with the problem of flooding without operations being disrupted.”
Also, if the proposal to circumvent the runway on the eastern side is passed, land that is currently occupied by slum dwellers will have to be cleared. Getting that land would again be an issue for the MIAL, as it is already entangled in resettlement and rehabilitation issues.
If the antecedents of the airport are looked into, the first and the main runway (09-27) of the airport was built across the Mithi. When the second runway — a shorter which cuts across the main runway from north-west to south-east – was built in the 1970s, it had raised a debate. The runway was shorter and could not be used for heavier aircraft. But as air traffic grew, the respective airport authorities kept on pushing the runway towards the edge of the river. With current cross-runway operations and about 640 air traffic movements daily, building more infrastructure has eaten into the Mithi River, reducing its capacity.
Even the Mumbai Flood Report, prepared by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) after the July 26, 2005 deluge, had mentioned that the airport had seriously damaging the Mithi River. “The proposal to concretize the entire airport surface means that the earth will have to absorb more water during the rains, and the capacity of the storm water drains and also the river would have to be augmented,” said Debi Goenka of BEAG.
Though the second phase of the Mithi River Development Project was cleared in 2006 and talked about the deepening and widening of the river, that option was not feasible for the airport. “Why should there be obstacles and rivers flowing beneath the runways at an international airport,” questioned the MIAL spokesperson.
The problem with the implementation of the suggestions for widening and deepening of the river, in the case of the airport, is that for any work to take place, the operations of the runway will have to stop. It is not even clear how long would the exercise would have taken, therefore the proposal was reworked by the MIAL. “It is too early to talk about the proposal. We are just considering the options and feasibility. There is neither a time frame nor a deadline,” said the MIAL spokesperson.
The MIAL is also mulling over the idea of demolishing the entire Air India Colony, which gets flooded very monsoon, and raise road levels to avoid flooding said a source.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Friday, April 06, 2007 01:36 IST
The airport authority has proposed that an additional channel, parallel to Mithi river, be made to avoid flooding of the airport during monsoon. It is also proposing to raise roads at Air India Colony. Manisha Singhal looks at what the project entails
The Mithi River must be realigned. That is the solution the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has come up with to avoid the horrors of flooding at Mumbai’s airport. Right now, the proposal is under consideration at the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune, and a feasibility study is also being done by IIT-Bombay. MIAL met the IIT experts on Thursday.
“We do not want an airport that floods during the monsoons,” said the MIAL spokesperson. A well-placed source at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said, “Initially, the MIAL had suggested to the MMRDA that the Mithi River’s course must be altered so that it does not flow into the airport.”
But the proposal was rubbished by the CWPRS, and it also did not find favour with the MIAL as it required the closure of the runways till such time as the work is completed. So, the next course suggested by the MIAL is to get a parallel channel or an alternate channel along the current course of the river, which would be able to handle the excess drain and tail waters from the Powai and Virar Lake, thereby avoiding the flooding of the airport.
“The MIAL has proposed a realignment of the Mithi River. But it is too early for us to comment on it. We will just be giving a hydraulic feasibility about the proposal. There are lots of other socio-economic and legal issues involved,” said VM Bhendre, director of CWPRS.
Meanwhile the MIAL spokesperson expressed the authority’s concerns over the fact that the Mithi runs under the runway. He said, “Ideally, you cannot have a river running under the runway. We did not have the option of widening the river as that would require closing down the runway. The proposal is to make an additional channel which would circumvent the runway. This way the excess water will be channelled through it, and this will deal with the problem of flooding without operations being disrupted.”
Also, if the proposal to circumvent the runway on the eastern side is passed, land that is currently occupied by slum dwellers will have to be cleared. Getting that land would again be an issue for the MIAL, as it is already entangled in resettlement and rehabilitation issues.
If the antecedents of the airport are looked into, the first and the main runway (09-27) of the airport was built across the Mithi. When the second runway — a shorter which cuts across the main runway from north-west to south-east – was built in the 1970s, it had raised a debate. The runway was shorter and could not be used for heavier aircraft. But as air traffic grew, the respective airport authorities kept on pushing the runway towards the edge of the river. With current cross-runway operations and about 640 air traffic movements daily, building more infrastructure has eaten into the Mithi River, reducing its capacity.
Even the Mumbai Flood Report, prepared by the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG) after the July 26, 2005 deluge, had mentioned that the airport had seriously damaging the Mithi River. “The proposal to concretize the entire airport surface means that the earth will have to absorb more water during the rains, and the capacity of the storm water drains and also the river would have to be augmented,” said Debi Goenka of BEAG.
Though the second phase of the Mithi River Development Project was cleared in 2006 and talked about the deepening and widening of the river, that option was not feasible for the airport. “Why should there be obstacles and rivers flowing beneath the runways at an international airport,” questioned the MIAL spokesperson.
The problem with the implementation of the suggestions for widening and deepening of the river, in the case of the airport, is that for any work to take place, the operations of the runway will have to stop. It is not even clear how long would the exercise would have taken, therefore the proposal was reworked by the MIAL. “It is too early to talk about the proposal. We are just considering the options and feasibility. There is neither a time frame nor a deadline,” said the MIAL spokesperson.
The MIAL is also mulling over the idea of demolishing the entire Air India Colony, which gets flooded very monsoon, and raise road levels to avoid flooding said a source.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
It took 5 years to justice; HC rules Daisy was erroneously sentenced to 10 yrs’ RI
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1089244
Mayura Janwalkar Friday, April 06, 2007 01:37 IST
After nearly five years of “living nightmare”, dawn is breaking in Daisy Angus’ life. The 26-year-old French-born British citizen was arrested by the Air Intelligence Bureau on November 21, 2002, when she was travelling to Berlin with Israeli friend Yoram Kadesh. Ten kilogram hashish had been found in one of the bags she was carrying at the airport. Daisy pleaded that the bag belonged to Kadesh, but the latter denied her claim.
In June 2006, a Sessions Court convicted Daisy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1995, and sentenced her to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Ever since her arrest by the Air Intelligence Bureau, she had been languishing at Byculla jail.
On Thursday, Daisy got a fresh lease of life. Hearing her appeal against the conviction, Bombay High Court observed that Kadesh had a narcotic history. His KLM North-West Airline ticket to Berlin had two baggage tags attached to it, one of which was found in Daisy’s possession. During interrogation at the airport it was found that Daisy not aware of the bag’s contents. The court, therefore, acquitted her of the charges and observed that it was more likely that Kadesh actually possessed the drugs.
Daisy’s mother Nadine, sitting in the last row of Courtroom 53, broke down as Justice JH Bhatia pronounced her acquittal. “After nearly five years of litigation, we have finally got justice,” said Nadine, overwhelmed with emotion.
Daisy, a diploma holder in Sports Therapy, met Kandesh on the Net, and the two decided to meet in Mumbai. Arriving in the city, they spent a night at Hotel Causeway in Colaba.
Daisy’s advocate, Ayaz Khan said, “Kadesh enticed her by offering to pay for her ticket and asked her to carry his bag in return.” When Daisy first saw the hashish slabs in his possession, she did inquire about them, but was told that they were Indian incense sticks. When the two were arrested in November 2002, Kadesh denied that it was his bag.
Senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani argued in the high court that it was the prosecution’s case to find out Kadesh, whose whereabouts were unknown ever since his acquittal by the Sessions Court. Kadesh and his brother dealt with narcotics from a shop named Horbit in Goa and another shop in Manali. Also the baggage tag of the blue Delsey suitcase, in which the contraband was found, was affixed to the ticket of Kandesh.
Case history
Daisy Angus was arrested by the Air Intelligence Bureau on November 21, 2002, when she was travelling to Berlin with Israeli friend Yoram Kadesh
Ten kilogram hashish had been found in one of the bags she was carrying
Daisy pleaded that the bag actually belonged to Kadesh, but the latter denied her claim.
In June 2006, a Sessions Court convicted Daisy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1995, and sentenced her to 10 years’ RI
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Mayura Janwalkar Friday, April 06, 2007 01:37 IST
After nearly five years of “living nightmare”, dawn is breaking in Daisy Angus’ life. The 26-year-old French-born British citizen was arrested by the Air Intelligence Bureau on November 21, 2002, when she was travelling to Berlin with Israeli friend Yoram Kadesh. Ten kilogram hashish had been found in one of the bags she was carrying at the airport. Daisy pleaded that the bag belonged to Kadesh, but the latter denied her claim.
In June 2006, a Sessions Court convicted Daisy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1995, and sentenced her to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Ever since her arrest by the Air Intelligence Bureau, she had been languishing at Byculla jail.
On Thursday, Daisy got a fresh lease of life. Hearing her appeal against the conviction, Bombay High Court observed that Kadesh had a narcotic history. His KLM North-West Airline ticket to Berlin had two baggage tags attached to it, one of which was found in Daisy’s possession. During interrogation at the airport it was found that Daisy not aware of the bag’s contents. The court, therefore, acquitted her of the charges and observed that it was more likely that Kadesh actually possessed the drugs.
Daisy’s mother Nadine, sitting in the last row of Courtroom 53, broke down as Justice JH Bhatia pronounced her acquittal. “After nearly five years of litigation, we have finally got justice,” said Nadine, overwhelmed with emotion.
Daisy, a diploma holder in Sports Therapy, met Kandesh on the Net, and the two decided to meet in Mumbai. Arriving in the city, they spent a night at Hotel Causeway in Colaba.
Daisy’s advocate, Ayaz Khan said, “Kadesh enticed her by offering to pay for her ticket and asked her to carry his bag in return.” When Daisy first saw the hashish slabs in his possession, she did inquire about them, but was told that they were Indian incense sticks. When the two were arrested in November 2002, Kadesh denied that it was his bag.
Senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani argued in the high court that it was the prosecution’s case to find out Kadesh, whose whereabouts were unknown ever since his acquittal by the Sessions Court. Kadesh and his brother dealt with narcotics from a shop named Horbit in Goa and another shop in Manali. Also the baggage tag of the blue Delsey suitcase, in which the contraband was found, was affixed to the ticket of Kandesh.
Case history
Daisy Angus was arrested by the Air Intelligence Bureau on November 21, 2002, when she was travelling to Berlin with Israeli friend Yoram Kadesh
Ten kilogram hashish had been found in one of the bags she was carrying
Daisy pleaded that the bag actually belonged to Kadesh, but the latter denied her claim.
In June 2006, a Sessions Court convicted Daisy under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1995, and sentenced her to 10 years’ RI
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
DGCA concludes probe into overbooking
http://www.business-standard.com/compindustry/storypage.php?leftnm=1&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=280047&tab=r
Newswire18 / Mumbai April 05, 2007
Directorate General of Civil Aviation had concluded its probe into allegations of overbooking tickets by Air Deccan, the low-cost airline operated by Deccan Aviation Ltd., G R Gopinath, the airline’s managing director, said today.
Gopinath expects the aviation regulator to submit its report shortly.
The probe was carried out by DGCA after media reports suggested that Air Deccan had overbooked tickets on its flights in January and failed to reimburse the affected passengers.
Newswire18 / Mumbai April 05, 2007
Directorate General of Civil Aviation had concluded its probe into allegations of overbooking tickets by Air Deccan, the low-cost airline operated by Deccan Aviation Ltd., G R Gopinath, the airline’s managing director, said today.
Gopinath expects the aviation regulator to submit its report shortly.
The probe was carried out by DGCA after media reports suggested that Air Deccan had overbooked tickets on its flights in January and failed to reimburse the affected passengers.
Notice to Centre on documents of Jet-Sahara merger
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=364176&ssid=53&sid=BUS
Mumbai, April 05: The Bombay High Court today issued a notice to the government, on a petition filed by Jet Airways asking for documents related to its failed takeover bid of rival Air Sahara. Jet, whose plans to acquire Air Sahara failed due to absence of security clearance, had on Monday filed the petition seeking the documents and notes made by Director General of Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Ministry on the merger. Jet`s application was filed under Section 27 of the Arbitration Act. The single judge bench of Justice Anoop V Mehta asked the government to present its views on April 11. According to Janak Dwarkadas, counsel appearing for Jet, these documents are related to the security clearance and internal notes made by the authorities during the merger. A two member arbitration tribunal, which is hearing the two airlines, had on march 28 granted permission to Jet Airways to file application seeking documents before the court. The tribunal is hearing Jet`s plea seeking refund of Rs 1,500 crore it had deposited in an escrow account in the run up to the merger. Bureau Report
Copyright © Zee News Limited.
Mumbai, April 05: The Bombay High Court today issued a notice to the government, on a petition filed by Jet Airways asking for documents related to its failed takeover bid of rival Air Sahara. Jet, whose plans to acquire Air Sahara failed due to absence of security clearance, had on Monday filed the petition seeking the documents and notes made by Director General of Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Ministry on the merger. Jet`s application was filed under Section 27 of the Arbitration Act. The single judge bench of Justice Anoop V Mehta asked the government to present its views on April 11. According to Janak Dwarkadas, counsel appearing for Jet, these documents are related to the security clearance and internal notes made by the authorities during the merger. A two member arbitration tribunal, which is hearing the two airlines, had on march 28 granted permission to Jet Airways to file application seeking documents before the court. The tribunal is hearing Jet`s plea seeking refund of Rs 1,500 crore it had deposited in an escrow account in the run up to the merger. Bureau Report
Copyright © Zee News Limited.
Mallya plans Mumbai-Pune chopper service
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=230348#
Express News Service
Mumbai, April 5: Mumbai to Pune in 19 minutes flat, promises liquor baron and Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya. His team is now in the process of giving final touches to a business plan that proposes an air link between the financial capital and the satellite city, by utilising the Mahalaxmi and Pune racecourses. The plan is to commence with six daily flights on a 15-seater chopper.
Mallya had initially planned it as an exclusive service for Kingfisher First passengers, however, it has “transcended well beyond a service for first class guests” and will be a scheduled passenger service now.
Bride Groom India USA UK UAE Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa 18 - 24 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 45 46 - 50 50+ Hindu - Assamese - Bengali - Gujarati - Hindi - Kannada - Malayalam - Marathi - Marwari - Oriya - Punjabi - Sindhi - Tamil - Telugu Muslim Christian Sikh Parsi Jain Buddhist Jewish Other No Religion Spiritual
An Indian Air Force (IAF) base, currently no additional civil flights are allowed at the Pune airport between 6 am and 10 pm.
“Pune is a growing metropolis and desperately requires air connectivity. With IAF continuing to block additional civil flights , we cannot capitalise on this opportunity. But that does not destroy the demand on the route,” said Mallya. He is likely to purchase the choppers either from Eurocopter and Augusta, who have been short-listed for the project.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
Express News Service
Mumbai, April 5: Mumbai to Pune in 19 minutes flat, promises liquor baron and Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya. His team is now in the process of giving final touches to a business plan that proposes an air link between the financial capital and the satellite city, by utilising the Mahalaxmi and Pune racecourses. The plan is to commence with six daily flights on a 15-seater chopper.
Mallya had initially planned it as an exclusive service for Kingfisher First passengers, however, it has “transcended well beyond a service for first class guests” and will be a scheduled passenger service now.
Bride Groom India USA UK UAE Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa 18 - 24 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 45 46 - 50 50+ Hindu - Assamese - Bengali - Gujarati - Hindi - Kannada - Malayalam - Marathi - Marwari - Oriya - Punjabi - Sindhi - Tamil - Telugu Muslim Christian Sikh Parsi Jain Buddhist Jewish Other No Religion Spiritual
An Indian Air Force (IAF) base, currently no additional civil flights are allowed at the Pune airport between 6 am and 10 pm.
“Pune is a growing metropolis and desperately requires air connectivity. With IAF continuing to block additional civil flights , we cannot capitalise on this opportunity. But that does not destroy the demand on the route,” said Mallya. He is likely to purchase the choppers either from Eurocopter and Augusta, who have been short-listed for the project.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
Indian Airlines refuses to get spooked by ghost tales
http://www.wadi.ae/test.php?pag=1&id=3249
By Sindhu Suresh sindhu@eveningpost.ae Officials dismiss pilot’s complaint of eerie music in hotel corridor as rumoursSharjah Indian airlines officials in the UAE have dismissed a complaint against a Sharjah hotel, where pilots were being accommodated during their layovers, being haunted as a rumour. The complaint was lodged by a veteran pilot, Devi Saran, with the airline head office in India.Devi Sharan, an Indian airlines pilot who captained the IC 814 which was hijacked in 1999 from Kathmandu in Nepal to Kandahar in Afghanistan, is a much respected pilot in India and abroad for his presence of mind and courage during the seven-day-long hijack horror.The letter written to the Indian airline office in Mumbai says that the five-star hotel is haunted and extends poor customer service. “I have written to the management about my personal opinion of the hotel,” is all Captain Sharan said about the complaint. According to a Mumbai-based newspaper, Sharan said the corridors of the hotel reverberated with piped music and strange voices at odd hours. The rooms were by and large unoccupied and staff strength was limited to a few. According to him, it was scary to spend nights at a hotel that was barely occupied. He also spoke of the eerie feeling he gets while walking through the corridors, as if he were the only one in the hotel. However, Captain Sharan did not reveal details of his letter to the airline, saying he was not authorised to disclose the same.The Indian airlines had signed a contract with the hotel in mid-March this year, an agreement that says the pilots flying the airlines planes would be accommodated there during their stay in Sharjah between flights. The pilots used to be accommodated at another creek-facing five star hotel prior to the new agreement.According to sources at the airline office here, some of the pilots were probably not happy about the new deal and preferred the earlier hotel.The ghost tales openly aired by Sharan, which he says is supported by his fellow pilots, has got the attention of the authorities, because of the strange nature of the complaint. However, authorities are not ready to buy the story.“I have heard about the complaint. Captain Devi Sharan has given a written complaint about his opinion on the hotel. I do not know if other pilots have given similar complaints, said the Ashok Sharma, Indian airlines spokesperson in India.According to Anand Kumar Pande, the UAE Country Manager for Indian, the airline will adhere to the agreement it had recently signed with the hotel.“Both the parties will honour the agreement, irrespective of the said complaint,” he said.“Whatever complaint Captain Devi Sharan has given is his personal opinion, not that of the airline. He has not written any complaint to the office here, nor has any other pilot,” said Pande.Pankaj Srivastava, the Regional Manager for Indian airlines, dismissed the ghost tales as “rumours” and said no complaint had reached his office so far. The hotel that has been at the receiving end is certainly not pleased with the developments.“I think this is funny,” said a senior manager with the group. “This hotel is situated in the middle of the city. Staff members live here, some with families. Had there been some such incident, would anyone live here?” he asks.“Maybe someone was not happy about some of the services in the hotel. But talking about ghosts and stuff to get their demand met is not good news for us. We have an international reputation,” said the manager.However, hotel management agrees that occupancy is low at the hotel, mainly because it is a new establishment, just one year old.Who is Devi Sharan?Devi Sharan is a 44-year-old Indian airlines pilot who captained the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 in 1999. He was much admired then for his ability to keep his cool and fly with a gun on his ear during the hijack drama which lasted for seven days and claimed one life. He had to steer a hijacked aircraft to Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai and Kandahar, speak to the Indian negotiators on behalf of the hijackers with 189 on board out of an airport with only 15 minutes of aviation fuel left. He had to force land a plane in a foreign country after runway lights were switched off.Captain Sharan was honoured at the Sharjah International Airport in 2000. He was awarded the 1999 ‘Safe Skies Award’ in Atlanta for his “extraordinary coolness and courage in life-or-death circumstances”.
By Sindhu Suresh sindhu@eveningpost.ae Officials dismiss pilot’s complaint of eerie music in hotel corridor as rumoursSharjah Indian airlines officials in the UAE have dismissed a complaint against a Sharjah hotel, where pilots were being accommodated during their layovers, being haunted as a rumour. The complaint was lodged by a veteran pilot, Devi Saran, with the airline head office in India.Devi Sharan, an Indian airlines pilot who captained the IC 814 which was hijacked in 1999 from Kathmandu in Nepal to Kandahar in Afghanistan, is a much respected pilot in India and abroad for his presence of mind and courage during the seven-day-long hijack horror.The letter written to the Indian airline office in Mumbai says that the five-star hotel is haunted and extends poor customer service. “I have written to the management about my personal opinion of the hotel,” is all Captain Sharan said about the complaint. According to a Mumbai-based newspaper, Sharan said the corridors of the hotel reverberated with piped music and strange voices at odd hours. The rooms were by and large unoccupied and staff strength was limited to a few. According to him, it was scary to spend nights at a hotel that was barely occupied. He also spoke of the eerie feeling he gets while walking through the corridors, as if he were the only one in the hotel. However, Captain Sharan did not reveal details of his letter to the airline, saying he was not authorised to disclose the same.The Indian airlines had signed a contract with the hotel in mid-March this year, an agreement that says the pilots flying the airlines planes would be accommodated there during their stay in Sharjah between flights. The pilots used to be accommodated at another creek-facing five star hotel prior to the new agreement.According to sources at the airline office here, some of the pilots were probably not happy about the new deal and preferred the earlier hotel.The ghost tales openly aired by Sharan, which he says is supported by his fellow pilots, has got the attention of the authorities, because of the strange nature of the complaint. However, authorities are not ready to buy the story.“I have heard about the complaint. Captain Devi Sharan has given a written complaint about his opinion on the hotel. I do not know if other pilots have given similar complaints, said the Ashok Sharma, Indian airlines spokesperson in India.According to Anand Kumar Pande, the UAE Country Manager for Indian, the airline will adhere to the agreement it had recently signed with the hotel.“Both the parties will honour the agreement, irrespective of the said complaint,” he said.“Whatever complaint Captain Devi Sharan has given is his personal opinion, not that of the airline. He has not written any complaint to the office here, nor has any other pilot,” said Pande.Pankaj Srivastava, the Regional Manager for Indian airlines, dismissed the ghost tales as “rumours” and said no complaint had reached his office so far. The hotel that has been at the receiving end is certainly not pleased with the developments.“I think this is funny,” said a senior manager with the group. “This hotel is situated in the middle of the city. Staff members live here, some with families. Had there been some such incident, would anyone live here?” he asks.“Maybe someone was not happy about some of the services in the hotel. But talking about ghosts and stuff to get their demand met is not good news for us. We have an international reputation,” said the manager.However, hotel management agrees that occupancy is low at the hotel, mainly because it is a new establishment, just one year old.Who is Devi Sharan?Devi Sharan is a 44-year-old Indian airlines pilot who captained the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 in 1999. He was much admired then for his ability to keep his cool and fly with a gun on his ear during the hijack drama which lasted for seven days and claimed one life. He had to steer a hijacked aircraft to Amritsar, Lahore, Dubai and Kandahar, speak to the Indian negotiators on behalf of the hijackers with 189 on board out of an airport with only 15 minutes of aviation fuel left. He had to force land a plane in a foreign country after runway lights were switched off.Captain Sharan was honoured at the Sharjah International Airport in 2000. He was awarded the 1999 ‘Safe Skies Award’ in Atlanta for his “extraordinary coolness and courage in life-or-death circumstances”.
MAS partners Alitalia
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/6/business/17368997&sec=business
By B.K. SIDHU
Click to view to MAS HUB and Spoke networkAccords in China and India pending
PETALING JAYA: Just a week after inking a code-sharing agreement with South African Airways (SAA) for greater connectivity to the African continent, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) yesterday added Italy’s Alitalia as its latest code-share partner in a bid to strengthen its network access across Europe.
But still pending are code-share arrangements in India and China. Talks are under way and MAS managing director Idris Jala expects agreements to be sealed before the year-end “barring any unforeseen circumstances”.
Having code-share accords in China and India would complete the hub-and-spoke model that the MAS had embarked on as part of its business turnaround plan.
“The airline business is like a tribe; if you do not belong to the tribe and run it solo, you cannot succeed in this highly competitive environment of connectivity,” Jala told reporters after the agreement signing between MAS and Alitalia.
Code-share is the route that MAS is taking to expand and strengthen its network, given that it is not a member of any alliance. Such an arrangement allows airlines to pool their resources in passenger flights, accessing new markets, reducing costs and increasing revenues. The hub-and-spoke model is a shift from the previous point-to-point network.
Jala said with code-share arrangements in India and China, MAS’ network would cover “most of the points on the map” and that the airline would achieve continental reach. The national carrier is said to be talking to China Southern Airlines and Jet Airways, among other carriers, for code-share arrangements in China and India respectively.
From left: Aureliano Cicala, Idris Jala, Datuk Rashid Khan and MAS general manager (government and industry relations) Germal Singh KheraIn total, MAS has nearly 30 code-share pacts and partnerships with some major partners.
On the latest deal, Jala said typically, airlines saw a 5% increase in passenger volume in having collective routes via code-share.
But Alitalia director of network arrangements Aureliano Cicala was more bullish, estimating volumes to increase between 8% and 10%, based on the Italian carrier’s experience.
“We are happy to be the choice partner for MAS and we believe we can add value,” Cicala said. MAS commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said the business between Italy, South-East Asia and Australia was worth US$650mil annually.
“With this agreement, we hope both airlines would be able to garner strong market share because of our brands. We (MAS and Alitalia) are now getting 9% market share and it would grow beyond that,” Rashid said.
With the latest inclusion, MAS now offers access to Milan, Frankfurt, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva and Rome. Apart from Rome, the carrier's other hubs in Europe are London, Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Stockholm.
Copyright © 1995-2007 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
By B.K. SIDHU
Click to view to MAS HUB and Spoke networkAccords in China and India pending
PETALING JAYA: Just a week after inking a code-sharing agreement with South African Airways (SAA) for greater connectivity to the African continent, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) yesterday added Italy’s Alitalia as its latest code-share partner in a bid to strengthen its network access across Europe.
But still pending are code-share arrangements in India and China. Talks are under way and MAS managing director Idris Jala expects agreements to be sealed before the year-end “barring any unforeseen circumstances”.
Having code-share accords in China and India would complete the hub-and-spoke model that the MAS had embarked on as part of its business turnaround plan.
“The airline business is like a tribe; if you do not belong to the tribe and run it solo, you cannot succeed in this highly competitive environment of connectivity,” Jala told reporters after the agreement signing between MAS and Alitalia.
Code-share is the route that MAS is taking to expand and strengthen its network, given that it is not a member of any alliance. Such an arrangement allows airlines to pool their resources in passenger flights, accessing new markets, reducing costs and increasing revenues. The hub-and-spoke model is a shift from the previous point-to-point network.
Jala said with code-share arrangements in India and China, MAS’ network would cover “most of the points on the map” and that the airline would achieve continental reach. The national carrier is said to be talking to China Southern Airlines and Jet Airways, among other carriers, for code-share arrangements in China and India respectively.
From left: Aureliano Cicala, Idris Jala, Datuk Rashid Khan and MAS general manager (government and industry relations) Germal Singh KheraIn total, MAS has nearly 30 code-share pacts and partnerships with some major partners.
On the latest deal, Jala said typically, airlines saw a 5% increase in passenger volume in having collective routes via code-share.
But Alitalia director of network arrangements Aureliano Cicala was more bullish, estimating volumes to increase between 8% and 10%, based on the Italian carrier’s experience.
“We are happy to be the choice partner for MAS and we believe we can add value,” Cicala said. MAS commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said the business between Italy, South-East Asia and Australia was worth US$650mil annually.
“With this agreement, we hope both airlines would be able to garner strong market share because of our brands. We (MAS and Alitalia) are now getting 9% market share and it would grow beyond that,” Rashid said.
With the latest inclusion, MAS now offers access to Milan, Frankfurt, Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva and Rome. Apart from Rome, the carrier's other hubs in Europe are London, Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Stockholm.
Copyright © 1995-2007 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
Jet, Sahara to fly to Gulf region
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BD370E07C-15D5-46ED-B7C8-477820A8CD84%7D&CATEGORYNAME=NATL
New Delhi, April 5: Private carriers like Jet Airways and Air Sahara would get to fly to the lucrative gulf countries, hitherto exclusively serviced by flag carriers, by early next year as the government proposes not to review the ban imposed on other airlines to fly to this region.
Highly placed sources said that government was unlikely to review the three-year ban imposed on December 2004, under which the private airlines could not operate to gulf countries.
The Union Government, while throwing open other foreign destinations to private airlines, had barred them for a period of three years from flying to the Gulf and kept it reserved for state carriers like Air India, Air India Express and Indian.
But now the government has made up its mind not to continue with the policy thus paving the way for private airlines like Jet and Saharra to fly to these destinations.
The sectors in Gulf include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and these destinations have been a major source of revenue for the two national carriers.
The move would enable only Jet Airways and Air Sahara to fly to Gulf nations abroad as they meet the current criteria of having completed five years in the domestic market and fleet strength of 20 to fly internationally.
The sources said, however, there was no decision yet to review the five year criteria of flying abroad. (Agencies)
Copyright © 2007, Chennai Interactive Business Services (P) Ltd.
New Delhi, April 5: Private carriers like Jet Airways and Air Sahara would get to fly to the lucrative gulf countries, hitherto exclusively serviced by flag carriers, by early next year as the government proposes not to review the ban imposed on other airlines to fly to this region.
Highly placed sources said that government was unlikely to review the three-year ban imposed on December 2004, under which the private airlines could not operate to gulf countries.
The Union Government, while throwing open other foreign destinations to private airlines, had barred them for a period of three years from flying to the Gulf and kept it reserved for state carriers like Air India, Air India Express and Indian.
But now the government has made up its mind not to continue with the policy thus paving the way for private airlines like Jet and Saharra to fly to these destinations.
The sectors in Gulf include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and these destinations have been a major source of revenue for the two national carriers.
The move would enable only Jet Airways and Air Sahara to fly to Gulf nations abroad as they meet the current criteria of having completed five years in the domestic market and fleet strength of 20 to fly internationally.
The sources said, however, there was no decision yet to review the five year criteria of flying abroad. (Agencies)
Copyright © 2007, Chennai Interactive Business Services (P) Ltd.
'Global airport privatisation experience shows grave risks'
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200704060311.htm
Singapore, April 6 (PTI): With India going ahead with airport privatisation, a top global aviation official on Thursday warned that the worldwide experience was marred with "very grave risks" and a tough regulator was essential to ensure proper functioning of private airports.
"Some years ago we favoured privatisation of airports. But unfortunately the experience has proved to be fraught with very grave risks. This experience should act as a wake-up call for all governments that that they have a very tough regulator in place," Director General and CEO of International Air Transport Association (IATA) Giovanni Bisignani told PTI in an interview here.
In this context, he referred to the airport privatisation experiences of the UK, Mexico, Hong Kong and some other nations where either the absence of a regulator or the regulator's "inefficiency" led the private operator to make huge profits by hiking user charges substantially and providing no benefits to the consumers.
The IATA chief's comments came weeks ahead of government's plans present the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Bill in the Parliament during the second part of the on-going Budget Session.
The Left parties and airport unions have also been opposing privatisation of airports.
On the public-private partnership path chosen by India to develop major airports as well as 35 non-metro airports, Bisignani said while aviation infrastructure has to be constructed very fast in India, "let us be very careful about the role of the private parties. The airport regulator should be independent and have a very strong mandate."
"If the private parties do not fulfil their part of the commitments, there should be a provision in the agreement that the agreement itself can be withdrawn," he said, stressing the need to have appropriate regulations in place before allowing private firms to get into airport business.
The Mexican experience, he said, had shown that the private companies, which had committed to invest a certain amount of money, did not do it but continued to increase user charges and made considerable profits, he said.
The IATA chief also referred to the London-Heathrow airport private process and said the airport regulator's handling of the situation was "very inefficient" and "not effective". This had led the private parties to make very high profits.
"Private investors could also abuse the monopolistic situation," Bisignani said and referred to the Hong Kong experience where "IATA finally won the battle" and convinced the local government not to go ahead with privatising the airports.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Singapore, April 6 (PTI): With India going ahead with airport privatisation, a top global aviation official on Thursday warned that the worldwide experience was marred with "very grave risks" and a tough regulator was essential to ensure proper functioning of private airports.
"Some years ago we favoured privatisation of airports. But unfortunately the experience has proved to be fraught with very grave risks. This experience should act as a wake-up call for all governments that that they have a very tough regulator in place," Director General and CEO of International Air Transport Association (IATA) Giovanni Bisignani told PTI in an interview here.
In this context, he referred to the airport privatisation experiences of the UK, Mexico, Hong Kong and some other nations where either the absence of a regulator or the regulator's "inefficiency" led the private operator to make huge profits by hiking user charges substantially and providing no benefits to the consumers.
The IATA chief's comments came weeks ahead of government's plans present the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Bill in the Parliament during the second part of the on-going Budget Session.
The Left parties and airport unions have also been opposing privatisation of airports.
On the public-private partnership path chosen by India to develop major airports as well as 35 non-metro airports, Bisignani said while aviation infrastructure has to be constructed very fast in India, "let us be very careful about the role of the private parties. The airport regulator should be independent and have a very strong mandate."
"If the private parties do not fulfil their part of the commitments, there should be a provision in the agreement that the agreement itself can be withdrawn," he said, stressing the need to have appropriate regulations in place before allowing private firms to get into airport business.
The Mexican experience, he said, had shown that the private companies, which had committed to invest a certain amount of money, did not do it but continued to increase user charges and made considerable profits, he said.
The IATA chief also referred to the London-Heathrow airport private process and said the airport regulator's handling of the situation was "very inefficient" and "not effective". This had led the private parties to make very high profits.
"Private investors could also abuse the monopolistic situation," Bisignani said and referred to the Hong Kong experience where "IATA finally won the battle" and convinced the local government not to go ahead with privatising the airports.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Merged IA-AI to fly with Air India brand
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India_Business/Merged_IA-AI_to_fly_with_Air_India_brand/articleshow/1862713.cms
NEW DELHI: Love it or hate it, the brand name Air India is most likely to be retained for the new mega carrier government is going to create by merging AI and Indian Airlines. Ditto for the Maharaja which is going to remain the mascot. Accenture, the consultant appointed to handle the merger process, has submitted its report to the civil aviation ministry and is learnt to have suggested that AI enjoys a very strong brand recall across the world and this name should stay. "We may have to retain AI as the brand name for the merged airline because of several reasons. The popular international codename AI can be retained only if the name stays. Although a final decision would be taken by mid-April, it's most likely that AI will remain,"said a source in the ministry. Apart from the brand name, the other 'concrete' suggestion given by Accenture is that the design of livery and logo of the merged airline be such that looking at it reminds people of Indian Airlines. Indian Airlines had recently tinkered with its name when it dropped Airlines. The old livery — where the tail wing was painted orange and had IA written in white — was changed and a design inspired by famous wheel on Konark sun temple was adopted. But the airline had retained the orange colour on tail wing by painting wheel's spokes in blue. "The logo and livery of the merged airline would use orange colour so that it has familiarity for Indian Airlines travellers within the country,"said the source. The fog has also lifted on who would head the new airline. The government is keen on having some continuity and that leaves AI CMD V Thulasidas and Indian chairman V Trivedi in the race for top job. Being the senior most in the ministry (secretary Ashok Chawla is a batch junior), the 1972-batch IAS officer Thulasidas appears to be the frontrunner for the post. The final structure is being worked out in a way that the number two person is also not unhappy. "The merger may be announced but for quite some time both airlines would have to be run as separate entities,"said a senior official. The first report submitted by Accenture on merger is learnt to have focussed on the main airline and not the low cost one that would be formed by merging AI Express and Alliance Air. The new name and look of the merged LCC is also going to be finalised shortly, said the source. By merging AI and IA, aviation minister Praful Patel is aiming at creating an airline with the "precision and reliability of Lufthansa and service standards of Singapore Airlines". Its fleet size will immediately take it in the league of top 30 airlines of the world. The government has placed orders for 111 new generation aircraft that would be delivered in next four years. By returning the leased aircraft, the new entity would have about 125 planes by 2010.
Copyright ©2007Times Internet Limited.
NEW DELHI: Love it or hate it, the brand name Air India is most likely to be retained for the new mega carrier government is going to create by merging AI and Indian Airlines. Ditto for the Maharaja which is going to remain the mascot. Accenture, the consultant appointed to handle the merger process, has submitted its report to the civil aviation ministry and is learnt to have suggested that AI enjoys a very strong brand recall across the world and this name should stay. "We may have to retain AI as the brand name for the merged airline because of several reasons. The popular international codename AI can be retained only if the name stays. Although a final decision would be taken by mid-April, it's most likely that AI will remain,"said a source in the ministry. Apart from the brand name, the other 'concrete' suggestion given by Accenture is that the design of livery and logo of the merged airline be such that looking at it reminds people of Indian Airlines. Indian Airlines had recently tinkered with its name when it dropped Airlines. The old livery — where the tail wing was painted orange and had IA written in white — was changed and a design inspired by famous wheel on Konark sun temple was adopted. But the airline had retained the orange colour on tail wing by painting wheel's spokes in blue. "The logo and livery of the merged airline would use orange colour so that it has familiarity for Indian Airlines travellers within the country,"said the source. The fog has also lifted on who would head the new airline. The government is keen on having some continuity and that leaves AI CMD V Thulasidas and Indian chairman V Trivedi in the race for top job. Being the senior most in the ministry (secretary Ashok Chawla is a batch junior), the 1972-batch IAS officer Thulasidas appears to be the frontrunner for the post. The final structure is being worked out in a way that the number two person is also not unhappy. "The merger may be announced but for quite some time both airlines would have to be run as separate entities,"said a senior official. The first report submitted by Accenture on merger is learnt to have focussed on the main airline and not the low cost one that would be formed by merging AI Express and Alliance Air. The new name and look of the merged LCC is also going to be finalised shortly, said the source. By merging AI and IA, aviation minister Praful Patel is aiming at creating an airline with the "precision and reliability of Lufthansa and service standards of Singapore Airlines". Its fleet size will immediately take it in the league of top 30 airlines of the world. The government has placed orders for 111 new generation aircraft that would be delivered in next four years. By returning the leased aircraft, the new entity would have about 125 planes by 2010.
Copyright ©2007Times Internet Limited.
More facilities at airport soon for domestic passengers
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007040624440500.htm&date=2007/04/06/&prd=th&
S. Anil Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram : The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will commission next week the Rs.45-lakh passenger facilities in the domestic terminal of the international airport to cater to the heavy movement of travellers in the domestic sector.
An additional 300 square metres of space is being made available by the AAI on the city side and airside in addition to the existing 4,465 square metres in the domestic terminal. Under this project, 240 square metres on the right side of the canopy of the domestic terminal was annexed to the terminal building to make available more space for the domestic passengers.
Air-conditioners have been provided for the comfort of the passengers and tiles have been laid on the floor. The X-ray machine now placed inside the building would be shifted outside so that the domestic passengers can screen their baggage and proceed straight to the terminal.
Two more airline counters would be set up inside the building to avoid rush. With this, the number of airline counters in the domestic terminal would go up to eight. Conveyor belts would be extended to all counters.
On the airside, the authorities have extended the security-hold area by 60 square metres to accommodate more passengers. Two toilets and a ramp have been created for the benefit of senior citizens and the physically challenged. In addition, an additional door has also been set up so that the passengers can enter the coaches that take them to the aircraft without any rush.
Airport Director K. Natarajan told The Hindu that the additional facilities being set up by AAI at a cost of Rs.45 lakh would be thrown open by the weekend.
The heavy movement of domestic passengers forced us to provide more facilities in the domestic terminal, he said.
The AAI would place more chairs in the security hold area for the benefit of checked-in passengers. One more X-ray machine would soon be installed for screening the baggage in the domestic terminal, he said.
As per the latest traffic figures, Mr. Natarajan said the increase in domestic aircraft movement through the airport was an astounding 225 per cent. The movement of domestic aircraft alone had gone up from 284 in January 2006 to 924 in January this year. "This had prompted us to provide more facilities for the passengers in the domestic terminal," he said.
© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu
S. Anil Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram : The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will commission next week the Rs.45-lakh passenger facilities in the domestic terminal of the international airport to cater to the heavy movement of travellers in the domestic sector.
An additional 300 square metres of space is being made available by the AAI on the city side and airside in addition to the existing 4,465 square metres in the domestic terminal. Under this project, 240 square metres on the right side of the canopy of the domestic terminal was annexed to the terminal building to make available more space for the domestic passengers.
Air-conditioners have been provided for the comfort of the passengers and tiles have been laid on the floor. The X-ray machine now placed inside the building would be shifted outside so that the domestic passengers can screen their baggage and proceed straight to the terminal.
Two more airline counters would be set up inside the building to avoid rush. With this, the number of airline counters in the domestic terminal would go up to eight. Conveyor belts would be extended to all counters.
On the airside, the authorities have extended the security-hold area by 60 square metres to accommodate more passengers. Two toilets and a ramp have been created for the benefit of senior citizens and the physically challenged. In addition, an additional door has also been set up so that the passengers can enter the coaches that take them to the aircraft without any rush.
Airport Director K. Natarajan told The Hindu that the additional facilities being set up by AAI at a cost of Rs.45 lakh would be thrown open by the weekend.
The heavy movement of domestic passengers forced us to provide more facilities in the domestic terminal, he said.
The AAI would place more chairs in the security hold area for the benefit of checked-in passengers. One more X-ray machine would soon be installed for screening the baggage in the domestic terminal, he said.
As per the latest traffic figures, Mr. Natarajan said the increase in domestic aircraft movement through the airport was an astounding 225 per cent. The movement of domestic aircraft alone had gone up from 284 in January 2006 to 924 in January this year. "This had prompted us to provide more facilities for the passengers in the domestic terminal," he said.
© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu
Two held in job scam
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Two_held_in_job_scam/articleshow/1868083.cms
MUMBAI: Two persons have been arrested by the Santa Cruz airport police for duping job-seekers by promising them employment as loaders with Kingfisher Airlines and accepting money for it. The accused, both undergraduates, won the confidence of their victims by getting them to fill up a variety of forms, including a police clearance paper required for the job. One of the accused, Jitendra Shah, had earlier worked on contract for an agency that reported to Kingfisher Airlines. The other accused, Amar Panda, worked as a waiter with a canteen located on the domestic airport premises. The police suspect the fraud may run into several lakhs. So far, two complainants have come forward and the police have appealed to others who might have been conned in a similar manner to lodge complaints. According to the police, Dadar resident Damodar Gurav approached them with a complaint against the duo on April 3. According to Gurav, he first came in contact with Panda in October 2006. Panda then promised him a job as a loader and asked for Rs 30,000, with an initial instalment of Rs 15,000 to be paid immediately. Panda then asked Gurav to fill up several forms, besides asking for his photographs. "Panda and Shah had laid their hands on a sheaf of original documents of a job applicant. They used to take photocopies of these documents and replace the name of the original applicant with that of the job-seeker whom they were duping. They used a whitener to wipe out the original applicant's name,"said senior inspector D Sidham. Shah had flaunted an identity-card issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) when he worked with his former employer till three years ago. He had not returned the card when he left the job. "The card is now invalid but this was not realised by job-seekers who thought Shah had the powers to get them a job,"an officer said. The police have also recovered documents from the accused including hospitality forms and a no-objection certificate addressed to the Special Branch-CID. Shah, a resident of Andheri and Panda, a Dadar resident, have been booked for cheating. The spokesperson for Kingfisher Airlines was unavailable for comment.
Copyright ©2007Times Internet Limited.
MUMBAI: Two persons have been arrested by the Santa Cruz airport police for duping job-seekers by promising them employment as loaders with Kingfisher Airlines and accepting money for it. The accused, both undergraduates, won the confidence of their victims by getting them to fill up a variety of forms, including a police clearance paper required for the job. One of the accused, Jitendra Shah, had earlier worked on contract for an agency that reported to Kingfisher Airlines. The other accused, Amar Panda, worked as a waiter with a canteen located on the domestic airport premises. The police suspect the fraud may run into several lakhs. So far, two complainants have come forward and the police have appealed to others who might have been conned in a similar manner to lodge complaints. According to the police, Dadar resident Damodar Gurav approached them with a complaint against the duo on April 3. According to Gurav, he first came in contact with Panda in October 2006. Panda then promised him a job as a loader and asked for Rs 30,000, with an initial instalment of Rs 15,000 to be paid immediately. Panda then asked Gurav to fill up several forms, besides asking for his photographs. "Panda and Shah had laid their hands on a sheaf of original documents of a job applicant. They used to take photocopies of these documents and replace the name of the original applicant with that of the job-seeker whom they were duping. They used a whitener to wipe out the original applicant's name,"said senior inspector D Sidham. Shah had flaunted an identity-card issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) when he worked with his former employer till three years ago. He had not returned the card when he left the job. "The card is now invalid but this was not realised by job-seekers who thought Shah had the powers to get them a job,"an officer said. The police have also recovered documents from the accused including hospitality forms and a no-objection certificate addressed to the Special Branch-CID. Shah, a resident of Andheri and Panda, a Dadar resident, have been booked for cheating. The spokesperson for Kingfisher Airlines was unavailable for comment.
Copyright ©2007Times Internet Limited.
Prime accused in online air ticket booking scam held
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=230411#
Prime accused in online air ticket booking scam held Express News Service
Mumbai, April 6: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Sameer Qasim Shaikh (22), the prime accused in an online ticket booking scam that caused Kingfisher Airlines a loss of Rs 13.47 crores.
A case had been lodged with the EOW by the airline on December 21 last year. And 16 persons have been arrested in the case so far.
“We have arrested Sameer Shaikh, a resident of Mira Road, who is a prime accused, and a leader of one of the three gangs involved in the online ticket booking scam case. He is accused of stealing credit card details of unsuspecting persons through people working in malls and hotels, and using the information to book 15,255 Kingfisher Airlines tickets online. He then sold the tickets at a lower rate in exchange for cash,” confirmed Additional Commissioner of Police, EOW, Sadanand Date.
According to the police, Sameer was arrested on Thursday afternoon, when he was attempting to meet his wife Firdaus and their two-year-old son — Firdaus was being produced at Esplanade Court for an extension of judicial custody.
On February 22, Sameer managed to give Crime Branch officers the slip at Chicalim in Goa. However, his wife was arrested along with his two accomplices Mehboob Shaikh and Sameer Maktum Shaik, after the car they were fleeing in collided with a truck.
Sameer was produced at the Esplanade Court on Friday morning, where he was remanded to police custody till April 19.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
Prime accused in online air ticket booking scam held Express News Service
Mumbai, April 6: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Sameer Qasim Shaikh (22), the prime accused in an online ticket booking scam that caused Kingfisher Airlines a loss of Rs 13.47 crores.
A case had been lodged with the EOW by the airline on December 21 last year. And 16 persons have been arrested in the case so far.
“We have arrested Sameer Shaikh, a resident of Mira Road, who is a prime accused, and a leader of one of the three gangs involved in the online ticket booking scam case. He is accused of stealing credit card details of unsuspecting persons through people working in malls and hotels, and using the information to book 15,255 Kingfisher Airlines tickets online. He then sold the tickets at a lower rate in exchange for cash,” confirmed Additional Commissioner of Police, EOW, Sadanand Date.
According to the police, Sameer was arrested on Thursday afternoon, when he was attempting to meet his wife Firdaus and their two-year-old son — Firdaus was being produced at Esplanade Court for an extension of judicial custody.
On February 22, Sameer managed to give Crime Branch officers the slip at Chicalim in Goa. However, his wife was arrested along with his two accomplices Mehboob Shaikh and Sameer Maktum Shaik, after the car they were fleeing in collided with a truck.
Sameer was produced at the Esplanade Court on Friday morning, where he was remanded to police custody till April 19.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
A Historic Injustice Perpetrated on Adivasis
http://pd.cpim.org/2007/0408/04082007_jharkhand.htm
J S Majumdar
After series of village meetings and local demonstrations, an adivasi delegation from Jharkhand consisting of Prakash Toppo, Suresh Oroan and Suresh Munda, led by the state secretary of the Party, met the union minister for Defence A.K.Antony on April 2 at New Delhi and submitted a joint petition signed by 552 affected adivasis from seven villages around Ranchi airport demanding the return of 1200 acres of adivasi lands occupied by the defence establishment. In response to an earlier memorandum of the state committee of the Party, the Defence minister wrote back to Brinda Karat, MP that the lands belong to Defence establishment and that some of the adivasis, who are cultivating a small portion of the lands, were encroachers. This joint petition of the adivasis exposed, with documentary evidences from British period, the hollowness of the claim of the Defence establishment.
This is a story of historic injustice done to the adivasis in British India which continued even in independent India. During Second World War, the headquarters of Eastern Command was shifted temporarily from Kolkata to Ranchi. Under Defence of India rule, using extraordinary power, thousands of acres of adivasi lands were requisitioned by the British government for this purpose. Adivasi houses were demolished, trees were cut and an airstrip was constructed for Defence aircraft landing. Since the lands were requisitioned, there was neither any rehabilitation of adivasis nor any compensation was given to them. The lands were never acquired under Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The lands continued to remain in the name of adivasis, but occupied by the Defence even after the war ended, India became independent and a republic. In 1962, the temporarily constructed airstrip of the Defence at Ranchi was handed over to civil aviation ministry where present Ranchi Airport is situated.
This led to an abnormal situation which was continuously ignored by the Defence and Civil Aviation ministries of the central government. The adivasis are having khatiyans (land records) and, with the hope that their lands would be returned to them some day, have been paying land taxes, earlier to Bihar government and at present to Jharkhand government, of the lands which are in occupation of Defence and even of the lands where present Ranchi Airport is situated and where aircrafts are landing! State governments issued receipts to them on regular basis. Copies of these documents were submitted to the Defence minister.Defence personnel are regularly preventing the adivasis, who are cultivating some portion of their vacant lands, preventing their entry in the villages, preventing them from repairing their houses and performing religious functions. Against such high handed actions of the Defence, regular demonstrations and protests are taking place.
In a judgement related to these lands, occupied by Defence, the Ranchi Bench of Patna High Court stated, “ According to the State (State of Bihar) the lands in dispute and other plots which belong to Scheduled Tribes as was shown in annexure-3, were never acquired nor possession of the same was given for Air Field/Aerodrome” and ordered the Station Commander of Defence at Ranchi, “ not to interfere with the petitioner and other similarly situated persons, whoever having right, title and possession over the land, except by obtaining an order of the court of competent jurisdiction.”In this land dispute between the adivasis and the Defence, three member bench of Supreme Court in 1989 directed, “Status quo as on today regarding possession shall be maintained.”
Yet Defence minister of India writes that the lands belong to Defence establishment and that the adivasis were the encroachers! Though to the delegation, Defence minister assured to re-look into the entire issue, adivasis under the banner of CPI(M) are preparing for continuous agitation till historic injustice to them is corrected. A massive meeting of the adivasis is scheduled to be held shortly.
J S Majumdar
After series of village meetings and local demonstrations, an adivasi delegation from Jharkhand consisting of Prakash Toppo, Suresh Oroan and Suresh Munda, led by the state secretary of the Party, met the union minister for Defence A.K.Antony on April 2 at New Delhi and submitted a joint petition signed by 552 affected adivasis from seven villages around Ranchi airport demanding the return of 1200 acres of adivasi lands occupied by the defence establishment. In response to an earlier memorandum of the state committee of the Party, the Defence minister wrote back to Brinda Karat, MP that the lands belong to Defence establishment and that some of the adivasis, who are cultivating a small portion of the lands, were encroachers. This joint petition of the adivasis exposed, with documentary evidences from British period, the hollowness of the claim of the Defence establishment.
This is a story of historic injustice done to the adivasis in British India which continued even in independent India. During Second World War, the headquarters of Eastern Command was shifted temporarily from Kolkata to Ranchi. Under Defence of India rule, using extraordinary power, thousands of acres of adivasi lands were requisitioned by the British government for this purpose. Adivasi houses were demolished, trees were cut and an airstrip was constructed for Defence aircraft landing. Since the lands were requisitioned, there was neither any rehabilitation of adivasis nor any compensation was given to them. The lands were never acquired under Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The lands continued to remain in the name of adivasis, but occupied by the Defence even after the war ended, India became independent and a republic. In 1962, the temporarily constructed airstrip of the Defence at Ranchi was handed over to civil aviation ministry where present Ranchi Airport is situated.
This led to an abnormal situation which was continuously ignored by the Defence and Civil Aviation ministries of the central government. The adivasis are having khatiyans (land records) and, with the hope that their lands would be returned to them some day, have been paying land taxes, earlier to Bihar government and at present to Jharkhand government, of the lands which are in occupation of Defence and even of the lands where present Ranchi Airport is situated and where aircrafts are landing! State governments issued receipts to them on regular basis. Copies of these documents were submitted to the Defence minister.Defence personnel are regularly preventing the adivasis, who are cultivating some portion of their vacant lands, preventing their entry in the villages, preventing them from repairing their houses and performing religious functions. Against such high handed actions of the Defence, regular demonstrations and protests are taking place.
In a judgement related to these lands, occupied by Defence, the Ranchi Bench of Patna High Court stated, “ According to the State (State of Bihar) the lands in dispute and other plots which belong to Scheduled Tribes as was shown in annexure-3, were never acquired nor possession of the same was given for Air Field/Aerodrome” and ordered the Station Commander of Defence at Ranchi, “ not to interfere with the petitioner and other similarly situated persons, whoever having right, title and possession over the land, except by obtaining an order of the court of competent jurisdiction.”In this land dispute between the adivasis and the Defence, three member bench of Supreme Court in 1989 directed, “Status quo as on today regarding possession shall be maintained.”
Yet Defence minister of India writes that the lands belong to Defence establishment and that the adivasis were the encroachers! Though to the delegation, Defence minister assured to re-look into the entire issue, adivasis under the banner of CPI(M) are preparing for continuous agitation till historic injustice to them is corrected. A massive meeting of the adivasis is scheduled to be held shortly.
Delhi dreams longest runway, but village roadblock
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=230431#
New Delhi, April 6: COME 2008, Delhi will get its third runway strip--4,430 meters long Code-F standard, capable of accommodating the dream aircraft A380. Also, with CAT IIIB Instrument Landing System (ILS) to boot, Delhi will boast of one of the longest runways in Asia.
But all this will take shape only when the 20,000 residents of Nangal Dewat, which is situated right next to the airport, move out. The villagers have been offered a location in D block, Vasant Kunj with 'well-planned parks, water treatment plants' and adjacent to the National Plant Quarantine Station.
But residents of this nearly 300-year-old village are not impressed. With barricades all around, drains choked with debris just outside their village, residents say they will not yield an inch of their ancestral land because they feel the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been 'unfair' to them.
AAI had acquired land from the villagers for airport expansion in 1972 at a compensation rate of Rs 24 square per meter. Three decades later, the villagers now want more.
"We have given land for the airport in 1964 and again in 1972 for its expansion. We are not against moving out but, the deal should be fair. While we live in houses spread across 145 sqm or more, DDA is offering us 26 sqm plots. They are also offering us a paltry Rs 24 per square yard for our land. As per 1972 land acquisition rates, the price of land here is now Rs 4-5 lakh per square yard," says Gajendra Chaudhary, a resident and Secretary of Harijan and Backward Jan Kalyan Samiti--the body under whose banner the villagers are voicing their protest.
"The people have held talks with Civil Aviation Ministry and put forth their point of view. I am confident the issue will be sorted out and the people of Nangal Dewat will get a fair deal. In any event, I will stand by them," said former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who is backing the villagers.
The DDA has sent several notices asking the villagers to vacate. In response, the villagers went to the High Court seeking proper rehabilitation and compensation and the court issued a stay order. The next hearing is on April 13.
"We had sent eviction notices earlier but the matter is now sub-judice. We will wait and see how things turn out," said Sanjeev Kumar, Deputy Director Lease Administration, DDA.
While DIAL is waiting for the issue to be sorted out, the villagers have created a permanent protest site at the village.
"The alternative site they are offering us has open manholes and trees between plots. DDA says we have to take care of all this on our own. Also there is no school in that area. Where will our children study?" said Prahlad Singh,a resident.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
New Delhi, April 6: COME 2008, Delhi will get its third runway strip--4,430 meters long Code-F standard, capable of accommodating the dream aircraft A380. Also, with CAT IIIB Instrument Landing System (ILS) to boot, Delhi will boast of one of the longest runways in Asia.
But all this will take shape only when the 20,000 residents of Nangal Dewat, which is situated right next to the airport, move out. The villagers have been offered a location in D block, Vasant Kunj with 'well-planned parks, water treatment plants' and adjacent to the National Plant Quarantine Station.
But residents of this nearly 300-year-old village are not impressed. With barricades all around, drains choked with debris just outside their village, residents say they will not yield an inch of their ancestral land because they feel the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been 'unfair' to them.
AAI had acquired land from the villagers for airport expansion in 1972 at a compensation rate of Rs 24 square per meter. Three decades later, the villagers now want more.
"We have given land for the airport in 1964 and again in 1972 for its expansion. We are not against moving out but, the deal should be fair. While we live in houses spread across 145 sqm or more, DDA is offering us 26 sqm plots. They are also offering us a paltry Rs 24 per square yard for our land. As per 1972 land acquisition rates, the price of land here is now Rs 4-5 lakh per square yard," says Gajendra Chaudhary, a resident and Secretary of Harijan and Backward Jan Kalyan Samiti--the body under whose banner the villagers are voicing their protest.
"The people have held talks with Civil Aviation Ministry and put forth their point of view. I am confident the issue will be sorted out and the people of Nangal Dewat will get a fair deal. In any event, I will stand by them," said former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who is backing the villagers.
The DDA has sent several notices asking the villagers to vacate. In response, the villagers went to the High Court seeking proper rehabilitation and compensation and the court issued a stay order. The next hearing is on April 13.
"We had sent eviction notices earlier but the matter is now sub-judice. We will wait and see how things turn out," said Sanjeev Kumar, Deputy Director Lease Administration, DDA.
While DIAL is waiting for the issue to be sorted out, the villagers have created a permanent protest site at the village.
"The alternative site they are offering us has open manholes and trees between plots. DDA says we have to take care of all this on our own. Also there is no school in that area. Where will our children study?" said Prahlad Singh,a resident.
© 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd.
Three paths to no-frills flight
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1089342
Praveena Sharma Friday, April 06, 2007 22:38 IST
BANGALORE: These are desperate times for the low-cost carriers. And each one is trying to chart a different flight path to shore up yields and load factors.
If the oldest budget airline Air Deccan is looking at connecting metros to under-served cities, rival SpiceJet has decided to sub-lease two aircraft during the next lean season (July to September).
GoAir is taking the consolidation route and has focused completely on profitability. “Chasing market share is not economical. What we want to concentrate on is yields, people performance and productivity. Our strategy is being aggressive in the peak season and consolidating in the off-season,” said GoAir’s promoter Jeh Wadia.
In contrast, newest no-frills but fastest-growing airline IndiGo has aggressive expansion plans. By March 2008, it will expand its fleet to 18 aircraft. This, it wants to do by giving affordable fares without compromising on yields
Even Air Deccan, which has reached a fleet size of 40 aircraft (19 Airbus +19 ATR), has not plans of slowing down. By the end of this calendar year, the carrier would be adding 12 aircraft. “There are so many under-served markets. These markets give us better earnings as they have lower cost per available seat kilometre (ASKM) compared with metros. Our inaugural flight from Delhi to Dharamshala to be launched this month has been fully booked,” says Deccan Aviation chief revenue officer Samyukta Sridharan.
Today, of Air Deccan’s 333 flights only 80 flights are operated on the top eight metro routes - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune. And Air Deccan is planning to chase these non-metro markets by offering attractive offers. This would be mean that it will continue to flood the market with discounted fares, which will be subsidised by ancillary income (non-passenger revenues).
This is reason Air Deccan managing director Capt G R Gopinath is keen on boosting the ancillary revenues to 25% in the next 2-3 years. But he is not alone. Every budget carrier has turned its attention to allied revenues.
SpiceJet, which till now had kept away from onboard food sale, is planning to start hawking snacks and beverages on its long-haul (more than two hours) flights from April 10. For this, it has tied up with Skychef.
“Foreign low-cost carriers like Ryan Air and EasyJet generate a chunk of their revenues from allied services. A major part of their ancillary income comes from selling alcoholic beverages on the flight but in India, we can’t do that,” says SpiceJet CEO and chairman Siddhanta Sharma. And this income has not just caught the fancy of Air Deccan and SpiceJet, it is being pursued by every budget airline.
But Air Deccan’s ancillary plans do not end there. Soon, it will be selling travel insurance, home loans, credit cards and tour packages on it website. SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo also have similar plans.
Currently, Air Deccan earns the highest ancillary income - 6.5% of its total revenues. It wants to take this income to 10% in the next 12-15 months. For SpiceJet and GoAir, it is 6% and IndiGo’s is 5%. While SpiceJet will take it to 9% by March 2009, IndiGo is targeting 15% by March 2008. Like ancillary revenues, SpiceJet’s plan for fleet expansion is also toned down. While IndiGo will have 18 aircraft in its fleet by March 2008, SpiceJet is aiming at 25 by March 2009.
GoAir, which scaled down its fleet from seven to five aircraft, will have 12 aircraft by the end of this year.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Praveena Sharma Friday, April 06, 2007 22:38 IST
BANGALORE: These are desperate times for the low-cost carriers. And each one is trying to chart a different flight path to shore up yields and load factors.
If the oldest budget airline Air Deccan is looking at connecting metros to under-served cities, rival SpiceJet has decided to sub-lease two aircraft during the next lean season (July to September).
GoAir is taking the consolidation route and has focused completely on profitability. “Chasing market share is not economical. What we want to concentrate on is yields, people performance and productivity. Our strategy is being aggressive in the peak season and consolidating in the off-season,” said GoAir’s promoter Jeh Wadia.
In contrast, newest no-frills but fastest-growing airline IndiGo has aggressive expansion plans. By March 2008, it will expand its fleet to 18 aircraft. This, it wants to do by giving affordable fares without compromising on yields
Even Air Deccan, which has reached a fleet size of 40 aircraft (19 Airbus +19 ATR), has not plans of slowing down. By the end of this calendar year, the carrier would be adding 12 aircraft. “There are so many under-served markets. These markets give us better earnings as they have lower cost per available seat kilometre (ASKM) compared with metros. Our inaugural flight from Delhi to Dharamshala to be launched this month has been fully booked,” says Deccan Aviation chief revenue officer Samyukta Sridharan.
Today, of Air Deccan’s 333 flights only 80 flights are operated on the top eight metro routes - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune. And Air Deccan is planning to chase these non-metro markets by offering attractive offers. This would be mean that it will continue to flood the market with discounted fares, which will be subsidised by ancillary income (non-passenger revenues).
This is reason Air Deccan managing director Capt G R Gopinath is keen on boosting the ancillary revenues to 25% in the next 2-3 years. But he is not alone. Every budget carrier has turned its attention to allied revenues.
SpiceJet, which till now had kept away from onboard food sale, is planning to start hawking snacks and beverages on its long-haul (more than two hours) flights from April 10. For this, it has tied up with Skychef.
“Foreign low-cost carriers like Ryan Air and EasyJet generate a chunk of their revenues from allied services. A major part of their ancillary income comes from selling alcoholic beverages on the flight but in India, we can’t do that,” says SpiceJet CEO and chairman Siddhanta Sharma. And this income has not just caught the fancy of Air Deccan and SpiceJet, it is being pursued by every budget airline.
But Air Deccan’s ancillary plans do not end there. Soon, it will be selling travel insurance, home loans, credit cards and tour packages on it website. SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo also have similar plans.
Currently, Air Deccan earns the highest ancillary income - 6.5% of its total revenues. It wants to take this income to 10% in the next 12-15 months. For SpiceJet and GoAir, it is 6% and IndiGo’s is 5%. While SpiceJet will take it to 9% by March 2009, IndiGo is targeting 15% by March 2008. Like ancillary revenues, SpiceJet’s plan for fleet expansion is also toned down. While IndiGo will have 18 aircraft in its fleet by March 2008, SpiceJet is aiming at 25 by March 2009.
GoAir, which scaled down its fleet from seven to five aircraft, will have 12 aircraft by the end of this year.
© 2005-2007 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
Passengers of flight find luggage missing after landing
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=9&theme=&usrsess=1&id=152338
Press Trust of India BHUBANESWAR, April 6: An Air Deccan flight from Chennai today landed here without the luggage of half the 45 passengers on board. The Chennai-Bhubaneswar flight (761) landed here at about 10:40 am with 22 of the 45 passengers complaining to the Air Deccan authorities that their luggages were missing. A spokesperson for the private airline said the luggage could not be loaded and steps were being taken to bring them here by tomorrow morning. While 22 passengers complained that they did not get their luggage, some complained they had lost a part of their belongings. “We travelled by the flight in order to save time. But we have been told to wait till tomorrow morning to get back our baggage. What is the point in flying?” asked Ansuman Mohapatra, a passenger. “We are not sure whether they loaded the baggage at the point of departure or not,” said Dilip Kumar Gupta, another passenger who missed his baggage. Seven-year-old Sapna, a child who was returning to Orissa after a heart operation at Bangalore, complained of chest pain as she had not taken medicines.
Press Trust of India BHUBANESWAR, April 6: An Air Deccan flight from Chennai today landed here without the luggage of half the 45 passengers on board. The Chennai-Bhubaneswar flight (761) landed here at about 10:40 am with 22 of the 45 passengers complaining to the Air Deccan authorities that their luggages were missing. A spokesperson for the private airline said the luggage could not be loaded and steps were being taken to bring them here by tomorrow morning. While 22 passengers complained that they did not get their luggage, some complained they had lost a part of their belongings. “We travelled by the flight in order to save time. But we have been told to wait till tomorrow morning to get back our baggage. What is the point in flying?” asked Ansuman Mohapatra, a passenger. “We are not sure whether they loaded the baggage at the point of departure or not,” said Dilip Kumar Gupta, another passenger who missed his baggage. Seven-year-old Sapna, a child who was returning to Orissa after a heart operation at Bangalore, complained of chest pain as she had not taken medicines.
QA and Indian airline in loyalty programme pact
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=142209&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Published: Friday, 6 April, 2007, 01:23 PM Doha Time
Tareq (middle) and Shafiq (third left) with other staff at a Kingfisher Airlines presentationStaff ReporterINDIA’S premier domestic private carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, has entered into an arrangement with Qatar Airways to share each other’s loyalty programme.The arrangement would allow members of both Privilege Club and King Club, the loyalty programmes of the QR and Kingfisher, respectively, to redeem their points with either carrier.This was announced at a product presentation held on Wednesday jointly by Kingfisher and its recently-appointed general sales agent (GSA) Regency Travel & Tours.The appointment “is a significant development that can open new avenues for the travel and hospitality industry in Qatar”, said GSA general manager Tareq Abdullatif Taha.He highlighted that as “the number one travel agent in Qatar”, his organisation had partnered with Kingfisher, “the fastest-growing airline in India”, and this had resulted in an excellent synergy of capabilities and interests.The presentation covered the salient features of Kingfisher such as its expanding network of destinations, its all-Airbus fleet of aircraft, and special amenities for business class and first class passengers.Operations manager of Regency N Shafiq guided the audience through the airline’s present capabilities and plans that would eventually impact the business of the travel and hospitality industry in Qatar.
Gulf Times Newspaper, 2007
Published: Friday, 6 April, 2007, 01:23 PM Doha Time
Tareq (middle) and Shafiq (third left) with other staff at a Kingfisher Airlines presentationStaff ReporterINDIA’S premier domestic private carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, has entered into an arrangement with Qatar Airways to share each other’s loyalty programme.The arrangement would allow members of both Privilege Club and King Club, the loyalty programmes of the QR and Kingfisher, respectively, to redeem their points with either carrier.This was announced at a product presentation held on Wednesday jointly by Kingfisher and its recently-appointed general sales agent (GSA) Regency Travel & Tours.The appointment “is a significant development that can open new avenues for the travel and hospitality industry in Qatar”, said GSA general manager Tareq Abdullatif Taha.He highlighted that as “the number one travel agent in Qatar”, his organisation had partnered with Kingfisher, “the fastest-growing airline in India”, and this had resulted in an excellent synergy of capabilities and interests.The presentation covered the salient features of Kingfisher such as its expanding network of destinations, its all-Airbus fleet of aircraft, and special amenities for business class and first class passengers.Operations manager of Regency N Shafiq guided the audience through the airline’s present capabilities and plans that would eventually impact the business of the travel and hospitality industry in Qatar.
Gulf Times Newspaper, 2007
Court orders probe into complaint against Air India MD, others
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200704061310.htm
Mumbai, April 6. (PTI): A magistrate's court has ordered a probe into a private complaint filed by former employee of Air India against its Managing Director V Tulsidas and ten others.
Anupam Pandya, a maintenance engineer, had filed a complaint with the Andheri Metropolitan Court last month, alleging that he was removed from the service wrongfully.
He has impleaded Tulsidas in the complaint for allegedly not following proper procedure before terminating his services.
According to Pandya, his seniors started harrassing him after he took exception to non-lincensed staff being made to work on Boeing 747, on which the then Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain was going to travel.
This incident took place in June 2002. Pandya's case was that he as well as other maintenance staff did not possess the license issued by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which was needed for servicing the plane.
However, he alleges, his seniors instead chargesheeted him for refusing to work.
An inquiry committee was set up against him and he states that one P A Pawar manhandled him during the proceedings, at the instigation of B R Warude, Manager, Administration.
Following the inquiry, a show cause notice was served to him, and his salary was stopped.
He claims that he appraoched the MD V Tulsidas pleading for giving him a hearing to no avail.
Following his complaint charging Tulsidas and nine others -- all his seniors or co-workers -- for criminal conspiracy and fabricating evidence metropolitan magistrate last week ordered senior police inspector of Airport Police Station to probe the complaint and file a report.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Mumbai, April 6. (PTI): A magistrate's court has ordered a probe into a private complaint filed by former employee of Air India against its Managing Director V Tulsidas and ten others.
Anupam Pandya, a maintenance engineer, had filed a complaint with the Andheri Metropolitan Court last month, alleging that he was removed from the service wrongfully.
He has impleaded Tulsidas in the complaint for allegedly not following proper procedure before terminating his services.
According to Pandya, his seniors started harrassing him after he took exception to non-lincensed staff being made to work on Boeing 747, on which the then Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain was going to travel.
This incident took place in June 2002. Pandya's case was that he as well as other maintenance staff did not possess the license issued by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which was needed for servicing the plane.
However, he alleges, his seniors instead chargesheeted him for refusing to work.
An inquiry committee was set up against him and he states that one P A Pawar manhandled him during the proceedings, at the instigation of B R Warude, Manager, Administration.
Following the inquiry, a show cause notice was served to him, and his salary was stopped.
He claims that he appraoched the MD V Tulsidas pleading for giving him a hearing to no avail.
Following his complaint charging Tulsidas and nine others -- all his seniors or co-workers -- for criminal conspiracy and fabricating evidence metropolitan magistrate last week ordered senior police inspector of Airport Police Station to probe the complaint and file a report.
Copyright © 2006, The Hindu.
Panel to hear Jet-Sahara row from Monday
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Panel_to_hear_Jet-Sahara_row_from_Monday/articleshow/1868087.cms
CUCKOO PAULTIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, APRIL 07, 2007 01:43:02 AM]
MUMBAI: The acrimonious battle between Jet Airways and Air Sahara is entering the final round with the arbitration panel starting final hearing in Mumbai from Monday. Sources close to the affair say that the panel has made it clear that they will focus on whether the specific performance parameters inked in the share purchase agreement were met before the deal fell through in June last year. Jet is likely to maintain — as it has done in the past — that various approvals from the government had not been secured before the cut-off date. Sahara, on the other hand, will argue that all the eight to nine major conditions — such as approval from the banks and government clearances for directors on the board — had been met and that the transaction should be closed. Much rides on the panel’s verdict as it will be binding on both carriers. At stake is about Rs 2,200 crore, of which Rs 1,500 crore is in the form of a bank guarantee given by Jet Airways, about Rs 500 crore in cash that Air Sahara is in possession of and about Rs 200 crore that the Mumbai-based airline invested in Air Sahara when it was running it. Both sides have armed themselves with a battery of high-profile lawyers, who have for the past fortnight, filed a flurry of affidavits and counter-affidavits. Sahara is being represented by Queens Counsel Bruber, a UK-based lawyer and advised by DSK Legal, while Jet has a legal team led by Harish Salve. Sources close to developments say a settlement on the issue is unlikely considering the hard line that both airlines have taken on the issue over the past few months. The clash of ego of the promoters after the public breakdown of the Rs 2,220-crore deal is reportedly the major issue that impedes any settlement. Jet Airways had virtually taken over the operations of Air Sahara for about three months and then walked out of the deal on June 21, claiming that the conditions precedent to the deal were not met. Both airlines subsequently went to court and have since gone into arbitration. The panel is headed by British judge Lord Stein, Jet has named former India chief justice SP Bharucha as its arbitrator while Sahara has brought in Justice BP Jeevan Reddy, also a Supreme Court judge. The conditions included getting approvals from banks as well as the government for Jet’s takeover of the Lucknow-based airline. Sahara will argue that seeking clearance for Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal to be on the Air Sahara board was not among the conditions precedent to the deal. In its petition to the courts earlier, Air Sahara had held that Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited (SICCL), the Sahara group company which is the prime shareholder of Sahara Airlines, had made a last ditch effort to secure an extension of the share purchase agreement (spa) with Jet Airways on June 19, just two days before it lapsed. SICCL had written to Jet Airways requesting an extension of 15 days for the conditions for purchase to be fulfilled. Jet Airways is sticking to its stand that the conditions precedent were not met and had therefore justified its decision to walk out of the deal.
CUCKOO PAULTIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, APRIL 07, 2007 01:43:02 AM]
MUMBAI: The acrimonious battle between Jet Airways and Air Sahara is entering the final round with the arbitration panel starting final hearing in Mumbai from Monday. Sources close to the affair say that the panel has made it clear that they will focus on whether the specific performance parameters inked in the share purchase agreement were met before the deal fell through in June last year. Jet is likely to maintain — as it has done in the past — that various approvals from the government had not been secured before the cut-off date. Sahara, on the other hand, will argue that all the eight to nine major conditions — such as approval from the banks and government clearances for directors on the board — had been met and that the transaction should be closed. Much rides on the panel’s verdict as it will be binding on both carriers. At stake is about Rs 2,200 crore, of which Rs 1,500 crore is in the form of a bank guarantee given by Jet Airways, about Rs 500 crore in cash that Air Sahara is in possession of and about Rs 200 crore that the Mumbai-based airline invested in Air Sahara when it was running it. Both sides have armed themselves with a battery of high-profile lawyers, who have for the past fortnight, filed a flurry of affidavits and counter-affidavits. Sahara is being represented by Queens Counsel Bruber, a UK-based lawyer and advised by DSK Legal, while Jet has a legal team led by Harish Salve. Sources close to developments say a settlement on the issue is unlikely considering the hard line that both airlines have taken on the issue over the past few months. The clash of ego of the promoters after the public breakdown of the Rs 2,220-crore deal is reportedly the major issue that impedes any settlement. Jet Airways had virtually taken over the operations of Air Sahara for about three months and then walked out of the deal on June 21, claiming that the conditions precedent to the deal were not met. Both airlines subsequently went to court and have since gone into arbitration. The panel is headed by British judge Lord Stein, Jet has named former India chief justice SP Bharucha as its arbitrator while Sahara has brought in Justice BP Jeevan Reddy, also a Supreme Court judge. The conditions included getting approvals from banks as well as the government for Jet’s takeover of the Lucknow-based airline. Sahara will argue that seeking clearance for Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal to be on the Air Sahara board was not among the conditions precedent to the deal. In its petition to the courts earlier, Air Sahara had held that Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited (SICCL), the Sahara group company which is the prime shareholder of Sahara Airlines, had made a last ditch effort to secure an extension of the share purchase agreement (spa) with Jet Airways on June 19, just two days before it lapsed. SICCL had written to Jet Airways requesting an extension of 15 days for the conditions for purchase to be fulfilled. Jet Airways is sticking to its stand that the conditions precedent were not met and had therefore justified its decision to walk out of the deal.
RALPH AIR GIRL TAKES OVERDOSE
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=ralph-air-girl-takes-overdose--&method=full&objectid=18875026&siteid=93463-name_page.html
8 April 2007
By Frank Thorne
THE air hostess who claimed she romped with actor Ralph Fiennes in a plane loo tried to kill herself after she was sacked.
Lisa Robertson was given the boot by airline Qantas after saying she joined the mile-high club with Fiennes, 44, on a flight from Australia to India.
The blonde, 39, also feared she was about to be exposed as a hooker after working in a brothel to make ends meet.
And she was tipped over the edge when she learned she would never see a penny from selling her story because she was an undischarged bankrupt.
Aussie Lisa, 39, swallowed handfuls of prescription drugs, slashed her arm, put on her favourite dress and waited to die.
But four hours later she woke up, had a change of heart and got medical help.
Now recovered, ex-cop Lisa is living on a pal's floor in Sydney and modelling lingerie.
She said of Harry Potter star Ralph: "I don't blame him. He has his own demons to deal with."
8 April 2007
By Frank Thorne
THE air hostess who claimed she romped with actor Ralph Fiennes in a plane loo tried to kill herself after she was sacked.
Lisa Robertson was given the boot by airline Qantas after saying she joined the mile-high club with Fiennes, 44, on a flight from Australia to India.
The blonde, 39, also feared she was about to be exposed as a hooker after working in a brothel to make ends meet.
And she was tipped over the edge when she learned she would never see a penny from selling her story because she was an undischarged bankrupt.
Aussie Lisa, 39, swallowed handfuls of prescription drugs, slashed her arm, put on her favourite dress and waited to die.
But four hours later she woke up, had a change of heart and got medical help.
Now recovered, ex-cop Lisa is living on a pal's floor in Sydney and modelling lingerie.
She said of Harry Potter star Ralph: "I don't blame him. He has his own demons to deal with."
Execs give Jet lag
http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=April2007_inbombay_standard12578
BY A STAFF REPORTER Saturday, April 07, 2007 11:42:41 IST
Top executives leave Jet Airways for Kingfisher Airlines
Jet Airways has been thrown into a tizzy. Five of its top executives left their posts with Jet on Wednesday and five more are rumoured to leave, say anonymous sources at Jet. The employees have reportedly left for Kingfisher Airlines.Jet Airways executive director S.K. Dutta did not confirm all the resignations but did concede that ‘a few people’ had decided to leave.He normalised the situation by saying that no one is indispensable in an organisation and leaving old posts to join new ones in different organisations is part and parcel of any industry.The two confirmed who have resigned are V. Raju, General Manager of Operations, South East Asia and Nandini Verma, Vice President of corporate communications. They will be joining Kingfisher shortly.A senior Jet official has hinted that the reason for the sudden transfer of loyalty can be because of money.“These things are bound to happen,” he said. “People are always on the lookout for better prospects. If better prospects beckon they are bound to follow.”Official statements corroborating all the information garnered were not forthcoming.Jet’s loss is Kingfisher’s gain and Mallya has yet another reason to smile.
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© 2007, Cybernoon e-mail: webmaster@cybernoon.com
BY A STAFF REPORTER Saturday, April 07, 2007 11:42:41 IST
Top executives leave Jet Airways for Kingfisher Airlines
Jet Airways has been thrown into a tizzy. Five of its top executives left their posts with Jet on Wednesday and five more are rumoured to leave, say anonymous sources at Jet. The employees have reportedly left for Kingfisher Airlines.Jet Airways executive director S.K. Dutta did not confirm all the resignations but did concede that ‘a few people’ had decided to leave.He normalised the situation by saying that no one is indispensable in an organisation and leaving old posts to join new ones in different organisations is part and parcel of any industry.The two confirmed who have resigned are V. Raju, General Manager of Operations, South East Asia and Nandini Verma, Vice President of corporate communications. They will be joining Kingfisher shortly.A senior Jet official has hinted that the reason for the sudden transfer of loyalty can be because of money.“These things are bound to happen,” he said. “People are always on the lookout for better prospects. If better prospects beckon they are bound to follow.”Official statements corroborating all the information garnered were not forthcoming.Jet’s loss is Kingfisher’s gain and Mallya has yet another reason to smile.
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© 2007, Cybernoon e-mail: webmaster@cybernoon.com
Mother's 'living nightmare' ends as drugs charge Briton is freed
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2052477,00.html
Jamie Doward and Jeananne CraigSunday April 8, 2007 The Observer
The mother of a British woman jailed for drug smuggling in India told yesterday of how she had woken up from a 'living nightmare' when she heard that her daughter was to be freed.
The Bombay high court acquitted Daisy Angus, 26, a French-born British citizen, of attempting to smuggle 10 kilos of hashish out of India to Europe. She has been in prison since she was arrested by the Indian authorities in November 2002, attempting to travel to Berlin with an Israeli, Yoram Kadesh, whom she met on the internet.
At her trial last year she said that the bag belonged to Kadesh, but he denied the claim and was acquitted. His whereabouts are unknown. Angus, from Southbourne, West Sussex, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Her father, John, died of leukaemia two years ago but she was refused permission to return home for his funeral.
During her appeal hearing last Thursday, the court heard that Kadesh and his brother were known drug dealers. Kadesh's KLM North-West Airline ticket to Berlin had two baggage tags attached to it, one of which was found in Angus's possession. Her defence team said Kadesh offered to pay for her airline ticket if she would carry his bag in return. When she had inquired about the contents of the bag, she was told that the slabs of hashish were incense sticks.
'After nearly five years of litigation, we have finally got justice,' said her mother, Nadine, who collapsed in the courtroom as the verdict was read out.
Angus's family have expressed anger at the time it took for her case to be heard, but Catherine Wolthuizen, chief executive of Fair Trials Abroad, which campaigned for her release, said that this was not unusual: 'The Indian justice system often involves lengthy delays before the trial and during the case. It can take many years for an appeal to be heard again.'
Jamie Doward and Jeananne CraigSunday April 8, 2007 The Observer
The mother of a British woman jailed for drug smuggling in India told yesterday of how she had woken up from a 'living nightmare' when she heard that her daughter was to be freed.
The Bombay high court acquitted Daisy Angus, 26, a French-born British citizen, of attempting to smuggle 10 kilos of hashish out of India to Europe. She has been in prison since she was arrested by the Indian authorities in November 2002, attempting to travel to Berlin with an Israeli, Yoram Kadesh, whom she met on the internet.
At her trial last year she said that the bag belonged to Kadesh, but he denied the claim and was acquitted. His whereabouts are unknown. Angus, from Southbourne, West Sussex, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Her father, John, died of leukaemia two years ago but she was refused permission to return home for his funeral.
During her appeal hearing last Thursday, the court heard that Kadesh and his brother were known drug dealers. Kadesh's KLM North-West Airline ticket to Berlin had two baggage tags attached to it, one of which was found in Angus's possession. Her defence team said Kadesh offered to pay for her airline ticket if she would carry his bag in return. When she had inquired about the contents of the bag, she was told that the slabs of hashish were incense sticks.
'After nearly five years of litigation, we have finally got justice,' said her mother, Nadine, who collapsed in the courtroom as the verdict was read out.
Angus's family have expressed anger at the time it took for her case to be heard, but Catherine Wolthuizen, chief executive of Fair Trials Abroad, which campaigned for her release, said that this was not unusual: 'The Indian justice system often involves lengthy delays before the trial and during the case. It can take many years for an appeal to be heard again.'
Texas Pacific, 2 PE firms eye Air Deccan stake
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?autono=280413&leftnm=1&subLeft=0&chkFlg=
P R Sanjai / Mumbai April 8, 2007
The US-based private equity firm Texas Pacific group, among three others, is in talks with country’s second largest airline Air Deccan for picking up a minority stake.
Sources said the low fare airline is planning to raise around $100 million by diluting 5 to 7 per cent stake to private equity players. Air Deccan has mandated Edelweiss Capital for raising funds which would be utilised for expansion.
“Edelweiss has shortlisted three to four players who are willing to invest in Air Deccan. A deal is likely to be signed in next 10 days. Among four players, Texas Pacific has emerged as aggressive player,” the sources said.
Texas Pacific, which has made investments in airlines globally, had dropped its plans to invest $30 million in the Delhi-based budget carrier SpiceJet owing to differences in valuation.
A senior Air Deccan executive declined to comment on the issue.
Operating 43 aircraft, Air Deccan has the largest network in India covering 61 airports, plying over 300 flights a day.
As on December 31, promoters of the airline hold 22.13 per cent of stake, while the public, including the ICICI Venture-promoted India Advantage Fund-1 with 14.22 per cent and the UK-based Investec Bank with 1.96 per cent, holds remaining stake.
SpiceJet has raised nearly Rs 300 crore from private equity firms, while the Chennai-based Paramount Airways managed to get over Rs 80 crore. Meanwhile, the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways are in talks with private equity for raising funds.
P R Sanjai / Mumbai April 8, 2007
The US-based private equity firm Texas Pacific group, among three others, is in talks with country’s second largest airline Air Deccan for picking up a minority stake.
Sources said the low fare airline is planning to raise around $100 million by diluting 5 to 7 per cent stake to private equity players. Air Deccan has mandated Edelweiss Capital for raising funds which would be utilised for expansion.
“Edelweiss has shortlisted three to four players who are willing to invest in Air Deccan. A deal is likely to be signed in next 10 days. Among four players, Texas Pacific has emerged as aggressive player,” the sources said.
Texas Pacific, which has made investments in airlines globally, had dropped its plans to invest $30 million in the Delhi-based budget carrier SpiceJet owing to differences in valuation.
A senior Air Deccan executive declined to comment on the issue.
Operating 43 aircraft, Air Deccan has the largest network in India covering 61 airports, plying over 300 flights a day.
As on December 31, promoters of the airline hold 22.13 per cent of stake, while the public, including the ICICI Venture-promoted India Advantage Fund-1 with 14.22 per cent and the UK-based Investec Bank with 1.96 per cent, holds remaining stake.
SpiceJet has raised nearly Rs 300 crore from private equity firms, while the Chennai-based Paramount Airways managed to get over Rs 80 crore. Meanwhile, the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways are in talks with private equity for raising funds.
Indiapost hiring aircraft to service metros, North-East
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=364617&sid=NAT
New Delhi, April 08: Taking on the challenge posed by private courier companies in offering quality and quicker services, Indiapost has decided to hire aircraft from national carrier Indian to service North-Eastern states and metros. Aircraft will be taken on lease basis from Indian Airlines, which will serve during the day in the North-Eastern states and in the night time will cater to the needs of metro cities like Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai to begin with both for speed and ordinary post, a senior official of the DoP (Department of Post) told. North East not being as conveniently connected to other parts of the country, the postal delivery service is usually delayed and difficult. DoP plans to address this problem by hiring the aircraft. The initiative to check the falling market share does not stop at that with the department planning to establish call centres with national toll-free number initially in the metros. Later on, the service will be expanded to all cities. India Post call centers will act as nodal points for getting information and delivery status and also offer collection of parcels from customers' residence or place of work, the official said. Speed post, the premium mail service from DoP is also bracing up for competition. Bureau Report
New Delhi, April 08: Taking on the challenge posed by private courier companies in offering quality and quicker services, Indiapost has decided to hire aircraft from national carrier Indian to service North-Eastern states and metros. Aircraft will be taken on lease basis from Indian Airlines, which will serve during the day in the North-Eastern states and in the night time will cater to the needs of metro cities like Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai to begin with both for speed and ordinary post, a senior official of the DoP (Department of Post) told. North East not being as conveniently connected to other parts of the country, the postal delivery service is usually delayed and difficult. DoP plans to address this problem by hiring the aircraft. The initiative to check the falling market share does not stop at that with the department planning to establish call centres with national toll-free number initially in the metros. Later on, the service will be expanded to all cities. India Post call centers will act as nodal points for getting information and delivery status and also offer collection of parcels from customers' residence or place of work, the official said. Speed post, the premium mail service from DoP is also bracing up for competition. Bureau Report
Opportunity for Thai airlines in India's northeast
http://www.bangkokpost.com/070407_Business/07Apr2007_focus06.php
ASIA FOCUSTax-free incentives to be offered to SMEs
Umesh Pandey
A senior Indian cabinet minister visited Bangkok recently to publicise a set of economic incentives aimed at boosting Thai investment in India's impoverished northeast.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is in charge of development for India's northeastern states, said that the unprecedented package would be revealed in full at the end of the month.
India's Northeast comprises eight states with a population of about 38 million. Although one of India's poorest areas, the northeast is rich in natural resources including oil, gas and coal. It is also plagued by violence, with numerous insurgency groups operating in the area.
The minister urged Thai companies to invest in infrastructure, adding that over the next five years, the Indian government will invest about $12 billion to develop roads in India's northeast.
Mr Aiyar said that the government would forge joint ventures with companies interested in developing the region.
"I first came to Bangkok in 1968, and Bangkok now is far different from the Bangkok then. I want to see Thai people perform the same miracle in these states as they have done to this country and the market will yield the reward for their efforts," he said.He also urged Thai companies to invest in tourism in India's Northeast, saying that government efforts to improve roads and airstrips were an opportunity for Thai tour operators and airlines. The incentives are set to be approved later this month.
The incentives would be in place until 2027, and are aimed at new investors, or companies that expand existing operations in the Northeast. Among the features are exemptions from excise and income tax and access to state subsidies.
"All of this is going to make the region virtually a tax-free zone for investments, but companies eligible for most of the subsidies have to be small and medium-sized industries," he said.
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ASIA FOCUSTax-free incentives to be offered to SMEs
Umesh Pandey
A senior Indian cabinet minister visited Bangkok recently to publicise a set of economic incentives aimed at boosting Thai investment in India's impoverished northeast.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is in charge of development for India's northeastern states, said that the unprecedented package would be revealed in full at the end of the month.
India's Northeast comprises eight states with a population of about 38 million. Although one of India's poorest areas, the northeast is rich in natural resources including oil, gas and coal. It is also plagued by violence, with numerous insurgency groups operating in the area.
The minister urged Thai companies to invest in infrastructure, adding that over the next five years, the Indian government will invest about $12 billion to develop roads in India's northeast.
Mr Aiyar said that the government would forge joint ventures with companies interested in developing the region.
"I first came to Bangkok in 1968, and Bangkok now is far different from the Bangkok then. I want to see Thai people perform the same miracle in these states as they have done to this country and the market will yield the reward for their efforts," he said.He also urged Thai companies to invest in tourism in India's Northeast, saying that government efforts to improve roads and airstrips were an opportunity for Thai tour operators and airlines. The incentives are set to be approved later this month.
The incentives would be in place until 2027, and are aimed at new investors, or companies that expand existing operations in the Northeast. Among the features are exemptions from excise and income tax and access to state subsidies.
"All of this is going to make the region virtually a tax-free zone for investments, but companies eligible for most of the subsidies have to be small and medium-sized industries," he said.
© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2006Privacy PolicyComments to: WebmasterAdvertising enquiries to: Internet MarketingPrinted display ad enquiries to: Display AdsFull contact details: Contact us
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