Aerospace Diary

Security Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 18 December 2017     Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), operator of Indira Gandhi International Airport, is continuing to evaluate different body scanning technologies. DIAL trialled the L3 Security & Detection Systems ProVision 2 scanner for about six weeks, but  Jane’s  understands it also intends to begin trials of a system from an Indo-Russian joint venture (JV) called Densho Solutions in January 2018. The Densho product is based on technology from....more in JAR

by  Neelam Mathews  - October 23, 2017, 8:53 AM     New-build private aircraft terminal and hangars at Delhi International Airport have been delayed by two years, following a change in their location in the airport’s master plan. The planned site of the multi-FBO facility that was to be ready by 2018 is now being shifted, because it is near an air force base,  AIN  has learned. The revised location is awaiting the demolition of the India government-owned Centaur Hotel near Runway 29, where the FBO will be constructed, according to airport CEO I. Prabhakara Rao. Two consortiums were awarded 20-year deals in late 2015 for the design, construction, finance, development, operation, and maintenance for the FBOs. Concessionaires Bird Worldwide Flight Services-ExecuJet and Indamer-MJets are mandated to invest around $15 million each in the terminal, lounges, hangars, fuel storage and parking. Meanwhile, inte...

Neelam Mathews Sept 13,2017 JAR The Indian environment ministry has approved a USD2.4 billion expansion plan for Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi, to be carried out by operator GMR Group. The project will be carried out in three phases: 2016–20, 2021–25, and 2026–34. GMR intends to invest USD1 billion over the next seven years at IGIA to double the capacity of the domestic Terminal 1, increase capacity in Terminal 3 for international traffic, lay down a new runway, and build a new terminal.

Neelam Mathews Janes Airports  Aug 30, 2017 s Indian domestic traffic surges, overtaking projected air traffic and resulting in constraints from congestion in the air and on the ground, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is seeking to add capacity at Indira Gandhi International airport with a revised masterplan. Low-cost carrier (LCC) growth, changes in airline fleet mixes, and increases in transit traffic and belly hold cargo are primarily responsible for the incremental change since 2006, when Delhi processed 10.4 million passengers, said I Prabhakara Rao, CEO of DIAL. "Keeping in....Read more in Janes 

Neelam Mathews Janes Airports Review Oct 3, 2016 GMR Group-managed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is holding a financial review of four bids for Phase 3A (2016-20) development at the Indian hub. 1684727 Delhi International Airport will grow with a fourth runway and fourth terminal. (Neelam Mathews) The technical evaluation has already been conducted. The two top bidders will soon be identified for.......Read More Janes Airports Review (Subs) 

Neelam Mathews May 27 2016 A decision is expected soon to deploy a WindTracer lidar system at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,  IHS Jane's   has learned. WindTracer manufacturer Lockheed Martin has been in "discussions with the Airports Authority of  India  and Indian Meterological Department [IMD] for a number of years", confirmed Phil Shaw, head of Lockheed Martin  India . The technology "looks for wind hazards on approach like wind shear, which you cannot see with any other detection source in clear air". Wind shear is caused by sudden changes in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance, posing a problem for aircraft safety on take-off or approach. Concise information on sudden wind shifts could significantly improve aircraft handling during these phases of flight. WindTracer also measures wake vortex turbulence, which is a particular issue at airports with parallel runways. Shaw explained that.........more on ihsa...

Neelam Mathews Janes Airports Review  April 14, 2016 Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has more than tripled its solar power generating capacity at Indira Gandhi International Airport from 2.14 MWp to 7.84 MWp, with a large-scale airside installation. The latest solar photovoltaic (PV) project, costing an estimated USD6.6 million, was undertaken by  US -based ReneSola. The initial 60-module plant was completed by Canadian Solar in December 2013, as the first megawatt-level solar power plant in Asia. DIAL intends to increase solar power generating capacity at the airport to 20 MW by 2020, said CEO ....more in Janes Airports Review (subscription)

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 13, 2015, 4:11 PM An award to two consortia to design, construct, finance, develop, operate and maintain   FBO s at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport for 20 years and upgrade the present facility in phases is being called a monopolistic move by the general aviation industry. Airport management company Delhi International Airport Ltd. (Dial) would not comment about the award. Following two earlier canceled tenders, Dial and bid advisor InterVistas released the request for proposal ( RFP ) last year that mandated a partnership of Indian companies with foreign providers. Concessionaires Bird Group with ExecuJet and Indamer Co. with Mjets of Thailand won the bid. Others bidders were Air Works with Turkey’s Celebi and Shaurya Aviation with U.S.-Aurora Aviation. However, the very tenets of the bid are being questioned by India’s Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ). R.K Bali,   BAOA ’s managing...

Dubai Air Show By Neelam Mathews  - November 4, 2015, 8:30 AM With a focus on India and Dubai–the latter thanks to a strategic investment it made in Dubai’s Empire Aviation Group–Air Works India Engineering is looking at a new business model with a focus on line maintenance, an area that was until recently a domain handled by airlines. The move follows Airbus India signing comprehensive maintenance-support agreement with full-service startup airline Vistara, the first such agreement in the country. Air Works and Air India Engineering Services will honor the so-called Flight Hour Services Tailored Support Package (FHS-TSP) for Vistara, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Group. Vistara started operations in October last year, and with a current fleet of nine A320s, expects the fleet size to grow to 20 by 2017. The support package will enable Vistara to benefit from the expertise offered by Airbus in airframe maintenance, engineering, reliability and c...

Neelam Mathews April 2, 2015 Pegasus Asia, born out of Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines’ partnership with Kyrgyz airline Air Manas, is expanding with new routes and increased frequencies. The latest feather in the Bishkek-based airline now includes twice-weekly scheduled flights to Delhi. Kazakhsthan based Air Astana already runs five services a week to Delhi. The aim of Pegasus Asia is to make Bishkek a hub for Central Asia said a spokesperson, by making it a transit point for onward travel to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the Far East. Having launched the first Bishkek-Istanbul flights on March 21, it runs daily flights between Bishkek Manas International Airport and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Passengers can now connect from Delhi to Istanbul via Bishkek with fares starting at just £156, said the spokesperson. The carrier’s connections to Central Asian destinations will provide a respite to Indian students and businessmen heading to Osh in Kyrgyzstan...

Neelam Mathews July 1, 2014 While a minister doing his job should hardly make news, for some reason, its a rarity here that a politician is so hands on. Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju arrived by metro at 9.30am to take a look at the Delhi International Airport. He arrived from Gate 15 airside we are told! Hopefully the bogey of the metro in which he travelled, wasn't evacuated as it was when Gandhiji decided to travel third class decades ago! He checked out the baggage handling, international retail and at time of writing, was being given a presentation on GMRs Center for Empowerment for Livelihood where 4 month courses are held for electrical, refrigeration etc in sponsorship with corporations. Kudos Minister! Now we look forward to your getting back to office and signing some urgent papers that will improve the health of our industry.                             Hopefully these days are over now! ...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 1, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS IATA director general Tony Tyler (right) urged Ajit Singh, India’s minister for civil aviation, to accelerate the pace of air transport policy reform at last week’s India Aviation Day conference in New Delhi.  April 1, 2013, 6:00 PM India’s long-awaited new civil aviation policy needs to address key issues on infrastructure and high taxation, according to Tony Tyler, director general and  CEO  of the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ). Speaking at the annual India Aviation Day in New Delhi on March 26, he urged the country’s government to produce a coordinated policy framework for aviation that all relevant departments, including the ministries for finance, economy, development, rural infrastructure and tourism, can pursue. Tyler made the point that an uncoordinated approach across government undermines what little aviation policy India no...

Neelam Mathews March 8, 2013 Is there a reason why our growth has slowed down? Are we really surprised? The comedy of errors just doesn't stop. The around 13 hotels -mostly international chains- being built in the Aerocity near the Delhi airport, at a combined project cost of approximately Rs 10,000 crore that will add 5,500 additional rooms to the Capital, for which clearance certificates were stopped around 6 months ago, (of which some) have received a very strange solution that ensures they can start doing business in Delhi, AerospaceDiary learns. You might recall, lo and behold, one fine day, when most of the hotels were completed, it was noted by our very security conscious government that a ll buildings in the area will need to incorporate modern security and surveillance infrastructure.  Now contractors have been informed there is a very simple solution. Just bulletproof the side of the building that faces the runway! Really?  All hotels facing the runway have ...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Business  jets were on display at this week's Aero India show in Bangalore but buyers there still have to get permission from the country's aviation authorities for each individual acquisition, representing a significant obstacle to fleet growth. [Photo: Vladimir Karnozov]. February 4, 2013, 11:09 AM “The government treats business aviation like a rich man’s toy,” said an Indian business jet operator speaking to  AIN  on condition of anonymity. The comment neatly summarizes the context for the continuing obstacles to business aviation growth in a country where largely positive economic conditions should be driving a major uptick in expansion of the industry. But with no clear policy framework, India’s business and general aviation community is being stifled by limited infrastructure, regulatory hurdles and high taxation. The latest trends indicate owners ar...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 10, 2012 The note below was sent out by DIAL clarifying issues pointed out in the media. Allegation: ... DIAL got the airport modernization project for 60 years with an earning potential of Rs. 1,63,557 Crores DIAL says- • The number of Rs. 681.63 Crore per acre indicated by DIAL was the sum total of the lease rental that could be generated  through license fee over a period of 58 years and 45.99% of these earnings were to be passed on to AAI ‒ (Rs. 681.63 Crore per acre is calculated by taking the sum total of lease rental over 58 years @ Rs. 1.58 Crore per acre p.a., and an average escalation of 5.8% p.a.) Also, it is unrealistic to assume that the entire area for commercial usage can be monetized in a short-term. In fact, as per estimates it may take 20-25 years to completely develop this land – thereby the calculation of Rs. 1,63,557 Crore is  erroneous • Notwithstanding the above points, the allocation ...

Neelam Mathews April 25, 2012 One man's food is another's poison. Even as Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) welcomed the revision in aeronautical charges promulgated by AERA, IATA cried foul. The revised tariffs will be charged in the form of an enhanced Landing and Parking fee for aircraft and a User Development Fee (UDF) for passengers and will be applicable from May 15. “The increase approved by AERA is extremely disappointing.  This will make Delhi the world’s most expensive airport.  It will also have a larger impact on India and its economy, with an expected 5-8% decrease in demand at Delhi as a result of higher costs, a fall in tourist arrivals and further damage to local and international airline connectivity. This is a big step backwards for Delhi’s ambition to be an aviation hub,” says Albert Tjoeng, IATA’s spokesman for Asia Pacific. However DIAL has another point of view. It says considering that the charges were stagnant for the last decade (since 2001), “th...

Neelam Mathews Oct 20, 2011 Formula-1 cars have landed at Delhi’s airport. The cargo team has successfully handled 120 pallets from Incheon airport in South Korea. Top participants in the race like- Ferrari, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull have already sent their racing cars.   DIAL says it has been in constant touch with F1 organisers since December last year. The international F1 logistics team that visited the IGIA cargo was fully satisfied with the preparations.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 25, 2011 Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) says it has in close coordination with the Haj committee, Customs, Immigration, CISF, Delhi Police, airlines and BCAS, made special arrangements for the convenience of Haj pilgrims this year.  Around 32,000 pilgrims are expected to travel out of Delhi for Haj this year through the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The first batch of pilgrims will depart IGIA on September, 29 and will continue till October 30.  Saudi Arabian Airlines and NAS Air will be operating about 100 chartered operations to Jeddah and Medina for the pilgrims.  The erstwhile International Terminal, Terminal 2 (T2), will be used for Haj operations for the second consecutive year. Pilgrims will be able to use specially earmarked areas for offering prayers inside T2. Other facilities include eight immigration counters, 10 check-in counters, convenient washroom areas specially modified to Indian styl...

Neelam Mathews Aug 1, 2011 Delhi International Airport (DIAL) says it would like to set the record straight on issues, relating to security inadequacies in and around IGI Airport made by the media. As an Airport Operator, DIAL is required to provide necessary physical infrastructure and security equipment and related facilities for the security of Civil Aviation Operations from the Airport as stipulated in the National Civil Aviation Security Program (NCASP). Under the guidance of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), DIAL says it has spared no effort in providing the state-of-the-art security technology, equipment and infrastructure at IGI Airport. A DIAL statement says it has gone beyond the mandated specifications of the BCAS, the mandated body in selecting the security systems and providing the infrastructure. The note lists high-end security systems including a CCTV system with more than 3500 cameras,   five level fool-proof’ in-line baggage screening’ system, automa...