Aerospace Diary

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Aug 03 , 2010 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India is looking at introducing continuous descent approach (CDA) at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi as an immediate measure to reduce noise pollution following a court case pending by a non-governmental organization and a hospital. As communities become more aware of rights, cases are starting to be filed against airports on noise. “Our organization is on the forefront of many cases against noise pollution,” says Nasim Zaidi, director general of civil aviation. The CDA is a method by which aircraft approach airports before landing to reduce fuel consumption and noise. It involves maintaining a constant three-degree descent angle during landing, until meeting the instrument landing system. Instead of approaching an airport in a stair-step fashion, throttling down and requesting permission to descend to each new lower altitude, it allows fo...

Airports Aviation Daily Apr 23 , 2010 , p. 17 Neelam Mathews Driven by a robust economy, India is increasingly focusing on developing and upgrading its airport infrastructure. Private companies in India are eyeing airport space as limited ground- and cargo-handling capacity at major airports provides opportunities for airport developers to grow. The trend is catching on. Reliance Airport Developers, which won a bid to operate five airports in the western state of Maharashtra on a 99-year lease, is now looking to develop eight regional airports in Tier 4 cities. Indian companies are also exploring opportunities abroad. For example, Reliance is one of the three Indian companies to be shortlisted to bid for the privatization of the Male International Airport in Maldives. The other two are GMR, which owns the Delhi and Hyderabad greenfield airports, and GVK, owner of the Mumbai and Bengaluru greenfields. Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro, which was involve...

ASIA-PACIFIC Aviation Daily Mar 23 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews Air India is sending a technical evaluation team to Dublin as part of its effort to move its European and U.S hub away from Frankfurt Airport in Germany. This follows the visit of its senior management team to Dublin last month. The decision to shift from Frankfurt will be made this summer, according to a senior official. The carrier is also looking at partnering with Ireland’s national carrier Aer Lingus for connecting flights to Europe. The decision of Air India to change its hub was first reported by The DAILY's sister publication, Aviation Week & Space Technology (Feb. 1). Copenhagen is believed to be another contender. Dublin’s new Terminal 2 is due to open in November, and Air India is expected to be one of the first tenants of the Dublin Airports Authority, which is trying to cope with a fall in traffic. “All our decisions need to consider cost effectiveness,” Air India Chairman and Managing Di...

Saturday, January 30, 2010 Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Feb 01 , 2010 , p. 52 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Air India has second thoughts barely a year after establishing its European hub in Frankfurt Printed headline: Hub Hesitancy High airline user rates at Germany’s big Frankfurt airport have sent Air India scrambling for a less expensive European and North American hub, but airport and airline executives warn the long-term costs of any such move are likely to outweigh any short-term benefits, especially after it joins the Star Alliance airline network. Air India headed for the heart of Europe when it made Frankfurt a hub, but now it views lower-priced Dublin as offering a potentially better deal, even if it is on the periphery of the continent . Credit: FRAPORT Air India (AI) is currently completing the membership requirements to join Star in December. The Indian carrier established residency at Frankfurt (Fraport) barely nine months ago but is having second though...

Delhi airport proposes “noise” tax on old aircraft (Lead) December 23rd, 2009 - 5:13 pm ICT by IANS By Neelam Mathews Frankfurt, Dec 23 (IANS) The consortium running the Indian capital’s airport proposes a new tax on older aircraft by 2012, especially on those landing late evenings and early mornings, to curb noise pollution and encourage efficient engines, officials said. “Our plan envisages noise-monitoring and encouraging the use of new generation, low-noise aircraft by tying landing charges to actual noise emission levels,” an official of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) told IANS. The official also indicated that the environmental cue would be taken from their joint venture partner, Fraport, that is already implementing a similar programme at Frankfurt airport for the past few years. “We are committed to active noise abatement measures by taxing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide components. This will encourage new generation aircraft to fly to Frankfurt airport,” said Stefan...

News LH Sees Alliance With Air India A Restraint To Gulf Carriers Aviation Daily Dec 21 , 2009 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews Lufthansa views its partnership with Air India as a line of attack against the hasty growth of Gulf carriers that are fast eating up market share of Indian and European carriers by offering cut-throat fares and using the Dubai hub successfully to divert onward traffic to the East Coast of the U.S. and Europe. “We will not be able to push them [Gulf carriers] out of the market. We’re maintaining our market share [for the moment]. Also, there are limits to growth of the Gulf carriers. However, we not underestimate their power,” Karl Ulrich Garnadt, member of the Lufthansa Board told The DAILY. Garnadt was responsible for Network Management at Lufthansa for five years up to 2004. He was also group representative and head of hub management in Munich and instrumental in signing an agreement with Air India in 2004 that resulted in code sharing and Lufthansa’s agreeing to prov...