Aerospace Diary

  Information Shared New Delhi-, ISHRAE in collaboration with GMR group organized a two day conference“ACRECONF India 2019”on March 29&30, ‘2019 at Indian Aviation Academy. ISHRAE in public spaces has remarkable importance.  Indoor air quality is a crucial element for passengers and staff protection, as well as a key aspect of airport passenger experience.Busy environment area like airport terminals, are currently regarded as possible hotspots .   This two days conference organised by the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers along with ASHRAE- India Chapter in association with, India’s largest Private Airport Company was attended by experts from Aviation and environment sector who brainstormed on how to improve Indoor Air Quality inside Airports.   Ms. Radha Goyal, Deputy Director IPCA, Secretary Society of Indoor environment stated that, “The main emphasis should be put on reducing the infiltration inside the...

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, Delhi  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 05 July 2017     International consortia are pursuing a 25-year operating concession for Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Source: ANT The deadline for submitting binding bids for Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has been pushed back to 4 September 2017, Serbian transport Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on 22 June. The contract is expected to be signed by the end of 2017 "depending on the binding bids", Mihajlovic told Serbian state news agency Tanjug. The government - which owns 83% of Nikola Tesla - and operator Aerodrom Nikola Tesla (ANT) aim to award a 25-year concession for financing, upgrading, expanding, and managing the airport, which is a hub for flag carrier Air Serbia. "If there is intent and people are serious, the decision can be made as announced," a representative from one bidder told  Jane's  . An initial 27 bids were received, narrowed down in Phase 2 to the followin...

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 Oct 14, 2015 Five bidders are in contention to build a new greenfield  airport  at  Mopa  in the Indian state of  Goa . Construction by a public-private partnership is planned to start in August 2016 and will be completed by 2019, Chief Minister of  Goa Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar announced at an aviation summit held by technology provider SITA on 13 October. "We want  Goa  to be a hub for aviation," Parsekar said. " Mopa  will serve as an engine for growth for the economy of  Goa  state." Responses to a Request for Qualification in October 2014 came from the Airports Authority of  India ; Essel Infra with Flughafen Zurich; GMR Infrastructure; GVK; and a consortium of .............. Goa  is served by Dabolim  Airport , which is run by the Indian N......more on Janes Airports

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! ...

Neelam Mathews Dec 2, 2012 A Maldivian website reports Indian hackers have taken over the website of the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), following an order to GMR to leave the country within a week.  The hackers, calling themselves the “Indishell Defacers Team”, replaced the MACL homepage with a black background on Nov 29 demanding that the Maldives “stop defaming Indian reputed companies and learn how to run a website and secure it first.”  “If you don’t know how to secure a website, can you run an Airport securely, MACL?” the hackers queried, along with a promise to “do anything for India”. AerospaceDiary found a message on the MACL site that said: "The account has been suspended."  MACL CEO Mohamed Ibrahim is believed to have declined comment. Hot Air Balloon  Former President Mohamed Nasheed said: “Waheed’s government has cynically used xenophobia, nationalism and religious extremism to attack GMR, the country’s largest for...

Singapore Air Show  » February 15, 2012 By Neelam Mathews February 14, 2012, 12:45 PM Lufthansa Technik is not shying away from India, according to August Henningsen, chairman of the German company’s executive board. His comment to AIN here in Singapore this week comes as its former partner in the country, GMR Group, prepares to operate a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility with partner Malaysian Airlines in Hyderabad, The German MRO giant pulled out of a tie-up with GMR Group, inked in 2008, last year to set up its own $20 million MRO facility at the new airport in Hyderabad. “India’s market cannot be ignored. It is a growing market. Growth in aviation will require training, safety and maintenance operations,” said Henningsen. However, he added that growth in the country’s MRO sector is being undermined by an unfavorable fiscal regime. “India needs to rationalize its taxes. Business has to be profitable, viable and sustainable,” he said.

Neelam Mathews Sept 29, 2011 AirAsia a nd Malaysia Airlines (MAS) are   said to be discussing joint collaboration in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. Tony Fernandes of AirAsia Group said to a Malaysian publication if that happened, a mega MRO between MAS and AirAsia could challenge Singapore's MROs. MAS has a JV in MRO with GMRs Hyderabad International Airport. With both companies having skills in training, it is likely they will tap their joint assets for the region. AirAsia is also looking at collaboration in cargo and catering with MAS to help cut costs said Fernandes. Fernandes said more details on cost and revenue joint ventures with MAS would be announced soon. Recently, under a share-swap deal, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the major shareholder of MAS, said it would take up 10% stake in AirAsia while Tune Air Sdn Bhd , the investment vehicle of Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, would own a 20.5% stake in MAS.

Neelam Mathews Sept 27, 2011 The GMR- Incheon Consortium has been shortlisted in the bid  bid for a 50-year concession to run San Juan airport in Puerto Rico. The other five consortia include Zurich Airport, Camargo Correa and PSP Investments, Fraport and Goldman Sachs, Grupo Aeropotuario del Sureste and Highstar Capital, Grupo Aeropuertos Avance, and Puerto Rico Gateway Group. Improvements are being sought for one of Caribbean’s busiest airport, San Juan airport, of between $40 million and $80 million over the contract's first five years. Final proposals have been called for by end December. The winner is likely to be chosen by 2012. Once completed, this will be the largest PPP in the U.S under an FAA pilot project. "Puerto Rico is in a position to choose from among the best airport operators in the world to bring the Luis Munoz Marin Airport to a new level and provide an important stimulus for the island's tourism sector," David Alvarez, executive direct...

Neelam Mathews Sept 6, 2011 Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), Male, has now taken its airport lounges a step higher than what high-end travellers expect by opening two business lounges. The Plaza Premium Lounges are the world's first "Pay-In Lounge" open to all classes of travellers. "Maldives caters to the high-end travelers as customers, and Maldives one of the revenue generators is traveller experience hence we have to cater to them or risk losing them to other exotic destinations that go beyond the expectations of the traveler," Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of INIA says. Plaza will operate two international lounges occupying a total space of 660 sq.m. providing over 176 seats. This includes an exclusive reserved area of 33 seats for First Class passengers. Both lounges are strategically located in the International departure area close to the boarding gates. At the inauguration ceremony of the new business lounges Minister of Tou...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 22, 2011   GMR Airports Holding Ltd.has signed a ‘ Sister Airport Agreement ’ ’ with  Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), South Korea to share technical, commercial and environmental best practices through mutual cooperation. The agreement encompasses establishment of joint training programs under the aegis of the GMR Aviation Academy and the Incheon Airport Aviation Academy both accredited by ACI as its Global Training Hubs.    “ The objective of entering into Sister Airport Agreement is to build mutually cooperative and rewarding relationships .......  We see it as a stepping stone for the development of potential airports like New Delhi ’ s IGI Airport as International air transport hubs. It also helps expand air transport networks worldwide. Besides, it enables the parties to share information, hold regular conferences and promote joint programs with a view to stimulate avia...

Neelam Mathews May 25, 2011 Time: 6:00pm IST The ministry of commerce has cleared two aerospace parks at the Gujarat Vitall Innovation City (CVIC) at Valsad and at Hyderabad. The parks will concentrate primarily on mechanical and electronic aspects of aviation respectively. Last year, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation signed an MoU with GVIC to co-develop a high technology aerospace research and manufacturing park that will form one of the industry clusters of GVIC which comprises 2,800 acres. The development, which is supported by the state government, and has in-principle Special Economic Zone status, is just 2 hours drive from Mumbai. Hyderabad has various parks under construction including GMR International Airport’s 250 acres SEZ that houses the CFM training center and Tata- Augusta Westland facility for AW119 final assembly. "An entity that concentrates on electronics is sure to give a boost to cargo volume to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport," says an of...

Orient Aviation Neelam Mathews in New Delhi Shifting world dynamics has opened new challenges for security at India’s fast growing airports. Operators’ concern for the safety of passengers needs to be balanced with the smooth and efficient running of airports, presenting them with a dichotomy they will continue to face for some years. As though removing items from carry-on baggage for screening, prohibition of restricted items, stressful queues and having to deal with dutyfree items, were not enough, passengers worldwide continue to bear the brunt of demands that increase daily to ensure they are safe. For instance, the latest rule for domestic passengers at Delhi’s new Terminal 3 airport is mandatory check-in at least two hours before boarding a flight! Yet, security breaches are not as rare as they should be. Many Indian airports continue to struggle with limited infrastructure and the sudden surge of traffic in years following an economic boom made matters worse. Recently, a ...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Feb 21 , 2011 , p. 17 Neelam Mathews Kingfisher Airlines will start two flights a week March 17 from Delhi and Mumbai to Gan International Airport in the Maldives, 900 km southwest of India. Maldives comprises 1,190 islands, of which 97 are resorts. Air India operates one daily flight from Thiruvananthapuram and five weeklies from Bengaluru. While SriLankan Airlines connects many cities via Colombo to Male in Maldives, there is no other direct service by any Indian carrier. Earlier this month, GMR Infrastructure, which manages Male International Airport , chartered a Kingfisher Airlines flight to fly back Maldivian nationals caught in the Egyptian uprising via Mumbai to Male. The civil unrest Egypt has resulted in tourists heading from the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh to the Maldives, says Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, high commissioner of Maldives to India. Airlines such as Emi...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Jan 13 , 2011 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews With budget carrier IndiGo signing a Memorandum of Understanding for 180 Airbus A320 aircraft, of which 150 will be A320NEOs and 30 A320s, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) and other airports are stepping up to vie for its business. DIAL, which opened its new Terminal 3 late last year and wants to improve its hub-and-spoke status, says it considers IndiGo an important part of its own growth. The Delhi-Mumbai city-pair, with about 55 daily flights, comprises 45% of the total domestic air traffic in India. Night parking is considered to be a good source of revenue by all airports. An additional advantage for the airport is being used by airlines as a point of origin. "Night parking is usually tied to the operational need of the airline, so they have the ability to leave on time for the most crucial departure bank, which in a metro area li...

Airports Aviation Daily Jun 29 , 2010 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews GMR Infrastructure Ltd. is increasing its foray into international airport development with a contract to build, operate, modernize and expand Male International Airport (MIA) in Maldives. GMR, which along with consortium partners won the bid to develop Istanbul, Turkey’s Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, opened the airport last year, one year ahead of schedule. The new international terminal, which is designed to handle 20 million passengers, was built for $606 million with a 20-year concession period. The term of the Male Airport contract is for 25 years. MIA, a gateway to resort islands, also includes a seaplane port. Situated on Huhule Island on the southwestern tip of India, Male Airport is the largest airport in the capital of Maldives. With its tourism potential and exponential growth in passenger movement, it is the base for tourist traffic from Europe in the entire region.

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...