Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews/Ben Vogel Feb 12, 2016 The biggest airport in  Pakistan  is being built by the  China  Communications Construction Company at Gwadar in Baluchistan as part of the USD46 billion  China - Pakistan  Economic Corridor linking western  China  to the Arabian Sea. Construction of New Gwadar International Airport is set to begin imminently. The USD250 million project is expected to last 30 months on a 4,000-acre site that sits 25 km northeast of the existing airport. The airport is one element of a wider Chinese-backed strategy for Gwadar, including development of the deepwater Gwadar Port and a road-building programme. Chinese Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd took over the port in October 2015 after signing a 40-year lease for more than 2,000 acres of land. While New Gwadar International International Airport is primarily a Chinese project, the  Pakistan  Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) is upgrading airfield infr...

Security Neelam Mathews, London   IHS Jane's Airport Review 05 March 2015 International flights to and from Nepal were cancelled after an arriving Turkish Airlines A330 skidded off the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Source: Turkish Airlines All flights to and from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, the only international airport in Nepal, remain cancelled following a runway excursion on 4 March involving an arriving Turkish Airlines A330. Flight THY726 from Istanbul skidded off the shoulder of the runway and landed nose down in a grassy field in poor visibility. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft nose gear collapsed, and there was damage to the fuselage and engine cowlings, as well as a burst tyre. Indian agencies are assisting in the aircraft recovery mission, particularly the Indian Air Force (IAF) and national aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Acting on a request from the...

Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 06 October 2014   Thales TRAC 2000N L-band, solid-state primary radar. Source: Thales The joint venture (JV) between India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Thales is pursuing opportunities in the civil air traffic management (ATM) radar market,  IHS Jane's  has learned. BEL owns 74% of BEL-Thales Systems Limited, with Thales holding the remainder. BEL said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange on 3 September 2014 that the JV was incorporated in late August. BEL and Thales signed a Memorandum of Agreement in 2012, but changes in guidelines and bureaucratic red tape resulted in a two-year delay. The main aim is to focus on the design, development, marketing, supply, and support of defence surveillance radars - but new opportunities have enabled the JV to widen its objectives to include ATM radars. A major driver for this is India's defence offset policy, which in 2013 ...

Neelam Mathews Oct 5, 2014 Read in  IHS Jane's Airport Review Four shortlisted for Nepal project Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group of China has emerged as the lowest bidder for civil works on the USD90 million upgrade project at Gautam Buddha Airport in Nepal. The regional airport - also known as Bhairahawa Airport - is the gateway to Lumbini, birthplace of the Buddha, and a popular tourist destination for Southeast Asians........... Okinawa set for expansion Neelam Mathews  -  02 October 2014   Runway and terminal facilities at Okinawa Naha Airport in Japan are being upgraded and expanded. An international terminal - opened in February 2014, with two gates and capacity to handle 1.5 million passengers per annum - is already at saturation point, and will be expanded to cope with up to 4 million passengers. With a second runway approaching completion, Okinawa "has a potential role as a low-cost airline transit airport," ...

Neelam Mathews   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 21 August 2014   The TSA is going to provide technical assistance and host visits of Indian aviation security officials to its testing laboratories. Credit: TSA Key Points Rapiscan and L-3 will have the chance to showcase their technologies to the AAI and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security As the aviation market in India grows, new airports will require investment in security equipment to meet international aviation safety and security standards A USD200,000 security co-operation agreement under the Aviation Co-operation Program (ACP) is to be signed between the US Trade Development Agency and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) later this month or in early September 2014,  IHS Jane's  has learned. Under the Aviation Security Equipment Testing and Evaluation Program, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will provide technical assistance and host visits of Indian aviation security o...