Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Nov 8, 2017 JAR Following state cabinet approval to build the delayed USD4 billion Navi Mumbai Airport, GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) will soon be issued the Letter of Intent to proceed. However, villagers continue to protest for compensation as land acquisition issues remain. As a result, police protection is to be provided to workers even as the blasting of a hill in the vicinity takes place next week. KPMG partner and head of aerospace Amber Dubey called the exercise a ............Read more in Jane's

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...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  December 1, 2015, 10:50 AM A court in Mumbai, India, has ordered that an impounded Airbus  ACJ319   owned by former Kingfisher Airlines founder Vijay Mallya must be sold before March 1. The jet was seized three years ago by India’s tax authority after Kingfisher failed to remit $28 million in service taxes collected from passengers. The   ACJ , manufactured in 2006, is on a finance lease from   CJ   Leasing of the Cayman Islands. According to a source close to the company, the auction is likely to take place within the next few weeks. The ACJ , registered as  VT - VJM  (Mallya’s initials), is parked at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and might have suffered some corrosion, as Mumbai is fairly humid since it’s located on the coast. A maintenance technician told  AIN  that airframe patches near the wing root and  APU  area suggest that the airplane might also have b...

Neelam Mathews April 12, 2013 Once again, a decision on a business aviation issue remains hanging in the air. The  appellate tribunal of the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) that ordered Mumbai airport to put the around Rs 4crore parking penalty collected since July last year in an independent bank account with interest, found at a recent hearing, MIAL had not complied. It is not clear whether MIAL will be penalised for this inaction, The next hearing is on May3, AerospaceDiary learns. Congestion? The  airport, which cannot be expanded beyond its single runway, has been a concern for many years as commercial and business aviation traffic has increased.  “We understand when MIAL says it could become a safety issue. But how does the issue go away if you pay penalties?" queried an aviation advisor to AerospaceDiary. He adds if  the concern is purely for  safety then no operator should be allowed to overstay, making the penalty clause unnecess...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 27, 2011 Mumbai International Airport says it will construct a new taxiway between Twy E1&E3 for the secondary runway 14/32 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. As a result of the taxiway, aircraft will be able to vacate the runway, reducing runway occupancy time. To facilitate this infrastructure work, runway 14/32 will be closed for flight operations from October 10, 2011 – January 20, 2012. Flight operations will not be impacted as the primary runway 09/27 will continue to remain open for operations, says MIAL.

EXCLUSIVE Neelam Mathews April 26, 2011 Time: 6:50PM IST The Supreme Court of India has struck down a plea to charge an Airport Development Fee (ADF) by developers of Mumbai international airport, GVK Power & Infrastructure. Contrary to reports in the local media, the fee will continue to be charged by Delhi International Airport following the approval of the Airport Economic   Regulatory Authority (AERA) (that cannot be overruled). On MIAL, the Supreme Court has said the fee cannot be levied without framing of rules, Aerospace Diary learns. Passengers at Mumbai airport will now not have to pay an additional amount for landing or taking off the airport.

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily Feb 02 , 2011 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews With new regulations expected to be introduced soon in India pertaining to its ground-handling infrastructure, Turkish company Celebi Holdings has started investing in standardized equipment at New Delhi and Mumbai airports. Instead of using fuel-inefficient farm tractors, Celebi has introduced electrical baggage tractors costing $60,000 that conform to strict Indian law requiring environmentally friendly equipment. Celebi’s six German Cobum buses in Mumbai and Delhi, costing $20,000 each, carry 110 passengers and can be used only at airports since they have a low step to aid alighting passengers carrying hand baggage. Celebi is also the only ground-handling company at Delhi airport that can handle the Airbus A380, for which it has imported equipment worth about $2 million to move baggage and cargo and push-back equipment, says Can Celebioglu, chairman o...

Aviation Week Daily Jan 27, 2011   By Neelam Mathews ISTANBUL Turkey-based Celebi Holdings believes the development of a cargo terminal at Delhi International Airport, which it started in August 2010, will be completed by September and meet global quality standards. The company has already spent $35 million on construction and $12 million for purchase of new equipment. The company is also bidding for a similar cargo complex in Mumbai expected to be finalized this year. “We believe in three to four years, growth in the economy will lead to cargo growing to one million tons,” says Cemil Erman, president Cargo, Celebi. With Mumbai’s second new airport now announced, Celebi expects to participate in that too. Erman says it is likely that cargo operations will move to the new Greenfield airport in Mumbai once it is ready in three and a half years. Celebi, one of ...