Praful Patel rules out wrong-doing
in AI's Boeing deal
London:
Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has
ruled out any wrong-doing in Air India's decision
to buy an all Boeing fleet at an estimated cost
of Rs 30,000 crore instead of going for aircraft
manufactured by the European Consortium Airbus Industries.
Addressing a press conference here, Patel said,
"The controversy is only in the media. We follow
established and well-laid down procedures. Air India
takes decisions on what is good for them. They have
techno-economic evaluation. They cannot go outside
the guidelines." Emphasizing on the need to increase
the air connectivity with the neighbouring countries
he said, "India had worked out a policy on increasing
air connectivity to SAARC nations in 2003 itself
but the permission was not granted by Pakistan Government
to do so, including by the private carriers". Patel
urged Pakistan to cooperate in India's endeavour
to increase air connectivity. He said, "If buses
can ply, why not planes fly." "Besides Indian Airlines,
which is already operating flights to Pakistan,
Air India is also planning to launch services to
Lahore and Karachi," said Patel. However, he expressed
his dissatisfaction over the restrictions on air
connectivity inspite of improving bilateral relations.
On improving Indo-UK bilateral relations Patel said,
"The total number of flights of Air India to the
UK will increase from ten flights few months ago
to 24 each week when the Kolkata-London flights
are launched next month." Indian and British carriers
like Virgin Atlantic, British Midlands, Jet Airways
and Air Sahara, apart from the previously designated
ones like AI and British Airways, would start full
operations on the Indo-UK sector by this winter,
he added. Emphasizing the need for modernising airports,
Patel said that the India has launched a comprehensive
programme to modernise its airports to international
standards. "The design for the international airport
Kolkata, the eastern metropolis, had been awarded
to a French firm which had designed the Charles
de Gaulles Airport of Paris after an international
design competition. The work will begin by early
2006, siad Patel. On the restructuring and modernisation
of the Delhi and Mumbai airports, he said the new
joint venture partners for the Airports Authority
of India (AAI) for the two metro airports would
be selected by June end as the international bids,
for which nine consortia are in fray, close on June
24. Similarly the airport at Ahmedabad would be
ready by 2007 as it was one of the "priority" non-metro
airports to be modernized.
-
May 17, 2005
Air
India resumes New Delhi-Toronto service (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Air India today resumed its service from
New Delhi to Toronto, two decades after the world's
deadliest aviation attack killed 329 people aboard
the ill fated Air India flight, Kanishka, on the
same route. Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful
Patel and Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury flagged
off the inaugural flight from New Delhi via northern
Amritsar and Birmingham to Toronto at the Indira
Gandhi International Airport here. They also launched
a special service, Swagat Seva, at the airport for
providing help to foreign tourists. Air India will
operate three services a week to Toronto. Patel
said that Air India endeavoured to reach out to
cities not yet figuring on the air map. "There are
many big cities and regions which are not yet been
internationally connected. Air India is the national
airlines. It should not just operate only out of
Mumbai or Delhi but should also reach out to the
major cities. That is the endeavour," Patel said.
Artists from Punjab lent a jubilant touch to the
launch of the flight as they roped in both the ministers
to shake a leg with them. The new Boeing 777 Air
India aircraft will land at Toronto's Pearson International
Airport this evening. The national carrier had received
a fatal blow in 1985 when its Kanishka aircraft,
a Boeing 747 flight from Toronto to Mumbai was blown
off the Irish coast in the Atlantic ocean, killing
329 passengers and crew. A British Columbia Supreme
Court had on March 16 acquitted prime accused Ajaib
Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik, of first-
degree murder and conspiracy charges in the Kanishka
aircraft blast. However, following public outcry
against the verdict, former Ontario Premier Bob
Rae was appointed to advice the Canadian Government
whether a public inquiry was needed into the disaster
after the acquittals.
-
May 15, 2005
Amritsar
airport gearing up to give a royal treatment (Go
To Top)
Amritsar:
With renovation and remodernisation work in
full swing, the Rajasansi airport here is gearing
up to give a royal treat to the air travellers next
month. "We started the work last June and it is
expected to be complete by this June. After the
completion the airport will have capacity to handle
500 passengers. The new building will be centrally
air conditioned, lifts, escalators and rest all
the facilities which are in Metro Airport will be
provided," said Vijay Mulekar, director of the airport.
The airport is well linked by flights from all over
India and has been upgraded to be an international
airport. "There is a Singapore Airlines, which has
started, the Singapore Airlines is also catering
to the complete west Coast of America, Canada as
well as Australia. So we have people from all directions
merging into Singapore and coming across to India
through Amritsar. So, I would say Amritsar with
a really good airport becomes global destination
and gate way to India," said Singh. The airport
has come a long way since operating 3 fights per
week to operating 56 flights per week today. In
its new shape, the airport is set to make its mark
on the global aviation map.
-
May 11, 2005
Kingfisher
Airlines, India's new budget airline, hits the skies
(Go
To Top)
Mumbai:
Another Indian budget airliner hit the skies
on Monday when Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines
flew out of Mumbai towards Bangalore. With the government
forecasting an annual jump of 20 percent for the
airline sector over the next five years, Mallya
said that he was determined to give his airline
a unique identity that few would be able to challenge.
For starters, he said that his airline stewardesses
would all be models and each of his planes would
have seat-back entertainment systems. "We have extremely
attractive and well-trained flight attendants. We
have a brand new fleet of aircraft. We have individual
entertainment systems where every single seat has
video screen," Mallya, the chairman of the UB Group,
was quoted by a foreign news agency, as saying.
Predicting a rapid growth for the airline, Mallya
said: "I will have 11 aircraft in the air by this
year itself. We will have another six next year.
By 2010, we should have 55 planes flying. My vision
is to make Kingfisher the largest private sector
carrier."
Other
companies planning to enter the Indian aviation
market in the coming year include Spice Air, Go
Air, Indigo, Indus One and Air One.
-
May 9, 2005
Mallya's
Kingfisher airlines launched (Go
To Top)
Mumbai:
The UB group Chairman, Vijay Mallya, launched
his company's Kingfisher Airlines in a glittering
ceremony here late last night. The value-based airlines
will have 11 aircrafts in its stable making 66 flights
a day by December 2005. Kingfisher would also buy
30 aircraft from Airbus industries. The fleet expansion
will cost it around 15,000 crore rupees. "I'll have
11 aircrafts flying by December this year. I am
fully funded and UB group provided all the necessary
resources for that. As we go beyond and if we decide
to augment our fleet, then IPO is always there as
an option. Right now, there is lot of money that
is being offered to me. When I need it, I will look
at it. Otherwise I am quite happy on my own," Mallya
said. The Mallya-owned carrier also plans to have
a pricing scheme, whereby tickets will be priced
between those of a business class and economy class
on a full service carrier now. The airline will
offer a single class configuration with 174 seats
on all the routes. It is expected that the carrier
will break even in the very first year of operations
itself. Kingfisher has recently signed a ground-handling
agreement for its A319s and A320s with Indian Airlines,
in a deal between private and public companies that
will bring benefits to both.
-
May 8, 2005
Jet
Airways to launch Mumbai-London daily flight on
May 23 (Go
To Top)
London:
Jet Airways, the India's largest privately owned
airline has decided to launch daily non-stop flights
between Mumbai and London from May 23. It will use
A340-300 aircraft on this route, with 38 business
class seats and 231 economy class seats. The flight
will be operating daily from Heathrow Terminal 3,
departing in the evening and arriving in Mumbai
the following morning." Tickets are on immediate
sale at Rs. 32,000 (399 pounds) per person return
fare. Jet Airways commenced operations in 1993 and
in the short span of 12 years, has established itself
as a leading domestic full- service carrier in India
with a 46 per cent market share. Currently it is
operating over 270 flights daily and connecting
to over 44 key tourist and business destinations
and cities. The airline operates one of the youngest
fleets in the world with an average age of 4.8 years,
the release said. London-Mumbai flight will be the
first entry of Jet Airways in the international
service. The company is looking it as a major step
towards the expansion in the global market. Dan
Brewin, General Manager of Jet Airways in UK and
Ireland said, "this is an extremely exciting time
for the airline. Launching our first international
service from India to the UK this month end marks
a huge step in our global expansion plans. The UK
market in particular is a key one for us, and we
intend to increase capacity to Heathrow later this
year."
- May 7, 2005
