Page 4 - Airport

CIAL to launch smart gates for travellers, self-immigration in 20 secs

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is all set to become the second airport in India to implement the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Trusted traveller Programme, facilitating seamless immigration process through self authentication at specially designed smart gates at the immigration counters. This state-of-the-art facility will be launched by August 2024, CIAL said on Thursday and added that it has begun an infrastructure makeover at the immigration area, dedicating eight lanes to biometric e-gates, enabling international travellers to complete the immigration process by themselves in 20 seconds. The facility was rolled out at Delhi International Airport in June. The MHA's Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Travellers' Programme (FTI-TTP) aims to expedite the immigration clearance for eligible Indian nationals and foreign nationals holding OCI cards, the CIAL said in a release. "Applicants must complete a one-time registration process on the MHA portal, upload necessary ..

Adani Group submits investment proposal for Nairobi airport upgradation

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Wednesday said it has received an investment proposal from the Adani Group for the upgradation of the airport in Nairobi. The investment proposal under the public-private partnership has been submitted by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) for Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Currently, AAHL manages seven airports in India and is also developing the Navi Mumbai airport. In a statement, JKIA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Henry Ogoye said the proposal came following the Kenyan government approving a medium-term investment plan for the upgradation of the passenger terminal building, runway, taxiway and apron at the Nairobi airport. "Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) received an investment proposal under the Public Private Partnerships Act 2021 from the Adani Airport Holdings Limited, a key airport operator, to invest in a new passenger terminal building, second runway and refurbishment of the existing facilities at JKI

Tezpur Airport in Assam to be shut for 18 months for maintenance work

Fight services will be shut at the Tezpur airport in Assam in October for one-and-half years for maintenance works, a senior official said on Wednesday. Tezpur Airport Director G Shiva Kumar said passenger flights will be suspended from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2026. "This is due to the resurfacing works of the runway along with other projects to improve the facilities at the terminal," he said. The Tezpur Airport is adjacent to the Tezpur Base of the Indian Air Force, and the runway is used for both commercial and fighter aircraft. The Tezpur Air Force Base had earlier informed the Tezpur Salonibari Passenger Airport Authority about the maintenance work, for which passenger aircraft services will be temporarily halted. Kumar said that during this time, the authority is considering providing helicopter services from Tezpur to Guwahati, but it is yet to be finalised. At present, a 90-seater SpiceJet flight fly directly from Tezpur to Kolkata daily. In addition, two airlines .

Rs 2,000-cr new terminal of Guwahati airport to open in Apr 2025: Official

The Adani Group-run Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati will move to its upcoming terminal by April 2025, a senior official said. The initial target to complete the terminal building, being developed at a total cost of over Rs 2,000 crore, was December 2024, but it got delayed by around four months due to a change in design, he said. "Our new terminal will be ready by April 2025. The little delay was due to a change in the design to include more facilities in the building. We want to make it the most effective terminal in the country," Chief Airport Officer (CAO) Utpal Baruah told PTI. In August 2020, the Union Cabinet accorded its approval for leasing the Guwahati airport for operation, management and development to Adani Enterprises for 50 years. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) was developing the new terminal before the management was transferred to the Gujarat-based entity in October 2021. "We have recently prepared the master plan of the ..

Industrial hub Hosur to get international airport, announces Tamil Nadu CM

Airport spread over 2,000 acres will be 'monumental step forward' for region, says Industries Minister T R B Rajaa

Already domestic hub, expecting to become global hub in 15 yrs: BIAL COO

He said it is not right to compare Indian airports to the airports in city-states (such as Singapore) as they are only carrying international traffic

Patna, Jaipur airports receive hoax bomb threats; security beefed up

In the first incident, Patna airport received a bomb threat by email, following which a thorough search of the facility was conducted and security beefed up

Airport industry to see profit before tax of $1.3 bn this fiscal: CAPA

The country's airport industry is projected to report a profit before tax of USD 1.3 billion in the current financial year. The profit is anticipated to be Rs 256.1 (USD 3.1) per passenger in the fiscal ending March 2025, aviation advisory firm CAPA India said while giving projections at its aviation summit in the national capital on Friday. In the current fiscal, passenger throughput at Indian airports is estimated to rise to 404.9 million. Out of the total, 81.1 per cent will be domestic and 18.9 per cent will be international traffic, it said. As per the report, the Airport Authority of India's (AAI) profitability is likely to remain robust in FY2024 and FY2025. "The topline will grow due to an increase in aeronautical revenue along with the receipt of revenue share from the recently privatised six non-metro airports, without having to incur any expense associated with it - resulting in higher profitability," it added. The industry's profit before tax is expected to be USD 1.3

Delhi man took over 200 flights, stole passengers' jewellery worth lakhs

A Delhi man took over 200 flights to steal jewellery and other valuables from passengers. Police arrested the 40-year-old man, Rajesh Kapoor, who confessed to his crime

Fire breaks out at Lahore airport, Hajj flights, immigration affected

The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the immigration counter of the Lahore Airport, affecting Hajj flights scheduled to depart from today

Singapore's Changi dethroned as world's best airport, Qatar takes the crown

Singapore's Changi Airport was also named the best airport in Asia, and best in the world for its immigration services

Digi Yatra likely to expanded to 14 more airports: Check the full list

Digi Yatra will be available in the domestic terminal of the airport

Digi Yatra with modifications to be rolled at 14 more airports in April

Digi Yatra is likely to be rolled out at 14 more airports by the end of this month and efforts are on to make the facility more user friendly with certain changes in the architecture, according to a top executive. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports and currently, there are nearly 5 million users. The facility is now there at 14 airports for domestic passengers and discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders concerned to make it available for international travellers as well. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi told PTI that Digi Yatra is expected to be available at 14 more airports by the end of April. A not-for-profit entity, the foundation is the nodal agency for Digi Yatra, which was introduced in December 2022. The 14 new airports where the facility is to be rolled out soon are Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore

Delhi airport transshipped over 8,000 MT of Bangladeshi cargo in 1 year

Delhi airport operator DIAL on Thursday said it has transshipped more than 8,000 million tonnes of cargo from Bangladesh to various overseas destinations. "The transshipment facility for Bangladeshi cargo first began on February 26, 2023, paving the way for a faster and cost-effective route of shipping export cargo internationally. Since then, Delhi Airport has helped transship over 80 lakh kgs (8,000 MT) of readymade garments to European nations, including Spain, Netherlands and France," it said in a release. The European Union is the second-largest export destination for Bangladeshi apparel, followed by the UK and Canada. The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said it has transshipped over 5.17 lakh MT of international cargo between April 2023 and January 2024. According to the release, the airport has installed 28 dual view X-ray machines for international general cargo processing. "Five extra X-ray machines have been augmented for handling Bangladesh cargo to avoid any ...

AAI expects net profit of Rs 3,257.28 cr in 2023-24, highest in 8 yrs

As the passenger footfalls are rising across the country, the AAI is expecting a substantial increase in the concession fees from eight privatized airports in India

DGCA changes rules, mandates alcohol test for 25% airport employees

A total of 189 people working at 59 Indian airports were found drunk on duty in the first half of 2023, marking a 32 percent year-on-year increase, as per the data from DGCA

India expected to become centre of world aviation in 15 years, says Airbus

The world's two largest aircraft orders were placed by IndiGo and Air India in the last year. In June 2023, IndiGo had placed an order for 500 A320neo family planes with Airbus

Changi Airport looks at Jaipur-Lucknow as passenger generating destination

Singapore's Changi Airport Group (CAG) is looking at new destinations such as Jaipur and Lucknow for generating passenger traffic out of India, one of the bright spots for the city state's airport, according to a media report. Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice-president for air hub and cargo development at CAG, said that Changi Airport Group will work with airlines to add more capacity on high-demand routes by increasing frequencies or getting carriers to use bigger planes, The Straits Times reported. We are looking at new destinations like Jaipur and Lucknow. We think there's demand there, said Lim in an interview to the Straits Times. Lim has described India as another bright spot, as passenger traffic and connectivity have already exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Lim said that CAG will work with airlines to add more capacity on high-demand routes by increasing frequencies or getting carriers to use bigger planes. For example, South Korea continues to draw healthy demand for inbound a

'Ayodhya airport is anticipated to see 100 flight movements on Monday'

The Ayodhya airport is expected to see around 100 flight landings and departures on Monday as thousands of people attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple. More than 7,000 people are on the list of invitees for the consecration ceremony. The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Monday afternoon, a senior Ayodhya airport official said that the number of flight movements is expected to be around 100 by the end of the day as people will start going back after the ceremony. Till around 2.30 pm, the airport saw 18 landings, including chartered flights, and 17 departures, the official added. Another official in the know also said the airport is anticipated to see about 100 flight movements, including landings and departures. On Sunday, when many people, including corporate heads and prominent personalities, reached Ayodhya, the number of flight movements at the airport was around 90, the official

Korean Air plane bumps parked aircraft in Japan, no injuries reported

A Korean Air plane carrying 289 people hit a parked Cathay Pacific aircraft while taxiing to a runway at northern Japan's New Chitose Airport but caused no fire or injuries on Tuesday, Japanese media reported. The incident happened only two weeks after a high profile collision between a Japan Airlines airliner and a coast guard plane on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Airline passengers had to make an emergency exit due to a fire and five of the six crew members on the smaller plane were killed. On Tuesday, the KAL plane was heading to a runway for takeoff when it bumped into the empty Cathay Pacific plane, according to the Kyodo News agency. The news agency quoted a local fire department spokesperson as saying no fire or fuel leaks were detected. No other details, including the extent of damage to the aircraft or what caused the taxiing aircraft to clip the parked one, were immediately available. Transportation officials are investigating the cause of the fatal Haneda Airport