India’s first terminal for private jets to land and take off
is expected to be ready by May at the Delhi Airport.
It will be connected by a separate road leading to the
facility, and feature sculptures evocative of the Mughal era and artificial
water bodies.
The terminal coming up at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi
International Airport will ensure faster turnaround of business jets and
chartered planes, shielding them from the clutter of general passenger
terminals, where they now have to compete for landing and take-off slots with
commercial planes.
The terminal building is designed to withstand over 60
aircraft movements a day and is being built with a handling capability of over
200 passengers a day.
The terminal will be able to handle Boeing 767 business jets
and any Boeing 777 with a VIP configuration and a passenger capacity of 250.
About 1,200 scheduled flights operate from Delhi airport
every day; an additional 40-50 small non- scheduled chartered planes also land
at and take off from the airport daily.
Airport officials say that VIPs prefer to travel in private
jets and all their movements take place from Terminal 1, which is already
operating beyond its capacity.
Site development work on this integrated general and
business aviation terminal commenced in March 2018 and work has rapidly
progressed on the 22-acre lot that was allocated by the airport run by a
consortium led by GMR Group.
“The separate terminal in Delhi would help us in expanding
the business but such terminals are required in other metro cities as well,”
said aid Rajesh Bali, managing director of the Business Aircraft Operators
Association.
The Chandigarh international airport will be functional for
round-the-clock flying operations by March 31, the Central Government told the
Punjab and Haryana High Court.
As a petition filed in public interest for making the
airport fully functional came up during high court the hearing, the Centre
submitted that the entire work related to night operations at the Chandigarh
international airport was expected to be over by March-end.
Assistant Solicitor-General of India Chetan Mittal added
that a substantial amount of work for making the airport fully operational
round the clock had been completed.
He added that issues related to delay in payments of the
agencies involved in the work at the airport would also be resolved
expeditiously.
The Bench, during the course of the hearing, was also told that
the Chandigarh international airport was already receiving offers from some
airlines willing to start Chandigarh-Delhi flights till 11.45 pm and at 6 am.
Giving details, Mittal added that the airlines had shown
interest in late-night and early-morning flights after the airport decided to
extend the airplane parking facility at the Chandigarh airport.
The High Court has already been told that several new
flights from Chandigarh to Delhi, Mumbai and the Middle East were on the cards.
The flights to Mumbai would further connect to international
destinations such as London, Manchester, Paris and Amsterdam.
As we get older, it’s common to feel like the passage of
time is speeding up. Events that used to take much longer now seem to fly past.
When it comes to air travel though, the opposite is actually
happening. Flight times are getting slower, it’s a fact.
Shorter flights take longer than they used to as well. For instance
,In 1995, London to Edinburgh took 1 hour 15 minutes instead of the 1 hour 25
it takes now.
With the technological advancements of the last few decades,
it seems bizarre that flight duration should slow and not speed up.
So why is this happening? Well, we’ve got some answers. We’ve
compiled a list of reasons why air travel might be taking longer than it did in
previous years.
Airlines Have A Huge Part To Play In This
So we can all agree that flight times are increasing. But
are planes spending more time in the air, or are they adding extra time at the
start and end of each journey?
In reality, it’s both. There’s a technical word for this in
the aviation industry, ”Schedule Padding”.
Airlines often alter their flight schedule to give each
flight a bit more margin for error regarding flight delays.
This extra time might explain why pilots often proudly
announce ‘making up time in the air’ — even after lengthy delays have occurred
before take-off.
By giving themselves a bit more time in the schedule,
airlines can report better on-time performances.
Money Saving Tactics
Another reason why passengers experience longer flight times
is that of fuel efficiency and money saving on the part of airlines.
A plane traveling at a slower speed will consume less fuel,
so airlines are able to save millions each year by extending flight times.
The price of fuel rose dramatically between 2002 and 2012
from $0.70 per gallon to $3 globally, so you can see why airlines might want to
cut back.
Bigger Airports, More Airplanes In The Sky
It’s no surprise that busier air traffic can have a
significant effect on the punctuality of flights.
Flight routes are getting much busier, and new runways and
terminals (such as the gigantic Mumbai Airport Terminal 2) are all factors
airlines consider when publishing their schedules.
Air traffic control congestion also plays a large role. With
skies now much busier than 10 years ago, sticking to previous flight times
might be too optimistic.
All that said, it’s the job of airlines to offer paying
passengers the most convenient and quick way to reach their destination. So
blaming busier schedules for poor service isn’t going to fool anyone.
Five airlines announced new domestic and international
flights from the Kannur International Airport at a meeting set up by Kerala Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week.
Low-cost airline IndiGo will start operations to Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Chennai, Hubli and Goa, starting January 25.
It will launch a service connecting Kannur and
Thiruvananthapuram by March-end. Services to Kuwait and Doha will be started in
March and those to Jeddah and Dammam in two months.
GoAir representatives said the airline would start a Mascot
flight. It also plans to start flights connecting Kannur with Bangalore,
Hyderabad, and Mumbai.
The SpiceJet representatives said the airline would start
services to Bangalore and Chennai.
Air India Express will start services to Bahrain, Kuwait and
Muscat by March. At present, Air India Express operates services to Sharjah,
Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha from Kannur.
In response to a request by the Chief Minister, Air India
CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola said that flight fares from Kannur would be reduced. The
Chief Minister, in his opening address, had pointed out that the AI was
charging exorbitant rates for flights from Kannur when compared to nearby
airports.
Sometimes flying is just plain uncomfortable and
frustrating.
From tiny airplane seats to obnoxious flight delays, we put
up with a lot to get to our final destination. That said, there are some
airlines that always seem to make the journey just a little bit worse.
Travel company AirHelp, wanted to find out how dozens of
airlines around the world stacked up against each other, so they crunched some
numbers to create a ranking.
The final list accounts for quality of amenities, on-time
arrivals and how well the airlines resolve flight-delay compensation claims.
Scroll on for the 10 worst airlines of 2018, ranked in
descending order by their overall score.
10.Jet Airways
On-time performance: 6.5
Quality of service: 6.5
Claim processing: 5.6
TOTAL: 6.2 (out of 10)
Coming in at No. 10 on this list of the worst airlines in
the world is Jet Airways, the struggling airline based in Mumbai, India.
Compared to other airlines on the list, Jet Airways received
average marks on all counts.
The airline, the second largest in India behind IndiGo, was
founded in 1992 and currently flies to 66 destinations around the world. It’s
been in the news recently for financial problems and an investigation into
alleged embezzlement.
9. Aerolineas Argentinas
On-time performance: 8.5
Quality of service: 6.5
Claim processing: 3.6
TOTAL: 6.2
Next on the list is Aerolineas Argentinas, the national flag
carrier for Argentina.
The airline was founded in 1950 and today flies to 59
destinations in 13 countries, including 35 locations in Argentina. All told,
some 11.5 million people fly with Aerolinea Argentinas every year.
Despite its low marks, travellers may still want to consider
the airline if flying within Argentina, however for international travel? Not so
much!
8.Iberia
On-time performance: 8.4
Quality of service: 7.8
Claim processing: 2.3
TOTAL: 6.13
Iberia was founded in 1927 and has served as the flag
carrier for Spain ever since, traveling to 127 destinations in 48 countries.
Though Iberia received some decent marks, apparently their
claim processing procedures are, to put it mildly, lacking.
On social media, you’ll find complaints ranging from lost
baggage to shoddy customer service.
7.Korean Air
On-time performance: 6.4
Quality of service: 8.3
Claim processing: 3.7
TOTAL: 6.13
This flag-carrier airline for South Korea was founded in
1969 and flies to 124 destinations in more than 43 countries.
The family-run company recently made headlines when two of
the CEO’s daughters resigned following several embarrassing incidents and
accusations that the family used the airline’s planes to get out of paying
taxes on luxury goods.
However, due to its formidable presence, if you want to fly
in and out of South Korea and other parts of Asia, chances are good you’ll end
up flying with Korean Air. At least it earned a solid score for quality of
service.
6.Ryan Air
On-time performance: 8.6
Quality of service: 6.3
Claim processing: 3.3
TOTAL: 6.03
Coming in at No. 6 on the list of worst airlines in the
world is Ryanair, the budget airline based in Ireland. The airline operates
2,000 daily flights from airports in 37 countries, serving more than 130
million customers each year.
Ryanair falls short in terms of quality of service and claim
processing, but it does earn high marks for on-time flights.
In fact, according to Ryanair’s own statistics, 88 percent
of flights arrived on time within the last 12 months.
It’s pretty hard to beat the airline’s often absurdly low
prices, but be warned: The company charges you extra for pretty much
everything, including carry-on luggage and the privilege of sitting with loved
ones.
5. Air Mauritius
On-time performance: 6.9
Quality of service: 7.8
Claim processing: 3.3
TOTAL: 5.99
The island nation of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean
off the eastern coast of Madagascar, is perhaps best known for its sandy
beaches, turquoise sea waters and tropical climate.
However, the same cannot be said about its national
airlines.
Air Mauritius was founded as the national carrier of
Mauritius in 1967, the same year the nation gained independence from Britain.
Since then, it’s garnered a middling reputation, with many people on
TripAdvisor particularly complaining about its subpar food.
4.EasyJet
On-time performance: 7.8
Quality of service: 7.8
Claim processing: 1.3
TOTAL: 5.66
The United Kingdom’s budget airline Easyjet is also one of
the worst in the world, thanks primarily to the airline’s awful claim
processing. The airline flies to 132 airports in 31 countries, making it a
popular choice for cheap, short-haul flights.
But Easyjet is a fairly young company, with just 21 years
under its belt. And, as the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”
If you’re looking for the cheapest flights and nothing else
matters, you might still be satisfied with ridiculously inexpensive
Easyjet…despite its low score.
3. Pakistan International Airlines
On-time performance: 6.1
Quality of service: 6.0
Claim processing: 4.2
TOTAL: 5.43
Pakistan International Airlines, known as PIA, is the
national carrier for Pakistan, but that might change soon as the country looks
to privatize the airline.
It’s experienced a host of issues in recent years, including
massive financial losses, management issues and increased competition from at
least five new airlines.
And, in 2016, 47 people died in a crash on one of the
airline’s flights.
Given all that, perhaps it’s not surprising that Pakistan
International Airlines is ranked as the third worst airline in the world.
2. Royal Jordanian Airlines
On-time performance: 8.3
Quality of service: 6.3
Claim processing: 0.8
TOTAL: 5.13
Royal Jordanian Airlines, which is hubbed out of Queen Alia
International Airport in Amman, Jordan, isn’t quite the worst airline in the
world but it’s pretty close.
Though the national carrier of Jordan does an okay job
getting passengers to their destinations on time, it falls short on claim
processing and its quality of service.
1.WOW Air
On-time performance: 7.5
Quality of service: 6.0
Claim processing: 1.7
TOTAL: 5.04
Coming in at “No. 1” on the list of the worst airlines in
the world? The not-so-aptly-named WOW Air.
Of course, if price is all that matters to you when you’re
looking for cheap flights to Iceland and Europe you’ll probably still fly with
this uber-budget airline; the airline’s famous “flash sales” offer tickets on
long flights for less than $100.
Just don’t expect any bells and whistles, and
know that you may be complaining, loudly, about the customer service you
receive.
A smile is all that you’ll need to board your next domestic
flight.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has
notified rules for its ambitious project ‘Digi Yatra (DY)’ wherein a domestic
flyer will be able to board a flight with biometric-based verification.
Travellers will be required to generate a unique DY ID
number through the aviation ministry’s website. According to DGCA chief BS
Bhullar, passengers can create their unique DY ID using any of the
government-issued identification cards.
After a mandatory initial physical security check,
passengers will be required to give the unique number while booking tickets in
the future.
After this, passengers will be able to go paperless for
flights to domestic sectors at airports which are equipped with biometric-based
verification.
Facial recognition (voluntary biometrics) access system will
be a reality soon in the next two to three months.
The system will kick off first at the Hyderabad and Bangalore
airports. Varanasi, Kolkata, Pune and Vijaywada will be the next set of
airports to follow suit.
However, if passengers don’t want to opt for the paperless
and voluntary method, they may decide to go for the existing system of showing
electronic tickets (e-tickets) to the airport staff.
Such reforms will surely enable domestic flyers to have a
smooth journey in the coming months.
To ensure the safety of passengers and success of the Bengaluru air show, the Kempegowda International Airport will be partially closed for commercial flight operations during the days of practice and the main show.
Aero space exhibition “Aero India 2019” will be held in
Bengaluru from February 20 to Feb 24.
KIA will be shut for commercial flights during particular
hours from February 14 to February 24, which includes practice days, full dress
rehearsal, inauguration ceremony and air display, among others.
BIAL is working with airlines, whose services will be
impacted during this period, to ensure minimal disruption to their existing
schedule during the reduced operating hours.
Passenger convenience will be ensured with the respective
airlines sharing all information on the change in airport operations and the
cancelled/revised flight timings during the show.
The 12th edition of the trade event will showcase
technologies and products of global and Indian aerospace and defence firms,
with static and flying display of military and civil aircraft, including
fighters, jets, helicopters and air weapons.
Besides global leaders and investors in the aerospace
industry, think-tanks from the world over are expected to participate in the
event, organised by the Defence Ministry along with other related
organisations.
Here are the details of the closure timings:
Feb 14th – Feb 17th (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
Feb 18th – Feb 19th (10:00
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Feb 20th (09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
& 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Feb 21st – Feb 24th (10:00
a.m. & 12:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
There was a time when air travel was only for the rich or businessmen.
With the introduction of low-cost airlines a few years back and the government of India taking initiatives, air travel has become cheap enough to reach the common man.
One
such initiative is called UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik)!
Here
are all the details you need to know about the UDAN scheme.
What Is UDAN?
UDAN is a first-of-its-kind government scheme in the world, which is aimed at bringing together different regions of India which were not accessible through air before.
The
scheme also aims at bringing airfares down and making air travel accessible to
people from all walk of life.
The
scheme was launched on 27th April 2017 and has been a success ever
since.
The key Components Of UDAN
The
UDAN Scheme has two key components. The first being the development of new and
enhancement of the existing and operational airports in the country.
This
will be aimed at equipping these airports to handle civilian domestic flights. Under this over 100 underserved and unserved
regional airports will be developed by December 2019. This will be done at an
initial funding of Rs 45,000 million for 50 airports.
In the
second component, several hundred financially-viable capped-airfare regional
air routes will be operated to connect over 100 underserved and unserved
airports in smaller towns. Each of these towns will be connected to airports of
bigger cities.
This
will be done in three rounds of bidding that will be completed by the end of
this year.
Number of Airports Under The
Scheme
The
government of India is looking to build and connect Indian airports in
different regions to handle the growing domestic air traffic in the country.
The
UDAN scheme aims to connect as many as 70 airports of India. These airports
include 27 served airports, 12 under-served airports and 31 unserved airports.
As
many as 17 out of the 70 airports are located in the North, 12 in East, 6 in
North-East, 11 in South and 24 in West.
How cheap are the flights in
UDAN?
The price
for UDAAN flights will be very cheap.
The scheme
has been designed to help the less connected people of the country to reach the
major cities with ease.
The
cost of living is cheaper in these areas and hence the income is lower too,
which is why the government wants to price the ticket for Rs 2,500 on a 1-hour
flight.
However, the caped fares are for now based on distance. For instance, Rs 1,420 will be the ticket price for a distance of 151–175 km, Rs 1,500 for a distance of 176–200 km, with a ceiling of maximum Rs 3,500 fare for a total distance of 800 km or more.
Why Are The Flights Cheap In UDAN?
The
question that has left everyone’s mind boggling, is how is UDAN going to work?
Taxpayers
are worried if the government is going to fund it with their money or if hidden
costs are involved.
To put
everyone’s mind at ease and help the airlines involved in UDAN, the government
has allowed them to levy up the flight cost for passengers on major routes.
This
in return will generate Rs.205 crore per annum, which can be translated to Rs.30
per passenger, on major routes like Delhi to Mumbai. This extended viability gap
funding will be operational in coming three years.
States To Be Aided By UDAN
20
states and Union Territories are going to be served under UDAN.
The
states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
Airports
in Bhatinda, Bilaspur, Cooch Behar, Kadapa, Nanded, Neyveli, and Shimla are also
going to benefit from this scheme.
The Future of UDAN
The Regional
Connectivity Scheme is aimed at increasing flight operations for more than 100
airports by the end of 2018-2019.
New
routes and airports are to be operationalized in near future. The government
will open bids for the new projects soon.
For now,
the airlines, which won the bid for 128 routes are Alliance Air, SpiceJet,
Turbo Megha, Air Odisha, and Air Deccan.
This is one of the best initiatives in the aviation sector that has been taken by the Indian government. It will not only help the people from rural areas to travel with ease but will also connect urban India to the remote places. UDAN is a milestone in the shaping of new India.
*The Report Is Based On The Data Released By The Government In 2018
