airport

New Trial Plan To Ease Traffic Jams At Chennai Airport!

AirWhizzApr 16, 2018 No Comments

New Trial Plan To Ease Traffic Jams At Chennai Airport!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to ease traffic jams near the Chennai airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will conduct a two-day trial of a new traffic pattern on Monday and Tuesday. There will be separate entry and exit points to the domestic and international terminals.

Passengers travelling to the Chennai airport on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, between 2 pm to 5 pm, will have to follow a new traffic route to reach the airport terminals.

The AAI wants to first try out a new traffic management system to handle airport traffic as a pilot and then implement it permanently if it is a success. A survey will be conducted during the trial period on the flow of vehicles.

This trial will help AAI understand how the traffic flow will work on the ground. The results of the survey will be analyzed to find out if any changes need to be done to the traffic pattern. The new traffic arrangement will be implemented in two weeks’ time if it’s a success.

Here are the changes that are going to be implemented for these 2 days –

  • The vehicles that come to domestic and international terminals will enter the airport using two entries
  • These entries will be routed via two new ramps that connect to the flyover in front of the terminals
  • Cars picking up passengers at the domestic terminal need not drive past the international terminal to exit the airport
  • An additional entry for the international terminal has been created for the vehicles coming from Tambaram.
  • All vehicles queuing up to drive down the flyover will have separate exit routes
  • AAI has set up new checkpoints at the three entry-exit points of the airport from GST Road
  • The roads inside the airport campus have been filled up with markings to guide cars to the parking lots in front of the domestic and international arrival halls on the ground floor.

The move was part of the original airport expansion plan and the ramps that link the road to the flyover in front of the terminals were ready a few months ago, but AAI wanted to wait till the metro station was completed and train services started. They also waited for the new toll booths to be installed according to the new traffic plan.

These toll booths are essential as they monitor the time each vehicle takes to enter and exit the airport. If a vehicle spends over 12 minutes inside the airport premises, then a parking fee must be paid. AAI hopes that the new pattern of vehicle flow will help reduce the complaint of cab drivers that they are not able to exit from the airport campus in less than 10 minutes due to congestion.

The congestions at the Chennai airport was caused by the 20,000 to 30,000 cars that it received every day. Hopefully, this pilot run will help in easing the traffic and will reduce delays and congestions at the airport once it is implemented in the future.

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Baggage That Requires Special Handling Will Be Charged A Fee At Dubai Airport!

AirWhizzApr 12, 2018 No Comments

Baggage That Requires Special Handling Will Be Charged A Fee At Dubai Airport!

Aviation Insider

If you find yourself traveling out of Dubai any time soon, make sure you pack some extra cash because a new fee has been introduced by Dubai National Air Transport Association(DNATA) at Dubai Airport.

So, if your luggage is not of the standard size & weight and if it requires special handling then you will have to pay more. The DNATA  Wednesday confirmed of this news and have announced that a new fee policy for ‘Out of Gauge’ has been implemented by Dubai airport.

Out of gauge or OOG baggage is the luggage that might be very heavy, too large, very light, fragile, does not have at least 1 flat surface or can damage or slow down the baggage handling management system. Basically, baggage that is outside the standard dimensions for airport luggage and cannot be sorted out by normal conveyor belts come under this category.  Items such as flat screen televisions, large blankets, and sports equipment are examples of such luggage.

According to the DNATA, airlines flying to some of the Asian countries receive a lot of OOG luggage like blankets, broomsticks and huge TV sets. Additional infrastructure and manpower was initially provided to handle OOG baggage. However, due to a high rise in such luggage being flown out, companies were forced to charge for the service for handling this baggage manually.

It is now up to carriers to decide whether they want to pass on the cost to the passengers or not and how they want the payment to be collected. Passengers will have to go to their carrier’s website for further details. The extra fee will be charged from passengers once the airlines renew their contracts with DNATA.

Airlines flying to same destinations have to renew their contracts at different times and those who do it early will be affected the first. DNATA did not provide the charges it is taking from different airlines and cannot comment on behalf of the airlines. However, DNATA insisted that passengers will be charged only if the carriers choose to do so.

Air India, has set the fee at DH45 per piece for such baggage but the fee may vary for other carriers depending on their contracts with DNATA.

For the benefit of the passenger, Emirates has revised its excess baggage charges. The changes are applicable for those who have booked their tickets on or after April 8, 2018. They have also doubled the discount on the purchase of additional baggage allowance online to 20%.

In case you want to know your airline’s baggage policies, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App and get information about your airline policies and rules on the move. Plan your trip smartly and Fly Stress-Free.

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Only 6 Indian Airports Equipped To Defuse Bombs!

AirWhizzApr 10, 2018 No Comments

Only 6 Indian Airports Equipped To Defuse Bombs!

Aviation Insider

There were concerns about the aviation security and passenger safety after an audit was conducted by a parliamentary agency. The audit found out that only six out of  59 airports that are guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are fully equipped to defuse and dispose of explosives.

According to the audit, the Bomb Detection and Disposable Squad(BDDS) is operational at airports in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Cochin. Chennai and Kolkata airports are taken care of by the Airport Authority of India, while in the remaining 4 cities the airports are run by private companies.

According to the rules of the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security(BCAS), for the BDDS to be operational, Airports require 28 pieces of equipment including explosive vapor detectors, bomb disposal suits, and remote-operated vehicles. The required equipment is available at only the six airports mentioned above. The CISF provides security cover to 59 airports out of 98 airports in  India that are operational.

According to the rules, even if one equipment is not available, the squad cannot be made functional. The CISF has written to the AAI, BCAS and civil aviation ministry, asking them to provide this crucial equipment as soon as possible.

The absence of a functional bomb disposal squad at the airport poses a potential risk to aviation security and passengers. The CISF has to take the help of a bomb disposal team from the nearest police station, in case there is a bomb scare or a threat. This causes a delay in the securities response to the bomb threat.

Kempagowda International Airport in Bengaluru, which is run under a private-public partnership, does not have a functional bomb detection and disposal squad. This is reported because the airport houses only 24 of the 28 equipment’s required.

According to the Bangalore International Airport Ltd(BIAL), the requirement of three of the four pieces of equipment is under deliberation with the Government. The fourth item has a long lead time and will be procured shortly.

Even the airports that operate under Airports Authority of India(AAI) lack some of the bomb diffusing equipment such as explosive vapor detectors and remote-operated vehicles. The AAI has procured 18-21 bomb detection and disposal squad equipment for 13 AAI airports, but they will be procuring the 2 pieces of equipment mentioned above and the squads will be operational by September this year at 18 AAI operated airports as part of the first phase. The remaining equipment for the airport will be purchased in phase 2.

CISF was created in 1969 and has been providing security to airports, government buildings, seaports and power plants amongst others. The Air Passenger Association Of India has been pushing the BCAS for a long time to give the CISF all the equipment required to protect and safeguard air passengers.

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Mumbai Airport To Remain Shut For 6 Hours On 9Th And 10Th Of April!

AirWhizzApr 09, 2018 No Comments

Mumbai Airport To Remain Shut For 6 Hours On 9Th And 10Th Of April!

Aviation Insider

If your flights are scheduled to fly in and out of the Mumbai Airport on Monday and Tuesday, there is some news for you!

On April 9 and 10, flight operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai will be suspended, for six hours between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. This will surely cause air traffic congestion, which will lead to delays in flights on Tuesday.

As part of the pre-monsoon maintenance practice which happens every year,rubber deposits will be removed from the runway. The maintenance work will be done at the intersection of the main and secondary runway. Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) have already informed all airlines about the planned shutdown well in advance.

Air India will be cancelling 34 of its flights and diverting 4 of its flights mentioned below –

  • AI 611 and 612 (Mumbai- Jaipur) and vice versa,
  • AI 680 (Mumbai- Mangalore)
  • AI 696 (Varanasi- Mumbai)

In case you want to find out whether your Air India Flight has been cancelled or rescheduled click on the link below –

Air India Flight Schedules- https://book.airindia.in/itd/itd/lang/en/travel/schedules

Jet Airways will reschedule 17 international and 53 domestic flights and cancel six international and 64 domestic flights. Below are the links to know which flights have been cancelled and rescheduled of Jet Airways –

Cancelled Flights – https://www.jetairways.com/documents/flight-cancellations-1.pdf

Rescheduled Flights – https://www.jetairways.com/documents/revised-schedules-april18.pdf

Besides the Mumbai Airport, other airports have been scheduled to be closed for pre-monsoon maintenance. Here is a detailed list of the airports –

  • Chandigarh International Airport runway will be closed from May 12 to May 31.
  • Calicut International Airport runway will remain closed till June 15, 2018, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • The Jaipur International Airport runway will remain closed till May 31 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • The Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow will be closed till June 30 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Still confused? Simply download the AirWhizz app and add your flight to get all the information about your flight along with real-time flight updates and schedules on your phone.

So go ahead, plan your schedule accordingly and Fly Stress-Free!

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Flying To Dubai Will Get More Expensive in 2019!

AirWhizzApr 04, 2018 No Comments

Flying To Dubai Will Get More Expensive in 2019!

Aviation Insider

If you are planning to fly to Dubai next summer, be prepared to pay more for your flight tickets. Authorities at various Dubai airports have asked Indian carriers to reduce their capacities by half. This is being done because of the runway closure for 45-days from April 16, 2019. As a result, the airfare to Dubai will go up next summer.

Indian carriers flying to Dubai account for about 65,000 seats a week. The CEO of Dubai Airport, Mr. Paul Griffiths has asked the Indian authorities to reduce this number to half in a letter written by him in February. Dubai airlines, Emirates and  Fly Dubai have also been asked to make reductions in their flights flying from India.

According to the letter, The Dubai airport authorities have asked Emirates and Fly Dubai to reduce their total operations by 33 percent and airlines flying to the airport on a regular basis to reduce their capacities by 50 percent. The letter, however, said that the 33% reduction by the Dubai based airlines will contribute to 55% of the airport’s total cuts.

This decision by the Dubai airport has been met with much criticism as Indian carriers feel that reductions in the number of seats is not equal and discriminatory. India has been generous to Dubai when it comes to bilateral traffic rights. According to officials working with Indian carriers, this situation is not new and airlines in India have faced this kind of treatment when they got the least desired slots during slot allocation in 2016.

Dubai airport officials, in March, had announced that the closure will happen from April 16th-May 30th next year because of maintenance work and installation of upgrades. Flights will be diverted to Al Maktoum International airport during this period. These upgrades are being done to increase the safety and capacity of the runway.

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‘Green’ Buses Will Soon Ferry Passengers To The Hyderabad Airport!

AirWhizzApr 02, 2018 No Comments

‘Green’ Buses Will Soon Ferry Passengers To The Hyderabad Airport!

Aviation Insider

A few months back, The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) had operated a battery-enabled electric bus on the Hyderabad Airport stretch on an experimental basis for a period of one month. The officials operated the bus from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to (RGIA) in Shamshabad to Secunderabad for few weeks to check the efficiency.

They found that the experience was encouraging!

To build on that positive experience, TSRTC announced on Saturday that they will be introducing 40 electric buses to ferry passenger to RGAI in Hyderabad. The electric buses will be introduced in the next 4 months as part of phase 1.

According to the officials at TSRTC, these “Green’ buses will be powered by battery operated electric motors and will not cause pollution, unlike other regular vehicles. Officials have also said that these buses will be cheap so that it is easier for the common passenger to commute to the airport. The fare for these electric buses will be the same as those for public AC buses. Nobody will be charged an additional fare. This new fleet of buses will replace the current buses operating on the airport route. The project work on this project has already started and has been given to a private agency.

Below are a few pointers about the specifications of the bus and its operation –

  • Each bus will be 12-Meter-long low floor AC ‘Green’ bus.
  • It is being manufactured by a Chinese company – BYD
  • Each bus will cost Rs 2.4 crore, with a seating capacity of 40 passengers
  • The bus will be operated by the private agency for 12 years and the TSRTC will pay the agency
  • Maintenance, appointment of driver and fuel will the responsibility of the agency, but the conductor will be a TSRTC employee

This initiative is being implemented in phases with the phase 1, of introducing 40 green buses, to be completed within 4 months. The phase 2 of this project will see 60 more electric buses being introduced depending on the response and experience of the passengers.

There is a need for such initiatives in the country since India is the world’s 5th largest auto market. Shifting to electric vehicles will reduce harmful vehicle emissions by 37%. This project will also help the governments aim to make India shift completely to electric vehicles by 2030 and make the country emission-free by 2040.

The Green buses will be introduced in a few months but before that, if you are looking to travel to the Hyderabad Airport, look no further!

Download the AirWhizz App to get notifications on when to leave based on real-time traffic updates and book your Ola/Uber ride to the airport from the app itself. Fly Stress-Free!

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Meet Kempa,The Humanoid At The Bangalore Airport!

AirWhizzMar 31, 2018 No Comments

Meet Kempa,The Humanoid At The Bangalore Airport!

Aviation Insider

Flying into the Bangalore Airport? Get ready to be greeted by “Kempa” the Robot!

Passengers reaching the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bangalore will soon be able to meet “Kempa”. The humanoid robot will be installed to offer airport directions and information on tourist places in Karnataka.

Kempa has been named after the Bangalore’s International airport and is currently being tested by Bengaluru based start-up Sirena Technologies. Once it is installed, the city’s International Airport will join several other airports around the world, which use robots for assisting passengers, scanning luggage and issuing boarding passes.

Priyank Kharge, the Karnataka ministry of Minister for Innovation & Technology tweeted a video, announcing that Kempa will be giving information on Karnataka tourism in the Kempegowda International Airport. The video goes on to show how other than suggesting places to visit in the state, the robot also engages with passengers in English and Kannada.

The robot will give information about flights, check-in details, things to do at the airport and so on to help the passengers. Kempa will tell you about Karnataka and the famous places you can visit, besides the state’s heritage and culture. Artificial Intelligence is being used for the first time at Indian airports to help passengers.

Sirena Technologies have been successful in testing humanoid robots in the field of education, where AI robots help kids by teaching different subjects and life skills and the company is one of the many companies to benefit from the government’s startup policy. The robot is completely developed in Bangalore.

Humanoid robots like Kempa are no strangers to helping travellers around the world. In Japan and other countries, Kempa’s robot colleagues are seen assisting customers in shops, hotels, and airports. Lufthansa Airline has recently introduced a humanoid robot, ‘Josie’ in Terminal 2 of the Munich Airport for check-ins, scanning passengers’ baggage and issuing boarding passes.

Kempa will be installed at the Bangalore airport soon! In the meantime, if you are flying and need information about the airport, look no further. Download the AirWhizz app and get all the information about your flight and the airport on the move.

Travel smart and Fly Stress-Free!

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Chaos And Confusion Hits Delhi Airport As Passenger Bags Get Misplaced!

AirWhizzMar 30, 2018 No Comments

Chaos And Confusion Hits Delhi Airport As Passenger Bags Get Misplaced!

Aviation Insider

Long weekend travel plans took a hit on Thursday evening at the Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, after a failure in the baggage handling system. This resulted in thousands of misplaced bags which led to chaos at check-in counters causing a few flights to get delayed.

According to the Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL), the delays were caused by an increased number of check-ins of dangerous goods, such as power banks and lighters in the checked-in luggage of passengers. One of the other reasons for this chaos was the increase in the number of passengers travelling during this long weekend. The check-in rate rose by about 30 percent which is higher than usual rate.

The security at the airport has to physically check for prohibited items and remove them. Due to the increase in the number of passengers carrying such items, the security clearance process slowed down and caused this issue at the Delhi International airport.

There was a lot of activity on twitter where passengers took to the social media site expressing their grievances. Airlines posted on twitter as well explaining that the situation was out of their control. Apologising for the inconvenience, Vistara Airline tweeted, “We would like to inform you that Delhi airport has been facing challenges with the baggage handling system post check-in. All airlines and hundreds of bags have been impacted and not being loaded onto flights.”

The tweet also said that the airline has taken this matter up with Delhi airport officials and will soon start probing into the issue.

Items like power banks, e-cigarettes and loose lithium batteries are prohibited in the checked-in luggage due to chances of them catching fire in the baggage hold. In fact, on 22nd March a Vistara Flight from Delhi to Hyderabad had to return because a passenger who forgot to remove his power bank at the security check-in form his luggage.

To know exactly what items are prohibited in your check-in as well as hand baggage, We at AirWhizz have compiled a list of items you should avoid carrying with you on your next flight –

  • Toxic Items such as such as poison, open alcohol bottles etc
  • Weapons
  • Flammable items such as lighters and matchbox
  • Items containing kerosene or petrol
  • Explosive items such as crackers and fireworks
  • Items such as power banks, batteries, and acid

So, the next time you fly, download the AirWhizz App and get access to the different airline policies and baggage regulations to plan your trip accordingly. Become an aware flyer, travel like a pro and Fly Stress-Free!

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