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Cochin International Airport To Suspend All Operations Till 26th August!

AirWhizzAug 17, 2018 No Comments

Cochin International Airport To Suspend All Operations Till 26th August!

Aviation Insider

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has decided to suspend all flight operations at the airport till 26th of August owing to heavy rains in the region.

This has led to all flights at the airport being cancelled and prompted airlines to make special arrangements for the passengers, including alternative flights to nearby airports.

The decision has been taken by the Civil Aviation Ministry and a NOTAM(Notice To Airmen) has been issued by the Air Navigation Services wing of Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Directorate General Of Civil Aviation(DGCA) has also announced measures to address the issues that have risen due to the suspension of flight operations to and from Cochin airport. They have advised airlines to cap the fare on Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram sector to Rs 10,000. It has also asked the airlines to keep the fares on other flights going to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in check.

The government has said that Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut airports are available for scheduled operations of the Cochin airport. For international operations, both immigration and customs facilities are available 24×7 at these airports.

Eight domestic airlines namely Air India, Air India Express, AirAsia India, Vistara, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and 12 international airlines such as Oman Air, Saudia, FlyDubai, Jazeera Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Malindo, AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Scoot and Sri Lankan Airlines fly from the Cochin International Airport.

Flights of airlines such as Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai, Jazeera, Oman Air, Qatar, Saudia Airlines and SriLankan have been rescheduled for Thiruvananthapuram airport. Other international airlines such as Air Asia Berhad, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airlines, Malindo, Scoot, Silk Air and Thai AirAsia have suspended their flights to/from Cochin.

Among domestic carriers, Vistara, which only operated to Cochin airport in Kerala, has started special flights to Thiruvananthapuram. Domestic airlines have also offered to not charge rescheduling and cancellation fee for passengers booked to fly to or from Cochin International Airport.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore for Kerala, where the death toll since August 8 has risen to 75.

Chief Minister of Odisha, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, has offered any other kind of support required to tackle the calamity, as Odisha has expertise in dealing with disasters.

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Humanoid Robots Introduced At Chennai Airport To Assist Passengers!

AirWhizzAug 16, 2018 No Comments

Humanoid Robots Introduced At Chennai Airport To Assist Passengers!

Aviation Insider

Chennai Airport has become the newest member on the list of Indian airports and airlines that have deployed robots to assist air travellers.

On 15th August, Airports Authority Of India (AAI) deployed 2 humanoid robots at the international airport to greet passengers and assist them by answering different queries.

The two robots have been deployed at the arrival and departure sections of the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal. They will be able to navigate around the airport terminal, greet passengers, converse with them and help them out. The bots are also said to be able to decipher variances in accents and respond with wit.

According to the official twitter handle of the Chennai Airport , the humanoid robots called ‘Mitra’ have been deployed on a trial basis and will provide info on Chennai Airport and its amenities.

According to an airport official, if the trial run is successful, they will look to program the robots  to assist passengers on various queries and guide them to security checks and their respective boarding gates

International airports such as those in Germany have already introduced a humanoid robot named ‘Josie Pepper’.

Earlier this year, Vistara announced the introduction of their robot ‘RADA’ that would help people scan their boarding passes and answer their queries at the airlines’ lounge at the Delhi Airport. A project called ‘Kempa’ was announced to perform similar functions at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

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Cochin Airport Has Suspended All Operations Due To Excessive Rains!

AirWhizzAug 15, 2018 No Comments

Cochin Airport Has Suspended All Operations Due To Excessive Rains!

Aviation Insider

Cochin Airport has suspended all flight operations till 2 pm Wednesday, due to a rise in flood water level in and around the airport since early morning.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held at the airport at 6 a.m. today. Earlier at 3:30 a.m., the airport had decided to suspend operations of arrival flights from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. as a precautionary measure.

By 5:30 a.m. all operations at the airport were shut down due to continuous heavy raining and rising flood water levels.

The decision to suspend the operations was taken after shutters of the Idamalayar and Cheruthoni dams, part of Idukki reservoir, were opened last evening to release excess water.

Around 12 International flights have been diverted, 2 have been cancelled and 4 have got delayed from 4: 20 a.m. onwards. 14 domestic flights have been cancelled and 11 of them have been delayed.

According to a Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL), most of the flights have been diverted to Thiruvananthapuram Airport and a few have been diverted to the Calicut International Airport. If the rains continue, they might have to keep their operations shut for a longer time.

Operations may be suspended till August 18th if the intensity of the rainfall continues!

Vistara announced on Twitter that the UK883 and UK882 flights to/from Cochin have been cancelled for Wednesday, while SpiceJet has advised travellers to visit the airline website to get updated information. Jet Airways has also advised fliers to refer to the airline website for the status of its flights from Cochin.

Cochin Airport has provided emergency numbers on its website. These emergency room numbers are 0484-305 3500 and 2610094.

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Independence Day: Security Tightened At Major Indian Airports!

AirWhizzAug 13, 2018 No Comments

Independence Day: Security Tightened At Major Indian Airports!

Aviation Insider

Security at major airports in India is being tightened ahead of the 72nd Independence Day celebrations.

The Union Home Ministry has already issued a country-wide alert asking states to tighten security at sensitive locations to prevent any attempt of a terror strike.

Here’s how authorities are boosting security at major airports.

Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi

About 100-150 additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been deployed at the airport and passengers may have to undergo a rigorous check of themselves and their luggage, even twice in certain cases.

Intelligence officers in plain clothes have also been added inside the airport premises to profile and identify potential security risks.

According to a CISF personnel,  passengers may have to take off their shoes and belt before they are frisked. He also said that a close eye is being kept at all category of vehicles entering the airport area.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

Entry of visitors has been barred at the city’s airport from 10th  to 20th August. The airport has also issued a statement asking passengers to cooperate with security staff and arrive well in advance at the airport during this period.

Apart from CISF, professionals from the Quick Response Team (QRT) will also be deployed at the airport to deal with any emergency situations.

The police have said that they will be deploying trained officers on the airport premises to keep a lookout for those moving suspiciously at the airport and its surrounding areas.

Chennai International Airport

Following the instructions from the government, the city’s airport has put in place a seven-tier security arrangement.

Passengers with valid tickets are being allowed inside the airport after a thorough frisking of their bags and visitors have been banned from entering the airport premises.

According to authorities, these security measures will be followed till 22nd August.

Apart from Indian airports, security has been buffed up at important places like railway stations, metros stations, temples, commercial establishments, shopping malls and amusement parks.

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Cochin Airport Resumes Normal Flight Operations After Flood Scare!

AirWhizzAug 11, 2018 No Comments

Cochin Airport Resumes Normal Flight Operations After Flood Scare!

Aviation Insider

Due to heavy rains and flooding in nearby areas, Cochin Airport had stopped the operations of arrival flights on Thursday for a few hours.

The arrivals were halted as a precautionary measure following the opening of the Idamalayar and Cheruthoni reservoirs, due to rising water levels in the Periyar river.

According to a statement released by Cochin International Airport Limited(CIAL), operations are running normal at the Kochi airport since the area is not affected by the floods. There have been no cancellations in flights so far.

However, visuals from Kerala are not so reassuring. With all five dams of the Idukki reservoir being open for the first time in the history, people living on the banks of Periyar river and adjoining areas are on high alert. Nedumbassery, where the airport is situated, is adjacent to Aluva, one of the areas which has been severely affected by floods.

Airline companies, which operate services in the state, are keeping their fingers crossed. The companies will have to incur huge operational cost in case of flight diversions to neighbouring airports if the Cochin Airport is closed.

They also fear that if their airplanes are stranded at the airport due to the floods, their entire schedule would get severely affected. For an airline company, aircraft being stuck in airports is a serious issue than incurring operational expenditure due to flight diversion.

The state government has instructed the authorities at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport and the Calicut International Airport to get prepared to receive airplanes in case the airport is closed.

In 2013, officials had to shut down Cochin Airport, when the adjoining Chengal Canal overflowed after opening the upper Sholayar dam and four shutters of Idamalyar dam due to heavy rainfall, leading to massive floods.

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Varanasi Airport To Have A National Highway Under Its Runway!

AirWhizzAug 10, 2018 No Comments

Varanasi Airport To Have A National Highway Under Its Runway!

Aviation Insider

Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) International Airport, is all set to undergo a unique revamp!

The airport’s runway will have a national highway running under it, which will make it India’s first ever airport runway with such a unique feature. The construction of an underpass will ensure the expansion of the runway for the landing of big airplanes.

Currently, authorities are working on extending the airport’s runway from 2750 meters to 4075 meters. National Highway (NH) 56 which will run under the runway and will be converted into a 4 lane road. The runway expansion and underpass construction are happening simultaneously.

According to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director, Mr. S.B.Singh, NH 56 will be India’s first highway to pass under an airport runway. The project will also solve the long-pending issue of deciding the alignment of the NH 56.

In 2004, Airports Authority Of India (AAI) had proposed for the expansion of the airport’s runway. However, as a railway track runs on the eastern side of the runway, the expansion could only take place on the west where the NH-56 exists.

The proposal was rejected for over a decade but in 2015 AAI sent a letter to the Utter Pradesh Government, seeking the required land. For the project, AAI acquired 593.77 acres of land in Mangari, Bikunthpur, Karmi, Ghamhapur  Karmi, Sagunaha and Pura Raghunathpur villages.

Australia’s Brisbane International Airport and Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport(In The Picture Above) are 2 such airports around the world which have national highways running underneath their runways.

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Second International Airport To Open In Goa To Boost Tourism!

AirWhizzAug 09, 2018 No Comments

Second International Airport To Open In Goa To Boost Tourism!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to cater to the increasing tourism in Goa, authorities will soon open a second international airport in Mopa, which is located in the north side of the state.

The upcoming Mopa Airport will be a greenfield airport and will have a capacity to handle around 30 million passengers in a year.

The airport will be built in 4 phases and will handle both passengers and cargo. In a letter to MLA Nilesh Cabral the Chief Minister of Goa, Mr. Manohar Parrikar, has asked to assign Rs 1900 crores for phase 1 of the project.

Phase 1 of the construction will be completed by 2020. Flight operations will commence thereafter and the commencement of phase 2 will start simultaneously.

Passenger capacity will be distributed throughout the four phases of the Mopa Airport, and eventually, by the end of phase 4, it will be able to fly 30 million passengers each year.

According to Mr. Parrikar, the annual passenger handling capacity of Mopa Airport will be 4.4 million in phase 1, 5.8 million phase 2, 9.4 million in phase 3 and 13.1 million in phase 4.

He has also said that the current Dabolim International Airport, which is a military-operated facility, will continue handling civilian aircraft operations even after the commissioning of the new international airport at Mopa.

The new airport will help bring in more tourists to the state, and the Dabolim Airport won’t have to take in too much of the passenger pressure. In 2016, Goa witnessed a 19.5 % growth in tourist footfalls (63.31 lakh tourists) and in 2017, that percentage increased to 22.98 %, with a total footfall of 77.85 lakh tourists.

Goa, being one of the prime tourist locations in India, attracts a massive crowd, especially during the winter months. With the opening of a second airport, travellers will have more options during the tourist season.

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Authorities Are Preparing Indian Airports To Handle Natural Disasters!

AirWhizzAug 08, 2018 No Comments

Authorities Are Preparing Indian Airports To Handle Natural Disasters!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to protect Indian airports from natural disasters, Airports Authority of India (AAI) is conducting the ‘‘Get Airports Ready for Disaster” or GARD programme in the country.

GARD is a joint initiative between Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

This initiative is aimed at preparing airports to chalk out a plan to resist any kind of natural disaster. The pilot project of this initiative is being conducted at the Calicut International Airport in Kozhikode. Operations experts from 15 airports in India are attending this 5-day session, which started on Monday.

The GARD project ensures that the airport management is prepared to handle emergency situations such as failure of electricity/fuel supply, passenger/flight operations and security measures which often takes place during a natural disaster.

The experts will learn how to evaluate the current level of preparedness at airports, conduct training exercises, and develop an action plan to ensure that airports are prepared for natural disasters in the future. Till now, the GARD training programme has been conducted in 40 countries.

According to DPDHL’s Director of Humanitarian Efforts, Chris Weeks, this is the first time the GARD programme is being conducted at a global level to train airport operators in countries which are above the average risk for natural disasters.

UNDP’s Assistant Country Director, Dr. Preeti Soni, has said that with increased climate change vulnerability, it is essential to improve national capacities and resilience against natural disasters. This can be achieved by training local authorities in special customs & immigration and having a passenger evacuation plan or accommodation within airports for the first 72 hours of an emergency situation.

With heavy rains disrupting day to day flight operations in India, this programme will surely help airport operators manage such situations and make life easier for air travellers.

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