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Service Standards At Major Indian Airports To Be Closely Monitored!

AirWhizzJul 26, 2018 No Comments

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Of India(AERA) has announced that they will soon start monitoring the quality of passenger service at major Indian airports.

The authority will check if big Indian airports are meeting the service standards they have promised, in terms of time taken for various processes like check-in, security check and immigration.

AERA is responsible for fixing tariffs for Indian Airports which handle more than 15 million air travellers in a year. They are responsible for deciding the taxes, such as User development Fee, that a passenger has to pay.

They have said that AERA will start linking passenger service quality at an airport to determine the tariffs. They will start penalizing airports with sluggish services and reward those where passengers can breeze through the airport.

This decision has been taken to stop the congestion at airports during peak travel hours. Their concern is that airports have started to resemble overcrowded railway stations, where serpentine-like queues are a common site at check-in desks, security checks and immigration counters.

This has mainly happened because private airport operators and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have failed to meet the infrastructural demands after air travel exploded over the last few years.

According to AERA’s Chairman, Mr. S. Machendranathan, they will be appointing consultants to measure the quality of services provided at big airports. If the service standards are not met, AERA will start penalising them.

Hopefully, with this, airports will now make an extra effort to make sure that an air passengers journey through the airport is hassle-free.

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Indian Airports May Soon Get 3D Scanners To Check Hand Baggage!

AirWhizzJul 25, 2018 No Comments

Indian Airports May Soon Get 3D Scanners To Check Hand Baggage!

Aviation Insider

Removing laptops, tablets and liquid items during airport security checks may soon become a thing of the past.

Some of the busiest airports in the world are conducting trial runs for screening bags using 3D technology.

The Central Industrial Security Force(CISF), who is in charge of security at Indian airports, is closely keeping a watch on these trials and might decide to test it here.

3D scanning machines have so far been tested at the New York’s JFK Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. London Heathrow airport is currently conducting trials of this technology.

CISF released a statement saying that to implement this system they will have to change the rules regarding physical checking of handbags. They also said that senior officials at the Civil Aviation Ministry are very positive about this new technology and might consider bringing it to India.

According to a Bangalore Airport spokesperson, preliminary discussion to install 3D scanning machines at the city’s airport are underway. They are looking forward to deploying this technology with a view to enhance customer experience and make airport security more efficient.

Most Indian airports, over the past few years, have not been able to improve their airport security infrastructure, leading to long serpentine-like queues during peak hours.

In fact, CISF had raised a red flag last year, over increasing rush at security checkpoints at busy airports. According to a report released by them, the total passenger traffic at all airports has increased by 65% over the past 5 years. However, this increase is skewed and abnormally high during peak hours at certain airports.

The CISF report also says that despite this huge increase, the security infrastructure and manpower have remained the same. This has resulted in congestion at security checkpoints and undue pressure on security personnel for speedy clearance.

Since expanding airport infrastructure takes time, technology like this will surely help manage the growing air passenger traffic at Indian airports.

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5 More Indian Airports To Allow Tag-Free Hand Baggage!

AirWhizzJul 24, 2018 No Comments

5 More Indian Airports To Allow Tag-Free Hand Baggage!

Aviation Insider

To make a passenger’s airport experience hassle-free, Central Industrial Security Force( CISF) has been continuously bringing changes to its airport security procedures.

On Monday, CISF announced that they will stop the practice of hand baggage stamping at the Khajuraho Airport, Swami Vivekanand Airport in Raipur, Jorhat Airport, Dimapur Airport and Shillong Airport.

A total of 42 Indian airports, including the 5 airports mentioned above, have done away with hand baggage stamping.

This new airport security regime was launched in April 2017 by CISF in consultation with the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

In order to implement this system, airports have had to upgrade their security arrangements by installing smart cameras and other high-tech security equipment.

According to a CISF Official, the operators of these 5 airports were asked to increase the length of the conveyor belt of the x-ray machine, so that handbags could be checked easily.

CISF Director, General Rajesh Ranjan, had recently released a statement saying that this practice will be implemented on all airports under CISF, by the end of 2018. Currently, CISF handles the security at 60 airports across India.

The old process of stamping hand baggage had become a major irritant for air travellers and airport authorities around India received many complaints about it.

Passengers complained that this process is a hassle for them because its very time consuming and in case they forgot to get it tagged, security personnel at the boarding gate would send them back.

CISF has acted upon these complaints and with technology advancing at a fast pace, all these procedures have now been replaced by smart gadgets to better equip security personnel at the airport.

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Surat Airport Gets Permission To Operate 24/7!

AirWhizzJul 23, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport Gets Permission To Operate 24/7!

Aviation Insider

Surat Airport, which has recently been given an international status, is all set to operate 24/7.

Airports Authority Of India(AAI) has given the airport permission to operate round the clock. Airport operators have already started the process to recruit staff and set up immigration & customs counters at the terminal.

Last month, as per the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs notification, Surat Airport was given the status of a ‘Customs Airport’, making it eligible to operate international flights.

Confirming this news, Mr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman of AAI  said that despite knowing the fact that Surat Airport is making losses, AAI has decided to make it operational for 24 hours a day. This is because they see a huge potential to expand air connectivity to South East Asia through Surat.

From October 1st, 2018, the airport will be operational 24/7 and will commence its first international flight. At present, the airport operates in 2 shifts between 6.00 a.m & 11.00 p.m. It remains shut for nearly eight hours every day.

Air India Express has shown interest in starting flights from Surat to Dubai. In fact, Mr. K Shyam Sundar, CEO of Air India Express, had visited the airport last year to inspect the terminal building, runway and other facilities available at the airport.

Recently, the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujrat, Mr. Nitin Patel, in his budget speech said that he has set aside Rs 1 Crore for setting up immigration facilities at the airport. The home department of the Gujrat Government has already asked the Director General of Police(DGP) to allot 68 immigration staff members at the airport for the financial year 2018-19.

Air passenger traffic at the airport has been on the rise and is continuously increasing by 20-25 percent every year. With Surat airport getting the nod to operate round the clock, International airlines can look at this city as an opportunity to boost their operations in India.

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Delhi & Mumbai Airport Will Soon Introduce “TaxiBots”!

AirWhizzJul 21, 2018 No Comments

Delhi & Mumbai Airport Will Soon Introduce “TaxiBots”!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to control air pollution and to help airlines save fuel, Delhi And Mumbai Airport are all set to introduce ‘TaxiBots’.

TaxiBots are aircraft taxiing vehicles that can reduce air pollution by reducing emissions from aircraft engines, as well as help airplanes save on fuel consumption by 85%.

Here’s how TaxiBots work–

  • TaxiBot is a semi-robotic vehicle which connects to the aircraft and is controlled by the pilot.
  • The vehicle is then used to taxi the aircraft from the parking bay to the runway, without using the airplane’s main engine.
  • It lifts and holds the aircrafts nose wheel, while the pilot backs the airplane from the terminal building.

These vehicles will also help reduce aircraft engine noise levels by 60% and foreign object damage by 50%.

TaxiBots have been designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), who announced last week that they will partner with KSU Aviation from India to operate these vehicles at Delhi and Mumbai Airport.

According to IAI, the contract will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will see these vehicles being implemented on a trial basis until December 2018.

The second phase will involve delivering 38 additional vehicles within a span of four years to the two international airports. Delhi Airport is likely to be the first to deploy these vehicles.

Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL) has said that Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) will be the first airport in the world to use this technology. They also said that the trials will start by September 2018 for a period of three months.

It is estimated that the air passenger traffic in India will increase from 308.7 million in 2018 to 1.6 billion by 2033. More than 1500 aircrafts have been ordered by different international & domestic airlines to operate in India.

TaxiBots may be the answer to the pollution at airports that may be caused by this exponential growth. If the trial is successful, other airports in India should consider adopting this technology to become more environmental friendly.

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Bangalore Airport Under Pressure To Withdraw User Development Fee!

AirWhizzJul 19, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport Under Pressure To Withdraw User Development Fee!

Aviation Insider

With Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) registering huge profits in the past three years, there is a growing demand for withdrawal of the User Development Fee (UDF).

UDF is the tax that is levied on an airplane passenger by the airport operator, to receive a fair share of return on the investment done for development of the airport.

The Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) wants BIAL to stop burdening passengers with the fee and fund their infrastructure projects from other sources.

According to the data collected by B.PAC, BAIL has collected a total sum of Rs 1212 Crore as UDF in the past 2 years. This amount is 30%  more than what BIAL had estimated, based on traffic projections in 2010. .

The annual reports of Bangalore Airport show that 40% of its revenue comes from UDF. In the year 2016-2017 BIAL generated Rs 1,314.35 crore from operations out of which, more than Rs 500 Crores was only from UDF.

Here’s a chart showing the UDF collection by the Bangalore Airport-

BIAL is pushing for the continuation of the existing UDF till 2021 to fund its future infrastructure projects. The airport is running at full capacity of 25 million passengers a year and BIAL is targeting to double it in the next four years.

Airport authorities are planning to build a runway, a new terminal building and supporting infrastructure in the near future. They estimate that this expansion will cost Rs 12000 crores. The Karnataka government has supported BIAL’s stand on continuing the current UDF charges.

Managing Trustee of B.PAC, Ms. Revathy Ashok, has said its unfair to burden the passengers with this fee since the airport recorded a profit of 50 % last year. She also said that this kind of profitability is unheard of in any industry and this establishes the fact that excessive UDF charges have contributed to BIAL’s higher profit margin.

According to a citizen activist Mr Sanjeev Dyamannavar, in the past 10 years, BIAL has not done anything to generate income from the airport land. He suggests that they should tap into non-aeronautical revenue instead of burdening the passengers.

UDF is revised every 5 years by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The fee was last revised at the Bangalore Airport in 2015. Currently, Bangalore Airport charges the highest UDF in India.

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Airport Authorities May Soon Hike Passenger Security Fee!

AirWhizzJul 18, 2018 No Comments

Airport Authorities May Soon Hike Passenger Security Fee!

Aviation Insider

Air tickets may soon become expensive as airport authorities have asked the government to increase the Passenger Security Fee (PSF).

PSF is the surcharge paid by each flyer to cover the cost of security deployed at airports. Currently, a passenger pays Rs 130 as security fee to the airlines when they book an airplane ticket.

Airport operators want this fee to be increased because the current amount is not enough to cover the airport security cost.

The fee is used to pay the salaries of Central Industrial Security Force(CISF) and state police personnel who are deployed to protect the passengers at airports.

According to the Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Mr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, The annual expense on airport security amounts to Rs 900 Crore & the ministry is facing a shortfall of more than Rs 100 Crores.

All airport operators have submitted their projection reports to the ministry and the latter is in discussion with these operators on hiking the PSF amount.

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Indian Airports Left Vulnerable Due To Lack Of CCTV Cameras!

AirWhizzJul 16, 2018 No Comments

Indian Airports Left Vulnerable Due To Lack Of CCTV Cameras!

Aviation Insider

In an annual audit conducted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), it was found that security at Indian airports is not as tight as it should be.

CISF has highlighted that there are “Dark Zones” at 34 airports in India. These zones have been created due to a lack of CCTV cameras at these airports.

‘Dark Zone’ is a term used by authorities to identify areas inside the airport which cannot be seen by the security through CCTV cameras. Dark zones arise due to modification work inside terminal areas or change in the airport layout

According to CISF’s audit report, there is a deficiency of 1,882 cameras at these 34 airports and many of them don’t have a ‘Digital Video Recording System’. This hampers the CISF’s investigation process.

Apart from CCTV cameras, the audit report also addresses other security issues such as shortage of baggage X-ray machines, bomb detectors and walkie-talkies at airports across the country.

According to a CISF officer, passengers are occasionally checked at entry gates based on profiling. For that, they need  X-ray machines, Hand-Held Metal Detectors (HHMDs), Door-Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs) and Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs). He also said that 26 airports need X-ray machines,  3 airports need HHMDs, 8 airports need DFMDs & 30 airports need ETDs.

Airports Authority Of India(AAI) has said that 402 additional x-ray machines have been procured. Apart from this AAI will hold meetings with stakeholders and members of the airport security committee on a regular basis to implement various security measures required.

CISF was created in 1969 and has been providing security to airports, government buildings, seaports and power plants amongst others. It manages security at 60 out of the 98 operational airports in India.

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