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Mumbai Airport Sets World Record For Handling Maximum Flights In 24 Hours!

AirWhizzDec 10, 2018 No Comments

Mumbai Airport Sets World Record For Handling Maximum Flights In 24 Hours!

Aviation Insider

By operating the maximum number of aircraft in 24 hours, Mumbai Airport broke its own record on Saturday.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) handled a record 1004 flight movements in a day, exceeding its own record of operating 1003 flights in June this year.

Part of the credits for this accolade goes to the incoming of guests for the pre-wedding bash of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal in Udaipur.

The spike in flight operations is mainly due to the excess demand for flights and charter aircraft to Udaipur by several VVIPs attending the wedding function.

As many as 903 scheduled, 59 non-scheduled, 8 charter, 31 freight and 3 military flights were handled by the airport.

Similarly, the Maharana Pratap airport in Udaipur saw over 200 chartered flights fly into the city for the pre-wedding bash. The Ambani family has, apparently, booked 20 aircraft from commercial airlines for their guests. 

According to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson, they have ferried 1004 flights on a single runway within 24 hours. If they compare even internationally, then the busy Gatwick airport too, falls behind as they do not ferry these many flight movements.

The GVK consortium-led Mumbai Airport handled 48.49 million passengers in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, registering a 7.4 percent growth over FY17.

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Authorities Preparing To Make Delhi Airport Emergency Ready!

AirWhizzDec 07, 2018 No Comments

Authorities Preparing To Make Delhi Airport Emergency Ready!

Aviation Insider

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport will now have increased safety and rapid response against threats and emergency.

In a bid to do this about 50 officials from   Delhi Police, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), cargo workers, airlines staff and firefighters will be trained at the Delhi airport to handle Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear (CBRN) emergency situations.

This programme was initiated after the National DisasterManagement Authority (NDMA) carried out a survey at airports across country to find out preparedness against CBRN threats and identified gaps.

Here’s how the training will take place:

  • The training will be conducted by the NDMA officials along with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Airports Authority to India (AAI)
  • They are focusing on training these officers and enabling them to be able to manage the emergency situation until the experts reach the site to contain the situation
  • The programme will have various aspects of the CBRN emergency including safety, detection of CBRN threat, precautions against it and then how to manage such an emergency
  • The training will start on December 10 and will go on for five days

The programme will be led by Mr. S.K.Mishra, Senior consultant to NDMA & a former scientists at Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Experts from DAE, Institute of Nuclear Medicine Allied Sciences (INMAS), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will also cover the lecture sessions and field exercises.

In case you didn’t know, isotopes used for medical purposes are often stored in cargo terminals at airport, along with other hazardous chemicals. This is very hazardous and can lead to an unwanted emergency situation, making airports  vulnerable to radiological threats.

Airport authorities will be trained on what to do and what not to do in such situations.

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Vijayawada Airport To Soon Get A Modern Makeover!

AirWhizzDec 06, 2018 No Comments

Vijayawada Airport To Soon Get A Modern Makeover!

Aviation Insider

A new state-of-the-art Airport Terminal Building is all set to be constructed at the Vijayawada Airport.

The terminal will have modern facilities like such as Baggage Handling System, Arrival Baggage claim Carousels, Central Air-conditioning , Public Address System, Flight Information Display System(FIDS), and Check-in Counters with Common Use Terminal Equipment(CUTE) will be available.

The building boasts of a peak hour handling capacity of 1200 passengers (800 Domestic +400 International). The annual passengers handling capacity will be around 3.33 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA).

Here are a few other details of the new Vijayawada Airport’s Integrated Terminal :

  • The building will have 24 check-in counters, 1 baggage conveyor belt in the departure area and 5 baggage claim carousels
  • Since the airport is international, it will have a total of 14 immigration counters, 10 for arrivals and 4 for departure
  • There will be 4 customer redressal counters, 3 for arrival and 1 for departure
  • It can hold up to 1200 cars out of which 200 parking slots will be for taxi
  • The total cost of the new building is Rs 611 crores.
  • The terminal building will be spread across 35000 sqm

The design is inspired by the rural-urban blend of Vijayawada’s culture. the exteriors and interiors of the airport have been designed to show the uniqueness of this region.

The local environment and cultural reference, as well as the historical art and architecture of the region, are interpreted in a modern way to add life to the building.

Construction of the new facility is being done by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It manages over 100 airports in India and has been taking major initiatives to improve air connectivity and enhance infrastructure at the airports by providing world-class facilities to passengers.

The Bhoomi Pujan of the new building was performed on Tuesday by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

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Punjab To Soon Get Its 3rd International Airport!

AirWhizzDec 04, 2018 No Comments

Punjab To Soon Get Its 3rd International Airport!

Aviation Insider

After Mohali and Amritsar, Halwara near Ludhiana will be the 3rd city in Punjab to have an international airport.

The Punjab cabinet on Monday approved the setting up of an international civil terminal at the Indian Air Force station in Halwara, which is 32 Kms away from Ludhiana.

The Cabinet has also given a go-ahead to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority Of India(AAI) for the project.

AAI would have a majority stake of 51% in the joint venture company while the state government, through Greater Ludhiana Development Authority, will have 49% stake.

The state government as provided 135. 54 acres of land for the project. The expenditure for the development of the airport will be taken care of by AAI while the expenditure on operations, maintenance and repairs would be taken care of by the Joint venture.

Here are the details of the project:

  • The 1st phase will include the development of the international terminal, which is expected to be completed in 3 years
  • The terminal will be able to accommodate bigger airplane models like the Boeing 737-700 and Airbus A-320
  • The project is aimed at boosting the economic development of Punjab’s business and industrial hub Ludhiana

At present Ludhiana is serviced by a small domestic airport at Sahnewal under the operational control of AAI, which runs regional airplanes to Delhi. Ludhiana also has the advantage of being at the geographical center of Punjab, so this move will surely be beneficial for them.

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Mumbai Airport’s “GVK Lounge” Awarded The World’s Best Airport Lounge!

AirWhizzDec 03, 2018 No Comments

Mumbai Airport’s “GVK Lounge” Awarded The World’s Best Airport Lounge!

Aviation Insider

The “GVK Lounge” at Terminal 2 in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has been given the award for  the best “Business Class Airport Lounge” in the world.

The award was given at the prestigious ‘World Travel Awards 2018” which was held in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday.

The GVK Lounge, operated by Travel Food Services (TFS) and Zurich based firm, Performa, was among the 14 nominees for the “World’s Leading Airport Lounge – Business Class 2018” and was declared the winner.

It also won the award for “Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge” and “Asia’s Leading Domestic Airport Lounge”.

The GVK Lounge beat stiff competition from business class lounges from around the world, including lounges like Air Mauritius lounge at Mauritius airport, British Airways Galleries Lounge at Heathrow airport in London, Emirates lounge at Dubai airport, Etihad Airways lounge at Abu Dhabi airport, Qatar Airways’ lounge at Doha and Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse at Heathrow airport.

The management team from TFS and Performa, including Managing Director of Performa Beat Ehlers, Director of TFS Varun Kapur, Director Operations Methilda Pary and General Manager of Commercial of Mumbai Airport Lounge Services Kerrsi Rusi Mistry, were among those who were present at the awards ceremony.

This is the first time that GVK Lounge has won the award in “ Business Class” category. However, It has won awards for the World’s Leading Airport Lounge (First Class) & Asia’s Leading Airport Lounge for the last four consecutive years.

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Kannur International Airport To Start Operations From 9th December!

AirWhizzDec 01, 2018 No Comments

Kannur International Airport To Start Operations From 9th December!

Aviation Insider

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the newly-constructed Kannur International Airport (KIA) on December 9.

The airport, to be operated by Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL), is the second greenfield airport to be built under public-private partnership (PPP) model in Kerala after Kochin International Airport.

According to Mr. V. Thulasidas, Managing Director of KIAL, more airlines are expected to start services to and from Kannur in January.

GoAir, Indigo, and SpiceJet are awaiting final clearance from the director general of civil aviation (DGCA). If clearance is received, GoAir is likely to operate its first service on December 9 itself. IndiGo will start services by the middle of January 2019

Mr. Thulasidas has also said that some foreign airlines have already submitted proposals to the DGCA for beginning services connecting Kannur

The inaugural flight will be Air India Express to Abu Dhabi, which will be flagged off on December 9.

The airport will have 24 check-in counters initially, which can be increased up to 48 as per requirement. The airport is provided with six passenger boarding bridges, which can also be increased in future.

The length of the runway, which is at present 3050 metres, will be soon increased to 4000 metres. Though the airport was developed with the facility to handle 2000 passengers, the present facility allows handling of more than the estimated capacity.

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Get Ready To Fly Abroad From Hubballi Airport!

AirWhizzNov 30, 2018 No Comments

Get Ready To Fly Abroad From Hubballi Airport!

Aviation Insider

Airlines in India will soon allow passengers to fly from Hubballi to international destinations in the coming few days.

It is reported that IndiGo, which operates daily flights from Hubballi to Bengaluru, Cochin , Ahmedabad and Chennai, will be the first to do so.

After the airport was developed to international standards at a cost of Rs 130 Crores, the city was chosen under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.

At present, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India are operating direct flights to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai, Kochi, and Mangaluru from Hubballi airport, which has resulted in an increase in the number of flyers from the city.

IndiGo is planning to provide connectivity to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Doha, Singapore, Hong Kong & other international destinations from Hubballi for the convenience of fliers.

Currently, there are no direct flights to any international destination from Hubballi.

According to reports, IndiGo may start international operations from 1st December. Here are all the details about it:

  • Indigo will offer three connecting flights to Bangkok and Singapore via Chennai every day except Sunday
  • Three flights to Dubai via Ahmedabad on every Sunday
  • Five flights to Hong Kong via Bengaluru
  • Four flights to Male via Cochin
  • Six flights to Singapore via Bengaluru will also be run out of which three will be operated every day of the week except Sunday, while three flights will operate on Sundays
  • Of the six flights to Abu Dhabi via Cochin three will operate on every Tuesday and the other three will run on every day of the week except Tuesday
  • The three flights to Colombo via Chennai will be run every day of the week except Wednesdays and Sundays

Connecting Hubballi with international destinations will definitely help the city grow at a fast pace and may also attract big investors to Hubballi and other surrounding districts.

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Runway Closure At Mumbai Airport From 7th Feb To 30th March 2019

AirWhizzNov 29, 2018 No Comments

Runway Closure At Mumbai Airport From 7th Feb To 30th March 2019

Aviation Insider

Fliers travelling to and from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai, are likely to face delays and see a rise in airfares if they are scheduled to travel between February 7th  and March 30th , 2019.

Senior airport officials said re-carpeting and overlay work of the runway intersection could lead to flight disruptions. Officials said the runway work is done every seven years and was last done in 2012.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has confirmed this development and said a Notice To Airmen (NOTAM, notice filed to let pilots know about the schedule change) has been issued.

This information has been communicated to all the stakeholders(airports, airlines etc) so that passengers can be kept informed about their flight status on these days.

The runways will be shut for six hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm and all the flights will be cancelled during this period.

Mumbai airport that has two cross runways that on an average handle 950 aircraft daily. The main runway (09-27) handles maximum flight operations, while the secondary runway (less efficient than the main runway) is used when the main runway is not available for flight operations.

Delhi Airport had been closed for a few hours every day between 16th & 25th November due to repair work of the runway. This caused around many flight delays and the airfares to/from Delhi Airport to go up exorbitantly.

So make sure that you book your ticket early and keep yourself regularly updated for any changes in your flight’s schedule to/from Mumbai Airport.

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