Hyderabad Airport

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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GVK Looking To Increase Navi Mumbai Airport’s Capacity!

AirWhizzAug 06, 2018 No Comments

Authorities at the GVK-led Navi Mumbai International Airport are looking to raise its passenger handling capacity.

They plan to increase the initial 10 million passengers per year capacity to 20 Million passengers and the overall 60 Million passenger handling capacity to 90 Million passengers. According to a spokesperson at GVK, the company is planning to increase the capacity based on the projected growth in air passenger movement.

If GVK wants to go ahead with this plan, they will have to take permission from the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), the nodal body that has approved and awarded the project.

The decision to expand may however, push the date of starting operations at the airport beyond the government mandated 2020-21. It may take 3 to 4 years to build the airport with the new capacity requirements.

The initial investment will also increase, however, no one has confirmed this as of now. The total project cost is currently estimated at about Rs 16,000 Crores.

If this plan goes through, Navi Mumbai Airport will ultimately have three terminals, with the provision for a fourth. It will be able to handle 120 parked, landing and taxiing airplanes.

The much-delayed Navi Mumbai airport is seen as a critical alternative to the existing airport in India’s financial capital. Mumbai’s airport is India’s second busiest and also its most congested. It handled 48.5 million passengers in 2017-18 and holds the record for being the world’s busiest single-runway airport.

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Delhi Airport Will Soon Deploy Bomb & Bullet Proof Vehicles!

AirWhizzAug 04, 2018 No Comments

Delhi Airport Will Soon Deploy Bomb & Bullet Proof Vehicles!

Aviation Insider

In recent months, a lot of questions have been raised over the amount of security at airports in India!

In response to those questions and to raise security levels, authorities at the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) are planning to procure bullet-proof vehicles for the airport’s security.

These vehicles will be used by Central Industrial Security Force’s (CISF) Quick Response Team (QRT) to counter a crisis situation that may arise in the future.

Delhi Airport will become the first airport in India to deploy such vehicles for security purposes.

The per unit cost of these bullet-proof vehicles will be somewhere around Rs 25 to 40 lakh which will also have light machine gun installed in them. The vehicles will also be bomb resistant. Authorises are planning to deploy 7 such vehicles at the Delhi Airport.

At a time when there have been many vehicular terrorist attacks ( Also Known As Lone-Wolf Attacks) globally, these vehicles will help security teams, to counter such attacks and protect one of the busiest airports in the world in a better way.

The measure has been taken after a series of alerts from intelligence agencies about the possibility of such an attack by terror outfits. CISF is hoping that these vehicles will arrive before this year’s Independence Day.

According to a senior CISF official, these bullet-proof vehicles will patrol the periphery of the airport and will keep a tight check around the terminal areas. There are adequate security checks before anybody gets inside the airport, therefore, no attack can take place within the terminal.

In June 2007, Glasgow airport in Scotland witnessed a terrorist attack wherein a vehicle loaded with propane cans rammed into the glass doors of the airport terminal and was set ablaze.

Delhi Airport falls under the category of “hypersensitive airports of the country”. To tackle such situations, these multi-utility vehicles will be the only resort.

 

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