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Mumbai Airport Breaks Its Own Record,Handles Over 1000 Flights In A Day!

AirWhizzJun 07, 2018 No Comments

Mumbai Airport Breaks Its Own Record,Handles Over 1000 Flights In A Day!

Aviation Insider

Mumbai Airport, the world’s busiest single-runway airport, has broken its own record by handling 1003 flights in a single day.

In January 2018, Mumbai Airport handled 980 landings and take-offs, breaking the record for handling the most amount of flights in a single day, which was previously held by  UK’s Gatwick International Airport.

Here are the details of how Mumbai Airport managed this –

  • On Monday evening, due to pre-monsoon showers and heavy winds, 19 flights were diverted and many were delayed.
  • As soon as the weather cleared up around midnight, these flights were accommodated at the airport.
  • These delayed flights landed and took off past midnight on Monday, adding to Tuesday’s data.
  • Between midnight of Monday and Tuesday, the airport handled 506 arrival and 497 departure flights.
  • Domestic airlines recorded an on-time performance of 82%- 83%.

The Mumbai airport has 2 intersecting runways, however, only one runway is operational at a given point of time. The main runway can handle 46 flight movements per hour, while the secondary runway can handle 35 aircraft movements per hour.

According to Mumbai International Airport Limited(MIAL) spokesperson, this record is an acknowledgment of the airport’s effort to set a high benchmark in the global aviation industry. He also said that MIAL is committed and hope that they continue to bring greater efficiency, safety and reliability to their work in the future.

In 2006, when MIAL (A joint venture between GVK & Airports Authority Of India) took over the Mumbai Airport, it was handling up to 584 landings and take-offs in a day. As the years went by, the Indian aviation market continued to grow and the airport started to handle over 900 flights a day with airplanes arriving every 42 seconds at the airport.

In March 2018, Mumbai Airport, along with the Delhi International Airport, was given the award for the ‘World’s Best Airport For Customer Experience’ in the above-40 million passenger category by Airports Council International.

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Pakyong Airport Will Start Operations From This Month!

AirWhizzJun 06, 2018 No Comments

Pakyong Airport Will Start Operations From This Month!

Aviation Insider

The much awaited, Pakyong Airport in Sikkim, is all set to become operational this month.

Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, has finally received the license to operate the Sikkim Airport, which is located 30 km from the state’s capital, Gangtok.

SpiceJet is the only airline till now which has received the permission to operate flights from Kolkata Airport to Pakyong Airport.

On 10th May a test flight was carried out, where SpiceJet used its 78 seater Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 to successfully land at the airport.

Here are some interesting facts about the airport-

  • It is the first Greenfield Airport in Northeast India and is spread across 990 acres.
  • Located at a height of 4590 ft, this airport is considered as one of the 5 highest altitude airports in India.
  • The airport is often called an engineering marvel owing to the extremely rough terrain it has been built on.
  • The airport is built roughly 60 km away from the Indo-China border, giving it a huge strategic advantage. Indian Air Force(IAF) has already done test runs and will use the airport once it’s operational.
  • The project for constructing this airport was sanctioned 11 years ago, however, due to land acquisition problems, the project was delayed. It has been built at an approximate cost of 350 crores.

Sikkim was the only state in India to not have a functional airport, but all that is about to change this month.

As of now, the nearest airport to Gangtok is in Bagdogra, West Bengal, which is 150 Km away. Travellers have to first fly to the Bagdogra Airport and then take a 4.5 hour cab ride to reach the place.

With opening of the Pakyong Airport, it is expected that it will boost tourism, which will help in the economic development of the state and connect it to the rest of India.

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Delhi Airport Goes Green To Combat Pollution!

AirWhizzJun 05, 2018 No Comments

Delhi Airport Goes Green To Combat Pollution!

Aviation Insider

Delhi has had a reputation of being one of the most polluted cities in India, however, the Delhi Airport is combating this situation and is making things easier for passengers at the airport.

Instead of opting for expensive air purifiers, Delhi Airport has put 35000 air purifying plants which can naturally clean the air form basic pollutants.

Here are all the details of this ‘Green’ initiative–

  • Nearly 3.9 million square feet of area within the Delhi Airport has been covered by air purifying plants and shrubs.
  • To purify the air naturally, a mix of different foliage and flowering trees has been used.
  • Plants such as Cassia Fistula, Asltonia Scholaris, Spider Plants, Snake Plants, Golden Pothos, Weeping fig, Jacaranda Mimosifolia and Bamboo Palm have been planted.
  • Each plant type serves a specific purpose, for example, Spider Plants purify the air of Carbon Monoxide and Benzene, while Weeping Fig filters out pollutants from carpets and furniture.
  • The airport plans to add thousands of plants every year and want to keep this green initiative going.

Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL) said that they have been working towards reducing adverse pollution impacts by taking such initiatives. They have also said that various authorities will be monitoring the air quality within the airport.

Currently, Delhi Airport is the 7Th busiest airport in Asia and the 20Th busiest airport in the world. This Green initiative will surely make things easier for international and domestic passengers travelling to the national capital and will help them breath clean & fresh air within the airport after a long flight.

Experts say that using such plants will have a lot of benefits in the long run. It will moderate the temperature, reduce pollution and prevent wastage of water within the airport. In addition to purifying air, these plants will surely enhance the beauty of the airport.

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Hundreds Of Passengers Stranded At Mumbai Airport After Flight Delays!

AirWhizzJun 04, 2018 No Comments

Hundreds Of Passengers Stranded At Mumbai Airport After Flight Delays!

Aviation Insider

A series of flight delays at the Mumbai Airport, on Sunday, left hundreds of passengers stranded, which resulted in a huge ruckus.

Here are the details of the flights that got delayed!

Jet Airways

158 passengers of Ahmedabad bound Jet Airways flight 9W-2314 were stuck at the airport after the flight failed to take off at the scheduled time.

The passengers were told by the cabin crew that the flight did not take off because the Ahmedabad airport was closed.

However, the Ahmedabad Airport Director had given a statement saying that a NOTAM(Notice To Airmen) was issued for runway maintenance work from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. but the Jet Airways aircraft had been given permission to land.

It was discovered later that the Jet Airways flight had a technical fault in the aircraft which caused the delay.

Air India

Air India Flight AI 625 got delayed for 6 hours which left hundreds of passengers fuming at the Mumbai Airport.

The Lucknow bound flight was supposed to depart from Mumbai at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Lucknow by 10:30 a.m. However, the flight could not take off till 2.30 in the afternoon.

According to one of the passengers, it felt like a hostage situation and were stuck at the boarding counter without food, water or any kind of answer from the airline officials.

The passenger also said that officials kept avoiding them and the ground staff was very rude. A few people got agitated and started protesting. The CISF had to come in and handle the situation.

The airline has not given any official statement as to why the flight was delayed.

Several other flights including those of GoAir And Qatar Airways were delayed by short intervals and diverted as Mumbai witnessed its first Pre- Monsoon showers on Saturday.

So, If you want to know whether your flight has been delayed due to bad weather, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App to get real-time flight and weather updates on your phone to plan your trip on the move and Fly Stress-Free!

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Vistara’s AI Robot “RADA”, Will Soon Assist Passengers At The Delhi Airport!

AirWhizzMay 30, 2018 No Comments

Vistara’s AI Robot “RADA”, Will Soon Assist Passengers At The Delhi Airport!

Aviation Insider

Starting from July 2018, passengers travelling with Vistara will be assisted by an Artificially Intelligent robot at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi.

Vistara, which is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has developed a robot to help their passengers, address queries and entertain them before boarding a flight.

Here are all the details about the robot –

  • Vistara has named the AI robot ‘RADA’.
  • The robot will be installed in the ‘Vistara Signature Lounge’ at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3 from 5th July 2018.
  • It is the first AI robot in India to be deployed at an airport to assist passengers.
  • It is built on the chassis of 4 wheels, which enables it to rotate 360 degrees and has 3 inbuilt cameras to help it interact with customers at the lounge.
  • ‘RADA’ is capable of scanning boarding passes, giving information about terminals & departure gates, real-time flight updates, weather conditions and different products. It also tells passengers about the services offered by Vistara.
  • It will use basic hand movements to greet the passengers entering the lounge and will move around on a predefined path.
  • It is also capable of entertaining kids and adults by playing games, videos and songs.
  • Over a period of time, the AI robot will be developed in terms of functionality and features based on customer feedback.
  • The airline claims that it is one of the most economical AI robots in India, which is completely made from components manufactured within the country.

‘RADA’ has been developed under Vistara’s ‘Innovation Initiative’. It has been designed and engineered by experts from the TATA Innovation Lab with the help of students from reputed institutions.

According to Mr Ravinder Pal Singh, Vistara’s Chief Information and Innovation Officer, the idea behind this concept was to build a simple and extremely cost-effective robot which is capable of basic human interaction to start with. He also said that the robot will further be developed to perform more complex tasks to handle the evolving passenger habits in this technological age.

With this innovation, Vistara will surely enhance its customer’s experience and will further strengthen its hold in the domestic aviation market.

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Trial Run For ‘Digi-Yatra’ Starts At The Chennai Airport!

AirWhizzMay 29, 2018 No Comments

Trial Run For ‘Digi-Yatra’ Starts At The Chennai Airport!

Aviation Insider

Passengers at the Chennai Airport will soon be able to experience a paperless boarding process.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started a trial run of the ‘Digi-Yatra’ programme at the Chennai Airport to introduce paperless travel to domestic and international travellers.

The concept of ‘Digi-Yatra’ was introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in June 2017. It aims at making the travellers journey through the airport hassle-free by incorporating modern technology.

To use this facility passengers will have to register themselves at the government’s Air-Sewa portal and generate a ‘Digi-Yatra-ID’.

Here are the details of how the system is being implemented at the Chennai Airport –

  • E-Gates will be used by the passengers for Check-in and Immigration boarding.
  • All the information about the passenger will be shared with agencies working at the airport, via the portal, for faster identity authentication.
  • Immigration counters will be rearranged at the airport to incorporate the E-Gates.
  • This arrangement will help passengers, who have the unique Identity number, to pass through these E-Gates with ease.
  • The Air Seva App will help passengers navigate through the Chennai Airport using a digital guidance system.
  • The authorities are also going to implement interactive Kiosks at the airport and develop augmented reality apps for the passenger’s convenience.

Authorities at the Chennai Airport are looking to implement ‘Digi-Yatra’ to ease congestion, especially at the international terminal.

A few weeks back AAI conducted a trial run at the Hyderabad and Bangalore Airport in which boarding of a few passengers was done using E-Gates. The response was really good, and the average boarding time was reduced by almost  15 minutes.

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Everything You Need To Know About The Delhi Airport!

AirWhizzMay 28, 2018 No Comments

Everything You Need To Know About The Delhi Airport!

Aviation Insider

Frequent flyers travelling to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi have made this airport their second home.

From having breakfast and relaxing during pit-stops to shopping at duty-free and airplane spotting, this technologically advanced airport has served weary travellers well.

Yet, most of us are unaware about the years of planning that has gone in building this facility to make air travel a breeze.

So, let us look at how this modern marvel came into being and what it has achieved.

History

The main airport for Delhi till 1962 was the Safdarjung airport which was built in 1930.

Due to increasing air passenger traffic at Safdarjung, the operations were shifted to the Palam Airport which was known as the Royal Air Force (RAF) Airport during the British rule.

In the 1970’s, the air passenger traffic at the Palam airport increased to 1300 passengers per hour and continued to grow at a fast rate.

Owing to this, a new terminal was built which was 4 times the size of the old Palam airport by the early 1980’s and on 2nd May 1986, the Palam Airport was renamed as Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In 2006 the Aviation Minister, Mr. Praful Patel, decided to sell the management rights to the Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL) which comprises of the GMR Group (64 % Stake), Fraport (10% Stake) and Airports Authority Of India(26 % Stake).

This move gave DIAL the opportunity to make the IGIA an ultra-modern airport and since then they have been continuously improving and adding world-class facilities to it.

Awards & Recognitions

1. At the Skytrax World Airport Awards in 2015, Delhi Airport was given the award for “The Best Airport in Central Asia/India” and “Best Airport Staff in Central Asia/India”.

2. It won the award for the “Best Airport” and “Best Airport Service Quality”, in the 25–40 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category, which was given by the Airports Council International(ACI) in 2015.

3. The Delhi International Airport Limited won the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ for Corporate Social Responsibility under the Aviation category for the year 2016.

4. As per Airports Council International (ACI) ASQ 2016 rankings, IGI was proclaimed as the world’s second best airport in over 40 MPPA category.

5. It was also recognised as Asia-Pacific’s first airport to achieve a carbon neutral status at ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation certificate presentation ceremony in 2016.

6. In 2017, Delhi Airport won the ‘Best Airport’ award from the Airports Council International along with Mumbai International Airport in the over 40 MMPA category.

Interesting Facts About The Delhi Airport

1) The airport was operated by the Indian Air Force before its management was transferred to DIAL.

2) Delhi Airport was the first airport in the country to implement Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) system to help keep a track and improve predictability of take-offs and landings.

3) Terminal 3 at The IGIA has been constructed using the “North Light” concept where the natural light comes from the blue sky and not directly from the sun.

4) IGI airport is spread over an area of 5,106 acres, which is equal to the area covered by 4000 football fields.

5) The mudra installations inside IGIA have been collaboratively designed by Indian industrial design firm Incubis Consultants, U.S.-based branding company Landor Associates and Jaipur-based designer Ayush Kasliwal.

6) Delhi Airport is one of the few airports in the world which is capable of handling the giant Airbus A380 aircraft.

7) DIAL has drafted an expansion plan which includes the construction of Terminals 4, 5 and 6 by 2030. The three terminals will cater to international travellers only. This will increase the airport annual passenger capacity to 100 million.

Delhi airport is one of the best examples of how far we have come in terms of cultural and infrastructure growth. Hopefully, with the governments UDAN scheme being implemented in full force, airports in India will be able to compare themselves to the likes of Delhi and Mumbai airport.

If you want to know more about things to do at the Delhi airport, look no further. Download the AirWhizz app and get information about different places to eat, shop & relax at the Delhi Airport along with real-time flight updates the next time you fly.

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Flight Delays Reduced At The Mumbai Airport Due To Change In System!

AirWhizzMay 25, 2018 No Comments

Flight Delays Reduced At The Mumbai Airport Due To Change In System!

Aviation Insider

Passengers at the Mumbai Airport have witnessed constant delays in flights for the past few days because of the upgradation of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the airport.

However, these delays have drastically reduced because of two main reasons –

Familiarity With VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) system

The VOR system was used by airports before the ILS  was developed and implemented.

The Instrument is placed at the epicentre of the two main runways at the Mumbai airport and sends out radar signals which help the pilot to align the airplane to the runway by following the signal.

Since the upgradation work of the ILS started, the airport has been using this system to help pilots land.

The pilots and controllers are familiar with this replacement system and are now being able to land and take off much earlier.

Change In Norms For Manual Landing

The authorities have had to adjust their rules regarding manual landing at the airport, which has helped in reducing the time by which a flight is delayed.

The distance to be kept between 2 airplanes before landing has been reduced from 6.5 miles to 6 miles

By doing this, the airport is saving 20 seconds after every aircraft lands, allowing controllers to add 3 to 4 more airplanes in their schedule every hour.

The amount of aircrafts operating at the airport has increased from 40 to 44 airplanes per hour because of this change.

The airport is also using 2 other systems to make flight operations smoother.

The Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) system for handling flights that are arriving at the airport and the Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) System which helps in the scheduling of flights on an hourly basis.

With this new traffic arrangement, aviation experts say that the number of hourly operations is now close to its full capacity at the airport and the way the airport is handling this situation shows high professional standards.

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