Kolkata Airport

Varanasi Airport To Get Facial Recognition Security System!

AirWhizzJun 12, 2018 No Comments

Varanasi Airport To Get Facial Recognition Security System!

Aviation Insider

Passengers flying from Varanasi Airport will soon experience a hassle-free journey from the airport’s entry to the boarding gate.

The Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi is all set to become the first Indian airport to install an automated Facial Recognition Security System.

Here are the details of the new system being implemented –

  • Installation of the automated security system has already started at the airport.
  • The walkthrough security scanners will be equipped with facial recognition technology.
  • They will be installed at the entrance, security checkpoint and the boarding area inside the airport.
  • The system will be put into service over the next four months.
  • This system is being implemented, thanks to the ‘DigiYatra’ initiative started by the government.
  • This system will soon be implemented at airports in Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata.

These walkthrough security scanners will make entry for passengers into the Varanasi Airport faster. It will enable them to automatically check-in and travel paperless.

Once the system is in place, security checks will be done through facial recognition as soon as travellers walk through the scanner. Passenger details will be examined digitally by comparing their Aadhar information with the information given by them while booking the flight.

However, there will be no change in the way luggage is being checked.

DigiYatra is a great initiative by the government. It aims at developing a digital ecosystem to provide a smooth paperless travel experience to air passengers at every stage of their journey.

In addition to automated security system, the scheme also aims at providing real-time notifications on air traffic congestion, price trends and calculating future airfares in the coming few months.

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Surat Airport All Set To Get International Status!

AirWhizzJun 11, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport All Set To Get International Status!

Aviation Insider

People in Surat will be able to fly directly to international destinations in the coming few months.

Surat Airport is all set to become an international airport thanks to the central government giving the airport a customs notified status.

On 8th June 2018, The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs gave Surat Airport the status of a customs airport, which allows an airport to operate international flights, under the Customs Act 1962.

Back in 2016, the Airports Authority of India(AAI) had asked the central government to give Surat Airport a customs notified status and finally after 18 months they have gone ahead and agreed upon it.

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 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.

He said that the airline is keen to launch its flights to Dubai, provided they extend their runway to 2905 meters and get a customs notified status from the government.

Mr Sundar and his team also met members of the social group(working towards increasing connectivity at the airport) and tours & travel association to discuss about the potential of international flight services from Surat.

According to the association, almost 5 lakh people have travelled from Surat and south Gujrat to international destinations in 2017-2018.They also said that the air passenger traffic at the airport has been on the rise and is continuously increasing by 20-25 percent every year.

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Second Heli-Taxi Service To Be Launched In Bangalore To Ferry Air Passengers

AirWhizzJun 09, 2018 No Comments

Second Heli-Taxi Service To Be Launched In Bangalore To Ferry Air Passengers

Aviation Insider

Bangalore is all set to get a second Heli-Taxi service that will ferry passengers between the 2 airports within the city.

Here are the details about the 2nd Heli-Taxi service–

  • The service is likely to start by 23rd June 2018.
  • The helicopter will fly between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport and Kempegowda International Airport(KIA).
  • The Heli-Taxi fare for this will be steeper than the Electronic City – KIA route.
  • Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd will be handling the operations of the Heli-Taxi Service.
  • The company will be purchasing special performance ‘Class-I’ helicopters that are mandatory for such rooftop services.

The prices are going to be higher for the second Heli-Taxi service because Thumby Aviation does not have a helipad of its own at the HAL airport. They will have to pay a high rent in the form of ground handling charges, landing charges and parking charges to HAL authorities.

According to Captain K.N.G Nair, Chairman and Managing Director of Thumby Aviation, the company will do their best to reduce the cost per ticket so that the passengers don’t bear a big burden. They will be ready within two weeks to start this service.

The first Heli-taxi service started on 5th March 2018 and was a huge success since it took only 15 minutes to take passengers from the electronic city to KIA, which on-ground takes around 2 hours. The service operates 3 round trips in 2 slots, between 6:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

The tickets cost Rs 4130 (Including GST) per person and there is a 15 kg baggage limit. If a person has more than 15kg of luggage, they can opt to transport it through CarterPorter, which is a third party service.

4 hotels in Bangalore are keen to jump in on this opportunity and want to offer their helipads for ferrying their guests to the airport. However, this could take a few more months since a permission has to be taken from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

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List Of Flights Which Will Be Delayed Or Diverted At The Mumbai Airport Today!

AirWhizzJun 07, 2018 No Comments

List Of Flights Which Will Be Delayed Or Diverted At The Mumbai Airport Today!

Aviation Insider

Due to heavy rains in Mumbai, several flights may be delayed and diverted today at the Chattrapati Shivaji InternatiAirport.ort .

Here is a list of flights that have been delayed at the Mumbai Airport –

Arrivals

Airline Flight No. Origin Date Scheduled Time Actual Time Terminal
Air India AI 646 Jodhpur 25/06/2018 13:45 14:10 T2
Air India AI 648 Jamnagar 25/06/2018 14:00 16:00 T2
Air India AI 863 Delhi 25/06/2018 15:10 16:10 T2
GoAir G8 348 Kochi 25/06/2018 15:30 16:05 T2
Air India AI 651 Vishakhapatnam 25/06/2018 16:20 18:20 T2
Air India AI 670 Bhubaneswar 25/06/2018 17:15 18:35 T2
Air India AI 644 Udaipur 25/06/2018 18:10 18:30 T2
IndiGo 6E 459 Mangalore 25/06/2018 19:45 20:35 T1
IndiGo 6E 5449 Bengaluru 25/06/2018 19:55 20:40 T1
Jet Airways 9W 468 Chennai 25/06/2018 20:05 20:50 T2
IndiGo 6E 231 Hyderabad 25/06/2018 20:35 21:25 T1
Jet Airways 9W 470 Chennai 25/06/2018 21:20 22:01 T2
IndiGo 6E 566 Bengaluru 25/06/2018 21:25 22:20 T1
Air India AI 441 Delhi 25/06/2018 21:35 21:55 T2
Jet Airways 9W 354 Delhi 25/06/2018 22:05 22:55 T2
Jet Airways 9W 438 Mangalore 25/06/2018 22:45 23:10 T2
Air India AI 668 Thiruvananthapuram 25/06/2018 22:35 22:55 T2
Air India AI 630 Nagpur 25/06/2018 23:05 23:30 T2

Departure

Airline Flight No. Destination Date Scheduled Time Actual Time Terminal
Air India AI 643 Udaipur 25/06/2018 14:35 15:00 T2
Air India AI 661 Goa 25/06/2018 16:15 16:30 T2
Ai India AI 667 Thiruvananthapuram 25/06/2018 17:20 17:40 T2
Air India AI 660 Delhi 25/06/2018 18:00 18:45 T2
Air India AI 629 Nagpur 25/06/2018 19:00 19:30 T2
Vistara UK 940 Delhi 25/06/2018 19:40 20:40 T2
IndiGo 6E 254 Hyderabad 25/06/2018 20:05 20:20 T1
IndiGo 6E 639 Ahmedabad 25/06/2018 20:05 20:25 T1
Jet Airways 9W 383 Indore 25/06/2018 20:15 20:50 T2
IndiGo 6E 6433 Ahmedabad 25/06/2018 20:45 21:25 T1
IndiGo 6E 248 Delhi 25/06/2018 20:55 21:20 T1
SpiceJet SG 154 Delhi 25/06/2018 21:40 23:15 T1
IndiGo 6E 565 Bengaluru 25/06/2018 22:30 23:05 T1

If you want to know more about your flight status, simply download the AirWhizz App. You will get real-time flight and weather updates on the move to help you plan your trip better.We will update this list every hour and keep you informed in case more flights get delayed or diverted.

*The information has been collected from Mumbai Airport’s official website

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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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