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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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Flight Delays Expected At The Mumbai Airport Till 5th June 2018!

AirWhizzMay 22, 2018 No Comments

Flight Delays Expected At The Mumbai Airport Till 5th June 2018!

Aviation Insider

If you are planning to fly to/from the Mumbai Airport before 5th June, be prepared for your flight to get delayed.

Flights from the Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai might be delayed due to the upgradation work on the airport’s Instrumental Landing System (ILS).

The old ILS is being upgraded, for which the work started on 17th May and will continue till 5th June. Because of this, the system will be out of service from 11 a.m. To 11 p.m.

Here’s why the ILS is so important –

  • It is a ground-based navigational system which helps pilots to land. It gives guidance while landing and helps the pilots align the aircraft to the runway centreline.
  • With no ILS on Mumbai airports main runway ‘27’, the pilot has to slow down the aircraft earlier than usual while landing it.
  • Landing without the system’s guidance involves relying on the radar to look for the runway. This is known as “Non-Precision Approach”.
  • At the Mumbai airport, a pilot cannot continue to land below 1070 feet if they don’t spot the runway. This increases the chances of “go-around” and the pilot has to make another attempt to land the aircraft.
  • This can lead to air traffic congestion, as landing without the ILS takes more time.

On 18th May, the airport saw severe air traffic congestion with almost 230 arrival and 350 departure flights getting delayed for 40 to 60 minutes.

This forced officials to shift operations to the secondary runway ‘14’, which is shorter than the main runway and can handle only a few flights.

Airport officials also fear that due to weather conditions the visibility might fall below 1200 meters and the airport might have to shut operations. They have been coordinating with the meteorological department to keep a track of the weather conditions. As of now, chances of poor visibility are less for the next 20 days.

Jet Airways and Vistara have informed their guests about the situation via Twitter and have asked them to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

If you want to know whether your flight has been delayed at the Mumbai airport, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App to get real-time flight updates via push notification on your phone and Fly Stress-Free!

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Why Airport Security Is So Important!

AirWhizzMay 21, 2018 No Comments

Why Airport Security Is So Important!

Aviation Insider

Airport security has evolved with time. Before 1960’s, airport security wasn’t a big issue and was not that strict.

But a series of high jacking and terrorist attacks that took place eventually changed the entire airline security industry. These incidents led to the creation of the modern airport security system.

We have often seen how people get angry and agitated during security checks. But it is a necessary measure which must be taken to avoid incidents that can cause you harm.

Here are the reasons why airport security is so Important!

1.PROTECTION AGAINST TERRORISTS

High jackings of various airplanes in the 1960s and 1970s led to the system of screening, ticketing and monitoring procedures, which were followed till 2001.

However, all this changed after the 9/11 incident. It was a wake-up call for authorities who had become complacent with airport security.

New security measures have been developed to stop more elaborate and intelligently planned actions by terrorists.

Things are different now. It is difficult to get through airport security even with a bottle of water. These tough security measures have helped airlines avoid potential terrorist threats.

2.FIGHT AGAINST NARCOTICS

Drugs trafficking went up very quickly once smugglers started using airplanes. Drug lords like Pablo Escobar and others made billions using the flying routes to transport drugs.

This had a negative effect on the aviation industry, affected the society and disrupted the economy countries where drug trafficking was prominent.

Even today we see reports of people coming up with new ways to traffic drugs on airplanes, but modern day airport security measures have helped to catch the people responsible.

3.PREVENT SMUGGLING

Apart from drugs, airport security has been trained to detect different products that are transported illegally across borders on airplanes.

People in the past have tried to carry things like gold, stolen antiques and in some cases, rare and exotic animals in carry-on bags, but airport security has been successful in stopping such practices.

4.CYBER-SECURITY

Airport security doesn’t only involve security checks before boarding a flight.

Hackers are coming up with new and sophisticated ways to attack aviation network computers, Air Traffic Control systems and gain unauthorised access to airport and airline databases.

With the aviation industry becoming heavily dependent on digital technology, cyber-security has become a serious and urgent concern.

Authorities and Airlines are investing heavily in cyber-security and have been able to tackle cyber threats which can cause heavy financial losses and disrupt the air transportation network.

5.PROTECTS PASSENGERS INSIDE AIRPORT

With mass shooting incidences on the rise, airport security keeps passengers protected inside the airport.

If there was no airport security, the airport would be left vulnerable to surprise attacks from terrorists and criminals.

Security measures taken at the airport, discourage criminals from committing such crimes. CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) is a paramilitary organization that looks after the airport security in India.

With the advancement in technology, airports are now taking the help of modern tools and machines to tackle potential threats to the flyers and make air travel safer. Here are a few examples of these modern machines!

1.A.I.T SCANNERS

Since its introduction in 2007, Advanced Imaging Technology(AIT) scanners have replaced manual checking at many airports.

These scanners help the security personnel detect any concealed (purposely or not) metal, plastics, ceramics, chemical materials and explosives with the help of 3-dimensional images created by the machine after scanning the passenger.

2.BIOMETRIC SYSTEM

The Biometric Boarding System has had a positive effect on an airport’s security all around the world.

Biometric scanners at airports help security identify the passenger and get their information which is present in the government’s database.

This helps the security personnel to determine whether the passenger is a potential threat or not.

3.MRI LUGGAGE SCANNERS

These scanners are similar to MRI scanners present at the hospital.

They help airport security detect liquids and prohibited items in checked-in luggage.

They are currently being used at airports around the world such as London’s Luton Airport and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

4.CYBER-SECURITY SOLUTIONS

With airports adopting smart technology, aviation cyber-security solutions are being set up.

This software protects aviation networks, computers, and databases from cyber-attacks and unauthorised access.

Due to globalization, airlines are expanding their operations worldwide and are not limited to the country of origin. That is why advanced cyber-security solutions have become a prominent tool for maintaining security.

Airport security is important because it keeps the passenger at ease while flying. It assures that the airplane will make it to the destination safely and the person sitting beside has been deemed as a safe flyer.

If you want to know about your airline’s security policy and location of security checkpoints within the airport, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz app and get all the information you need about airport security on your phone itself.

Have a safe journey and Fly Stress-Free!

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UDAN Boosts Connectivity In 25 Tier II & Tier III Cities Within 13 Months!

AirWhizzMay 21, 2018 No Comments

UDAN Boosts Connectivity In 25 Tier II & Tier III Cities Within 13 Months!

Aviation Insider

A few Months back Sikkim was the only state in the country to not have an airport. However, After 13 months there is finally India’s 100th airport in the Pakyong district which is about 35 Kilometres away from Gangtok, Sikkim. This has been made possible by government’s UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme.

The UDAN Scheme, also known as Regional Connectivity Scheme(RCS), was implemented by the government in April 2017 to boost regional connectivity and make air travel affordable In India.

Before the scheme was implemented the country had 75 airports, however within 13 months, 25 new airports have been added to the network.

Here’s how the regional air connectivity has improved under the UDAN scheme –

  • The airports in Pathankot (which was not operational for 7 years) and Adampur district in Punjab have been made operational under the scheme.
  • The airstrips in Vijaynagar in Karnataka and Rourkela in Odisha, which were being used by corporates for business purposes, have now been opened for general public.
  • The Hubli Airport in Karnataka saw its first commercial flight at the start of this month.
  • Airports have opened up in districts like Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh), Kandla(Gujrat), Nanded(Maharashtra), Ozar (Nashik), Porbandar(Gujrat), Jalgaon(Maharashtra) and Mundra(Gujrat).
  • States like Pondicherry and Daman & Diu have also seen airports being opened up for the public.
  • Under RCS, the price of an air ticket for a one hour journey on a fixed-wing airplane is just Rs 2500.
  • Regional airlines such as Air Deccan and Air Odisha have also started on routes under The UDAN scheme.

According to Mr. Ajay Singh, SpiceJet’s MD & Chairman, the air traffic on regional routes has increased significantly. There is an occupancy of over 90% on SpiceJet flights on routes under the UDAN scheme.

Airlines in India served 11.7 crore passengers in 2017 and the industry saw a growth rate of 17.3%. This year on year growth has made India the fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world.

To cater to the high demand and improve air travel connectivity, it is important to build airports in districts other than metro cities, which has been made possible under the UDAN Scheme. RCS will also play a major part in making air travel more accessible and affordable for people in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in the near future.

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Mumbai Airport To Celebrate “Jaya He” Museum In A Week-Long Carnival!

AirWhizzMay 15, 2018 No Comments

Mumbai Airport To Celebrate “Jaya He” Museum In A Week-Long Carnival!

Aviation Insider

If you have travelled to the Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport, you must have come across the beautiful paintings and sculptures that are displayed at the ‘Jaya He’ Museum.

Coinciding with the International Museum Day which is celebrated on May 18, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MAIL) has announced that the Mumbai Airport will organise a week-long carnival to celebrate the Jaya He Museum.

Here are all the details of the event –

  • Passengers will get to interact with artists who are directly involved with designing the museum.
  • The theme of the event will be ‘paper’. Stalls will be set up across the airport which will display craftwork and sculptures made from paper.
  • Anil Nayak and Moreshwar Patil, the two artists who designed the artifacts for the museum, will be making live sketches of passengers as well.
  • Videos and photos of the passengers visiting the museum will be put on the website and displayed across social media.

The Jaya He museum spreads across 4 levels of the Terminal 2 Building at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The museum displays Indian culture through beautiful paintings, arts & crafts and sculptures.

The airport museum is promoted by MAIL through organised tours. It is a very popular tour and the airport gets a minimum of 10 bookings per day. The tour is organised keeping in mind the travel schedule of the passenger and the route of the tour is decided accordingly.

40 percent of the passengers who visit the Jaya He are foreign tourists and this number is increasing every year. The airport has hired interns from colleges who guide the passengers through the tour.

MAIL has recently tied up with the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This has been done to make the airport museum popular amongst other museums in the world.

If you want to know more about the Jaya He museum, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App and get all the information you need about the museum and other services available at the airport on the move.

Enjoy the beauty of Indian art and Fly Stress- Free!

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