Mumbai airport

Bangalore Airport Inks Deal To Digitize Operations & Infrastructure!

AirWhizzSep 15, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport Inks Deal To Digitize Operations & Infrastructure!

Aviation Insider

Germany’s technology giants, Siemens, is all set to digitize operations at the Bangalore Airport to simplify airport systems and enhance customer experience.

The group’s subsidiary, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to digitized the airport operations and infrastructure using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis.

Managing Director and CEO of BIAL, Mr. Hari Marar, released a statement saying that Bangalore Airport is a pioneer and leader of change in the Indian aviation industry. BIAL’s aim is to introduce more digitally advanced and innovative services so that the passengers and stakeholders get the benefit of future technologies.

He also went on to say that with the signing of the MoU for digitalisation, BIAL is once again gearing up for a leading position in India together with SPPAL.

Here’s how SPPAL may digitize Bangalore Airport-

  • With a view to improve operational efficiency, the subsidiary will use MindSphere, an open cloud-based IoT operating system of Siemens.
  • The technology will standardize real-time exchange of quality-assured data. This will create more transparency of information and thus improve processes between the various stakeholders at the airport.
  • Another way it will benefit the airport is by improving the baggage handling system.
  • It is also planning to optimize aircraft spare part management at the airport using predictive analysis.
  • Data analysis and Artificial Intelligence will be implemented in the later stages of development

SPPAL recently opened a new MindSphere Application Centre (MAC) in Dubai, which will be used to develop future-oriented analytics and IoT solutions for airports, airlines, freight service providers and ground-handling services.

As the country’s third busiest airport after Mumbai and New Delhi, Bangalore airport handled 25 million (250 lakh) passengers in 2017. With such technologies being implemented, BIAL will surely be able to help modernize the airport and improve passenger experience.

Read More

Hyderabad Airport Ranked World No.1 For Service Quality!

AirWhizzSep 14, 2018 No Comments

Hyderabad Airport Ranked World No.1 For Service Quality!

Aviation Insider

Hyderabad Airport is officially one of the best airports in the world, in terms of service quality!

The international airport has been ranked ‘world No 1’ for ‘Airport Service Quality’(ASQ) by the Airports Council International (ACI) in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category.

The CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), Mr. S.G.K Kishore, was there to receive the award at the ASQ awards ceremony, organised at the ‘2018 ACI Customer Excellence Global Summit’ at Halifax in Canada.

Mr. Kishore has said that the award is a recognition of the airport’s relentless efforts towards service excellence and customer delight. It will be their endeavour to continuously raise the bar and exceed customer expectations.

He also went on to thank the stakeholders, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Immigration, Customs and service providers such as airlines and airport staff for their constant support in helping the airport achieve this status.

The award was presented by the President and CEO of Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Ms. Joyce Carter.

Hyderabad Airport has been ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year and has been in the top 3 rankings for the past 9 consecutive years. The airport was adjudged World no 1 Airport in this category for the year 2016-2017.

Read More

Bangalore Airport’s Second Runway To Be Powered By LED Lighting!

AirWhizzSep 13, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport’s Second Runway To Be Powered By LED Lighting!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to become more environmentally friendly and save energy, Bangalore Airport will be using LED lighting system to illuminate its second runway.

The runway, which is scheduled to become operational in 2019, will be the first airport runway in the country to have LED lighting.

With this facility, Kempegowda International Airport, which is the 3rd busiest airport in India, will improve runway safety & efficiency while saving energy and cost.

The runway will be powered by a US-based firm, ‘ADB Safegate’ who are responsible for designing and supplying the Airfield Lighting (AGL) as well as Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems(A-VDGS).

The Company will provide the ‘SafeLED’ lights, Constant Current Regulators (CCR) for power management, cables and control systems.

According to Chief Project Officer Of Bangalore Airport, Mr. Tom Shimmin, this system will help the airport gear up to support the 55 aircraft per hour movement at the second runway in an efficient way and ensure safety.

The new runway will have an Advanced CAT III instrumental landing system that will cater to all types of airplanes including the Airbus 380 (The Largest Aircraft In The World) and Boeing 747/748.The runway is expected to become functional from October 2019.

Read More

Food & Beverage At Indian Airports To Become Affordable!

AirWhizzSep 11, 2018 No Comments

Food & Beverage At Indian Airports To Become Affordable!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to make refreshments affordable for air travellers, Airports Authority Of India(AAI) has ordered airports to sell snacks and beverages at Maximum Retail Price(MRP).

More than 90 government-run airports across the country will soon sell packaged drinking water at MRP along with snacks and tea at the lowest rate possible.

This decision by AAI has been taken after they received many complaints from passengers about the exorbitant prices charged for water and snacks at airport terminals.

In fact, in March 2018, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had tweeted about the high prices of tea at the Chennai Airport which caused many MP’s to debate about this topic in the parliament.

AAI has asked airport authorities to sell water and snacks at MRP at separate counters. However, these rules are not applicable to some of India’s biggest airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi, as these airports are run by private companies.

According to an AAI official, the notice to start different counters was sent to airport authorities last month. The companies running the food courts have been asked to run a separate counter where they can sell selected items at affordable prices.

Today, air travel is not confined to the elite. With the success of the UDAN scheme and low budget airlines, air travel is accessible to people from all segments of the society. However, they have limited options when they have to pay a premium price for tea and snacks. These counters will surely bring them relief.

Airports in places like Pune and Shimla have already set up cheap food counters at their terminals but AAI is looking to make this a permanent norm at other airports across the country.

Read More

Bharat Bandh To Affect Passengers Flying From Bangalore Airport!

AirWhizzSep 10, 2018 No Comments

Bharat Bandh To Affect Passengers Flying From Bangalore Airport!

Aviation Insider

Air Passengers who have scheduled flights from Bangalore Airport before 3 p.m. may have to face difficulty due to the ‘Bharat Bandh’ in the city.

Members of the ‘Airport Taxi Owners’ Association have threatened to block the road leading to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) as part of the protest against rising fuel prices. The protest is to be carried out from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will result in several passengers missing their flights.

Association secretary Mr. Hamid Akbar Ali, has said that cabs who were not members of their association, as well as private vehicles, will be stopped from reaching the airport.

Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has put out an urgent message asking the departing air passengers to report to the airport at least four hours before their scheduled flight departure.

According to BIAL’s spokesperson, the airport operator has put in place some measures that will remove the inconvenience caused to passengers travelling to KIA. They are working with government departments and stakeholders to get regular updates, that will help them to take corrective action.

Individual airlines have put out travel advisories on Sunday night calling upon passengers to leave for the airport early.

IndiGo, Air Vistara and Jet Airways have cautioned their passengers that transport disruptions are expected and urged them to keep extra time on hand while travelling to the airport.

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place in the city. At least 15,000 policemen will be deployed and special security arrangement has been made for Airport and Railway stations, crowded places and some sensitive areas.

Read More

Flight Operations At Sikkim’s Pakyong Airport To Start From October!

AirWhizzSep 08, 2018 No Comments

Flight Operations At Sikkim’s Pakyong Airport To Start From October!

Aviation Insider

The beautiful state of Sikkim is all set to join the aviation map of the country on 4th October 2018. SpiceJet will be launching the first ever flight from Pakyong Airport to different cities across India.

The no-frills carrier will operate daily direct flights on the Pakyong-Kolkata route from 4th October and the Pakyong-Guwahati route from 16Th October.

SG 3324, operating on the Kolkata-Pakyong route, will depart from Kolkata for Pakyong at 9:30 am, whereas SG 3325 operating on the route of Pakyong-Guwahati route will depart at 11.15 am.

A memento of the first flight ticket and boarding pass was presented to the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Mr. Shri Pawan Chamling, by representatives of the airline.

On 1st March 2018, SpiceJet had successfully operated a test flight to Pakyong, making it the first civil aircraft to land at the airport

The greenfield Pakyong airport, close to Sikkim’s capital Gangtok, had received the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in May 2018 for commercial operations.

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.

It will be the 100th functional airport in the country. Sikkim is the only state without a functional airport at present.

With the opening of 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.

Read More

Bangalore Airport To Launch ‘Facial Recognition’ Boarding System In 2019!

AirWhizzSep 07, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport To Launch ‘Facial Recognition’ Boarding System In 2019!

Aviation Insider

In a bid to transform passenger experience and make the airport futuristic, Bangalore Airport has said that it will implement ‘Facial Recognition’ facility to make the boarding process paperless.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) and Lisbon-based digital and biometric solutions service provider, Vision-Box, have signed an agreement to launch paperless biometric self-boarding technology.

Below are a few key points about this technology:

  • The airport is set to become the first airport in India to have an end-to-end solution for paperless air travel.
  • BIAL expects that the technology will be implemented in the first quarter of 2019.
  • Jet Airways, Air Asia and SpiceJet will be the first carriers to use this technology for their passengers.
  • The goal of the programme is to simplify the journey by making it paperless from registration at the airport to boarding a flight.
  • The technology will identify passengers by their face as they move across the airport.
  • Passengers will not have to present their boarding passes, passports or other physical identity documents.

According to BIAL’s Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Hari Marar, ‘A passengers face will be their boarding pass’.

He also said that Vision-Box’s state-of-the-art biometric technology, combined with its passenger flow platform, will enable a seamless journey for passengers, without obstacles, waiting lines or hassles.

The Biometric boarding system has had a positive effect on airports all around the world. The introduction of such a technology in India will streamline the boarding process and who knows? Queues at the airport might become a thing of the past!

Read More

Flight Operations May Start At Navi Mumbai Airport From 2021!

AirWhizzSep 05, 2018 No Comments

Aviation authorities are planning to start regular flight operations from the Navi Mumbai Airport from September 2021.

Civil Aviation Secretary Mr. R N Choubey, who reviewed the progress of the greenfield project in Mumbai recently, said that both the state government and the other stakeholders involved are hopeful of starting flight operations in three years.

He has also said that they are trying very hard to reduce this time and may start flights sooner since not all facilities need to be built to operate the flights. There has been good cooperation between the stakeholders in executing the airport project.

The project is being carried out under the public-private-partnership model and City and Industrial Development Corporation(CIDCO) of Maharashtra has been mandated to execute the project. GVK group is developing the project.

Mumbai International Airport Limited(MIAL), the regulatory body of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, hold 74 percent stake in Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL), while CIDCO holds 26 percent.

A concession agreement has been signed between CIDCO and MIAL which states that a total of 1600 hectares of land will be dedicated for the development of the airport.

The construction cost is expected to go up to Rs 13,562 Crore which is almost 50% more than the earlier projected cost of Rs 9,600 crore.

Once built it is expected that the airport will have an overall capacity to handle more than 50 Million passengers in a year. If this plan goes through smoothly, 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.

Read More