Mumbai airport

Bangalore Airport Under Pressure To Withdraw User Development Fee!

AirWhizzJul 19, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport Under Pressure To Withdraw User Development Fee!

Aviation Insider

With Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) registering huge profits in the past three years, there is a growing demand for withdrawal of the User Development Fee (UDF).

UDF is the tax that is levied on an airplane passenger by the airport operator, to receive a fair share of return on the investment done for development of the airport.

The Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) wants BIAL to stop burdening passengers with the fee and fund their infrastructure projects from other sources.

According to the data collected by B.PAC, BAIL has collected a total sum of Rs 1212 Crore as UDF in the past 2 years. This amount is 30%  more than what BIAL had estimated, based on traffic projections in 2010. .

The annual reports of Bangalore Airport show that 40% of its revenue comes from UDF. In the year 2016-2017 BIAL generated Rs 1,314.35 crore from operations out of which, more than Rs 500 Crores was only from UDF.

Here’s a chart showing the UDF collection by the Bangalore Airport-

BIAL is pushing for the continuation of the existing UDF till 2021 to fund its future infrastructure projects. The airport is running at full capacity of 25 million passengers a year and BIAL is targeting to double it in the next four years.

Airport authorities are planning to build a runway, a new terminal building and supporting infrastructure in the near future. They estimate that this expansion will cost Rs 12000 crores. The Karnataka government has supported BIAL’s stand on continuing the current UDF charges.

Managing Trustee of B.PAC, Ms. Revathy Ashok, has said its unfair to burden the passengers with this fee since the airport recorded a profit of 50 % last year. She also said that this kind of profitability is unheard of in any industry and this establishes the fact that excessive UDF charges have contributed to BIAL’s higher profit margin.

According to a citizen activist Mr Sanjeev Dyamannavar, in the past 10 years, BIAL has not done anything to generate income from the airport land. He suggests that they should tap into non-aeronautical revenue instead of burdening the passengers.

UDF is revised every 5 years by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The fee was last revised at the Bangalore Airport in 2015. Currently, Bangalore Airport charges the highest UDF in India.

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Airport Authorities May Soon Hike Passenger Security Fee!

AirWhizzJul 18, 2018 No Comments

Airport Authorities May Soon Hike Passenger Security Fee!

Aviation Insider

Air tickets may soon become expensive as airport authorities have asked the government to increase the Passenger Security Fee (PSF).

PSF is the surcharge paid by each flyer to cover the cost of security deployed at airports. Currently, a passenger pays Rs 130 as security fee to the airlines when they book an airplane ticket.

Airport operators want this fee to be increased because the current amount is not enough to cover the airport security cost.

The fee is used to pay the salaries of Central Industrial Security Force(CISF) and state police personnel who are deployed to protect the passengers at airports.

According to the Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Mr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, The annual expense on airport security amounts to Rs 900 Crore & the ministry is facing a shortfall of more than Rs 100 Crores.

All airport operators have submitted their projection reports to the ministry and the latter is in discussion with these operators on hiking the PSF amount.

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Indian Airports Left Vulnerable Due To Lack Of CCTV Cameras!

AirWhizzJul 16, 2018 No Comments

Indian Airports Left Vulnerable Due To Lack Of CCTV Cameras!

Aviation Insider

In an annual audit conducted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), it was found that security at Indian airports is not as tight as it should be.

CISF has highlighted that there are “Dark Zones” at 34 airports in India. These zones have been created due to a lack of CCTV cameras at these airports.

‘Dark Zone’ is a term used by authorities to identify areas inside the airport which cannot be seen by the security through CCTV cameras. Dark zones arise due to modification work inside terminal areas or change in the airport layout

According to CISF’s audit report, there is a deficiency of 1,882 cameras at these 34 airports and many of them don’t have a ‘Digital Video Recording System’. This hampers the CISF’s investigation process.

Apart from CCTV cameras, the audit report also addresses other security issues such as shortage of baggage X-ray machines, bomb detectors and walkie-talkies at airports across the country.

According to a CISF officer, passengers are occasionally checked at entry gates based on profiling. For that, they need  X-ray machines, Hand-Held Metal Detectors (HHMDs), Door-Frame Metal Detectors (DFMDs) and Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs). He also said that 26 airports need X-ray machines,  3 airports need HHMDs, 8 airports need DFMDs & 30 airports need ETDs.

Airports Authority Of India(AAI) has said that 402 additional x-ray machines have been procured. Apart from this AAI will hold meetings with stakeholders and members of the airport security committee on a regular basis to implement various security measures required.

CISF was created in 1969 and has been providing security to airports, government buildings, seaports and power plants amongst others. It manages security at 60 out of the 98 operational airports in India.

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Navi Mumbai Airport’s ‘Phase 1’ Construction Cost Escalates By 50%!

AirWhizzJul 14, 2018 No Comments

Navi Mumbai Airport’s ‘Phase 1’ Construction Cost Escalates By 50%!

Aviation Insider

Credit Rating Agency, CRISIL, has estimated that the cost of construction for Navi Mumbai Airport’s ‘Phase 1’ will be more than what the authorities had initially thought.

Here are all the details about it –

  • 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.
  • GVK group, which is constructing the airport, has announced a partnership with Yes Bank to fund the project.
  • CRISIL has given an A+ stable rating for the project’s Rs 10300 Crore bank loan.

The planning process for Navi Mumbai Airport started back in early 2000’s, but pre-development work began in June 2017 as the project was stuck due to litigation and land acquisition issues.

The airport is being developed under a public-private partnership model. City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is the project’s planning authority. In 2012, CIDCO had prepared a master plan for the airport to be developed in four phases, at a projected cost of Rs 16000 Crores.

In March 2018, GVK group had appointed Zaha Hadid Architects, a UK-based firm, to design the airport’s terminal building and air traffic control tower. The plans have been submitted to CIDCO.

According to the agreement between Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) and CIDCO, the deadline for the commercial launch of the Navi Mumbai airport was set in 2021. But, the Maharashtra government is keen to launch operations by December 2019.

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Surat Airport Puts In Request To Operate Round-The-Clock!

AirWhizzJul 12, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport Puts In Request To Operate Round-The-Clock!

Aviation Insider

Authorities at the Surat Airport have put in a request with the Airports Authority Of India(AAI) to make the airport operational for 24 hours a day.

At present, flights operate in 2 separate shifts which fall between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Surat Airport was recently declared customs notified by the central government and has been authorised to install immigration check posts. This makes the airport eligible to operate international flights. This is why authorities want AAI to let Surat Airport to be functional for the whole day.

Surat Airport’s Director, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Panigrahi has said that they have made this request to accommodate international flights at night. He expects AAI to approve this request in the next two months.

He also said that this decision will help Surat airport smoothen out domestic flight operations during daytime.

Authorities want Surat Airport to be operational for 24 hours for one more reason. Air India Express had submitted an ‘Expression Of Interest’ to operate direct flights from Surat to Sharjah. Once, AAI approves this request, Air India Express will launch the Sharjah-Surat flight service between 12.30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

5 Airports in India, including Vadodara Airport, had previously handed in a similar request to AAI. Surat Airport has become the 6th airport to do so.

According to a study conducted by Surat Travel & Tourism Association, air passenger traffic at the airport has been continuously increasing by 20-25 percent for the past few years. In fact, more than 5 lakh people travelled from Surat and south Gujrat to international destinations in 2017-2018.

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Vadodara Airport Will Soon Switch To Solar Power

AirWhizzJul 11, 2018 No Comments

Vadodara Airport Will Soon Switch To Solar Power

Aviation Insider

Vadodara Airport in Gujrat is all set to go ‘Green’!

The airport will use clean and natural energy for its day to day operations which will be produced by the newly installed solar power plant.

The power plant, which is located within the airport complex, will generate 675 Kilowatts of power, which will help the airport save around Rs 60 lakh every year on its electricity cost.

According to Vadodara airport director, Mr. Charan Singh, the solar plant will take care of 50 % energy requirements of the airport.

He also said that Airports Authority Of India(AAI) is responsible for building the power plant and a contract worth Rs 3.5 Crores was awarded to a private company to complete the job.

Recently, Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore announced that they will soon go green and have started the expansion work of their solar power plant. You would be proud to know that, Cochin International Airport in India was the first airport in the world to be completely powered by solar energy.

This initiative by AAI to make ‘Green Airports’ will not only cut down an airport’s operating cost but will also help the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

We hope that more airports in India follow Vadodara and Bangalore airport’s example to save on electricity and go green. In a country where more than 300 million people still don’t have access to power, going solar may just be the solution that is needed to light up their lives.

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Heavy Rains Continue To Affect Flight Operations At Mumbai Airport

AirWhizzJul 09, 2018 No Comments

Heavy Rains Continue To Affect Flight Operations At Mumbai Airport

Aviation Insider

The city of Mumbai sees its worst days when the monsoon season arrives and yesterday was no different for the financial capital of India.

More than 387 flights were delayed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, as Mumbai witnessed heavy showers from early hours of Sunday.

Here are all the details about the flight delays –

  • The rains began at 12:00 a.m. and within 3 hours almost 31 departing and 41 arrival flights were delayed.
  • Between 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. the number of delayed flights came down. Only 10 departure and 16 arrival flights were delayed during this time.
  • The intensity of the rains increased after some time and Mumbai airport announced a delay of 110 departure and 16 arrival flights between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
                Number of Flights Delayed At The Mumbai Airport On Sunday

                    Time                  Departure                      Arrival
12 a.m. – 3 a.m. 31 44
3 a.m. – 6 a.m. 10 16
6 a.m. – 9 a.m. 110 16
9a.m. – 12 p.m. 34 38
12p.m. – 3 p.m. 22 29
3 p.m. – 6 p.m. – –
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 7 13
9p.m. – 12 a.m. 2 15

 

Airlines such as Jet Airways, Air India and IndiGo were severely affected by the rains and most of their flights were delayed.

Jet Airways and Vistara took to social media to inform passengers about the delays in flights and warn passengers about the possible traffic congestions on routes leading to the airport.

According to weather forecasters, Skymet, Mumbai rains have been unpredictable this season with some days experiencing heavy rainfall while others experiencing light showers. They have also found out that most of the heavy rains have happened on the weekend for the past few weeks.

The presence of a cyclonic circulation at 10000 feet around the south Gujrat and north Konkan region has been cited as the reason for the downpour in Mumbai.

Heavy rains are expected to continue for the next 48 hours. There might be waterlogging and traffic congestion in different pockets of Mumbai, but the good news is that there will be occasional breaks in between and rains will not be on a continuous basis.

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.

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Bangalore Airport Will Soon Introduce “Self Check-In” Kiosks!

AirWhizzJul 07, 2018 No Comments

Bangalore Airport Will Soon Introduce “Self Check-In” Kiosks!

Aviation Insider

Passengers travelling from the Bangalore Airport, will soon be able to get their boarding pass without much hassle!

The Kempegowda International Airport(KIA) in Bangalore is planning to introduce 16 ‘Self Check-In’ kiosks near the airline ticket counters.

Director General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Mr Rajesh Ranjan, has said that there is a lot of emphasis on introducing e-governance and e-handling at the Bangalore Airport due to the city’s reputation as a technology hub. For this purpose and to reduce check-in time, the airport might install self check-in kiosks.

Apart from these 16 kiosks, airport authorities will also introduce 2 assisted kiosks through which passengers can check in and get a boarding pass without going to the counters. The baggage can then be sent to the airlines from these kiosks itself.

Currently, there are a few such kiosks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Mr Ranjan has also said that, following Hyderabad Airport’s example, CISF personnel are planning to do away with stamping of the boarding pass at Bangalore Airport.

They are planning to implement a check-in system where the passengers can swipe the boarding pass at the scanner, which will recognise the barcode and allow them in. However, the details of this system are yet to be finalized.

This decision taken by the Bangalore Airport will surely be a step further in implementing the government’s “DigiYatra” scheme, which lately took a hit after the Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) refused to share Aadhaar data with aviation authorities.

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